Qian Ye was still quite a distance from the Pool of All Beings when he felt a sudden heat, and the temperature rapidly increased. Not only did the environment grow unbearably hot, but his body also began to blaze as if set aflame. His blood core started pulsating faster, and primal desires welled up from within.
This sensation was somewhat similar to the high-gravity zones during daylight, yet subtly different. In the core areas of high gravity, it was the entire environment that stirred Qian Ye’s instincts. Every plant and creature, big or small, prioritized reproduction above even feeding.
However, near the Pool of All Beings, the desire was awakened by some unseen call. It seemed as if there were whispers in his ears, urging and tempting him to yield to his bodily desires.
Looking around, Qian Ye took in the myriad of life forms. Throughout this process, his body experienced more than a dozen surges of desire, like waves of a flood, each one pushing him toward reproduction.
These surges of desire targeted both two-armed and four-armed warriors, as well as some bizarre and ferocious beasts.
“What is happening? Could it be…?” Qian Ye wondered. Looking around, he saw an incredible variety of strange creatures—easily over eight hundred types, most of which he had never seen before. Yet, he felt desire for only about a dozen of them.
Still rational, Qian Ye naturally found this puzzling. If he could feel desire for those dozen or so types of beasts and a few amphibians, why would he have no reaction to the other thousands of species?
Qian Ye sensed again, confirming that the objects of his desire remained the same, neither increasing nor decreasing.
At that moment, memories from his time in the Yellow Springs surfaced. Back then, they had been learning about the various species in the Evernight world. Humans were straightforward, but the dark races were incredibly diverse, sometimes blurring the line between man and beast. For instance, the relationships between werewolves and dire wolves, and between spider devils and servant spiders, were particularly convoluted. A clutch of eggs from a spider devil could hatch into several small spider devils and a multitude of servant spiders.
The instructor had once explained that closely related species could produce offspring, while distantly related ones could not. The definition of “closely” and “distantly” was unclear, and it wasn’t the focus of the lesson. The key was to understand the physical structures of the dark races to better kill them.
Those old lessons flashed through his mind with perfect clarity. Suddenly, Qian Ye had a thought: could it be that the species arousing his desire were the ones capable of producing offspring with him?
If that were true, the Pool of All Beings was truly terrifying. It wasn’t just suppressing; it could discern bloodlines instantly, making people submit to their desires without a chance to think.
Nearby, a two-armed woman had just finished entangling with a vicious beast. The beast lay panting on the ground, almost dead from exhaustion, but the woman, still unsatisfied, came naked towards Qian Ye.
Desire surged again in Qian Ye’s heart. Seeing her ugly face and dirty body, he didn’t feel revulsion. But he remained clear-headed, grabbing her arm and throwing her towards a six-armed giant.
The six-armed giant didn’t even bother blocking, simply smashing her aside and pursuing Qian Ye.
Qian Ye picked up a four-armed warrior, along with the beast beneath him, and hurled them at the six-armed giant. Then, any nearby beasts he could reach were thrown at the giant as well.
The six-armed giant, now enraged, swung his arms like a whirlwind, smashing the beasts into a bloody mess. He paid no heed to what was underfoot, stepping on many beasts driven by desire.
As he neared the Pool of All Beings, the call grew clearer and stronger. However, it was not yet a threat to Qian Ye. He activated the Dawn Awakening, a thread of crimson-gold flame burning, suppressing all his urges.
He glanced back at the six-armed giant, who was still relentlessly pursuing him. They were now in the densest area of the breeding zone, but the giant showed no sign of giving up, ignoring the beasts as he seemed immune to the mysterious call.
Perhaps annoyed by Qian Ye’s antics, the six-armed giant suddenly grabbed several beasts and hurled them at Qian Ye like cannonballs!
Dodging one, Qian Ye rolled out of the way. The beast crashed into the ground, exploding and sending Qian Ye flying. More beasts followed, striking from the air.
With nowhere to land, Qian Ye’s figure blurred and vanished.
The six-armed giant turned, looking at the ground hundreds of meters away. When his gaze landed, Qian Ye reappeared. Without hesitation, the giant threw more beasts at him.
Qian Ye sidestepped, landing dozens of meters away, but the explosion’s shockwave still unbalanced him. He quickly drew the Dongyue, using its weight to steady himself. Nearby beasts were flung into the sky.
These beasts were incredibly tough, many having come from the core of the high-gravity zone. They were like moving blocks of steel. Thrown with the giant’s full strength, they were far more dangerous than a warship’s main cannon. Qian Ye dared not block them; even a glancing hit would cause severe injury.
Fortunately, the giant’s supply of heavy arrows was limited and already used up in the first day of pursuit, or Qian Ye would have been in even greater trouble.
The once licentious beach of the Pool of All Beings was now in chaos. Many beasts, sensing the threat, stopped their activities and looked anxiously at the commotion, growling uneasily. Most beasts, seeing the six-armed giant, showed fear and fled.
But some particularly strong beasts crouched low, issuing threatening growls.
This surprised Qian Ye. He had thought the six-armed giant was at the top of the food chain, but these smaller beasts didn’t seem to fear him and even seemed to challenge him.
Angered, the six-armed giant ignored Qian Ye and attacked the nearest giant lizard. This lizard, though over ten meters long and as thick as a small warship, was slim compared to the giant. The giant’s weapons rained down, leaving the lizard in a bloody mess.
Despite being critically injured, the lizard dragged itself to the giant and bit his leg.
Enraged, the giant dropped his weapons, grabbed the lizard, and tore it apart, flinging the pieces to the ground.
After killing the lizard, the giant roared, a display of dominance. The challenging beasts slowly retreated.
The giant scanned the area, searching for Qian Ye. His eyes flickered with mysterious runes, and he soon spotted Qian Ye behind the retreating beasts.
Qian Ye, realizing the beasts had the power to fight back, hid among them. To the beasts, he was no threat, just another piece of food.
The giant, undeterred, charged forward, brandishing his weapons and roaring.
Qian Ye’s eyes lit up with a plan.
Even here, beasts had territories, and the stronger ones defended them fiercely. Even in this breeding ground, powerful beasts had a clear space around them. Though it was just a few meters, it was significant.
Qian Ye, having suppressed his aura, was invisible to the beasts, just another piece of food. So, they ignored him, focusing on the giant, the real threat to their territory.
Qian Ye kept the Dongyue ready, maintaining a safe distance from the beasts. When the giant’s show of force failed, he grew furious, picking up weaker beasts and hurling them at Qian Ye.
In front of Qian Ye was a beast resembling a giant ape, standing nearly ten meters tall, covered in thick fur with blue scales, and sharp bone spurs on its palms and joints. Known as the Feral Blade Ape, it was a top-tier beast, second only to the Void Beast. Its temper matched its strength, and it roared and leaped, smashing the incoming beasts aside.
But size-wise, the Feral Blade Ape was barely knee-high to the giant. After knocking three beasts aside, its arm drooped, and another incoming beast sent it tumbling, unable to rise.
Other beasts, seeing the Feral Blade Ape felled, fled. The giant ignored them and charged at Qian Ye.
Qian Ye, feeling helpless, guessed the giant might have a death command or perhaps he was just too angry after being shot. The breeding ground was now in disarray, with all beasts watching the furious giant. Other creatures in the area also paused, staring at the chaos.
Qian Ye noticed the beasts around the Feral Blade Ape were all large, each matching the ape’s size. The giant, being unmatched, likely felt no reproductive call.
Qian Ye turned to look at the vast Pool of All Beings. Aquatic life, generally larger, was likely the giant’s true rival in this world of giants.
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