Wei Huan listened to their words in silence. His fists clenched and unclenched as he mentally wrestled with his impulses. Finally, in the time it took to close and reopen his eyes, he suppressed his urge to take a reckless risk.
'No, I cannot be impulsive. The situation on the other side is unknown, and the strength of the enemy is a proven fact. Charging over blindly is a bad idea.'
Moreover, looking at it from a different perspective, encountering these high-level races now wasn't entirely negative. He had obtained first-hand intelligence and, more importantly, bought time for growth. If he ignored the urgency of human evolution and simply stayed in the Challenge World for a few hundred years until the entire human race became invincible before pushing into the Ninth-Grade world, wouldn't their chances of winning be much higher?
While there was no concrete proof yet that higher cultivation levels equaled longer lifespans, observing the "frozen-age" appearance of the earliest challengers made it clear that humanity was evolving from "short-lived" to "long-lived." Spending a few hundred years here shouldn't be an issue.
Wei Huan's mind grew completely calm. He opened his eyes and said, "Destroy this passage. Thoroughly, leaving no trace behind."
Indeed, he wouldn't go over. Not only that, but he would destroy the tunnel so that the Beast King could never return. From this day forward, this world belonged to humanity—a "Blessed Land."
---
Wei Huan claimed the soul of the Nine-Tailed Fox and let the Legendary-rank Magic Eye Lord consume it, naturally resulting in his third Pseudo-God-grade undead. Simultaneously, he harvested the soul of the subterranean beast he had killed during the explosion. Seeing the soul's form, Wei Huan wasn't surprised. It was indeed the Shadow Dragon he had encountered in the bird-ghost valley when he first arrived.
This dragon possessed the ability to travel through earth—a utility missing from his current arsenal. After considering his options, he gave it to Dot Mom, granting the entire Facehugger swarm the ability to traverse soil freely. Unfortunately, since Dot Mom was already at the Pseudo-God rank, consuming the Great Demon didn't result in a breakthrough. Her leveling path was unique, tied to the expansion of her swarm rather than just individual consumption.
However, once Dot Mom mastered the Shadow Dragon's earth-traveling laws as requested, she had met his requirements perfectly.
Wei Huan did not stop his conquest. He pursued and killed the Great Bull, feeding it to Big Bear, thereby gaining his fourth Pseudo-God-grade super-tank.
The Beast King's parting words had sent Wei Huan's sense of crisis to an all-time high. 'The Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races... the Celestial Demon Race... and humanity barely surviving there?' Though he didn't know where those other humans were, he knew the vast universe and endless planes surely held more than just their branch of humanity. Yet, these other humans had seemingly lost the challenge and were "panting for breath," making them unreliable allies. While Wei Huan never planned to rely on others, the feeling was still unsettling. With no backing and a long road ahead, he had to carve out a path with sheer grit.
He spent ten days on the corpse-strewn plains, reaping the souls of countless beasts. Except for the most unique ones, he scattered them all across the Great Tombs. By the time the last soul was processed, Wei Huan had obtained five "Enhanced" Great Tombs.
The Prime Great Tomb, in particular, saw its Nether Power become so dense that it reminded Wei Huan of the "Nether Source" he had seen in his epiphany—a sleeping cosmic giant. This essence caused a qualitative change; the residents of the tomb grew stronger, and most importantly, new undead began to manifest spontaneously.
This discovery was accidental. On the battlefield where he had stayed for ten days, the clashing energies of demon aura and Nether power had turned the area into a forbidden zone. Yet, the corpses and potential treasures were a fatal attraction for greedy beasts. When a two-headed beast attempted to scavenge, Wei Huan killed it. Its soul appeared directly in the Prime Great Tomb.
Without consciousness or memory, the soul drifted until the dense Nether Power began to nourish it, sprouting a tiny spinal cord from its center. From a spine would come ribs, legs, and a skull, until it eventually became a recognizable undead—perhaps a wolf, or something else entirely. This was the first time undead appeared outside of the "fixed quota," and its significance was monumental.
Wei Huan watched the change with great interest. It was as if he previously had a tree and could only pick its fruit; now, the tree had grown roots into the earth. He no longer relied on "gifts" from the system but had gained the ability to be self-sufficient and perpetually blooming.
Even Mu Zhong noted: "We don't know if our Profession Temple comes from the Challenge World or from humans who reached the end. The suffixes of our high-tier gear mention blessings from 'The Stars,' 'Archmagi,' and 'Titans.' Is it possible these were gifted by other humans who, despite their power, still hold no advantage on the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races? If we follow their footsteps, we are doomed to repeat their failure. We must find our own path to survive."
Mu Zhong concluded: "True Artifacts and True Martial Arts—that is our chance."
---
Ten days later, Wei Huan officially moved into the Broken Mountain palace. He deployed his undead to guard the perimeter while others went out to hunt or forage for treasures.
Wei Huan stayed at the mountain, alternating between cultivation and accompanying Mu Zhong to the "back mountain" to sense natural energy. While the front was a battlefield, the west side remained an untouched paradise of spiritual energy and lush flora.
One day, after wandering for half a day, Mu Zhong found some spiritual wood and stopped to cultivate. Wei Huan cultivated alongside him in the Profession Temple. When Wei Huan woke up, he saw a pile of wood surrounding Mu Zhong. His "Great-Great-Grandchildren" had been turned into loyal lumberjacks, hauling logs for Mu Zhong.
Wei Huan approached, his eyes widening as he inspected the wood. "These logs..."
"Totems," Mu Zhong said without looking up. "Whenever I use a blessing, totems appear in the phantom images in the sky. I tried carving them and found that different laws manifest. If I use spiritual wood, the effect is impressive."
Wei Huan reached for the log with the most spiritual energy. The moment he touched it, a flash of holy light made his hand flinch, and the totem dropped. He looked at the bead of blood on his finger in surprise. "A Holy Healing Totem?"
Mu Zhong looked up, saw Wei Huan sucking the wound, and immediately dropped his tools to rush over. The two-centimeter cut was deep.
"It's fine," Wei Huan said. "Nature energy will heal this in no time."
Mu Zhong used his energy to heal him but kept glancing around until he shouted, "Chongchong, give me that totem!"
The Red Facehugger scurried over and accurately picked out a palm-length totem.
"Thanks," Mu Zhong said. He handed it to Wei Huan. "Hold this."
"Chongchong?" Wei Huan asked, taking the totem.
"Its Dot Mom is Little Chong, so it's Chongchong," Mu Zhong explained. "I can't keep calling them 'Great-Grandchild' and 'Great-Great-Grandchild' forever."
"Chongchong," Wei Huan repeated.
Mu Zhong's ears turned red. "Don't. That's its name now. Don't you dare call me that."
"Then what should I call you?"
"You never used a nickname before, why start now?"
"Choosing not to use it and being unable to use it are two different things."
"You're impossible!" Mu Zhong lightly slapped Wei Huan's palm. "Jealous of a summon?"
Wei Huan laughed, then looked down to see his wound was gone. Mu Zhong hadn't been using nature energy for a while—it was the totem. He looked at the other totem in his hand; it looked ancient and weathered, with a hint of eerie darkness. It bore the face of a woman in simple lines.
"Is this... Aglis?" Wei Huan looked at Mu Zhong. "Can you borrow power from the carver? Wait, is that—?"
Mu Zhong pulled a thumb-sized totem from his pocket. "Exactly. You're quite the fierce one, you know."
Wei Huan took it and felt a familiar, pure Nether Power. It was as if Mu Zhong had scooped a ladle of essence from the depths of the Prime Tomb and poured it into the wood.
"Does it look like you?" Mu Zhong asked expectantly.
This totem was much more detailed than the one of Aglis. It featured Wei Huan, but also Dot Mom, Big Bear, Sister Crow, and other leaders in incredibly vivid strokes. Mu Zhong had to wrap it in nature energy to prevent the Nether Power from harming him.
"This totem... is this the 'True Self' you found?"
"I'd say it's a fusion of Shaman and Driver abilities that perhaps only I can use," Mu Zhong said. He raised a hand, and the Driver's ability to manipulate materials appeared. His fingers moved through the air, and the wood in his hand was carved as if by invisible chisels.
"Using the Driver's crafting ability to carve Shaman totems allows me to fuse the two classes. These totems can buff me or be carried by others. The strength depends on my understanding of the subject. The more I know, the more power I can tap into. The one you're holding is my best work, but it's not the limit. With better materials and energy gems, I believe I can craft an Artifact this way."
Wei Huan pondered. "The carrier doesn't have to be spiritual wood. The Black Dragon's bones might work."
Mu Zhong smiled. "Smart. But don't underestimate spiritual wood; its compatibility is high. The dragon bones would likely be restricted to Lightning Totems."
Wei Huan looked deeply at Mu Zhong. "The path you've found isn't the 'strongest' for combat, but it's the most beneficial for humanity. You're going to be a support to the very end."
"I am a support. I have you for the fighting, don't I?"
Wei Huan grabbed Mu Zhong's hand. "I will always be by your side."
"Of course. To the Ninth-Grade world, and to the Battlefield of Ten Thousand Races. Wherever you go, I go."
---
Wei Huan spent the following days helping Mu Zhong gather materials. In his recent battlefield cleanup, Wei Huan had condensed over ten Nether Stones, each the size of a fist and brimming with energy.
While they searched for materials, news arrived that the Pioneer Army had reached this small world. Communication with the Grade 6 world was constant, and twelve full vehicles had been sent to assist Wei Huan in suppressing the remaining locals.
Wei Huan wasn't in a rush to move to the next world. He wanted to stabilize and develop at each stage. He also wanted to establish a permanent passage to the Dark Beast Plane to facilitate large-scale resource extraction.
However, a messenger from the Pioneer Army brought an urgent report: "Commander Wei, General Mu wants me to inform you that the World Tree's roots have pierced the Divine Corpse, and thick Nether Qi is gushing out. It hasn't affected us yet, but the General is worried. Several teams failed to pass through the barrier of Nether Qi, so he asks you to return and investigate."
Wei Huan looked at Mu Zhong. "I forgot we had another resource under our feet."
"The Divine Corpse? The foundation of a world?"
"If there's a corpse, there are bones. Divine bones emitting Nether Qi must be the material we've been looking for."
"Indeed," Mu Zhong nodded. "A piece of divine bone paired with a Nether Stone... I can definitely craft the ultimate Nether Totem."
"Then we go back?"
"Yes, let's go back."
Before leaving, Wei Huan sent his undead to sweep the area and had Mu Zhong "wholesale" a bunch of Nether Totems to bury around the borders of the Sacred Mountain to deter beasts.
They returned to the bird-ghost valley in the Grade 6 world using Brother Hammer's vehicle. The trip back took only one day. A temporary base had been built there, protected by unmanned mechs from Mu Zhong's "Iron Factory."
The base commander led them to the gate. "We are trying to replicate the World Gate, but for now, we rely on the Diviners' Starlink to guide the way. Follow the Starlink through the passage."
Mu Zhong confirmed the safety protocols before they departed. They passed through the spatial tunnel smoothly and returned to the Grade 6 world, appearing at the top of the World Tree.
The tree was so massive that each leaf was like an island. A full base had been completed on one leaf, garrisoned by a regiment to prevent incursions and regulate travel to the "Blessed Land."
As they landed, a large crowd was already waiting to receive them.