Demonic Beasts hard sharp claws, and long fangs.
They could heal from deadly strikes, and some of them wielded strange powers that none could comprehend.
Humans never stood a chance against them!
'We were only spared so we could reproduce and so that the Demonic Beasts could once again take from our numbers...'
Their purpose had been nothing but livestock.
That is, until the God King showed them the path that would change their destiny forever.
'He gave us power. He showed us how to live well.'
They were nothing but primitive people, yet he showed them how to properly cook food, distill water, make clothes, and even several other lessons that greatly improved their lives.
Best of all, he helped them to train their physique and revealed the Nine Fundamental Precepts of the Heavens.
'I only know three. Combining their forms, I developed the Heaven Splitting Strike...' Wu Jie's thoughts echoed.
He was one of the most powerful in the settlement, and the strongest among them had only mastered five forms.
That was how profound the Fundamental Precepts were.
'And that isn't all...'
The God King revealed that he had even more Martial Arts, but he couldn't reveal it to them yet because their minds were weak and their bodies weren't strong.
Also, they hadn't yet awakened the divine power that that the God King refered to as 'Mana.'
The Demonic Beasts had the evil power of Miasma, and to combat the stronger ones, they required an equivalent power known as Mana.
'As for the God King, he possesses the power that transcends mortals like ourselves, and has the ultimate energy from the transcendent world of the divine.'
It was the Divine Energy known ad Aether.
"I can't wait to return home and tell our tales to everyone else." More voices echoed from the people who surrounded the campfire.
"What do you think, Wu Jie?" One of his comrades finally asked him.
He was usually the quiet type, but he also understood the importance of bonding in groups.
That was something he learned from the God King too.
"Yeah. We have some amazing stories to share. We never backed down, and we were brave till the very end—just like the God King!"
"YEEEESSSSSSS!!!" Everyone roared in approval, and the entire camp took on a festive mood.
Tomorrow, by noon at the latest, they would be able to return to their home. It wasn't a particular long journey, but Wu Jie felt impatient for some reason.
He couldn't wait to return and report everything to the God King.
'I'm sure he will praise me. If I also prove my competence, it might finally be time for me to learn the fourth form.'
His face formed a smile that was simply filled with pure delight.
Until...
~VWUUUUUUSSSSSSSHHHHHH!!!~
All of a sudden, a golden pool of distorted spatial energy manifested in the sky.
The bright warm glow radiated down, causing the attention of all the people to gaze above at the miraculous sight.
'W-what is that?!' Wu Jie's thoughts echoed within himself.
He had never seen anything so beautiful and densely full of power before.
'This energy... I recognize it!'
There was no way he wouldn't be able to detect what it was considering he had encountered it before.
This was Divine Power!
"E-everyone, to your knees this instant! That is Divine Power!"
The moment he said so, they all gathered together and took to their knees, bowing before the swirling portal above them.
"Divine Energy... this can only mean..." Wu Jie gulped as his entire body shook in the presence of the crushing pressure the spatial rift exerted.
Every single comrade of his felt the same way! They all waited in reverence and also trembling curiosity.
The God King had told them he wasn't the only transcendent one that existed... and that there others beyond their mortal plane.
He told them that some transcendent beings were good, while some were bad.
However, if they were ever to encounter a transcendental being at all, they had to bow and show them reverence.
Afterwards, they had to bring the transcendent one to him.
Only he, the God King, would be able to judge their intentions, as a fellow Transcendent.
'Everyone knows this! No one must act rashly!' Mortals could never go against the transcendent ones.
And so, as silhouettes began to appear from the golden portal, the thirty groveled even further, forcefully planting their foreheads on the dirt.
And so, in a joint anthem, they declared to the emerging beings;
"We welcome you, transcendent ones! The lowly servants of the God King greet you!"
*******
'Huh?!'
Confusion was the first emotion that coursed through me as I witnessed a group of people bowing before me and everyone else as we appeared in this strange new world.
They seemed to be humans, albeit primitive. Their clothes seemed to be borne from animal skin, and they also had blades made from stone.
The workmanship was impressive for such a crude weapon, but it was still very lacking.
More importantly, they spoke out language and treated us with reverence. This was most strange, considering how very warmly welcoming they were.
'This... had never happened before!'
Kuzon and I exchanged surprised glances, and even Aloe and Ciara seemed a bit concerned for the group.
'Hmmm...'
Looking at them, they didn't seem all too special. They didn't even have Mana Particles in them.
They were all simply a bunch of Inept people. I could sense Mana around, as well as Miasma, but there were two other strange elements that drifted in the air that I didn't recognize.
They was odd, but I could still resonate with them using Aether.
'I sense Demons too in that direction. Hm. I see... they use Miasma.'
In comparison, I didn't detect any particularly powerful aura coming from the humans, or even in any other direction other than the area occupied by the Demons.
'How are these people still alive? And why are they so close to the borders?'
Well, perhaps they used the blades to fight, but could they really stand a chance?
A lot of questions coursed through my mind, but I didn't allow myself to be distracted by them.
If we didn't know something, we just had to ask. And since the people here seemed friendly, I didn't think that would be a problem.
'Well... I guess we'll have to find out everything we want to know from them.'
