This world was called a Small World by the Oracle Marquis, but it wasn't small at all. At the very least, it was much larger than Earth. So even after flying for quite a while, Wang Cheng hadn't spotted a single Stellar-level beast. He'd killed plenty of Planet-level ones, though.
Wang Cheng wasn't in a hurry to find a Stellar-level beast to fight one-on-one. Sharpening an axe wouldn't delay the work of cutting wood. He felt the two Fifth-order Force Weapons he'd just obtained had plenty of untapped potential, so he planned to spend three days studying them first.
After a while, Wang Cheng found what he considered a remote spot and descended.
"I hope there'll be a surprise!"
Wang Cheng mused to himself, then took out the two Force Weapons again and began to study them.
Wang Cheng was immersed in studying the intricate markings on the Force Weapons, and time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, three days had gone by.
However, Wang Cheng, who had planned to study them for three days, showed no sign of stopping. He remained immersed in those intricate markings.
The main reason was that the feeling was simply wonderful.
In the past, Wang Cheng had no help at all and could only try to comprehend the Lightning Law from scratch. But now, as he studied these markings, the sliver of the Lightning Law he'd already comprehended proved useful, and he gained a wealth of new insights as well.
That was why Wang Cheng had involuntarily become so engrossed.
The fourth day, the fifth day, and the sixth day passed, and Wang Cheng still didn't stir.
Then, on the seventh day—
Rumble!
The earth suddenly shook violently somewhere not far from where Wang Cheng had chosen to settle. At first, the commotion was far away, but the next moment, it was already close.
"Hm?"
Wang Cheng snapped out of that wonderful feeling.
"How much time has passed?" He immediately realized he needed to ask himself that. But as the commotion drew nearer, he had no choice but to put the question aside for now. He shot into the air and focused his gaze on the distance.
About a hundred miles away, vast clouds of dust were billowing into the sky. At the same time, enormous figures were charging this way.
"A beast tide?" Wang Cheng quickly figured it out. He glanced down at the two Force Weapons in his hands and silently dismissed the idea of running away.
So what if it was a beast tide? He'd just fight!
The beasts were moving incredibly fast. One moment they were a hundred miles away; the next, they were close to Wang Cheng. Only then did he see that, amid the vast cloud of dust at the front of the horde, there was also a familiar figure.
"So they're chasing her."
Wang Cheng understood what was going on, but didn't give it much thought. The next moment, vast amounts of Gene Energy surged from his body into the claws in his hands.
Bzzz!
The intricate markings on the claws lit up, layer by layer. Soon, streaks of blue light surged out of them, and in an instant, a phantom suit of lightning armor covered Wang Cheng's body.
At the same time, the phantom Claw Marks unleashed by the claws grew considerably larger than before. Lightning shaped like tiny snakes coiled around them, lending them an even more imposing aura.
"Bring it on!"
Watching the charging beast tide, Wang Cheng laughed loudly. Then he unfurled his Lightning Domain and charged without hesitation.
Whoosh!
Boosted by his triple Lightning Domain, Wang Cheng's speed surpassed 200 kilometers per second, far faster than a normal ninth-order Stellar level fighter.
The beast at the front was a hundred meters long, resembling a giant rhinoceros with extremely thick scales covering its body. Just looking at it was enough to tell that its defenses were terrifying.
But a dark blur flashed past, and two enormous Claw Marks appeared. The beast, still in mid-charge, was torn in half.
Yet no blood spilled from the beast split in two. Its corpse was charred black instead, with countless bolts of lightning wreaking havoc across it.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The dark blur flashed again and again. One beast after another rushed forward, only to be torn in half before they even saw their enemy. Amid their anguished cries, the horde that had been charging wildly came to a halt, then fled in panic in every direction.
"..."
At that moment, Jiu Meng, who had been running for her life, sensed something was wrong. She glanced back in a hurry—and froze.
The beast tide that had been chasing her was gone. In its place lay dozens of beast corpses, each torn apart, clearly killed by sheer force.
"This..." Jiu Meng stopped and stared in disbelief at the distance. The horde that had been chasing her moments ago had already been reduced to this.
"It's him!"
Jiu Meng suddenly spotted a figure in the sky. Though he was far away, she immediately recognized Wang Cheng.
Wang Cheng turned and smiled at her.
"..."
Jiu Meng suppressed her shock. After a brief moment's thought, she flew toward Wang Cheng.
"Thank you!" Jiu Meng stopped in front of Wang Cheng, brought her hands together at her chest, and performed a gesture he didn't recognize.
"Don't mention it. I just happened to be passing by!" Wang Cheng waved a hand.
"Even so, you did save me!" Jiu Meng said earnestly. She then added, "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I hope you won't hold it against me."
"You mean when you said you wanted to repay me?" Wang Cheng asked, pretending to be confused. Jiu Meng felt a little relieved. She'd worried he would take the opportunity to mock her, but instead, he simply let the matter drop.
Wang Cheng had no idea what she was thinking. After a moment, he asked, "The strongest beast in that horde was an eighth-order Stellar level, wasn't it? I thought your task was just to hunt seventh-order Stellar-level beasts. Why provoke that horde?"
Jiu Meng's expression turned serious as well. She answered without hesitation, "I've spent most of this time exploring this world. Here, Planet-level beasts are just food, while the Stellar-level beasts mostly belong to the Ten Great Beast Hordes. Three of those hordes have ninth-order Stellar-level Leaders, and the other seven have eighth-order Stellar-level Leaders. If I want to hunt a seventh-order Stellar-level beast, I have to choose one of those hordes..."
As Jiu Meng explained, Wang Cheng nodded.
That made sense. If she didn't go after a horde whose Leader was eighth-order Stellar level, was she supposed to choose one with a ninth-order Stellar-level beast?
"So you're saying there are only three ninth-order Stellar-level beasts in this world?" Wang Cheng's expression shifted slightly. His task was to hunt ninth-order Stellar-level monsters—and he had to kill three of them.
"That should be right," Jiu Meng said with a nod.
"How much time has passed?"
"Seven days!"
"So I've only got three days left?" Wang Cheng looked at the two claw weapons in his hands again. They were indeed powerful, but they'd quietly cost him so much time. He both loved and hated them.
"I know where the hordes with those three ninth-order Stellar-level beasts are. If you want to take on those three Leaders, I can take you there." Jiu Meng didn't know what Wang Cheng had been doing for the past seven days, but seeing his expression, she quickly guessed something was wrong. So she offered to lead him to the hordes.
When she'd first arrived in this world, Jiu Meng had thought Wang Cheng had no chance of completing his task, so she'd advised him to give up.
But after seeing him fight, she no longer saw him as an ordinary first-order Stellar-level fighter. What first-order Stellar-level fighter could cut down an eighth-order Stellar-level beast with such ease, along with a whole bunch of other sixth- and seventh-order Stellar-level beasts?
Of course, Jiu Meng still had plenty of questions. For instance, she couldn't understand how a first-order Stellar-level fighter could be so powerful. But she had no intention of prying into it now. All she knew was that Wang Cheng might really be able to kill the ninth-order Stellar-level monsters he needed.
"That's too much trouble for you," Wang Cheng said with a smile. "But I'll have to ask you to show me the way!"
"No problem!" Jiu Meng smiled, then added, "By the way, my name is Jiu Meng. I'm from the Snow Woman Clan!"
"I'm Wang Cheng!" Wang Cheng had never heard of the Snow Woman Clan, but since Jiu Meng had introduced herself, it was probably a well-known race in the universe.
Even if they didn't have a Domain Lord-level bloodline like the Manka people, they were surely much stronger than Earthlings, right?
"..."
After exchanging names, the two flew away together. With Jiu Meng leading the way, Wang Cheng soon spotted the first horde whose Leader was ninth-order Stellar level.
"The Leader is ninth-order Stellar level, and it has three eighth-order Stellar-level subordinates. There are even more seventh-order Stellar-level beasts—twenty or thirty of them..." Wang Cheng watched the horde from a distance for a while and quickly assessed the situation.
"When I hunted seventh-order Stellar-level monsters before, I always tried to lure them out one by one," Jiu Meng said quietly.
"But that probably won't work for you. As the Leader, this ninth-order Stellar-level beast likely won't leave the horde alone. You'll have to find another way!"
"I already have a plan," Wang Cheng said with a smile. Then he asked, "By the way, how many more beasts do you need to kill to complete your test?"
"Three!" Jiu Meng replied.
"Perfect. There are three hordes ahead. I'll hold off one seventh-order Stellar-level monster for you in each horde." As Wang Cheng spoke, fine strands of tightly condensed lightning began to coil around the two claws in his hands.
At the same time, a suit of lightning armor appeared on Wang Cheng.
As Jiu Meng watched in astonishment, Wang Cheng charged straight at the horde.
"Wait!"
Jiu Meng reached out. She still wanted to say something, but Wang Cheng had already reached the sky above the horde.
The beasts resembled hungry wolves, and their Leader was covered in golden fur from head to toe.
Wang Cheng moved at incredible speed. The other beasts hadn't even reacted, but the Leader sensed the danger and lunged at him without hesitation.
Whoosh!
Two enormous Claw Marks appeared, and in an instant, the beast was sent flying backward.
Two huge, charred wounds appeared on its body.
"It actually withstood one of my attacks. Not bad!" Wang Cheng paused briefly, then charged again.
P.S. Thanks to "A Monk Who Loves Meat" and "Fallen Need Not Be Pitied" for the tips.
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