Chapter 53: Desolate Beasts

Inside the dark cave, Qin Changsheng slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. After a full day of cultivation, the inner world within his body had gained a tiny bit more of the primal source. It did not look like much, yet it was not a trivial amount either.

"Brother Qin, you're awake!" Guo Tao's voice suddenly rang out beside his ear.

Following the voice, Qin Changsheng looked over and saw Guo Tao, Sun Xiaoya, and the others sitting around a campfire, roasting a plump and juicy wild hare.

"Ah, what are you all doing?" he asked curiously.

"Haha, we're planning to head out and explore a bit after we finish eating, just to see if we can stumble upon any fortuitous encounters," Guo Tao laughed heartily. "Would Brother Qin care to join us?"

Hearing this, Qin Changsheng felt a stirring of interest, nodded with a smile, and asked, "Is there a share for me?"

"Naturally. We're a team, after all." A roasted rabbit leg was handed straight over to him.

Qin Changsheng stood on no ceremony, took it, and began to eat.

Once the four of them finished the rabbit meat and were just about to set off to explore the other opportunities within the secret realm, a hearty and mocking laugh echoed through the air.

"Giggles... There are so many human beings here. It's just a shame they have no manners at all, actually eating such a cute little bunny."

Before they knew it, the four of them had been completely surrounded by a throng of bizarre-looking exotic beasts. These creatures could speak human language, yet they did not look purely like beasts, nor entirely like monsters.

Upon seeing these strange entities, the expressions of both Guo Tao and Zhao Tiehu shifted drastically.

"The aborigines of the Eastern Wasteland? Desolate Beasts?"

This was because every single one of these beasts possessed strength ranging between the Core Formation and Nascent Soul realms, and their numbers were immense. As for the four of them, they only had three Nascent Soul cultivators and one Core Formation cultivator. Even though that particular Core Formation cultivator possessed strength comparable to a Nascent Soul expert, they were still no match for dozens of these Desolate Beasts combined.

The strength Qin Changsheng was currently displaying was a simulated Core Formation realm, and seeing these beasts now, he felt an eager urge to test his skills. Just as he was wishing for some targets to practice his spells on, so many live dummies had delivered themselves right to his doorstep. Naturally, he grew quite excited.

Granted, an eternal being like him did not strictly need to rely on bloody battles to advance. However, since he would soon have to deal with the person in white, the faster he mastered these combat techniques, the better.

"Tsk tsk, not entirely ignorant, are you? You still know of our existence? But did we ever tell you that we are called the Desolate Clan, not mere Desolate Beasts?"

"We warned you humans long ago not to covet the Eastern Wasteland. Yet you refused to listen, barging in once every decade to hunt down and slaughter the children of our Eastern Wasteland as if they were mere resources. Now, things are different. It is our turn to hunt you."

A wolf-man with a human head and a wolf's body wore a cruel grin. "When the sacred fire of hope illuminates the Eastern Wasteland, it marks the beginning of countless boiling beast bloods! As long as the sacred fire remains undying, the Eastern Wasteland shall endure for eternity!"

As this blood-pumping slogan was chanted, sacred flames abruptly ignited upon the bodies of all these Desolate Beasts.

Following the ignition of the sacred flames, the power radiating from these creatures generally surged by a full major realm—those at the Core Formation stage leaped to the Nascent Soul realm, while those at the Nascent Soul stage ascended to the Soul Formation realm.

In a mere instant, the complexions of Guo Tao and the others turned deathly pale.

"The sky has fallen, the sacred fire has been lit... Run for your lives!"

With practically not a shred of hesitation, they frantically crushed their escape talismans. These were items provided by the academy upon entering the Eastern Wasteland Secret Realm, designed to allow them to be swiftly teleported out when facing mortal danger.

"Stop them!" the wolf-man roared in fury, charging fiercely toward the group.

***

Oddly enough, Qin Changsheng did not crush his talisman. Instead, he produced a heavy sword and, before the Desolate Beasts could even close in, charged directly toward them.

Guo Tao and the others, who were still awaiting their teleportation, were utterly dumbfounded.

"Brother Book-Mad, what on earth are you doing? Run already!"

"Can't you see those Desolate Beasts have entered a berserk state? Why are you still charging forward?"

Sun Xiaoya was equally speechless. "Let's get out of here first. Screw him, every man for himself..." She was the first to be teleported away.

"Good luck to you," Zhao Tiehu sighed before vanishing as well.

Guo Tao hesitated for a moment, but his teleportation talisman activated just then. In the blink of an eye, all three of them had fled.

Qin Changsheng's mouth twitched slightly. "We've only just stepped inside! What are you running for?"

Although he had not placed much hope in these teammates of his, he certainly had not expected them to bolt with such astonishing speed at the first sign of danger. While he did indeed prefer to act alone and let loose without restraint, this scene of everyone fleeing in panic when disaster struck still left him somewhat speechless. Had they not run, they could have shared quite a generous loot. But now, he was left to dance this solo performance all by himself.

...

"Human, go die!"

Seeing that Qin Changsheng not only failed to escape but actually charged right at him, the wolf-man flew into a rage and lunged straight at him. The other Desolate Beasts followed suit without a moment's hesitation.

"Come on, then!" Qin Changsheng laughed heartily, sweeping his heavy sword horizontally. The various swordsmanship techniques he had studied began to flow naturally from his hands.

Boom!

The wolf-man charging at the very front was sent flying by a single sweep of his sword, crashing heavily into the beasts rushing up behind him and knocking down a large swath of them.

"How is this possible?"

"He's only at the Core Formation realm! How could he possibly send me flying with one strike?"

The wolf-man stared at Qin Changsheng in utter shock and disbelief. The remaining Desolate Beasts also wore solemn expressions; this human, who appeared to be merely in the Core Formation realm, was clearly far from ordinary.

"Roar!"

"Die!"

Qin Changsheng cared little for what they were thinking. He swung his heavy sword horizontally once more, and another Desolate Beast was smashed into a bloody mist on the spot.

"He's too strong."

"Everyone be careful! Do not let him touch you."

"Surround and kill him! Use the power of the sacred fire to wear him down!"

These Desolate Beasts were no fools; they could see that while Qin Changsheng's power seemed formidable, it shouldn't be able to last long given that he was merely a Core Formation cultivator. They, on the other hand, were empowered by the sacred fire and could sustain their Soul Formation realm strength for a prolonged period.

However, they were destined to be disappointed.

Qin Changsheng's stamina seemed inexhaustible. Every time he swung his heavy sword, another Desolate Beast was pulverized into pieces.

The heavy sword was naturally massive, coupled with Qin Changsheng's terrifying physical body. His figure flashed and wove through the pack of beasts like a deity entering an uninhabited realm. These Desolate Beasts could not stop him at all; they could not even brush against the hem of his robe.

"Why is he so strong?"

"This is impossible! He's just a Core Formation cultivator!"

The remaining Desolate Beasts had completely lost their fighting spirit under Qin Changsheng's brutal onslaught and began retreating in terror.

"Want to run? Did you ask my permission?" Qin Changsheng sneered coldly, swinging his heavy sword once more. With that motion, yet another Desolate Beast was directly executed.

In the blink of an eye, the dozens of Desolate Beasts had been slaughtered until only a handful remained. These surviving beasts were now frightened out of their wits and no longer dared to engage Qin Changsheng in combat; they turned tail and bolted.

"Since you came, don't bother leaving." Qin Changsheng said indifferently, his figure flashing as he gave chase. With a few swift movements, the remaining Desolate Beasts were picked off and slain one by one.

Not until the very last beast collapsed to the ground did Qin Changsheng finally put away his heavy sword and dust off his hands. "This power of the sacred fire amounts to nothing special after all."

Just as he was about to leave, the sky suddenly grew dim.

He looked up and saw a massive palm descending from the heavens, slapping directly toward him.

"Peak Soul Formation?"

Qin Changsheng's gaze sharpened. His figure flickered, allowing him to effortlessly dodge the colossal palm.

Boom!

The palm struck the earth, smashing a gigantic, deep crater straight into the ground.