‘So many people… and nearly every World Realm expert here is at the peak.’ As the crowd’s eyes fell on Li Yang, he also scanned his surroundings.
At that moment, Soul Ink’s voice echoed in Li Yang’s mind. “Li Yang, to go from the Early World Realm to the Peak of World Realm, even without any Spirit Liquid, would take several hundred thousand years of slow absorption. That’s why most World Realm Cultivators wait until they reach the peak before entering the Slaughter Battlefield.”
The stronger you are, the better your chances of survival in the Slaughter Battlefield.
No one is foolish enough to rush into the Slaughter Battlefield right after breaking through, while still only in the Early World Realm.
That would be a death wish.
“Therefore, the entire Slaughter Battlefield is divided into the Peak of World Realm Cultivator area, the Single-System Deity area, the Dual Pantheon area, the Tri-System Deities area, the Four-Element Deities area, and finally, the core area! Six major areas in total.”
Li Yang nodded. He glanced across the vast plaza, which was filled with many seats. He found an empty one, sat down, and began to wait.
Three people were seated next to Li Yang. The one closest to him was a young man who resembled an Earthling but had blue fur and ape-like features.
Two young women were seated beside the young man.
One of the young women shared the young man’s features; she also resembled an Earthling and had blue fur. The other was a girl with pointed ears, likely from the Foxman Race. She exuded a frosty aura, giving off a clear “stay away” vibe.
“Hello.”
Seeing Li Yang sit down beside him, the ape-like young man immediately smiled and said, “Nice to meet you. My name is Black Shield.”
He seemed very outgoing, greeting Li Yang casually.
In response, Li Yang replied casually, “Hello. I’m Mu Xu.”
He had just made up the name on the spot.
The young man named Black Shield was clearly very enthusiastic. He introduced the two beside him, saying, “These are my two junior martial sisters. We’re all from the same faction.”
Li Yang nodded and looked at the two young women. “Hello to you both.”
“Hello,” the girl who looked to be from Black Shield’s race replied with a smile.
The icy girl from the Foxman Race, however, just gave Li Yang a brief glance and a slight nod before looking away, her demeanor completely aloof.
“Mu Xu, have you ever been to the Slaughter Battlefield before? This is our first time,” the young man, Black Shield, asked, clearly a bit of a chatterbox.
“It’s my first time,” Li Yang replied.
There was no reason to hide that.
Hearing this, Black Shield’s eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, “In that case, Mu Xu, have you joined a team yet?”
‘A team?’
The thought piqued Li Yang’s interest. He shook his head and said, “No.”
“Perfect! The Slaughter Battlefield is filled with dangers. For the first few decades, while we’re still finding our footing, we could form a team. The more people we have, the stronger our group will be, and the easier it’ll be to handle any trouble we run into.”
Hearing Li Yang’s response, Black Shield’s eyes lit up, and he enthusiastically extended an invitation for Li Yang to join them.
In truth, Li Yang knew what Black Shield meant by a team.
‘With so many people here, anyone entering the Slaughter Battlefield alone for the first time would surely feel uneasy. The chances of running into danger would be high, too.’
Lone Cultivators were prime targets for many Alien Races.
That’s why many chose to form teams. It was obviously much easier to handle crises that way.
However, with so many people here, it would be impossible for everyone to be on the same team. A small squad of about ten was ideal.
“Mu Xu, we just got here ourselves, only a few minutes before you did. So our team is still empty. Right now, it’s just the three of us—my martial sisters and me. With you, that makes four. We can invite six more people later and form a ten-person squad. What do you say?”
Black Shield asked, looking at Li Yang with a smile.
Hearing Black Shield’s offer, Li Yang shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I don’t plan on joining a team at the moment.”
‘Rejected, huh?’ Hearing this, Black Shield’s expression didn’t falter. It was normal to be turned down when recruiting for a team. Besides, only those with real strength had the confidence to refuse.
“Mu Xu, if a decade or so is too long, we could just team up for a month to test the waters. We can go our separate ways once we’re more familiar with the Slaughter Battlefield. I have a lot of intel on the place that I can share with you.”
Li Yang’s rejection didn’t dampen Black Shield’s enthusiasm in the slightest. In fact, it only made him more eager.
‘This Mu Xu must be someone capable,’ he concluded.
His luck had always been pretty good throughout his cultivation journey, and he had learned to completely trust his intuition.
“I know the location of an Enlightenment Flower. I wonder if that interests you, Mu Xu?”
‘An Enlightenment Flower?’ The words caught Li Yang’s attention.
The Slaughter Battlefield had a unique magnetic field that could calm one’s mind and aid in comprehending universal laws, much like a Bodhi seed. This very field gave rise to a rare treasure—the Enlightenment Flower.
The Enlightenment Flower was highly effective at helping one better comprehend these laws.
In truth, Li Yang had already redeemed many cultivation-aiding treasures from the Human Race’s Eternal Saint Hall, some of which were just as effective as the Enlightenment Flower. However, he had never managed to acquire an Enlightenment Flower itself.
Even though some of his other treasures had similar effects, Li Yang was still somewhat interested.
After a moment’s thought, Li Yang said, “Alright, we can team up for a few days.”
He was new to the Slaughter Battlefield and needed to get his bearings before acting on his own anyway.
“Great.”
Hearing Li Yang agree, Black Shield’s eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly.
The girl next to Black Shield who shared his features said nothing. The icy girl from the Foxman Race frowned slightly, but since Black Shield had made the decision, she kept her silence.
As they spoke, a sudden commotion erupted not far from them.
“It’s Pu Waka of the Black Wolf Clan from Fire Liao Star Continent.”
“Pu Waka reached the World Realm a hundred thousand years ago. His strength must be unfathomable by now. Is he also entering the Slaughter Battlefield?”
“I heard that Pu Waka’s strength is approaching that of the Deities!”
“To have strength rivaling the Deities while still at the Peak of World Realm… this Pu Waka is truly on another level.”
A buzz of discussion rippled through the crowd.
Not far away, an extremely burly young man in black armor strode over. The moment he appeared, he became the center of attention, and all eyes turned to him.
“Pu Waka of the Black Wolf Clan!”
Seeing the young man, Black Shield, who was sitting beside Li Yang, had a look of clear apprehension on his face.
Seeing Li Yang’s calm expression, Black Shield asked, “Mu Xu, you don’t recognize Pu Waka?”
“I don’t.”
Li Yang shook his head. He truly didn’t.
Black Shield found it a bit strange that Li Yang genuinely didn’t know him. Pu Waka was quite famous. After all, very few people could achieve strength approaching that of the Deities while at the Peak of World Realm.