The deafening roar shook the heavens as even those in Fortress One faintly heard it. The entire wilderness region fell silent. 

Even a tier five master could barely stand when the ground shook so strongly. The terrifying aura was suffocating. It was something alien, but it gave them a clear sense of horror of the unknown. Imagine walking alone down a dark, quiet alley, while a hungry wolf glared before it chased you down. That was the fear it evoked. 

There was only one thing capable of generating this much terror from within the wilderness: a tier nine Beast Emperor. They were living nightmares that unleashed terror upon the world. They were beings that even nuclear bombs couldn’t kill, and despite centuries of research, humans still couldn’t get answers from their genes. 

They were great creations of the Creator himself. Based on known data, there were less than ten tier nine Beast Emperors living on the land of this world. Every one of them had lived for more than a hundred years, and since the beginning of the Great Disaster, only three had been killed. Killing even one of them required a hefty cost from the humans with unfathomable damage sustained. 

Why was it specified as ‘on land’? There were just too many beasts in the vast ocean. According to an analysis, the number of tier seven Beast Kings in the ocean was estimated to be a hundred times more than those on land. As such, the number of Beast Emperors living in the oceans should be no less than fifty. 

Back to the story. 

When the deafening boom sounded, everyone froze. They were all seasoned veterans, yet they couldn’t help but frantically look around, looking for the beast that spread such terror. They deduced that the beast was approaching based on the trembling ground! 

Five seconds later, everyone reacted. 

Lord Vulture of the Seven Deadly Sins disappeared from the battle against the Shura in a flash, while Lan Quan fought them alone. As expected, Lan Quan was losing badly. 

Several individuals from the Shura army, who were greatly suppressing Gu Kun, Lan Quan, and the rest, split off to pursue the cultists of the Seven Deadly Sins. 

They couldn’t be blamed for running, because, in their beast forms, they were more sensitive to the terror that was the source of the deafening boom. It would appear in less than two minutes, and they knew they would greatly suffer in the hands of a Beast Emperor. 

A Beast Emperor could only be stopped by at least three tier nine human cultivators working together. But to kill one? That depended on the determination of the cultivators. 

On the other side, Xiang Ning knew it was time to retreat. Whatever happened next, the Beast Emperor would take care of it. The Shura Tribe looked like they didn’t want to fight any longer, and Xiang Ning rolled his ankles as he warmed them up. “What a coincidence, I don’t want to play anymore either.” 

As he spoke, his energies surged and they all felt a disconcerting aura. 

“Eight Gates! Eighth gate, Gate of Shock, open!” he cried, choosing to open all eight gates. His objective was to target the leader, and he must resolve it all within the shortest time possible. 

Before his current cultivation level, he was already able to hit tier six, nine-star after opening all eight gates. Now, at tier five, three-star, his aura was infinitely close to tier seven. That was a completely different feeling. Fang Rou’s father, Fang Zhenyuan, once told him that after breaking through tier seven, it was a matter of physiological changes. Only people who had achieved tier seven knew what true power was and bore the ability to truly protect everything they loved. 

After killing the Shura warrior in front of him, Xiang Ning came to the little girl. Looking at the child fearfully eyeing him, he spoke in her language, “Don’t be afraid. Can you tell me your name? If I take you there, can that big guy bring you somewhere safe?” He pointed at Helos. 

“N-name… name. My name is Hera, it’s the name Helos gave me.” The girl grew shifty when her name was mentioned, though Xiang Ning didn’t mind and nodded. “Then, Hera, I’ll bring you to Helos first.” 

Xiang Ning picked her up, then came Helos’ frantic, fearful voice in his ear. He sprang off using Shadowmist Ghost Step, disappearing on the spot, when a giant axe fell where he used to be. 

The Shura general didn’t mind that his axe missed his target. He pulled up his axe, then ran after Xiang Ning. 

“That’s Owen. He’s very strong, but he has an injury in his left hip from a previous fight,” said the girl. There was no fear in her voice anymore. 

Xiang Ning nodded, patted her head, then gripped the Devourer that was sheathed on his back. He turned and aimed at Owen, energy starting to accumulate. He pushed a button on the attachment and a ray of light burst forth. It was the same function he had used several days ago when he was clearing the land at Fortress One’s battlefield. 

Owen threw his head sideways and the light ray missed him. His lips slightly curled as he cast a mischievous glance at Xiang Ning, but a shriek came from behind him. He turned and saw a hole in the Shura warrior’s chest behind him. 

Fury Points +999

Xiang Ning didn’t stop, firing nine more consecutive rays. The attachment was overloaded, so he tossed it. The length and width of the weapon slightly shrank, allowing him to run faster. 

That maneuver pulled more distance between Owen and Xiang Ning. Xiang Ning arrived by Helos’ side, but despite the burly beast’s glare like he wanted to eat Xiang Ning up, he remained calm and put the child down before leaping onto the beast’s back. It was currently trapped under an energy net, unable to escape. It couldn’t reach the net’s core, which was also where Xiang Ning was currently standing. 

“This might hurt a little, just hold on.” As he spoke, Xiang Ning suddenly stabbed his sword, and DUANG… clack… clack… pffft! Two seconds of clicking later, it finally broke open. This was no ordinary piece of technology indeed. But now that the energy core had been destroyed, Helos was free once again, and the first thing it did was pull Hera into its arms to protect her. 

When Xiang Ning landed on the ground, he was immediately locked in battle with Owen! 

“Woo–argh!” Owen raised his heavy axe and swung it down at Xiang Ning. Despite his size, he was as nimble as Xiang Ning. 

“Dancing Peacock!” 

Boom! 

Xiang Ning almost fell to his knees, the impact cracking the skin between his thumb and index fingers. 

“Keen Observation target locked!” His Keen Observation hadn’t been able to lock on to Owen at all, because the more powerful the opponent, the lower its chances of success. By the time Owen swung his axe, Xiang Ning had already attempted to lock on Owen multiple times. It finally did, and all hope wasn’t lost. 

There was one minute left. 

“Silent Burial!” That strange feeling and the way Xiang Ning seemed to look through him made alarm bells go off in Owen’s mind. Xiang Ning took that momentary surprise as his chance to swing his blade at Owen’s head. 

But Owen was faster at the edge of death. The axe blocked the Devourer in its path. 

BOOM! 

The Devourer was chipped, and Owen was blasted forty meters back. Xiang Ning had struck with his maximum strength. 

“Heh, that’s it?” Owen sneered as he stabilized himself, though in the next moment, a shadow loomed over him. 

“Idiot,” said Xiang Ning. 

Boom! 

A tail as large as a palm leaf swept downward and buried Owen into the soil. Helos, a beast as strong as a tier seven Beast King, was standing nearby! Where did a mere Owen get the courage to act so stupid? 

RUN RUUUUN! BEAST EMPEROR IS COMING!!