Chapter 39 begins as countless Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts, each chasing different disciples, gradually converge upon the Entrance of the Bamboo Forest.
The moment the cultivators witness this terrifying scene, chaos erupts throughout the entire area.
Everyone desperately launches attack after attack, doing everything they can to survive.
However, it doesn't take long before they discover a horrifying truth.
Whenever a disciple accidentally slices an Emerald Fang Squirrel Beast into two, its Beast Core also splits in half.
In the very next instant, its terrifying regenerative ability activates.
Instead of dying, the beast divides into two living Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts.
The more they tried to kill them, the greater their numbers became.
No one was capable of wiping them out completely...
Except for one group.
It was the Fire Family.
Recognized as one of the Ten Great Families, the Fire Family remained remarkably calm amidst the chaos.
Leading their forces were two outstanding geniuses:
Huo Tianyang — a male disciple.
Huo Yan'er — a female disciple.
Several other disciples of the Fire Family stood alongside them.
Their greatest advantage was their family's supreme inheritance technique
Heaven Burning Flame Art.
Using this powerful art, they continuously unleashed blazing flames upon the Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts, reducing them to ashes before their regeneration could fully take effect.
However, it didn't take long for Huo Tianyang and Huo Yan'er to realize the true severity of the situation.
They understood that continuing this meaningless battle would gain them nothing.
If they exhausted all of their strength fighting these Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts, they would have nothing left to face the far greater dangers awaiting them deeper inside the Secret Realm.
There was another problem as well.
While all of their attention was focused on the Spiritual Beasts, another cultivator could easily launch a surprise attack from behind and leave them gravely injured.
After all...
Inside the Secret Realm, the most dangerous enemies were not always Spiritual Beasts.
More often than not...
Humans were the greatest enemies of other humans.
And, most importantly...
This was only the first danger the Secret Realm had to offer.
Afterward, Huo Tianyang immediately contacted all of his companions through Telepathic Communication.
His calm yet commanding voice echoed simultaneously within the minds of every member of the Fire Family.
"Everyone, listen to me carefully. Don't waste all of your energy fighting here."
"Stay close and advance with me. We need to choose one of the paths at the Entrance of the Bamboo Forest and enter the forest immediately."
"Follow behind me and support each other. Avoid the Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts as we push forward."
"Do not try to save anyone else. Your first priority is your own survival. Right now, our safety comes before everything else."
"I'll lead all of you safely into the Bamboo Forest. So focus on only one thing—staying alive."
After delivering his orders, Huo Tianyang acted without the slightest hesitation.
There wasn't a trace of mercy in his eyes.
To clear a path forward, he launched a direct attack against several nearby disciples.
The raging flames unleashed by his Heaven Burning Flame Art instantly engulfed four or five cultivators.
Within moments, their agonizing screams echoed through the battlefield before they were reduced to ashes.
The instant they died, the entire Entrance of the Bamboo Forest descended into complete chaos.
Panicked voices rang out from every direction.
"The Fire Family has already started killing people!"
"Stay away from them!"
"Run... or we'll be the next ones to die!"
Everything unfolded exactly as Huo Tianyang had intended.
Fear and chaos spread throughout the battlefield.
As everyone desperately scattered in an attempt to save their own lives, the Fire Family took full advantage of the confusion and carved out a clear path toward the depths of the Bamboo Forest.
Watching everything unfold before their eyes, the remaining disciples immediately rushed toward the path that the Fire Family had carved out.
Only one thought filled their minds.
"If we follow behind the Fire Family, we might be able to escape these Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts and safely enter the Bamboo Forest."
Within moments, a large number of disciples began chasing after the Fire Family.
However...
Huo Tianyang's only objective was to ensure the safety of his own people.
He had no intention of getting involved in unnecessary battles or burdening himself with protecting strangers.
The moment he noticed the other disciples following behind them, he cast them a cold glance and sternly ordered them to stay back.
Anyone who ignored his warning and continued forward was mercilessly forced back by the members of the Fire Family.
Before long, the disciples from the other Great Families and powerful sects also realized the reality of the situation.
They understood that continuing to fight the Emerald Fang Squirrel Beasts was completely pointless.
If they exhausted all of their strength here, they would be powerless against the far greater dangers awaiting them deeper inside the Secret Realm.
With that realization, one powerful force after another began adopting the very same strategy as the Fire Family.
Instead of wasting time fighting, they carved out their own paths and advanced into the Bamboo Forest.
However, any weaker disciples who happened to stand in their way were shown no mercy.
Some were brutally injured.
Others were killed on the spot.
At that moment, only one thing mattered to these powerful factions—
Protect their own people and preserve their strength for the dangers that lay ahead.
Before long, nearly every one of the major families had embraced the same ruthless strategy.
Amidst the chaos, Kim, the story's protagonist, was also present.
Yet, unlike everyone else, he had not made a single move.
The reason was simple.
He wanted to see just how far a person could fall when their life was on the line... and what they would be willing to sacrifice simply to survive.
Kim silently thought to himself,
"Human nature is like a rolling sphere. Push it in any direction, and it will roll that way without hesitation. When circumstances change, people can kill anyone... and if necessary, they can even sell themselves just to stay alive."
With those thoughts in mind, Kim remained calm, silently observing everything unfolding before him.
The story then shifts back to the cultivators of the Great Families.
Among all of them, however, one family stood above the rest in terms of ruthlessness—
The Ice Family.
The Ice Family was infamous for its cold-hearted and merciless nature.
To them, the weak had no value whatsoever.
Whether it was an ordinary disciple, a Spiritual Beast, or a wandering cultivator, they regarded them as no more significant than dust beneath their feet.
Anyone who stood in their way was crushed without the slightest hesitation, as though they were nothing more than worthless debris scattered across the road.
And at the center of this terrifying force stood...
The Ice Family's greatest genius.
Her personality was as cold and unforgiving as eternal ice.
In her eyes, the lives of others held no meaning.
Whoever dared stand in her path...
She would trample over them without pausing for even a single moment.
Meanwhile...
Kim continued to stand quietly, watching everything unfold with his own eyes.
Next Chapter: Will Kim finally come face-to-face with the Ice Family...?
Chapter End.
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Chapter 39 - End
Chapter 40 - Coming Soon...
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