Chapter 1: The Emergence of a Divine Beast

A crowd of immortals is anxiously awaiting the rumoured arrival of a divine beast in the Forsaken Forest.

Each of these nervous and agitated immortals anticipates taming the divine beast for themselves, hoping to gain greater power and influence in a world where the one with the bigger fist has the final say.

The divine beasts are rare and are expected to have a potential of over 700 spiritual channels. With this high potential, there is an assurance of reaching the True Immortal stage within a few centuries.

In this world, both humans and beasts must undergo channel testing before they can properly cultivate spiritual energy. Attempting to cultivate with spiritual channels below 100 guarantees death.

SCREECH!

A large, pure white stork screeched as it arrived and soared above the multitudes of immortals. On its back, three people dressed in white stood majestically with solemn expressions.

"Look! A large white stork!" one of the immortal cultivators exclaimed in shock from below.

"It is the White Stork Sect; only they could raise such a magnificent beast," another cultivator added with an admiring expression.

"Although the white storks are not divine beasts, the White Stork sect can tame and raise such magnificent creatures to this level," said another cultivator.

"Sigh! With a White Stork sect present, our chances of subduing the divine beast have intensely declined," one immortal cultivator said sadly.

SCREECH!

The large, pure white stork screeched again as it continuously flapped its wings to land on the peak of an isolated hill beside the awaiting Immortal cultivators.

Upon realization, one cultivator saw the faces of those on the back of the white stork, and he bellowed with agitation.

"Look! It's Fairy Maki, who is ranked 32nd on the fairy ranking list."

"Wow! She's so beautiful!" exclaimed one enamoured cultivator, his eyes filled with desire.

"Look behind her; the two elders from the White Stork sect are there."

"Who would have the audacity to subdue and tame the divine beast in their presence?"

"The elders of the White Stork sect have already reached the advanced stage of Spiritual Seed Nurturing. While this feels a bit unfair to us rogue cultivators, it does reinforce the likelihood that a divine beast will emerge from this Forsaken Forest."

"If we team up, we still have a chance to compete," a lady said as she riled up the multitudes of rogue Immortal cultivators.

"Hmph! A group of ants looking for trouble," said the male elder behind Fairy Maki, glancing at the crowd below.

CREAK CREAK CREAK!

The trio atop the white stork and the horde of Immortal cultivators below turned their heads to look above at the source of the creaking sound.

A dark flying ship Arrived at the scene, and everyone remained quiet as they glanced at the flying ship with wary eyes.

"Hmph! That emblem on the flag belongs to the Black Ancient Cult. These evil cultivators have even sent envoys to confirm the rumour," Fairy Maki said with displeasure, furrowing her brows as she observed those on the flying ship.

"E-evil cultivators," one of the rogue cultivators said, stepping back in fear.

In a world of immortal cultivators, some individuals employ unorthodox methods to enslave others and drain their spiritual energy, often to the point of death, to grow more powerful. These individuals are classified as evil cultivators. The ship that has just arrived belongs to an evil cultivation sect known as the Black Ancient Cult.

"Hihihi! There's no need to be wary of us. The Black Ancient Cult is just here to capture the divine beast. If you will not hinder us, we will not have any grudge against you."

A charming, feminine voice spoke loudly from the flying ship that was motionless in the sky.

Four people nonchalantly walked to the edge of the flying ship, becoming visible to the crowd below.

Leading the group is a beautiful lady dressed in black, with a large lump of flesh jiggling on her chest as she moves.

"Wow! Look at her. She is truly a seductive demoness and a beauty deserving of a spot on the Fairy ranking list. Unfortunately, she's an evil cultivator, which disqualifies her..."

WHOOSH!

While the rogue cultivator was still blabbing, a flying sword swiftly severed his head from his body. No one, not even Fairy Maki, saw the flying sword in time.

The flying sword returned and hovered in front of the Black Ancient Cult elder standing behind the demoness. Cultivators in the Spiritual Seed Nurturing stage possess the ability to manipulate spiritual energies, allowing them to control flying weapons. This elder is one such cultivator, capable of swiftly wielding weapons to strike down enemies from a distance.

The frightened crowd quickly moved away from the corpse to avoid bloodshed and the risk of collateral damage from the evil cultivators.

"Hmph! A mere rogue cultivator dares to speak ill of our young lady in my presence? You are seeking your own death." One of the elders, who had just retrieved the sword from behind the demoness, said as he looked down at everyone below with disdain.

In this world, the beauties who are practicing evil cultivation methods are classified as demonesses, and the black-dressed beauty with a huge jiggling chest is addressed as such.

"These damn evil cultivators!" the male elder from the White Stork sect cursed with disdain.

"How dare you, an evil cultivator, kill a righteous human in our presence? Are you looking down on my White Stork Sect?" The enraged female elder behind Fairy Maki shouted as she unsheathed her flying sword.

CRACK CRACK CRACK!

One event is interrupted by another. 

The ground trembled as the sky began to rip open. Lightning converged on a single point, and the fabric of space tore apart.

"Is this real?" Fairy Maki exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.

"Yes! It must be the emergence of the divine beast. It seems this was more than just a rumour," the elder behind her confirmed.

"This situation requires the attention of the supreme elders and the sect master," the female elder said to the two on top of the white stork as she burned the communication scroll.

The shocked evil cultivators did the same and informed the Black Ancient Cult about the situation.

The anxious rogue cultivators facing life-threatening challenges feared such a reaction from nature.

As everyone focuses on the space torn open by terrifying lightning, a black cattle emerges from the dimensional rift and dramatically falls onto the ground in front of all the immortal cultivators.

"It's... It's a divine beast! It has emerged!" one rogue cultivator bellowed with agitation upon witnessing such a marvel of nature. One must remember that the emergence of a divine beast occurs once every century.

"It is a divine beast resembling a cattle. What a unique creature!"

"It has beautiful golden eyes," one woman exclaimed as she snapped out of her stupor.

"This divine beast belongs to my White Stork sect. Prepare to fight!" Fairy Maki declared, resolute in her conviction.

Observing the crowd, a giant white stork and a flying ship amazed the cattle, who looked on in awe and confusion.

The cattle is amazed by the stunning landscapes, the beautiful people in unique outfits, a giant white stork, and a flying ship that belongs in the sea, not the sky.

The cattle is also puzzled by everyone's gazes and the talks about a divine beast.

'A divine beast? Are they talking about me?' The cattle was confused, but when he began to feel strange about his body, he started to panic.

'Wait a minute! What is happening? Why do I feel like I am standing on four legs?' the cattle panicked, looking at its legs and hooves. 'Oh my gosh! What have I become? A cattle?'

'Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. There must be a reasonable explanation for this. Let's try to remember. I was a normal human, living a peaceful life on the farm. How did I become a cattle? Oh no! I'm starting to panic!'

'Don't panic! I remember everything now. My name is Mafa Oris, and I am a 24-year-old male who just graduated with a degree in Agricultural Science from the University of Limpopo in South Africa. But how did I end up as a cattle? Did that hole somehow merge my consciousness with that troublesome cattle?'

'After graduating from university, my uncle lent me one of his small farms to manage. Instead of taking the responsibility seriously, I mostly played video games and let the workers handle everything. Today, while I was playing a video game on my laptop under a tree, a troublesome cattle that often escapes the farm wandered around me. Suddenly, a black hole appeared beneath both me and the cattle.'

'I kept falling and falling until a blinding white light filled my vision. As I opened my eyes, I realized I had become a cattle, and my intelligence had drastically deteriorated. I could sense that I was now a little less smart than I had been before. Does this mean that a cattle's brain can't hold the intelligence of a human?'

'No! I can't worry about that right now! Where did my laptop go? No! I can't focus on that right now. The major issue is that I've turned into a cattle, and everyone around me is calling me a divine beast. Wait! Did I enter a different world? Is that hole a portal? How did my not-so-bright brain come up with this idea? Is this my instinct as a gamer and an otaku kicking in?'

'No! I can't focus on irrelevant issues right now. Given the circumstances, everyone must be here for me. If this is another world, based on my experience with other world stories, this is a terrible start. If everyone has gathered for me, my chances of escaping are slim. Let's try to calm things down by starting with a negotiation!'

"Moo!"

'What the f***? Did I just moo? Have I lost my ability to speak?'

"Moo!"

Oris was shocked and couldn't shake off the fear of losing the ability to speak.

"It's a divine beast resembling a cattle. My fellow rogue cultivators, let's join forces and seize this creature for ourselves." Driven by greed, the group of rogue cultivators was suddenly captivated by the sight of the divine beast, causing them to lose control and ignore the danger of being killed.

'They want to capture me? I knew it! Wait a minute, did that guy mention rogue cultivators? Is this the world with the Xianxia setup? All these beautiful people here look African enough, just like home. Although their attire and beauty are unique, they still resemble my home. Wakanda world is this? I mean, what kind of world is this? No! I don't have the luxury of indulging in these silly thoughts. My life is in danger!' Oris was dumbstruck and livid at their sheer arrogance for attempting to capture him as soon as he arrived in this world.

"THIS BEAST IS MINE!"

As the rogue cultivators charged toward the divine beast, a loud, trembling voice reverberated in the sky, shocking everyone.

All the elders from the Black Ancient Cult and the White Stork sect were subdued by the formidable spiritual power in the voice.

As everyone, including the cattle, searched for the source of the voice, they witnessed a lone old man floating in the sky as if it were a natural occurrence.

"He... he can fly," the demoness said, her smile fading as fear crept into her expression, her eyes widening.

"A cultivator who has reached a stage beyond Spiritual Seed Nurturing is capable of flight. The old man is likely an expert in Soul Germination or at an even higher level." An evil cultivation elder said this, feeling a deep sense of caution toward the old man.

In this world, there are nine cultivation stages. Excluding the Channel Opening and Vitality Roots stages, which serve as the initial stages of cultivation, the remaining stages are as follows: Spiritual Seed Shaping, Spiritual Seed Nurturing, Soul Germination, Soul Perfection, Soul Unification, Undying Body, True Immortal, Immortal God, and Ancestral God.

In this world, cultivators are known as immortals because they have lifespans that far exceed those of ordinary people. Some cultivators have lived for thousands of years, and a select few can achieve true immortality, transcending time, space, matter, and even the limitations of life and death.