Chapter 30: The Grand Gathering at the Base of the Basin

The Forest of Beasts was divided into the fringe, the outer zone, the middle, the inner zone, and the forbidden lands. The fringe was inhabited by ordinary beasts, suitable for villagers to hunt; only near the outer zone would one encounter beasts of entry-level cultivation.

The basin lay at the border between the fringe and the outer zone. The appearance of the black bear was an accident of the breeding season, and, unfortunately, it was slain by a powerful cultivator.

Dozens of cultivators who had tailed behind Liang Zi and her companions, hoping to witness some drama, now trembled in terror at the sight of the rampaging Iron Bull pursuing the four. Without hesitation, they turned and fled.

In an instant, the edge of the outer zone was filled with panicked cultivators fleeing in all directions.

“Damn it, how did things turn out like this? If I’d known, I would never have followed!”

“Curiosity kills the cat—I’ve warned myself a thousand times, and I’ve fallen into my own trap again!”

The fleeing cultivators cursed their own recklessness, filled with deep regret.

Liu Haoran glanced behind him—the Iron Bull was gaining on them with every stride, and soon they would be overtaken. Looking at the crowd ahead, his eyes lit up, and he called to the others, “Follow me.”

Though puzzled, the other three trusted him and followed without question.

Dong Haohu saw Liu Haoran leading them toward the fleeing cultivators, and suddenly understood his plan. The Iron Bull wanted only to feast on human flesh—did it matter whose?

Liang Zi and Ke Yan, too, grasped Liu Haoran’s intention. Though it pained them, there was no other way; if they did not sacrifice others, they themselves would die. Who would willingly walk to their own death?

The cultivators, wretched in their flight and cursing their curiosity, looked back to see Liu Haoran’s group leading the Iron Bull straight toward them. Their souls nearly left their bodies in fright, and they cried out, begging for mercy, “Please, sirs, don’t lead it this way!” and ran for their lives with all the more desperation.

Alas, their cultivation was only that of fourth-level warriors—no match for the speed of Liu Haoran and his companions.

Seeing one man striving desperately to escape, Liu Haoran snorted coldly and quickly led his group past him, heading straight for the next cultivator.

The next target, seeing Liu Haoran’s group bearing down with the Iron Bull close behind, cursed them angrily, “Bastards! You’re trying to get me killed!”

At any other time, he would never have dared insult them, but now, with his life at stake, he cared little for propriety.

The Iron Bull caught up with the man and, with a single bite, seized him. Compared to the beast, the cultivator was utterly insignificant.

A shrill scream echoed through the woods as the man was knocked to the ground. He turned to see the Iron Bull’s hoof crash down upon him.

He screamed again, cursing Liu Haoran and the others in his heart.

With a sickening crunch, the Iron Bull’s hoof split the man in half. The beast lifted its hoof and swallowed the still-joined halves in a single gulp.

Swallowing down its human prey, the Iron Bull savored the taste of flesh, its massive bronze eyes gleaming with golden light as it looked for its next meal.

With an excited bellow, the Iron Bull redoubled its efforts, charging toward the nearest cultivator.

To the Iron Bull, these cultivators were nothing but food—none would escape.

Liang Zi and her companions, seeing the one they had used as a shield devoured before their eyes, were filled with terror and ran for their lives with every ounce of strength they possessed.

Along the way, every beast they encountered hid away; and even those caught out in the open lay flat on the ground, not daring to move.

As the Iron Bull continued its relentless pursuit, the forest echoed with the furious and despairing screams of cultivators—each cry marking another who had become the beast’s meal.

This desperate flight continued without end. Now, with only a dozen or so survivors, the Iron Bull had chased them all the way to the fringe of the forest.

Here, bold hunters who dared to venture deep into the fringe began to appear.

Unfortunately, these hunters were now used as human shields by the fleeing cultivators.

“What is that? Is it a demon beast?” a hunter shouted, frozen in terror at the sight of the monstrous Iron Bull.

The beast closed in without hesitation, biting the stunned hunter’s upper body, tossing its head back, and swallowing the struggling man in one gulp before charging at the next human.

With hunters and low-level cultivators as their shields, Liang Zi’s group managed to break away, finally losing the Iron Bull and, still trembling with fear, hurried back toward Senyuan Town.

Liang Zi, recalling Gu Yan in the cave, grew worried for her safety. She resolved to return home and then invite experts from her clan to fetch Gu Yan.

Dong Haohu and Liu Haoran, meanwhile, could not stop thinking about Gu Yan—her beauty was simply too much. They both planned to gather the strongest from their families as soon as they returned, go to the cave, bring Gu Yan home, and keep her hidden, so they could enjoy her at their leisure.

Ke Yan, on the other hand, had completely forgotten about Gu Yan. Excited by the treasures she had obtained, all she could think of was how envious her family would be.

Upon reaching Senyuan Town, the four reported the Iron Bull incident to the city guard. The guard quickly escalated the matter, and the higher-ups immediately dispatched experts to deal with the threat.

After leaving the guard post, the four parted ways. Once two couples, each now harbored their own thoughts and said little before heading home separately.

Dong Haohu’s home was nearest to the gate, so he arrived first. Eager to impress his father, Dong Bahlong, he presented all the loot he had collected—weaponry, equipment, elixirs, and manuals—hoping to amaze him.

Dong Bahlong, indeed stunned by the pile of treasures, quickly hid his astonishment and questioned his son sternly: “Where did all this come from?”

Seeing his father’s sudden change in demeanor, Dong Haohu put away his grin but remained proud. “Father, these were taken from a bandit at the Spirit Master realm. Those bandits are truly wealthy! The four of us split it all…”

He recounted the details to his father, and, in order to persuade him to send experts to fetch Gu Yan, he added, “There might be other bandit corpses in the cave, but we fled because of the Iron Bull and didn’t have time to check. There could be even more treasures left behind.”

At this, Dong Bahlong’s eyes shone, and he immediately dragged his son to the clan’s ancestral hall in the rear courtyard to find the two elders in meditation. He briefly explained the situation.

The elders’ eyes gleamed as well. Finding Dong Bahlong too slow, they left him behind and, with one of them grabbing Dong Haohu, sped toward the basin at breakneck speed.

Dong Haohu, thinking of how he had deceived the elders just for a woman, felt a pang of guilt. Would he be punished if they discovered the truth?

Liu Haoran, upon returning home, did much the same. Though the process differed, he too convinced his family’s experts to head to the basin.

Liang Zi, on the other hand, told the truth upon returning. Out of gratitude for her spoils, her family also sent experts to the basin.

Ke Yan was less fortunate—her attempt to boast was cut short by her father’s interrogation, and she was forced to lead her clan’s experts to the basin herself.

Thus, the four great families left Senyuan Town simultaneously, all heading in the same direction, arousing the curiosity of other factions, who also sent their own experts to follow.

In this way, the basin became the site of a grand gathering.