The Burrow Beast Mother, its back shimmering with a green web of light, was currently less than the size of a palm. It looked like a translucent jellyfish; its white skeletal frame was encased in a layer of bubbles, creating a soft, gelatinous body that drifted weightlessly through the air, propelled by the swaying of eight slender, long legs.
While perched on Wei Huan's shoulder, it provided him with a 10% bonus to his mental energy recovery speed. But as it floated forward under his command, its body rapidly expanded. In just three breaths, it grew from a few dozen centimeters to a height of three thousand meters. Suddenly, it was a terrifying, mountain-sized titan. Standing at its feet, the group had to crane their necks to the limit, yet they still couldn't see the top.
Then, a massive net erupted from its body. The net was green, and the threads composing it were so transparent they seemed to let light pass through freely. However, anyone who had touched it knew this was a "Net of Death" woven from Nether Flame. Its toughness was such that even a Sequence 5 Challenger would struggle to tear it. Furthermore, this was an ability unleashed by a Level 5 undead that was also a Legendary Hero.
When that green net cast down, hooding the massive bird's nest built atop the giant tree, the outcome of the battle was essentially decided.
The Dark Beast Royal never expected that a human Necromancer—who usually favored grand, direct confrontations and head-on clashes—would resort to such "sneaky" tactics this time.
The territory of a Dark Beast Royal spans roughly five million square kilometers; even this weaker Royal possessed a domain of three million square kilometers. They had been tracking Wei Huan's movements and knew he might invade, including which direction he might enter from. To resist him, this Royal had dispatched all high-level Lords to the borders, setting up heavy layers of defense.
Even if it couldn't kill Wei Huan, it planned to flee the moment it sensed defeat. This time, the Dark Beast King had relaxed the rules, allowing them to escape. Too many Royals had been killed by Wei Huan; if many more died, the King would lose control over the world. Besides, they had heard these humans couldn't stay long—the Challenge World had imposed restrictions, and they would leave soon. As long as the Royal hid well, it could rebuild its territory after they left. It didn't matter how many ordinary beasts died; they were prolific breeders and would replenish their numbers in no time.
This Royal had planned well and prepared its escape early. Given the human mage's fearsome reputation, it didn't believe it could kill him. Royals far stronger than itself had been slaughtered in groups while teamed up; what chance did it stand alone?
Its Thought-Parasite Beast remained by its side, constantly gathering intelligence. Occasional reports of deaths were within normal daily limits—those stupid creatures loved killing each other, after all.
In this state of anxious waiting, a day almost passed. It began to think the humans had chosen a different territory to invade. Then, a giant net shattered all its assumptions.
The green net was intensely sticky and corrosive, carrying a soul-freezing low temperature. As it fell from the gargantuan body above, the Royal, realizing the danger, felt its legs tremble with fear. But then, its ferocity exploded! Dark Beasts were, at their core, beasts; in a desperate situation, the savage instinct of a cornered animal takes over.
"Screee—!"
A piercing cry tore through the sky, loud enough to puncture eardrums. A giant black bird appeared atop the nest. Its wingspan approached a thousand meters, and it was wreathed in high-temperature black flames. The moment it appeared, the local temperature surged by over a hundred degrees. Had humans not evolved, they would have been roasted on the spot.
Eyes blood-red and flames billowing, it flapped its wings to take flight, only to be hooded by the "bird net." The green Net of Death emitted an icy aura that clashed with the Royal's black flames. Green met black; ice met fire. The Royal exerted every ounce of strength, stretching the net into various distorted shapes, but the freezing chill caused it immense agony, forcing out ear-splitting shrieks.
"Chirp! Chirp!"
"Caw! Caw!"
As it stretched the net to its limit, nearly snapping it, the green flames of the net bit deep into its flesh and bone. Just as it seemed it might break free, another 300-meter-tall Burrow Beast skeleton appeared—it was Gut-Bro, summoned by Wei Huan. Though only 300 meters tall, its own Net of Death was perfect for patching the areas the bird was about to tear.
After being besieged for a short while, Wei Huan's undead army officially arrived.
This was a "preservation battle," meaning explosive weapons were banned to prevent destroying resources and the environment. However, that didn't stop the undead army—which feared no Nether Flame—from crawling through the mesh of the net to tear at the Royal. The Royal's body was covered in black flames, an area-of-effect transformation. Low-level undead were reduced to ashes before they could get close, returning to the Great Tomb. But many durable undead successfully climbed onto its body, biting viciously even as they were consumed by the flames.
The Double-Headed Hidden Demon squad and the Challenger ranged group dealt the final blow. Powerful attacks rained down, and the Hidden Demons, unfazed by the heat, burrowed into the Royal's body to attack its vitals, quickly shattering its Dharma Image.
Reduced to its true form, the Royal let out a pathetic scream. The pain finally cooled its blood, and it tried to shift its size to escape. It was too late. The undead army, coordinated with the ranged Challengers, completely swarmed and killed it.
As the final wisp of the Royal's energy dissipated, the data before Wei Huan finally changed.
[Side Quest 2: Kill Dark Beast Royal 2/293]
The increment in the quest counter brought a sense of physical and mental satisfaction. This was how it should be. Kill a few today, a few tomorrow, and before he knew it, he would have committed genocide against the Royals. The thought was exhilarating.
However, Wei Huan didn't let himself indulge in joy for too long; he had business to attend to. He looked at Moji, who was standing by his side, watching him with clear eyes.
"..."
'What are you looking at? It's time to usurp!'
Receiving the command, Moji seemed to realize its purpose. It stood up, straightened its back, and tilted its chin high. A gentle breeze brushed the short hair on its bald heads. It rounded its eyes, trying its best to look majestic. At its call, the Dark Beasts who had just lost their leader felt the summons of a new King and dragged their weary bodies toward the location.
The first to arrive was a group of Double-Headed Hidden Demons, flying erratically. Their cyan-black bodies were strong and massive, and the rows of eyes on their crocodile-like heads were cold and mechanical. They looked like cold-blooded killing machines. Even though they flew weakly, their arrival put Wei Huan's group on high alert.
Wei Huan looked at Moji and raised a hand to stop the others from attacking. He let the Hidden Demons approach. To be safe, he summoned a hundred times more undead from the portal. The 33 Hidden Demons landed a thousand meters away and lay prostrate, motionless.
Wei Huan narrowed his eyes, green flames igniting in their depths. Moji's body gradually shifted from flesh to void. Once stripped of physical matter, the soul threads became visible. They looked like living, anemone-like soft matter. Without orders, they huddled together, their "heads" swaying harmlessly. But once they located their targets, they stood tall like striking pythons and lunged.
Taut threads vanished into the void. When the Hidden Demons looked up again, they clearly no longer cared about the humans' presence.
Moji's usurpation continued. The population in a Royal's territory exceeded a hundred million, distributed across various habitats. They were already disorganized, and many had been sent out earlier to ambush Wei Huan. Now, following the new King's orders, they were all heading back.
This was a massive haul. The territory was almost undamaged, and every beast within it might eventually become an asset for Wei Huan. This was a process of self-strengthening, and Wei Huan waited patiently for every returning beast.
---
Meanwhile, Mu Zhong began the collection work. This time, they were gathering wood and liquids. The area where the Royal lived was brimming with energy because the giant tree itself was a super-rare resource. Mu Zhong hadn't found a new warehouse yet, but he wouldn't leave empty-handed. He decided to collect the tree's sap, filling bottles and jars for everyone to carry back.
While melting glass by hand, Mu Zhong said, "Remember the runes you discovered in the Colossus Challenge? Combined with the rewards from the Level 5 Opening Battle—that forest that never existed on Blue Star—we've developed a magic pattern that accelerates cultivation when worn."
He continued, "This tree is like a 'Super Plus' version of those trees. If those were common materials, this tree is top-grade. A perfect work could be ten to twenty times more effective than previous ones. We can't take the tree, so Iron Heart suggested collecting the sap to use as ink for drawing the patterns. The effect isn't quite as good as patterns made entirely of the wood, but it's close, and far higher than Blue Star's current quality. Besides, cutting the tree is like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. If we leave it here, it's a permanent source of high-level materials. As long as we keep winning, we can come back and harvest."
Wei Huan nodded. Mu Zhong's words hit the mark. They would treat the Dark Beast Plane as their backyard and resource planet, plundering it to strengthen Blue Star. When the resources of both planes converged on Blue Star, the Dark Beast Plane would eventually vanish. Wei Huan didn't see anything wrong with this. Big fish eat small fish; the world has its own laws. To avoid becoming someone else's resource planet or pasture, one must be tough and cruel enough. Wei Huan had seen the vision of humanity's defeat, so he felt no sympathy for the beasts. He only wished for their total destruction—or their subjugation through Moji.
For a time, everyone was busy. Moji was busy being King; Mu Zhong was busy plundering; and everyone else was supporting them. Xu Qingqiang stood by Wei Huan for a while before saying, "No wonder you two ended up together. This is too ruthless."
Wei Huan looked at him silently. Xu Qingqiang, with an unlit cigarette in his mouth, added, "I'm praising you. This synergy is incredible."
The work lasted until dawn. The giant tree was so large that before seeing the World Tree, Wei Huan thought it couldn't be much bigger than this. The canopy held not just the Royal's nest, but several other large nests—it was practically an island. The tree contained so much sap that even with everyone carrying jars, they could only take a fraction. Yet even that fraction was enough to alter Blue Star's technology tree and propel transcendent power to new heights.
Simultaneously, Moji successfully completed its rule over the hundred million beasts in the territory. Some tamed beasts even came over to help them carry resources. Watching these creatures walk around them, it took everyone a while to adjust and stop reaching for their weapons.
"It's a bit surreal," a crew member remarked.
"With the Boss, it's always surreal. Undead aren't exactly the 'good guys' in Eastern or Western myths, yet the Boss is our leader."
"Do you think we look like a pack of terrifying demons to other races?"
"As long as we're alive, who cares about good or evil? Whatever choice my side makes, I'll firmly believe it's right."
"Exactly. There's no right or wrong, only different sides. Even kids know that now."
As they chatted, they headed back. After a night of work, it was time for the long-awaited dinner. This time, they weren't eating Dark Beast meat, but the meat of ordinary animals at the bottom of the food chain in this world. Although it didn't provide many attribute points, the taste was exquisite—better than anything most of them had ever eaten.
Chef Liu, basking in the praise, picked his teeth and said, "You guys focus on the fighting. Leave the food to me; I guarantee satisfaction."
Captain Fang let out a burp as he set down his plate. "I don't know how you dug up such a treasure, Wei Huan. Get some apprentices trained quickly. I'm serious—my vehicle 'needs' a chef of this caliber. The happiness after every meal does wonders for crew cohesion."
Mu Zhong laughed and went back to work. He hadn't slept for a day and a night, yet he was radiant. He wasn't tired; if he had the space, he could keep going. Who gets tired of picking up money?
---
After the meal, they set off. This time, Wei Huan provided everyone with a Burrow Beast as a dedicated mount. They floated together like a colony of jellyfish, the Burrow Beast shells piled high with glass jars of sap.
Mu Zhong sighed as he looked at the pile. "Treasures everywhere, but we can only take so little. It hurts to see all this and not be able to take it all."
Wei Huan said, "Next, we search specifically for materials to upgrade the warehouse. If we can't find any, bringing this back is enough."
Mu Zhong continued to sigh. "I know it's enough, but humans always want more. Also..." He looked at Moji, changing the subject. "What's the plan? Between the two territories, Moji controls over 120 million beasts. But their tribes are here; they can't migrate with us. Taking only the Lords seems pointless, as they can't leave this plane with us anyway." He thought for a moment. "And if Moji leaves with us, all our hard work here might be wasted. We can't rely solely on the limited reward time from the Opening Battle to truly control this world."
Wei Huan listened in silence, then said, "Moji isn't coming with us."
Mu Zhong raised an eyebrow.
"It can leave my summoning range and enter this world," Wei Huan explained.
"So even if we leave, it doesn't matter if it stays behind. I don't know the King's criteria for appointing Royals, but if Moji's behavior follows the rules of this world, leaving it here is the best choice. We have to leave, and we don't know when we'll return. So, before we go, we must strengthen Moji as much as possible. Even if the King challenges Moji after we leave, the worst-case scenario is Moji returning to the Great Tomb. But in the resulting war, only Dark Beasts will die. It doesn't hurt us."
Mu Zhong understood. Wei Huan was planting a "nail" in the Dark Beast world. It might not kill anyone, and it might be plucked out quickly, but since the opportunity existed, they had to take it. Chaos in the Dark Beast Plane would only benefit them.
"So, two tasks: find materials and kill Royals," Mu Zhong summarized. The materials they sought were now for expanding the warehouse, and killing Royals had shifted from simply eliminating enemies to helping Moji "usurp" and throw the world into turmoil. Their plan was now more specific and targeted.
"Fine, it's a deal," Mu Zhong said with a smile. "Let's really stir things up!"
---
"Another... Royal has died?"
The Dark Beast King sat high on its throne, its stature as towering as a mountain. It was impossible to see its face even by looking straight up. Just sitting there, its body was over two hundred meters tall; it was hard to imagine how terrifying it would be once it manifested its Dharma Image. It might tear through the sky. No beast had ever seen the King's Dharma Image, but none doubted its strength. This wasn't just because their soul threads were linked to the King under absolute control—it was animal instinct, a submission to the truly powerful.
Inside the Royal Tent, all the strongest second-generation Royals had been gathered for five days. Five days of torment, like being roasted over a fire—they were in pain from the inside out, consumed by rage. In truth, after being driven back from the Opening Battle, they had all received notices from the Challenge World. They were told the battle was a failure; not only did they receive no resources, but they also lost territory equivalent to ten Royal domains. What terrified them most was that a hundred-man human hero squad would enter their world to wreak havoc.
However, when news arrived that the human squad was led by that Necromancer, the Dark Beast King chose to avoid direct combat. The reason was simple: the Dark Beast Plane was vast. In the limited 24 days the Necromancer had, the area he could cover was small, and the damage limited. Furthermore, in the eyes of the Royals, ordinary beasts were disposable tools. When they manifested their own Dharma Images, they frequently drained the life force of their subjects without restraint, causing mass deaths. They didn't care; they simply consumed or distributed the corpses.
So what if this human mage was powerful? As long as the Royals avoided him, the race would recover quickly once he left.
"But another Royal has died. Why? Where are their Thought-Parasite Beasts? Why has no news returned?" the King roared in a low, furious rumble. It had many questions regarding this Necromancer, especially now. This was its plane, a planet under its absolute control. Why did it always seem like a helpless fool whenever it encountered this human?
The second-generation Royals remained silent as cicadas in winter. But under the King's gaze, one was forced to rack its brain. "That human is cruel and terrifying. Just like before, he kills all beasts and builds his merit with the blood of our kin. He is a god of death walked out of hell."
The King sensed the world. Even with its massive mental power, it couldn't cover 30 billion beasts, but it knew for certain another Royal was dead. Moreover, a small portion of Lords in that territory that it could normally sense had also vanished from its perception. The King trusted its control over the beasts and was thus certain that this Necromancer had once again committed genocide against a Royal and its entire domain.
Not a single one was left. Only total annihilation would result in zero news. The King's body trembled with rage, its combat genes stirring. But as it looked toward the Beast King Crack, its blood cooled. This time, the Crack again proposed a full-scale uprising to kill the invaders with the entire race's strength. But the King did not listen.
Had it not been for that previous suggestion, so many Royals wouldn't have died. Now, only 291 remained. Although this number had dropped below 300, it was still within the safe range. As long as more than half of the Royals survived, they were safe.
Otherwise, something terrible would happen.