Time passed quickly within the Primordial Undying Realm and competition became fiercer with every passing day.
Slaughters were taking place everywhere, and while most of the victims were beasts, the contestants themselves weren't safe either.
It was a strange thing that happened when there was an entire year for the competition to rage on. People began to gravitate towards each other, unable to fend for themselves without a safety net to catch them when they needed it.
Like this, after 3 months passed in the secret realm, there were already a few factions that had been formed.
The first, which wasn't much of a surprise, was the Fire Phoenix Faction. It was a faction of people, mostly women, who gathered under Feng Qing'er's banner. Although they didn't do much to help each other hunt most of the time, they had a strict policy that prevented infighting, which gave them comfort and security.
The location of Feng Qing'er's faction was actually a relatively bustling city. Unlike Damien, she had managed to reach a far enough location where the genocide hadn't spread yet.
At first, the locals had been wary, rightfully so with all the rumors that had been flying around recently, but as time passed, they had already wholly accepted the faction's presence.
After all, most of these citizens were mere mortals. That was the problem that led to the genocide where Damien was located.
In a regular environment, mortals would usually be able to hunt weaker beasts to gain power before moving on. But in this realm, they didn't have that option. 2nd class beings were everywhere, making it hell to leave a city.
As Feng Qing'er strolled through the city, she quietly listened to the various conversations taking place between the locals.
"I heard that yet another city fell yesterday."
"Which one was it this time?"
"It was Relia."
"Relia?! That's only a few kilometers to the south!"
"I know. The plague must be reaching us soon. Luckily, we have acquired the protection of some very powerful people."
"Right, but they aren't locals. Are we sure they won't abandon us when things get rough?"
"Trust me, I had the same doubt when they first came. But they have been very diligent in safekeeping the city. Didn't you find it odd? Not a single beast tide has hit us since they came."
"Eh? You're right! How is that possible? Even when all the able-bodied people in the city fight together, we can only barely stave off the beast tide with the barrier left by the ancestors."
"Right, the barrier used to be our only hope. But now, we can count on their protection."
The barrier they spoke about was one of the main reasons Feng Qing'er chose this city as her base. In fact, it wasn't even the only barrier she had seen.
Every major city she had passed had a similar barrier, but from her observations, their strength increased as one moved further into the secret realm.
It was strange. The only people here were mortals, yet their ancestors had been powerful enough to create barriers that could withstand the attacks of 3rd class beings? How was that possible?
But Feng Qing'er hadn't been able to get a proper answer about this. At most, the stories these people told about their ancestors were like those of legends. The amount of factual information within them seemed to be lacking.
'However, I don't think these barriers were meant for beasts.'
Feng Qing'er remembered the scene she saw 3 months ago when she first entered the secret realm. A scene of carnage where even the corpses left behind were desecrated. Every time that image popped into her mind, she clenched her fists in anger.
'I still have yet to find out the cause of that scene, but it must be related to the plague they were talking about. In that case, it'll be reaching our city soon.'
Feng Qing'er furrowed her brows. At first, she thought this secret realm trial would be a piece of cake, but it was turning out to be anything but.
Even with all the killing she had done so far, the star on her forehead was still a shining golden color. It was better than what everyone else in the city had, but it wasn't enough for her.
'How would Luna deal with this situation? Ah, I miss having her with me.'
Lunaria Snow was the brain while she was the brawn. That's how they had always been, and that's how they had maintained their position at the top of the ranking so easily.
But now, she was alone to do both jobs herself. She also had plenty of people counting on her leadership.
'But at least this is good practice. When mother passes down the Matriarch position to me, it'll be much worse than just this much.'
Her thoughts drifted to the outside world. Unlike Damien, she wasn't aware of the time dilation. She wondered what would have changed once many years passed and they finally exited this realm.
Shaking off her thoughts, she entered the building where her faction headquarters were.
'I don't want to stay in the dark any longer. Let me see for myself what the source of this plague is.'
As if waiting for her thoughts to reach this point, the thundering rings of a bell sounded throughout the city.
Clang! Clang!
Feng Qing'er's eyes darted in that direction. The first thing she saw was the sheer panic on the faces of the locals.
They were cowering, literally cowering in the middle of the streets, completely unable to move. Even when it was time for a beast tide, this specific bell was never rung.
No, this bell had a special meaning. They had passed off this meaning as a mere folktale as time passed with no strange action taking place, but now that it was being rung, a deeply ingrained fear surfaced in their hearts.
"It's them! They're here! We're all doomed!"
"The Devil has finally sent his armies. Our city will become one of the many that have fallen to his hands."
Feng Qing'er ignored the commotion and flew into the air, scanning the plains outside of the city to find the source of the commotion.
And it didn't take her long at all.
From every side of the city, a rolling black mass was approaching. There were hundreds, no, thousands of beings slowly charging towards their location.
'What are those?'
Feng Qing'er injected mana into her eyes. A flame seemed to light inside her pupils as her vision expanded far past what she could usually see.
'Those are…wait!'
The abominations approaching the village looked humanoid, but they were anything but human. Their sizes and shapes differed, but their dull black eyes projected a bloodthirst that she could feel even from a distance.
At the back of the tide were 4 massive elephantine beasts that seemed to be carrying something similar to a palanquin. The mana emanating from the beings within the closed drapes of said palanquins was obviously much greater than that of any singular being within the tide.
'That must be where the boss of these guys are. But what are they?'
Feng Qing'er's attention soon left the palanquins to focus on something else. It was something familiar to her. The blackness of the tide didn't just come from their appearances. No, it was like a coat of mana that wanted to bring darkness onto everything.
This dark and inky mana, she had seen it once before. It was the exact same mana that was corroding and destroying the corpses of those in the very first village she had found in this realm.
