After Raed finished extracting the cores from the bodies and storing the corpses in his storage bag, he approached the side of the demonic serpent's corpse.
He pulled out a sword from one of the five men and made an incision in the serpent's belly to retrieve its demonic core.At this stage of demonic beast cultivation, the power stored in their cores was very weak. Most of their strength resided in their flesh and blood, making the body parts more valuable than the core.
In the later stages, the core becomes more potent, and the body just as valuable. In fact, the creatures most prized for training were humans and cultivators, which is why they would launch brutal raids on cities from time to time, causing disasters.
"This beast will yield many Heavenly Sacrifice Pills,"
Raed thought, storing the core and the corpse in his storage bag before heading off in search of more beasts
....
At the same time, Rami was engaged in a fierce battle with a wild bull that was half a step into the second level. He fought with intense determination, wielding his sword with all his might.
"This demonic bull is incredibly strong, especially that horn—it's terrifying,"
Rami said, raising his sword vertically and unleashing a powerful strike. "Sea-Splitting Sword!"
The sword collided with the bull's head, but it lacked sharpness. The bull sent Rami flying back, blood spewing from his mouth. He hit the ground, on the verge of closing his eyes and sighing in resignation.
"It seems this is my limit,"
he murmured.
"Will you surrender here? If so, you don't deserve to wield a sword. The sword is the master of all weapons; its wielder must be a master to truly deserve it."
"A swordsman must walk a path that challenges everything. Anything that stands in his way must be cut down, even death itself. Yet you cower before this bull... Pathetic."
Just as he was about to close his eyes and give in to death, Raed's voice echoed in Rami's mind, igniting a spark in his eyes.
"Yes, why did I pick up the sword in the first place? … Ah, I remember now. I was drawn to its tyranny. When I saw it, I felt that it could cut through anything."
"Hahaha… I must cut it down. I must cut down everything in my path to truly deserve wielding you."
Rami muttered to himself, then laughed, unaware that a seed was slowly forming in his spiritual sea between his brows.
From afar, Raed smiled and then departed in search of more beasts. He had been hunting for nearly half a day, capturing many first-level peak beasts, three beasts half a step into the second level, and several weaker ones.
Rami stood up and closed his eyes as the demonic bull approached. When it was three meters away, he opened his eyes, releasing a powerful light.
He swung his sword simply, without any technique. No energy emanated from the sword, as if it were an ordinary blade. But if any swordsman saw this, they would die of envy.
In the next moment, the bull was sliced in half by an invisible slash, its body cleaved cleanly. Rami opened his eyes and smiled.
"The Sword Intent has finally reached the threshold of true swordsmanship. I owe this to my younger brother, Raed."
...
Elsewhere, Zahra was fighting with all her might, wielding a long spear against a demonic spider, also half a step into the Blood Refining Realm.
"Damn, this cursed spider is my worst enemy because of its webs that hinder my spear. What should I do?"
Zahra attacked with a furious expression, dodging the spider's webs and the deadly venom it secreted from its mouth.
The webs kept coming, but Zahra evaded them with high speed and agility, closing in on the spider. But just as she got close, a sharp thread suddenly appeared before her.
She tilted her head to the side, but the thread grazed her face, poisoning her. The venom spread rapidly from the wound.
"Damn you! Die! Earth Piercing Spear!"
Zahra cursed fiercely, taking advantage of her proximity to the spider. She thrust her spear with great force into the spider's eye, killing it instantly.
But Zahra fell to the ground, unable to move as the venom spread through her body
....
In another part of the forest, Aziz was setting traps for various family members passing through, striking them first and stealing their beast cores.
"Damn you! The elder said we need to work hard for the family, yet you disgrace the First Elder!"
A family disciple shouted in anger, but Aziz's henchmen slapped him, their faces twisted in cruel, ugly smiles.
"Hmph, you're just trash. Offering your share to boost my points is an honor for you. Leave now or die."
Aziz sneered, looking down at everyone with contempt. The disciple left in anger, but there was nothing he could do due to the First Elder's influence and Aziz's strength
....
While everyone else was fighting, Fahmi was sitting on a tree branch, sprinkling powders on the ground to attract beasts. As they came and killed each other, he would toss poison on the survivors, killing them with a wicked smile. It was indeed the easiest way to kill
....
Meanwhile, Malik was actually with a group of people—weak individuals he had found on the brink of death during their fights. He had rescued them and taken them with him.
Though they were merely a burden, Malik always wore a smile, sharing the beast cores with them, even though he was the one doing all the fighting.
Now, he was battling a boar, half a step into the Blood Refining Realm. The boar possessed immense physical strength and high defense.
"Brothers, attack from a distance! Don't get too close, or you'll be injured!"
Malik shouted as he landed a punch on the boar, sending it flying backward. Several arrows struck the boar's flesh, but none were lethal.
"Alright, Big Brother, be careful!"
someone called out.
"Hehe, don't worry. I'll kill it with the next strike,"
Malik replied, unleashing another punch. His fist glowed with dense yellow energy, piercing the boar's belly and killing it.
"Hahaha! Big Brother is really strong!"
The others cheered, collecting the cores before leaving
....
At the same time, Raed had collected many cores and killed many beasts. He was now battling another wild boar.
Raed battled the wild boar for what felt like an eternity, sensing a revelation in his previous encounters, yet it remained just out of reach.
As Raed fought and was driven back, memories of his past flooded his mind. His mother had left him to search for his father, fearing for his safety due to his weakness.
He also remembered his father saying he left him in this place to protect him from his enemies. Then, he recalled how he had been bullied because of his weakness.
Finally, he thought about the technique he practiced, the Tyrannical Heavenly Emperor Technique, a domineering method—even its name was overwhelmingly oppressive.
"If only I had enough power, my father wouldn't have feared for my life against his enemies. No one would have dared to bully me. I need power to stand at the peak of the world, power to look down on everyone."
"I need the strength to ensure no one dares to harm my friends, the power to crush anything in my path—even the Dao itself."
"Hahaha! What a fool I've been. The Tyrannical Heavenly Emperor Technique has been showing me the right path all along, but I failed to see it."
"My path is dominance… Die!"
Raed's voice echoed, causing a strange force to condense in his fist. If you looked closely, you would see a faint, tiny star within it.
The star shot out and struck the boar's head, shattering it completely—even the core was obliterated.
The star continued its trajectory, demolishing trees in a 500-meter radius and annihilating the beasts in its path, leaving behind only a mist of blood.
"Hahaha! Yes, this is dominance. This is true tyrannical power!"
Raed laughed heartily, realizing it was time to return.As he walked, he found a body lying on the ground next to a demonic spider. He quickly approached and recognized Zahra in a dire state. The venom had nearly consumed her, and she was on the brink of death.
"This girl will delay us if she stays like this. Should I leave her or take her back?"
Raed thought for a moment before deciding to help her; she didn't seem like an enemy. He fed her an anti-venom pill, then carried her on his back, taking the core and the spider's body. He found a cave quickly and began refining a pill specifically designed for this type of poison
....
While Raed was treating Zahra, the children of the Najjar family were leaving the demonic forest one by one, returning to the family to deliver the cores and tally their points.
"Hmph… It seems that trash is dead. Hahaha!"
Aziz sneered as the last of the disciples arrived, but his face stiffened when the Fourth Elder gave him a cold look.
Aziz glanced around, not seeing Zahra, and his expression turned anxious as he thought to himself,
"I hope she's alright."