The grassy plains stretched across vast distances, covering the land with varying shades of green and yellow, making the plains appear like a painting drawn by a child. Above these plains stood a young Gu Master wearing a heavy green robe, with copper belts covering his waist, arms, and legs, making him ready for any expected battle.
Before this young man, the stretches of grass extended far beyond his sight, but he could still perceive certain differences in this environment composed mostly of grasslands.
"Ahead, I can distinguish the shape of a hill or perhaps a small mountain… but that is the farthest I can see with Crystal Eyes Gu."
He had arrived in the Northern Plains only a few hours ago and was still trying to understand the environment around him. It was easy to get lost in these vast grasslands because of the similarity of the terrain. However, by using some methods he had learned in his childhood while living on Gu Yue Mountain, he could determine directions and distinguish them.
From this, he realized that he was located on the southwestern side of the Northern Plains. Knowing the direction, however, was almost as good as knowing nothing for his current situation. Because he did not wish to involve himself in the Northern Plains yet. Instead, he wanted to find a stable place where he could perform parallel refinement of his Gu worms, feed them once more, and restore his rank five cultivation. Only then would he officially enter the Northern Plains and involve himself in its politics.
This was for the best. With the battle strength of rank five, Fang Tian could guarantee his safety if something unexpected happened in his plans. Moreover, he was a stranger to the Northern Plains, and this would become very obvious through his accent. Because of this, he needed to learn the local dialect of the Northern Plains.
This was somewhat easy. All he had to do was capture a few mortal humans, search their souls, and learn the Northern Plains accent.
Such an act was undoubtedly demonic, but it was not as though he cared. After interacting with this world for some time, any intelligent person could realize that benefits alone moved this world, not values or morality.
Customs, values, morals, and rules were nothing more than methods for gaining benefits with the least possible risk.
Thus, for Fang Tian—who had lived isolated from the world for a long time—values and morals meant very little compared to survival and clinging to life.
Fang Tian could help anyone if that person did not harm his benefits, time, or plans. But he could also kill that same person for the sake of benefits. After all, he never truly felt any attachment to this world, despite living here for nearly twenty-four years.
And that age was not small for him. On Earth, he had only lived twenty-five years. That meant he had spent an equivalent lifetime in the Gu World compared to the time he had lived on Earth. Yet even that had not helped him form any precious bonds in this world.
Nor did he feel obligated to do so. Instead, he preferred remaining isolated, searching for some goal to cling to, something whose end he wished to witness.
Near the Low Tranquil Plains.
A group of Gu Masters rode two-humped wolves as they fled from a swarm of Sword Rats. Thousands of Sword Rats chased them madly.
One Gu Master shouted toward the person leading them in panic.
"Young master! This Sword Rat group is larger than expected! Can the elders really handle them?!"
The Gu Master who shouted was merely a minor Gu Master still at rank two, and he had been terrified by the nearness of death. But the Gu Master he called young master was not nervous. Well… at least on the surface he was not. Even though he was rank three, he still could not guarantee the lives of his men in such danger.
"Do not worry. When we arrive there, the elders and I will join forces and kill the thousand-beast king leading them, while you deal with the ordinary rats!"
The Gu Master known as the young master had thick eyebrows, bulging muscles, and broad teeth. Several scars covered his face and body. Instead of the expected darkened skin of a Gu Master who spent his life under the sun, his skin was dark bronze, the result of using Rank Three Bronze Skin Gu.
"The rats are getting very close, young master!"
The group formed an arrow-shaped formation using their two-humped wolves, with the young master leading them from the front.
Now that one of the Gu Masters had called out to him, the young master suddenly turned around and faced the approaching swarm of rats, crashing straight into them. Dozens of small rats were instantly scattered and crushed under his strength, drawing the attention of the entire Sword Rat swarm toward him.
This gave the remaining Gu Masters some time to widen the distance between themselves and the Sword Rats. The noise behind them was extremely loud, yet none of them turned back. Instead, they continued forward with complete confidence in their leader.
After five hundred meters, the young master dashed past them, running on foot with a speed that even surpassed the two-humped wolves.
"Damn rats! I lost my mount! I've also suffered many injuries, but they're only minor wounds and can be healed quickly… The real problem is that my primeval essence consumption was too great this time."
"Young master Li He, look! The elders are ahead!"
The group passed over a rise that had blocked their view of the distance ahead. Once they crossed it, a massive group of Gu Masters was revealed before them—numbering between one hundred and one hundred fifty.
"Come then, rats, and witness the power of my Li Clan!"
Young master Li He laughed proudly, his voice echoing across the vast space and reaching the elders standing at the front of the Li Clan's Gu Masters.
"Tsk, that brat Li He is far too arrogant. We should discipline him. How can someone like him inherit the position of clan leader with such a foolish personality?"
One elder snorted in disdain, drawing the attention of the three elders beside him.
"Tie Shan, there's no need to be so angry at the young master. Although he is arrogant and somewhat foolish, with our guidance he will be fine. Besides, we need strength more than anything to withstand the pressure of the Gan Clan."
The elder who had criticized Li He's temperament became gloomy when the Gan Clan was mentioned. However, his expression quickly straightened when a loud voice called out to them.
"Uncle elders! The thousand-beast king is at the rear of this rat swarm!"
Young master Li He and his group rushed toward them, then split into two sides—left and right—avoiding the center. The rat swarm was still far enough away that such a maneuver was easy to perform.
When the Gu Masters riding the two-humped wolves turned aside, they regrouped in the center after a hundred meters and advanced toward the main group.
Behind them, the rats charged madly forward, rushing directly into the middle without the slightest regard for intelligence. It was manageable when their numbers were merely hundreds above the ground, but when the entire swarm entered the area, the ground itself changed.
A muffled roar like thunder sounded beneath the rats. The soil gradually blackened… and then a massive explosion erupted!
The entire ground shattered beneath the rat swarm as flames and lightning burst upward, burning the Sword Rats until they were charred and turned into ash.
The Gu Masters activated their defenses against the explosion, barely preventing the remaining shockwaves from destroying their protection.
Young master Li He laughed fiercely as he looked at the charred remains of the Sword Rats, then turned his gaze toward the thousand-beast king, which had remained far from the explosion.
In the next moment, he and the four elders charged toward the thousand-beast king, and a fierce battle began between them.