Chapter Fifty-Four: Simulating the Battlefield

Lin Zuo and Lin You joined forces, and the tide of battle shifted instantly. Their minds were in perfect harmony, and together they relentlessly pressed the remaining leader of the Earth Roar beasts, unleashing a barrage of attacks. In the end, Lin Zuo held the opponent at bay, while Lin You seized the opportunity and thrust the Blazing Flame Sword deep into the mouth of the sixth-rank Earth Roar. The sharp blade pierced the soft upper jaw, driving straight into its brain, severing its life with a single stroke.

The two brothers did not pause to rest. Instead, they slipped into the city, following the vengeful squad to guard against the possible appearance of another sixth-rank Earth Roar leader. Although they knew it was unlikely for more sixth-rank Earth Roars to exist within the pack, the emergence of two such leaders had already put everyone on high alert. They could not afford to let their guard down.

No further surprises occurred as the remaining Earth Roars within the city were nearly eradicated, and only then did the Lin brothers inform the Earth-tier cultivators of Vengeance City to enter and finish the thorough cleansing of the Earth Roar horde.

With numbers comes strength. Nearly four thousand Qi Refining cultivators and several hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators surged into the ruins of the city. The remaining Earth-tier Earth Roars were wiped out within half an hour, leaving not a single beast behind.

This battle lasted less than an hour. Thousands of Earth Roars and four leaders were eliminated, and the external threat to Vengeance City was, for the time being, removed.

With Wang Li in seclusion, the affairs of Vengeance City were managed by the Lin brothers, Luo Heng, Jiang Yu, Ling Xiao, and Hong Luanfeng—those who had distinguished themselves in battle.

After deliberation, Luo Heng, Tong Cheng, and Feng Qing led three Foundation Establishment squads to explore the city ruins to see if anything was concealed within, while the others were tasked with clearing all the Earth Roar carcasses.

Earth Roars are treasures in their entirety. Their hides can be used to make low-tier defensive armor, bones serve as medicine for external wounds, sinew and organs, once processed, become potent tonics that strengthen the cultivator’s body. Even the seemingly worthless flesh is the best food reserve for Vengeance City; cultivators below the Golden Core stage cannot survive without eating.

With so many participants, sustenance was a major concern. Uncertain whether there were other sources of food in the Chosen Ruins, they would not waste any opportunity to stockpile provisions.

Moreover, the carcasses could be exchanged on the Chosen Leaderboard for cultivation resources, making them too valuable to squander.

These Earth Roar corpses were the greatest bounty from their battle against the survival crisis.

The bodies of two sixth-rank and two fifth-rank Earth Roars were undoubtedly the most precious and were allocated to those who had rendered great service.

The Lin brothers, being the main force, were given one sixth-rank Earth Roar corpse. Wang Li and Jiang Yue had provided high-grade Earth-tier spiritual weapons; Jiang Yue and Jiang Yu had participated in the battle against the sixth-rank Earth Roar leader, and together with Luo Heng, Feng Qing, and Tong Cheng, shared the other sixth-rank Earth Roar corpse.

Ling Xiao’s squad and Hong Luanfeng’s squad each received a fifth-rank Earth Roar corpse.

All Foundation Establishment cultivators who participated in battle were given a fourth-rank Earth Roar corpse. The remaining corpses, after being exchanged on the Chosen Leaderboard for cultivation resources and spiritual weapons, were stripped of useful materials and divided equally among all cultivators as rations.

Vengeance City established a simple reward system. Items obtained from the Chosen Leaderboard and materials harvested from the Earth Roar corpses were stored in the camp’s warehouse, to be distributed later according to individual contributions.

Two days later, the battlefield in the city ruins was cleared, and Luo Heng’s group completed their exploration, confirming that there were no hidden dangers lurking in this ancient city ruin.

Judging from the findings, this city ruin was not built by humans.

All the remaining structures were colossal, and the central buildings were clearly not meant for human habitation. The city’s scale was abnormally large, stretching more than thirty miles east to west and over fifty miles north to south, but with relatively few buildings, scattered sparsely throughout.

The construction materials were sourced from nearby mountains, and the architecture was crude in style and workmanship. Most of the daily items found were made of stone and bone, with very few pottery or metal artifacts. No writing was discovered, only some incomplete carvings on stones. No remains of the original inhabitants were found, making it impossible to determine what kind of intelligent race once lived here.

A city ruin not belonging to humans was not intimidating; the cultivation world had beast cities, demon cities, and enigmatic ghost cities, each more distinctive than the ruins before them.

This mere city ruin could not inspire fear.

What truly unsettled everyone was that, apart from the Earth Roar horde and the omnipresent dense vegetation, not a single other creature could be found within the ruins—not even insects.

It was not just the city ruins that lacked life; the mountains for dozens of miles around Vengeance City were equally devoid of anything but plants.

This was deeply unsettling.

The environment within the Chosen Ruins appeared normal: water, forests, land, and temperature—nothing was lacking. It ought to be a paradise for thriving life.

Yet in such a favorable environment, not a single animal could be found. This was highly unreasonable.

Restless, the cultivators of Vengeance City expanded their search. Led by Lin Zuo, a dozen people scoured an area five hundred miles in every direction, but found nothing.

The silence weighed heavily on their hearts, and the tasks listed on the Chosen Leaderboard vanished along with the Earth Roar horde.

In the end, everyone sought out Wang Li for guidance.

After consulting with Elder Sheng, Wang Li addressed the crowd: “This is merely a trial field, not a normal world. Some peculiarities are to be expected. The Chosen is not controlled by humans. Having cleared the Earth Roar horde ahead of schedule, the next test in the trial field will appear according to the predetermined plan. All tasks on the Chosen Leaderboard were centered on the Earth Roar horde in the city. When new tasks appear, new trials will likely arise around the city as well.”

“There is a gap between the two trials. Use this time to cultivate and absorb the gains from this battle. I estimate that the next ordeal will be far more dangerous than the Earth Roar horde. You must be prepared.”

Elder Sheng was familiar with the ways of world will, and immediately saw through the nature of the Chosen—it was, at its core, a programmed process.

With Wang Li as an unexpected variable among the participants, all were gathered ahead of schedule, their combined strength completing the tasks so swiftly that the world will’s programmed response could not keep up. Elder Sheng guessed the next trial would only appear at the scheduled time, for such a rigid program was nothing more than a foolish automaton, carrying out its steps mechanically.

Many doubted Wang Li’s answer, but with no better option, they accepted his explanation.

What the cultivators of Vengeance City needed most was simply a reassuring rationale; whether true or false mattered little.

Before the crowd departed, Wang Li activated the battle simulation, entering everyone’s information into the virtual scenario as sparring partners.