The rescue team had arrived quite swiftly, setting out on the third day after Wei Huan's disappearance. However, the time flow between the two worlds differed; eight days had already passed in this realm. This implied that, accounting for potential delays in the spatial tunnel, two days here equaled only one day in the Challenge World.
This discrepancy not only bought them more time for exploration but also meant that the Class Temple would recognize each day spent here as a full day of progress—effectively doubling their cultivation time. For Wei Huan, this world was a prize that had to be secured at all costs. If it could become a world controlled by humanity—a private garden for cultivation—it would be ideal. As the leader of the Blue Star Alliance's Vanguard Corps, this task of territorial expansion was a perfect "professional match."
The rescue squad transitioned into a pioneering squad on the spot, welcoming the two leaders into the vehicles they had transported. Though it was only a Grade 6 vehicle, their quality of life improved instantly. No longer exposed to the elements, they now had access to surveying instruments and spatial warehouses.
The Gambler captain relayed Mu Dehao's words: "...Take these instruments; they might come in handy. In the supply list General Mu finalized, he included no fewer than twenty spatial warehouses."
At this, the Gambler captain looked amazed. "How did General Mu know they'd be useful here?"
Mu Zhong smiled. "General Mu has been doing pioneering work for eight years. To the Vanguard Corps, resources are everything. Food, tools, strength-boosters—if it's useful, it's worth collecting. Spatial warehouses are a necessity."
The Gambler captain nodded. "I should learn from the General."
Mu Zhong shook his head. "Different roles focus on different things. Haven't you noticed the anomalies of this world yet? Look closely; the 'True Self' of the Gambler path might be right before your eyes."
"Understood!"
At the mention of the "True Self," everyone grew excited. The "True Self" for a Necromancer was the soul of a fallen beast. For a Diviner, it was the night sky of this world. What about the other classes? Finding the "True Self" became the hottest topic, with everyone hoping to be the first to discover the method for their respective profession.
Meanwhile, after a brief rest, Wei Huan led Brother Hammer and Mu Zhong to the underground cavern. They left the vehicle and stood atop the back of the Pseudo-God-grade Dot Mom. Protected by a shield and with the Pseudo-God-grade Sister Crow circling in the surrounding sub-dimension, they were a fortress. While Sister Crow's primary utility was providing the "Nether Domain," she could manifest and fight if necessary. With a "Doggo" head on everyone's shoulder and an uncountable undead army, Wei Huan ensured they were invulnerable before approaching the mysterious "Ritual Disk."
Wei Huan had to go in person because the undead were unable to collect the disk. After several failed attempts, he refused to give up and decided to handle it himself. As Brother Hammer's aura enveloped them, Wei Huan sensed it and further restrained his own presence, allowing their auras to entwine. He knew that with Hammer's "Passerby Talent," they could retreat safely even from the most dangerous situations.
The tunnel led deep underground, but it wasn't dark. As Sequence 6 survivors, their vision was acute; even a glimmer of light made the environment as clear as day. Eventually, they reached the massive cavern excavated by the undead, a space as large as several football fields. In the center, supported by several stone pillars, the Ritual Disk lay in a silent slumber.
It was named a "disk" because of its flat, circular shape, roughly the size of a football field. Whether natural or man-made, the disk featured concentric red and black circles, resembling a target. Interfaces connected to the disk like energy output valves, but since Wei Huan had claimed the bird-ghost, the "energy pipes" had vanished, leaving only the closed valves.
"What is this?" Mu Zhong marveled at the sight. "If this formed naturally, it's a masterpiece of heaven and earth—a primordial treasure."
Wei Huan shook his head. "I don't know what it is or what it's for. But if it could lock the soul of that bird-ghost, it's a treasure that counters the Nether. I can't use it, but I won't let it stay out there to eventually become my nemesis."
"Correct. If it counters the Nether, we must take it. Weapons are safest when held in our own hands," Mu Zhong agreed.
Wei Huan flipped his hand and produced a spatial warehouse. Refined from precious materials gathered from Dark Beast royalty, this warehouse was the largest they had, roughly the size of a football field. It would just barely fit the disk.
He pressed the switch on the warehouse, aiming it at the massive disk. Simultaneously, Face-Hugger bombs detonated on the supporting pillars. As the disk fell, a group of Twin-Headed Hidden Demons flew out to catch it. However, before they could touch it, the Ritual Disk vanished, and the spatial warehouse in Wei Huan's hand turned red.
He glanced at it. 'Just like that?' It seemed simple, yet the undead hadn't been able to do it.
Before he could ponder further, the earth shook and debris began to fall; the cavern was collapsing. "Go!" Wei Huan ordered the Puppy head to swallow the three of them, and as they returned to the vehicle, the Hand of the Undead pulled all the minions back into the Great Tomb.
From the vehicle's balcony, Wei Huan watched as the earth sank and mountains fractured. The vehicle rose gracefully through the smoke, unharmed. The collapsed area was the size of a small country; countless creatures must have perished. Wei Huan didn't care; he had things he had to protect and didn't mind being cruel to do so.
"Commander," the vehicle's AI, now controlled by the Heart of Steel, reported, "as requested, we are heading west to search for Leader-level beasts."
Wei Huan closed his eyes, recalling that the white winged horses had come from the west. "Go. No need to alert me for anything below Leader-level."
He had no intention of exterminating entire races—not out of mercy, but because it was a waste of time. Besides, he didn't yet know how these beasts might benefit humanity; it would be a waste to kill them all now. He only wanted the Leaders; they were sure to hold useful resources.
The Heart of Steel continued to demonstrate its immense computational power. By analyzing local materials, it had reconfigured its database to include highly accurate radar scanning. It passed these algorithms to the vehicle's system. On the radar, they could precisely see every beast within a 20-kilometer radius, with vague detection of high-energy signatures further out. The map was a sea of red dots.
"There are so many beasts in this world," Mu Zhong remarked.
"Simplify the mode," Wei Huan ordered.
The map cleared significantly. It now used brightness to indicate the overall combat power of a region. Mu Zhong pointed to the brightest spot. "What level is that?"
"By human standards, it's roughly Grade 4," the AI replied.
"Label them by level then," Mu Zhong suggested. "Group strength by color, individual strength by number."
The screen recalibrated. Wei Huan pointed to a red dot labeled "5." "There."
---
Half an hour later, on a field strewn with corpses, Wei Huan collected a group of beasts that looked like apes with leopard patterns and thick tails. They weren't monstrous in appearance—even their fangs were standard animal traits. However, they possessed the strength of Grade 2 or 3 Challengers. Their Leader was large enough to hurl boulders with enough force to crack the vehicle's Grade 6 shield before being struck down.
It was a one-sided slaughter. No one felt a shred of pity. Invaders? Conquerors? Even if they had to bear the weight of blood, this was the path they had to walk. Wei Huan even seized the souls of the apes and fed them to his Flying Monkeys. Only one monkey showed a change—its tail grew longer, allowing it to fly higher in "kite mode," but it provided little else.
"A waste of time," Wei Huan muttered, ordering the fleet to move on. After they left, the soulless monkey corpses decayed at a hundred times the normal speed, vanishing into the soil.
"Collect samples of every species," Wei Huan told Mu Zhong. "Try fusing them with the undead; there might be surprises."
"Like splicing DNA," Mu Zhong nodded. "It might clash, or it might be a miracle."
"The priority is high-level beasts. They definitely offer me a real boost."
---
As they moved forward, Wei Huan struck every Grade 5 beast near their path. Whether they were in small packs or massive herds, he ended the battles in under thirty minutes. He didn't chase those that fled, only killing the Leaders to feed their souls to his undead. Most provided no significant boost, but he kept notes for future cultivation. Those that resisted to the death were wiped out entirely.
He felt no sympathy. Was humanity's entry into the Challenge World not tragic? Had humanity not been wiped out in the previous life? No one had saved them then.
Eventually, high-level beasts began to disappear from their path. Not just Grade 5, but even Grade 3 and 4 beasts were hiding, trembling in their dens.
"They must be in contact with each other," Mu Zhong warned. "They might be teaming up against us."
"Full speed ahead. Ignore the Grade 5s for now."
The vehicle headed west into the mountains. These peaks were massive and high; this world was clearly vast. Considering the bird-ghost's strength, the power ceiling here was likely around Grade 8. Wei Huan intended to find Grade 6 beasts, or even Grade 7 or 8. He wanted to cultivate another Pseudo-God-grade undead. If he could have one for every unit type, he could walk into a Grade 9 world—the end of evolution.
"Wei Huan, Grade 6!" Mu Zhong pointed to the radar near lunchtime. "A Grade 6 beast, surrounded by several Grade 5s. They really have teamed up."
"Perfect. Kill them all at once."
"I knew you'd say that," Mu Zhong laughed. "I want Brother Hammer and the others to join the fight."
"You think their 'True Self' might be found in battle?" Wei Huan asked.
"For the Warrior sequence, it's in the name. They won't find what they need staying in the vehicle."
---
As Wei Huan slaughtered his way through, the world was indeed shaken. Despite their different species and food chains, the appearance of this bloody executioner forced the beasts to form an alliance. His terrifying reputation spread like lightning to the "Heavenly Pillar" plateau beyond the mountains—a rich, high-energy sanctuary for beasts.
An army was gathering. Beasts cast aside their prejudices in an unprecedented mobilization. The place Wei Huan had emerged from was a forbidden zone in this world; ancient, terrifying memories were waking up. They knew that only by uniting could they kill the "Demon."
Wei Huan cared nothing for their communication. He had appeared as an invader and made his malice plain. If they gathered to resist him or kill him, it only made his job easier—it saved him the trouble of hunting them down.
Ahead was a desolate environment: steep cliffs, no vegetation, and lava flowing over charred earth. Unlike a traditional volcano, the magma was deep underground, spilling out of three caverns. The air stank of sulfur.
The vehicle hovered high above. Ten teleportation gates opened like a peacock's tail, pouring out an uncountable undead army that encircled the mountain range. Grey snow began to fall.
"Roar!"
The beast they had seen before—the one resembling a tiger with bull horns—could no longer endure the pressure. It flew out from a lava cave. Up close, it had the body of a tiger with leopard spots, but possessed twin horns and a face longer than a feline's. It was 20 meters long including its tail. It was a magical creature, dense with fire elements, floating without wings.
Wei Huan observed this "Beast King" as it observed him. Its eyes flickered with high intelligence. Wei Huan had no doubt it could learn human speech if given the chance. But he gave it no such chance.
The undead army surged forward. The Beast King exhaled a plume of fire that stretched for over a mile, turning the sky and earth into a sea of flames. Large swathes of the undead were incinerated instantly. The flames licked toward Wei Huan's vehicle.
However, Wei Huan's combat radius was 57 kilometers. The Beast King's fire couldn't touch him. The Grade 6 Twin-Headed Hidden Demons, resistant and fearless, charged through the inferno. Even as their flesh charred, they pounced on the Beast King.
The beast spun in the air, exhaling another mile-wide ring of fire. From its domain below, pillars of lava lashed out like whips. For a few seconds, Wei Huan was awestruck by the sheer spectacle—it was like watching a high-budget special effects movie.
But the outcome was predestined. For every undead that fell, two more took its place. Eventually, a flaming Twin-Headed Hidden Demon, its wings burnt off, broke through the fire and tackled the Beast King. This distraction broke the beast's rhythm, causing a gap in its defensive fire ring.
Undead began to pour through the gap like rain. The Beast King was bitten and torn, its face contorting in agony. As its roars grew more deafening, the beasts hiding in its lair were finally summoned forth.