The seeds of this battle had actually been sown back at dusk.
The vehicle had sped along, bypassing minor beast tribes without stopping, until it finally caught up with the high-level beasts that had fled earlier. Wei Huan did not kill them; instead, he trailed them, wanting to see where they were fleeing and hoping they would lead him to the strongest Beast King of this world.
This pursuit lasted until late into the night, when they collided head-on with the beast army sent to crusade against them. Wei Huan didn't know where this army came from—whether it was a legion dispatched by the King or just a gathering of high-level elites—but they were undoubtedly there for him.
Seeing the radar light up with "4s" and "5s," and the occasional shimmering "6," Wei Huan's spirit surged. He wasn't sleepy anymore! This was perfect—clustering them together made it so much easier for him to wipe them out in one go.
The encounter was a frantic, nocturnal clash. Neither side needed communication; the moment they met, it was a fight to the death. When Wei Huan's undead army—hundreds of thousands strong—arrived with an arrogance that made it look like 'he' was the one launching the crusade, the slaughter began.
The result was exactly what Dou Lin had witnessed: a massive victory for the minority. A squad of only 33 people, supported by five Grade 6 vehicles, had slaughtered over ten thousand beasts. By slaying their strongest champion—the Black Dragon—they completely shattered the beasts' courage. The "army" broke apart in a panic, scattering into the night.
Wei Huan ordered the vehicles to shadow the largest group of fleeing survivors, determined to find their King's lair. Meanwhile, he reached out and seized the soul of the Black Dragon. As he watched the dragon soul squirming in his palm, still possessing a trace of consciousness and a will to escape, he pondered which undead it would best suit. That was when Dou Lin came running in.
There were many rules on Wei Huan's vehicle, mostly established by Mu Zhong to maintain the standards of a regular military unit. Normally, the cockpit was restricted. However, Dou Lin was the exception. The Challenge World left no room for children, save for a few "Holy Children" raised as tools. Because of his age and his past hardships, everyone on the vehicle doted on him, and Mu Zhong never enforced strict rules on the boy.
Dou Lin pushed the door open easily, his eyes wide as he stared at Wei Huan's cupped palm. He couldn't see the soul yet, but he leaned in excitedly on his tiptoes. "Is it here?"
Wei Huan nodded and lowered his hand so the boy wouldn't have to strain. "Ordinary people can't see souls, but try channeling your power into your eyes."
Dou Lin was sharp. He blinked, his pupils turning silver, and he saw the trapped dragon swimming anxiously in the palm.
Mu Zhong, remembering the traits of the Diviner path mentioned by his father, asked: "This Black Dragon was nearly Grade 7. Even in death, its instincts are prideful and untamed. Do you have any thoughts on it?"
Dou Lin shook his head, then looked at Mu Zhong. "Can I have the dragon's body? I think I can make a whip out of the dragon's tendon." Excited, he flicked his wrist, summoning the "Star Chain" he had recently manifested. "Look, a whip."
Wei Huan fell into a silent contemplation. He had never heard of a "Star Chain." Shouldn't Dou Lin's weapon be playing cards? History was being altered beyond recognition by his presence. 'Good,' he thought. 'If things remained the same, it would mean I haven't changed humanity's fate.'
"Take whatever materials you need," Wei Huan said. "If you need help, just ask the adults."
"Got it!" Dou Lin nodded. He loved being cared for. Aside from having to study, everything was perfect.
Mu Zhong added, "Don't rush. A Diviner cultivates Astral Power. I don't have Star Stones right now, but once we take down the Beast King's nest, I'll find the best materials for you. We'll forge a divine weapon in one go."
Mu Zhong then inquired about the Star Chain's utility. It was a skill born from Dou Lin's observations of the night sky over the past few days. Because Dou Lin had never been back to Blue Star and the Challenge World lacked stars, his potential as a Diviner had been suppressed. Only now, under a real sky, was he truly growing—absorbing knowledge like a sponge.
The Star Chain was a skill that didn't exist in the previous timeline. It proved that the Challenge World provided only the foundation; Challengers could manifest unique, powerful skills through their own destiny and insight.
When Dou Lin finished describing it, even Wei Huan's eyes widened.
The attack mode was simple—a whip strike—but Dou Lin's vision for it was advanced. He wanted to integrate the dragon tendon so the chain could fly around him autonomously, striking like a spirit snake. This combination of offense and defense was remarkably similar to the cards he used in the previous life. Even with a different life experience, his fundamental needs and perceptions remained consistent.
Most importantly, the Star Chain had a "Double Determination" effect. If Dou Lin held one end and connected the other to a teammate who already had a "Determination" buff, that teammate's attributes would double 'again'.
As Dou Lin's strength increased, this multiplier could potentially go higher. While it was subject to the caster's subjective focus and had high fluctuations, for someone like Wei Huan, this was a "King Bomb" buff. It had no weakness penalty; the only catch was the physical "connection" had to be maintained.
It was a god-tier support skill. Wei Huan looked at Mu Zhong and Dou Lin, realizing he wouldn't even fear a Grade 8 world now. With these two "Status Masters," he could fight ten thousand enemies alone.
Mu Zhong also realized the strategic value. "Star Chain is unprecedented. We must be careful in its forging. The Heart of Steel suggests we need to visit the Dark Beast Plane again. Combining rare materials from there with the energy stones of this world might even produce a Divine Artifact."
Wei Huan agreed. "We'll follow the Heart of Steel. After the Beast King is dead, we'll take the Grade 7 world trial and launch the opening war to reach the Dark Beast Plane. I'm also curious about Moji's progress there."
"We left Moji with a powerful foundation," Mu Zhong said. "As long as it leads well, it can disrupt the Dark Beast Lords and grow through war. I am curious too."
Wei Huan looked ahead. "The army came from the front. Maybe we don't need to trail the survivors; we can just head straight through."
"Everyone is a bit banged up," Mu Zhong noted. "Especially 'Big Foot.' Let's let them recover first."
"Big Foot" was the Gambler captain. Standing under 170cm but wearing size 45 shoes, he was a paradox—an agile class with a belly he couldn't lose. He looked like a penguin, hence the nickname.
But Big Foot was the Blue Star's number one Gambler, a terrifying night assassin. Today, he had been the first to leap onto the dragon's back, proving that fate could be defied. His bravery had broken the psychological shackles of the team and secured the kill.
However, Gamblers were glass cannons. Even with Wei Huan isolating other enemies, they had taken hits. One Gambler had been impaled through the stomach by a horn and was currently in a medical pod. Wei Huan decided to stick to the plan of trailing the survivors to find the world's headquarters rather than rushing.
He then turned his attention back to the Black Dragon soul.
In the recent battle, many high-level beasts had died, including a Grade 6 King. Aside from the Grade 6 souls, Wei Huan had fed the rest to his undead to be "detonated" in the Great Tomb as fertilizer. The undead used for this were lost forever, but it was a cost he could bear. The quality of his "Prime" Great Tomb was already visibly superior to the newer sections; the undead living there were subtly stronger.
He currently held one Grade 6 soul and the near-Grade 7 Black Dragon soul. He hesitated. A single dragon soul wouldn't achieve his goal of elite "optimized breeding." He needed his Hero-grade undead—those who had been with him for a long time—to try this. But even for Heroes, there was a risk of failure and permanent death.
'Should I take the risk?'
He paused, then his brow cleared. Pseudo-Gods were rare gifts of fate. Sister Crow's evolution had been a perfect storm of a Grade 8 soul and matching attributes. He shouldn't get tunnel vision; cultivation was a steady climb. He shouldn't expect "pies from the sky" to fall every day.
He summoned the Shura Horse first. It lacked a leader after his previous greedy attempt had ended in an explosion. He fed the near-Grade 7 Black Dragon soul to a Shura Horse. Both possessed destructive power—their attributes aligned. Horses and Dragons shared a legendary connection in Daxia lore; he hoped for a "Dragon-Horse" spirit.
For the other Grade 6 soul—a Winged Tiger—he chose "Brother Gut-Bro." The soul belonged to a commander of the beast army, possessing leadership and team-buffing skills. Who better for a leadership role than Gut-Bro?
He fed the souls and waited.
The Shura Horse reacted first. It was only an ordinary Grade 6 horse, and the dragon soul was nearly Grade 7. It should have been slow, but it evolved with startling speed. Its three human-like heads saw their muzzles elongate into dragon-like snouts with fangs. It sprouted a pair of antlers. Black scales, identical to dragon scales, spread across its body, visible increasing its defense. Its hooves became harder and sharper, capable of carving through mountains like tofu. It ascended to a Legendary Hero.
It looked nothing like a "propitious beast" from myth; it was terrifying, three-headed, six-armed, and covered in black scales. Wei Huan loved it. He was a "Plague Spreader," an invader. His generals 'should' look monstrous.
Then, Gut-Bro began to change.
Wei Huan had a soft spot for Gut-Bro—the very first undead he had ever summoned. In the early days, Gut-Bro had solved countless problems with its signature move. Even as the battlefield shifted to magical beings, the hundred-thousand-strong Wolf Legion remained a core force.
Gut-Bro was already a Legendary Hero, ten meters long and covered in bone armor and spikes. He had always kept a smooth spot on his back for Wei Huan to ride. Now, from that spot, a pair of bone wings sprouted, stretching thirty meters wide.
But that wasn't all. Gut-Bro let out a roar—no longer the clattering of bones, but a true "Awoo!" He strained as if forcing an evolution, and a second pair of wings sprouted beneath the bone ones. These were fleshy wings with fur and feathers, identical to the Winged Tiger it had consumed.
"Awoo! Awoo~"
Gut-Bro beat his four wings and lifted off into the air. The combination of bone and flesh wings was grotesque yet harmoniously violent. Wei Huan was satisfied. His greatest fear was Gut-Bro's DNA collapsing; his loss would have been irreplaceable.
Wei Huan confirmed a few things:
First, Gut-Bro was now a Half-Step Pseudo-God. It hadn't fully broken through the Legendary rank, but with time, it would naturally become a Pseudo-God without needing further "miracles."
Second, this evolution had turned the low-level Dark Beast into a magical creature. It didn't need wings to fly; it could now manipulate the atmosphere to hover.
Third, the team abilities: Gut-Bro flapped its bone wings, and every wolf in its legion sprouted a layer of bone armor. He flapped the fleshy wings, and a "Sand and Stone" gale erupted, lifting the entire Wolf Legion into the air to fly in formation.
If the Wolf Legion could fly, they were now viable in three-dimensional warfare. Their combat utility had skyrocketed. Wei Huan made a mental note: he needed more Winged Tigers. He had two thousand Elite Wolves waiting for such an evolution.
"Gut-Bro is so cool!" Dou Lin exclaimed. "Those wings are beautiful!"
Mu Zhong noted, "Did Gut-Bro just make a sound? Is he growing flesh?"
Wei Huan smiled. "He's a half-step Pseudo-God. One more pair of wings and he'll be a full Pseudo-God."
"And after that? A twelve-winged Great Heavenly Wolf?" Mu Zhong joked.
"Why not?" Wei Huan laughed. "If each pair adds a team capability, twelve wings would make his legion strong enough to make gods tremble."
The three of them finished their discussion and turned their gaze to the other side—to the Shura Horse floating in the air.