Scarcely had the sound reached his ears when Jiang Wang, hand already resting on his sword, rose to his feet. “Wait here for a moment,” he instructed. “I’ll go ahead and take a look.”

Qing Huo Qi Ming offered no response. At this moment, his entire being was taut with tension. The mere prospect of star beasts appearing seemed to have prised open the invisible gate to his heart, unleashing a torrent of fear.

Jiang Wang could not tarry to offer comfort. He spared him but a single glance before vaulting forward with focused intent, heading towards the cave mouth that led to the Nether Realm.

The Sunken Earth Pit was vast. Jiang Wang pressed forward without hesitation, yet upon reaching the destination, he found the cave entrance already guarded by a phalanx of Qing Huo Tribe warriors, their ranks disciplined and stern.

Luo Sai Da Hu’s voice boomed as he issued orders, adjusting the formation.

And there, at the forefront of the team, stood the one-armed Qing Huo Yuan Chen, a warblade clutched in his hand, his expression resolute.

Was Qing Huo Yuan Chen harsh towards Qing Huo Qi Ming? It could certainly be described as such.

But as a warrior of the Qing Huo Tribe, guarding the Sunken Earth Pit, he had sacrificed an arm to this duty. And despite being thus maimed, he continued to fight within the Pit. Moreover, even now, with star beasts poised to attack, he stood at the very vanguard without an ounce of hesitation.

Did such a man possess the right to look down upon someone like Qing Huo Qi Ming, who cowered in fear?

It would seem so.

The world was not a simple canvas of black and white; many matters defied clear judgment of right and wrong.

Strangely, despite the howling wind that was clearly audible and the sight of the Nether Realm stretching before them, the scene remained as tranquil as if nothing were amiss.

“Where are the star beasts?” Jiang Wang inquired.

No one paid him heed. Every warrior at the cave entrance was fully alert, poised for battle.

“They will appear shortly,” Qing Huo Yuan Chen answered instead, sparing him a swift glance. “Stand behind me.”

Jiang Wang complied, stepping back without pretense. The warriors within the Sunken Earth Pit were highly trained and disciplined. The team currently guarding the cave entrance stood with swords drawn and arrows nocked, while slightly further back, two reserve teams were positioned. Warriors even farther away were still resting, not even sparing a glance at the unfolding situation. To achieve such a degree of order was the mark of a true regular army, and an elite one at that.

“They’re here,” Qing Huo Yuan Chen stated.

And then Jiang Wang saw. Within the dense, almost inseparable ink-like darkness, pinpricks of light began to appear, intermingling and shimmering. At first glance, they resembled stars in the night sky, their beauty breathtaking. This sight perhaps offered some understanding as to why the inhabitants of the Floating Continent referred to the subterranean caves as “Nether Realm” or “Nether Void,” rather than simply “Nether Abyss.”

“This time, it’s burned through,” Qing Huo Yuan Chen murmured.

Jiang Wang already knew that within the Qing Huo Tribe, “burned” carried a similar meaning to “developed” or “intensified.” Qing Huo Yuan Chen was speaking ironically, conveying that the intensity of this wave of star beast tide was considerable. With the first wave already proving so challenging, the subsequent situation was bound to be severe.

“Second team, Third team, prepare for battle! Advance!” Luo Sai Da Hu roared, “Fourth team, Fifth team, end your rest, enter standby!”

“Star beasts are black beasts, but they will have star points on their bodies. The more star points, the stronger they are. This batch of star beasts will be very difficult to deal with. When you withdraw, pay attention to your position, do not hinder other warriors.”

Qing Huo Yuan Chen hastily explained to Jiang Wang, even as he took a step forward, his long blade slashing downwards!

The cave opening of the Sunken Earth Pit was roughly sixty zhang in circumference, though the irregular shape made the exact measurement difficult. Nevertheless, it was undoubtedly vast.

In the ink-like darkness, nothing could be clearly discerned. It was only when those “star lights” leaped out of the cave mouth that the specific appearance of the star beasts was revealed to Jiang Wang.

“Star beast” was merely a general term; the appearances of these creatures varied greatly.

The one Qing Huo Yuan Chen attacked resembled a crow. Of course, any bird of sufficient size that was black would bear a resemblance to a crow… This crow-shaped star beast, whose eyes were also pitch-black, took on a specific outline after detaching from the Nether Realm and being illuminated by the firelight. Unlike a typical crow, it possessed three points of light on each of its wings, flickering like starlight.

Qing Huo Yuan Chen’s single downward slash was remarkably accurate. At the precise moment of contact with the crow-shaped star beast, a line of firelight surged forth from his blade! The crow-shaped star beast thus silently dissolved.

Jiang Wang did not immediately join the fray. Instead, he chose to observe first, examining both the star beasts’ weaknesses and the Qing Huo Tribe warriors. He sought to identify the most suitable individuals to aid him in the impending life-and-death struggle.

The battle unfolding around the entire cave mouth was largely visible to him. From his initial assessment, Qing Huo Yuan Chen’s combat strength within the first wave of warriors engaging the star beasts was among the stronger. It was roughly equivalent to that of Bao Zhong Qing’s subordinate, Yan Er of the Torrential Hand, a strength that could dominate the Soaring Dragon Realm within a single county.

The ways in which totem power was utilized were diverse. Jiang Wang saw some warriors draw bows and loose arrows imbued with flowing fire. Others sketched patterns in the air, creating effects similar to various Dao techniques. Jiang Wang tentatively concluded that the totem power of the Floating Continent, much like Dao Origin, served as the foundation for the extraordinary. Of course, solely in terms of origin, it held a fundamental difference from Dao Origin.

Turning his attention back to the star beasts, he found that in terms of defense, speed, and attack, they were not particularly terrifying. Compared to the fierce beasts on Mount Yu Heng, they were not significantly stronger. The only truly concerning aspect was likely their sheer numbers.

Jiang Wang’s initial judgment was quickly overturned. The relatively easy offensive lasted only two rounds. In the third round, the star beasts surging forth from the Nether Realm exhibited a sudden and dramatic increase in strength! Their body sizes remained largely unchanged, but the number of star points on their bodies had nearly doubled compared to the first wave.

Qing Huo Yuan Chen’s knife was actually dodged by a monkey-shaped star beast, and he narrowly avoided a serious injury by reacting swiftly. Luo Sai Da Hu’s decision to deploy more warriors in advance proved prescient. Facing the surge in star beast strength, the Qing Huo Tribe warriors still held their ground. Many were injured, but none had yet perished.

The wounds inflicted by the star beasts were not particularly unusual; they seemed no different from those caused by common wild beasts. It was unclear whether these warriors had already adapted to the presence of star beasts, or if the wounds they caused were inherently unremarkable. Jiang Wang suspected the former.

Upon death, the star beasts dissipated, leaving behind no spoils. In this regard, they were also similar to the fierce beasts of the present world. In other words, fighting star beasts, aside from tempering the army’s combat strength, appeared to yield no other benefits. This was the core of the problem.

Any war involved consumption. If war could not sustain war, then it was a process of self-destruction. Jiang Wang had personally witnessed how the City of Three Mountains was worn down by those fierce beast nests. It was thus that he could understand why the situation on the Floating Continent was so tense, and why the Qing Huo Tribe was so strained.

Given the Floating Continent’s long history, it had undoubtedly produced countless sages who had undoubtedly researched the existence of the Nether Realm and star beasts countless times, and had undoubtedly conceived countless methods… But regardless of the process, the final outcome remained the same: there were no truly effective solutions. A fortress guarded a Sunken Earth Pit, and warriors used their flesh and blood to resist the star beasts. This ancient response persisted to this day.

Jiang Wang did not attempt to devise a method to solve this problem once and for all. He did not believe his wisdom surpassed that of the people of the Floating Continent, and his understanding of the Nether Realm was still superficial. However, his initial observation was complete. At the very least, he no longer needed to hide behind Qing Huo Yuan Chen.

“Step back a little.”

Jiang Wang pulled the visibly fatigued Qing Huo Yuan Chen back. Chang Xiang Si sang as it cleared its sheath, and with a single sword stroke, he beheaded a fox-shaped star beast whose star lights were concentrated on its head.