A few hundred meters Southeast of Corpse Mountain Settlement.
The barren land unveils a grey layer of stone amidst the abundant, luscious foliage.
It was mostly flat, save a few short ridges and crevices.
There was nothing there, or so it seemed.
On one side of the barren land were ramparts and towers, masked by illusory light: the work of a Dao Art.
Half a dozen Cultivators hide within the structures, and almost a hundred mortal soldiers are hidden behind.
The near silence of the area was a testament to their stealth.
Only the wind whispers and the leaves rustle.
Save for a thunderous boom in the distance and the following tremors of the land, nothing significant has happened.
For an hour, they remained waiting.
Anticipation bundling within their body and minds, and eventually, adrenaline and vigour began to course through their veins.
With the sight of the first few beasts, they watched until the numbers increased to three figures.
Hundreds of wolves crossed the barren lands in a frenzy, crossing halfway in a few breaths' time.
Suddenly, the air rippled and fell like cloth.
Arrows rained heavily, stabbing into the group of wolves.
Frenzy turned into fear, frantically howling, running discordantly.
Yet, no matter where they ran, they were trapped by a formless force.
"Slaughter them all!"
"Leave none alive!"
"Tear them all apart!"
Violence called from beyond the structures as warriors poured out like water from an open faucet.
They were equally as frenzied as the wolves were, but more directed.
Swords cut apart fur coats, polearms stabbed, and axes slammed down.
The scent of blood pervaded the battlefield; the stone was once grey, now an unruly crimson bleeds into the ground.
As violence tore through the group of wolves, backed into a corner, they put up one final stand.
Helpless as they may have been, a beast is still a beast.
Claws scraped across armour and clothing, teeth dug into the uncovered skin.
Yet, unfortunately, nothing could change their predicament.
Tens of minutes passed, and the number of living wolves had dwindled greatly.
Hundreds reduced to corpses, only a mere dozen remained.
"Looks like a Beast King remained. How did it slip past Senior Warrior of Spring, or our other Seniors?"
Standing defiantly, a tall, wide wolf glared at the Cultivators.
It was wounded, bleeding cuts stained its dense fur coat, limping slightly in place.
"No matter, it alone is significant. We can trample on these lesser wolves and slaughter this Beast King!"
Roaring, a Cultivator charged forth, slamming down his axe upon the wolf's head.
In that instant, there were no signs of wanting to struggle, no resistance, no will.
Crushed under the might of the metal head, the skull of the Beast King was parted.
Lifting the axe from the splattered remains, the Cultivators did not hesitate to chase down the rest of the wolves.
Scattering like leaves in the wind, they desperately fled before getting torn apart.
...
Warrior of Spring stood over the area he was watching.
He had crashed into the ground not so long ago, but there was no crater.
Nothing remained of his impact, nor did anything suggest such a collision had happened.
There were tremors but no cracks.
The flora seemed more verdant in this area, and there was a pleasant aroma of flowers here, despite the lack thereof.
Hiding within the trees, Warrior of Spring awaited the next group of beasts to appear.
He had already slain the three Mystical Beast Kings that were controlling the wolf group, but some of the ordinary Beast Kings had escaped him.
This area he overlooked was spotless, and even the air was clean.
That was a product of one of his Dao Arts.
The land would naturally drink the blood and devour the corpses of the slain beasts; Warrior of Spring merely hastened the process.
He also cleaned the air with another Dao Art.
This was all to prepare for a second ambush; the other points of ambush would also have methods to clean their areas.
The main site of Confrontation, too, has methods to wipe their slate clean.
It was to ensure that all their ambush points could be reused, catching beast group after beast group, until the first tide is complete.
After slaughtering his fair share of beasts, he claimed and stored his 'rewards' in a special pouch.
It utilised Dao Art to compress space, allowing larger things to fit into its seemingly small storage.
Within were the bones of the Mystical Beast Kings and ordinary Beast Kings, as well as a few Qi conglomerates from the former.
Compared to a State Cultivator's needs, it was only a small reward; among them, the most valuable were the Qi conglomerates.
Although, Warrior of Spring had no need for these.
Lying back, he could feel far across the forest and all of the forest itself.
The swaying of leaves and their faint 'breathing'.
The nutrients that trees sap from the ground.
The tiny organisms that live in the soil.
Yet, he was not overwhelmed by these sensations; he dwelt pleasantly amidst the countless sensations.
Unfortunately, he could feel the disturbance of such peace.
Stampede on the ground, two different kinds of presences could be felt.
A lithe, furry presence of mischievous nature, and one of a prideful, elegant nature.
They danced in the forest with a chaotic choreography.
"Two different beast groups. Hmm..."
Warrior of Spring analysed, foxes were racing across the ground, and hawks were weaving in the air.
The sight was abnormal and messy, like brown and orange colliding.
'If two groups of beasts were to approach, what would the result be when they are overwhelmed by a greater power?'
Warrior of Spring could answer that.
As he entered the centre of the beast groups, he made his presence known.
A formless force erupted from within him.
Plummeting down, he met with a massive hawk and a large fox.
Pinning them both beneath him, Warrior of Sprind smashed down and annihilated them both.
The ground collided with his body and shook, the tremors spread violently far and wide.
Yet, the ground did not split.
The trees shook and rustled intensely, but did not fall.
However, the group of foxes stumbled and fell, the hawks were mostly unaffected.
Warrior of Spring had killed a Mystical Beast King of each group and left a deep impression.
He stood and watched for their reaction.