Chapter 603 Subduing and Winning Hearts

The members of the Lei Sha Hunting Group, or rather, the new Dark King Hunting Group, grew tense upon seeing the Golden Scaled Beast. In the past, hunting these beasts, even when successful, often resulted in heavy casualties. If things went poorly, they could lose more than half their members, or even face total annihilation.

"So, everyone retreat," Ning Beichen commanded. He intended to face the Golden Scaled Beast alone this time, aiming to instill confidence in his men and show them they had chosen the right leader.

Once his team had retreated, Ning Beichen, armed with a single sword, advanced towards the beast.

"What is the leader doing?"

"Is the leader… planning to face the Golden Scaled Beast all by himself?"

"Impossible, the leader is underestimating the Golden Scaled Beast too much."

The team members whispered amongst themselves, none of them believing Ning Beichen could handle the beast alone.

Meanwhile, Ning Beichen had reached the Golden Scaled Beast. Facing a creature twenty meters long, he appeared as insignificant as a tiny ant. Yet, Ning Beichen showed no fear. He looked up at the massive, golden-scaled behemoth, his gaze unwavering. Size alone didn't guarantee strength; in his previous world, even whales were no more than a meal for humans.

Ning Beichen clenched his fist around the ancient bronze sword, and a powerful aura surged upwards, piercing the sky. Then, his spiritual manifestation appeared behind him. Two Ning Beichens, one corporeal and one ethereal, both wielding the ancient bronze sword, their hair and clothes billowing in the wind as if in a gale.

Ning Beichen's formidable aura alerted the Golden Scaled Beast, which roared deafeningly, as if provoked. The powerful sonic wave uprooted trees within a hundred-meter radius, sent large stones tumbling, and stirred the distant lava into a frenzy. Those following Ning Beichen quickly retreated, their eyes filled with awe and fear as they watched the beast.

"Should we really not help the leader?" someone asked.

"The leader didn't ask for our help, we should just observe," another replied.

The first speaker fell silent. After all, Ning Beichen had not yet earned their full loyalty. No one truly cared about his life. Perhaps, in their hearts, his death would be a good thing, freeing them from his command.

"Kill!"

Ning Beichen's aura reached its peak. With a flick of his ancient bronze sword, countless sword rain descended from the heavens. The sword in his hand transformed into a sword dragon, charging towards the Golden Scaled Beast. His spiritual manifestation simultaneously wielded its own ancient bronze sword, also manifesting a sword dragon. Two sword dragons simultaneously attacked the Golden Scaled Beast.

Weaknesses? Ning Beichen didn't care. In the face of absolute power, he didn't need to consider any perceived vulnerabilities.

The Golden Scaled Beast clearly felt threatened. It opened its maw and unleashed a torrent of flames at the two sword dragons. The sword rain from the sky rained down like missiles, striking the beast's body with resounding booms.

Pain! That was the Golden Scaled Beast's initial reaction. It had initially dismissed the descending sword rain, unaware that Ning Beichen was using the Song Shan Sword Art, whose sword rain contained immense power that it couldn't easily withstand. If not for its golden scales, it would have been riddled with holes by the barrage.

"Trying to block?" Ning Beichen snorted. He pointed his ancient bronze sword, causing the two sword dragons to merge into one. With a thunderous roar, they sliced through the beast's flames and surged towards its head.

Seeing that its flames were ineffective, the Golden Scaled Beast grew anxious. It quickly coiled its body into a massive sphere and rolled thunderously towards Ning Beichen and the sword dragon.

"Sword Swallowing Mountains!"

Ning Beichen's eyes glinted. Instead of retreating, he took three steps forward. The sword dragon, formed from the ancient bronze sword, let out a dragon's roar and instantly expanded, its body becoming larger than the Golden Scaled Beast. The colossal sword dragon reconfigured in the air like a transformer, its hilt, then its body, and finally its tip. Descending from the heavens like a divine ruler, it struck the Golden Scaled Beast.

Before the beast could react, the sword dragon's tip, like a high-speed drill, landed on its golden scales. With a grinding sound, the beast's scales began to crack and splinter under the dragon's rotation. Large amounts of blood gushed out. Initially, only a few scales broke, but soon, the scales on the beast's body exploded like popcorn under the sword dragon's assault. These scales flew off, akin to missiles, turning the surrounding area into a wasteland. One unfortunate individual was struck by a fragment and instantly cleaved in two, terrifying the onlookers into retreating further from the battlefield.

"Die!" Ning Beichen roared. The sword dragon pierced through the Golden Scaled Beast's body. The colossal beast let out a piercing shriek, its massive form thrashing about, even smashing a mountainside. However, it could no longer withstand the sword dragon's onslaught and eventually stopped moving, rendered immobile. Ning Beichen showed no mercy, commanding the sword dragon to sever the beast's head.

A massive amount of blood flowed from the beast's body, quickly turning the ground into a sea of red. Ning Beichen stood in this blood sea, holding his ancient bronze sword. Though his figure was not imposing, in the eyes of his subordinates, he stood as tall as the heavens.

With a swish, Ning Beichen sheathed the ancient bronze sword and cast a sharp glance around. After a long silence, the scene erupted with deafening cheers.

"Leader! Leader! Leader…" Those who had surrendered to Ning Beichen now shouted with fervent excitement. It was clear they had been won over by his immense power. With such a formidable leader, they had a bright future ahead. Killing this Golden Scaled Beast also meant they had secured a spot for the ancestral land trial.

"Clean up the Golden Scaled Beast. This is our spoils of war," Ning Beichen said with authority, turning to his men. The group, now in high spirits, swarmed towards the beast's carcass.

Only then did a satisfied smile appear on Ning Beichen's lips. It seemed he had indeed conquered their hearts. The new Dark King he was building was about to make its presence known in this world.

After they had finished processing the Golden Scaled Beast, Ning Beichen waved his hand and declared imperiously, "Continue! We, the Dark King, will claim all the Golden Scaled Beasts in the Divine Land! Anyone who dares to obstruct us, the Dark King, is our enemy!"

"Whether it's the number one ranked Holy Hunter or any other faction, whoever dares to stand in our way and overestimates their own strength, we will utterly destroy them!" Ning Beichen proclaimed loudly.