Land of Beast Burial

Though Wu Kingdom was a vassal state, other sects existed within its borders as well. However, those sects were not under Wu Kingdom's jurisdiction. To put it bluntly, Wu Kingdom was a country in name, but in truth, it was like staking out land. Normally, the great sects would not spare Wu Kingdom a glance or meddle in its affairs. But if a spirit stone mine appeared within Wu Kingdom, or a Dao artifact came into being, then those great sects would act. No matter what it was, they had the right to take it away, claiming it was within their sphere of influence and therefore belonged to them.

Five hundred li north of Tianwu Main City lay a small forbidden ground known as the Land of Beast Burial. It had once been discovered by another sect to contain the corpse of an unparalleled fierce beast. No one knew how the news had leaked, but the great sect learned of it and directly dispatched top experts to "retrieve" the fierce beast's corpse.

At this moment, Qin Yu stood at the outskirts of the Land of Beast Burial, gazing at the boundless mountain range ahead. A faint anticipation showed on his face. The main reason he had chosen this place was because he had read an introduction to the Land of Beast Burial in a book.

According to the records, the fierce beast corpse in the Land of Beast Burial had belonged to a Dao Realm fierce beast. One had to know that even in the Immortal Martial World of old, Dao Realm cultivators were first-rate experts, terrifyingly powerful existences—let alone in the present-day Star Realm.

Whether in the Immortal Martial World of old or the present-day Star Realm, cultivation was divided into two great realms: the Spirit Realm and the Dao Realm. The Spirit Realm consisted of the Ninth Level of the Martial Realm, the Gangqi Realm, the Heavenly Tempering Three Realms, Spirit Infant, Heavenly Human, Infant Transformation, and the Dao Seeking Realm! The Dao Realm stood above the Spirit Realm!

Qin Yu had come mainly to see whether the Land of Beast Burial still retained blood from that Dao Realm fierce beast. Though the chances were slim, he wanted to try his luck. If he obtained it, his blood and qi power could rise several levels, and the power unleashed by Mad Demon First Transformation would become even more formidable!

Besides, there were quite a few Fierce Beasts here. Qin Yu wanted to temper himself through battling them, stabilize his cultivation, and then continue cultivating.

"I wonder what kind of fierce beast died here. It would be perfect if it were the sort of Ferocious Beast with abundant blood and qi power." Qin Yu muttered to himself as he stepped into the Land of Beast Burial.

Because the Land of Beast Burial bore quite a notorious name in Wu Kingdom, it had become a training ground for disciples from many sects within the kingdom. At its outskirts, Qin Yu saw quite a few Martial Realm cultivators.

At the outskirts, the fierce beasts had almost been exterminated. Yet Qin Yu did not let down his guard. His cultivation was not high to begin with; if he rashly ventured in and encountered a second-rank fierce beast, it would be difficult for him to retreat unscathed.

But to Qin Yu's surprise, there was almost no sign of Fierce Beasts in the outskirts of the Land of Beast Burial.

On the first day, he encountered only people and saw no trace of Fierce Beasts.

On the third day, Qin Yu had not even seen a single strand of fierce beast fur. Yet he vaguely sensed the air humming and trembling, while the surrounding trees shook incessantly amid a flurry of fallen leaves.

What had happened?

Could all the Fierce Beasts on the outskirts of the Land of Beast Burial have been hunted clean? Other young cultivators who had come here to train with hearts full of reverence were equally puzzled. This strange scene had left them completely at a loss.

Something was wrong!

Qin Yu swept his eyes around, staring at the ground covered in chaotic footprints, then at the vegetation that had been scraped aside. He frowned slightly.

A beast tide?

And judging from the footprints, it had happened not long ago? Could a beast tide have occurred here?

That was not right either. Generally speaking, a beast tide surged from the depths toward the outskirts, then spread in all directions. Qin Yu had never heard of a beast tide charging from the outskirts into the depths. The deeper one went, the stronger the Fierce Beasts that lurked there became. If low-rank Fierce Beasts from the outskirts ran into the depths, would that not be courting death?

With his doubts in mind, Qin Yu advanced slowly, constantly scanning his surroundings and analyzing what exactly had happened.

On the fifth day, Qin Yu faintly heard the deep, powerful howls of Fierce Beasts coming from the depths of the Land of Beast Burial. The sound formed sonic waves that made heaven and earth hum.

"Just its voice can shake heaven and earth. It is at least a second-rank fierce beast!" Qin Yu thought.

Whether in the Immortal Martial World or the present-day Star Realm, beasts were generally divided into two types. Those capable of wielding the power of heaven and earth, or possessing some special power of their own, were called Spirit Beasts. For example, beasts that could breathe fire, ice, or poison were broadly classified as Spirit Beasts.

Fierce Beasts, on the other hand, could not wield the power of heaven and earth, but their speed and strength were exceptionally formidable, and they were extremely violent. Once provoked, they would fight to the death. Such beasts were called Fierce Beasts. There was another kind of beast, though rarely seen. They shared one trait: enormous size. Their strength was terrifying. Some were slow, while others were swift, but so long as they were not provoked, they generally would not attack on their own. If provoked, however, they were simply nightmares for cultivators. Such beasts were called Ferocious Beasts.

Whether Spirit Beasts, Fierce Beasts, or Ferocious Beasts, all were divided into seven ranks, corresponding to cultivators' seven great realms.

Having confirmed that a second-rank fierce beast lay ahead, Qin Yu remained on high alert and continued onward.

On the eighth day, two hundred li into the Beast Burial Forest.

Qin Yu discovered in surprise that a group of cultivators had gathered in the far distance. The trembling and howls were coming from ahead. Filled with suspicion, Qin Yu slowly approached.

About an hour later, when Qin Yu was less than a hundred zhang from that group of cultivators, a furious voice rang through the sky. "Get lost! What are you looking at? Whoever keeps crowding around, I'll smash him to death!"

The cultivators ahead suddenly scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing in all directions in panic, as though they greatly feared the person who had roared.

Qin Yu's steps paused slightly. He stared ahead, wanting to see what was happening, but the trees blocked his view completely. He did not continue forward. There was no need to provoke someone over mere curiosity.

Just as Qin Yu turned to leave, that furious voice sounded again. "Hey, Li Tianji, didn't you say someone would become friends with us? Why hasn't he come yet? Were your calculations even accurate?"

"Pfft!" Qin Yu burst out laughing. This person was rather interesting. Were the calculations accurate or not? So these two had been waiting here for someone, and someone they did not even know at that... someone calculated by divination, no less. It was simply enough to make one laugh one's teeth out.

Though Qin Yu had not experienced much in his past, he had read a vast sea of ancient books. Such extraordinary people did truly exist in the world, but from ancient times until now, they were few and far between. In this small forbidden ground of Wu Kingdom, Qin Yu truly did not believe anyone possessed such ability. If someone truly had such ability, would he come here to train? He would likely have long been fought over by every major power.

"Who was that? Who laughed over there?" A furious shout suddenly exploded. Qin Yu felt the ground tremble faintly and vaguely heard a howl like rushing thunder. He hurriedly turned his head, only to see an unbelievably burly youth charge out from among the trees.

"What are you laughing at?" The youth rushed before Qin Yu like a small mountain. His rough, vicious face was full of gloom, and his pair of copper-bell-sized eyes stared fixedly at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu could not help drawing in a cold breath. This youth stood more than seven chi tall, with a tiger's back and a bear's waist. His burly body was wrapped in animal hide. His arms were as thick as tree trunks, veins like coiling dragons spreading across them. The trapezius muscles on his shoulders bulged high like two great mountains, seemingly containing endless explosive power. His face was rough, layers of flesh stacked across it, and at first glance, he looked like a vicious man.

Hearing the muscles within the youth's powerful body squirm, Qin Yu was startled. With his current cultivation, if he encountered someone built like a bear, he truly had no confidence in defeating him.

Sensing the youth's hostility, Qin Yu's mind raced. He secretly regretted letting out that laugh earlier.

"I'm asking you, was that you laughing just now? What were you laughing at?" the burly youth demanded irritably, like a volcano on the verge of eruption, his temper blazing hot!

Qin Yu stared at the youth in astonishment and said, "I..." His voice abruptly cut off. As his gaze fell upon the bone pendant hanging from the youth's neck, Qin Yu examined him anew and asked in surprise, "You are... a member of the Mad Bear Clan?"

The youth's rough face, filled with ferocity, suddenly froze. He glared at Qin Yu, asking in disbelief, "How did you know?"

Qin Yu was even more shocked. A member of the Mad Bear Clan had actually appeared in this tiny forbidden ground?

The reason he recognized the youth as a member of the Mad Bear Clan was mainly because of the pendant he wore. On that bone pendant was carved a lifelike war bear. Its body was covered in streaks, making it look like a battle-hardened bear covered in scars. Qin Yu had seen this symbol before in the past!

Recalling the records in the ancient books, Qin Yu was filled with fear.

In the Primordial Era, the Mad Bear Clan had been renowned throughout the Immortal Martial World. It was said that every adult member of the Mad Bear Clan possessed strength comparable to a Dao Realm expert. They were valiant and skilled in battle, simply born powerhouses and born war gods.

Though the Mad Bear Clan was peerlessly strong and fierce, the chance of producing descendants was minuscule. Thus, even at its peak, the clan numbered fewer than a hundred people. Moreover, the Mad Bear Clan aged differently from ordinary humans, though Qin Yu did not know the specifics.

In other words, the Mad Bear Clan member before him had not yet reached adulthood. Recalling the words in the ancient books, the muscles in Qin Yu's face stiffened somewhat. Before reaching adulthood, members of the Mad Bear Clan had not fully developed their intelligence; they were easily angered and violent!

"Haha, Li Tianji, get over here and look! Didn't you say no one besides you recognized my Mad Bear Clan? Haha... now there is someone! Oh, right, big brother, what is your name? My name is Xiong Tatian!" the burly youth shouted joyfully, as though a fine steed had encountered its Bole.

Big brother?

Qin Yu's face instantly darkened.

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