Chapter 239 - Foothold (1/2)

"Just exactly how many Atman Body experts did he kill?"

Xi Qiao and Tu Shishan's legs were shivering and their stomachs cramped as they watched Zhong Yue tread across the river. They could vaguely see a sea of blood gushing over to them, so thick and viscous that it was like a bloody paste. It filled the air with the stench of rusty metal and blood.

The taste of iron and blood – the smell of the battlefield!

Zhong Yue tread on the calm river water as if he was marching on a battlefield filled with warriors and and warhorses, exuding the air of slaughter that belonged to a merciless butcher.

Even the sun seemed to appear blood-red, shining on the non-existent warriors and warhorses!

Xi Qiao and Tu Shishan was supposed to be spurred into action when Zhong Yue was in the middle of the river. They were supposed to stop him while he was crossing the water. But they didn't, the terror in their hearts froze their nerves and muscles from moving even a single inch.

Even Qing He's senior martial brother, Wei Dong, did not attack, as he could perceive the fear that invaded Xi Qiao and Tu Shishan's minds. They could not fight anymore. Hence, if he launched an attack right now, he would be the one who would face the Zhong Yue's direct and unrestrained wrath.

Zhong Yue was now on the brink of advancing into the level of Atman Body; he would break through the barrier at any moment now. By then, it would be an arduous task to even keep themselves alive, let alone kill him!

And Wei Dong had not the slightest modicum of confidence in defeating Zhong Yue.

Zhong Yue stepped onto the riverbank, and strode past the three of them while they stood steadfast. They were straining every strand of their muscles and tendons, staring closely at the river, they did not turn around or look back.

If any of the four showed a single sign of launching an attack, the situation would erupt like a bowl of hot water poured into a wok of boiling oil — hurling the four of them into a blood-curdling battle!

Fortunately, the worst-case scenario didn't happen, as Zhong Yue quietly walked away.

In this world that upholds the law of the jungle, talking a way out only works occasionally, while subduing the world under your fist is the only true and right way,  Zhong Yue thought in his heart.

Without power, who would listen to your words? If he was weak and fragile, he would have been devoured by the monster experts like Xi Qiao!

A wolf need not seek the consent of the sheep it would eat, it would not ask the sheep to hand over their meat and blood, all because the wolf was stronger and faster than the sheep. Any effort the sheep exerts to escape its fate would ultimately be in vain; eventually, they would fall under the jaws of the wolf. The only way to escape their fate was to become stronger and faster than its hunter!

This was the fundamental law that drove the world, even if it was embellished with all sorts of beautiful concepts like morals and etiquette; in the end, it doesn't change the fact that power rules above all.

If Zhong Yue decided to establish his forces in the East Barren, his name and reputation would have to instill fear and terror into his enemies. And how exactly would he achieve this?

Through the blood of his enemies!

All the times he was forced to helplessly escape from the pursuit of his hunters were solely due to the fact that the monster experts still took him as a weak and tiny child. Hence, they had attacked him, one after another, and all of them had died by his hands. And now, he had carved a path out of this helplessness, a path paved by the blood of his adversaries. Those who had once stood against him now shuddered in fear of him as he now invoked their awe and fear!

Right now, he did not engage in a battle with Wei Dong, Xi Qiao and Tu Shishan, deciding to let them live so that they can become the envoys of his name to the world. He let them keep their lives so that the whole monster race would have the same fear they had of him. All so that he could carve a foothold for himself in the hostile monster race!

After a few moments, Wei Dong heaved a breath of relief and crossed the river to the other side. Xi Qiao and Tu Shishan looked at one another before following behind him. They did not turn back and look, because Zhong Yue was already a long distance away, vanished from their vision.

Now, they were heading backwards along the same trail of blood that Zhong Yue left behind.

It was only a short distance before they saw the remains of Ying Tianji — the two hundred-foot tall body was slammed into the mountain rocks, his mortal body was slashed in half and so was his Yuan Shen. He had died in such a brutal way in an unknown wrecked forest.

"Ying Tianji, the third master of the Ying family of Shen Yi City. A figure like this coming to such an end such as this ...."

Wei Dong, Xi Qiao and Tu Shishan walked another hundred over miles to the east, the mountain ridge was riddled with holes created when the Jiao Dragons drilled through the mountain rocks. Clearly, this was another wrecked battlefield left behind when Zhong Yue battled with another monster Atman Body expert.

Then, they saw the dead body of a giant lioness, and Xi Qiao said in a husky voice, "Shi Qingyun, Lord of the Lion Mountain."

Shi Qingyun was another Atman Body expert – young and powerful. She was a charming and beautiful mistress, and a strong and renowned cultivator around the Lion Mountain. She commanded the land for thousands of miles with over eight hundred lion cultivators beneath her — it was a strong and notable force in the East Barren.

Not long after, they saw another giant rhinoceros who had rammed into a mountain, breaking it away while it also died between the broken halves. He was the Lord of the Evil Rhino Ridge, with nearly a thousand rhinoceros cultivators under his command.

Then, they found a giant green python dead in the river, who appeared to be the Green Snake Valley Master, Qing Dongzhu of the Green Snake Valley. Following which, they saw another mountainous toad charred dead in a sea of fire, the toad was identified as the Lord of Poison Smoke Mountain.

The more casualties of Zhong Yue's might they saw, they greater their fear of him grew. They had traveled for nearly three thousand miles, and they had already seen more than twenty dead Atman Body experts. The trails of battle that were left behind had crushed the mountains and cleaved the rivers!

The corpses of these over twenty Atman Body Qi Practitioners were the trophies of Zhong Yue's feats of battle, except that they were trophies he didn't deign to collect!

These Atman body experts were here to kill him, but ended up being killed by him. They could not even escape and had died a tragic death in an unknown part of the Wildernness!

Wei Dong's face was solemn, he let out a deep breath of air and said gravely, "Let's return back to the saint city."

"En, back to the saint city." Xi Qiao and Tu Shishan quickly nodded their heads and concurred

Terrifying, truly terrifying! The Qi Practitioners that came after Zhong Yue, only the three of them survived, while the others were all dead!