Dataization made their goals clearer and simpler. Sometimes people just think too much—wanting this and that, seeking perfection when they already have a good compromise. In truth, one doesn't need to overthink; by simply moving in one direction, many things previously desired or undesired will naturally coalesce. Whether it was rescuing people or killing Dark Beasts, heading East was enough.
By the afternoon, Wei Huan finally felt that the distance to Moji was no longer far. He tried to summon Moji, using the "Hand of the Undead" to pull it back into the Great Tomb, but he felt a frantic resistance from the creature. He had never felt such a defiant will from an undead before. It was as if a living being were fighting him for its freedom.
Wei Huan didn't like this rebellion, but he didn't force the issue, mainly considering that Moji was likely with Liu Chengzhi and the others; he worried his actions might affect them.
"Is it very close?" Mu Zhong asked.
"Yes," Wei Huan nodded.
Mu Zhong noted, "It seems we are still some distance from the Dark Beast core; we haven't encountered a single Dark Beast Royal yet."
"If they fell into the hands of a Dark Beast Royal, they would likely already be..."
"True. The size of Dark Beast tribes has now reached the ten-thousand mark. We just killed a Level 5 Double-Headed Shadow Demon. Even we are starting to feel a bit of pressure; if we go further, Captain Fang would find it very difficult to cope." Mu Zhong paused and then asked, "How much longer do you predict we need to go?"
"At this speed, probably three hours."
"We're already so close. Want to make a break for it?"
"Fine. At full speed, it might take less than an hour."
"But doing so will likely alert the enemy, and we might get trapped in a swarm of Dark Beasts with no way out."
"There are no 'ifs.' Being overcautious only leads to missed opportunities."
"Haha, my old habit is acting up again."
The two finalized the plan in a few words and immediately moved to execution. They surged in the direction they had been tracking for three days, abruptly increasing their speed. Doggo used all its strength to keep up with Dot Mom. To achieve maximum speed, Wei Huan retracted some of the Hidden Demons mounted on Doggo and moved others—along with some crew members—onto Dot Mom. As a Legendary Hero, Dot Mom handled the weight with ease, only slowing down slightly so Doggo could keep up.
At full speed, fewer Dark Beasts could stop them. Even Dark Beast Lords lying in wait were knocked aside by Dot Mom, who refused to be drawn into battle. As a Legendary Hero, her shell was incredibly hard, capable of clashing head-on with the 'Dharma Image' of a Dark Beast Royal. Ordinary Lords were no match; while they weren't always killed instantly, being sent flying with broken limbs was common.
Wei Huan was still a bit fixated on the "kill count" for the Dark Beasts, but he could only lament the loss silently, keeping his gaze fixed firmly ahead. 'It's fine, take it slow. Once the people are rescued, not a single one of them will escape!'
As the sky gradually darkened, over two thousand Dark Beast Lords—almost all Double-Headed Hidden Demons—were tailing Wei Huan. The Hidden Demons were the Seven-Star nobility of the Dark Beast race. Each Royal had a limited number under their command, usually between 20,000 and 30,000 depending on strength. The appearance of so many following them suggested they were approaching the core territory of a Dark Beast Royal.
'Is it just a Royal? How big is this Dark Beast Plane?'
"It should be arranged in rings guarding the Royal City. Ordinary beasts in the outer ring, and more Lords as you move inward. Now that a Royal has appeared, we should be able to find more by moving along the sides of this area or deeper in. The deepest part is where the Dark Beast King resides," Mu Zhong said.
Wei Huan shook his head. "It's not time yet." He wasn't 100% sure he could kill the Dark Beast King in this environment, and he strongly suspected the King had cards yet to be played. Since this was the Dark Beasts' home turf, he couldn't afford to be overconfident.
Mu Zhong nodded and smiled. "You, you seem arrogant at times, but you actually plan everything before acting and never lose your head. If the rescue goes smoothly, we'll give them a real slaughter."
"Deal."
As Wei Huan nodded, the last sliver of light vanished from the horizon. The black mist rolled in as before, enveloping them in absolute darkness. However, both of them soon noticed an anomaly.
"Something's wrong."
"Indeed."
"The number of Dark Beasts is abnormal."
"Even though night has just fallen, for the past few days, the beasts would have swarmed out by now. They seem to have tracked us and laid a trap ahead."
"There are fewer than during the day. The tribes along the way only have ordinary beasts left—not a single Lord in sight. It's impossible they've run away out of fear; Dark Beasts, except for Royals, have no fear and only charge like moths to a flame. They either ignore us, or..."
"It should be that," Wei Huan nodded, sharing the same thought.
"Faster!"
"Right!"
Wei Huan had Dot Mom accelerate. This was part of their contingency plan; they would charge ahead when necessary. Though the two Burrow Beasts would be separated, it wasn't easy to exceed Wei Huan's summoning range while both were moving forward. This sudden burst of speed would catch the enemy off guard and serve as an emergency response.
The "Head" and "Tail" of the formation, which had been inseparable, began to pull apart. The crew members on Dot Mom's back were sharpening their blades, ready for battle, while those behind methodically moved to their stations to deal with any engagement. No one was afraid. Their comrades were waiting to be saved—wasn't a bit of danger normal? They had long been prepared to risk their lives. 'Come on! Let's fight!'
When the distance between them reached ten kilometers, Wei Huan, flying in front, finally realized why the number of attacking beasts had dwindled. All the Dark Beast Lords were gathered right here.
A sea of Dark Beasts of every species stretched as far as the eye could see, piled together like a chaotic mound of ants, all trying to surge forward. Their deafening roars echoed through the night, reminding Wei Huan of his battles in the Challenge World—always noisy, almost like a sonic attack.
Looking down from above, they could see that the concentration of monsters was highest at the center of the swarm. It had become a "monster tower," a dense, crowded mass rising nearly a hundred meters high.
'There are people down there.' Likely the teammates they were looking for.
However, Wei Huan was puzzled. Why was Moji's position still further ahead? And why hadn't he reached it even at thirty kilometers? He still couldn't communicate with it. Moji's location definitely held more of their lost comrades—there was no doubt about that. But what was the situation here?
"Whatever the case, we have to check it out," Mu Zhong said.
"Yes. Anything causing such a commotion among the Dark Beasts must be related to humans."
"How do you plan to fight this battle?"
"They're all bunched up."
"Uh, area-of-effect grinding?"
"No, we surround and slaughter."
As Wei Huan finished speaking, ten teleportation gates opened behind him. Skeletal undead poured out like a flood. Countless Running Wolves hit the ground from mid-air. Amidst the continuous "clack-clack-clack" of their joints, they didn't rush to bite the beasts but instead ran in the opposite direction of Wei Huan's path. True to his word, they were surrounding them, letting none escape.
The white army of undead galloped along the outermost edge of the battlefield, like a massive, ferocious white mouth slowly swallowing the clustered Dark Beasts. Above, Double-Headed Shadow Demons and Ghost Crows pressed down. In contrast, the swaying, jellyfish-like movement of the Burrow Beasts added a strange touch of romance to the battlefield.
A Flying Monkey sat cutely on the head of a Hidden Demon. With its hooked hands and soft golden fur, it occasionally let out bird-like "chirps." Its large black eyes made it look exceptionally adorable. But the second Wei Huan's command was issued, it abruptly opened its mouth—filled with a row of massive fangs—and let out a piercing shriek that split the sky.
"Screech—!"
With a series of shrill cries, a faint green light appeared on all undead within a hundred-meter radius of the Flying Monkey. A random attribute buff descended: strength units gained wisdom, wisdom units gained agility, but some undead received the "correct" attribute, causing their power to explode instantly.
Over a dozen Hidden Demons in the front row received the correct attribute. Their flying speed surged until they were moving in blurs, standing out from the rest. They lunged into the swarm like wolves into a flock of lambs, slaughtering frantically. High-level Dark Beast Lords rushed up to tackle a Hidden Demon, and the two sides entered a chaotic, violent struggle. The earth shook, stones flew, and lower-level beasts were simply crushed to death by the impact.
The base strength of the undead was naturally inferior to that of Dark Beast Lords; a Level 5 undead would lose to a Level 5 Lord. Seeing one Hidden Demon being torn apart and slowly returning to the Great Tomb, the Level 5 Dark Beast Lord didn't have time to gloat before a new Shadow Demon descended from the sky to challenge it head-on.
This Hidden Demon was exceptionally tall and massive. On its powerful arms, muscles bulged high, and veins pulsed beneath the skin in menacing lines. The undead Hidden Demon perfectly blocked the Lord's attack; it was under the influence of the Flying Monkey's buff and had luckily rolled the Strength attribute. A war machine of slaughter had appeared!
The Hidden Demon facing the Lord only had to hold out for a few seconds before more undead dropped from the sky, entangling the Lord tightly and giving it no chance to recover.
The effectiveness of Ghost Crows in Level 5 world battles was usually small, but here they were highly useful. The majority of the enemies were low-tier Lords and a vast number of ordinary beasts. The illusory bodies of the Ghost Crows passed through the beasts, and their spiritual shrieks echoed frantically inside the creatures' skulls. The weaker ordinary beasts had their heads explode instantly, spraying blood everywhere. Using Ghost Crows to clear "mobs" was unexpectedly effective; they dealt damage without losing health themselves. Wei Huan was already imagining a bright future.
Once the ordinary beasts were pinned down by Ghost Crows and Facehuggers, the Level 5 Lords—though strong—found themselves without backup. By the time they realized what was happening, they were trapped in the heavy layers of the undead army. Countless Hidden Demons landed on the ground. Even those who had rolled "useless" attributes like Intelligence hadn't been weakened; their inherent combat power was still there.
The Eye Demon Lords, who were always a beat slow to deploy, finally arrived. They fired beams of black light from the sky, charring the bodies of the Dark Beast Lords until the air smelled of burnt meat.
Under Wei Huan's command, the high-agility Hidden Demons tossed Small Kobolds into the swarm. Though this caused significant losses, the lucky Kobolds who weren't killed immediately opened their mouths—"Heh, tui!"—and spat out thick-skinned Zombie Carrion Bears. The Kobolds would then hide in the bears' fur, continuously summoning more undead into the battlefield.
In less than three minutes, the Dark Beast cluster that had looked so intimidating was "dismembered" by Wei Huan's undead army, its combat effectiveness shattered.
As for the center—the hundred-meter tower of beast bodies—it was currently being watched by eyes that looked as if they were drawn with golden lines. From time to time, a shell with fierce firepower would appear out of thin air, striking a beast and blowing it off the pile. The shells were powerful, but the Lords at the center were also strong, so the "tower" hadn't been destroyed yet, and the situation inside remained hidden.
Wei Huan's Eye Demon Lords were blocked by flying Dark Beast Lords as they tried to approach, unable to get close for the moment. But regardless, he had to know what was underneath and kill every single beast here.
The Dark Beasts clearly knew he had arrived but refused to leave the "tower," continuing their frenzied attacks. The truly powerful leaders of the Dark Beasts had not appeared, only sending small portions of Lords to obstruct him. There was no doubt these Lords had a commander who didn't want him near that tower.
Unfortunately, such obstruction was useless. Before Wei Huan had even finished releasing his undead army and before his core crew had even taken the field, nearly half the Dark Beast swarm had been slaughtered. Although the remaining beasts in the center were stronger, their numbers were dwindling. Breaking through and securing victory was only a matter of time.
Wei Huan kept pressing forward rapidly, which finally exerted immense psychological pressure on the enemy. Just as the undead army broke through the halfway point, a roar erupted from the distance. Following it, a figure appeared and grew rapidly.
It was a creature with a pair of wings and a wolf-like body, but covered in scales as if wearing a suit of armor. It grew continuously, its height surging up, up, and up! A terrifying aura was released frantically, accompanied by an earth-shaking roar.
Without a doubt, this was a Dark Beast Royal!
"A Dark Beast Royal... Heh." Wei Huan could hardly suppress the corners of his mouth. This was a Dark Beast Royal! The kind where there's one fewer with every kill, the kind where not killing one upon encounter is a waste. He had been worried he wouldn't meet any in the Dark Beast Plane. What was this? Easy money?
Wei Huan pursed his lips, finally suppressing his smile. Looking calm and indifferent, he made the undead pour out of the teleportation gates even faster. Simultaneously, the Burrow Beast they were riding began to move forward under his command.
Dot Mom took one step—a hundred meters high. Ten steps—a thousand meters high. Soon, her stature surpassed that of the Dark Beast Royal opposite her.
The Dark Beast Royal was in an extremely awkward position. Its expanding body gradually slowed down and stopped once it exceeded seven hundred meters. Looking at the withered beasts and Lords on the ground whose energy it was absorbing, it was clear that because of the massive slaughter by Wei Huan's undead, there wasn't enough energy left to sustain a larger 'Dharma Image'.
The Royal's growth stopped, but Dot Mom's body continued to enlarge. Wei Huan's field of vision lowered, looking at the Royal who now looked like a dwarf. He suddenly found the sense of awe and fear he felt when he first saw a Dark Beast Royal to be quite funny. The Dark Beast race was merely protected by their ancestors, giving them terrifying strength in the early stages; once the 'Dharma Image' appeared, they were considered invincible. But looking at them now, their development had slowed, even stagnated.
Today, he was looking down on a Dark Beast Royal. In the future, every human challenger could be like him, standing high above. It was as if he only understood at this moment why the Dark Beasts were "Lords"—they only defended and did not attack. Humans, however, had versatile vehicles and could advance or retreat at will. The fate of the Dark Beast race had been sealed from the start; it was a pity Wei Huan had to live a second life to see through it.
The Dark Beast Royal clearly hadn't expected that since their last meeting on the battlefield, Wei Huan had become even stronger. In its highly tilted head, surprise and confusion appeared in its eyes, along with a fear it couldn't hide. It was too big. As a Royal, it had clearly never seen an enemy larger than itself since birth. Its momentum was suppressed as if an ant were looking at a mountain, causing its breath to hitch.
But the Royal soon reacted. It actually shifted its gaze away from the enlarged Dot Mom, completely ignoring the potentially fatal threat, and turned its head. Its gaze fell upon a semi-circular dome behind it. A look of ruthlessness flashed in its eyes as it used all its strength to strike down.
It knew that if this claw fell, the dome—which was already at its limit—would surely shatter. Then, the people inside would all be killed. Without the protection of a vehicle, these humans were no match for it in its 'Dharma Image' form. If it couldn't kill the Necromancer, it would kill these humans. It knew very well that the human capable of casting this dome was also one of humanity's pillars.
'Kill him! Kill him!'
The Royal ignored the looming threat behind it, its heart filled only with murderous intent and regret. Had it known this Necromancer would come, it wouldn't have tried to save strength by using attrition to kill these invaders with minimal loss. Now, it was too late for regrets. Desperation sparked its ferocity; even if it meant mutual destruction, it would swallow the "blood food" it had been eyeing for so long!
This strike, powered by its full strength, carried the energy of tens of thousands of Dark Beasts in its territory, its anger, its resentment, and that heart-piercing regret.
"Awoo-oo!!"
A strike with everything it had! A strike of mutual destruction! It could almost see the terrified, despairing eyes of the humans under the protective shield!!
However, everything froze at that moment. All the killing intent and resolve turned into surprise and confusion as the distance to the shield, which was about to be hit, grew inexplicably further away.
'Why did the shield run away?'
A second later, as its field of vision expanded, it saw more withered Dark Beast Lords on the ground, saw the sky moving rapidly forward, and the massive Burrow Beast skeleton that gradually entered its sight. Only then did it realize: it was the one who had gone flying.
It flew very, very far—so far that even if its arm grew ten times longer, it could not reach the shield. Then, with a "thud," it slammed heavily onto the ground, the vibration causing pain in its internal organs.
Usually, there is no sensation while in the 'Dharma Image'; the main body encased inside is very safe, fighting without fear of pain. 'Why does it hurt so much?' Not only did the impact take its breath away, it felt as if half its body was gone—a pain radiating from the center of its body, from its spine.
Subconsciously, it looked down.
"Cough!" Its pupils contracted, and a mouthful of black blood surged from its mouth. It looked at its body, which only had half remaining. It turned out the 'Dharma Image' had shattered long ago; its true body had taken direct damage, which was why it hurt so much.
'How can this Necromancer be so powerful? Even without a vehicle, is there still no way to deal with him? Not even able to withstand a single blow from him?'
A strong desire for survival surged. The Royal mobilized the energy in its body, transforming into a tiny centipede-like creature, intending to burrow into the ground and escape like an insect.
"Squish!" The massive leg that had swatted it away descended from the sky, stomping hard on it. The giant leg left it nowhere to hide—another heavy blow. But as long as there was flesh and energy, it wouldn't die. It flipped up, grew wings, and tried to leap away to safety.
But this time, it wasn't the terrifying giant beast attacking, but countless undead swarming over it. Though a Dark Beast Royal possessed nearly indestructible power—capable of transforming into different lifeforms to escape as long as a sliver of energy remained—under this continuous tearing and healing, its energy was drained like a flood. Finally, when the last bit of energy was insufficient to restore it again, it entered eternal darkness.
It was dead. The fall of a Royal.
Wei Huan didn't spare it another glance. His attention was drawn to the protective shield that flickered twice and then vanished. Under the shield, he joyfully saw the people he had been searching for. Captain Fang and his crew were all there, along with little Dou Lin. They had been well-protected by Captain Fang.
Except...
"Fatty?" Xu Qingqiang was the first to voice the doubt, his voice rising, "Where's the Fat Thief?!"