"That is only natural." The figure in the black robe said, "Since he was able to assist you in your advancement, then, to me—" "This person is extremely important to us. How could we treat him rashly? Huh? Do I need you to remind me of such a small matter?"

"Indeed, what you say is true, Boss is wise." He Chongxiao and Xiong Kaishan nodded desperately.

Both men felt embarrassed: they had bragged so confidently in front of the other party previously, and now, after more than a month past the deadline, the task still hadn't been completed. This left both of them deeply ashamed.

If they were to meet him now, what should they say?

The matter of stopping Blood Soul Manor from advancing north had been executed flawlessly. Not only did Blood Soul Manor fail to move north, but Silver Snow City had actually moved south...

But the other matter—breaking both of Li Tengyun's legs—had not been accomplished, and they hadn't even seen Li Tengyun's face. This was the truly agonizing part! Moreover, both He Chongxiao and Xiong Kaishan currently harbored a deep-seated rage. If they truly got the chance to face Li Tengyun, it wouldn't end with merely breaking two legs!

At that time, Li Tengyun would not only die, but he would die utterly and terribly!

Previously, they had been hesitant because of Li Jue Tian, unwilling to see his lineage extinguished, which would have made the entire situation irreparable. But now that Li Jue Tian was deliberately trying to kill the Fourth Brother Xiong, there was certainly no room for maneuvering between the two sides. Therefore, with the ferocity of these two enraged Xuan Beast Kings unleashed, how could they possibly spare Li Tengyun?

Now, they were actually hoping Li Jue Tian’s line would end! That way, they could use it to strike a devastating blow against that old immortal...

The three exchanged a look, seeing that everything was fine, and were about to separate to act independently.

Just then, a sudden wave of commotion drifted from a distance. Xiong Kaishan’s brow immediately furrowed: "Something is wrong with the leopard pack." Those fellows truly never cease to worry me!"

"The leopard pack?" The other two frowned and looked toward the distance.

Two lithe figures came sprinting towards them at top speed, entirely snow-white, with glittering golden eyes—they were two peak Eighth-Tier Xuan Beasts, Golden-Eyed Snow Leopards. Their speed was astonishing, and they arrived in an instant.

"What exactly happened?" Xiong Kaishan felt deeply disgraced. After the Leopard King vanished, he had taken over responsibility for the leopard clan. Seeing these two adult snow leopards burst in with such lack of organization and discipline made him instantly furious.

The two Golden-Eyed Snow Leopards whimpered twice, lay flat on the ground, motionless, and then one turned its head, delicately pulling a small, snow-white creature from its back and placing it on the ground. It seemed to be trembling uncontrollably all over.

The two Golden-Eyed Snow Leopards let out two "wuwu" sounds, bowed their heads twice, and then rapidly retreated, vanishing into the jungle in an instant.

"It's a little Iron-Winged Leopard," the figure in the black robe murmured. "It looks barely a month old. What an adorable little thing. Hmm?" As he said this, the figure suddenly shuddered! His entire body seemed to freeze instantly.

He Chongxiao and Xiong Kaishan both stiffened simultaneously, their eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets as they stared fixedly at the small creature huddled on the ground, as if they had discovered a peerless treasure!

This little creature was none other than Xiao Bai Bai.

That day, the little thing had heard the summoning cry of the Xuan Beast King and rushed out regardless of the consequences; this was the deep-seated instinct within its bones that could never be defied.

It had only intended to follow the main group to pay homage to the Xuan Beast King and then return. However, as soon as it entered the leopard pack, something seemed amiss, and it was immediately sent here... Upon seeing the three Xuan Beast Kings mere feet in front of it, the innate reverence of a low-tier Xuan Beast toward high-tier Kings surfaced, and it obediently curled up, trembling slightly.

"Boss! Boss! An adolescent—damn it, still suckling—Eighth-Tier Iron-Winged Leopard! Eighth Tier! Eighth Tier! Holy hell! How is this possible? I swear to the gods, this must be a dream!" Xiong Kaishan yelled wildly, so shocked he forgot himself. "Third Brother, slap me quickly, I must be dreaming, this is too unbelievable!" "Damn it all—what is going on?"

He Chongxiao’s face was shadowed with gloom.

The field was utterly silent!

Almost dead silent!

The eyes of the three Beast Kings were wide open. Third Brother He, whose eyes were naturally smaller, now had eyes shining like light bulbs. Fourth Brother Xiong, whose eyes were already large, was still filled with utter disbelief, his huge eyeballs almost shooting out of their sockets. As for the Beast King Boss, whose eyes were usually concealed by the black cloth, his sharp gaze pierced through the fabric, gleaming with an unusual brilliance! He completely disregarded Xiong Kaishan’s coarse language. In the past, he would surely have been angered enough to act, but now, he remained silent.

It was simply too shocking, too unbelievably shocking!

The Beast King Boss gently bent down, lifting Xiao Bai Bai with unnatural lightness and care, cradling him in his arms as if holding a priceless, fragile treasure!

Xiao Bai Bai nervously swiveled his eyes, letting out two small, frightened whimpers. Sensing his goodwill, it still dared not move.

The black-robed man placed his palm against Xiao Bai Bai’s soft body. After a long pause, he finally let out a long breath: "It is indeed Eighth Tier! An Eighth Tier! A genuine Eighth Tier! A miracle! A true miracle!"

Normally, at the level of the Great Beast Kings, they could identify and confirm the grade, rank, and strength of an unformed Xuan Beast with just a glance. But for this small creature, which was so extraordinarily miraculous, the Beast King Boss made an unprecedented move to confirm it personally, with his hands!

Perhaps the shock was too profound, for the subsequent words of the Beast King Boss were quite strange. He first said it was correct, yet then exhibited initial astonishment, bordering on incoherence by the end.

But the other two Beast Kings, He Chongxiao and Xiong Kaishan, did not find his words contradictory at all. Instead, they approached with grave expressions; after scrutinizing and confirming again, both of them gaped silently.

Although they had this feeling upon first sight—their ingrained instinct for confirming Xuan Beast levels had already told them the truth—they were stunned by this astonishing fact that should never have appeared. Now, after repeated verification, they were still hit by a severe shock.

The reason was simple: this fact was too incredible, too earth-shattering!

"Iron-Winged Leopards usually have a lifespan of two hundred years. A Seventh-Tier Xuan Beast advances normally once every ten years. Reaching the peak of Seventh Tier within seventy years offers a chance to break their innate limits and evolve to the Eighth Tier level, but due to their inherent aptitude, the Iron-Winged Leopard's ultimate achievement is capped there!" The Beast King Boss spoke quickly and urgently, his voice slightly crisp, a stark contrast to his usual somber tone.

This piece of information held little value. Not just for the three Beast Kings, but even for ordinary noble families, acquiring this knowledge was commonplace. Yet, this universally acknowledged fact had now been completely overturned!

"But right before our eyes, here is an infant Eighth-Tier Iron-Winged Leopard! An infant, no less!!" The Beast King Boss gasped for breath twice, his black robe billowing slightly, as if struggling to suppress the excitement in his heart: "Third, Fourth, are we truly dreaming?"

"How could such a thing happen?" The Beast King Boss trembled. "Based on the current situation, this Iron-Winged Leopard likely advanced just after turning a full month old, before it was even weaned, and it completed its peak advancement without mastering even a fraction of its innate abilities? How is that possible?! This is simply bizarre and unbelievable! If someone had told me this was possible before, I wouldn't have believed them even if they killed me, but now, it's happening right before my eyes. Can someone tell me what is going on..."

The Beast King Boss shook his head again, vigorously, spun around twice in agitation, and then his gaze locked onto Xiao Bai Bai, unable to move away.

This fact was too difficult to comprehend! Too bizarre, so bizarre that even the Heavenly Punishment Beast King could not understand it!

Besides the Beast King Boss, He Chongxiao and Xiong Kaishan were also shocked into mental blankness, mouths agape, not even noticing the drool running down their chins. After a long moment, Xiong Kaishan’s sturdy body swayed twice, then suddenly collapsed to the ground, letting out a muffled cry. He suddenly grabbed his hair and smashed his head onto the floor, emitting a dull thud: "Heavens... this world has gone mad..."

"Could it be..." He Chongxiao suddenly smacked his lips, considering a possibility: "Boss, do you think maybe... the Leopard King raped a Seventh-Tier Iron-Winged Leopard?" He stopped abruptly after saying this, slapping himself in the face.

Indeed, the other two, including Xiong Kaishan, stared at him with the look reserved for an idiot.

"Idiot, how is that possible! Do you think I'm only surprised by its current rank? Do you two think I’m as muddle-headed as you? What truly surprises me about this little fellow is not its current strength!"

The Beast King Boss paused, then continued: "I've already examined him closely. This little one's innate essence is still the basic quality of an Iron-Winged Leopard; it lacks the traits of other high-tier Xuan Beasts! Therefore, I can confirm that this little one's advancement was absolutely caused by some external factor. In other words, someone used an extremely miraculous means to forcibly advance it!"

"That's not the most astonishing part. What's truly surprising is that this little one's potential limit has also been altered. Within thirty years, it will certainly ascend to the Ninth Tier level, and... even Ninth Tier might not be its limit!"

The figure in the black robe finished speaking solemnly, then suddenly remembered what He Chongxiao had just said and kicked him away, scolding: "You, the dignified Crane King, would you stoop to raping a Seventh-Tier Great Crane? What kind of nonsense is always running through that pointed head of yours? Can't you think of something serious, something useful?"

There was even a slight hint of embarrassment in his voice.

Regarding yesterday's donation, hehe, I forgot to explain. I am a party member, and I donated one hundred. Today, walking on the street, I saw an emergency donation drive, so I stopped by. Seeing the crowd donating money and supplies, everyone was very enthusiastic; Feng Ling felt a wave of emotion. Yes, regardless of the reconstruction of the disaster area or—at the very least, every single person in our society is doing their utmost. We are blameless on this matter! We are all contributing our strength for our compatriots, praying! Hoping they can overcome the hardship soon and rebuild their homes!

When I got closer, I suddenly realized that as a citizen, I had donated; but as an author, I had not yet done so. Counting the money in my pocket, after buying cigarettes, I still had over seven hundred left. I simply took it all out...

I am ashamed; I didn't bring much money, and I am not wealthy; I can only say I contributed a small effort, nothing more.

The donation center stipulated that those donating over five hundred yuan could leave their name or write a blessing on the red flag. The flag was almost full, so after some thought, I wrote this sentence: The tens of thousands of brothers and sisters of Heretic Sovereign of the Otherworld sincerely wish the compatriots of Zhouqu to overcome their sorrow soon and rebuild their homeland!

My income comes entirely from the subscriptions of my brothers and sisters. So, I shamelessly represent my ten thousand brothers and sisters in sending this blessing.

I am very fortunate to have tens of thousands of collecting brothers and sisters; while writing this sentence, I feel very proud! I even feel a sense of satisfaction. Hehe. I don't fear being accused of seeking undeserved fame, as long as I can remain true to my own heart!