In its perception, the weaknesses of every living being were laid bare.
The outside world.
Fear rose yet another notch.
If Xiong Jun had brought the blunt terror of brute force,
then King of Ten Thousand Monsters brought a chill and despair that sank deep into one's bones.
Five hundred and thirty thousand years!
Another super Ferocious Beast more than five hundred thousand years old!
And a control-type beast that wielded poison, the kind that gave everyone the biggest headache!
Heaven Dou City, Shrek Academy.
Flender took off his glasses and tremulously wiped the fog from them.
"This... how are we supposed to fight that?"
"One's an invincible bear, the other's a tree that can control everything and use poison."
"Is the Star Dou Forest really a forbidden zone for humans?"
Zhao Wuji's face was equally grim.
"I used to roam around the Star Dou Forest. Looking back, the fact I made it out alive was like my ancestors' graves glowing with good fortune."
The heads of the various sects felt as if they were sitting on pins and needles.
The Soul Beast forces' successive appearances on the list had not only shattered humanity's preconceived notions of soul beasts, but also told everyone—
Humans might not be the rulers of this world!
"The top ten have only just begun..."
Ning Fengzhi looked at the Sky Curtain, his voice filled with deep concern.
"The Soul Beast Clan is truly terrifying."
"If a few more monsters like these appear, even Spirit Hall might not be able to keep things under control."
Godwind City.
In stark contrast to the turmoil beyond its walls, the atmosphere here was completely different.
The rear garden of the City Lord Mansion.
A gentle breeze stirred, and flowers filled the air with their fragrance.
Beside an exquisite stone table, a green-clad figure lounged lazily against the back of a chair.
Venti swirled a crystal goblet in his hand. The amber liquor within caught the sunlight and shimmered with a captivating glow.
There wasn't the slightest hint of a peerless powerhouse about him.
His hat sat askew, his cheeks were flushed with a faint tipsy blush, and his lively, wind-like eyes gazed up at the scene in the sky with a smile.
Across from him,
Feng Xiaotian sat ramrod straight, his expression respectful.
Seeing Venti like this, Feng Xiaotian felt both awe and helplessness.
The world outside was on the verge of turning upside down.
And this lord still had the leisure to savor wine and admire the flowers.
"Your Excellency Venti."
Feng Xiaotian swallowed and spoke with great care.
"This... isn't King of Ten Thousand Monsters far too powerful?"
"The Law of Withering. All life cut off."
"If it were to come here, could Godwind City withstand it?"
At that, Venti chuckled softly.
He raised the goblet to his lips, took a small sip, and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Ah—"
"Good wine."
Only then did he give Feng Xiaotian a leisurely glance.
"Don't be so nervous."
"It's just a little sapling that's a bit ugly."
"No matter how potent the poison, in the face of the wind it can only drift with the current."
Venti reached out and lightly tapped the air with one finger.
A wisp of breeze swirled around his fingertip, sounding a clear, melodious whistle.
"Look."
"The wind can scatter poisonous fumes, and it can uproot its roots, too."
"As long as I want it to,"
"nothing in this world can escape the wind's gaze."
Feng Xiaotian watched the seemingly frail breeze at Venti's fingertip, sensing the endless mysteries it contained. Miraculously, his anxiety began to ease.
That was right.
With the Wind God here,
even if the sky came crashing down, he could probably blow it back up.
"Your Excellency is right."
Feng Xiaotian hurriedly refilled Venti's glass.
"This subordinate was worrying needlessly."
Venti lifted his goblet and looked toward the sky through its crystal-clear sides.
His gaze passed through the image of King of Ten Thousand Monsters, as if he were seeing somewhere much farther away—and something even more interesting.
"This is only tenth place."
Venti murmured softly, a faint smile playing at the corner of his mouth.
"The real show is still to come."
"I bet those old-timers can't sit still anymore, either."
As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Feng Xiaotian.
"Oh, right."
"Is the apple cider I asked you to prepare still not ready?"
"Watching a show without good wine to go with it takes away half the fun."
Feng Xiaotian froze, then gave a wry smile.
At a time like this,
the whole continent was in a panic, and what this lord cared about was still apple cider.
Was this what it meant to be a powerhouse?
"This subordinate will go hurry them along."
Feng Xiaotian rose, bowed, and hurried away.
Watching him leave, Venti shook his head.
"Young people these days are just too restless."
"They still haven't learned to take things in stride."
He raised his glass and toasted King of Ten Thousand Monsters in the sky from afar.
"Come."
"Let's drink to your evolution, little sapling."
The wind swept through the garden.
A few fallen leaves lifted into the air, dancing around the green-clad figure.
No matter how the world beyond raged and storms gathered,
here,
the breeze still blew gently, and the years passed in peace.
The rear garden of the City Lord Mansion in Godwind City.
The breeze swept up a few fallen petals and carried them lightly onto the stone table.
Venti didn't brush them away.
He simply gazed at the amber liquor in his glass, at the sky reflected in it, and at the layers of clouds above.
Feng Xiaotian stood to one side, stiff as a board.
Even though he was now the lord of an entire city, he still didn't dare breathe too loudly in the presence of this seemingly youthful figure.
The outside world had long since descended into chaos over the appearance of Xiong Jun and King of Ten Thousand Monsters.
But this lord was still fretting over how the apple cider wasn't mellow enough.
"They're here."
Venti suddenly spoke.
His voice was so soft, as if he were afraid of startling the butterfly resting on his fingertip.
Feng Xiaotian froze and asked without thinking,
"Your Excellency, who's here? Has King of Ten Thousand Monsters come to attack?"
Venti gently shook his head.
He traced a circle along the rim of his glass with one finger.
A clear, ringing hum followed.
"Not that rotten old tree."
"Some visitors from far away, and a... rather disobedient little bird."
Venti set down his glass and smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling. His emerald-green eyes brimmed with childlike mischief.
"Now that Bi Ji has obtained a Vision, she's certainly eager to try it out."
"But that's fine."
"They say you don't know someone until you've fought them."
"Go activate the barrier at the city gates. Don't scare all our guests away."
Feng Xiaotian was utterly bewildered.
Bi Ji?
Wasn't she the Emerald Swan of the Star Dou Forest?
When had the Ferocious Beast famed throughout the world for her healing become a "child" in Your Excellency's eyes?
And...
A disobedient little bird?
Though he was full of questions, Feng Xiaotian didn't dare ask a single one. He quickly bowed, accepted the order, and withdrew.
Thirty miles outside Godwind City.
The terrain here had been completely transformed.
The once-flat wasteland was now crisscrossed with deep ravines, gouged into it by blades of wind of the utmost purity.
The air still held traces of violent wind-elemental energy, as well as...
A bone-chilling cold that seemed capable of freezing the soul itself.