Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7236 Skinned Beast
It should be noted that even for elites of Jiang Guang's caliber, the Demon God is an extremely difficult opponent. The reason why the Demon God was easily killed by Jiang Guang when it fell into his hands was that the Demon God either had no weapons or equipment, or had unclear self-awareness, or both.

The complete set of the Corpse Offering Ritual, aside from anything else, has basic attributes that are no weaker than those of the Fifth Level Refining, and each one comes with super-fast regeneration. The combination of these two means that each demon god is an incredibly tough troublemaker. If one manages to obtain the armor, they will be fearless, and with the addition of super-fast regeneration and super-strong basic attributes, they will have no problem taking on two opponents of the same level.

If one were unlucky enough to encounter a demon god who had activated his twenty-four divine bodies, then let alone fighting two against one, within the scope of the fifth level of fusion, only a freak like Jiang Bin could directly confront him.

Even if Chen Xi spoke lightly, it was just talk. If those demon gods who performed the sacrificial rites six or seven hundred years ago were to be dressed in armor and allowed to act freely, the Han Dynasty would have to mobilize its main force to destroy the country to annihilate them. A demon god with a basic quality of just over 30,000, which has reached the seventh level of fusion, possesses super-fast regeneration, and has accumulated hundreds of years of life force, what kind of monster is this? Doesn't Chen Xi have any idea?

What a joke! Chen Xi dared to gradually annihilate these things largely because he knew that these demon gods had no armor or weapons. Even if they could create bone armor and bone knives through super-fast regeneration, they would be no match for the special steel currently used by the Han Dynasty.

This is actually why, as soon as Sun and Wu left, Chen Xi first arranged for a ten-person investigation team to be stationed in Yunmengze, and then eight hundred super shield guards were dispatched from Shanglin Garden. Later, an entire veteran legion under Sun Qian's command was also about to arrive. After all, if any of these things ran away, it would be troublesome.

Although it's true that disregarding the losses wouldn't be such a big deal, Chen Xi still didn't want a situation where wild beasts slaughtered their village unless absolutely necessary.

"Huang Tao, go straight back to Chang'an and inform Marquis Chen of the current situation. Ke Ke, go and notify the nearby villages immediately. Ma Ye, fly out of the swamp area as fast as you can and notify the rear guard to speed up and stop these guys who might try to break out!" Wang Mao made the decision almost instantly. If these guys wanted to break out, unless every village nearby was full of veterans of their caliber, a massacre of the village was imminent.

"Okay, I'll leave now!" After thinking for a moment, Huang Tao realized that Wang Mao's judgment was the most correct. In the current situation, they no longer had the possibility of investigating where the suppression plan left by the grandson of Yunmengze broke down. However, as long as the news reached Chang'an, someone would naturally answer. Moreover, the unrest in Yunmengze had to be suppressed as soon as possible.

After Huang Tao finished speaking, he vanished in a flash of light. He had been holding back his speed, since they were a team and he couldn't just run away on his own. But now that there were clear plans, Huang Tao wouldn't hesitate. There was no point in him staying there anymore; he should hurry to Chang'an to deliver the message.

"Then I'll go and notify the nearby villages. Be careful on the road ahead," Zheng Ke said to Guang Yuan. Guang Yuan then tossed the seal that Ruan Gong had given to the three of them to Zheng Ke. After all, Zheng Ke's rank was not high enough. Even if he was strong enough, this kind of task of mobilizing villages to prepare for relocation and defense still required a person of a high enough rank.

Although theoretically, Ruan Gong, as the Commandant of the Guards, should not be involved in such matters, and Guang Yuan should not have given this thing to Zheng Ke, Guang Yuan and his party were very clear about what was more important at this time, so they simply handed it over to Zheng Ke.

"Then I'm off too!" After taking the talisman, Zheng Ke waved to the others and then entered a state of super speed. He swept across the swamp like a swift, completely ignoring the possibility of a sneak attack from the demon god, and disappeared from Wang Mao and the others' sight.

"I'm leaving too, you guys be careful!" Ma Ye whistled, and the snow eagle that had absorbed the demon master's wisdom flew over. Ma Ye manipulated the atmosphere to quickly form a huge triangular wing that enveloped himself and the snow eagle. Then he entered acceleration mode and flew towards the outer edge of Yunmengze with the light feathers. He needed to meet up with Li He as soon as possible so that the other party could lead the team to suppress the enemy.

"Old Yu, now we're counting on you to scout things out. Don't lead us into a trap," Zhao Ying said to Yu Mang with a hint of teasing after Ma Ye and the others left.

"It's alright. Even if that happens, I can't run away. Come this way!" Yu Mang said calmly, with an air of indifference to life and death and a willingness to fight if anyone disagreed. But that's normal, after all, he came from the Yellow Turban Rebellion and had experienced far too many life-and-death situations. He didn't take such a small danger to heart at all.

"What are you saying!" Wang Mao glanced at Yu Mang, bent down slightly, and drew his sword to slay the non-humanoid demon god that suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Charge!" Guangyuan followed closely behind the Demon God Jiang Guang Beast and charged forward. Among their group, besides the Demon God Jiang Guang Beast captured by Zhao Yingxin, Guangyuan had the highest margin for error. Did he even know what a low-level super-speed regeneration was?

Meanwhile, in a village on the northwest side of Yunmengze, Zhang Wen's face was extremely ugly. He never expected that the divine beast he had spent so much effort to fish out of Yunmengze would actually wake up and fight him.

"Everyone get out of here!" Zhang Wen shouted at the veteran who wanted to help. Although he didn't know what this thing was, he thought it was a white unicorn that had fallen into hibernation and was preparing to give it to Liu Bei as a gift as an auspicious beast. He didn't expect that this thing would be so terrifying after it woke up. Only Zhang Wen could be so terrifying. If anyone in this village was hit by this thing's tail, they would be half dead on the spot, if not explode.

Fortunately, Zhang Wen himself was extremely strong, and he also had a brother named Tao Tong, with whom he had played very well back then. He had been knocked away many times by Tao Tong's beast charge. So even when he was ambushed and struck by this auspicious beast with a human body and a snake tail, Zhang Wen only flew seven or eight meters. He got up without any problems and was ready to fight this thing head-on.

"Damn, are ancient divine beasts this difficult to deal with? I was planning to capture it alive and present it to Prince Jin as a gift. It seemed to be hibernating before, but now it's awakened, which is a bit tricky. I can't just beat it to death, this is troublesome." After dodging Bai Xi's tail, which was as thick as a pillar but had an explosive sound like a whip, Zhang Wen listened to the sound of wind and thunder transmitted when the air was blasted apart. He had no choice but to admit that the intensity was somewhat dangerous, but still within his capabilities!

As one of the few sixth-level fishing masters in the world, his hobby is fishing. He even missed the grand martial arts competition because he wanted to give the big fish he found in Yunmeng Marsh as a gift to Liu Bei. And then, as the saying goes, heaven rewards the diligent, and he finally caught it.

Although what he caught wasn't a fish, but a white snake that was half human and half snake, this thing was an ancient auspicious beast. Zhang Wen thought it would be a good gift for Liu Bei. After all, it was a strange beast, much better than any big fish. So he carried it out of Yunmengze overnight.

To be fair, this thing, weighing almost a ton and still struggling, has incredibly formidable basic abilities. Only a veteran like Zhang Wen, a god-like figure, could handle it; otherwise, a normal person would have absolutely no chance.

Of course, it was only because Bai Xi was in a state of confusion at the time that Zhang Wen managed to knock him unconscious with some effort. Fearing that he might die if he took him home, he even fetched water and made a puddle in the yard, then threw him in it, planning to send him to Liu Bei in the spring.

Less than two days later, this thing woke up. Of course, it didn't wake up, but its mind began to return. However, since it wasn't in its usual place, its humanity couldn't suppress its animalistic nature, and it immediately started fighting Zhang Wen. To be honest, that tail whip attack would injure most level six cultivators if they weren't prepared. But who is Zhang Wen? He's Tao Tong's brother!

Who is Tao Tong? Tao Tong is a ruthless man who can knock a super rhinoceros weighing about five tons flying head-on. He is the kind of terrorist who ranks high among the veterans of the entire Han Dynasty. Zhang Wen and Tao Tong were in the same dormitory back then. Later, they were promoted, but when they met, they would still hug and bump into each other. To be honest, Zhang Wen was not tough enough to handle Tao Tong's bumping style and would have been carried away on the spot.

But since Zhang Wen had watched Tao Tong advance step by step, and even benefited from the first five moves of the combo that Tao Tong developed, Zhang Wen naturally became a punching bag. Putting aside everything else, if caught off guard and hit head-on by Tao Tong, he would be sent flying more than ten meters, bounce a few times on the ground, but Zhang Wen could still get up and continue chatting and laughing with Tao Tong.

Do you even understand what it means to professionally counter heavy weapon strikes, blunt force, crushing force, shockwaves, etc.? Zhang Wen has even honed this talent to the point of instinct. The moment he is hit, he will react in the opposite direction, either absorbing, transmitting, or dissipating the attack. In any case, if a blunt force strike hits Zhang Wen, even a slight effect is considered very impressive.

However, this is also the difference between how a normal person deflects force and how Zhang Wen deflects force. This guy can easily be knocked more than ten meters away by a supermodel's blunt force attack, but he is completely unharmed.

"Damn it! My home!" Zhang Wen saw the snake tail flying towards him again and, without thinking, kicked it away with a powerful kick that sent Bai Xi's snake tail flying. However, the huge recoil force sent both Zhang Wen and the snake tail flying and crashing hard into the wall. On the spot, half of Zhang Wen's house collapsed, and his face turned green.

"Shopkeeper, are you alright?" Zhang Wen's wife, Bai Nu, asked with a hint of panic. She wanted to run over, but knew that she wouldn't be able to help and would only cause trouble, so she could only call out from a distance as she ran out.

Zhang Wen stood up from the ruins of the half-collapsed house, looking somewhat disheveled but uninjured. Without turning his head, he called out to his wife, "Nu Nu, take the child and get away. I'll see if I can find a way to capture this thing alive. It's quite formidable."

"Shopkeeper, I've already sent someone to the militia's treasury to get your weapons and equipment, so don't worry." Bai Zhu said as she ran. She wasn't really worried about her husband. After all, she had lived with him in Chang'an for several years, and Bai Zhu knew very well that her husband was a force to be reckoned with in the entire Han Dynasty. In Jingxiang, he was practically second to third in rank.

"Let me see if I can knock this thing out first. It doesn't look good to draw blood with weapons!" Zhang Wen shook his head and refused, looking at the white creature with its lower body coiled up and its scales gleaming with a bluish-black luster. He could sense that this thing wasn't actually very strong.

Well, this judgment is actually wrong, because the current Bai Xi is very different from most of the demon gods in Yunmengze. She is a semi-controlled demon god, and her spirit and will are more human-like. Although she is somewhat chaotic and controlled by her bestial nature, her human subconscious still suppresses a part of her own strength.

If Zhang Wenzhen were to fight this thing to the death and destroy its rationality, completely transforming it into a demon god, this thing would be more powerful than most of the demon gods in Yunmengze.

After all, this thing was a failed product from an experiment to transform a demon into a human, based on a demon god. It was a high-end demon god that Sun Tzu had personally crafted.

The winged people that Bai Qi crushed in Yingdu back then were actually upgraded versions of Bai Xi. Although those things were also demon gods, they had regained their self-awareness through the methods of Sun Wu and Wu Qi. Under special sacrifices, they could basically maintain their own identity and act according to the rules. They were not as crazy as demon gods, killing people indiscriminately or even disguising themselves as humans to eat people.

The winged people are already among the more rational individuals who have walked the path of the sacrificial offering to the dead. Although it is extremely difficult and costly, the winged people possess almost complete human thinking and everything that the demon god has.

However, to Bai Qi, who led the Qin elite troops to Yingdu at that time, they were all just stray dogs on the roadside. "I've already come all this way. Even if you say you're a winged person, even if you're a god, you'll still die."

Therefore, all the winged people accumulated in the Chu region back then were wiped out by Bai Qi. The transformation of the winged people, who had regained their self-awareness after the demon god reversed his stance, was thus over.

Of course, Sun Tzu also said that this path is actually a dead end. It may seem that the demon god has turned his posture around and found himself again, but the problem is actually huge.

Putting everything else aside, just the fact that the Demon God was given a simplified version of the Metamorphosis and then forced to complete the Metamorphosis to regain his true self was enough to drive most top-tier legion commanders to despair.

To be honest, only geniuses like Sun Tzu and Wu Qi could create such an incredible thing. But even so, after working on it for a while, Sun Tzu and Wu Qi discovered that the things they created by twisting their talents in reverse were still not human. Even if they had so-called self-awareness, these things were not human in essence.

All I can say is that, thanks to this metamorphosis, these things can now coexist with humans.

Even the most successful winged beings are anomalies. Unlike demons, whose self-awareness is relatively chaotic and purely evil, the newly transformed auspicious beasts have self-awareness, but this awareness does not manifest in humans.

Of course, the new generation of demons, led by the Feathered People, Bai Xi, and Mermaids, have great respect for their creators, but they don't care about their creators' fellow beings at all. So Sun Wu and Wu Qi stopped this operation after trying it out themselves.

Because they both realized that what they were doing now seemed even more dangerous than what Wu Zixu had done back then. Wu Zixu was just heading towards trouble and never thought about solving the problem. As beings who were stronger and more self-aware than Wu Zixu, how could they leave future generations with even greater trouble than Wu Zixu?

So they decisively stopped, resolutely deciding not to try to find a way out for the demon god along the path of metamorphosis. This path might be a way out for the demon god, but it would definitely be a dead end for humans. After all, apart from those with extremely heaven-defying spiritual realms, the talents of the metamorphosis lineage are just messing around, and what they can produce depends entirely on luck.

This is why the Metamorphosis talent, when forcibly used by the Demon God, transforms into strange beings that are half-human and half-beast. Because the Demon God's self is not human, at most it has some human remnants. Naturally, in the process of Metamorphosis, there will be human components as well as non-human components. In this way, even if Metamorphosis is completed, what finally appears will inevitably be non-human.

Creating non-human beings with self-awareness—Sun Tzu and Wu Qi weren't madmen—this poses a greater threat than demons. Stop! We must stop!

However, even though they quickly realized this and stopped, the two of them still created many new species based on the foundation of the Demon God. This is why there are many half-human, half-beast divine beings in the mythology of Chu, and these half-human, half-beast divine beings also have some special abilities.

Because in essence, these things are all demon gods, and at the very least, they all possess combat power that surpasses that of ordinary demon gods. They have simply transformed into other creatures through metamorphosis, and their combat power and thinking are far superior to those of demon gods. However, most of these transformed beasts are still dominated by the bestial nature of demon gods. To completely break free from their bestial nature, they must continue to use metamorphosis. But uncontrollable metamorphosis, when the spiritual realm is insufficient, can transform into something extremely heaven-defying.

This created a vicious cycle, so in the very end, Sun Tzu sank all the failed demon god skins along with him into the Yunmeng Marsh, while Wu Qi, because he died too quickly, could only order the demon gods to sink to the bottom, which is why many winged people were left on the land.

After all, Sun Tzu had verified it, and by Wu Qi's time there was more complete information. He was able to more accurately transform the demon into the required form, and the winged people were the version that Wu Qi considered more suitable. This is also why Lord Wu'an encountered a large number of winged people when he conquered Yingdu.

The skinned beasts that Sun Wu took away were more of a command node for him, because these beasts, no matter what, recognized Sun Wu as their creator and also had a certain degree of self-awareness!

　I can't get up at all, I'm doomed!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)