Temporal Beast Cultivators

Suddenly, Wei Long's golden, reptilian eyes widened in shock.

He had been observing the battle, hidden in the foliage with his Bio-engineered Camouflage, but what he was witnessing now—this was something far beyond his expectations.

The young man in grey, who had been on the defensive just moments ago, was now surging with strange power.

A violent, untamed energy burst from his body like a tidal wind of pressure, thrumming with intensity in the air.

Wei Long felt suffocated that it sent a prickling sensation across his scales.

This… this is cultivation aura?!

He had sensed different energies before, but this was the first time he had felt one so fierce.

And yet, what stunned Wei Long the most was the change in the young man's level.

Right before his eyes, the floating status above the disciple's head flickered:

Mortal Level 4 → Mortal Level 6

Wei Long's sharp claws clenched against the dirt.

He advanced?

His mind began working.

Was this some kind of battle-state enhancement?

A secret technique?

Or was it simply an illusion of power brought by rage?

But there was no time to ponder.

The air trembled as the battle escalated once more.

The young man in grey lunged forward, his sword flashing with whirling cultivation energy.

The tip of the blade raced toward the throat of his opponent—

But then—

Something stopped it.

A different energy, one that felt unnatural, clashed against the traditional cultivation force, repelling the strike effortlessly.

Wei Long's sharp eyes locked onto the change.

The young man in black clothing—who was now covered in green, chitinous scales similar to his Cactuna beast earlier—stood unfazed, his lips curling into a smirk.

His newly transformed body radiated an eerie glow, and the air around him seemed to distort slightly.

"You're still using that outdated cultivation energy?"

His voice dripped with mockery.

"Oh, I forgot. You still don't have a beast! Hahaha!"

His laughter echoed through the darkened forest, cruel and condescending.

Wei Long, still watching from the shadows, narrowed his eyes.

What the hell does he mean?

The young man in grey took a sharp step back, his grip tightening on his sword. But instead of hesitation—

He attacked.

Again.

And again.

And again.

He was relentless.

Each swing of his blade carried more force, more desire of violence, more fury.

His movements were a blur, but nothing landed.

The green-scaled disciple barely moved.

Every attack met resistance—a strange, unseen force that blocked or softened the blows before they could reach him.

And through it all—

He just stood there, smirking.

Then—

He spoke.

But this time, it wasn't just a taunt.

It was a declaration.

A speech filled with unshakable confidence.

"You still don't understand, do you?"

He let out a slow, deliberate sigh, shaking his head.

"Gone are the days of traditional cultivation. Gone are the days of endlessly absorbing spiritual energy from nature, refining it, and struggling for each breakthrough."

His eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

"The world has changed. The era of the old cultivators is over."

He raised his scaled arms, flexing his fingers as if marveling at his own transformation.

"This is the era of Temporal Beast Cultivation."

The words sent a chill down Wei Long's spine.

Temporal Beast Cultivation?

The young man in black continued, his voice growing louder, more passionate.

"For centuries, humans sought ways to surpass their limits. And we found the answer—not in ourselves, but in the beasts that roam this world."

He grinned.

"By fusing with a beast, by absorbing its spirit essence, we don't just gain strength—we become something greater."

The energy around him pulsed, radiating with something unnatural, unstable.

"We don't just cultivate. We evolve."

Wei Long's mind raced.

This is their secret?

He had always sensed something off about these cultivators, something different from what he read in books when he was a young man and not joining about the military yet.

Now, he understood.

They weren't just using beasts.

They were merging with them.

Taking their unique spirit energy and converting it into something new—Temporal Spiritual Essence.

A power born not from the heavens, not from the earth—but from the fusion of two living creatures.

The young man in black laughed again, basking in his own revelation.

His eyes, glowing with inhuman confidence, locked onto his opponent.

"Face it. You're obsolete. Your cultivation is outdated, your techniques are useless, and you—"

He raised a finger, pointing directly at the grey-clothed disciple.

"—are already dead."

Silence.

Wei Long felt a strange sense of anticipation.

Was this it?

Had the young man in grey truly lost?

Was the battle already over?

And then—

Something unexpected happened.

A flash of silver.

A sharp, sickening sound.

For the first time—

The smirk disappeared from the face of the green-scaled cultivator.

His eyes widened.

His mouth, mid-laugh, suddenly went silent.

And there, lodged deep within his chest—

The sword.

Its silver edge gleamed under the moonlight, cutting through his scaled body as if his transformation had meant nothing.

The young man in grey stood firm, his breathing heavy.

His hands steady on the hilt.

And as the realization sank in—

The laughter died.

The green-scaled young man struggled to speak, his face twisted in horror as thick green liquid oozed from his chest wound.

"You—" he gasped, his voice broken, his hands trembling as he reached toward the sword buried in his chest.

But before he could finish, the young man in grey tightened his grip on the hilt and smiled.

"What? You thought I was a fool?"

His tone was laced with mockery.

"You thought I'd come here without merging with a beast myself? That I'd be stupid enough to rely on outdated methods?"

The green-scaled cultivator's eyes widened further, his mind racing to understand.

He coughed, struggling to form words.

"But… but your Taming Cultivation Method… You can't… you can't—"

Before he could finish—

SHLICK.

The sword ripped out from his chest in a brutal, fluid motion.

Blood splattered onto the forest floor.

His body stiffened. His knees buckled.

And then—

He collapsed.

Lifeless.

His glowing, green scales dimmed, his Temporal Transformation fading away as his human form returned.

The young man in grey sneered at the corpse, his white-feathered arms slowly retracting as his transformation faded.

"Three days."

His voice was calm, cold.

"That's all it takes to tame a new beast. As long as I don't overuse my Temporal Transformation, it's not that big of a problem."

He exhaled, his body returning to normal as he adjusted his uniform.

Then—a sigh.

His gaze shifted down to the lifeless corpse at his feet.

He stood there for a moment, silent, before finally crouching down and searching through the dead man's belongings.

Pills.

A few cultivation artifacts.

Some spirit stones.

Nothing of real value.

Tch.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, stuffing the items into his own bag.

Then, with a deep breath, he rose to his feet.

Or at least—he tried to.

The moment he took his first step—

His body froze.

A sharp, unnatural stillness overtook him.

His eyes widened.

Something was wrong.

His limbs felt heavy. His body refused to move.

His heart pounded.

Poison? No… did I push myself too far?

And then—

A voice.

A deep, guttural, almost mocking voice.

"Young man… let me ask you several questions."

The voice reverberated through the forest, low and menacing.

The young man in grey instinctively tensed, his body drenched in cold sweat.

His mind screamed at him to move—but he couldn't.

Because at that moment—

A shadow materialized before him.

Something massive.

Something inhuman.

Something with glowing reptilian eyes.

And then—A threat.

"If you try to move—"

The golden eyes gleamed.

"You die."