The King of Black Robes seemed to have reached some agreement with the Princess, probably concerning the distribution of spoils.
After this great war, besides the Underworld, the various Beast Taming Race also suffered heavy losses. Yaoguang City entered a new round of reshuffling, with numerous forces eyeing the opportunity to carve up the Underworld’s industries.
"This exchange nearly ended in total annihilation. Luckily, our Qin Family didn’t participate."
Inside the Qin Family stronghold, a clan elder felt a lingering fear. He had never expected that, in addition to the Master of Grey Mist and the God of Flesh and Blood, tonight’s exchange would also produce a Desire Mother Goddess. It was truly plagued with disasters. Meanwhile, the elders expressed concern about the coming days; who knew if another Evil God might emerge? Is there something wrong with the feng shui of Yaoguang City? Since the Blood Moon disaster, three major Evil Gods have emerged one after another! They, these old folks, couldn’t handle such thoughts. Simply enslaving the Evil God’s Favored would attract the attention of major forces, leaving everyone dumbfounded. Were such forbidden actions truly taken so daringly?
When it was confirmed that this information was accurate, testified by many witnesses from the Royal City, it couldn’t be fake; this was truly astounding.
Wait, these Evil Gods all seem to be related to the King of Black Robes! Could it be that he summoned them? The more one thinks about it, the scarier it gets!
Qin Shi, meanwhile, sat boldly in his seat and said with a faint smile, "Although we didn’t participate in the exchange, we did obtain the intelligence on the Ice Ruins, as well as the qualification to participate. It will open next month."
The Ice Ruins was a Secret Realm, said to be a place of inheritance established by a fallen Legendary Beast Tamer. Another version claimed it was formed after the fall of the Ice Dragon King, one of the Twelve Dragons of the End, and contained a newborn Dragon of the End cub, the reincarnation of the Ice Dragon King. In ancient mythology, collecting the Twelve Dragons of the End and ringing the doomsday bell would awaken the slumbering Ancient Holy City, and the world would face Destruction, a true change of eras.
"Excellent! Since it’s the Secret Realm of the Ice Dragon King, there must be an abundance of resource points!"
"Then let’s prepare quickly."
The clan elders were excited, each with their own schemes. Some of the younger members listening in had eyes shining with a strange light. They didn’t dare covet the Ice Dragon King, a top-tier Pet Beast, but the other Pet Beasts originating from the Secret Realm weren’t bad either. For a Beast Tamer, the most precious thing, aside from talent, was their Pet Beast. A Pet Beast with strong potential could even carry its Master to a future free of worries. It was just like that recently popular Nine-tailed Youth, who was favored by a prominent family in the Federation Imperial Capital, skyrocketed to success, became a CEO directly, and reached the pinnacle of life.
"The Ice Dragon King..." Jiang Qiuyun, arms crossed, squinted her eyes. Her target was the Ice Dragon King’s reincarnation; even as a fallback, she aimed for a powerful Favored creature derived from the Ice Dragon King. Although not yet thirty, she was already an outstanding Silver Beast Tamer and possessed a T0-strength dragon sculpture. However, compared to the Demons of the Federation Imperial Capital, she was worlds apart. To challenge the progeny of that man, even with one of the Twelve Dragons of the End like the Ice Dragon King, she wasn’t fully confident; it only slightly increased her chances of winning.
By the way, Chu Yi, that guy, should be interested in the Ice Ruins as well. However, he’s been avoiding me all along. She had gone to Star Dragon Academy to wait for him, but the director told her Chu Yi hadn’t been attending school at all, making her so angry she hadn’t slept for several nights. At this moment, she had never missed someone so much; she really wanted to knife him.
At this point, a young man walked over and asked curiously, "Cousin, I heard you recently found a boyfriend? And he’s a student, is it true? Why not bring him over for us to meet?"
This topic immediately attracted the attention of many juniors, all of them wearing gossipy expressions.
"Qin Tian, are you itching for a beating lately?" Jiang Qiuyun smiled, her slender, jade-like fingers squeezed, and an electric arc sparked from them.
Qin Tian’s mouth twitched. He had intended to mock her for ’robbing the cradle,’ but the pressure of his bloodline surged, and he turned and fled. He dared not forget that this cousin of his had loved to beat him since childhood, treating him as a punching bag and pummeling him randomly, under the shameless pretense of training her and her Pet Beast’s resistance to hits.
To be favored by this wicked woman, that boy named Chu Yi must be oppressed to the point of utter exhaustion. His position would always be underneath; even struggling a little would likely be difficult. Pitiable, a man’s dignity crushed and fragmented by this hateful, wicked woman. Qin Tian felt obligated to assist this future brother-in-law, form a revenge alliance, and punish the rebellious traitor without a moment’s delay.
Watching this playful teasing between the cousins, Qin Shi smiled. It was also thanks to Qin Tian’s knack for being provoking that Jiang Qiuyun had grown up optimistic, lively, and resilient, ensuring her bleak childhood wasn’t entirely devoid of light.
"Still no news from Ji Wu?" Ji Manlou sat in the main seat, a beautiful maid on either side of him massaging his shoulders and legs. The crimson carpet stretched all the way to the door. Several subordinates stood with bowed heads, silent and holding their breath in fear.
One of them hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Master, on the night the God of Flesh and Blood descended and the beast tide erupted, Young Master Ji Wu might not have escaped in time and unfortunately met his end."
At these words, Ji Manlou’s face darkened, plunging the entire private room into a chilly atmosphere. Even the two maids eased their ministrations, fearing they might anger this esteemed guest.
"Useless!" he spat. He lifted his foot, and a fierce gust of wind swept out as he kicked the subordinate who had spoken far away. A few of his ribs broke, and blood splattered everywhere. "Ji Wu had four elite protectors by his side! They could have escaped safely even from a Gold-level Demon! Besides, when the beast tide erupted, was he foolish enough to run willingly to his death alone?"
Ji Manlou could no longer suppress his fury and erupted in anger. Although Ji Wu was his adopted son, he was, in truth, his biological son whom he had left elsewhere. With his beloved child dead, how could he, as a father, not be furious?
"Investigate! Was it the Qin Family’s doing?" he ordered, a thought striking him.
Just then, a subordinate hurried in, knelt on one knee, and said, "Master, we have a clue about Young Master Ji Wu."
Ji Manlou was startled. His eagle-like eyes scanned him coldly. "Speak."
"The last time Young Master Ji Wu disappeared was during a rescue mission. The rescue target was a third-rate Demon Hunting Team led by Lin Tianhai, a peak Red Copper Beast Tamer. In previous checks, Lin Tianhai hadn’t met with Young Master Ji Wu, and everything had seemed normal. Some soldiers also reported not having met Young Master Ji Wu. However, under Lin Tianhai, there was a person whose Pet Beast had died in battle, whose son had become disabled, and who had incurred huge gambling debts he couldn’t repay. Thus, he contacted us and revealed the truth of that night." He added his own embellishments as he recounted the scene from that night.
"Hahaha..." Unexpectedly, Ji Manlou’s solemn face suddenly relaxed, and he burst into laughter.
The reporting subordinate’s face lit up, thinking he might be in for a promotion and a raise. The other subordinates were momentarily stunned, then their expressions turned mocking.
"Are you saying that a third-year academy student, contracted with a Mutated Evolution Red Fox that had reached the high-elite level, defeated eight War General-level Pet Beasts?"
Gradually sensing something was amiss, the subordinate’s smile froze. A mere Red Copper Beast Tamer defeating four Silver-level experts and their eight battle-hardened, War General-level Pet Beasts? And the other party was just a student who had recently formed a contract? This sounds utterly fantastical. Hell, I’ve been duped!
Amidst sarcastic laughter, Ji Manlou’s face turned black. He kicked this foolish subordinate, sending him flying, and cursed, "Do you take me for an inexperienced fool? Moreover, why would Ji Wu, unprovoked, want to kill a student? Get lost!"
Under the amused gazes of the others, the subordinate, bleeding from his forehead, staggered and tumbled out along the red carpet.
"And as for that fool who dared to blackmail me, Ji Manlou—cripple him!"
"Yes!" one of the remaining subordinates replied through gritted teeth. He would kill that informant even without Ji Manlou’s command.