Chapter 10 : Transformation (1)
With the moon high in the sky, the demonic beasts of Mount Qi began to stir.
Some resembled tigers or leopards, others wolves or snakes. There were even creatures shaped like elk or pheasants. Compared to ordinary wild animals, however, these beasts all showed varying degrees of mutation. Some had inherited such traits through their bloodlines, born this way from the start. Others had once been ordinary animals that later mutated into demonic beasts.
Tonight, however, the balance had been broken.
The more intelligent demonic beasts, coveting the treasures of the mountain’s lord, had begun probing along the edges of his territory.
A massive wild boar charged wildly through the moonlit forest. Wherever it passed, nearby demonic beasts scattered in panic.
One tiger-shaped demonic beast caught sight of the enormous boar.
Gone was the calm dignity of the king of the forest. In the tiger’s eyes appeared deep terror, as if the true master of the mountains stood before it. In panic, it fled desperately to the side, trying to escape.
Suddenly, the tiger demon’s body stiffened. Its limbs convulsed violently. The yellow fur on its body slowly turned bluish-green, and its body gradually hardened until it resembled stone.
With a heavy thud, it collapsed.
A thin green snake, barely the thickness of two fingers, poked its head out from beside the tiger demon’s foot, its tongue flicking in and out.
The green snake glanced at the distant, rampaging boar demon and hissed a warning.
But the boar ignored it completely. Still charging recklessly, it trampled several demonic beasts that failed to dodge in time. Yet it did not move any closer to the snake’s direction.
“The half-demon has obtained the Silver Fruit! The half-demon has obtained the Silver Fruit!” a shrill cry rang out from the sky.
It was the language of demons, though it might not even count as language. To human ears, it would sound no different from the screech of a strange bird.
The creature in the sky was a bizarre bird covered in scales, with an enormous beak and two massive talons beneath it; talons easily capable of capturing the tiger demon from earlier.
Upon hearing the bird’s cry, the boar demon abandoned its rampage and began running toward the direction the creature had flown.
At the same time, the green snake flicked its tongue thoughtfully, as if weighing something.
Finally, it seemed to reach a decision. It slipped into the grass and slithered away, heading in the opposite direction from the strange bird.
Without the suppression of Refined Spirit-level demonic beasts, the rest of the beasts began wandering freely throughout the forest.
That half-demon dared to covet the mountain lord’s treasure. She must never escape Mount Qi.
This was the shared thought of the demonic beasts.
Half-demons were considered a disgrace among demonkind. Even ordinary demonic beasts, creatures that hadn’t even reached the level of Refined Spirit, despised such unnatural beings from the depths of their hearts. In their minds, even if the mountain lord had disappeared, the treasures within his territory still belonged to the demonic beasts of Mount Qi. Any outsider who attempted to seize those spiritual herbs was openly challenging them.
This was the common mindset among demonic beasts. Most of them possessed strong territorial instincts. After gaining a measure of intelligence, this territorial awareness only grew stronger. Any beast from outside Mount Qi would be treated as an intruder and often attacked by groups.
And a half-demon?
That might provoke an outright frenzy of extermination.
While the demonic beasts and Refined Spirits of Mount Qi were spreading through the forest in search of Bai Yiyi, inside a hollow within a large rock somewhere in the mountain lord’s territory, a strange transformation was quietly taking place.
【Host bloodline initially activated. Tracing bloodline origin…】
【Origin confirmed… Ancient—Nine-Tailed Fox.】
【Bloodline unlocked. Congratulations, host. Ability activated: Transformation.】
The system’s cold voice echoed repeatedly.
But deep within unconsciousness, Su Xiao heard none of it.