After digging a shallow pit to serve as both shelter and observation point, Lin Wei camouflaged it well with branches and leaves. He prayed it wouldn't rain that night, as any downpour could ruin his plan. Inside the pit, he retrieved his spear and waited, mind racing with the wild possibilities of dawn.
When dawn broke, the day of reckoning arrived in the blink of an eye. Lin Wei headed toward the cave entrance. He planned to scatter the attractant powder both at the entrance and deeper inside the cave. He hoped the cave-dwelling spirit fish wouldn't detect anything suspicious—after all, how could they? None of them had encountered such a setup before.
Of course, he first ensured that the legendary Voidscale Fish wasn't nearby.
Once confirmed, he began sprinkling the potent attractant from deep inside the cave outward, creating a scent trail.
He used a mix of old medicines he once considered useless—some that mimicked spiritual stone aroma and others with strong sedative effects. The sleeping medicine had no odor and didn't disperse easily. Instead, it settled into the air and ground, activating only when beasts passed through and inhaled it. Once inhaled, it would knock them unconscious and awaken their bloodlust when they awoke.
Lin Wei quickly retreated to his shelter. The wind and nearby trees helped carry the attractant's scent across the forest. Even from his hiding spot, the smell was overwhelming.
"This stuff is terrifyingly strong," he murmured.
In less than twenty minutes, the forest stirred. The ground quaked as if a beast tide had erupted. Beasts—both fierce predators and cautious dwellers—emerged from their hiding places. They were all drawn to the irresistible aroma.
The first to arrive was a majestic Skyflame Roc, its cry piercing the skies as it descended. Many weaker beasts didn't dare block its path; its massive wings alone crushed smaller creatures upon landing. This was the very same Roc whose eggs Lin Wei had stolen weeks ago. It vanished into the cave, unaware it was walking into a trap.
Moments later, twin Silverback Thunder Apes pounded through the forest, smashing lesser beasts to pulp before entering the cave. The tremors grew stronger as more entered: a gigantic Ironhide Lizard, a ferocious Blazing Fang Tiger, and even a mythical Dracoleon—a lion with the tail and scales of a dragon.
Soon, over three hundred beasts had entered the cave. Each was more powerful than the last.
Then it came—the final beast.
From his hiding hole, Lin Wei felt the earth freeze. A monstrous Voidcoil Serpent, large enough to wrap around a mountain, slithered into view. Its gaze swept the land—and landed on Lin Wei. For a moment, Lin Wei couldn't breathe. His strength drained, sweat poured from his body. He was face-to-face with one of the most terrifying beasts he have encountered in this wilderness, one that could rival the Voidscale Fish itself.
But the serpent ignored him and entered the cave. Its immense body slithered halfway inside before the sleeping mist took effect, knocking it unconscious mid-way, its massive tail still hanging outside.
Knowing the Voidscale Fish's nature—it would rather die than let its offspring be harmed—Lin Wei began to count down. He knew the fish would return soon, and when it did, all hell would break loose.
He climbed the tallest tree nearby and waited. The ground began trembling an hour later.
Then, an earth-shattering roar exploded from within the cave.
The Voidscale Fish had returned.
Inside, it found its cave desecrated and its eggs threatened. Without hesitation, it attacked the nearest beast and tore it in two. That roar echoed through the wilderness, sending waves of fear and violence across the cave.
A bloody war began.
The beasts, now awakened and filled with primal bloodlust, clashed. Every powerful one became a target. If one beast showed strength, others ganged up to bring it down.
The spiritual energy in the cave stirred wildly. Spirit stones cracked out of the walls and fell from the walls. Lin Wei could only observe and hold tightly onto the tree with the help of his Serpent Coil, biting into dried meat and chewing medicinal herbs to stay focused.
Day and night blurred. On the fourth day, the cave was still trembling. The entrance was starting to collapse.
Lin Wei remained patient.
By the eighth day, only the strongest were left. Even they were heavily wounded.
Inside the cave was a massacre. 70% of the beasts were dead. The rest fought in a desperate frenzy. The Voidscale Fish, both male and female—yes, there were two—fought furiously, especially against the Voidcoil Serpent.
The Roc was dead. The Silverback Apes were gone. The Blazing Fang Tiger's corpse had melted into the stream. Yet the Dracoleon still stood, its regal mane soaked in blood. The male Voidscale Fish was on its last breath. Even the female was severely wounded but refused to fall. They were determined to protect their eggs at all cost.
Another week passed.
Lin Wei, still on his perch, smiled grimly. "You all fight to the death... I'll harvest the remains."
By the second week, only ten beasts remained. All were sluggish, bones broken, breathing ragged. Yet they still fought. Lin Wei watched as the final act of his chaos unfolded.
On the fourth day of the week, the tremors suddenly stopped.
"Is this the moment I've been waiting for?" Lin Wei muttered to himself. It felt like it.
He climbed down from the tree and slowly approached the entrance of the cave. A few large rocks were still blocking the path, but with a push, he managed to squeeze through. His heart pounded as he stepped inside, still nervous despite all his preparation.
The sight that welcomed him was strange and eerie—fragments of powerful beast corpses littered the floor. They had been dead for some time, but due to their strength as cultivators, their bodies hadn't decayed yet. It would take at least six months for them to rot. The once-familiar walls of the cave were now unrecognizable, filled with cracks, rubble, and fallen debris.
Clutching his spear—now lighter and sharper after absorbing the energy of the spirit stone—he ventured deeper. Occasionally, huge boulders blocked his path, forcing him to stop and clear the way, stone by stone.
He had been walking for over four exhausting hours when he finally saw something familiar: spirit coins—the same ones he had worked so hard to mine days ago. Now, they were scattered carelessly across the ground, as if waiting for him to return. But he didn't come for coins this time.
His goal was the meat of the legendary beasts inside—especially the giant anaconda-like creature. "That meat must taste divine," he thought, licking his lips nervously but excitedly.
An hour later, he reached the largest chamber in the cave. Water still flowed through it, echoing eerily in the silence. Yet, despite everything, he could still hear the faint, rhythmic heartbeats of the two beasts: the massive anaconda-like creature, and the legendary Moon-Finned Spirit Carp, Xuan Lian.
He froze.
Sweat trickled down his back. But there was no turning back now. This was it.
Without hesitation, he tightened his grip on the spear and charged toward the anaconda. With all the strength he could muster, he thrust the weapon straight into its heart. The beast was already weakened and couldn't resist. Without pausing, Lin Wei turned to face the Moon-Finned Spirit Carp.
But it wasn't as helpless as it looked.
Just as he lunged, the fish reacted, gathering what little energy it had left. It met his attack head-on, but his spear pierced through its skull, tearing through from head to neck. The impact sent Lin Wei flying.
He slammed hard against the stone wall.
Blood sprayed from his mouth. Something in his back cracked—he couldn't feel his legs. He tried to move, tried to stand, but a wave of unbearable pain crushed him back to the ground.
As he lay there gasping for breath, his vision blurred, but he forced himself to remain awake.
He reached for his finger to retrieve his storage ring, hoping to find a herb that could help with his injuries. Inside, he found the Soulroot Ginseng and the Blackvein Lotus—both known for their powerful healing properties.
Slowly and painfully, he managed to place them in his mouth. Even chewing was difficult. He didn't chew them thoroughly before swallowing, but despite that, the herbs worked just as miraculously as he had hoped.
Within three hours, he could already feel the effects. The herbs worked wonders—his wounds began to close, and even his broken bones started to mend.