Chapter 882: Sacrifice

The ten sacred beasts of Cloudmist Ridge each possessed combat power comparable to the ten elders of the Master Academy!

Who had Elder Mi's student found that could make all nine sacred beasts go out together?

Could it be that he had brought all the other elders?

No, if that were the case, so many half-sages and sub-sages outside would have reported it long ago; there was no way there would be no news at all!

"Mi Zhu, what the hell are you up to?"

Squinting, the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast looked over.

"Me? I've been here all along, I don't know either..."

Elder Mi was about to cry.

He was just a bystander, going along with the act; he really didn't know what the dean was planning...

"Don't know? You'd better not play tricks with me. Our Cloudmist Ridge has stood firm under the Master Academy's nose for so many years—it's not as simple as it seems on the surface..."

Seeing that the other's expression indeed showed ignorance, the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast threatened again.

"Your spirit beasts cover the entire Cloudmist Ridge; if there were any tricks, how could you not know?"

Elder Mi said.

The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast nodded.

That was exactly what puzzled it.

If there really was a problem, those kings would have told it; sending the other beasts out meant they had the ability to handle it.

"Let's not worry about it for now. As long as we don't let Elder Mi leave, the Master Academy will definitely be cautious. Even if they don't agree to our terms, they'll come up with a good solution!"

Calculating in its mind and finding no issues, the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast was about to speak when it saw the first one to leave, the Crimson Flame Lion, walk in.

Then followed the Ironback Bear, Tiger-Head Beast, Iron-Fanged Wolf... the other nine kings also entered, with a young man in the middle, head lowered, looking very disheveled.

It was Elder Mi's student who had escaped.

"Boss, we caught this guy..."

Coming close, the Crimson Flame Lion growled in a rough voice.

"What happened? Why did all of you go out?"

The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast looked over in confusion.

"It's like this..."

The Tiger-Head Beast came forward, pointing at Zhang Xuan with its huge iron claw: "This guy used some method to bring a few powerful masters and fought with us outside..."

"Masters?" The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast blinked.

"That's right!" The Iron-Fanged Wolf also stepped forward.

"What masters? Are they the ten elders of the academy?" The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast continued asking.

"Seems not. We don't recognize them; their faces are very unfamiliar. Let me take out their corpses for you to see..."

The Ironback Bear snorted and moved to a spot less than three meters away.

Before it finished speaking, the several sacred beasts roared simultaneously and struck out together.

Boom!

The Crimson Flame Lion, Tiger-Head Beast, Iron-Fanged Wolf, and Ironback Bear—these four sacred beasts were among the strongest of Cloudmist Ridge's kings. Striking together, their power was like mountains crumbling and rivers overflowing.

Before the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast could react, it was hit by four claws at once.

Bang!

"What are you doing..."

With a miserable cry, the Bear-Tiger Beast flew backward, its back breaking several stalactites, blood gushing from its mouth.

These sacred beasts had been with it for over a thousand years, trusting each other; who would have thought they would suddenly attack?

And so ruthlessly!

The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast was severely injured, its internal organs suffering damage that would take time to heal.

"What's going on..."

Falling to the ground, panting heavily, the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast felt its strength had diminished by eighty or ninety percent. Its eyes bloodshot, it couldn't help roaring.

"Master!"

Ignoring its roar, the Crimson Flame Lion, Ironback Bear, and the others turned in unison to look at Zhang Xuan not far away.

"Mm."

Smiling lightly, Zhang Xuan no longer looked disheveled. With his hands behind his back, he walked out surrounded by the many sacred beasts, like a lofty emperor.

"Nine of the ten kings of Cloudmist Ridge have now submitted to me... Golden Bear-Tiger Beast, you have only one path: either become my beast pet, or... die!"

"Submit?"

Its pupils contracting, the Bear-Tiger Beast found it hard to believe, looking at the nine kings.

They were sacred beasts with their own pride; how could they submit to a human, and one who was only at the Silkworm Seal realm?

Not only was it puzzled, Elder Mi was also going crazy.

He had thought the dean had come to negotiate, and had prepared himself to be insulted. But instead, in just over an hour, the dean had tamed nine of the ten kings...

It seemed the spirit beasts outside were certainly not spared either, all becoming beast pets...

He knew the new dean was skilled in taming, but... this was too powerful, too heaven-defying!

If this continued, would all the sacred beasts and spirit beasts on the continent become his personal beast pets?

And obey his commands?

While he was stunned, the Crimson Flame Lion and the others also looked at their former leader, the strongest king of Cloudmist Ridge.

"Submit. Our master is a man of great ability. Submitting to him is certainly better than being trapped in Cloudmist Ridge!"

"Yes, we've been stuck in Cloudmist Ridge for so many years. Although it's become our territory and no one dares to enter, and the Master Academy treats us with caution, it seems impressive... but what's the difference from being locked in a cage? I've had enough anyway!"

"If you don't submit, you'll die. Don't hesitate..."

...

Having become Zhang Xuan's beast pets, they no longer had the dignity of kings, and the several sacred beasts urged him in unison.

"Submit to you? Dream on!"

Seeing that all his subordinates had betrayed him, the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast's face twisted with fury: "You've always wondered why this place can gather so much vein spirit liquid for all of us spirit beasts and sacred beasts without drying up? Today I'll tell you..."

With a roar, the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast struggled to its feet, leaped into the nearby dried-up pool, and spoke slowly.

"Respected Emperor, grant me power to eliminate these traitors of the beast race..."

This time it spoke not in human language but in ancient beast tongue.

"Emperor?"

Hearing the beast tongue, Zhang Xuan frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

He had wondered before: vein spirit liquid was so rare; even if Cloudmist Ridge's terrain was special, it was unlikely to condense so much. Now it seemed things were not that simple.

Moreover, the most crucial point was that there were too many spirit beasts and sacred beasts here.

Survival of the fittest; in any place, the number of strong individuals is limited.

So many spirit beasts all reaching such high levels—it would be strange not to find it suspicious.

Elder Mi's face also changed.

He was a six-star peak beast tamer; although he didn't fully understand ancient beast tongue, he could catch some. Clearly, the other was using beast tongue for some ritual, a special summoning.

If successful, a major upheaval would surely occur.

"Dean..."

Full of anxiety, he quickly looked at Zhang Xuan.

"Don't worry. This might be related to the mystery of Senior Wu Yangzi's disappearance you mentioned..."

Zhang Xuan raised his eyebrows.

When taming the Crimson Flame Lion and the others, he had naturally asked about some things. These creatures were only rising stars, having grown up in the last thousand years; they were not clear about earlier events.

According to their descriptions, all secrets were controlled by this Golden Bear-Tiger Beast.

That was why it held unchallengeable authority in Cloudmist Ridge, the undisputed number one.

Rumble!

As they spoke, dense spiritual energy rolled in from deep within the cave, as if heaven and earth were collapsing, pressing down on everyone, making it hard to breathe.

The pool that had held the spirit liquid now resembled a huge altar. The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast seemed to be sacrificing something, attracting this powerful pressure to descend.

"So strong..."

Feeling this power, Elder Mi's face turned pale. He couldn't help stepping back a few paces, gritting his teeth to endure.

It was too powerful, piercing the soul. Even as a Saint Domain first-layer peak, he could barely withstand it.

"Dean..."

If he, with his strength, couldn't resist, what about the dean?

He quickly looked ahead and saw the dean standing straight, back erect, brows raised, coldly staring ahead as if feeling no pressure at all.

Elder Mi shuddered.

He couldn't withstand it, and the Crimson Flame Lion and other Cloudmist Ridge kings were lying on the ground, yet the dean was completely unaffected—how was that possible?

Rumble!

Before his shock subsided, the spiritual energy in the air seemed to condense into substance. A phantom, like a horned dragon beast formed of smoke, hovered above, giving an illusion of crushing the soul.

"My descendant, why have you summoned me?"

A grand voice sounded, still in ancient beast tongue, yet it gave a feeling of transcending time.

"This is... pure ancient beast tongue!"

Elder Mi felt ice-cold.

The beast tongue imitated by descendants, though close in pronunciation, lacked the vicissitude that pierced history, missing the sedimentation of ancient times.

The voice he heard now was deep and steady; just its tone could make countless spirit beasts and sacred beasts submit. He knew at once that this phantom was definitely a supreme figure who had survived from ancient times.

Turning his head, he indeed saw the Crimson Flame Lion, Tiger-Head Beast, and other kings lying prostrate on the ground, trembling, without even the strength to resist.

The bloodline suppression of sacred beasts—no one could do anything about it.

He looked at the dean again, intending to shield him so he could escape, but saw him still standing there, frowning at the phantom, seemingly lost in thought.

"Emperor, your descendant here requests you to grant me power to slay these traitors!"

Kneeling, the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast shouted in beast tongue.

"What do you sacrifice?"

The phantom said indifferently.

"I sacrifice this six-star peak master from the Master Academy, the dean of the Beast Taming Academy, offering his blood to you..."

The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast roared.

"Six-star peak master?" The phantom shook its head: "Not enough."

"And this student of his..."

The Golden Bear-Tiger Beast pointed at Zhang Xuan, then thought the guy might be too weak: "If the Emperor grants me power, I will immediately launch an army to hunt more masters..."

"Deal. If you break your promise, you know the consequences."

Boom!

With the phantom's faint words, a surge of power poured straight into the Golden Bear-Tiger Beast. The latter's previously severe injury began to heal, and its aura climbed steadily.