Volume One, Chapter 20: The Little Beast King Zhang Xuan

Without using her innate talent, it was difficult for her to break through the purple giant’s defense.

Moreover, Su Ran believed that Zi Ji’s strength lay not in defense, but in offense.

That slash and that bow were not mere decorations; they exerted a tremendous sense of pressure on her.

Of course, offense is different from defense and requires Liang Yin to further develop her abilities to unleash it fully.

“Chu Ge, can I join you?” Liang Yin asked eagerly, her face full of hope.

Awakening her talent had only granted her the power to protect herself.

Liang Yin not only wanted to survive but to live well—to live brilliantly.

But in this chaotic world, strength ruled all.

A woman without a man’s support, struggling to survive, was already a luxury; to live brilliantly was the stuff of dreams.

Chu Ge nodded and extended his palm. “Of course, Teacher Liang, welcome aboard.”

Liang Yin reached out and gently grasped his hand, then suddenly raised an eyebrow. “Calling me teacher feels too formal. Call me Liang Yin from now on.”

“I think ‘teacher’ suits you just fine,” Chu Ge said with a smile curling his lips.

After all, ‘teacher’ came with certain advantages.

Those who understood, understood.

…

They pressed forward, cutting a swath through the path ahead.

By noon, the five of them arrived near Longhu Mountain Zoo.

Along the way, they encountered many survivors, including a few lucky cultivators who had awakened their talents. But these people lacked the courage to fight and were unfamiliar with their abilities, so they spent their time dodging attacks from the beasts.

In contrast, Chu Ge and his group had already begun hunting the monsters.

In fact, they were far ahead of many other cultivators.

Chu Ge had come to Longhu Mountain Zoo to hunt the demon tiger he had scouted earlier.

However, after searching the zoo thoroughly, they found no trace of the demon tiger.

The place was littered with corpses; the stench of blood mixed with rot was sickening, invading their nostrils.

The animals in the zoo had mutated first. The staff and visitors were utterly defenseless and had been slaughtered, becoming food for the beasts.

The demon tiger had likely left the zoo to hunt and didn’t know when it would return.

Just as they prepared to leave, Xiao Heizi suddenly let out two sharp roars.

Chu Ge turned and saw a pack of demon lions had stealthily surrounded them.

“A pride of lions?” His eyes lit up immediately.

There were nine demon lions in total, all first-level, and two of them had even reached the pinnacle of first-level cultivation.

A pleasant surprise.

At least this trip wasn’t in vain.

“Teacher Liang, protect Jiang Tao and Xu Wei. Su Ran and I will take the lead.”

Chu Ge instantly drew his long knife from his waist and, planting his feet firmly on the ground, launched himself forward like a cannonball.

Whoosh!

With a single swing, his blade severed the head of the foremost first-level pinnacle demon lion.

Roar!

The demon lion roared furiously and lunged aggressively at Chu Ge.

Chu Ge released his grip; the long knife sliced through the air and flew into the pride, instantly decapitating the other pinnacle first-level demon lion.

Seeing this, the remaining demon lions instinctively sensed the threat of death and fled in retreat.

Chu Ge and Su Ran quickly pursued and slaughtered the fleeing demon lions.

Their speed was astonishing!

Jiang Tao and Xu Wei, being sensible, produced daggers and began cutting open the demon lions’ skulls, searching for demon cores.

With Liang Yin awakening her talent, the pressure shifted to their side.

Hence, throughout the journey, the two of them worked hard to collect the corpses, desperately proving their value.

At that moment, a group of survivors appeared from afar, carrying various weapons.

The person in the center was mounted on a majestic tiger.

Seeing this, Chu Ge raised an eyebrow immediately.

The demon tiger stood three meters tall, rippling with muscles and exuding a fierce aura. From its presence alone, it was even stronger than Chu Ge.

Second-level.

No wonder the demon tiger hadn’t been spotted—it had been tamed.

Did this person have the talent to subdue the demon tiger, or was it just brute strength?

Chu Ge pondered deeply.

Soon, the group approached to within ten meters of Chu Ge’s party, standing off at a distance.

The young man on the demon tiger frowned upon seeing Chu Ge and the demon lion corpses on the ground. “I had my eyes on these demon lions, but you killed them. That’s infuriating.”

Chu Ge glanced at him and realized he was only a first-level cultivator, with an aura even weaker than Su Ran’s.

This meant the young man’s ability to tame the demon tiger stemmed from his talent.

At that moment, the diary app displayed a line of text.

[Do you remember the drunkard from the Crescent Moon Massage Parlor I told you about?]

“Of course I do. Could it be him?”

[Exactly. His name is Zhang Xuan. Before the spiritual energy resurgence, he was lucky enough to find a spiritual fruit. Later, he awakened an A-rank beast-taming talent and earned considerable renown as the Little Beast King.]

“I see,” Chu Ge nodded.

“What the hell, our boss is talking to you, you deaf?” one of the group shouted, impatient at Chu Ge’s silence.

They had only five people and a dog.

Chu Ge’s side had more than thirty people and a second-level demon tiger.

The advantage was theirs.

If not now, then when to show loyalty?

Whoosh!

Before the man finished speaking, Chu Ge’s long knife sliced through the air, and in the blink of an eye, severed the man’s arm. Blood gushed out, frightening several timid women into wetting themselves.

“You bastard, how dare you hurt someone!” the group glared furiously at Chu Ge, their faces burning with rage.

Chu Ge ignored them and walked over to Jiang Tao and the others collecting demon cores.

“Friend, you killed my lions and cut off my man’s arm. You owe me an explanation,” Zhang Xuan ordered his men to surround Chu Ge’s group, his tone cold and accusatory.

Chu Ge paused, then turned to Zhang Xuan, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth. “From today on, there is no Little Beast King in Jiang City.”

The demon lions were not Zhang Xuan’s pets; whoever was strong enough killed them.

He had spoken arrogantly and paid the price. Losing an arm was already leniency from Chu Ge.

The matter could have ended there, but Zhang Xuan pressed on, leaving Chu Ge no choice but to respond ruthlessly.

“What did you say?” Zhang Xuan frowned.

Whoosh!

Chu Ge had no patience for words. His long knife flew through the crowd, swiftly severing the heads of six men.

“Damn, this guy’s crazy!”

“Attack together! Cut him down!”

Zhang Xuan’s face changed drastically as he called his men to charge.

“I’ll take care of the tiger; you handle the others,” Chu Ge commanded, then turned and charged at the demon tiger.

Awooo!

The demon tiger roared and sprang forward, its speed astonishing.

Boom!

Golden flames surged across Chu Ge’s body, engulfing him completely, wrapping him in a blazing inferno.

The searing heat radiated outward in all directions.

“Is that... a Super Saiyan?” Zhang Xuan gasped.

No denying it, Chu Ge truly resembled a Super Saiyan at this moment.

Flames danced around him like a fiery king.

With a powerful punch, Chu Ge struck the demon tiger’s swiping claw.

His strength unleashed fully, a wild and overwhelming force exploded forth.

Boom!

The demon tiger was unable to withstand the blow and was sent flying backward, its claws bleeding and scorched black by the golden flames.

Yet the demon tiger’s vitality was strong.

The injury was not severe; instead, it awakened its ferocity.

Awooo!

It roared and leapt high, crashing down upon Chu Ge with the weight of a mountain.

Snap!

Chu Ge snapped his fingers, and the golden flames quickly spread to his long knife.

With stones and earth scattering beneath his feet, Chu Ge launched himself forward in a graceful slide tackle…