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Chapter 1207: Chapter 1072: Dream Eating_2
Although she understood her current predicament, Jiang Fengwu had no way to resolve it.
She didn’t know how to dismantle the layers of illusions or find the Dream-eating Tapir to kill it.
Now, she was hiding within the formation, relying on its Array Power to block the illusions’ influence, but staying like this indefinitely wasn’t a solution. Sooner or later, the Dream-eating Tapir would detect a flaw.
After thinking it over, a ruthless glint appeared in Jiang Fengwu’s eyes. Since she couldn’t find the Dream-eating Tapir, then she would make it reveal itself!
She planned to set a trap with herself as bait, luring the Dream-eating Tapir into the open!
Although the Dream-eating Tapir could kill people through its illusions, it was incapable of simultaneously maintaining two indistinguishable Divine Powers. The moment it acted would undoubtedly expose a weakness.
And that very moment would be Jiang Fengwu’s chance to kill it and escape the illusion!
With her plan made, Jiang Fengwu discretely withdrew a few Calming Mind Divine Abilities, deliberately allowing her mind to show a small gap. Meanwhile, her hands were secretly positioned, ready to initiate the Void Array setup.
As time stretched on, strands of colorless and scentless gas infiltrated the formation, seemingly being ’unintentionally’ absorbed by Jiang Fengwu.
Hiding in the shadows, the Dream-eating Tapir was overjoyed at the scene and taunted inwardly: "This female cultivator certainly talks big, but with this level of strength, she dares to boast in front of me."
As Jiang Fengwu’s senses grew hazy, the formation weakened due to a lack of active control, presenting the Dream-eating Tapir its chance to strike.
*Crack!*
The formation shattered, and yet Jiang Fengwu didn’t react at all—her entire being seemingly lost within the illusion.
However, just as the Dream-eating Tapir revealed its form and prepared to attack, Jiang Fengwu’s hands, which had been fixed in their starting gesture all this time, instinctively cast a spell. Instantly, the Four Directions Thunder Fire Array materialized, trapping the creature inside.
*Rumble!*
Thunder roared, flames blazed, and the Dream-eating Tapir let out ear-piercing screams, its frail body unable to withstand the onslaught of the immense power.
At the same time, Jiang Fengwu, who had been ensnared within the illusion, awoke as the Dream-eating Tapir could no longer keep it intact.
Jiang Fengwu felt immense relief. Though she always believed her Dao Heart was unwavering and immune to illusions, boldly risking herself, the moment the illusion engulfed her, dragging her into its depths, she realized she had been overly confident.
Fortunately, Jiang Fengwu had been cautious enough to prepare a contingency, engraving the formation into her body’s instincts. This allowed her to seize the opportunity and successfully trap the Dream-eating Tapir.
"Surrender a wisp of your Spiritual Soul, and I’ll spare your life," Jiang Fengwu temporarily suppressed the thunder and fire, offering the Dream-eating Tapir a sliver of hope for survival.
She was willing to let it live not only because of its rarity but also due to firsthand experiences with its illusion techniques. If it became the Guardian Spirit Beast of the Li family, any attacker would certainly face an unexpected nightmare.
Seeing the Dream-eating Tapir grit its teeth without speaking, Jiang Fengwu sneered. Thunder Fire from the Skies rained down fiercely, as if intending to obliterate it entirely.
"Stop! Stop! I surrender my Spiritual Soul!" The Dream-eating Tapir trembled all over, frantically shouting, fearing that speaking too slowly would cost it its life.
After ensuring the Spiritual Soul was intact, Jiang Fengwu nodded in satisfaction and fused the soul into the family’s custom-crafted Beast Control Ring, thereby tethering its life to the object.
"You’ve been in this Secret Realm for so many years, so I imagine you’re quite familiar with it. Brief me on the major powers here and the map," Jiang Fengwu ordered on the spot.
"Understood!" The Dream-eating Tapir, though reluctant in every way, obediently divulged all it knew under the threat to its life.
After listening, Jiang Fengwu gained a general understanding of the Secret Realm.
As the Zhou Family had mentioned, Devil Beasts were incredibly powerful in this realm, with the Tiger Clan, Eagle Clan, and Python Flood Dragon Clan being the strongest forces. Each of these clans had dozens of Seventh Rank Devil Beasts within their ranks.
Beneath the three major clans, there were over a dozen subordinate groups, each still boasting at least double-digit Seventh Rank Devil Beasts. Additionally, some emerging Seventh Rank factions were steadily rising as well.
While the exact number of Seventh Rank Devil Beasts remained unknown to the Dream-eating Tapir, it estimated there to be at least two hundred.
Thus, despite the rarity of a species like the Dream-eating Tapir, its Seventh Rank cultivation alone wasn’t enough to grant it a foothold among these dominant forces, forcing it to remain in this remote area.
The Secret Realm’s vastness was staggering; even with so many Devil Beasts inhabiting it, the lands still seemed sparse and empty.
Jiang Fengwu remained silent for a long time after taking all this in.
At least two hundred Seventh Rank Devil Beasts!
Such an overwhelming number made it clear that, even with tens of thousands of cultivators entering the Secret Realm this time, they couldn’t possibly eliminate all the Devil Beasts in one go.
Moreover, the casualties among the cultivators throughout this process would undoubtedly be staggering and frighteningly high.
"The origin of this Secret Realm—what high-ranking sect crafted it as a Spirit Realm and raised so many Spirit Beasts? And now it’s devolved into something that harms future generations," Jiang Fengwu muttered with a grim expression.
She needed to find her kin quickly, and ideally all of them, to share the latest information and strategize together.
Previously, she couldn’t locate anyone on the Compass due to the Dream-eating Tapir’s illusions, but now that issue was resolved.
When she glanced at the Compass, she saw several kin nearby.
Noticing the arrival of the Compass’s master device, they immediately flew towards her without hesitation.
The two sides moved toward each other and soon reunited.
"Greetings, Elder Ancestor Jiang!"
Before they could finish bowing, Jiang Fengwu interrupted, "At a time like this, why waste effort on pointless formalities?"
"Elder Ancestor, what should we do next? Shall we hunt Devil Beasts?" one cultivator asked excitedly.
The others were restless with anticipation, for hunting Devil Beasts brought rewards beyond just the beasts—they could claim the Spiritual Objects on their territories too.
But Jiang Fengwu shook her head and said, "For now, our priority is to locate other kin, gather everyone, and devise a plan to overcome this crisis."
The Secret Realm’s dangers far exceeded their expectations. Aside from amassing their kin’s collective strength to challenge the Devil Beasts, Jiang Fengwu could only prepare to activate her Magical Treasure early to leave the Secret Realm.
The others exchanged glances, astonished by Jiang Fengwu’s suggestion.
Did this mean they would spend most of their time searching for their kin rather than actively battling Devil Beasts to obtain treasures?
Though deeply reluctant, they could not defy Jiang Fengwu’s orders and had no choice but to follow her to locate scattered members of their family.
In the days that followed, more and more cultivators joined under Jiang Fengwu’s leadership. Unfortunately, they had yet to find Li Chengsheng, Li Chengshuo, or any other Integration-stage kin.
"Elder Ancestor Jiang, if our numbers keep increasing, traveling in the Secret Realm will make us too conspicuous—and therefore dangerous," one kin finally voiced their concern.
Jiang Fengwu paused, then nodded. "I’ve indeed been careless."
She had focused solely on gathering her kin, consolidating their power to hunt more Devil Beasts, but neglected the risks of visibility and large-scale fights arising from their numbers.
After careful consideration, Jiang Fengwu divided the group into smaller teams based on strength, allowing them to act independently but remain no more than a thousand miles from her. This would ensure they could regroup if needed.
"Understood!"
The cultivators were overjoyed, thrilled at the opportunity to finally prove themselves. They quickly departed with their teammates to hunt suitable Devil Beasts.
"Sigh!"
Jiang Fengwu watched them leave and couldn’t help but sigh.
Meanwhile, as Jiang Fengwu busied herself searching for her kin, other factions and Loose Cultivators had already engaged in multiple battles with Devil Beasts.
Though they’d mentally prepared themselves, facing the Devil Beasts directly still left them stunned by their strength.
Both sides experienced wins and losses, but overall, the cultivators proved weaker than the Devil Beasts, suffering more defeats and casualties.
Not being fools, the cultivators quickly adjusted their strategies after learning their lesson. They avoided high-ranking Devil Beasts and instead turned their focus to lower-tier ones they could easily handle.
