Bleet!
Empyrean Boars shrieked as Mammoth Clansmen raided their homes and began capturing them one after another. They weren't killed yet as efficiency was greater if the Empyrean Tusk munched on them alive.
That was why the Mammoth Clansmen primarily intended to capture them. As they rushed through the forest, the newborn observed them in fear from its home under the protruding roots. It was from a tree that reached almost 600 metres in height.
Hence, its roots covered a large area and camouflaged its growing body. The newborn boar also dug a hole underneath to form a comfy home. Its intellect had developed enough to cover the area and mask its presence from the invaders.
'Who are they? And why are they selectively targeting my brethren?' It trailed after the Mammoth Clansmen from afar, using its small body to its advantage. It was barely two metres in size now.
There were only a couple thousand Empyrean Boars in the Varahan Enclave. It wasn't a number sufficient for the Empyrean Tusk herd's needs.
Therefore, the Mammoth Clansmen weren't aggressive with their capture. They studied the Empyrean Boar psychology and once an Empyrean Boar gave birth, they swiftly came to the rescue.
For the next two days, they protected the newborns until they became large enough to hunt the other Pranic Beasts in the region. This way, their population would increase drastically, giving the Mammoth Clan more profit.
After all, they required dozens of adult Empyrean Boars per each Empyrean Tusk. It was better to take their time and allow for more Empyrean Boars to be born. Hence, they invaded the Varahan Enclave in waves, once a year.
During the fourth year, the newborn Empyrean Boar treaded through the Sandy-Grey Void right next to the valley that served as the Varahan Enclave's entrance. This way, it avoided detection of the Mammoth Clan who didn't expect such a thing from Pranic Beasts lacking intelligence.
Iron Grade Pranic Beasts were no different from animals in terms of intelligence. They were beings driven by instinct. Silver Grade Pranic Beasts were pretty intelligent, almost on a human level. Some of them slightly exceeded a human, depending on the race they were from.
And finally, Gold Grade Pranic Beasts were superior to humans.
In the Varahan Enclave, three of the four were Iron Grade Pranic Beasts. And the final, the Gold Grade Pranic Beast was the Empyrean Boar, insane from the start. Therefore, the Mammoth Clan didn't bother preparing for any sneak attacks.
Considering their numbers, it had been a long while since they were last attacked. Their strength had grown too much, hence lacking any competitors.
Moreover, there wasn't even a swarm-type race in their vicinity, hence their defence was lacking. The Mammoth Clan sent all its elites and masters on the invasion.
There was no reason not to, after all. They didn't face any danger and there were 188 Empyrean Tusks standing guard to each other. Nothing wrong could happen.
It took the newborn Empyrean Boar four years to understand this. And during the end of the fourth year, when the Mammoth Clan invaded in full swing the fifth time, the newborn boar sneaked towards the Empyrean Tusk herd from the back, targeting the weakest Empyrean Tusk.
Even the Empyrean Tusk had let down its guard, having not been targeted for the past few centuries. And stealthily, through the route used by the Mammoth Clansmen to descend down from their settlement, the newborn Empyrean Boar made its way up.
Soon, it reached the Academy of Refinement, observing the students there, 'It'll take them forty days to return.'
It sneaked through the hallways, avoiding the deeper regions where the Empyrean Tusk's Primary Nature was effective. All it did was scout through the settlement, avoiding detection successfully. It remained there for close to a month before descending from the settlement.
It sneaked back through the route it discovered in the Sandy-Grey Void, returning home. During the sixth invasion, it dug an underground tunnel for forty days, leading from the Sandy-Grey Area to the foot of the closest Empyrean Tusk.
After becoming an expert at making tunnels, it continued its work even after the Mammoth Clan's elites and masters returned. By now, its mind had fully matured, allowing it to think like a true Gold Grade Pranic Beast.
Its body remained small but its strength continued to climb up. Finally, nine years after the invasion started, it completed its digging and scouting, becoming an expert at both.
By now, the Mammoth Clan failed to notice despite it nibbling their Parute Fruit reserves. The reduction in amount was so little they didn't notice it. Secondly, it was spread throughout the 188 Settlements.
Therefore, the Mammoth Clan didn't notice it, but the Empyrean Boar gained a significant return. At the end of the ninth year, right after the tenth invasion started, the Empyrean Boar entered the 188th Settlement, calmly sauntering into the Academy of Refinement before engaging in a slaughter.
The students were only at the Spirit Stage. They couldn't even scratch a Gold Grade Pranic Beast, even if it was an Empyrean Boar. As all residents at the Settlement were only at the Spirit Stage, none could harm it.
Moreover, the Empyrean Boar took action right after the 188th Empyrean Tusk fell asleep. It had memories of all their sleeping patterns by now, knowing which Empyrean Tusk was awake at which time.
The first entity it swallowed was a Mammoth Clansman, a student. As he didn't have a Primary Nature, it wasn't affected. But, that didn't even matter now as its mind had matured enough to overcome the side effects of its Primary Nature.
All students of the 188th Settlement took refuge in its belly as the Empyrean Boar targeted another settlement whose Empyrean Tusk was asleep. Moreover, it did such a perfect job that not a single Empyrean Tusk managed to detect anything.
By the time the sleeping Empyrean Tusks woke up, it was too late. The students of over sixty Settlements disappeared mysteriously. And the perpetrator had vanished too.
The Empyrean Boar felt bloated by the time it returned home. Its body had reached peak size by then as a mysterious change began to form in it. Due to the extreme environment and diet it had subjected itself to, it experienced an evolution.
The Empyrean Boar hibernated to allow the transformation to run its course, remaining safe in its home. When it woke up two years later, it was stunned.
First of all, it unleashed a presence similar to a Mammoth Clansman. And secondly, it now possessed a human body, having developed a Nature.
Tertiary Nature—Cultivator!