“Now you have a basic understanding of me, right? From now on, I am your master. You can also call me father, got it?”
Fang Chen stood in front of Yixiong, training the beast.
After bidding farewell to Hua Qirong, he had returned straight to Yixiong to chat, taking the opportunity to introduce himself properly.
Looking at the arrogant Fang Chen, Yixiong was angry yet dared not speak out, instead mumbling in a muffled voice, “Fang Chen, can’t we address each other as brothers?”
“In the future, we are going to share life and death together. How can we draw lines of high and low? A master-servant bond is far too shallow; only brotherhood can make us willingly entrust our backs to each other.”
“Put yourself in my shoes. If you were enslaved by me for a long time, wouldn’t you harbor deep resentment?”
Fang Chen thought about it for a moment. “I would indeed find it quite unpleasant.”
“Right!”
Yixiong reasoned persuasively, “If you would feel unhappy, naturally I am no different. If I harbor treacherous schemes and plot against you down the line, wouldn’t that put you in grave danger?”
“Instead of that, why don’t we address each other as brothers right now, determining seniority by age? You call me Brother Tiger, and I call you Brother Chen.”
“Humans and demons are bitter enemies, yet you and I would transcend the boundaries of race to forge a brotherhood stronger than gold and harder than iron. Wouldn’t that make for a magnificent tale?”
Fang Chen felt that this tiger actually made a lot of sense and must have read plenty of books. Unable to hide his admiration for a well-read beast, he replied, “Then how about you call me father, and we establish a father-son bond? Wouldn’t that also make for a magnificent tale?”
Yixiong: “…”
This brat is utterly impervious to reason, isn’t he?
“Alright, stop talking nonsense with me. I’m not interested.”
Fang Chen waved a hand, walked over to a large boulder, and sat down.
Yixiong knew he still could not escape the fate of becoming a slave, and a wave of bitterness washed over him. He slumped dejectedly to the ground, the flesh of his tiger face folding into a miserable pile.
“Hurry up and recover your strength. Once you’re fully healed, you’ve got work to do.”
“You messed up my courtyard like this, so you have to take responsibility. Later on, I’ll go look for some folk manuals on architecture for you to read. Once you learn them, you can help me fix the wall. Make it European-style if you can.”
“And all these flowers and plants? You’re responsible for getting every single one of them replanted properly.”
Seated comfortably, Fang Chen laid out his demands.
Yixiong simply plastered his ears flat against his head, remaining completely silent. The entire tiger looked as though it had given up on life.
Seeing the beast looking so thoroughly emo, Fang Chen chuckled. “Alright, alright, I’m just joking.”
“How could I possibly bear to make you do chores like that?”
Yixiong’s ears instantly popped back up.
Fang Chen continued considerately, “After all, you’re so massive; you’d probably botch manual labor anyway. You might as well just help me haul slops and dig out a new pond. I’ve been meaning to expand the hot spring area anyway.”
Yixiong’s gaze slowly turned entirely lifeless…
“Alright, let’s talk. How did you end up captured and dragged into the Danran Sect?”
Weakly, Yixiong replied, “I was framed by my imperial brother.”
“Your imperial brother framed you? What’s the story there?”
Hearing this, Fang Chen blinked in surprise, silently marveling that there was actual gossip to be heard.
“Do you want to hear it?”
Yixiong asked.
“Of course!”
Gossip was human nature, and Fang Chen nodded eagerly.
“Then I refuse to haul slops or dig hot springs. I won’t do those chores, but I can help you fight.”
Yixiong said earnestly.
With a troubled expression, Fang Chen sighed, “In that case, I suppose I’ll have to call Elder Hua back.”
Yixiong: “…”
Staring off into the distance, the tiger began, “The year I was born, a momentous event shook the Qiankun Sacred Tiger Clan.”
“What event?”
“That year, my mother gave birth to one hundred and eight sacred tiger bloodlines in a single litter, shocking the entire demon world!”
Yixiong answered.
Hearing this, Fang Chen’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.
Holy shit?
One litter of a hundred and eight babies?
What kind of joke is that?
“Ordinary demon tigers give birth to only two or three cubs per litter. The bloodline of the Qiankun Sacred Tiger Clan is immensely precious, born carrying the providence of heaven and earth, making them exceedingly rare. Elders within the clan often fail to reproduce for ages, and even when a sacred tiger bloodline does descend, there are at most two.”
“By that year, newborn bloodlines had become terrifyingly scarce, with only a single young sacred tiger born before. The clan appeared to be on the verge of exhaustion, teetering on the brink of extinction!”
“Yet my mother seemed singularly favored by the heavens. After her blood fused with my imperial father’s, she actually gave birth to one hundred and eight sacred tiger bloodlines! That very night, countless demons assumed our Qiankun Sacred Tiger Clan was destined to rise to unprecedented heights.”
Yixiong sighed softly, “And those one hundred and eight sacred tiger bloodlines did not disappoint our clan; nearly all of them awakened their bloodlines. Among them, one even possessed a Saint-grade bloodline right from birth, sending the entire clan into a frenzy of excitement!”
Fang Chen was deeply astonished upon hearing this.
“Saint-grade bloodline!”
In the cultivation world, realms were divided into Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, Returning to Void, Unity with Dao, Tribulation Transcendence, and Great Ascension.
A total of nine tiers.
Demon beasts were no exception. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
A Demon Saint corresponded to the human Tribulation Transcendence stage.
As for a Saint-grade bloodline, it meant that as long as this particular Qiankun Sacred Tiger lived, it was guaranteed to step into the realm of a Demon Saint.
This realization filled Fang Chen with quiet apprehension.
The Qiankun Sacred Tiger Clan sounds outrageously powerful. Does that mean I won’t be able to bully Yixiong in the future?
If so, I’d better cancel those massage lessons I had in mind for him!
Oblivious to Fang Chen’s inner thoughts, Yixiong pressed on, “However, even among those one hundred and eight sacred tiger bloodlines, there were those unblessed by heaven and earth.”
“That was me.”
“Out of all my brothers and sisters, I was the only one who failed to awaken my bloodline!”
At this, Fang Chen wore a sympathetic expression and offered some comfort, “So basically, you’re a good-for-nothing?”
Yixiong flared up. “Are you listening or not?!”
“I’m listening, I’m listening. Go on.”
Fang Chen chuckled.
Yixiong continued, “Because our clan previously lacked young tigers, regulations dictated that before immature cubs reached maturity, they had to be provided with massive amounts of resources. Even if adult sacred tigers had to cut back on their own provisions, they had to ensure the young had sufficient supplies.”
“Thus, even though I hadn’t awakened my bloodline, I still occupied a fair share of resources, which inevitably stirred up resentment among my siblings!”
“Once, my Ninth Imperial Brother failed a breakthrough and lost to our one hundred and sixth brother, leaving him feeling utterly disgraced. He stormed into my mountain domain in a fit of rage, beat me up, and blamed me for hogging resources, demanding I hand them over by force!”
“Naturally, I refused and brought the matter before the clan elders to uphold justice. He was punished as a result and locked away for half a year.”
“Because of that grudge, my Ninth Imperial Brother plotted against me, tricking me into fleeing into the Immortal-Demon Battlefield. I walked through nine deaths and one life, nearly perishing inside, before finally being captured by Danran Sect cultivators and thrown into the Beast Prison.”
“Whether it was due to the crushing hatred or the fact that my bloodline had finally reached the moment of awakening, it was inside that Beast Prison that I finally awakened my Emperor-grade bloodline.”
Fang Chen gasped in amazement.
Demon Emperor!
That was the Great Ascension stage!
This Yixiong-he had to hand it to him-his life… or rather, his tiger script had some serious ups and downs. Truly formidable.
Yixiong spoke in a slow, measured tone, a sharp glint of absolute dominance flashing in his eyes as he declared with supreme arrogance, “At that very moment, I knew that I am the true future king of the Qiankun Sacred Tiger Clan!”
“I will certainly return to the demon world to exact vengeance upon my Ninth Imperial Brother and show him the true meaning of ruthlessness.”
Listening with rapt attention, Fang Chen couldn’t help but interject, “But you’re enslaved by me right now. How exactly are you planning to go back and get your revenge?”
The overbearing, majestic aura surrounding Yixiong instantly shattered…