Myriad Devils-Chapter 109: Foreign territory

Defeating the Red Ape beast general gave them enough confidence to walk through the Blood-Drip Jungle without fear.

Even if it was injured, it was still a beast that had slayed countless one-winged monkeys in a single sitting.

Such a beast had attacked them without caring for its life!

Naturally, they had grown confident of their own strength even in a place like the Blood-Drip Jungle.

Based on the information they had about the Blood-Drip Jungle, Beast Generals represented the pinnacle of the danger level within.

Evidently, the deeper one ventured, the stronger these beast generals would become.

Theoretically, it wasn’t impossible to find a beast general that was nearing the higher stage of power.

A Beast King!

Such a being would rival stellar fighters from the fourth world!

While it wasn’t entirely out of the question that one could exist within the Blood-Drip Jungle, it remained highly unlikely.

Beast Kings and Beast Emperors wielded incredible power.

Even after being suppressed, whatever remnant aura that leaked would still expose them.

The Blood-Drip Jungle was too close to the Core City, home of the Supreme Commander.

Creatures like those were far more likely to be found along the borders of the Victorious Fighting Country.

Beyond those borders, in the lands yet to be conquered, the situation was even more pronounced.

There, Beast Kings roamed about without restraint, and the number of Beast Emperors was beyond count!

Anyway, after defeating the Red Ape beast general, the duo decided that they would venture deeper into the forest, in search of more treasure hoarders.

As expected, locating Beast Generals wasn’t an easy task.

The Red Ape and then the fleshy bear king in quick succession was just a one off.

Surprisingly, they hadn’t even met with a single one-winged monkey.

But even if they were to meet with an entire horde, they thought to themselves that they wouldn’t necessarily despair.

And as they made their way through the forest, exterminating any unlucky beast that stumbled across their path, Anon’s expression was one of constant contemplation.

Ever so often, he pinched the air in front of him, drawing dark gold lines that disappeared soon after.

He had been repeating this action endlessly for more than a day and a night.

Since he had suffered the previous nightmare, he was yet to embrace sleep, and he did not plan to sleep any time soon.

At least, not for as long as his spirit could bare.

’I’ve improved on Victory Manifested. Cursed Ground has also become stronger, naturally due to my breakthrough into the second layer. And Inevitable Strike’s effect has also lengthened. But developing the fourth ability is a little troublesome.’ Anon reflected in silence.

Ever since Seth’s words had fallen on his ears, he had placed some importance on developing his abilities.

But at the same time, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a plot by Seth used to confuse his psyche.

His lack of knowledge on cultivation and magic was a pain in the ass that he had no choice but to deal with because of his own ignorance.

’When I return to the military academy, I’ll broaden my knowledge. It feels as if I’m being led on, and that doesn’t sit well with me. At the very least, I’ll deep dive into cultivation and magic, and gloss over the topics of divine weapons, mystic treasures, magical items, and profound arts.’ Anon decided.

Thanks to preparing for the final exams, his knowledge on beasts was enough to get by.

He had a good grasp of many species and even the weaknesses of some of the stronger beasts that resided in this new world.

’And still, I can’t just ignore his words. I’m at the peak of the second layer and will soon enter the third, so if I fail to develop a fourth ability here, would I only be able to develop one ability in the third layer?’ Anon thought.

That would make it four abilities in the second world rather than the five that Seth had said.

Tch...

’On the other hand, there’s a good chance that this isn’t even important and I’ll develop abilities naturally, just like I had after I entered the second world.’

Inevitable Strike and Cursed Ground were instinctive abilities that he could utilize from the moment he stepped into the second world.

Shaking his head, Anon smiled self-deprecatingly.

’Whatever, let’s approach this as if I didn’t know anything. I’ll try to develop this fourth ability, but I’ll not prevent myself from entering the third layer even if I’m yet to develop it.’ Anon nodded his head at these thoughts, fully deciding on his next course of actions.

If abilities really did play a part later down the road, then his future self would have to deal with that.

Anon thought that, the only task his current self had, was to become his future self.

Anything else was a bonus along the way.

"Oh, this aura?" Seth’s voice pulled Anon out of his own world.

They had been navigating through the Blood-Drip Jungle for quite a while, leaving behind a path of beastly carcasses that the jungle would soon consume.

Unbeknownst to them, they had arrived at the base of a black mountain.

Like an illusionary array built to defend this mountain from intruders, there was a dark aura that shrouded the mountain in its entirety.

"I guess releasing its beast general’s aura is supposed to prevent beasts and humans from daring to step foot into its territory." Anon chuckled, "Sadly, this only exposes itself as a beast general that has claimed this mountain as its territory."

A beast general claiming land?

Obviously, there was a treasure on this mountain.

The duo had come across two beast generals, and both had housed themselves next to powerful treasures.

One being useful to both of them, and the other was vital to evolving other treasures.

It could be said that there was a one hundred percent certainty that the treasures these beast generals built their homes around were immensely valuable to second world stellar fighters.

The duo paused briefly before continuing their ascent toward the mountain, stepping into the dark aura that enveloped the beast general’s territory.

"Oh?!" Anon was taken aback by the view that unfolded before him. Entering this beast general’s territory felt like stepping into an entirely different world.

While the cosmic sky remained, the blood-red hue that usually dominated had been replaced by a semi-transparent darkness.

Towering trees loomed over the two stellar geniuses, but unlike the familiar flora of the Blood-Drip Jungle, each branch was adorned with hundreds of black leaves.

Most notably, the air in this territory lacked the bloody scent that had become second nature to Anon and Seth in the jungle.

’Have we entered a domain of sorts?’ Anon pondered.

Certain treasures could transform an area into a personal domain, significantly enhancing one’s physical, mental, or magical abilities.

Naturally, the only flaw to Anon’s thinking was that this domain would have to be the beast’s domain.

And to acquire this domain, the beast would’ve had to receive aid from a divine weapon or magical item.

A beast simply utilizing the most basic functions of a treasure had never been recorded in the history of this new world, much less to this extent.

Anon glanced toward Seth, but the latter was as indifferent as he ever was. Unknowingly, Anon felt slightly relieved that nothing had caught Seth off-guard so far.

Evidently, even if he was confident in his own strength, Seth would still be the main form of power.

If he was perturbed before they even began battling this beast general, who knew what results would be in store for them.

As they continued up the mountain, the duo finally encountered something other than the black trees.

"Hmmm?" Seth hummed with intrigue at the sight of a beastly creature emanating the aura of a commander.

This was unexpected.

Very much like the encounters with the two previous beast generals, other beasts did not dare approach the homes of beast generals.

Once a beast general’s aura was sensed, regular beasts would desperately distance themselves.

Unless by accident, even beast generals did not usually cross paths with each other, so the sight before them was all the more surprising.

To add to that, the creature’s appearance was, well...

It took on a humanoid form, with a muscular, sinewy build that radiated power.

Its skin was a deep shade of obsidian, smooth yet seemingly textured like stone, reflecting the dim light of the surrounding darkness.

Its head was wolf-like, with elongated features and a pronounced snout, but it bore a pair of glowing crimson eyes that shimmered with an angered and bloodthirsty gleam.

Sharp, pointed ears twitched atop its head, constantly alert to the movements of the intruding pair that had appeared before it.

The creature’s mouth was filled with razor-sharp fangs that glinted menacingly, and a low growl emanated from its throat, reverberating through the air.

Long, clawed hands ended in fingers that could easily rend flesh, and its upper body was adorned with a series of jagged spines that ran down its back, crackling with dark energy.

"You know, beast commanders should be comparable to second world stellar fighters." Anon chuckled out loud as he laid eyes on the commander beast.

He asked, appearing relaxed, "What does that sentence even mean though? Does it still apply if one’s in the second or third layer of the second world?"

"That’s how it should be." Seth replied.

He spoke in a casual manner whilst approaching the beastly creature, "But there are exceptions in this world. Like you who draws strength from a proto principle, there are individuals favored by the heavens and have an unfair advantage."

"Hmmm?" Anon turned to Seth and smiled, "Unfair? Even if it can be considered unfair, what can the ordinary people do about it?" He said with a hint of amusement in his tone.

Even his eyes smiled.

Seth heard this and shifted his gaze away from the humanoid monster.

Staring into Anon’s dark gold eyes, he nodded his head and agreed, "Indeed. Even if it’s unfair, if you’re weak, you have no choice but to accept it."

"I hope you remember that." Seth whispered.