Chapter Eighteen: Sharp Sword and Sacred Stair

  Deep in the Desa Mountains, a flash of sword light forced two yellow-skinned single-headed ogre warriors to retreat step by step. The large wooden clubs in their hands had been cut into several sections. The ogres' clubs were enchanted with magic by the tribe's magicians and were as hard as stone, but now they were easily severed.

  Their opponents were two men, one red and one yellow, each holding a sharp sword in their hands. With their high martial arts skills, they had the upper hand in the fight. The two cannibals had already been wounded in many places and would fall soon, it was only a matter of time.

  Seeing himself hard to survive, the cannibal warrior's ferocity was forced out. With a loud roar, a cannibal warrior grabbed Lelouch vi Britannia's sword and slammed him to the ground.

  The sword of Lie Yan Bimo, after being infused with Dou Qi, was exceptionally sharp. The moment the cannibal warrior's hand grasped the hilt, it was cut off. The pain from the severed limb did not cause the cannibal warrior to retreat; instead, it used its severed hand to firmly press down on one of Lie Yan Bimo's hands, intending to bite his neck with its mouth.

  The sharpness of the cannibal warrior's fangs is no worse than that of an ordinary iron sword, and if bitten, even Meng would be more unlucky than lucky.

  Just as the cannibal warrior's fangs were about to pierce Lian Meng Warrior's neck, a golden light flashed by, and the cannibal warrior's head was cut off in an instant.

  "Whoa! ...That was close! ...Alexander, if you had acted a moment later, I would have been done for!" The young Flame Monger panted heavily, his heart still racing with fear as he spoke to the Golden Monger who had just saved his life. It was clear that the previous scene had truly frightened him.

  On the other side, the cannibal warrior who was fighting against Huang Jin Bao had already fallen to the ground and died.

  "This is also because this guy in front of me was too heavily injured, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to save you either." The young Huang Jin Bai also showed a relieved expression.

  "Get up, if there are any more ghouls nearby, we're in trouble." Huang Jin helped Mo Meng catch his breath and pulled him to his feet. The two of them didn't dare linger and immediately left the thicket.

  These two young men were naturally Liu Yu and Fei Te. After the Beast God Festival, they returned to the Blood Refining Camp on time.

  It's already late summer now. Inside the camp, apart from cultivating their skills, they also go hunting in the forest once a month for the camp.

  But compared to the Blood Refining period, they ventured deeper into the jungle and farther away from the campsite. As a result, they often encountered powerful magical beasts or savage tribes like the Man-eating Demons and Giant Demons, so this kind of battle almost occurred several times every month.

  It wasn't until now that Liu Yu personally felt what it meant to be tempered by blood, and in the continuous battles, both Liu Yu's and Fei Te's martial skills had made no small progress.

  Fite made the greatest gains, breaking through to the level of a 4th-stage Great Warrior during the battle where he beheaded a 4th-stage magical beast, overcoming the bottleneck that had plagued him for nearly a year. Liu Yu also reached the peak of a 3rd-stage Warrior and his spiritual power increased significantly, becoming a 4th-stage Great Mage.

  And it was the sword in their hands that had helped them turn danger into safety many times during these six months, which was forged by the master craftsman of the Ant Tribe after Liu Yu returned to the Earth Fire Fortress and entrusted him with the two fangs he obtained from the Sword Demon Pig last time.

  Liu Yu then invited a few elder magicians from within the clan to inscribe low-level magic arrays on these two swords, making it easier for them to hold and amplify Dou Qi.

  Liu Yu and Fei Te killed the man-eating demon, then wandered in the jungle for a few more days, killing several 1st and 2nd tier magical beasts as prey to bring back to the camp.

  ............

  The scorching summer sun shines everywhere, and the Blood Refining Camp is still composed of wooden houses and tents just like last year. However, the large tracts of land around the camp have been reclaimed by the mouse people to grow various grains, and this year's weather seems to be favorable, so it should be a small bumper harvest.

  Liu Yu and Fei Te entered the campsite each carrying their prey while humming a little tune at noon.

  "Alexander, the lieutenant wants to see you." A tall Bimon soldier who had just entered the camp came over to deliver Lieutenant Tolm's orders.

  "Alright, Fit, help me bring it back." Liu Yu said and didn't care about Fit's reaction, he just pressed the prey on his shoulder onto Fit's body, then ran towards Ptolemy's hut.

  ........

  In the spacious wooden hall of Tolemmy, this fat man was enjoying the roasted demon meat that had just been delivered in the morning. By the time Liu Yu arrived at the wooden house, he had already eaten several plates and seemed to be preparing for another one. When he saw Liu Yu coming in, a smile immediately appeared on Tolemmy's chubby face.

  "Alexander, come and try some of this freshly roasted venison." Last time in the Earthfire Fortress, Gaiya specially told Liu Yu that he must treat Ptolemy with the manner due to an elder, so after Liu Yu returned to the camp again, he did just that.

  In addition, Liu Yu often asked Tolomei for advice on some issues related to Dou Qi cultivation, so the relationship between the two became much closer.

  Liu Yu was naturally easy-going and Ptolemy also seemed very casual, so those formalities were quickly dispensed with by the two of them. Now when they met, it was like old friends meeting, very informal.

  "General Duwei, you're really enjoying yourself. I almost died at the hands of the cannibal." Liu Yu said while grabbing a leg of venison and taking a big bite without hesitation.

  "Heh heh, is that so? I heard it was that little brat Fit who got into danger, and Your Highness made a big show of power by killing two man-eating demons and saving Fit's life." Torlemi smiled as she returned with a freshly brewed fruit wine.

  "You still sent someone to follow us, isn't that unnecessary?" Liu Yu said with a slight pause.

  "No, you must be protected until you reach the fourth rank and your martial skills are sufficiently refined. We can't afford to lose any more of our people unnecessarily in this trial, it's a clan rule that cannot be broken." Tolomei said with a serious expression.

  "Alright! You strong ones have the final say. What do you want from me? Don't tell me you're inviting me to eat meat?" Liu Yu helplessly shrugged his shoulders.

  "Hmm, this time it's His Majesty who wants me to pass on some messages to you." Ptolemy put away his smile, stood up and closed all the doors and windows. As for the servants, they were all gone by the time Liu Yu arrived, clearly having been dismissed already. Seeing how cautious Ptolemy was being, Liu Yu wondered what this was all about.

  "Kaien has broken through to the 9th rank......" Tolomei's words made Liu Yu's heart skip a beat.

  ............

  A flash of golden light passed by and a rock the size of a washbasin was shaken open with a huge mouth, but the rock did not split completely.

  "I'm still too weak." Liu Yu muttered to himself, staring at the stone. Today, Ptolemy conveyed several messages from King Krow, in addition to what King Krow had said personally that night before arriving at the camp, which made Liu Yu have to make different plans for the next few years.

  Cain Sobier enjoyed a hero's welcome in the entire city of Ignis after his last "great victory", and was the talk of the kingdom for a time.

  Just a few months later, the Sobel family spread the news that Cain had broken through to the 9th rank of Dou Zun. According to the current strength division of the Beastman Kingdom, among the strong men under the age of 50, Cain, who was in the early stages of the 9th rank of Dou Zun, was already the first strongest person outside of the Council of Elders and the Beast King.

  But Gaiya, who was several years older than Kain, had been stuck at the peak of 8th rank Dou Huang for three years.

  On the other hand, Cro was about to break through the 9th stage and reach the Sacred Stage after being in office for 39 years. The Mongolian Sacred Stage Taishang Elder had already begun to urge Cro to focus on his cultivation in order to reach the Sacred Stage as soon as possible. Therefore, the time left for Gaia to prepare for the throne was probably not much.

  Liu Yu savored in his heart some of the things King Kuo had told him as he was about to leave.

  After breaking through the 9th rank, it is the Holy Rank. A strong person in the Holy Rank can have a lifespan of five or six hundred years, and compared to a strong person in the 9th rank, there is a world of difference in strength, they are generally the guardian gods of each tribe.

  The stronger ones among the Bimon tribe formed the Supreme Elder Council, which would never appear in daily state affairs and many Bimons were unaware of its existence, but it was the true center of the Beastman Kingdom.

  To increase the number of saints within the clan, the Supreme Elder will require all powerful individuals who have reached the ninth rank for over ten years to retreat from daily affairs and cultivate in seclusion. They will also dispatch saintly experts to provide guidance and assistance in breaking through.

  Kro King is now facing this situation. He has reached the peak of the 9th rank for four years, and in six years, he will have to abdicate regardless of the circumstances and retreat to prepare for a breakthrough to the Holy Rank.

  So six years later is the time for formal contention for the throne. Faced with Cain, who has suddenly become much stronger, Gaia's troubles are great.

  The struggle for the throne of the Bi Mong people may not be bloody every time, but the danger is absolutely not small. The words passed down by King Kuo are that Liu Yu must be careful in everything he does from now on and intensify his cultivation.

  ...........

  Several days later, in the training grounds at the center of the camp, several thousand Bimon gathered here, these Bimon surrounding the central area in two groups from north to south. The southern group had many more Bimon than the northern one, and Liu Yu was also standing among them. The number of Bimon on the northern side was relatively small, but each and every one of them looked at the center with an eager-to-try expression.

  Liu Yu's elder brother, Bo Nan, was in the north, while his sisters, Ai Li Na and Fei Te, were by Liu Yu's side. The three of them came today for their elder brother Bo Nan, because today was the day when adults in the camp would take the departure test.