Chapter 1373: No moral principles in warfare

Zu'an often watched movies and would marvel at the sheer number of incompetent teammates, especially those characters who would be eavesdropping outside a window, only to accidentally step on a twig and alert those inside. He found such plot devices utterly idiotic.

To his complete surprise, he now found himself in precisely such a situation.

He didn't even have time to curse Wu Liang, an old hand, for making such a rookie mistake, as the guards had already charged forward.

The guards were startled to discover these people hidden here. Without a moment's hesitation, they drew their weapons and attacked.

Given that the Crown Prince's trial was underway, the imperial tomb and its surroundings were already sealed, prohibiting all entry and exit. The Crown Prince's uncle, Hei Chi Fei, was also guarding the main entrance. Though unsure how these individuals managed to appear here, the guards were certain they harbored malicious intent.

As the Crown Prince's most trusted confidants, chosen for this duty, their loyalty and abilities were undoubtedly top-tier. Even the weakest among them were at the peak of the ninth rank, and many were grandmasters. They launched lethal attacks, and Zu'an and his companions, daring not hold back, swiftly employed their respective skills to defend themselves.

Zu'an felt a pang of frustration. Their original intention was to enter the fabled Unknown Land with minimal disturbance and cost, avoiding alerting anyone. However, the situation consistently spiraled in the worst possible direction. It appeared they would truly have to assist the Little Demon Empress after all.

Before the Demon Ancestor statue, Crown Prince Jinwu's body trembled subtly, his head tilted slightly as if he were listening. He had clearly detected the commotion outside but was unable to divert his attention, as he was in the midst of his trial.

At that moment, Wu Liang shouted, "We must hurry! If he completes the trial and gains the Demon Ancestor's approval, his power will surge dramatically. Within this imperial tomb, he'll be able to harness the power of both the Demon Ancestor and previous Demon Emperors, and we'll all meet a gruesome end!"

"Since when do the Crown Prince Jinwu trials conclude so swiftly?" Yun Jianyue scoffed, clearly unimpressed.

Wu Liang quickly clarified, "He's undergoing the trial in his consciousness, not physically. The flow of time is different there!"

Yan Xuehen, Yun Jianyue, and Yu Yanluo, all preeminent figures of their generation, possessed knowledge far surpassing ordinary individuals. Upon this clarification, they immediately understood.

"You damned fatty, I'll deal with you later!" Yun Jianyue cursed furiously, immediately abandoning her previous relaxed demeanor and attacking without any reservations.

Her figure moved like a specter through the crowd, unleashing a chillingly brutal killing aura. This caused many, despite possessing cultivation levels equal to hers, to tremble in fear and their momentum to instinctively wane.

Yan Xuehen also seemed unwilling to be outdone. Her fighting style was completely distinct, every movement graceful and ethereal, like a dancing celestial maiden, truly a sight to behold.

Although Yu Yanluo's cultivation level was lower than the other two, she had inherited the true teachings of the Libationer's painting dao and also possessed the unique abilities of her Medusa bloodline. Furthermore, she had recently gained significant power from the Suihou Pearl. While her cultivation was only at the ninth rank, her combat prowess was now comparable to that of an average grandmaster.

Wu Liang watched from the sidelines, dumbfounded. How could these three seemingly delicate women be so incredibly powerful?

What puzzled him even more was why three such formidable women got along so harmoniously around Zu'an.

Is there no justice in this world?!

Nevertheless, he didn't relax his own efforts for a second. His combat skills were extraordinarily bizarre; once the fighting began, he would roll on the ground like a yo-yo, darting unpredictably across the battlefield. Suddenly, he would strike the Crown Prince's guards with the divine claws, an ancestral treasure of the pangolin tribe he'd acquired from the Suihou Tomb. Each attack often tore away large sections of flesh from their legs, sometimes even severing their Achilles tendons, making the Crown Prince's men both detest and fear him, cursing vehemently.

In this way, with their combined efforts, after roughly the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all of the Crown Prince's men were annihilated.

"You damned fatty, you owe us an explanation," Zu'an said, panting heavily as he glared fixedly at Wu Liang.

Even with his level of cultivation, dealing with so many masters in such a short period had left him utterly exhausted.

"No time to explain!" Wu Liang quickly retorted, then charged towards the statue. "If Crown Prince Jinwu awakens, we'll all die."

No sooner had he spoken than he appeared beside Crown Prince Jinwu, wielding the pangolin claw and striking directly at him. It was clear his cultivation was exceptionally high, as the tip of the claw glowed with a yellowish-brown light, a phenomenon that only occurs when elemental energy rubs against air at extremely high velocities.

At that moment, a light barrier flickered around Crown Prince Jinwu, deflecting the attack. Immediately afterward, the Demon Ancestor statue's eyes brightened, and the light barrier around Crown Prince Jinwu intensified further. Wu Liang was struck as if by lightning, spitting out a mouthful of blood and collapsing heavily to the ground, remaining there for a long time, clearly severely injured.

Zu'an, who had been brimming with questions and already suspected Wu Liang's true purpose for being there, now understood the gravity of the situation: if Crown Prince Jinwu were to complete the trial, not a single one of them would survive. Discarding all reservations, he too charged towards Crown Prince Jinwu.

After all, Crown Prince Jinwu was their adversary, and preventing him from completing the trial had been one of their initial objectives.

He immediately drew "Poisoned Dagger," channeling all his power into it and thrusting it directly at Crown Prince Jinwu.

He too encountered the light barrier, feeling as if his dagger had pierced a wad of cotton, his force absorbed into nothingness.

Immediately afterward, a terrifying wave of power reverberated from the light barrier, causing his qi and blood to churn.

Had his cultivation not been vastly superior now compared to before, and his physical body not been repeatedly tempered by the Primordial Genesis Scripture to become incredibly robust, he would likely have suffered Wu Liang's fate, being severely injured on the spot.

However, Zu'an didn't relax his guard in the slightest, as the rebound force struck in successive waves, each one several times stronger than the last.

Zu'an felt so much discomfort that he was on the verge of vomiting blood, but his ferocity was also ignited. It was a matter of life or death now, so he fiercely continued to plunge the "Poisoned Dagger" towards Crown Prince Jinwu.

The "Poisoned Dagger" was inherently adept at breaching spiritual energy defenses. Since this light barrier was not personally deployed by the Demon Ancestor, and Zu'an was exerting his full strength, the "Poisoned Dagger" gradually penetrated the barrier inch by inch, drawing closer and closer to Crown Prince Jinwu.

At this moment, Yun Jianyue, Yan Xuehen, and Yu Yanluo also arrived, each unleashing their most formidable lifelong techniques upon the light barrier.

Finally, the light barrier could no longer sustain itself and shattered with a thunderous crash.

Crown Prince Jinwu awoke at the exact same moment, unleashing a double-palm strike towards the group.

Amidst a blinding flash of light, Zu'an and his companions were thrown back by immense force, while Crown Prince Jinwu also reeled backward several yards, blood seeping from his mouth.

Zu'an and his companions frowned. They knew that previously, he could defeat Crown Prince Jinwu in a one-on-one fight. Now, with Crown Prince Jinwu facing so many of them alone and still managing to fight them to a standstill, it raised the alarming possibility that he had successfully passed the Demon Ancestor's trial.

Crown Prince Jinwu's eyes began to redden. "Damn you, you all deserve to die!"

At this moment, Wu Liang, still lying on the ground, called out, "Don't be afraid, he didn't successfully pass the trial. Judging by his current state, he likely failed at the very last moment. However, he did gain some benefits from the Demon Ancestor and previous Demon Emperors, and his power has increased significantly. You must be careful!"

Zu'an was speechless.

This whole mess was clearly caused by this guy, yet now it had become their problem?

Knowing that the other party was exploiting him, Zu'an wasted no politeness. He immediately activated the Gluttonous Devouring Heaven Art, pulling Wu Liang's body towards him, then directly hurled him at Crown Prince Jinwu.

Wu Liang had never imagined Zu'an possessed such a move and was utterly terrified. "You brat, that's not honorable combat!" he shrieked.

Crown Prince Jinwu clearly remembered the plump man who had just ambushed him. Seeing him hurtling through the air, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. With a flap of his wings, he unleashed a Golden-Winged Divine Slash, intending to cleave him into tiny pieces.

At that moment, Wu Liang curled into a spherical shape once more, his entire body suddenly covered by a layer of dense, fine scales. The Golden-Winged Divine Slash merely produced a shower of sparks upon impact, while he himself took the opportunity to retreat to a safe distance, completely unharmed.

Some people die, but not entirely...

He gasped for fresh air, his chest heaving.

Confusion, bewilderment, and a multitude of other emotions surged through him.

Where was this?

Shi Yu then instinctively surveyed his surroundings, growing even more bewildered.

A single dorm room?

Even if he had been successfully rescued, he ought to be in a hospital room by now.

And his body... how could it be entirely unharmed?

Still puzzled, Shi Yu's gaze quickly swept across the room, finally resting on a mirror on the bedside table.

The mirror reflected his current appearance: a handsome young man, approximately seventeen or eighteen years old.

His former self had been a distinguished, handsome young man in his twenties, who had already been working for some time.

Yet now, this face looked no older than a high school student's...

This transformation left Shi Yu stunned for a long time.

Please don't tell him the surgery was a success...

With both his body and appearance altered, this was no longer a question of mere surgery, but rather something akin to immortal magic.

He had actually become an entirely different person!

Could it be... he had transmigrated?

Besides the mirror on the bedside table, whose placement clearly suggested poor feng shui, Shi Yu also discovered three books nearby.

Shi Yu picked them up, and their titles instantly left him speechless.

*Essential Beast-Rearing Manual for Novice Trainers*

*Post-Natal Care for Pet Beasts*

*Guide to Appreciating Otherworldly Beast-Eared Girls*

Shi Yu: ???

The first two book titles seemed normal enough, but what on earth was the last one about?

"Ahem."

Shi Yu's gaze sharpened, and he reached out, but his arm quickly stiffened.

Just as he was about to open the third book to examine its contents, a sharp pain suddenly pierced his brain, and a flood of memories surged forth like a tide.

Icefield City.

Pet Beast Breeding Base.

Intern Pet Beast Breeder.

A Beast Tamer?