The Plan

Iron-Horned Bulls were resting leisurely in the supermarket's lobby when one suddenly seemed to develop a raging hatred for the companion beside it. It charged, driving its iron horn deep into the other bull's neck, then kicked it far away with a lift of its front hoof. The wounded bull gave two feeble moos before collapsing, unable to get back up.

The Iron-Horned Bull leader immediately turned toward them and let out an angry roar as it charged over. It slammed the bull that had started the attack three or four meters away. The leader was about to teach the troublemaker another lesson when four Iron-Horned Bulls beside it charged at the leader, their eyes bloodshot. One iron horn after another struck the leader, but the body of a Beast General-level Iron-Horned Bull was simply too tough. Several of the attackers' horns snapped instead.

The Beast General-level Iron-Horned Bull flew into a rage. It kicked each of them away with a single hoof, then charged over and pierced them one by one with its horns.

It looked around at the other Iron-Horned Bulls, eyes still bloodshot, daring anyone else to challenge its position as leader...

Hidden in the shadows, Yin Congyang let out a quiet breath and thought, I can affect at most four Advanced Beast Soldiers at once for now. I wonder how well it works on a Beast General...

The first Iron-Horned Bull to attack its companion had naturally been affected by Yin Congyang's Illusion Technique, which made it believe the bull beside it belonged to another herd and had come to steal its territory. The four that later attacked the Beast General-level bull had also been affected simultaneously by Yin Congyang's Illusion Technique. They believed it was an enemy leader trying to take their territory, so they attacked with all their might.

Yin Congyang reined in his Spiritual Force. Aside from the portion he used to shield his own presence, he sent all of it toward the Beast General-level Iron-Horned Bull.

After using his own method to get his Spiritual Force into the Beast General-level Iron-Horned Bull's Consciousness Sea, Yin Congyang discovered that its soul was somewhat more solid than a Beast Soldier's. His Spiritual Force also felt noticeably suppressed in the Consciousness Sea, making it much harder to use.

Once he confirmed that his rudimentary Illusion Technique had little effect on a Beast General-level Iron-Horned Bull, Yin Congyang compressed his Spiritual Force into a sharp cone and thrust it toward the bull's soul. After piercing through a film-like barrier, the Spiritual Force cone plunged into its soul.

The Beast General-level Iron-Horned Bull's eyes flew wide open. Deep in its pupils, it was as if a pane of glass had begun to crack from the center, shattering bit by bit. It slowly collapsed onto the ground, its breathing ceasing.

The other Iron-Horned Bulls were frightened by the sight and looked around in confusion. Suddenly, one of them let out a low growl, turned, and bolted. The rest scattered like birds and beasts.

Yin Congyang had no time to watch the terrified Iron-Horned Bulls. He clutched his head with both hands and struggled to breathe, two streams of blood spilling from his nostrils. Weakly leaning against the wall, he turned deathly pale!

"I didn't expect the backlash to be this bad. I really am still too weak..."

The fluctuations in Yin Congyang's Dantian greatly enhanced his body and soul, but they had only been there for a short time, not long enough to bring about a qualitative change. Those fluctuations also offered powerful protection. Otherwise, he would be dealing with far more than a nosebleed right now. The backlash might have severely injured his soul, leaving him little better than a vegetable.

It took more than an hour before Yin Congyang finally recovered. He wiped the blood from his face and combat uniform, reflecting on what had happened. I got a little carried away. A monster's soul is probably much weaker than a human's at the same level, but my Advanced Warrior-level Spiritual Force was already heavily suppressed in a Primary Beast General's Consciousness Sea. Forcing my way into its soul was still beyond my current limits...

Despite his mental exhaustion, Yin Congyang found a mostly intact high-rise before nightfall. He went to a middle floor and quickly made himself a safe room. After leaving a sliver of Spiritual Force on guard, he let out a long breath, sat cross-legged, and began cultivating.

The ever-present Cosmic Origin Energy streamed into Yin Congyang's body. Some of it flowed directly into his Consciousness Sea. His Spiritual Force was like a starving man faced with a table laden with delicacies, greedily accepting every last bit. A pleasant sensation rippled through his soul, and the quality of his Spiritual Force seemed to improve slightly.

That night, after finishing his cultivation and replenishing his water and food, Yin Congyang quietly planned his next steps.

First, he needed to improve his strength. The faint fluctuations in his Dantian continued to supply him with transformative energy around the clock, making his cultivation speed faster than ever. In the dozen or so days since arriving in this world, he had advanced from Primary Warrior to the verge of Primary Warlord. As long as he kept up his cultivation, his physical strength would continue to grow, and his Spiritual Force would rise along with it.

Next came his axe skills, movement techniques, and other combat skills. They were crucial to his fighting ability, so he couldn't slack off. Thanks to his twenty years of practice in his previous life, combined with Gene Force, he had reached Perfect Level—an even higher level than Proficient Level and Micro Level. But Yin Congyang knew that those were classifications created by Earth's warriors. In reality, he was still at the most basic stage. The levels used throughout the universe were Foundation, Conception, Domain, and World. Each one brought a tremendous increase in combat strength. For example, Hong possessed a Domain and was hailed as invincible at Planetary Level. So he couldn't afford to slow his progress in those levels.

Third, he needed to improve his skills at using Spiritual Force as a Controller and an Illusionist. Since he had no cultivation manuals, he could only figure it out himself.

Fourth, he needed to find a way to hitch a ride with Luo Feng into space. In this world, only by leaving Earth and venturing into the stars could he begin a truly magnificent life.

Yin Congyang had read part of Swallowed Star and knew that at this point in time, Luo Feng was using the Golden Horned Behemoth's Internal World to create an Earthling Clone. Earth's situation might seem stable for now, but Hong and Thunder God had both fallen into a coma after burning their souls. With the strongest fighters of the Limit Dojo and Thunder Dojo out of action, their deterrent power had sunk to an all-time low, and their control over their subordinates had weakened considerably. The War God Palace was also unable to open. Beneath the surface, tensions were already brewing.

In a few months, several Planetary Level fighters led by Fifth Speaker Atkin and Yan Hai would emerge from the shadows. They had hidden during the battle against the Golden Horned Behemoth, but now they would step into the spotlight. Atkin would seize control of the HR Alliance through unscrupulous means. Worse, he would shamelessly try to take treasures like the Moya Crystals from the families of several heroes. His conduct was utterly shameless and made one's blood run cold.

To hitch a ride with Luo Feng, Yin Congyang needed an excuse to get in touch with him. For the next few months, he would focus on cultivation. He didn't need to reach Planetary Level, but at the very least, he needed the strength of an Invincible War God to protect Luo Feng's family from those scoundrels.

Yin Congyang also wanted to protect the families of the other heroes, but aside from Councilor Jia, they were all overseas, and he had no way to leave the country yet. As a high-ranking military official, Councilor Jia had a family protected by the state and the military. He also hadn't left behind many treasures, so they probably wouldn't suffer too much fallout. Luo Feng's family was different. Everyone knew Luo Feng had plenty of Moya Crystals, along with other treasures from the ruins. There was no way those scoundrels wouldn't covet them!

After thinking it over for a long while, Yin Congyang realized that he would have to take things one step at a time. For now, he should focus on improving his strength. In a few days, he would probably reach Primary Warlord. Then he could go farther into the wilderness, fight stronger monsters, and hopefully make faster progress.

This cultivation plan was something he had to pursue alone. He couldn't do it with his teammates. Yin Congyang couldn't ask them to follow him into more dangerous territory, where, without a Spiritual Master's abilities, even staying alive would be difficult.

Captain Li Hesong had said they would take a break for a while, but leaving without a word didn't feel right. After turning it over in his mind, Yin Congyang decided it would be better to tell them.

"Captain, brothers:

It feels like just yesterday we were together, but first, I must apologize: I'm leaving the team. We've spent several months together, and all of you have looked after me. I'm deeply grateful. You all know that both my parents have passed away. I have nothing left to tie me down, and all I can do is kill more monsters to repay my parents for everything they did for me.

Ever since I became a warrior, aside from my desire to kill monsters, the only thing I've wanted is to become stronger. This world is vast, and I hope to see all of it. Without great strength, I won't get far.

Life is like a journey. All I can hope is to keep moving forward and cut my way through every obstacle as I grow stronger. So I've decided to train alone in the wilderness and forge myself into someone stronger.

The mountains are high and the rivers long, and the road through this world stretches far. If fate brings us together again, we'll share a drink then. I hope you brothers grow ever stronger and live the lives you want. I'll never forget your kindness and affection. That's all I have to say; please don't trouble yourselves with a reply!

Your younger brother, Yin Congyang"

After letting out a long breath, he sent the message to the team chat and immediately turned off incoming messages.