“Not enough. We’re still one spirit beast short.”
“But we really can’t catch any more these days… Oh, right! What about this little one?”
As he spoke, a demon soldier pulled a kitten-sized spirit beast cub from his robes. There was obvious reluctance on his face.
The Demon Clan had recently undergone a change in leadership. The new Demon Lord was known for his brutality and cruelty. The very first order he issued after ascending the throne was to capture spirit beasts for his cultivation.
The spirit beasts immediately fled into hiding. Many parents were forced to abandon their young during the escape. Seeing how pitiful and adorable this kitten was, the demon soldier had secretly kept it for himself.
But now there simply weren’t enough spirit beasts.
He had no choice but to use the little cat to make up the numbers.
The grimy white kitten hung limply in the demon soldier’s hand, looking half-dead, its ears and tail drooping. Although it possessed no spiritual power, it was at least cute enough that it wouldn’t seem like a completely perfunctory offering to his superiors.
The demon cultivator in charge accepted the kitten. After a brief hesitation, he waved his hand.
“Fine, fine. We’re out of time. This one will do.”
And so, mixed in with a group of much larger spirit beasts, the little kitten was delivered to the Demon Palace.
Along the way, the kitten pawed frantically at the cage, trying to escape.
Its tiny face bared its teeth as it meowed furiously, sounding very much like it was cursing people. It looked nothing like the dying kitten that had been hanging limply in the demon soldier’s hand earlier.
Everyone assumed it was just an ordinary little cat.
What they didn’t know was that inside the kitten’s body resided Bai Xiaonian, the previous Demon Lord.
At that moment, Bai Xiaonian was so furious that every strand of fur on his body stood on end.
He had once been the mighty Demon Lord. Yet after being reborn, he had ended up inside the body of a tiny kitten, only to be sent as food to his mortal enemy, the man who had stolen his throne.
It was simply too humiliating.
The surrounding spirit beasts noticed the little cub suddenly puffing up its fur. It had already been fluffy and adorable to begin with, but now it looked even rounder, like a tiny ball of fluff.
Filled with curiosity and affection, they couldn’t help extending their enormous paws to poke and prod the little kitten.
The kitten had only been born not long ago and had no strength to resist. It was poked over onto its back, all four paws in the air, exposing its soft belly. Puffing up in anger, the little cat flailed its tiny paws, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t flip itself back over.
Bai Xiaonian felt utterly humiliated.
He had once been the fearsome Demon Lord whose name struck terror throughout the realm.
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Bai Xiaonian silently memorized the faces of these outrageously bold spirit beasts. Once he reclaimed the position of Demon Lord, the first thing he would do would be to pluck every last hair from these beasts and tie them to the city walls.
Just as Bai Xiaonian was plotting his revenge, a female tiger-like spirit beast gently nudged the kitten back onto its feet.
He let out a sigh of relief. He had intended to scramble away as fast as possible, but before he could, the tigress scooped him up in one swift motion.
She tucked Bai Xiaonian against her belly, her eyes overflowing with tenderness and motherly affection.
Only then did Bai Xiaonian realize what was happening.
The tigress had mistaken him for her own cub.
She was trying to nurse him.
The little kitten clamped its mouth shut.
He would rather die than submit.
He was the mighty Demon Lord. He could not possibly fall this low!
Perhaps because the kitten’s reaction was so unusual, normally, a kitten this young would instinctively nurse from whoever offered milk, the other spirit beasts grew even more curious and began fussing over Bai Xiaonian again.
Among a whole group of large spirit beasts, there was only this one tiny cub.
Everyone wanted a turn playing with him.
One moment, one beast was cuddling him and licking his fur. The next, another was tossing him back and forth as though he were a little ball.
This time, the poor kitten was truly tormented until he was barely clinging to life. Fortunately, the tigress watched over him and offered some protection. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have survived.
By the time they finally reached the Demon Palace, the spirit beasts gradually quieted down. They all seemed to realize that their deaths were imminent. The lively atmosphere that had filled the cage moments ago was replaced by a heavy silence and sorrow.
Bai Xiaonian sensed it as well. He couldn’t help feeling a pang of sadness himself.
After finally being given a second chance at life… was he really going to end up being eaten by that so-called new Demon Lord?
The spirit beasts finally settled down, quietly huddling together in silence. Meanwhile, the little kitten suddenly grabbed the bars of the cage and wobbled upright onto its hind legs. Standing like a person with its tiny belly sticking out, it stared intently at the palace in the distance with its round, jet-black eyes.
Before long, they arrived at the Beast Garden, where spirit beasts were kept. Even from outside, heart-wrenching roars and screams echoed from within, creating an overwhelming sense of dread.
The cages carrying the spirit beasts were set down on the ground, and a group of demon cultivators who had been waiting gathered around them.
“Why are you so late today? If His Excellency is displeased, you can kiss your lives goodbye.”
The demon cultivator leading the group was a pretty young woman dressed in a pink gown. She looked youthful, but she carried herself with undeniable authority.
“We sincerely apologize. Spirit beasts have become incredibly difficult to catch lately, which is why we arrived so late today. Miss Taoxi, please put in a good word for us before His Excellency.”
The demon cultivator responsible for transporting the spirit beasts rubbed his hands together and bowed repeatedly, his face full of flattery.
Taoxi merely glanced at him without responding.
“Enough. Open the cages. I’ll inspect them before sending them to His Excellency.”
The demon cultivator nodded and signaled his subordinates to open the cages.
Spirit beasts were naturally enormous, so the cages built to contain them were correspondingly massive. It took several people working together and a great deal of effort just to pull open a single cage door.
Creak—
The cage door slowly swung open.
Hidden among the larger spirit beasts, the little kitten seized the opportunity.
Whoosh!
It shot out of the cage like an arrow.
“What just ran out?!”
Taoxi only caught sight of a flash of white darting past her feet. Startled, she looked up just in time to see a palm-sized white kitten sprinting toward the Demon Palace’s main hall.
“Catch it! If it disturbs His Excellency, you’re all finished!”
Taoxi stamped her foot anxiously as she pointed at the group and shouted.
Everyone knew how violent and ill-tempered the current Demon Lord was. The mere thought of disturbing him made them break out in cold sweats. Immediately, they circulated their spiritual energy and rushed after the fleeing kitten at full speed.
What they didn’t know was that no one present knew the Demon Palace better than Bai Xiaonian. Although they were much faster than the kitten, Bai Xiaonian knew every hiding place. Within moments, the little white cat had vanished completely from their sight.
Inside the Demon Palace’s main hall, maidservants moved in and out in an orderly, well-practiced manner.
The little kitten summoned every ounce of strength it had. Hooking its tiny forepaws over the windowsill, its ears twitched as it cautiously poked its head inside. Its round black eyes darted about, carefully surveying the room.
There was no one in the outer chamber. But sounds were coming from the inner room.
After a moment’s thought, Bai Xiaonian huffed and puffed his way onto the roof.
Estimating the man’s position, he carefully pried aside a roof tile with his tiny paw.
Sure enough, below, in a steamy bathing pool, a handsome man reclined against the edge. His eyes were closed, and he appeared to be asleep.
The mere sight of him filled Bai Xiaonian with rage. This was the man who had stolen his position as Demon Lord. Even if it meant dying together, Bai Xiaonian could not tolerate seeing this man sit upon his throne.
With that thought, the kitten’s sharp claws slid out with a shing.
Bai Xiaonian carefully calculated his angle, considering where to strike for a fatal blow. His strength was pitiful now, but no matter how powerful Chong Yin was, there had to be a vulnerable spot somewhere.
The little kitten seemed to think of something and revealed a meaningful grin. Cats, of course, couldn’t smile, so the expression looked rather bizarre on its furry face.
So absorbed was Bai Xiaonian in his plans that he failed to notice the man in the bath suddenly opening his phoenix eyes. A cold, sinister gleam flashed across them. In the next instant, spiritual energy infused with killing intent condensed at his fingertips into an icy arrow, which shot straight toward the rooftop.
Bai Xiaonian was so frightened that his heart nearly stopped beating. Fortunately, a kitten’s body was naturally nimble. He barely managed to dodge the attack. But in doing so, he stepped into empty air. His body plummeted downward.
Splash!
He crashed straight into the bathing pool.
Cats were naturally afraid of water. And before his rebirth, Bai Xiaonian had been terrified of it as well. Now, with his entire body submerged, panic overwhelmed him. He flailed all four of his tiny paws wildly, desperately searching for something stable to cling to and climb out.
His paws suddenly wrapped around something that felt like a pillar. Overjoyed, Bai Xiaonian didn’t hesitate for even a second. He hugged it tightly.
Chong Yin had been watching the little kitten struggle in the water with amused interest. Then, all at once, his body stiffened. His expression instantly darkened into something terrifying.
Killing intent exploded from him.
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