Chapter 147: On the Eve of Fury

"Master, what shall we do next?"

"Execute the plan devised by that brat."

"Understood. I shall make the arrangements at once."

Deep within the main hall of the Misty Peak Sect, following a brief consultation among the dozen high-ranking elders who had temporarily pacified tens of thousands of disciples, a revelation that would shake the entire Wind God Continent spread swiftly across every region.

Gu Changqing, the former young master of the Misty Peak Sect, had slipped into a state of epiphany during the forging of an artifact. Amidst the watchful eyes of the entire sect, he had miraculously and unexpectedly forged a divine spirit weapon.

However, due to his insufficient cultivation, the terrifying might of the newly awakened spirit weapon wreaked havoc within him, plunging him into a complete state of cultivation deviation and distorting his mind.

Subsequently manipulated by this spirit weapon, he attempted a violent assault on Sect Master Nangong Kang in an effort to seize the Misty Peak Sect's foundational spirit artifact, the battle platform, thereby nourishing his own weapon...

As soon as this news broke, no faction across any domain of the continent doubted its authenticity.

After all, tens of thousands of Misty Peak Sect members had witnessed it with their own eyes. Such an event was easily verifiable and completely undeniable.

Especially when the high-ranking elders of the Misty Peak Sect publicly displayed the might of the suppressing Five-Spirit Bracelet, the rumor was set in stone.

Although numerous factions coveted the divine artifact with burning envy, none dared to rashly trespass upon the Misty Peak Sect, which was now guarded by such a treasure, to seize it.

Instead, with one accord, they all diverted their attention and energy toward Gu Changqing, who was now stripped of his status and marked for pursuit.

"Pass down the order: this manor shall, in the name of the Young Lord, protect Gu Changqing to the bitter end."

"Throughout the Southern Domain, any faction that dares to obstruct or harm Gu Changqing shall be deemed an irreconcilable enemy of the Asura Manor, and the Asura Manor shall mobilize its full might to eradicate them!"

"Understood."

Xiu Binggan, the usually composed Master of the Asura Manor, could no longer sit still and immediately issued the command.

Thus, the factions of the Southern Domain, which had been the first to seethe with restless ambition, were suppressed in their tracks by a single, uncompromising decree from the mighty Asura Manor.

Even the Misty Peak Sect's law enforcement team, tasked with hunting down chubby little Gu, had no choice but to nurse their grievances, lower their banners, and sullenly return to the sect.

Across the entire Southern Domain, no faction truly dared to defy the will of the Asura Manor.

Yet, this was a person capable of forging a divine spirit weapon—something the entire continent had not witnessed in ten thousand years.

Consequently, while countless factions dared not openly defy the Asura Manor's decree, every single one of them secretly dispatched trusted disciples from their respective territories, slipping away across the Southern Domain toward the Endless Forest.

Driven by wishful thinking, if their own faction could befriend chubby little Gu through their efforts, and he truly forged a spirit weapon for them in the future, then even the formidable Asura Manor would not dare to casually wage a full-scale war against a power backed by a spirit weapon.

Conversely, if that brat Gu Changqing could not be brought into their fold, he must be hunted down and eliminated with maximum force. Under no circumstances could he be allowed to befriend or join rival factions, thereby empowering the enemy and creating an obstacle for themselves.

At this very moment, no fewer tens of thousands of mid-tier and young elite cultivators had plunged into the Endless Forest, tracking Gu Changqing's trail.

From that moment on, the roar of beasts echoed ceaselessly through the Endless Forest.

And that was not all.

Before long, other powerful factions across the remaining domains of the Wind God Continent also dispatched parties racing toward the Southern Domain, even including the continent's most formidable Supreme Palace.

"An imperial decree from Lord Ba of the Supreme Palace!"

"Effective today, Gu Changqing is appointed the Young Master of the Supreme Palace. None of you factions across any domain shall interfere or harm him; otherwise, bear the consequences!"

To this blatant and heavily threatening decree issued by the Supreme Palace, countless formidable factions responded with sneering disdain.

With so many powers making their move, no matter how strong the Supreme Palace or Lord Ba might be, surely they wouldn't dare defy the collective will of the realm?!

In less than a day, hundreds of thousands of low- and mid-tier disciples flooded into the Endless Forest of the Southern Domain, scouring the terrain inch by inch.

The entire Endless Forest was thrown into a state of panic, with birds flying, beasts scattering, and frequent clashes erupting everywhere.

On the high skies above the outer perimeter, countless Divine Transformation and Tribulation Passage experts concealed their presence, awaiting word from their juniors. The moment Gu Changqing consented to join any particular faction, the senior powerhouses of that faction would instantly defy public outrage, break into the Endless Forest without hesitation, and safely escort him back to their sect.

Even if this mission cost them a few Divine Transformation or even a couple of Tribulation Passage experts, it was a price they were willing to pay.

For they understood all too well that if their faction could acquire even a few spirit weapons, it would be equivalent to gaining the foundational heritage of several Great Ascension stage ancestors.

By then, even when facing Lord Ba, they would possess sufficient confidence to stand and speak to him on equal terms.

As for the initial heavy losses to their sect's strength? They cared not a whit; if a batch of strong cultivators died, they simply had to cultivate new ones.

Meanwhile, the leaders of all the factions made simultaneous preparations: the moment Gu Changqing refused their own faction yet aligned with another—even the Supreme Palace—all other factions would immediately join forces to assassinate him, fighting to the death!

...

Deep within the Black Beast Forest of the Central Domain.

The Black Beast overlords, who had consistently dispatched avian scouts to survey the skies above human territories, soon learned of this continent-shaking news.

Thus, the youth whom they had previously regarded as a mere insignificant insect once again captured their attention. Unlike before, this time they took him entirely and genuinely to heart.

Countless pairs of sharp, overwhelmingly oppressive eyes locked onto the direction of the Southern Domain, waiting.

Before long, sensing the shifting tides, the mysterious Lord of the Forest gave a single command without ever showing himself. Dozens of seventh-tier, hundreds of sixth-tier, and nearly ten thousand fifth-tier Black Beast overlords instantly reverted from their human disguises back to their true beast forms. Amidst earth-shaking roars, they set off toward the Endless Forest of the Southern Domain. The Demon Bear King was among them, harboring the deepest anxiety for the safety of chubby little Gu.

In the deepest recesses of the Black Beast Forest, where the elite youths of all clans gathered, Alu and Mei, two beasts who had also caught wind of the rumors, suddenly grew intensely irritable and restless, sparking curiosity and inquiries from countless companions.

At the same time, a gorgeous female Black Beast—who had only reached the late fourth-tier but had long since mastered the ability to take human form—dashed swiftly toward a secluded, silent thatched cottage deep within the Black Beast Forest. When she emerged once more, an archaic token rested in her hand. Tucking it away, she immediately set off at top speed toward the Southern Domain.

At the northernmost tip of the Wind God Continent, amidst a vast, desolate expanse, an invisible barrier undetectable even to most cultivators flickered with a ripple and vanished.

Within it lay an ancient, secluded family hidden from the world for ten thousand years, harboring several terrifyingly powerful auras. Inside their council hall, a scene of coercion was unfolding.

A remarkably easy-blushing, pretty young girl held a short dagger against her own throat, holding a room full of intensely powerful old men at hostage.

"Xue'er, is that brat truly so important to you?!"

"Indeed, Xue'er, put the dagger down first. We can talk reasonably."

"Xia Xue'er, lower that dagger at once! What kind of behavior is this?!"

"F-Father, if you refuse your daughter's request, your daughter will—your daughter will end her life right here!"

"Sigh, Third Elder, lead a team and make a trip there."

"Patriarch, what about our ancestral teachings..."

"In times of great upheaval, ancestral teachings are meant to be revised."

"Very well, then."

An elderly man with a round face, whose aura was no weaker than the peak of the mid-Great Ascension stage, gathered several Tribulation Passage experts, stepped beyond the invisible barrier, and hurried toward the distant Southern Domain.

...

Meanwhile, deep within the Endless Forest of the Southern Domain, countless low-tier Black Beast clans were facing total calamity.

Tens of thousands of low- and mid-tier human cultivators had suddenly poured in from all directions, swarming into their homeland.

The naturally hot-tempered Black Beast clans roared in fury, asserting their territorial dominance and forbidding casual trespassing.

Yet the massive throngs of humans scouring every corner for chubby little Gu had no leisure for pleasantries. Relying on sheer numbers, they forcefully breached the territories of numerous Black Beast clans, sweeping the area relentlessly with their spiritual senses.

During these incursions, any beasts daring to resist were crippled or straight-out slaughtered; in worse cases, several entire clans that fought back with unyielding bravery were innocently massacred.

With the Demon Bear King absent, Aunt Xue—a fox-kin who had stepped half a foot into the fifth tier and could already transform into human form—was roused by the commotion. She immediately unleashed her cultivation to the fullest, letting out a low, piercing, resonant roar that instantly echoed across a radius of ten thousand miles.

"Roar!"

"Awooo!"

"Screech!"

Countless overwhelmingly powerful beast roars answered in unison, rippling further and further into the distance.

Simultaneously, shadows of beasts—foxes, golden-scaled tigers, giant shield elephants, lightning wolves, golden-winged eagles, and countless others—surged forth with bloodshot eyes and earth-shattering roars, charging toward the outrageously arrogant human intruders.

One hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, three hundred thousand...

No fewer than a million Black Beasts mobilized, ranging across the fourth, third, and second tiers. And this was merely within a radius of several tens of thousands of miles in this specific section of the Endless Forest; one could only imagine what terrifying numbers would emerge if every single beast in the entire Southern Endless Forest were to deploy.

Compared to the present, the time four thousand Black Beasts besieged the Holy Mountain Imperial City was nothing more than a passing drizzle.

Before long, a full-scale battlefield of slaughter involving hundreds of thousands of humans and over a million Black Beasts erupted across every corner of the Endless Forest, sending endless plumes of smoke billowing skyward among the ancient flora.

Chubby little Gu and Bai Ling'er had originally intended to venture out and meet the humans, but they were forcefully ordered by the Golden-Winged Eagle patriarch—just as it led the charge—to remain within their territory and not step outside.

Such were the Black Beasts—sentient, loyal, and righteous creatures.

Though ingrained with an instinctive aversion to humanity deep within their bones, once they truly accepted you, even if you were human, they would treat you as warmly as their own kin and fight to the death for you without hesitation.

In the beginning, all these clans had merely obeyed out of fear for the Demon Bear King's token held by chubby little Gu.

Yet, after chubby little Gu spent months running back and forth through the Endless Forest, these countless clans had been genuinely won over by his unique character, so utterly different from other humans. It led them to completely embrace this human who stood apart from the rest.

After all, to Black Beasts endowed with exceptionally acute spiritual perception, whether a human treated them with genuine sincerity or harbored racial prejudice and malice was something they could easily sense and judge.

And the current chubby little Gu no longer possessed the breezy nonchalance he had shown months ago when he hollowed out the lairs of various Black Beast clans. At this moment, anxiety gripped him as he pushed his mental strength and spiritual sense to their absolute limits, extending them as far as possible.

Watching wave after wave of Black Beasts fighting and dying for his sake, seeing individual beasts whom he had merely greeted in passing falling mercilessly beneath the blades of the human horde because of him, chubby little Gu was consumed by absolute fury! A fury unlike any he had ever known, boiling over into blinding rage!