The Breakthrough of the Beast Lord

After handling the matters, Su Luo returned.

The once lively Soul Return Valley had now become quiet and deserted.

Nangong Xiyun had gone back to the Seven Stars Sword Sect some time ago to attend to her duties.

After all, she was a Peak Master, and in these tense times, she had responsibilities to shoulder.

Such as preparing resources, guiding others, attending meetings, and strategizing how to deal with the beast army.

Now, only Jiang Ningshu remained, basking in the sun. Seeing that only Su Luo had returned, she asked curiously, "Where are the others?"

"Oh, I killed them."

"Just like that?"

Jiang Ningshu hadn’t known about Su Luo’s plan—it wasn’t written in the diary.

She had assumed he’d taken the Heavenly Demon Sect members out for another futile mission, only to return empty-handed.

"Originally, I was going to bring them back, but they started complaining, so I gave them a happy burial."

"You really went through with it."

"Not a big deal." Su Luo didn’t think much of it.

"Well, at least it’s quieter now."

Jiang Ningshu didn’t care either. There weren’t many things that could hold her attention these days.

Her cultivation had reached the Tribulation Phase, the pinnacle of the current cultivation world.

She likely wouldn’t make any progress for a while.

So, she might as well laze around with Su Luo.

Su Luo lay down as well.

Jiang Ningshu asked, "What’s the plan now?"

"Prepare for war, I guess."

"You need to prepare for war?"

Though Jiang Ningshu didn’t know the full extent of Su Luo’s strength, she estimated it wasn’t inferior to hers.

With the two of them working together, she couldn’t imagine anything that would require them to "prepare."

Unless they were planning to take on the entire world—but Su Luo wouldn’t do something like that.

"Actually, it’s just about watching the show as usual."

With great power came great freedom—they could do whatever they wanted or choose not to.

But Su Luo explained that in the near future, humans and the beast army would engage in a life-or-death battle.

Hearing Su Luo’s indifference, Jiang Ningshu understood it wasn’t anything too difficult.

Just then, Xiao Pa came charging over and leaped onto Su Luo’s stomach.

"Xiao Pa, long time no see."

Su Luo took out some snacks and fed her.

Xiao Pa still loved these treats dearly.

The reason she hadn’t been around was that Nangong Xiyun had sent her to the Seven Stars Sword Sect to handle affairs in her stead.

But most of Xiao Pa’s time was spent following the sect into battles.

Recently, she had even been tasked with instructing the younger disciples.

It drove her crazy.

Xiao Pa took her teaching duties seriously, even passing on her "Cat Fist" technique.

But the disciples were all hopeless—no matter how many times she taught them, they just couldn’t grasp it. It was infuriating.

In the end, she went on strike and called Nangong Xiyun back to teach them herself.

Then she came here to relax.

This place was much better—the Seven Stars Sword Sect was no fun at all.

Xiao Pa wore a contented expression.

If the Seven Stars Sword Sect disciples heard her thoughts, they’d surely protest.

"Who can understand your meowing anyway?"

Though they had complaints, they knew this cat-shaped spirit beast was incredibly powerful, so they kept their mouths shut.

While Su Luo played with Xiao Pa, dark clouds suddenly gathered overhead.

The weather changed.

This was nothing unusual—heavenly tribulations had become a common sight lately.

Little Yu had broken through to the Mahayana Stage and needed to undergo her tribulation.

Su Luo wasn’t worried at all. He knew Little Yu’s foundation was rock-solid.

Without any surprises, Little Yu successfully passed the tribulation.

After a long period of seclusion, she finally emerged.

The first thing she did was rush to Su Luo.

"Praise me."

"Little Yu, you’re amazing."

Little Yu beamed with satisfaction. Even breaking through to Mahayana couldn’t compare to Su Luo’s praise.

Naturally, Little Yu’s tribulation drew a lot of attention.

But Soul Return Valley had powerful concealment arrays.

So, while the strong sensed the tribulation, they couldn’t pinpoint its exact location.

Nor did they know who was undergoing it.

......

The Seven Stars Sword Sect’s Sect Master sighed, "So many people have been breaking through to Mahayana lately. When will it be my turn?"

He had been stuck at the peak of the Void Refinement Stage for a long time.

......

The Sky Light Sect’s Sect Master muttered, "Please don’t let it be someone from the demonic path. We’ve mostly dealt with them by now, so it shouldn’t be... Please don’t let it be the demonic path!"

Every additional powerhouse on humanity’s side meant a better chance against the beast army.

Assuming they were on the right side.

......

The Mist Cloud Sect’s Sect Master lamented, "What a shame—it wasn’t someone from our sect breaking through."

The Mist Cloud Sect hadn’t produced a Mahayana cultivator in ages.

......

Emperor Heaven Sect.

Di Haoran mused, "The last ten thousand years have seen humanity at its peak. First, Jiang Ningshu reached the Tribulation Phase, and now so many are breaking through to Mahayana."

Even Nangong Xiyun had achieved it within the last few years—a decade or so was nothing in the grand scheme.

Di Haoran gazed toward the Wildlands. "Come at us. Just as we defeated you in the past, we’ll do it again."

A preemptive strike was out of the question. Humanity’s forces weren’t strong enough to crush the beast army outright.

Charging recklessly into the Wildlands, with its countless dangers and unfamiliar terrain, would only lead to unnecessary losses.

So, the best strategy was to fortify their defenses at the Northern Heavenly Gate and wait for the right moment to counterattack.

......

The Wildlands.

The High Priest frowned.

Too many humans were breaking through lately. If this continued, history would repeat itself—they’d lose to humanity again and be forced to scrape by in the Wildlands.

No. Even if it meant drastic measures, they needed to produce more Mahayana-level beasts.

The High Priest began scouring ancient texts for forbidden methods.

A month after Little Yu’s breakthrough, another massive heavenly tribulation descended.

The disturbance it caused was staggering.

But some weren’t surprised.

They had witnessed a tribulation of this scale not long ago—Jiang Ningshu’s.

This time, it was the Beast Lord’s turn.

Attempting to stop him in the Wildlands was impossible. The entire beast army would guard him during the process.

All humanity could do was pray for his failure.

But their prayers went unanswered. As time passed, an overwhelming aura swept across the cultivation world.

Humanity’s powerhouses could only sigh—he had succeeded.

The Beast Lord had weathered the tribulation and ascended to the Tribulation Phase.

The beast army bowed their heads in reverence to their master.

Their faces brimmed with confidence.

The Beast Lord’s first words after his triumph were to the army: "Prepare yourselves. We will exterminate humanity."

"Yes!"

The beast army roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.

Of course, the Beast Lord wouldn’t attack immediately. He still needed to strategize with the High Priest and others.