Next, It's Your Turn

What’s going on? The Beast Lord is in such a miserable state?

The onlookers found it hard to believe.

Who is this person? How are they so strong?

Is the Beast Lord just pretending?

Then again, Jiang Ningshu might have already worn him down significantly.

Regardless, this is good news for now.

A boon for humanity, but an absolute disaster for the beast army.

They grew even more frenzied, desperate to aid their lord.

Naturally, the humans wouldn’t let them interfere.

Meanwhile, the Grand Priest, locked in battle with Lin Xuan, was frantic. The Beast Lord was right there, yet he couldn’t lift a finger to help.

Su Luo released his grip, and the Beast Lord instantly felt all strength leave his body, collapsing to the ground.

He tried to rise, but his limbs refused to obey.

Su Luo took a few slow steps forward, looming over him with an icy gaze.

Even in this state, the Beast Lord refused to yield. His hatred for humanity transcended life and death.

Even if only his mouth remained, he’d tear a chunk of flesh from them.

"Nice glare," Su Luo remarked before delivering a brutal kick to the Beast Lord’s face, twisting it sideways.

The force was immense—his head spun multiple times, carving a small crater into the ground. Yet his body didn’t budge an inch, a testament to Su Luo’s precision.

Still, the Beast Lord clung to life, his head gradually righting itself—proof of the tenacious vitality of his divine beast bloodline.

But to Su Luo, he was just a slightly larger punching bag.

Su Luo raised his foot above the Beast Lord’s skull, dark energy coalescing around it.

Even as a void-like black, it radiated a terrifying brilliance.

No one doubted this strike would be lethal.

"I’m going to kill you now," Su Luo stated flatly.

He intensified the energy swirling around his foot, amplifying the spectacle—a clear warning to all that this was the end.

The Grand Priest panicked. "Stay out of my way!"

Lin Xuan roared back, "Your opponent is me!"

Both stood firm, their resolve unshakable.

Lin Xuan held his ground, unafraid of a fight to the death—after all, he’d never have come this far if he feared sacrifice.

Come on, Grand Priest. Put up a fight.

Su Luo sighed inwardly but maintained his slow, deliberate motion. "Total failure, huh? Both for the Beast Lord and your entire beast army."

The Beast Lord’s neck finally straightened, his words labored. "I’ll... never... let you go... even in death!"

"Evade now, my lord!" the Grand Priest urged.

The Beast Lord wished he could—but his body remained paralyzed.

"Sure, sure. Don’t let me go. I don’t mind." Su Luo’s foot twitched, barely lowering a fraction.

"Stop that foot!" The Grand Priest hurled his three sacred staves—his most prized artifacts—toward Su Luo.

Losing them was a small price to save the Beast Lord.

Yet Lin Xuan blurred forward, intercepting and clutching the staves with a crushing grip. "Oh no, you don’t!"

"Damn you! Damn you!" The Grand Priest was on the verge of madness.

Losing anyone else was tolerable—but not the Beast Lord.

Su Luo ignored the plea. "Goodbye, Beast Lord."

A surge of murderous intent made his seriousness unmistakable.

Yet Su Luo’s leg felt oddly stiff.

Well, not really. He could hold this pose for a decade if needed. The real issue was the Grand Priest’s lackluster effort.

His foot hovered, dark energy pulsing, descending at a glacial pace.

Su Luo was exasperated. I’m practically spoon-feeding you a chance here. Take the hint.

To the Grand Priest, though, this wasn’t leniency—it was the calm before an earth-shattering strike, one meant to obliterate the Beast Lord’s formidable body.

Despair gripped the Grand Priest. He couldn’t bear to witness his lord’s demise.

In this critical moment, a solution flashed in his mind.

But...

His heart settled on the answer without hesitation, memories flooding in—youthful days, struggles, triumphs.

"Hey, you’ll become the Beast Lord and lead us out of the wastelands, right?"

"Of course! I’m strong—stronger than any beast alive!"

"Ha! I’ll look forward to that day."

......

"You’ve grown even stronger."

"Yeah. I can feel it—this is our era, the age of beasts."

"I’ll support you with everything I have."

"And I’ll need every bit of it."

......

"I’ve claimed the title of Beast Lord. Now, let’s prepare."

"I’ve been ready since the day you first spoke of it."

......

"Listen... if we fail in the end—"

"Stop. The Beast Lord shouldn’t say such things. We won’t fail. You’re too strong for that."

"Just for today, let me say it. If we fail... I want you to live."

"No. You must survive."

"Grand Priest, the beast army needs you more than me."

"That’s not true. You’re our faith incarnate."

"I’m just a brute. Half those ‘Ten Forbidden Arts’ are beyond me, and—"

The Beast Lord listed every reason the Grand Priest was irreplaceable.

"Another Beast Lord can rise. But a priest of your talent? Centuries might pass before another appears. Live. Give our kind another chance."

"My lord..."

"Promise me this, Grand Priest. My final request."

......

In the Grand Priest’s eyes, the proud visage of the Beast Lord overlapped with his current broken form.

"BEAST LORD!!!"

His scream tore through the battlefield, raw and desperate.

The Beast Lord met his gaze.

The Grand Priest abandoned all defense, allowing Lin Xuan’s strikes to land. Yet he smiled—an eerie, peaceful expression.

"I’ve always believed in you. You’ll lead us to victory."

His voice was softer than ever—a farewell.

As his words faded, blood erupted from the Grand Priest’s body.

Distant runes from the wastelands linked to the Beast Lord, their bonds unbreakable.

The remnants of the Totem Altars poured their power into him.

The Grand Priest’s ancient chant continued, his life force draining rapidly.

A mysterious energy enveloped the Beast Lord.

Still immobilized, the Beast Lord’s face twisted in unprecedented despair, his head thrashing. "No, no, no, NO—!"

The Grand Priest didn’t stop.

Lin Xuan assaulted him futilely—no attack could halt the ritual now.

Soon, the light faded from the Grand Priest’s eyes.

His lips moved soundlessly.

I suppose... I’ll die unsatisfied, never seeing you at your peak.

But don’t look so grim, my lord. You’re meant to win this. Smile for me.

I'm sorry we couldn't make it to the end together, but I have no regrets.

Goodbye.

From now on, it's all up to you.