Chapter 68: You Call That a Beast? That’s a Damn Monster!
“Bai Chen, age twenty-four, native of Seven Heroes Town, Great Ming.”
“His father, Bai Jingtian, was a wealthy merchant with no martial background.”
“His mother, Li Ping, was an orphan from Qinghe County, with no surviving relatives.”
“At the age of eight, Bai Chen first came into contact with martial arts and reached the Postnatal Realm in the same year.”
“At eleven, he refined his internal energy into innate true qi and broke into the Innate Realm.”
“At sixteen, he became a Grandmaster of the Finger Profound Realm, earning the title of a prodigy in Seven Heroes Town.”
“At eighteen, his parents passed away, leaving him with only his steward, Li Fu.”
“At twenty-one, he left Seven Heroes Town for the first time to travel the martial world of Great Ming.”
“At twenty-four, he returned, revealing his cultivation as a late-stage Grandmaster of the Celestial Phenomenon Realm.”
“However, the reason for his withdrawal from the martial world and return to Seven Heroes Town remains a mystery.”
Sitting atop the dragon throne, Zhu Yuanzhang scanned the intelligence report in his hands, his expression growing increasingly solemn. As the emperor of Great Ming, he had ordered an immediate investigation upon learning of Bai Chen’s existence. Given that Bai Chen had already displayed his Celestial Phenomenon Realm cultivation while travelling the martial world, there was no way the imperial court wouldn’t have noticed him.
Indeed, the report came back quickly. Yet the contents left Zhu Yuanzhang utterly dumbfounded. A youth with no lineage, no master, and no powerful backers has reached the Celestial Phenomenon Realm at twenty-four?
Zhu Yuanzhang, who had fought his way up from a lowly peasant to become a Land Immortal, understood more than anyone how grueling the path of cultivation was for those without guidance. His own rise to power had been legendary, filled with fortuitous encounters and unimaginable hardships. Even with all that, he had only reached the Finger Profound Realm at twenty-four.
So how did Bai Chen, self-taught and completely on his own, become a late-stage Celestial Phenomenon Realm expert?
What kind of freakish talent is this?
“No wonder…” Zhu Yuanzhang muttered, shaking his head, his expression complex. “No wonder he stepped into the Spirit Transformation and Void Reversion Realm in just half a year.”
“With talent like this, I’m afraid no one in the Five Great Empires can compare…”
Even as the Emperor of Martial Might, Zhu Yuanzhang had never conceded to anyone in terms of talent. Even against Zhang Sanfeng, he believed that, given time, he could match him.
But Bai Chen?
This monster had completely overturned his understanding of cultivation.
“Your Majesty,” Liu Bowen stepped forward, his face tinged with a bitter smile. “Bai Chen’s strength is beyond our comprehension. The court would do well not to provoke him.”
Liu Bowen prided himself on his wisdom, yet even he knew that no amount of intelligence could counter absolute power.
What use are strategies and schemes against someone who can annihilate you with a flick of his finger?
Even the imperial court’s might seemed fragile before such overwhelming force. He wasn’t sure what the emperor was thinking, but he had to make his stance clear. Zhu Yuanzhang glanced at him and scoffed.
“Do you take me for a fool?”
“A man like Bai Chen is not someone you make an enemy of.”
“I’m merely thinking… just how powerful is the cultivation art he obtained?”
“I admit that his talent is peerless, but even with talent, one must have the right techniques to advance so swiftly.”
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“L-leader…”
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“Are we… really going to fight these wolves?”
A late-stage Finger Profound Grandmaster among the Beggar Sect disciples stammered, his voice trembling. He wasn’t weak. In fact, his cultivation placed him among the elite.
But he wondered, is this really just a pack of wolves?
Each of the creatures stood at least three meters tall, their hulking frames rippling with power.
And at the centre, a towering wolf king over five meters high, its body exuding a bloodthirsty aura, its golden eyes gleaming with an unsettling intelligence.
This… This isn’t a beast. This is a damn monster!
“We’re standing before an untouched cache of treasures,” Qiao Feng said evenly, his gaze never leaving the wolves. “Are you willing to leave empty-handed?”
That single question sent a shudder through the hearts of his companions. They had spent hours searching the sect’s outer region, yet they had found nothing until now.
Here, in the heart of this wolf den, treasures gleamed like stars in the dim light. And the wolves were guarding them. They didn’t know what those artefacts were, but to walk away without trying was not an option.
“Of course not!”
The trembling disciple gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand tall. The others, seeing his resolve, clenched their fists and nodded in unison.
“We fight!”
“Those are just overgrown mutts! We’ve fought worse!”
“The treasures are right there. This is what we came for!”
The warriors of the Beggar Sect, despite their fear, would never retreat from a battle.
“Good,” Qiao Feng said, his expression serious. “These wolves are larger than normal, but we don’t know their actual strength yet. Stay cautious.”
At that moment, Huang Rong, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.
“This isn’t just any pack of wolves,” she said, her voice grim. “They’re too big, too intelligent. They’re not normal beasts.”
“They’re monstrous beasts.”
The group fell silent.
Qiao Feng narrowed his eyes.
A monstrous beast was fundamentally different from an ordinary one. Stronger, faster, smarter. Much deadlier.
“I’ll take the wolf king,” Qiao Feng declared. “The rest of you handle the smaller ones.”
Then, he turned to Huang Rong.
“Huang girl, your lightness skill is the best among us. While we keep the wolves occupied, you sneak into the den and retrieve the treasures.”
Huang Rong hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly.
“Understood.”
The plan was set.
Qiao Feng’s expression hardened as he turned toward the wolf king, his grip tightening around his weapon.
“Let’s move.”
With one decisive step, he strode forward. The others followed, their nerves steeled for battle. From within the wolf den, the wolf king’s golden eyes snapped open. It stood, towering over them, its piercing gaze filled with murderous intent.
And then—
A deep, resonating howl tore through the air.
AWOOOOOOO—!
A chorus of twelve savage howls followed as the entire pack rose to its feet. Then, like a storm of fangs and claws, they charged.