The Master of Beasts

Under Bai Yao's urging, Chen Jiuge had no choice but to produce the Life Origin Ore.

Chen Jiuge didn't know the Grade of the Origin of Life contained within the Life Origin Ore. However, judging by the intensity of the Life Origin Energy it emitted, he knew it was beyond the imagination of a small fry like him, who had yet to become an immortal.

Stimulated by the Life Origin Energy, the mature Soldier Insects began to rapidly breed their next generation. Even unhatched eggs quickly produced larvae that grew swiftly.

As for Bai Yao, she went to attend to the War Sand Table issue.

As a prospective Core Disciple, sorting out an ordinary War Sand Table was quite simple for her.

「Half an hour later」

Bai Yao returned to the display area with a reluctant-looking young man in tow.

"Jun Sandao, don't look so sullen. Hurry up and make me a War Sand Table, make it like the grand battles in the mortal realms!" Bai Yao said spiritedly.

Jun Sandao scratched his head and said, "Sister Yao, what Grade do you need? If it's above Fifth Rank, I can't just conjure it with a wave of my hand."

Bai Yao turned to Chen Jiuge and asked, "Junior Brother, what Rank are these Soldier Insects?"

Chen Jiuge replied, "First Rank, with an occasional Second Rank Soldier Insect General."

"Then make me a Fourth Rank one, and be quick about it!" Bai Yao said, slapping Jun Sandao's shoulder.

Curious, Jun Sandao glanced at the Soldier Insects and, after sensing their aura, said with a dejected expression, "Aren't these the Soldier Insects from White Tiger Peak's Yue Jun? He has a War Sand Table, doesn't he? You could've just asked him for it."

"Yue Jun's? Didn't he go off to fight the Demon Clan in the Small World?" Bai Yao asked in surprise.

"Yes, but he gave these Soldier Insects to his younger brother to compete with. Sister Yao, apart from those from White Tiger Peak, who else would bother with these kinds of battlefield simulation games?" Jun Sandao said listlessly.

"Stop your nonsense and hurry up!" Bai Yao snapped, flustered and annoyed.

Helpless, Jun Sandao could only perform a Spell. A large quantity of materials flew out from his Storage Ring. He then spat out a ball of Spiritual Fire, and the spiritual materials rapidly melted and reformed. In just a quarter of an hour, an exquisitely crafted War Sand Table materialized.

Good heavens, is this fellow a human-shaped Magic Treasure replicator? A Fourth Rank Magic Treasure created in just a quarter of an hour—how wealthy must he be? Chen Jiuge was stunned by this Artifact Refining technique.

Noticing Chen Jiuge's gaze, Jun Sandao explained, "Junior Brother, if you want to, you can also study our sect's 'Great Device Heaven Formation Scripture.' As long as you reach the Fourth Layer, you can be this fast too."

"Don't listen to his nonsense," Bai Yao said, shaking her head. "This guy has a Melted Spirit Sacred Body, which is a perfect match for the 'Great Device Heaven Formation Scripture.' Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to cultivate to the Fifth Layer so quickly. Don't let him lead you astray."

"Come on, everything is ready! Junior Brother, shall we have a battle?" Bai Yao said excitedly.

This Fourth Rank War Sand Table was far from simple. It boasted ninety-nine different terrains and could be considered the epitome of sand table-type Magic Treasures. Although its Grade was a bit low, it was more than sufficient for the Soldier Insects.

The randomly chosen battlefield was a Siege Warfare scenario.

A massive fortress stood in the center, encircled by a Moat, with a large river further out. Nearby were some mountains and forests.

Seeing this, Jun Sandao remarked in surprise, "This map is tough for an attacker."

Upon hearing this, Bai Yao immediately chose to be the defender. "Junior Brother, I'm a girl, so I get to pick first, right?" she said.

Chen Jiuge naturally had no objections. This terrain is perfect for a flooding strategy. In my previous life, I read about this kind of Combat Technique countless times in novels; it's not difficult at all.

The attacking side could have three times as many troops as the defending side.

After selecting the Second Rank Soldier Insect Generals, Chen Jiuge began to set their tactics. Although modifications could be made after the game started, this would cause a delay. Therefore, this kind of mini-game was better suited for cultivators skilled in strategy and mental calculation.

The war began.

Chen Jiuge's blue team took the initiative, splitting into three groups. One group launched a direct frontal assault on the city, but not all at once; instead, small squads attacked in waves, appearing as if they were throwing their lives away.

The second group continuously harassed the other three city walls, reducing the pressure on the first group.

As for the third group, they stealthily made their way to the mountains behind, planning to dam the river and accumulate water for a surge.

Bai Yao didn't notice anything amiss at first and said boastfully, "Junior Brother, are you just serving me up free kills? Your Senior Sister won't be polite!"

Senior Sister Wen Ruo quietly watched from the side. She wasn't clear on the critical aspects but found the game quite interesting.

It was Jun Sandao, who had encountered this map before, who frowned in thought. He had previously been the defender on this map, but Yue Jun, with his powerful Soldier Insect formations, had managed to breach the city walls and achieve a hard-fought victory against him.

As time passed, Chen Jiuge's first team had suffered nearly fifty percent losses, and even the harassing second team had lost almost a third of its numbers. In contrast, Bai Yao's defending Soldier Insects had lost less than ten percent. It looked like Bai Yao was going to win.

"Something's wrong, Sister Yao! Be careful! Look at the river!" Jun Sandao suddenly exclaimed, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"The river? Why look at the river?" Bai Yao, confused, glanced over and noticed the river's flow had stopped.

Upon closer observation, she realized that the corpses of the Soldier Insects that had fallen earlier in the assault had been piled up and then covered with dirt to form tall earthen mounds.

"Sister, it's too late," Chen Jiuge said. As his voice faded, the Soldier Insects, which had been relentlessly attacking the city, began an orderly retreat, climbing atop those earthen mounds.

Before Bai Yao could comprehend the situation, a massive torrent of water surged down, instantly obliterating the tall city walls. The defending Soldier Insects were decimated, with barely one in ten surviving. Only a few of the earthen mounds, those not sturdy enough, were destroyed, causing minimal losses to Chen Jiuge's forces; the rest of the attacking insects on the mounds were unscathed.

With the last defending Soldier Insect General beheaded, the outcome of the war was decided.

Bai Yao was stunned for a moment, then said, "Junior Brother, that was amazing! Let's play another round!"

Jun Sandao sighed in admiration. "Junior Brother, what a brilliant strategy! Sister Yao, how about I take him on this time?"

The terrain changed, this time to a battlefield composed of countless valleys.

Then, Chen Jiuge gave Jun Sandao a demonstration of a Cultivation-style "Capturing Meng Huo Seven Times."

Jun Sandao was at a loss for words. "Junior Brother, isn't this a bit too..."

Before Jun Sandao could utter the word "excessive," Bai Yao could no longer contain her laughter. "Jun Sandao, you're terrible!" she exclaimed loudly. "You couldn't win even after seven tries! HAHAHA!"

Hearing this, Jun Sandao remained silent, only sighing inwardly at Bai Yao's lack of understanding. Clearly, just beheading his Great General wouldn't have led to victory. Chen Jiuge had repeatedly traded units to wear down all the other Soldier Insect Generals, only then striking down the Great General to win, all while significantly reducing his own losses. This Junior Brother's grasp of military strategy is truly profound! He could even be recommended to that brute Yue Jun, to teach him what real strategy is.

Eventually, even Senior Sister Wen joined in, and the four of them played for the entire afternoon. For the most part, Chen Jiuge emerged victorious. However, some battlefields involved direct army clashes where mastery of unit formations was key, and on those, Chen Jiuge nearly suffered a defeat.