A fist-sized ore suddenly shot out, exploding with a bang, scattering countless iron filings.
"Ah!"
A soldier screamed as fragments pierced his chest, sending him crashing to the ground.
Blood gushed out.
"Enemy attack!"
The soldiers, faces pale, hastily drew the short swords at their waists.
"Clang clang!"
Sharp short swords were unsheathed.
"Roar~"
At this moment, a low growl echoed, and a mass of dark red smoke drifted over, engulfing half the sky.
"It's a Blood Mist Jackal!"
Some soldiers recognized the monster, their expressions filled with terror.
The Blood Mist Jackal was a monstrous beast with a peculiar form, its body wreathed in a hazy, dark red mist. When it opened its maw, rows of sharp fangs were revealed.
These jackals were incredibly formidable, their strength equivalent to the peak of a Divine General Second Heavenly Layer divine beast.
Even more terrifying was that Blood Mist Jackals were pack hunters; encountering them invariably led to disaster.
"Awooo!"
With a roar, one Blood Mist Jackal after another charged forward frantically, attacking the soldiers.
"Kill!"
"Strike with all your might!"
"This time, we must kill these jackals."
The soldiers roared, charging towards the jackals.
One by one, the Blood Mist Jackals were felled, but they did not die.
Blood flowed onto the ground, bubbling with heat.
The flesh and blood of the Blood Mist Jackals writhed, burrowing into the soil and vanishing.
"Damn it, these jackals can actually devour blood food!"
"Quick, retreat!"
"Withdraw!"
The soldiers yelled, quickly pulling back.
"Hmph, a bunch of weak insects!"
"To dare intrude upon the territory of my nation is to court death!"
A chilling laugh echoed.
A massive, vicious dog slowly emerged from the distance, its eyes exceptionally cold.
Upon its back was carried a colossal steel war chariot.
This vicious dog stood about three meters tall, its fur a dark green with peculiar, sinister patterns.
"Lord Mo'ao, we have confirmed that this mineral vein indeed contains rich resources, and it seems to be the ruins of some deity!"
A demon prostrated itself before the vicious dog, its voice filled with reverence.
This Mo'ao was the leader of the guards for this mineral vein, possessing immense strength, reaching that of a Divine General Fourth Heavenly Layer!
Furthermore, it was a rare Netherworld Hound!
Netherworld Hounds were an ancient species of monstrous beasts, most adept at surprise attacks.
Especially this Mo'ao, its power was terrifying.
Even demons of the Divine General realm would flee from it.
"Deity's ruins?"
Upon hearing this, the Mo'ao's gaze flickered, revealing a hint of interest.
It looked up at the distant black mineral vein.
From there emanated strong divine fluctuations.
"These lowly insects, to dare desecrate a great deity," the Mo'ao grinned, licking its lips. "This time, I shall taste the essence of a deity!"
"It's been a while since I've eaten human flesh. I hope this place will allow me to feast."
The Mo'ao murmured.
...
On the other side of the mineral vein, Zhou Yan was listening to the report from the vanguard.
"There's a Divine General level monstrous beast guarding this place?"
Zhou Yan, having only recently arrived in the Divine Realm, was currently at the Divine Human stage, a full rank below Divine General.
However, with the power of a Lord, defeating a Divine General was not impossible.
The realms in the Divine Realm were divided as follows: Divine Human Realm, Divine General Realm, Divine Monarch Realm, Divine Marquis Realm, Divine King Realm, Divine Emperor, Divine Sovereign, and Half-Immortal (Pseudo-Immortal), each with nine heavenly layers.
"Gao Shun, heed my command. You will order the Vanguard to spread out and form a encirclement, surrounding the mineral vein. Then, bring thirteen energy cannons to accompany me as we confront the monstrous beasts."
"As you command."
Gao Shun responded.
Immediately, the Vanguard spread out, completely sealing off the mineral vein to prevent the monstrous beasts from escaping.
"Let's go!"
Zhou Yan, leading the Vanguard, surged forward like a torrent, charging into the mineral vein.
Rumble!
The earth trembled.
Zhou Yan and the Vanguard charged directly into the depths of the mineral vein.
This mineral vein was extremely spacious, nearly a hundred kilometers wide, with countless interwoven mine shafts.
"Roar!"
As soon as they entered the depths of the mineral vein, a furious roar erupted.
Following that, a monstrous beast, entirely black and robust in build, stood in the center of the mineral vein, its body wreathed in dark black mist. It wielded a long spear and stared coldly at Zhou Yan and his men.
"Divine Human Fifth Heavenly Layer monstrous beast?"
Zhou Yan frowned slightly.
"Awooo!"
The black monstrous beast roared to the heavens, its sound shaking the nine heavens.
It brandished its long spear, smashing it down fiercely at Zhou Yan.
"Buzz!"
At that moment, a streak of fiery light suddenly ascended, instantly tearing through the void and landing on its spear.
With a clang of metal, the long spear was forcefully flung away.
"Who dares to be so audacious!"
"Scram, this lord will exterminate you humans!"
The black monstrous beast roared in fury, its eyes turning blood red as it charged at Zhou Yan.
"A mere ant."
Gao Shun coldly shouted, leaping up like a tiger pouncing on a lamb. The brilliant light emanating from his sword fiercely pierced towards the black monstrous beast.
Clang!
Sparks flew.
This black monstrous beast was quite strong, engaging Gao Shun in a fierce battle.
However, under Gao Shun's ferocious offensive, it was continuously forced back.
"Hahaha, utterly defenseless."
Gao Shun laughed heartily, his spear flicking like a writhing dragon, piercing directly into the black monstrous beast's head, passing clean through.
Puff!
The black monstrous beast's head was pierced by Gao Shun, and after a few twitches, it crashed to the ground.
Its large, ferocious head spun twice before ceasing its movement.
Zhou Yan watched this scene silently, making no move to stop it.
Because he knew that his subordinate generals needed combat to temper themselves!
The flesh and blood of this black monstrous beast would greatly aid in their strength improvement!
Even more so, they could absorb the divine energy from the black monstrous beast's corpse to increase their own cultivation.
This was a rare opportunity for tempering!
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, amidst the wind and snow, a cold light flashed.
A sharp and unparalleled arrow shot towards Zhou Yan.
"Hmm?"
Zhou Yan's eyes narrowed. He reached out and casually caught the arrow.
"Crack!"
The arrow shattered, leaving Zhou Yan's hand unharmed.
Swish!
Another arrow was shot.
This time, Zhou Yan directly gripped the bowstring in reverse and pulled it with force.
"Boom!"
This time, the arrow finally shattered, dissolving into a flurry of snowflakes.
...
Just then, sounds of the air being split reverberated from all around. Arrows rained down from all directions, attacking Zhou Yan.
"Tricks of a petty craftsman, shatter for me!"
Zhou Yan's expression was calm.
With a mere flick of his wrist.
A wave of sword light bloomed.
Bang bang bang!
All the arrows were repelled.
"Heh heh, this human youth's strength is not weak. As expected of a prodigy among humans."
A slightly shrill voice was heard.
On the mountain wall, a rock suddenly cracked open, revealing its true form within.
It was actually a tree!
This tree was lush and verdant, entirely black, as if forged from black iron.