Evolution Begins With A Big Tree

Chapter 1312, The Penumbra Legion

Translator:  Ashish

Translation Checker: Silvain

Staring silently at the nine masks rising from Slytherin’s hand, Yu Zi Yu’s eyes flickered with an ever-deepening gleam.

“So these… are the Shadow Clan’s Tiger Seal of Command?” Yu Zi Yu murmured softly, his eyes flickering with anticipation.

Then, slowly raising a hand, Yu Zi Yu selected the mask with a decent appearance.

However, the moment his fingers touched the mask, a bone-chilling aura surged into him.

*Hmph…* A soft yet cold snort cracked through the air.

In the next moment, the mask trembled violently, and a crack began to spread across its surface.

[To actually think you can backbite me? You must have a death wish.] Following Yu Zi Yu’s dismissive snort, the mask quickly quieted. The malice faded, replaced by a cat-like submission, its touch now radiating a strangely soothing coolness.

In the end, the weak always feared the strong. Before someone like Yu Zi Yu, submission was inevitable.

At that moment, as Yu Zi Yu turned the mask over in his hand with interest, Slytherin beside him introduced, “Master, the mask you’re holding now is the Penumbra Mask, with this you can command the Penumbra Legion.

The Penumbra Legion is composed of the most elite Shadowkins. They are few in number, but possess fearsome strength. They are special forces among special forces, and masters of every known assassination technique.”

As he listened, a faint smirk curled at Yu Zi Yu’s lips.

“Is that so…” as he mumbled, Yu Zi Yu also channeled his Spiritual Energy into the mask.

*Boom… Boom…* Accompanied by roaring sounds akin to tsunami waves, thick black mist erupted from the mask in his hand like a volcano.

And then, a spine-chilling scene appeared before Yu Zi Yu’s eyes. From beneath his feet, dark rings of shadows bloomed outward like ink in water, quickly blanketing the entire land in darkness.

And from within that sea of shadow, ripples suddenly appeared here and there as dark shadows rose one after another.

One…

Two…

Three…

In the span of a few heartbeats, tens of thousands of black figures emerged from the ground behind Yu Zi Yu, so densely packed they resembled an army of specters.

Each wore pitch-black uniforms. Their faces were hidden in shadow, but from beneath their hoods, a pair of deep, glowing eyes peered out. It was faint, but unmistakably deadly.

They stood upright like pine trees, unbending and still.

Their aura was extremely extraordinary.

And upon closer inspection, one would notice something truly terrifying: The weakest among them were already Transcendent Tier-4. And a few had even reached Tier-5.

This was the Penumbra Legion, the most terrifying legion of the Shadow Clan’s nine legions.

Known as the Pneumbrae, they were born solely for one purpose and one purpose only: Slaughter.

They were quite small in number, just around 30,000.

Compared to other legions boasting hundreds of thousands, or even tens of million warriors, 30,000 was pitiful.

However, what they lacked in size, they more than made up for in lethality. Every single soldier was an elite.

Even here, before Yu Zi Yu, the lowest among them stood at Tier-4. Moreover, typical Tier-4 Shadowkins weren’t even qualified for joining the Penumbra Legion.

Smiling faintly, Slytherin suggested, “Master, you may issue them commands now. They will obey you without question. Even if you asked them to kill themselves… they would not hesitate.”

Hearing this, Yu Zi Yu’s eyes couldn’t help but narrow slightly.

[If what Slytherin said is true… then the Shadow Clan’s military system is far more formidable than it appears. No wonder they have once been capable of founding a legendary organization like the First Tower of the World. Well then… Let’s give it a try first.]

Chuckling to himself, Yu Zi Yu finally gave the order, “You lot… put on a little display.”

As these words left his mouth, though he didn’t receive a reply, the Penumbrae vanished, one by one.

Following the direction they disappeared in, Yu Zi Yu saw them each dissolve into streaks of ghastly, black light, shooting like arrows toward the Heavens.

They were fast, unbelievably fast; far beyond the speed of ordinary Tier-4s.

What was even more shocking was that some didn’t just fly, they merged into the darkness, becoming intangible streaks of spectral light, and travelling at even greater speed.

“That’s the Shadow Clan’s Shadow Escape, a skill which allows them to use the shadows to move. It’s their greatest technique for surviving in the starry skies,” the nearby Slytherin explained.

“Not bad at all,” Yu Zi Yu praised, no longer hiding the appreciation in his gaze.

Much to his surprise, these Tier-4s could burst forth with speed rivaling Tier-5s?

The Shadow Escape was quite interesting.

However, that was only the beginning.

Suddenly…

*Booooom, booooom, boooooom…*

Thunderous collisions echoed across the distant plains as streaks of black light began crashing down like meteorites.

Each descent cut through the sky, split the earth, and left deep scars across the land.

However, what truly shocked Yu Zi Yu was not their strength, but their precision, their ferocity, and their lethal calm.

Every strike was sharp and surgical, just like the moves of the finest assassins in existence.

“The Shadow Clan were born for assassination,” Slytherin added grimly. “And the Penumbra Legion, they are assassins among assassins. Each one possesses terrifying combat prowess.”

Intrigued, Yu Zi Yu couldn’t help but raise a brow and voice his curiosity, “If they were this strong… then the Shadow Clan can’t be considered weak. Honestly, now I’m wondering, how exactly did you manage to suppress them all in just a century?”

*Gahahaha…* A dark, icy laugh escaped Slytherin’s lips.

“Master… have you forgotten my true power?” He took a pause, as his voice deepened, “I command Fear. Over that century, I used it, slowly, silently, to devour the hearts of the Shadow Clan, bit by bit… One breath at a time. Fortunately for me… the resurgence of Spiritual Energy had only just begun. The Shadow Clan hadn’t yet matured. If they had… I might not have been able to completely consume them.”

“Then it seems,” Yu Zi Yu smiled, “your timing was impeccable.”

A faint smile played upon Yu Zi Yu’s lips as realization dawned upon him.

This was a textbook case of dimensional reducing strike.

Slytherin, blessed with an Eternal Inheritance and personally nurtured by Yu Zi Yu, had matured long before the Shadow Clan had time to grow.

Their levels weren’t even comparable.

Naturally, Slytherin had utterly crushed them.

Moreover, there was one more point worth noting. The Shadow Clan’s Imperial Artfact, the Shadow Blade, had already been forcefully awakened during the campaign against Yu Zi Yu. As a result, it could no longer be awakened again anytime soon.

That, more than anything, was likely doomed the entire Shadow Clan to utter defeat.