Great Demon Sun Wukong

Noon. At a clearing in front of the Genesis Palace, forty people stood ready to depart. In reality, these individuals had little to prepare; food and other necessities were all stored in their personal storage spaces. And with only forty people, it could hardly be considered group combat, nor were there many tactics to speak of.

This operation was an ambush. When the time came, individual strength would be paramount. Forty versus thirty-six meant that if each person could hold their own opponent, the remaining four could use the Supreme Order to activate the World Suppressing Stele. Successfully activating the Stele would kick the opposing force out of this world.

Considering that the enemy might have defensive Great Formations in place, those assigned to activate the World Suppressing Stele had to be individuals with immense attack power. After lengthy consideration, Xi Zhao and Jue Luan decided that each of their nations would send two individuals. The Genesis Divine Nation would be represented by Jue Luan himself and someone named Qian Shang, while the Flame God and Rogue Heart Sword Hero were chosen from the Divine Kingdom.

After determining their respective tasks and reconfirming the map, Xi Zhao and Jue Luan stood side by side and addressed the thirty-six individuals before them, "Target, Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm, move out!"

At the command, everyone, including Xi Zhao and Jue Luan, instantly vanished from the spot. This was not a military advance, so there was no need for a formation, and all forty operated independently. Nevertheless, they stayed within a range that allowed them to sense each other.

Moreover, everyone had a map, but only part of it—spanning from the Genesis Divine Nation to the Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm, with the most detailed section being around the Ancestral Realm itself. In the Patrolling Celestial World, the value of a map was self-evident, hence this measure was taken to prevent it from leaking. Even if lost in battle and found by another, they would at most glean some knowledge about the vicinity of the Ancestral Realm, with no further information accessible.

"Monkey, do you think we'll succeed smoothly?" asked Flame God as he leaped through the trees alongside Du Tianyang, one of the Five Battle Generals, drawing near to Sun Wukong. "Definitely," Sun Wukong replied. "With such a huge advantage, if we still can't take out Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm, we might as well not bother with the subsequent trials!"

"Wukong is right. The trial has only started for three days. Even if the other major powers have finished exploring the terrain, they won't have everyone stay in the palaces; without a map, they're essentially in the dark. Our advantage is significant. We'll likely face only about twenty opponents, so this time, success is certain," Xi Zhao added, having approached Sun Wukong unnoticed.

Flame God was about to respond to Xi Zhao, but suddenly, they heard a voice from ahead, "Alert, we've encountered a pack of Ferocious Beasts." It was from one of the scouts, as Netherworld World's inhabitants possess stronger Soul Power than most, especially those adept at soul exploration. For safety, three individuals were assigned to explore with their souls to the front, left, and right, with rotating shifts.

Two Chinese Hours after their departure, the group's first encounter with Ferocious Beasts required vigilance. Just as everyone formed a defensive line, a creature that resembled a wild boar charged out from the trees ahead. While others remained unfazed, Flame God, upon seeing the beast, shouted, "Hey, isn't that the kind of pig we ate last time? Oh, fantastic, a good meal today!"

Brandishing the Exploding Phoenix, Flame God eagerly moved to the front, ready to attack and slaughter the wild pig. However, just as he raised the Exploding Phoenix to strike, the trees behind the boar-like beast shook violently, and a giant wild boar—three to four times larger than the first—burst forth.

The appearance startled Flame God, who laughed and started to say, "I was just thinking it wouldn't be enough when..." His voice trailed off as he saw countless giant tusks appearing among the trees. Realizing something, Flame God frantically grabbed his nearby comrades and ran back.

"Run! It's a wild boar herd, we can't beat them!" Flame God's shout set off a reaction like lighting a keg of gunpowder. From the trees ahead, numerous giant wild boars charged forth, each larger and with sharper tusks than the last.

Others might not know how formidable this wild boar was, but Flame God, Rogue Heart Sword Hero, and Sun Wukong were well aware of its might. Previously, while they were waiting for Luo Chen and his party, they discussed going around to see if there were any solitary wild beasts they could catch to eat out of boredom. It was then that they stumbled upon that beast, which resembled a wild boar, approximately the size of an adult human.

Even though they didn't recognize what it was, they thought it looked edible based on its appearance, so the three of them decided to take action and capture this ferocious beast. To their surprise, this boar-like ferocious beast turned out to be much more powerful than they had anticipated, having about the cultivation of a Nine Patterns Supreme. While dealing with one Nine Patterns Supreme didn't require much effort, the attack power and defensive power of this boar-like beast were indeed significantly stronger than those of a typical Nine Patterns Supreme.

Flame God was stunned upon seeing a small wild boar followed by a giant wild boar over three meters tall. The previous one had the strength of a Nine Patterns Supreme, so this larger boar must have the cultivation of a Nine Patterns Supreme that had merged six or seven Taoist Spells.

If it were twice as big, they thought it would have the power of a Peak Supreme; any larger, and it might well be at the Domain Lord Level. Later, when Flame God saw even more and bigger wild boars emerging from the woods behind, he didn't hesitate to turn and run. Joking aside, that twenty-something-meter-tall giant boar definitely had the strength of a Domain Lord Level. And judging by the number of wild boars around, there had to be at least two or three hundred of them, right?

Seeing Flame God turn and run without hesitation, Jue Luan, Xi Zhao, and the others might not have understood why, but they also immediately ordered a full retreat. Normally, Flame God might be unreliable, but he was dependable at crucial moments. Moreover, as everyone retreated back the way they came, the wild boar herd that had been hidden among the tall trees also fully revealed themselves, especially that exceptionally large wild boar, convincing the group that fleeing was an incredibly wise decision.

They had not come to this place with forty people to fight to the death with a herd of ferocious beasts; their goal was to raid the Transforming Thunder Ancestral Realm. Although they could defeat the herd if they fought hard, there would certainly be casualties. Each faction participating in the Patrolling Celestial World's trial had only thirty-six people; lose one, and their strength diminished. And even if they could avoid death, being wounded was also not worth it.

So now, a somewhat comical scene unfolded: forty top-level powerhouses, among which two were at the Domain Lord Level and the rest at the peak of the Supreme Level, were individuals who could cause earthquakes with a stomp of their feet in their own Divine Kingdoms. But at this moment, they were being chased and forced to flee in a disgraced manner by a herd of wild boars of various sizes. If others were to know, they would probably laugh their heads off.

However, no one present was worried about this issue. After all, joking aside, they all were part of the group being chased; disclosing this would only embarrass themselves. As Jue Luan, Xi Zhao, and the others fled frantically, the pursuing wild boar herd also began to change. The original group of two or three hundred wild boars had now dwindled to only about one hundred. Due to the exceedingly fast speed of Jue Luan, Xi Zhao, and their party, the wild boars had to sprint at top speed to keep up, causing some with obvious differences in size and strength to gradually fall behind. Those still chasing them were all wild boars over seven or eight meters long, each possessing the strength of a top-level Nine Patterns Supreme.

Leading the chase at the front was that gigantic wild boar spanning over twenty meters, with its four to five-meter-long sharp tusks gleaming with a cold light. Its mane, sturdy as iron rods, stood erect, with its massive body appearing like a moving mountain of flesh. And at this moment, this boar leader was very, very close to everybody.

Meng Lan, who was lagging at the back, was less than ten meters away from the wild boar. Every time the giant boar suddenly surged forward, Meng Lan's heart would pound with terror. The most dangerous moment came when the sharp tusks came within less than two meters from his buttocks.

"Hey, hey, you heartless bunch, somebody give me a hand here? I'm about to get my butt gored by that monster!" Flame God, running at the front, laughed and looked back, "Why don't you come down and foster a bond with the boar, buying us some time in the meantime? We'll remember your sacrifice!" Since Flame God's true form was that of Burst Phoenix, his speed was astonishingly the fastest. Moreover, the Exploding Phoenix he carried on his back constantly erupted flames, propelling Flame God's speed to the maximum, which put him more than two hundred meters ahead of Meng Lan at the back.

"Damn it, even wild pigs know to pick on the softer ones, huh? Today, I'll let you see whether your grandpa Meng Lan is a soft persimmon or not, Sunburst!"

Abruptly, as he finished speaking, a glaringly bright light burst forth from Meng Lan's body. The scorching heat and sharp pain spread towards the massive wild boar behind him. Meng Lan had a good plan; he figured that since the wild boar must have been focusing on him, a sudden burst of intense light would surely blind it instantly.