Chapter 129: Welcome to the Taihang Mountains 5A Scenic Area

Inside the cave, Gu Sha unceremoniously plucked the exotic fruit that the Bear King had been guarding for so long. As the boss, it was only reasonable to collect tribute from his subordinates.

After stepping out of the cave, Gu Sha saw the Bear King looking aggrieved. He walked over, patted the beast, and said, "Bear Two, you need to broaden your perspective!"

The Bear King, looking utterly humiliated, replied, "Boss, my name is the Sky Bear King."

"Understood, I've noted that, Bear Two," Gu Sha nodded.

The Bear King: "..."

"Listen to me," Gu Sha squatted beside the Bear King and continued, "Whether we are humans—or bears, for that matter—what is the difference between a bear without an ideal and a salted fish? Are you satisfied with just one exotic fruit? What kind of scenery will you see if you live your whole life like that?

"Do you know how vast the universe is? Earth is but a tiny speck. So, what is the most promising profession in this world? A ruthless bandit! And what makes one a truly ruthless bandit? It is to rob the entire universe.

"Think about it. If we rob a deity, I, your big brother, take fifty percent, and you all take fifty percent. It might not sound like much, but think carefully: behind every deity is a faction; behind that faction is perhaps a planet; behind that planet is a civilization; and behind that civilization is a universe. If we rob the entire universe, how much could you obtain?

"With one exotic fruit, you can become a War King; with all of the Taihang Mountains, you can become a War Emperor; with the Dragon Continent, you can become a Domain Lord; and with the entire Earth, you can surpass a Domain Lord. If we rob a galaxy, wouldn't you become an immortal? If we rob a universe, or several universes... think about it, really ponder it!"

The Bear King whimpered, "Then... then Boss... could you give me one of the fruits you picked? Just one, let me taste it, please! I've waited so long for it!"

"Perspective, perspective," Gu Sha said, slamming the Bear King into the ground. "I was just talking to you about perspective. Think: if I eat the exotic fruit now, my strength increases, right? The stronger I am, the better I can lead you all to rob other creatures, and the more we earn, right? You have to open up your mind!"

The Bear King: "I just want to eat one fruit..."

"Alright, I believe you understand now," Gu Sha said in a deep voice. "As far as I know, there are several other beast kings in these mountains..."

The Bear King’s eyes lit up. He glanced at his bruised crotch and suddenly seemed to understand why the Silver Wolf King had been so ruthless in his attacks earlier. He immediately shouted, "Boss, I know where they are hiding!"

Gu Sha nodded. "See? Hasn't your perspective broadened already? Remember our slogan: If you’re a brother, come to the Taihang Mountains to get a beating!"

That night, shrieks of terror echoed throughout the Taihang Mountains, scaring the peripheral beasts into trembling.

...

Early the next morning, at the Asking Heaven Pavilion—which should now be called the Gathering Justice Hall.

The stone tablet inscribed with "Asking Heaven Pavilion" had been renamed "Gathering Justice Hall." Within the palace complex, a hundred-meter-tall stone tablet was crudely carved with four large characters: "Administering Justice on Heaven's Behalf!"

Dense crowds of beasts gathered across the mountains and plains, causing a great commotion, with more groups constantly arriving.

At this moment, Gu Sha was cultivating inside a palace. Sounds of wind and thunder emanated from within, source energy surged, and mists drifted out from the cave entrance, accompanied by brilliant, colorful rays of light.

Wisps of golden source energy swirled, enveloping many exotic fruits. Vast amounts of source energy poured into Gu Sha's body, flowing like molten magma from a volcanic crater into his system.

Fourth-stage War Emperor...
Fifth-stage War Emperor...
...
Long afterward, the golden light and auspicious energy faded, revealing Gu Sha.

"Sixth-stage War Emperor!"

He had plundered all the precious exotic fruits in the Taihang Mountains, cultivating straight to the sixth stage of a War Emperor in one go. It was a pity that, had he more time, he wouldn't have minded waiting for the rest to ripen, which would have at least pushed him to the eighth stage.

However, it didn't matter. Exotic fruits weren't exclusive to the Taihang Mountains. The resources held by those so-called deities and the creatures of the Heavenly Origin Realm would surely be abundant.

After suppressing his surging source energy, Gu Sha stepped out of the palace. As soon as he emerged, he felt fluctuations of source energy everywhere in the surrounding palaces; the beast kings he had subjugated were also breaking through.

After conquering those beast kings, he had led his diverse group of subordinates to campaign across the Taihang Mountains, seizing territories occupied by zombie-beasts and zombies. Unlike the beasts, whom Gu Sha was interested in recruiting, he had simply exterminated the zombie-beasts and zombies. He could coexist with beasts, but zombie-beasts and zombies were fundamentally enemies.

After seizing the territories of the zombies and zombie-beasts, Gu Sha's underlings had gone on a mad looting spree for exotic fruits. Learning from Gu Sha, they didn't wait for the fruits to ripen—they just ate them immediately. Under Gu Sha's combination of brutal beatings and brainwashing, his subordinates had all "broadened their perspectives." They were all determined to pursue the most promising profession.

Resources were gained fastest through looting. Letting others cultivate the fruits and then taking them for oneself was far faster than waiting patiently for a single fruit to ripen. After one harvest, there was always another; after one target, there was always another. Under Gu Sha's influence, the most primitive concept of capital exploitation was born among the beasts of the Taihang Mountains.

Meanwhile, among humans, the descending deities had made many cultivation manuals public. Although they were not advanced, they were priceless treasures to these beasts who didn't even know how to perform basic energy-drawing techniques. They all cultivated frantically, and combined with the exotic fruits, their strength grew rapidly, producing several high-stage War Kings.

At noon, in a vast square, a dense crowd of beasts gathered. The reason so many were there was that the beast kings were following their big brother's example: if someone didn't submit, they would beat them until they did.

Leading them were the thirty-four beast kings. However, the dozens of chairs placed in the square had become mere decorations. One Golden Monkey King could have sat, but seeing the other beast kings standing, it felt too conspicuous and decided not to sit either.

The only one sitting was Gu Sha. In fact, he was the only human present.

Gu Sha proclaimed loudly, "Today, I, Gu Sha, raise my banner! One hundred and eight beast kings have come to join the alliance. From now on, we shall work together to administer justice on heaven's behalf!"

The assembled beast kings were confused. The Bear King raised his two paws, counted them over and over, and looked at the Silver Wolf King beside him. "Old Wolf, lend me your toes. Why does my count seem wrong? There aren't one hundred and eight beast kings here, are there?"

"Pah!" The Golden Monkey King slapped the Bear King. "Can the Boss be wrong? If the Boss says there are one hundred and eight beast kings, then there are one hundred and eight!"

From his seat of honor, Gu Sha looked at his motley crew of subordinates and said, "Remember, our gathering at Taihang Mountain is a response to cultural calls to establish a 5A-level scenic area. We must ensure every tourist who comes here feels our hospitality. We are committed to creating a brand-new 'kidnapping-style' tourism experience, providing them with an unforgettable, comprehensive service!"