"Slaughter Domain," Levi whispered, testing the words.

He activated the ability experimentally.

"Weng!"

An invisible pressure expanded outward from his body, covering exactly ten meters in all directions!

Within that sphere, the very air felt heavier. The ambient temperature dropped slightly. And most notably, Levi could sense everything—every insect, every blade of grass, every particle of dust.

And if there had been enemies within that domain, they would have felt their strength, speed, and defenses all weakened simultaneously.

It was like a weaker version of what powerful cultivators called "domains"—personal reality fields where the user had absolute advantage.

Levi held the domain active for ten seconds before letting it dissipate. The Astra energy cost wasn't huge, but it wasn't negligible either. He could probably maintain it for about five minutes at his current level before exhausting himself.

Still, it was an incredible ability.

"Squeak?"

Luna looked at him questioningly, clearly sensing the change in his aura.

"I got stronger," Levi explained simply. "Much stronger."

And it was true. The combination of breaking through to Level 6 Genetic Soldier, acquiring eleven Celestial Slaughter Marks, and unlocking Slaughter Domain had transformed him from merely talented to genuinely formidable.

He was starting to approach the level where he could legitimately threaten low-level Fiend Warriors despite being only a Genetic Soldier.

"Alright," Levi said, shaking off his fatigue. "Let's keep moving. We've got a long way to go."

He stored the bear's core and began jogging in the direction of Redwood Village once more.

-----

Over the next six hours, Levi encountered seven more dimensional beasts.

Three Level 9 Genetic Soldier tier creatures—a pack of Shadow Wolves that Luna sniffed out near a cave system. Levi killed all three using Thunder Step and basic saber techniques, not even needing to transform.

Two Level 1 Origin Realm beasts—a massive serpent with crystallized scales, and a four-winged hawk that tried to ambush him from above. Both required him to use golden drops and transformations, but neither was as dangerous as the Crimson Gold Bear.

And two Level 2 Origin Realm creatures—a territorial ape with earth manipulation abilities, and a pack alpha of Frost Lions. These fights were genuinely difficult, forcing Levi to use multiple trump cards and pushing his regeneration to its limits.

After each kill, Levi attempted to extract Celestial Slaughter Marks.

The success rate was disappointingly low.

Out of the seven beasts, only two yielded viable marks—one from the Level 2 Frost Lion Alpha, and one from the Level 2 Earth Ape.

[Ding! Celestial Slaughter Mark acquired: 12/10]

[Ding! Celestial Slaughter Mark acquired: 13/10]

The other five attempts failed completely. Either the beasts' life essence was too weak, or Levi's technique execution was imperfect, or random chance just didn't favor him. The Art had mentioned that success rates varied, and apparently that was no exaggeration.

Still, thirteen marks total was impressive. Very impressive. Most practitioners of the Celestial Slaughter Art would take years to accumulate that many, and Levi had done it in less than a week.

But the cost was also significant.

Each golden drop explosion damaged his meridians. Each transformation strained his body. Each use of Star Annihilation Slash depleted his Astra reserves.

By the time evening approached, Levi was genuinely exhausted.

He found a relatively safe location—a rocky outcropping with good visibility and only one approach vector—and decided to rest for the night.

He pulled out some of the emergency rations from his spatial ring and shared them with Luna, who had been remarkably well-behaved during the journey. The little beast seemed to understand they were traveling and conserved her energy, only squeaking when she sensed valuable targets.

As they ate in comfortable silence, Levi checked his holo-watch.

He'd covered approximately 180 kilometers today, which was actually better than his initial estimate. At this rate, he'd reach Redwood Village in about three days instead of four.

His meridians were still being repaired by his regeneration ability, but the damage was accumulating faster than it was healing. He'd need to rest for at least a full day once he reached the village, maybe more.

After finishing his meal, Levi lay back against the rock and stared up at the stars visible through breaks in the forest canopy.

Two moons hung in the night sky—one silver, one faintly blue. A reminder that he wasn't on Earth anymore, that this was a completely different world with its own rules and dangers.

"Luna," Levi said quietly. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

"Squeak?"

The little beast tilted her head, clearly not understanding the question.

Levi smiled slightly. "Never mind. Just thinking out loud."

He closed his eyes, activated his Oceanic Soul Scripture meditation technique to aid recovery, and slowly drifted into a light sleep—the kind where part of his mind remained alert for threats.

Tomorrow would bring more challenges.

But for tonight, he could rest.

-----

Levi woke at dawn, his internal clock precisely timed after years of cultivation discipline. Luna was curled up on his chest, snoring softly with her tail wrapped around her body.

He gently moved her aside, earning a sleepy squeak of protest, and stood to stretch. His body felt significantly better after the night's rest. His meridians had repaired themselves to about seventy percent, and his Astra energy reserves were back to full.

After a quick breakfast of more emergency rations and some water from a nearby stream, Levi resumed his journey.

The second day of travel was similar to the first—long stretches of jogging interspersed with occasional beast encounters. He killed another four creatures, but only one yielded a Celestial Slaughter Mark.

[Ding! Celestial Slaughter Mark acquired: 14/10]

By the end of the second day, Levi had covered another 190 kilometers. He was making good time, and if his calculations were correct, he'd reach Redwood Village by tomorrow afternoon.

But as he settled in for his second night of camping, something unexpected happened.

Levi was in the middle of absorbing a Celestial Slaughter Mark from a Level 3 Origin Realm beast he'd just killed—a massive crystalline scorpion with venom that could melt steel. His hands moved through the seals, guiding the life essence, shaping the mark…

"CRASH!"

A massive object suddenly smashed through the trees fifty meters to his left!

Levi's concentration broke instantly. The half-formed Celestial Slaughter Mark destabilized and dissipated, the life essence scattering uselessly into the air.

"Damn it!" Levi cursed, genuinely angry for the first time in days.

He'd been so close to forming another mark, and now it was wasted!

His eyes snapped toward the source of the disturbance, his hand already moving to his saber's handle.

What he saw was a beast.

Not just any beast—a massive reptilian creature that looked like a cross between a crocodile and a dragon. It was easily twenty meters long, with scales that shimmered between green and gold. Its four legs ended in claws that could crush boulders, and its tail was thick enough to demolish buildings.

A Four-Star Fiend Grade Dimensional Beast—roughly equivalent to a Level 4 Fiend Warrior in human terms.

The creature crashed through another tree, obviously injured and fleeing from something. Deep gashes covered its flanks, and one of its eyes was ruined, oozing black ichor.

But what really caught Levi's attention was what came after the beast.

Four human figures burst through the trees in hot pursuit, their Astra energy blazing as they unleashed coordinated attacks.

Students. Not from Crimson Sun Academy based on their uniform colors, but from some other institution.

The leader was a young man who appeared to be around nineteen or twenty, with sharp features and confident bearing. Level 9 Genetic Soldier based on his aura. He wielded a spear that glowed with golden energy, and his attacks were precise and devastating.

The second was a girl, younger than the leader, maybe sixteen or seventeen. Level 6 Genetic Soldier. She had long black hair tied in a ponytail and moved with acrobatic grace, wielding twin short swords that left trails of blue energy.

The third and fourth were twins—identical young men with similar features, both at Level 7 Genetic Soldier. They fought in perfect synchronization, one using fire techniques while the other used ice, their attacks complementing each other to devastating effect.

Together, the four students were actually managing to fight a Fiend Grade beast—something that should have been impossible for Genetic Soldiers.

Their teamwork was impressive. The leader acted as main attacker, keeping the beast's attention. The girl darted in and out, striking at weak points and retreating before the beast could retaliate. The twins provided support from medium range, their combined elemental attacks creating openings for the others to exploit.

But impressive or not, they were losing.

The beast was simply too strong, too fast, too durable. Every time they landed a solid hit, it regenerated most of the damage within seconds. And its counterattacks were devastating—each swipe of its claws created shockwaves that sent the students flying.

As Levi watched, the beast's tail swept in a wide arc, catching the fire twin by surprise.

"Kai, watch out!" the ice twin shouted.

Too late.

"CRASH!"

The tail strike sent Kai flying through three trees before he slammed into a boulder, coughing blood.

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