"Heh... What does it matter? Humans and Magical Beasts may be adversaries, but we also keep each other in check. You kill us Magical Beasts to obtain Demon Cores and food, and we hunt you humans to obtain pure Primordial Power. We compete, yet we depend on each other to survive. This is the Law of the Extreme Martial Continent. Without one side, the other cannot exist." As she said this, Golden Behemoth Yueru’s gaze drifted into the distance.
"You certainly have a clear perspective. They say all Golden Behemoths have strong limbs but simple minds, yet you are the most intelligent one I have ever met. You are capable of learning and comprehending the Law, which is why you are ranked second among the Nine Emperors. I believe that in another thousand years, you could completely surpass that so-called Evil Dragon and become the greatest of the Nine Emperors."
"Hah... If I could, I would gladly renounce my title as one of the Nine Emperors and live the life I truly desire. But now, it seems that’s just wishful thinking. I must guard this Demon Beast Forest every day. Otherwise, humans will eventually overrun this place. Between the Nine Emperors and the Nine Heavens, if even one is lost, this Extreme Martial Continent will lose its balance. The end result will be utter ruin."
Elder Mu listened to the Golden Behemoth’s words in silence. He knew she was absolutely right. This was precisely why he was trying so hard to find the whereabouts of the Divine Hall of Light and investigate them. ’That faction is trying to destroy this balance by any means necessary!’
"Still, you didn’t have to send such weak Magical Beasts to attack the city. This is a complete one-sided slaughter," Elder Mu said, changing the subject with a sigh of resignation.
To his surprise, Golden Behemoth Yueru suddenly smiled. "If not for the restrictions of the Contract, I wouldn’t have wanted to launch this siege at all. I sent these little ones to train them, and also to honor our agreement. The world of Magical Beasts is survival of the fittest. Consider this siege a test for them. If they can’t survive this battle, their future achievements will be mediocre at best."
"I see..."
At this, both of them fell silent. In his heart, Elder Mu knew better than anyone. ’Did the Golden Behemoth really hold back her ultimate attack just to train these Low-level Magical Beasts, as she claimed? Of course not.’ Although he had lived for a thousand years, it didn’t mean he no longer cared for matters of the heart or had lost all sensitivity to emotion.
Quite the opposite. Precisely because so much time had passed, he understood more clearly who he truly loved and who truly loved him. And from what he could sense, the Golden Behemoth had genuinely fallen for him. Likewise, he also harbored a deep, hidden love for her.
And it was because of this hidden love that she held back her attack—because the Xuanling Empire was his, Shen Jianxin’s, home! But the line between them was one they could not easily cross. An invisible barrier always seemed to stand between them, preventing them from growing any closer.
Time passed, second by second. The two of them remained suspended high in the sky. Down below, the battle was quickly drawing to a close. After all, faced with a sweeping assault from a powerful force of thirty Venerables and seventy Emperors, a swarm of Sect Beasts and Royal Beasts stood no chance.
"The battle is over, Jianxin. Don’t forget, you promised to fight me when it was done. You can’t go back on your word now."
As she watched tens of thousands of Magical Beasts become corpses, the Golden Behemoth showed no sign of disappointment or anger. Instead, she seemed faintly excited. Seeing her expression, Elder Mu was surprised at first, but he understood after hearing her words. A complex smile touched his lips. ’Was I just being narcissistic? Maybe it wasn’t about my homeland at all. Maybe she just wanted the battle to end quickly so she could fight me?’
But this was a question Elder Mu would likely never figure out. A woman’s heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea; no matter how intelligent he was, he could never fathom its mysteries.
"If you want to fight that badly, then let’s have a match. But let’s get one thing straight: no going berserk! I remember you’d fly into a frenzy every time we fought! That’s cheating!" Elder Mu agreed, but the memories of their past encounters were seared into his mind. The thought of that battle-crazed state she entered still sent a shiver down his spine.
The Golden Behemoth let out a sly chuckle and clenched her fists. "Don’t worry. There’s a big difference between the me from a thousand years ago and the me of today. I can still thrash you, even without going berserk!"
"Oh? Is that so? Then I’ll be looking forward to seeing it!"
With that, Elder Mu waved a hand, and a transparent door materialized out of thin air. He reached out, pushed it open, and stepped right through. The moment the Golden Behemoth saw the door, the battle lust in her eyes flared. In a single stride, she followed him inside. Once they were both through, the door slowly closed and, with a SWISH, vanished from the vast expanse of the sky.
...
Down below, gazing at the field littered with Magical Beast corpses, everyone from the Xuanling Empire, Mu Chen included, gulped. These were all Sect Realm Magical Beasts. Leaving aside the value of their Demon Cores, the Demon Beast Meat alone could elevate a family’s status by several tiers.
"Brother Mu Chen."
A frenzied look already shone in Little Tiger’s eyes. For some reason, deep in his subconscious, he found the Demon Beast Meat unbelievably tempting!
Hearing Little Tiger, Mu Chen suddenly remembered that the boy was very likely the Son of Taotie. ’This Demon Beast Meat is practically a source of power for him!’ Without a second thought, he ignored the strange looks from those around him. With a stomp of his foot, he shot like a thunderbolt into the sea of Magical Beast corpses. He spread his arms, and the Storage Rings on his hands began rapidly sucking in one corpse after another, leaving Red Wood Cliff and the other thirty Venerables completely dumbfounded.
"Who is that damned kid?! He’s taking all the Magical Beasts we killed!"
"Seriously! The nerve of him! Doesn’t he know that I wanted some of those Magical Beasts too?"
"What an arrogant little punk!"
Although they were all criticizing Mu Chen’s behavior, for some reason, they all had wide smiles on their faces as they did so.
"Heh heh... Brother Mu Ya, it seems our Flame Dragon Dynasty has a worthy successor. This boy must be the Mu Chen you told us about, right? His personality is quite endearing."
In the air, Red Wood Cliff watched Mu Chen with a peculiar expression. Beside him, an extremely thin, stooped old man spoke with an amiable smile, his eyes glancing toward a young man among the seventy Emperors.
Red Wood Cliff chuckled. "This is nothing. You have no idea how much bolder this kid can be. Forget about the Magical Beasts you Venerables and Emperors killed. I reckon he’d even dare to snatch one killed by Great Elder Dilaka himself. Xiao Tian, am I right?"
"Heh heh." Just as Red Wood Cliff finished speaking, the young Martial Emperor whom the skinny old man had glanced at leaped up from the ranks of the Martial Emperors. He chuckled and said, "Uncle Mu Ya is right. Uncle Ku Huo, you have no idea what this kid did during the Empire tournament."
"Oh?" The skinny old man, Ku Huo, narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, what did he do?"
The young man known as Xiao Tian was the strongest expert of the Flame Dragon Empire, the very one who had lost to Mu Chen in the Empire tournament. He was also the True Crown Prince of the Flame Dragon Dynasty, Long Xiaotian!
Long Xiaotian glanced at Mu Chen, who was darting between the heaps of Magical Beast corpses. "That kid stared right down at Great Elder Dilaka and declared that he would defeat him one day! It sounds completely insane, I know! But for some reason, I actually find myself believing those absurd words!"
Ku Huo scoffed dismissively at this and was about to speak, but he was cut off when Red Wood Cliff added, "I believe him too."
Red Wood Cliff’s words made Ku Huo, who had just been scoffing, turn serious. If only Long Xiaotian had said it, he might have dismissed it as the blind hero-worship of a rebellious youth. But for Red Wood Cliff to say it as well... this young man must truly have something extraordinary about him!
’Could it be... that the boy’s victory in the Empire tournament wasn’t a fluke or a stroke of luck, as I’d assumed? Did he really defeat Xiao Tian?’ The question escaped Ku Huo’s lips before he could stop it.
Red Wood Cliff sighed. "I knew you wouldn’t believe me when I told you. It’s perfectly normal. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed that a First-Ring Martial Sect could defeat a Second-Ring Martial Emperor either. But it’s the truth. And what’s more, the kid won quite easily."
Long Xiaotian nodded. "That’s right, Uncle Ku Huo. Believe it or not, I was completely and utterly convinced of his strength. Besides, since we’re both from the Flame Dragon Dynasty, we can look out for each other when we go to Holy Tomb Mountain. Haha, I can’t believe I’m seeing this guy again after just two days. I just never imagined his Empire would be so tiny. It’s smaller than my family’s estate."
WHAP!
Hearing Long Xiaotian’s comment, Red Wood Cliff flicked him squarely on the forehead. "What’s there to be so smug about?" he said, annoyed. "You had every advantage in your Cultivation and you still lost to him. What good are you? Besides, it won’t be long before the Xuanling Empire is just as grand as the Flame Dragon Empire. We’ll see what right you have to be so cocky then, kid."
Long Xiaotian winced, rubbing his forehead. "Ow! I was just making a comment! Anyway, I have no complaints about losing to him. I was thoroughly beaten."
With that, Long Xiaotian turned, leaped, and landed softly beside Mu Chen. He grinned, "Hey, we meet again."
Mu Chen was busy harvesting the Magical Beast corpses and hadn’t noticed Long Xiaotian landing beside him. He only looked up when he heard the voice, exclaiming in surprise, "It’s you?!"
Long Xiaotian rubbed his nose. "Do you have to be so surprised?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
"To express my surprise."
"..."