Death... and me

Because of the previous killing spree, there wasn't anyone close to where Rean and Roan were staying at the moment. After all, it wasn't like the Zasfins had Nascent Soul Realm and higher-level cultivators to defend every single formation. Jare, the Saint Realm Zasfin, was managing the forces on his side to cover the formations the demon beasts attacked through his Spiritual Sense.

*Boom!*

Kentucky then destroyed another formation before the twins headed to the next one. Until the Zasfins on other battlefields were reallocated, Rean's group destroyed four more formations. Simply put, Jare didn't expect that the previous three Zasfins protecting that one formation would die that easily. Of course, even after all of that, he was still more worried regarding the message he sent over, as if he was waiting for an answer.

Tens of thousands of kilometers away, in the Soul Rulers' headquarters, there was an area responsible for managing information. During the last few months, this was one of the most active places in the Soul Rulers' territory, receiving reports from all over the world regarding the upcoming war.

One of the Zasfins working there then saw one of the Thoughts Transmission Talismans activating. He saw that it was one of the expensive ones, which meant that something important happened. Sure enough, his eyes opened wide when he received the information. In the next second, he was already gone from the room, heading to the area where the ancestors could be found.

It didn't take long before Fikin heard the message from Jare. "What, he found the humans?"

The Zasfin in front shook his head, saying, "We're not sure. Jare only said that they met the description of two humans and one Demon Bird. However, their appearances are completely different. Besides, we don't know the Demon Bird's color, either."

Fikin pondered over it for a bit and finally spoke. "Hmm...it's too much of a coincidence. It's obvious that we would notice them if they appear like that. Tell me, who's Jare and where is he located at the moment? Is he part of the groups looking for the World Swallowing Tree's hideout?"

The subordinate bitterly smiled as he shook his head once again, answering, "Jare's responsible for guarding the southeast side of the Celesgal Volcano against the demon beasts. We're building a few formations there that could stop their advancement in the area, and the demon beasts are trying to prevent it."

Fikin's expression went dark as he soon muttered, "You mean..."

The subordinate nodded, replying, "Yes, they're on the Demon Beast Alliance's side."

He then took a deep breath before continuing, "We've received reports that the Demon Beast Alliance has made an agreement with the humans living in their Demon Beast Continent, so they might be a duo from there."

*Bang!*

With immense rage, Fikin slammed the table in front of him, blasting it out of existence. His worst conjectures had become true. "It was really the Demon Beast Alliance that took the World Swallowing Tree away! Not only that, but they're blatantly showing it right in front of our faces that they have it by showing those twins right in the frontlines. They want us to know that, those damned low lives!"

The subordinate waited for Fikin to calm down before asking, "What should we do, Ancestor? Should I tell Jare to capture the humans at any cost?"

Fikin snorted after hearing that. "Ha! For what? Do you think those humans still have the World Swallowing Tree?"

"They might not have it, but perhaps they know where it is," the subordinate answered.

Surprisingly, Fikin shook his head as he said, "It doesn't matter anymore. Now that I know the demon beasts have it, I know very well where they're keeping it. The Bestial Sacred Ground! That place makes it impossible for even me to get close due to the demon beasts' aura. It's also the only place where it could completely block any prying technique."

It was the first time that the subordinate heard of such a place. "What are the Bestial Sacred Grounds?"

Fikin narrowed his eyes as he responded, "Let's just say that it was the only reason we couldn't take full control over the planet ever since we got the World Swallowing Tree."

After that, Fikin waved his hand as he said, "That's all for now. Tell Jare that he can try to capture the humans and the bird if a chance presents itself. However, there's no need for him to put much importance on it. His priority is protecting the formations without taking part in its battles. We can't risk escalating the level of the battles at the moment. Besides, it might be a trick of the demon beasts to show a demon bird and two humans that just so happen to fit the description. That's one more reason for us to not be harsh."

The Zasfin couldn't help but be taken aback. He wanted to ask more about these Sacred Grounds that prevented the Soul Rulers from dominating the planet. However, he knew his place. It was already a big thing for the Ancestor to tell him this much. "Yes, Ancestor. I'll send the message over to Jare immediately."

After the subordinate Zasfin left, Fikin began to ponder over a problem as he thought, 'They have the World Swallowing Cedar. But...why aren't they using it?' Fikin continued to think about it. 'Well, Celis always had a terrible personality. It only worked for us because we forced it to. As a Stage Nine Demon Plant itself, it's more than strong enough to refuse being used if the demon beasts didn't prepare a similar holding area. However, I doubt they would do such a thing in the Bestial Sacred Grounds.'

Fikin then shook his head as he continued to think, 'Whatever the reason might be, the fact still stands that Celis isn't affecting the Spiritual Energy on our side. Perhaps he never will since he spent his life doing this kind of job. In any case, this is a good thing for us, especially since we have the advantage in numbers.'

Back at the Celesgal Volcano Battlefield...

*Bzzzz...*

Suddenly, Jare felt a reaction coming from one of his pockets before he took out a Thoughts Transmission Talisman. He put it in his head, and with that, he finally received the message sent to him. After the thoughts got through, the talisman burnt out, just like the previous one. 'As I thought, the demon beasts really did it on purpose to show these humans and the bird here. However, the Ancestor is right. It might also be a trick to try to force my hand and attack.'

Jare's Spiritual Sense reached far and wide. Far in the distance, he saw the enormous tarantula, looking in his direction with its numerous eyes. It was as if the tarantula didn't care about what was happening on the battlefield, only about him. 'So much attention on myself. Can't you at least pretend that you don't want me to come out?'

That was all a misinterpretation from Jare. Sure, Gia was looking at him, waiting to see if he would try anything. However, it wasn't because she wanted him to come out so that she would have a reason as well. Instead, Phex put her in charge of looking at the Minokawa. A Divine Demon Beast was too important for the Demon Beast Alliance, so she was being extra careful. Of course, she was also a demon beast, so she would love to see Jare come out so that she can have some fun times as well.

*Boom! Boom! Boom...!*

Suddenly, more explosions were heard from another side as Jare's face turned even darker. Sure enough, another formation was destroyed. From the very start, the Zasfins were having a hard time, not to mention that some of them had already died during the battle, diminishing their initial advantage in numbers.

As for the demon beasts' side, only one of them died in this mission so far, and it was at Initial Stage Five. That was the weakest level of demon beast participating in this event.

While all that happened, the Stage Four Demon Beasts and the Core and Soul Fusion Zasfins and below kept fighting everywhere around. In the end, one group of demon beasts, controlled by Gia's aura, succeeded in breaking through the Zasfins' defense before swarming another formation. Unlike the high-level Zasfins, demon beasts had the advantage in numbers in low-level ones. Eventually, they ran it over before the Formation Core was destroyed. This was an attack only something demon beasts would do, where most died in the end due to the formation's explosion.

Time passed, and Rean's group became the first one to destroy 10 formations. Sometimes they would go all out, wiping the floor with the Zasfins' forces. In the next second, they would disappear from the Zasfins' Spiritual Senses and eyes before another Formation Core exploded out of nowhere.

Naturally, Jare ended up paying more attention to them than the rest of the demon beast groups. Of course, there were still the three Stage Six Demon Beasts and the four Soul Transformation Realm Zasfins. However, they had been engaged in a heated battle from the very start. The Zasfins held their ground thanks to the higher numbers, but the demon beasts didn't back down. Not only that, but their ferocity seemed to have given them a small advantage. With that being said, Jare couldn't ask one of the Soul Transformation Realm guys to leave.

However, it was then that a subordinate appeared on his side, asking him, "Senior Jare, I've returned. What do you need?"

Jare's eye lit up as he looked at the Zasfin, saying, "That was faster than I thought, Gater."