On the surface the village looked ordinary, but it was surrounded by people wearing the same uniform — guards with weapons at the ready.
"Huh? Careful, someone's here!" one of the patrolmen suddenly shouted. The others stiffened.
Ku Rong nodded gravely, refusing to hesitate. From his ring he produced a scroll wrapped in crude, ancient patterns. He glanced toward Goku, saw that he wasn't paying attention, and a look of joy crossed his face. He tore open the scroll… in an instant space trembled and a rift tore open beside them. The two of them, startled but elated, slipped through the portal…
"Heh! You still have the energy to run — you really do have the resilience of cockroaches!"
Before the two fugitives could savor their fleeting hope, Goku's figure suddenly materialized beside the portal. Without any flourish his fist smashed forward; the punch shattered the trembling space in layers.
"Ah~~~"
The two black-robed figures screamed in terror as they and the shattered portal exploded into a spray of blood and flesh. Bones and gore rained down. Even Lin Xiuya and the others — veterans who had long since become familiar with life-and-death scenes — turned pale; this manner of death was truly horrific.
Goku, when serious, could obliterate a planet with a single blow. How could a Saint or a Half-Saint withstand that? With one punch the two men and the broken spatial rift were annihilated together.
"G—great…" Lin Xiuya and the others could not help but exclaim in genuine awe. Lin Xiuya and Yan Hao in particular were filled with longing at such absolute power.
'One day, I will become as powerful as him!'
They vowed inwardly.
"Let's go," Goku said, turning and gesturing to the three, intending to return.
"Wait! We came for the Core Quenching Body Milk. After such a sacrifice, we can't leave empty-handed…" Han Yue stopped him and pointed toward the trembling Snow-Demon Ape not far away.
"Oh! If you hadn't reminded me I almost forgot. Since everything's settled, Lord Goku, would you accompany us on a brief detour?" Lin Xiuya said respectfully to Goku.
Goku had originally planned, upon returning to the inner courtyard and arranging the women, to go and deal with the Soul Palace; a little delay meant nothing. Seeing the eager look in Han Yue's eyes, he nodded and walked toward the Snow-Demon Sky Ape.
Han Yue and the other two rejoiced and followed closely.
"Lead the way." Standing beside the Snow-Demon Sky Ape, Goku spoke in a flat voice.
"Y—yes…" The Snow-Demon Sky Ape trembled, still too scared to speak at length after Goku's earlier display. It hurried ahead as a guide. Han Yue and the others watched in astonishment: even this fearsome, domineering beast had a submissive side — power truly ruled everything in this world.
They moved with trepidation. The Snow-Demon Sky Ape stole fearful glances at Goku, then mustered courage and implored, "That… esteemed human warrior, you may take the Core Quenching Body Milk… but please, spare my life. May I beg for mercy?" The ape had been frightened by Goku's prowess: it knew how strong the two black-robed men had been, yet even they were killed in an instant. Before such a being, it dared not resist.
Goku glanced at it coolly and nodded. The Snow-Demon Sky Ape, which had been all taut fear moments before, exploded into an ugly, almost comical grin of relief. Han Yue and the others gaped — the ferocious beast had a side they never imagined. Indeed, strength decided everything.
The dim main hall remained eerily quiet. Figures draped in black robes sat like meditating monks, not a single voice breaking the silence. This was the Soul Palace's most secret chamber, the hideout of those who fled from that terrifying presence. The people gathered here were the strongest of the Soul Race. They waited for confirmation; once they received it, they would swarm forth and take what they wanted at any cost.
"He's arrived!" A hoarse, ancient voice suddenly rang through the silent hall. Heads turned toward the altar in the chamber's center — there was both tension and anticipation in their eyes.
The space above the altar swelled and pulsed. A rift appeared, wavering in and out of existence. A pungent stench of blood seeped from it; thin streams of crimson trickled down from the torn breach, and bits of blood and bone rode the flow.
"Drip, drip—"
The sound of blood falling was faint, yet in that place it rang sharply, as if striking at every person's heart, heavy and sickening.
"Failed again… It seems the Three Saint and Old Ku Rong have already—"
Someone sighed softly. Under their hoods the black-robed figures all looked toward the head seat.
After a moment's silence, the Hun Tiandi's calm face broke into a strange smile. "Just as I suspected… still failed. Heh heh—an opponent like this is entertaining. It's been a long time since I felt this excited."
He swept his gaze across the hall. On his handsome face there lay a casual expression. "Begin the operation. Let us show them real slaughter. Let this world fall into true terror… ha ha ha! The continent's strongest — I want to see in the end who wins: you or me? Let's make a bet."
___
The valley's interior was spacious but extremely complex; without the Snow-Demon Sky Ape leading the way, ordinary people would have a hard time finding the Core Quenching Body Milk.
Following the ape, they soon reached the valley's end. A pitch-black cave loomed before the four of them.
"We're here!" Han Yue's face lit up. She and her junior sisters had come here before but had been too weak to deal with the Snow-Demon Sky Ape, so they had fled.
"Yes. The Core Quenching Body Milk is inside. Follow me." The Snow-Demon Sky Ape bowed respectfully to Goku and led the way again.
Inside the cave the ape reached a concave hollow and pushed aside the white fur that covered it. Beneath lay a layer of sand — darker than the surrounding sand, as if the ground had been disturbed. The ape plunged its huge hand in, claws piercing the sand, and scooped up a handful. A dark, subterranean opening appeared before them.
"You're careful," Yan Hao remarked coolly. With Goku present, even a sixth-rank feral beast like this did not concern him; that feeling was exhilarating, even if it felt somewhat boastful.
The Snow-Demon Sky Ape ignored him. If Goku had not been there, it would have struck him with a single slap.
They stepped out of the dark passage and the four of them were blinded by light. Looking around, their faces could not hide their astonishment. Even Goku, who had expected much, was taken aback; imagination could not prepare one for the real sight.
Before them spread an underground world studded with stalactites. Milky pendants clung everywhere, and a pale white light emanated from them, dispelling the darkness. Some hung from the ceiling; some reached a hundred meters in length. The view was like a forest of stalactites, and here and there a droplet of white liquid fell and splashed into a pale pool below.
"What a marvelous subterranean world!" Goku exclaimed. Immediately he thought of taking this place into his own spatial ring.
"It's beautiful!" Even the usually cool Han Yue could not help praising. She had only once stumbled into this lair, and then without the strength to claim anything.
"Where is the Core Quenching Body Milk?" After the initial wonder, Yan Hao's focus returned to the treasure they sought.
"Follow me." The Snow-Demon Sky Ape, slightly displeased at seeing its treasure about to be taken, led them on.
After ten minutes of winding through the stalactite world they arrived before a gigantic stalactite. Han Yue and the others gasped at the sight.
"Nature is truly wondrous." Even Goku could not help but speak.
Beneath the enormous stalactite was a huge slab of blue stone, half-buried. On the top of the stone was a shallow hollow less than half a foot deep, perfectly aligned with the stalactite's tip. In the hollow lay two inches of milk-white liquid which emitted a faint mist that never dissipated.
Han Yue and the others stared fixedly at the shallow pool of white liquid. Their throats moved and excitement colored their faces. "The Core Quenching Body Milk!"
----
The Zhongzhou Continent is vast; some large cities use the so-called "space wormholes" to shorten travel time. But for true strongmen, they can tear open space directly and create wormholes themselves.
The Black-Horn Domain lies not far from Jia Nan Academy. After years of struggle, the two had grown into bitter enemies. The domain had become one of the most chaotic regions on the continent, filled with stranded strongmen from many nations — a microcosm of the continent. Here no law ruled; there was only one rule: survival of the fittest.
In other words, the weak had no rights here.
However, half a month ago, through Goku's intervention, the Black-Horn Domain's cabals had been wiped out and it was now under control of Jia Nan Academy. The area was renewed; the previous tense and dangerous atmosphere disappeared. Peace had slowly begun to return.
In the sky above space shivered and flickered. Black-robed figures materialized; some radiated savage, chilling auras, some exuded a bloody scent, and some were shrouded in black mist. They looked extremely ominous.
An elderly figure emitting a terrifying veiled wave watched the city below with indifference. "This is the Black-Horn Domain? It wasn't like this before."
"It's been brought under Jia Nan Academy's control, so naturally it's become renewed."
"Heh heh — with such a figure in Jia Nan, was it really that easy to pacify the continent's most chaotic region?"
"Hmph! This peaceful feeling is disgusting. Let's destroy it."
"Remember, our mission is slaughter and ruin. If we attract his attention, flee if you can; if you can't… I need say no more."
"Understood!"
____
T/N:
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