THE MARTIAL KING, VOLUME 8 - Season 19 Episode 67

A deep sigh escaped from Zen’s lips. After his avatar had dealt with the matters of his inner world, it dissipated along with the wind.

Generally speaking, a warrior wouldn’t usually interfere too much with their inner world’s development, and allowed it to evolve on its own.

However, the war in Zen’s inner world involved the World Tree that he had planted. It would inevitably have serious consequences, and the humans wouldn’t have been able to survive if it wasn’t for Zen’s interference.

Meanwhile, Chapman kept his lips sealed and didn’t ask what Zen and the prophet discussed.

The prophets were transcendent beings within the sacred places. In other words, they were the watchers left behind by the Holy Being in the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land.

Their only purpose in the sacred places was to help the Holy Being. However, there had also been many conflicts in these races.

For instance, the Collapsing Mountain race wanted to know why they existed and why their master built this land. They even wanted to be like the warriors from the outside, who were able to transcend the Divine Refinement Forbidden Land and live in the divine land.

The prophet clearly knew that this was impossible, but he did not inform his people, and even misled them on many occasions.

After all, the world they moved in was created by the Holy Being, and Zen wouldn’t casually talk about it.

Chapman and other Collapsing Mountain people did not go out to hunt for a few days after the test. Instead, they stayed within the race to prepare themselves.

After about four days, the Collapsing Mountain race was finally ready. All the adults were divided into several groups and got ready to take off.

The Collapsing Mountain race were divided into four groups: snake, tiger, dragon, and divinity.

The weakest among them was the Snake Hunt Squad. Warriors who just received the title of “outstanding warrior” were put into this group. It could be said that this team was the safest and was considered a team where the older ones trained the newbies.

On the other hand, the Tiger Hunt Squad and Dragon Hunt Squad were the Collapsing Mountain race’s core forces. They were those who hunted the mountainous piles of prey in the square.

As for the Divinity Hunt Squad, they were rarely in the picture, because this team only contained a little more than ten people of the entire Collapsing Mountain race. The three people who held off the Formless Sky Python that day belonged in this squad.

Now, Zen had obtained the title of wild king and subsequently joined the Divinity Hunt Squad.

Some of the warriors from the other races chose to leave the Collapsing Mountain race after they passed the test, but the Collapsing Mountain race didn’t ask them to stay. If the warriors stayed, then they had to hunt along with them.

Once the preparations were done, these particular teams took off in a grandiose fashion.

Laquisha, Kennan, and the others didn’t join the group, but still followed along after the Collapsing Mountain race set out.

Kennan’s stubbornness decreased after he saw Zen’s potential. He didn’t bring Laquisha back by force, but he couldn’t help the doubts that sometimes clouded his mind.

No matter how powerful Zen was, the Soul Suppressing Cliff was built by a Holy Being. In theory, only a Holy Being could open it!

Then again, he also knew that if Zen could really enter the Soul Suppressing Cliff, it would be greatly beneficial to the Princess Royal. It would only delay her a little and it wouldn’t be too risky. Thus, currently he was willing to follow Zen along with Laquisha.

The Tiger and Dragon Hunt Squads led the way in the north, while the Snake and Divinity Hunt Squads followed closely behind.

After a short while, the color of the ground changed. The Silver Astral Stones were gone and were replaced by brown soil and a dense jungle.

The moment Zen walked out of the Silver Astral Stones and stepped onto the ground, he felt his whole body relax!

Back when the newcomers had entered the Collapsing Mountain race’s territory, they had to bear the area’s extremely strong gravitational force.

To resist such a force was immensely burdensome for all of them, that they even found it difficult to just stand up.

They eventually got used to the gravitational force for quite some time that when they finally left the Collapsing Mountain race, it felt like they got to relax for the first time!

It was as if the weight of a thousand mountains they carried on their back suddenly disappeared.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

Of course, all their bones had gotten compressed and their heights had been affected due to such gravitational pressure. The gaps between their bones became too tight and they lost about five inches in height.

But after two steps into the soil, they were able to move their muscles and bones freely. Their bones were finally stretched, and everyone had quickly ‘grown’ by a few inches.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Whether it was intentional or not, some of the foreign warriors deliberately exerted additional force so that their bones emitted a popping sound.

All the multiple and simultaneous popping sounded like a firecracker that had burst in the middle of everyone.

“Fuck, it’s so noisy. Be quiet, all of you! It’s like this every year when you bring a new person out!” a rough looking man from the Divinity Hunt Squad of Collapsing Mountain race grumbled.

The Collapsing Mountain people were already used to such a feeling and activity. Thus, none of them would be so bored as to stretch out their bodies in that way and make a scene. Only warriors from the other races did such a thing out of boredom.

Most of the popping noises died down after that Divinity Hunt Squad member complained. However, many of the foreign warriors looked rather satisfied.

It was because they had been stuck in the Collapsing Mountain race for several years, and grown and refined their bodies under great pressure. They had all experienced the pain, but there was a reward for this kind of suffering–their power had increased by tens or hundreds more.

Meanwhile, Zen did not stay for long. It hadn’t been a year for him, so he was clearly in a good mood. If the group had not accompanied him and if he hadn’t been put in the best hunt squad, he would’ve seized the chance to see how much his strength had increased.

After a few more steps, they had reached the forest when someone from the Tiger Hunt Squad suddenly shouted, “There’s a strange beast ahead! It’s the golden astral ape!”

The Collapsing Mountain race were born hunters. They had dedicated their whole lives to hunting, which made them extremely sensitive to scents and traces.

As soon as he finished speaking, the people of the Collapsing Mountain race did not move–but most of the warriors from other races had already set off.

Their heavy stampede caused a massive force to explode under their feet, which created many craters on the ground. Some of the warriors were caught off-guard and fell into the craters.

The Collapsing Mountain race’s hunting rules required the Tiger Hunt Squad to look out for their prey first, then all of them had to thoroughly investigate the area before they could surround their target. That way, they could capture their prey to the greatest extent.

However, the warriors from the other races had restrained their power for a long time. Everyone had only punched once during the assessment. Now that there was no gravity, they felt like birds who had been finally set free from their cages. Thus, how could they restrain themselves?

“Aye, this bunch of reckless fools! If they meet a truly powerful beast, they will die if they don’t follow the rules!” someone from the Collapsing Mountain race sneered.

After their power exploded and the ruckus died down, the forest in front of them dramatically changed.

A single fist smashed open a ravine, and an immense strength came out of it. The forest trees vanished without a trace and were replaced by more wide ravines, flying dirt, tree trunks, a loud, raging roar from a group of apes.

The golden astral apes lived on the edge of the Collapsing Mountain race’s territory, so they weren’t considered as powerful beasts. They wouldn’t stand a chance against the aggressive foreign warriors. While they were extremely agile, it still wasn’t enough for them to escape the clutches of death.

“Puff puff puff…”

The golden astral apes that were hit immediately exploded into clouds of bloody mists. These suppressed foreign warriors weren’t there to hunt, but they were there to kill.

Zen’s lips curved into a frown at the scene. It was true that it was easy for people to lose themselves after being suppressed for a long time. Such was the case with these warriors who were like wild beasts that only knew how to unleash their strengths.

In next to no time, all the golden astral apes that hid within the forest were killed.

The murderous warriors returned to their respective teams, but they all looked like they still wanted to continue.
Chapman did not stop them from doing so. As they progressed, the beasts they encountered were increasingly stronger. Sooner or later, they would learn a lesson…

The Collapsing Mountain people continued to lead the group forward.

They traversed through the forest and the further they traveled, the trees in front of them grew even taller.

At the beginning, the trees in the forest were only about thirty feet tall. Now, they covered the sky and everyone could barely see the clouds above.

These trees were hundreds of feet thick and thousands of feet high. Suddenly, the warriors from other races felt their palms itch uncontrollably. They sometimes punched the tree trunks they passed by to relieve the itch, which caused the trunks to crack.

“This is the forest of giant trees. If we continue onward, we will reach the Calamity Dispelling Forest. Don’t blame us for not reminding you if you alert those giant beasts and they come out to attack you, we are not expected to help you!” Chapman coldly said. Every time a giant tree fell, it caused a huge commotion. As hunters, the Collapsing Mountain people were finally unable to endure any longer.

Just as Chapman was done speaking, they heard a rustling sound in front of him. The Collapsing Mountain people looked at each other with horrified expressions.

However, the foreign warriors did not feel alarmed at all. Their power made them feel immensely strong, and gave them the impression that they were truly invincible.