Every animal in the zoo lowered its head.
The wolves stopped pacing.
The deer knelt.
The birds landed silently on tree branches.
Even the crocodiles surfaced, their eyes fixed on the panda enclosure.
The entire Sanctuary had acknowledged one being.
The Black Yin Bear Emperor.
Mo Chen’s shattered sword clattered onto the ground.
His face had turned deathly pale.
“…My Spirit Sword…”
It was a Grade Three Spirit Weapon.
Forged by one of Crimson Cloud Pavilion’s master refiners.
It had survived countless battles.
Yet a single lazy swipe from a panda’s paw had reduced it to glittering fragments.
“No…”
“This can’t be real…”
Beside him, the elder’s expression had completely changed.
Gone was the calm confidence.
Gone was the greed.
Only disbelief remained.
“…A fully conscious Guardian…”
He whispered.
“…Impossible.”
Every ancient record they possessed claimed the Divine Beasts had fallen into endless slumber after the Heavenly Cataclysm.
Even if one awakened…
It should have been weakened.
Broken.
Certainly not…
Protecting a human.
Hei Bao slowly stood.
The ground sank beneath his immense weight.
Golden Spirit Qi flowed around his body like a calm river.
Yet he made no move to attack.
Instead…
He looked at the elder.
“…You smell…”
He sniffed the air.
“…Like blood.”
The elder instinctively stepped back.
“…What?”
“…Many beasts.”
“…Many deaths.”
The old man’s breathing hitched.
How…
How could the panda know?
The System suddenly displayed a new notification.
Guardian’s Eyes Activated
Analyzing Targets…
Mo Chen
Cultivation:
Peak Foundation Establishment
Emotional State:
Fear (83%)
Threat Level:
Medium
Elder Gu Rong
Cultivation:
Early Golden Core
Emotional State:
Greed (61%)
Fear (34%)
Hatred (5%)
Threat Level:
High
Additional Information:
Responsible for the capture of 137 Spirit Beasts.
Tianyu’s stomach tightened.
One hundred and thirty-seven…
“…You hunt them.”
Gu Rong smiled faintly.
“We preserve valuable resources.”
“They’re living beings.”
“They are cultivation materials.”
His tone was matter-of-fact.
“As spirit herbs are harvested from mountains, Spirit Beasts are harvested from the wilderness.”
Hei Bao quietly closed his eyes.
“…Nothing changed…”
Sun Xiaohou clenched his tiny fists.
“…Still same.”
Gu Rong sighed.
“Young Keeper…”
“You’ve been deceived.”
“The age of Divine Beasts ended thousands of years ago.”
“They are relics.”
“They should serve humanity.”
Tianyu frowned.
“They already do.”
Gu Rong smiled.
“Oh?”
“They protect forests.”
“They preserve balance.”
“They’ve protected this world longer than your sect has existed.”
The elder laughed.
“You speak like a child.”
“No.”
Tianyu took one step forward.
“I speak like a zoo keeper.”
Silence.
Even Mo Chen looked confused.
Tianyu continued.
“When I inherited this zoo…”
“I thought I was taking care of animals.”
He smiled slightly.
“Turns out…”
“They’ve been taking care of us all along.”
Hei Bao’s golden eyes softened.
Sun Xiaohou quietly grinned.
Even the mysterious girl, hidden behind the apple tree, stared at Tianyu with surprise.
The silver mark on the back of her hand glowed a little brighter.
Gu Rong’s face darkened.
“So be it.”
He slowly removed a jade talisman from his sleeve.
Unlike the one that had broken the Sanctuary’s outer illusion…
This one radiated a terrifying crimson aura.
The System immediately screamed.
WARNING!
Forbidden Artifact Detected!
Name:
Beast Binding Talisman
Purpose:
Forcibly suppress Divine Beast Contracts.
Threat Level:
Critical
Hei Bao’s expression changed instantly.
“…That…”
Sun Xiaohou hissed.
“…Bad.”
Gu Rong smiled coldly.
“This talisman was purchased at great cost.”
“It has only one purpose.”
“To remind beasts…”
“…that humans are their masters.”
He crushed it.
The crimson talisman exploded into thousands of blood-red runes.
The symbols shot toward Hei Bao like chains.
The air itself became heavy.
Tianyu felt his knees buckle.
His breathing became difficult.
The System flashed.
Emergency Response Required
Guardian Contract Under Attack!
Keeper Decision Required!
Choose:
Protect Guardian
OR
Retreat
Without hesitation—
Protect Guardian.
The moment Tianyu made his choice…
The golden bear emblem on the back of his hand erupted with light.
A warm current surged through his body.
The crimson chains reached Hei Bao…
…and stopped.
Not because of Hei Bao.
Because someone had stepped between them.
Lin Tianyu.
“Tianyu!”
The mysterious girl cried out.
The crimson chains wrapped around him instead.
Pain exploded through every nerve.
It felt as though his soul was being torn apart.
He gritted his teeth but refused to move.
“…You’re…”
“…Not touching…”
“…My family.”
Time seemed to stop.
Hei Bao stared silently at the young man standing before him.
Thousands of years ago…
He had seen countless cultivators.
Kings.
Saints.
Immortals.
Every one of them had sought power.
Authority.
Glory.
Yet this ordinary young man…
Who had cultivated for less than three days…
Had thrown himself in front of an attack meant for a Divine Beast.
Not for treasure.
Not for fame.
Simply because…
He considered them family.
Something ancient stirred deep within Hei Bao’s heart.
A memory.
A promise.
A voice from ages long past.
“A Keeper does not command the Sanctuary.”
“A Keeper belongs to it.”
Golden light erupted from Hei Bao’s body.
The sky above the zoo split apart.
Massive clouds began swirling into a colossal vortex.
For the first time…
The Black Yin Bear Emperor released a fraction of his true aura.
Far beyond the city…
Hidden cultivators suddenly stopped what they were doing.
Mountaintop sects.
Underground organizations.
Government observatories.
Ancient families.
Every spiritual instrument began screaming.
One message appeared simultaneously across countless detection arrays.
WARNING
A Divine Beast Emperor…
…has awakened.
[End of Chapter 12]