The ground trembled as thousands of beasts surged toward the mouth of the cave. It was massive and large enough to accommodate thounsands of the beast at once and the beasts charged into it like a tide.
The weaker ones were trampled into pulp under the mightier ones. It was a savage stampede, and none dared to look back. Those that entered first had already vanished into its depths.
Hidden behind a boulder on a nearby cliff, Lin Wei watched it all unfold. His heart pounded, not from fear, but from anticipation.
He wanted to enter too, but not yet. If he rushed in now, he'd be torn to shreds like those weaklings beneath the beasts' claws.
He waited.
For three hours, the horde thinned out. More than half of the beasts had entered. Around him, the dead lay scattered which is caused by the stampede, others torn apart in combat. Lin Wei scavenged their beast cores while waiting for his moment.
Finally, when the flow slowed, he gripped his spear tightly and dashed toward the cave.
Any beast that dared to block his path was met with the cold gleam of steel. His movements were swift, efficient, lethal.
He moved like a phantom among the exhausted beasts, sometimes even climbing the cave wall using his Serpent Coil.
The cave was far deeper than he expected. After three hours of traversing it, he saw a flickering light ahead.
"A portal..." he muttered.
Without hesitation, he stepped into it.
A wave of dizziness struck him. His mind went blank, his body light as a feather. When he awoke, he found himself lying on a patch of soft, glowing moss.
Around him stood ancient trees—taller than anything he'd ever seen, their bark pulsing with life. The air was thick with vitality. He could feel it and his body drank it in like a starving man at a banquet.
"This... this is a world of treasures."
He pulled out his spirit map. Dozens of glowing dots marked nearby resources—spiritual herbs, rare plants, and essence-rich stones and some that represents the beasts that have already entered. He bolted toward the nearest one, consuming anything useful immediately. Treasures too potent to waste were carefully stored in his ring.
He ventured deeper, slaying beasts and harvesting herbs without rest. Though his cultivation didn't break through, his body was changing. His strength increased. His instincts sharpened. His fighting style became more savage.
Then came the day he stumbled upon the hidden farm.
It wasn't really a farm but it looked like one.
Underground, buried deep beneath stone and vine, he found a tunnel that led to a vast chamber teeming with spiritual herbs.
He was speechless.
Body Ginseng, a million years old.
Frostbone Sapflower.
Nine Mystic Spiritroot.
Voidforged Steelbloom.
Thunderfist Ginseng.
Heaven's Breath Petal.
Abyssal Qi Fern.
Moonlit Reflection Moss.
...and more.
Herbs for body tempering, Qi refinement, poison detoxification and even some beyond the knowledge of even the oldest sects in the lower realm.
Lin Wei harvested them all, consuming a few, storing the rest.
He continued his journey,
Weeks passed.
Lin Wei's body bore countless wounds—scars from traps, slash marks from beasts, bruises from spiritual resistance. His only robe lay folded in his storage ring. Naked, bloodied, and feral, he pressed onward, driven by sheer will.
Then came and unexpected ambush.
The Black Wolf – as large as a horse, eyes glowing red.
The Poison Snake – thick as a tree trunk, venom dripping from its fangs.
The Giant Stag – taller than two men, its antlers like divine weapons.
They came not to battle, but to devour and they are also working together just to ambush Lin Wei which made him to start wondering the reason why those animals that are both savage and unfriendly with each other have started working together lately.
The wolf lunged first. Lin Wei grabbed its face mid-air and slammed it down but not before its claws raked his side. Blood sprayed.
Before he could recover, the snake struck. Its fangs sank into his shoulder, poison flooding his veins.
He roared, gripped the snake's skull, and crushed it.
The stag charged.
He dodged, but one antler still tore open his ribs, sending him flying.
The wolf bit his arm, grinding bone. The snake, even broken, wrapped his legs. The stag raised its hooves.
Lin Wei snapped.
He whipped the snake into the wolf, then caught the stag's hooves mid-fall. Muscles bulged as he flipped the beast and shattered it against stone.
Still, the wolf bit deep into his thigh.
The stag gored him again.
He laughed.
Through blood, pain, and madness, he grabbed the wolf and crushed its throat, stomped the snake's spine, and shattered the stag's antlers—then drove them through its skull.
Silence.
He collapsed.
Bleeding, broken, and victorious.
He didn't take healing herbs.
He wanted to remember the pain.
Only bones and muscle-restoring herbs were used. The venom would stay—until he conquered it with his will.
Three hours later, barely able to walk, he rose again.
Every beast he met after that became a manure for the soil.
Guided by his map, he followed faint golden lines—pathways leading to a barrier.
Ahead, a hundred sky-realm beasts attacked it. Beyond it, something shimmered with a golden aura—a divine opportunity.
He didn't join the siege.
Not yet.
This was no ordinary realm. Someone or something had built it. The presence of a barrier proved it.
He waited.
And when the barrier finally broke—he moved.
Spear in hand, he flew through the air, ignoring those who tried to block him. He killed one beast instantly, dashed across the battlefield, and reached the center of the garden.
There it was...
A single glowing herb, shining like a miniature sun, floating above a golden lotus.
He stretched out his hand and grabbed whatever it was.He didn't waste any time and immediately dashed away right after killing the first beast that tried to stop him, he ran toward the far side of the farm.
He didn't have time to fight head-on because he knew he wouldn't stand a chance.
But he had underestimated the beasts sense of smell. They have a very strong sense of smell and knew that whatever Lin Wei had taken was extremely valuable. They definitely wouldn't let him get away. So, all some of them gave chase.
Ten hours later
Lin Wei was still running for his life. His chest burned and his legs screamed in pain. Behind him, forty giant monsters roared as they smashed through the trees chasing him in the dark forest. They wouldn't be hunting him like this if he hadn't been injured so many times.
He held his storage ring tightly with his fingers—that's where he kept the precious herb he had stolen from the beasts. Those beasts would kill to get that herb back.
All the beasts chasing him were at sky realm level, and the herb would definitely help him break through to that level although not that sure yet but he will still give it a shot.
Suddenly, a giant hawk swooped down and clawed his back open. Blood poured down his bare body.
The pain was so bad he cried out loud, and his speed started to slow. He stretched out his hand, grabbed the hawk's head, and slammed it to the ground, breaking its jaw. Then he kept running.
Then he saw it—a huge tree with thick branches and lots of leaves where he could hide. He jumped and climbed it quickly using his serpent coil just as the beasts reached the clearing below.
He stayed perfectly still, hiding in the leaves. The monsters started sniffing the air.
A giant tiger roared like a beast and ran off in the wrong direction. The other beasts got confused. Some followed the tiger, and others ran different ways.
Lin Wei didn't move until the last growl faded away.
He had made it. He was alive.
But he wasn't safe yet.
The beasts might come back.
He was badly hurt.
Today, luck saved him.
Tomorrow… he might not be so lucky.