Wrapped in the Wind Domain, Wu Sheng charged out of the encircling beasts with Little Wolf Cub in his arms. Any savage beast foolish enough to get in his way received a Soul Thorn.
If a beast had no soul, he either dodged it swiftly or controlled his Telekinetic Weapons to block it. Sometimes, he even used Soul Illusion to lure the beasts nearby into helping him fend off a few attacks.
Using his signature techniques on such a massive scale would have drained an ordinary Prison Clan member badly, but Wu Sheng had an Inner World... It was nothing to him!
After making it out, Wu Sheng even unleashed a large-scale Combined Illusion, making the beasts attack one another while keeping them from spreading the fighting to the other trial-takers.
"Brother Wu Sheng, what are you doing?" someone asked curiously.
They really were curious. They hadn't expected Wu Sheng to spend so much energy saving a little beast.
Looking at the blood-soaked Little Wolf Cub cowering on the ground, everyone was puzzled.
"Nothing. I just felt a connection with it, so I saved it." Wu Sheng smiled nonchalantly, clearly with no intention of explaining further.
What?
So you saved it because you felt a connection? If you didn't, would you have slaughtered it without a second thought?
Do you have any idea how many beasts you killed on that charge out and back?
And what do you mean, saved it? Are you going to spend some of your Battle Suit Count and take it out of the Trial Ground as a trial-taker?
Still, Wu Sheng's strength was not something an ordinary person could afford to dismiss. When they saw he didn't want to say more, they stopped asking.
Wu Sheng really had acted on a moment of compassion. He hadn't given much thought to what came afterward, either.
"Go to sleep. Once you're asleep, you won't feel any pain. From now on, just stick with me. I can't promise you much, but I can make sure you get meat at every meal!"
Wu Sheng stroked its head, his voice carrying an unbelievable magic. Little Wolf Cub felt drowsy, closed its eyes, and fell asleep.
"Take care of it for me. If you can, clean it up, but don't wake it!"
When Wu Sheng handed Little Wolf Cub to Man Gu, the nearly four-meter-tall triceratops almost stumbled and fell over.
Could you not do this?
I'm a mighty, strapping male dragon, and you're making me play nursemaid?
Wu Sheng didn't care what Man Gu thought. He sat down by himself and focused on restoring the energy inside him.
Only Bai Yu stood atop Man Gu's enormous frill, snickering. Every so often, he let out a couple of croaks, making Man Gu so furious that he nearly crushed him under a hoof several times.
Rumble!
In less than half a day, the ground around them began to shake violently, and the pressure from the sky surged at once.
Crack, crack, crack!
A harsh rumbling sounded in the distance, like something being forcibly torn apart by an immense force.
"This place is about to collapse! Anyone who doesn't want to die, follow me!"
Li Long shouted and immediately led the way with his spear.
"Ah, this is awful! I'm moving at less than a tenth of my usual speed!"
"That's still better than me. I'm a Spirit Reader, and I can't even move at a third of your speed. We're in trouble. It's hard enough just to run, let alone fly!"
Many Prison Clan members had barely begun moving when they realized something was wrong.
In previous Trial Grounds, flying had still been impossible, but they could at least run quickly.
Now, the pressure from the World Projection had suddenly intensified. At this pace, they might not even outrun the beasts.
Whoosh!
Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and everyone immediately felt their bodies grow lighter.
"Haha, Boss Li Long, you're the best!"
"Thank you, Boss Li Long!"
"Then hurry up! Keeping your domain active puts a heavy strain on Li Long. Even if we escape the beasts, there'll still be a brutal fight when we reach the Ultimate Land."
"Right, right!"
The group quickly reorganized. The frailest Spirit Readers rode on the backs of Prison Clan members who crawled on all fours, like Man Gu.
The sturdier Spirit Readers were pulled along by other martial warriors as they hurried toward the Core Land.
"This won't work. A World Projection is the result of a domain's transformation. Even if Li Long's Ice Snow Domain is similar to this water-attributed World Projection, the two are still bound to clash!"
Wu Sheng saw the problem. Using a domain to contest a World Projection for control of the world was like trying to stop a chariot with an egg.
A domain corresponded to a Life Core!
A World Projection, on the other hand, corresponded to a world within a Realm Lord's body.
Their foundations were vastly different. And Li Long didn't even have a Life Core inside him, let alone the advantage of a Realm Lord's cultivation.
The strain on him was already considerable. Even if he wasn't worried about the enormous energy drain, the beasts behind them would still catch up.
Wu Sheng glanced back and saw the beasts packed tightly together. With the land behind them constantly crumbling away, they had set aside their bloodthirsty instincts and were charging together toward the central area.
A stampede!
This was the challenge every trial-taker faced in the later stages!
"We can't go on! Those beasts may not be smart, but they're genuinely strong. We can barely run as it is, and bringing along these frail Spirit Readers is practically asking to die!"
Someone suddenly shouted. At the same time, his scaled hand let go of the Woodborn Clan Spirit Reader woman behind him. She fell back, and he immediately sped up by a huge margin.
"No!"
The Woodborn Clan woman fell behind, her speed dropping sharply.
Her eyes filled with terror as she begged for help again and again. In the next instant, the rampaging beasts trampled her into a bloody pulp.
"Hmph! What a selfish bastard!"
"Exactly. Scum!"
Seeing this, many Spirit Readers cursed him, feeling a kinship with the woman.
The martial warriors, however, looked on coldly. Some even had wild looks in their eyes, as though they were thinking of doing the same.
Different positions led to different concerns!
But when it came down to it, they were all just looking out for themselves!
Whoosh!
A blue streak formed from an ice spike shot over and pinned the selfish martial warrior to the spot. The shot was precise.
It pierced only his shoulder and didn't take his life.
"No! Help me! I don't want to die!"
The wound in his shoulder wasn't fatal, but being pinned there was practically a death sentence.
No one answered his cries for help. He could only look back in despair.
Charging straight at him were enormous hooves, each as thick as a large bowl. Some were sharp; others were broad and heavy.
Before he could think any further, endless darkness swallowed him completely.
"If anyone wants to die, say so now. I can put you out of your misery!"
Li Long's icy voice rang through the area, and the martial warriors who had been itching to act immediately backed down.
The same thing was happening in the other three regions.
"I can't believe this. Look at those beasts behind us, the ones you call stupid. They're holding back their bloodlust, helping one another, and moving forward together. What about you? How did you end up worse than beasts?"
In the Northern Domain, Leo raised a massive "Thunder Domain" to shelter everyone. Before long, he too lost his temper and crushed a selfish martial warrior underfoot in his giant form.