Chapter 2: The Beast Team (Part 1)

The handsome old man smiled like an owl and said, “Eat it… Hehe, as long as you eat it, it must taste good.” His expression was somewhat strange.
Guo Shier looked at the Soul Pearl in his hand and then at the handsome old man, feeling skeptical. After a while, he said, “I feel something’s wrong…”
The handsome old man put on an innocent expression and said, “What’s wrong? You’re being too paranoid, hehe.”
Guo Shier wondered, “Why does your smile seem off… Hmm, I’ll think about it. Eating this directly is a bit disgusting.”
The handsome old man said, “If you don’t eat it, then give it to me.”
Guo Shier tried placing the Soul Pearl on his forehead. At the same time, his soul began to fluctuate, and the Soul Pearl immediately turned into a warm current that flowed directly into his soul.
It was an extremely pleasurable sensation—one Guo Shier had never experienced before. His entire body trembled slightly, as the pleasure from his soul was so intense that his vision blurred.
The handsome old man chuckled and said, “It tastes good, right? Do it a few more times… I guess you’ll get addicted.”
After a long while, Guo Shier slowly opened his eyes and was stunned for a while. He said, “Terrifying!” Then he immediately recited the Soul Scriptures. Instantly, his soul began to fluctuate rhythmically. The handsome old man had originally wanted to say something else, but after sensing the fluctuations in Guo Shier’s soul, he also fell silent. For beings of the soul realm, such fluctuations were extremely attractive, and he simply couldn’t resist the temptation.
After reciting the scriptures a hundred times, the Soul Pearl finally merged completely with his soul.
The unscrupulous handsome old man wanted to see Guo Shier’s reaction and asked cheerfully, “How did it taste?”
Guo Shier sighed deeply and said, “Give me a few more… I really will get addicted. That feeling is simply too wonderful. By the way, handsome old man, how many Soul Pearls can be refined from the soul fragments collected this time?”
The handsome old man said, “Approximately… well, less than two thousand.”
Guo Shier was shocked. “Damn, so many!” He had only absorbed one Soul Pearl, yet his soul power had increased significantly, and the amount of his soul had also grown a bit. He knew this was a precious item, but he didn’t expect there to be so many.
The handsome old man said, “It’s not much. I still think it’s not enough!”
Guo Shier asked, “Why not enough? Nearly two thousand Soul Pearls—I can use at most a dozen, leaving so many behind…” He was puzzled.

The handsome old man said, “The altar is needed, as are the sacrificial treasures. Your companions can use them too. How can just a few soul beads be enough? If you get the chance, you should collect more… It’s difficult, but it’s possible.”
Guo Shier had tasted success and had no objection to continuing to collect souls. As long as it wasn’t people he killed himself, he didn’t feel much psychological burden about it. He nodded and said, “Okay.”
There was some noise outside the door. Guo Shier put away the altar and went out, asking, “What’s going on?”
Nan Xiong stood outside and said, “I’ve met the Ancestor.”
Guo Shier smiled and asked, “Nan Xiong, is there something wrong?”
Nan Xiong replied, “I received a message token. Ancestor Nan Qiang wants you to return.”
Guo Shier asked, “Do you know what it’s about? Do I need to go back right away?”
Nan Xiong said, “Yes. I’m going back too. It’s probably to discuss our next steps.”
Guo Shier nodded and said, “Okay, let’s go back together.”
…
At the large camp, in the Great Talisman Fort where the headquarters was located.
In the hall, not only Ancestor Nan Qiang and Ancestor Nan Qin were present, but Guo Shier, along with Yingmo Luozhan and Nan You, had also arrived. Aside from a few commanders, most of those in the hall were experts at the level of Virtual Form Altars and above.
Numerous disciples waited outside the hall. Nan Yong issued orders from time to time, and Nan You and the others were also sent out.
Guo Shier sat next to Ancestor Nan Qiang and Ancestor Nan Qin, and the three of them spoke in low voices. Ancestor Nan Qin was in charge of another attack force, while Ancestor Nan Qiang was based at the headquarters of the large camp. Guo Shier asked with a smile, “Are we about to launch a full-scale attack?”
Ancestor Nan Qiang replied, “No. We’ll remain in a stalemate for a while. But don’t worry, Guo Ancestor. It won’t take too long. The Gujin family has been badly hit by this attack. Hehe, the situation is favorable now. Once we capture this place, they’ll take the initiative to negotiate peace.”
Guo Shier asked in confusion, “Negotiate peace?”
Ancestor Nan Qiang said, “Mm. In wars like this… neither the Gujin family nor our Gunan family can sustain it for long. The families can’t bear the losses—there’s too much consumption of resources and personnel. Everyone can’t afford it. When things reach a certain point, they’ll have to negotiate peace, otherwise it will shake the foundation of their families.”
Guo Shier asked, “What if the other side refuses to negotiate?”
Ancestor Nan Qiang said with a wry smile, “That would be troublesome. Then the war will escalate, and the families will suffer heavy losses… Even with the current level of war, our Gunan family has already lost no less than a hundred thousand professionals, and the other side has suffered even more.”

Guo Shier was shocked. The number of 100,000 professionals was terrifying. A large-scale war had just begun, and so many professionals had already been killed or injured. No wonder the Ancestor of Nanqiang wanted to negotiate peace—the family truly couldn’t bear it.

Ancestor Nanqin smiled and said, “Before negotiating peace, we must capture the Chijin Continent. The minerals on that continent are enough to compensate for the losses from this war.”

Guo Shier didn’t understand the local war situation nor the various families’ views on war. He was puzzled. An ancient family that controlled a continent and possessed resources many times greater than those of a country in his past life surely had immense potential for war. How could such a war be stopped just by deciding to?

After a while, Nanyou returned. Standing behind Guo Shier, he said, “The beast teams have been dispatched. There are three such teams in total.”

Guo Shier asked in surprise, “Beast teams?”

Nanyou nodded. “They are units made up of tamed mutated rune beasts.”

Guo Shier asked, “Advanced mutated rune beasts… can they be tamed?”

Ancestor Nanqin smiled and said, “Advanced mutated rune beasts cannot be tamed unless spirit beasts are used. However, the requirements for using spirit beasts are extremely high, and few people can master them, let alone form teams. The teams dispatched this time are the family’s own beast teams, consisting of level-three mutated rune beasts.”

For Guo Shier, level-three mutated rune beasts could be slain with a mere wave of his hand. But he understood that once these beasts reached a certain scale, their power would increase dramatically. He asked, “What kind of mutated rune beasts are they?”

Nanyou replied, “Iron-armored barbaric bulls. One beast team consists of a thousand iron-armored barbaric bulls, while another is made up of level-three mutated rune horses.”

Guo Shier asked, “There are three beast teams in total. What kind of mutated rune beasts are in the last team?”

Nanyou said, “The last team consists of earth dragon-type mutated rune beasts—100 level-three rock dragons. Well, there are also a few level-four mutated rock dragons among them, specifically used to break through the enemy’s defensive rune arrays.”

Guo Shier asked, “Does the enemy also have beast teams?”

Nanyou replied, “Yes, but… they can’t be dispatched here. Haha, mobilizing beast teams this time requires huge costs. Just using the family’s large teleportation arrays incurs astonishing expenses. Although beast teams are powerful, transporting them is extremely difficult.”

It was only when Guo Shier saw the Great Beast Team in person that he understood what Nan You meant by difficulties. A third-tier mutated iron-armored bull, nearly four meters tall and over seven meters long—such a massive creature could hardly be transported without a large teleportation array, and even then, only a small number at a time. As for the mutated rock dragon, it was even more enormous, over thirty meters long, resembling a giant lizard. This creature was a tamed beast and couldn’t be stored in a beast talisman; even with a large teleportation array, at most two or three could be transported at a time. Transporting a hundred of them would be incredibly difficult.

Elder Nan Qiang sighed and said, “This time, it’s only because we’ve mobilized the Great Beast Team. Relying solely on our family’s professionals would be unbearable. By sending in the Great Beast Team, the losses will be smaller.”

The old man’s spirit trembled slightly: “Young man, not bad. There’s even a beast team? Hehe, more people will die this time.”

Guo Shier was speechless. He asked, “When will the attack begin?”

Elder Nan Qiang replied, “Soon, within three days at most. This time, we need to break through their defenses in one go. Hehe, with the assault of the Great Beast Team, they won’t be able to hold back—unless they send out several master-level experts. But… with us holding them off, the professionals of the Gujin family won’t be able to resist the Great Beast Team’s onslaught.”

Guo Shier said, “My task is to hold off their master-level figures. I won’t ask about anything else.”

Elder Nan Qiang nodded. “That’s right. You don’t need to worry about other things. This time, I’ve also invited two friends—both master-level experts. If they join forces, I don’t believe they’ll be able to hold back. Hehe.”