Chapter Ten: Her Origins

Awkwardness thickened in the air.

With a dejected droop of its ears, the Tiger Spirit stood up. As it gazed down at Su Li, its colossal body, as imposing as a mountain, leaned toward her.

Strangely enough, it could simultaneously sense both human and beastly auras emanating from the girl. Puzzled, it asked, “Are you a half-beast?”

Su Li was a little surprised; even with only a sliver of its soul left, it could still detect the beastly essence she concealed. Truly worthy of being called an ancient divine beast. After a moment’s thought, she shook her head. “I’m a cat beast.”

The Tiger Spirit frowned deeply, circling her as it studied her, only to end up sounding defeated. “In a million years, I’ve never encountered an ordinary little demon beast like you who could take on human form at birth.” The word “ordinary” was almost spat out through clenched teeth. What frustrated it even more was that a little demon beast in the Body Tempering stage wasn’t even afraid of it.

If word of this got out, where would the dignity of an ancient divine beast go?

Baffled, the Tiger Spirit lowered its head. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, it looked up, golden light blazing in its eyes. “I want a drop of your blood, to see just what sort of beast you really are.”

With a flick of its paw, a blade of energy ripped through the air, splitting the ground with a crack ten yards wide.

The domineering force, accompanied by a howling wind, came straight at her. The danger erupted in an instant. Su Li tried to dodge but couldn’t move fast enough; from her left arm to her shoulder, a deep wound was carved, bone visible beneath the skin. She lost her strength and crashed to the ground.

In a daze, Su Li swore she truly saw an expression of smug satisfaction in the Tiger Spirit’s eyes.

As expected.

The Tiger Spirit couldn’t help but let out an excited roar up to the sky.

At this moment, looking at the little demon beast drenched in blood, it found her unexpectedly pleasing to the eye and, with a magnanimous gesture, cast a soft golden light over her.

Bathed in that golden glow, Su Li’s wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. She felt not a trace of discomfort—nothing at all.

This was pure, unadulterated retaliation.

At the same time, it revealed to her the overwhelming power of an ancient divine beast, a force capable of destroying heaven and earth. And this was just a sliver of its soul—what if it were here in the flesh?

Su Li’s gaze grew distant. Though the laws of heaven—bloodlines, oppressive power—were all ineffective against her furball form, in the face of true strength, she was still just a little demon beast in the Body Tempering stage.

The realization made her press her lips tightly together. She had always been too arrogant. Fortunately, the Tiger Spirit bore her no malice, or she would have been finished today.

Yet, as she picked herself up from the ground, Su Li suddenly realized something deeply embarrassing—the wind blade had severed her sash, and her face darkened. The moment she let go, her clothes would fall away. How she longed to tear that divine beast to shreds!

She managed to peel off her tattered outer robe and, in haste, tied a ludicrous bow at her chest. Only after this did she look up, finding the culprit intently studying the floating orb of golden light before it, within which a few drops of red blood were suspended.

“How strange. Truly strange,” the Tiger Spirit muttered, thoroughly confused. Though it could detect not a trace of divine beast’s blood, there was something uncannily familiar about it that compelled it to touch.

As its claws pierced the golden light, a shocking scene unfolded—the blood flowed swiftly into its body through its talon. The sensation was even more blissful than spiritual energy, suffusing its entire being and making its soul tremble with exhilaration.

A look of utter astonishment flashed in the Tiger Spirit’s eyes. Since its downfall, it had never felt such vitality, could even sense the wind ruffling its fur—so real, so clear.

“Could it be that you are…”

A thunderclap crashed across the heavens. From the churning, black clouds above, bolts of purple lightning, each as thick as a barrel, crashed down toward them with howling winds and pounding rain.

The terrifying phenomenon made even the beast spirit quiver.

Just as the purple lightning was about to strike, the threat was abruptly blocked by a golden barrier. Purple electric arcs blanketed the shield, their crackling fury assaulting Su Li’s ears.

A blinding flash followed, scarring the earth with a massive crater. In its center, the sliver of Tiger Spirit’s soul lay collapsed and feeble.

It was obvious—the Tiger Spirit had spent the last of its strength to protect her, at the cost of being unable to withstand the heavenly thunder itself.

“Why?” Su Li asked, bewildered. She stood frozen, only to hear another rolling peal of thunder.

A new wave of purple lightning was already upon them.

The Tiger Spirit gave a bitter smile. The laws of heaven believed it was trying to return to life; even the slightest threat would not be tolerated. Yet the relentless thunderbolts only proved that the ancient legend whispered among beastkind was true.

It braced itself, gathering what strength remained to reinforce the golden barrier, causing its already faint soul to become even more transparent.

“This is my duty.” The Tiger Spirit staggered to its feet, claws digging deep into the earth, and roared defiantly at the sky.

Another wave of thunder crashed down, deafening in its violence, as the spectral Tiger Spirit grew thinner, almost transparent.

Su Li clenched her fists tight.

But the purple lightning showed no sign of stopping. Just then, five even more immense and violent bolts gathered above, their force so great even the void itself seemed to tremble.

With a series of sharp cracks, fissures appeared in the golden sphere. The Tiger Spirit, already knocked to the ground, gave a low growl, drawing the last traces of its mystical power, strands of energy flowing into the orb. Drained at last, its tiger head fell abruptly to the earth.

A wry laugh escaped Su Li’s lips. “What a foolish tiger, always taking matters into its own paws.”

Her eyes half-lowered, lashes casting long inky shadows beneath her lids, making it impossible to read the emotion in her gaze.

Within her, all the mystical energy in her dantian gathered into a single mass and surged toward the place on her beast core where the seal had been torn during her earlier peril.

As the seal gradually gave way, a wild, violent force erupted from within.

Pain.

Every inch of her body was wracked with agony, her very soul seemed to tremble. Just as Su Li was about to lose consciousness, she once again felt that powerful, dominant awareness seize her mind, her body transforming in an instant.

A snow-white cat beast emerged from her robes, a shimmering golden totem blooming across its brow.

Suddenly, those dark red feline eyes lifted to the sky, a mocking smile curling at the corners of its mouth.

As it stepped from the golden circle, the thunder weakened all around, until the storm-swept heavens cleared, their purple fury replaced by a tranquil blue.

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

The Tiger Spirit’s golden eyes widened as it watched the beast approach. Though it was about to fade into nothingness, it was filled with gratitude at having gambled correctly.

A feline paw descended gently on the tiger’s head, and with the surge of power, both souls were flooded with a sensation at once terrifying, wild, and deeply familiar—so comfortable that it made the beast want to roar in delight.

Suddenly, a chill swept down from above.

“Let’s have a talk,” came a cold voice, “about that little swipe you took at me just now…”