A gentle breeze swirled, carrying threads of rain that whipped against pedestrians scurrying by the roadside. Behind a restaurant, flickering lights illuminated a dim corner, casting a faint glow on a trash can.
"So pitiful, you’ve been bullied again, haven’t you?"
A young boy holding an umbrella squatted down, looking at a small fox no bigger than his palm, curled up in a corner, glaring fiercely at him.
On the streets of Yaoguang City, whenever night falls, abandoned Pet Beasts often come out to forage. These stray Pet Beasts, not of the best breeds, had proliferated over time.
The little Red Fox, wary and baring its teeth, let out a tender growl.
"Still quite fierce."
The boy shook his head, left a piece of bread, and walked away.
Every night, the boy would step into the darkness, make his usual stop behind the restaurant, and leave food. The food varied—bread, sausages, burgers, hot dogs—far more abundant than the leftovers picked apart by the stray Pet Beasts in the garbage can.
The little Red Fox, after several falls, finally climbed onto the roof, staring into the direction from which the boy usually came, lost in thought. Its simple mind couldn’t comprehend why it was so attached to a person. Perhaps it was the first time someone had been so kind to it.
A resounding growl erupted from within the eggshell, golden light flickering.
"Mutated Evolution! Such a perfect Pet Beast, practically a work of art!"
Sensing the potential within this ink-colored eggshell through the Blood Core, the Horned Man was thrilled to bursting.
The Mutated Evolution paths provided by the Federation and the self-driven Mutated Evolution of Pet Beasts were entirely different. The former resulted in only partial mutation. The latter, due to immense potential, involved bloodline mutation, a direct reversion to ancestry—sometimes even changing the entire species! Just like a carp becoming a Dragon King, an Earth Worm becoming a Phoenix, or a basketball becoming a nuclear bomb! If I could plunder its flesh and blood, I could fully ascend to Gold, with even the Dawn Star stage within reach!
The ink-colored eggshell shattered, revealing Bika’s evolved form.
Three streaks of Golden Flame burned, slowly drifting.
A tall Red Fox, like a noble Flame Divine Beast, stood there. Its exaggerated, dragon-like tail flowed and swayed. Its orange-golden fur was noble and elegant. Its limbs and body were agile and powerful, brimming with astonishing explosiveness.
Three-tailed Red Fox!
No, this species of Red Fox had never appeared in the Federation with three tails; they always had just one! This was an entirely new species!
The Horned Man was astonished; its grade was at least high-level elite!
Chu Yi retreated behind Jiang Qiuyun, equally shocked by Bika’s transformation.
"The little fox... it’s grown bigger again!" Jiang Qiuyun exclaimed, her expression adorably dazed.
So... can I ride it now?
Bika locked onto the Horned Man, its golden-brown vertical pupils flickering with a hint of red.
A sensation of heat coursed through its body. Its heart thundered like a war drum as the power of its blood surged, infusing its entire being.
Innate ability, [Frenzy]!
[Frenzy]: Greatly improves physical qualities, grants [Dash] state, enhancing damage, attack speed, and hit effects.
Its body tensed slightly. The next moment, with flames roaring fiercely, Bika’s silhouette flickered and vanished from its original spot!
The Horned Man’s pupils shrank. He lifted his right arm, the writhing flesh transforming into a Thorn Shield.
From his attack on Chu Yi to this moment, only a few breaths had passed.
The three-hundred-meter distance was covered in a flash!
To protect Bika, Chu Yi had driven closer, eliminating the interfering Demons.
A Golden Flame-wreathed fox claw struck the shield. The Thorn Shield was covered by a layer of black light, sparks flying.
[Ink Fire]: Uses Spiritual Energy as a medium to cause combustible graphitization and enhance certain flame damage; upon ignition, causes an Ink Fire explosion.
A tremendous force penetrated, disappearing as if swallowed by the sea. However, as his flesh began to graphitize, the Horned Man was momentarily startled before his eyes lit up.
A violent explosion erupted with black flames, blasting his entire right arm off!
[Blast Flame]: Attacks carry massive explosive damage; while under a burn status, there’s a chance to trigger an explosion.
The Horned Man was blown away, his entire body engulfed by flames he found himself unable to resist.
[Scorch]: Attacks can ignite the target, putting it in a Scorch state; the more stacks, the longer the effect lasts.
Bika had inherited all four talents granted by the offering!
"This is abnormal!" The Horned Man had never witnessed such a display. The Pet Beast erupted with War General-level combat power right from the start, relentlessly pounding him!
But this was even better.
"Initially, I was worried your Pet Beast had a potential ceiling, but it seems I underestimated it." The Horned Man, far from being angry, laughed heartily. All these abilities will be mine!
At this moment, a streak of purple lightning tore through the gloomy sky, illuminating the Horned Man’s gradually stiffening face.
A hurricane whipped up a storm of sand and dust, sweeping in all directions.
A Dragon Sculptor with a wingspan of over twenty meters descended majestically, shielding Chu Yi and Jiang Qiuyun behind it.
The Dragon Sculptor turned its head, glancing discontentedly at the man clinging to its master. Why did you summon Lord Sculptor!? That scoundrel! Always using my master to threaten me! Despicable, shameless, lowly! Hmph! This Sculptor looks down on you!
"A Dragon-type Pet Beast, a Dragon Sculptor!" The Horned Man’s eyes widened. A T0-strength, War General-level Pet Beast is joining the fight!
However, with the Golden Decree bestowed by the King, I can still slay them both. If I slay these two and devour their flesh and blood, my strength will surely ascend to Gold! I might even attract a sliver of the Master’s attention, replace the Golden Monarch, and walk the world on the Master’s behalf, spreading the teachings!
Suddenly, the Dragon Sculptor attacked first, soaring high on its wings and revealing Chu Yi behind it.
At that exact moment, the Horned Man’s expression changed dramatically. Chu Yi had set up a Spiritual Giant Cannon; holding his daughter’s delicate hand, he pulled the trigger.
From the cannon’s muzzle, a marble-sized sphere of Spiritual Energy, charged to its absolute limit, suddenly unleashed a bolt of blazing white lightning!
The Horned Man was momentarily stunned. "..." Then he cursed, "Damn!"
The blazing white beam struck the Horned Man’s chest precisely, like a Spear of Judgment cast by God, piercing directly through him!
The next moment, he was engulfed by a burst of white light that erupted into a gigantic mushroom cloud!
Shockwaves rolled out, and dust swept everywhere!
Chu Yi pulled Jiang Qiuyun, mounted Bika, and quickly retreated before stopping.
At the center of the explosion, a crater dozens of meters in diameter had appeared, charred black, smoke billowing!
Chu Yi couldn’t help but click his tongue at the power of this shot.
Energy Level 2 is like a sniper rifle. Energy Level 3 is a grenade launcher. Energy Level 4... a laser weapon? One shot drained 90% of my energy, and it was a purely Spiritual Strike. Its power is terrifyingly unknown. That one shot completely silenced him! Even if he’s not dead, he must be severely injured!