91 Sovereign

The sea of demonic beasts spoke in hushed whispers as Huxian stepped up. His black-and-white appearance was regal, befitting of a true king of the forest. Even many of the other kings couldn't help but lower their heads instinctively.

"King Two Tails, as a king of the forest, you will be allocated a portion of the forest's territory depending on your rank and merit," the Sovereign said gravely. "In exchange, it's your responsibility to protect all those beneath you during every human tide. Do you accept?"

"Of course I accept," Huxian said proudly. "It's my duty to protect all the spirit beasts on this mountain, even those I dislike. I will even protect the lion king if he's in a pinch."

"Your enthusiasm is commendable," the Sovereign said. "We will all count on you to make this mountain stronger. Since you are the most junior member, and your current territory and that of your underlings is sufficient, you will not be gaining any extra territory. Would you like to challenge anyone?"

Huxian shook his head. "There is no need. I'm satisfied with what I have. I only seek to protect my brother beasts." Mumbles of approval in the sea of beasts ensued.

"Such a king lacking in ambition is not deserving of his territory," the savanna lion king said, cutting the moment of appreciation short. "I challenge King Two Tails to regain the territory of my subordinates."

The group of demonic felines behind him hissed, reinforcing his menacing atmosphere.

"Are you sure you wish to do this?" the Sovereign asked, frowning. "Sometimes it's best not to let your anger cloud your judgement."

The lion king shook his head. "I refuse to let him do as he pleases. He is unlawful with no regard to his seniors. Someone has to discipline him, and that someone may as well be me!"

The bear sighed. "Very well. Do you accept his challenge, King Two Tails?"

"How can I not accept the challenge of this pompous buffoon?" Huxian said. "Leaving his territory in his incapable hands is a wasteful use of nature's riches. This territory will be much safer under this king's supervision."

"Very well," the Sovereign said. "Proceed to the battle platform to fight."

Lord-level battles could be performed on the spot, but the potential for collateral damage in king-level battles mounted significantly, so they proceeded to the peak of the mountain. Huxian widened his eyes when he saw that the "battle platform" was an immense slab of jade. It was covered in all sorts of runic lines that he could barely understand. At a glance, he could tell that no matter how hard they fought, the jade slab would remain intact.

"Are you ready?" the Sovereign asked. Huxian and the lion instantly assumed their combat stances. "Fight!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the two king-level figures became a veritable blur. Only the other kings of the forest could see them, and even then it was difficult. After all, cats and foxes were known for their speed. Despite having just broken through to the middle of the Purification Realm, Huxian could still match him blow for blow.

"How boring!" Huxian said, taunting the savanna lion king.

Not wanting to be outdone, the lion king drew on the heaven and earth energy of the mountain, causing every strand of fur, his teeth, his claws, and his glorious mane to become coated in a film of gold energy. He then clashed with Huxian with renewed vigor.

To Huxian's surprise, his opponent's speed didn't drop despite the substantial increase in weight and power. Instead, it increased. The lion king used his increased muscular strength to unleash his power to the max. If he had been a lesser-spirit beast, Huxian would have had a difficult time.

"Nice one!" Huxian said mid-combat. "Now I'll need to use a full fifth of my strength to defeat you!"

The crowd gasped when they heard this arrogant claim.

"Is he courting death?" a bear asked. "How could he be so bold?"

"A young cub doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth," the stoat king snorted.

However, the neutral spirit beasts' well-honed senses noted a sharp increase in Huxian's speed. In addition, the small fox's bloodline power erupted with full force, causing most of the kings on the mountain to tremble. Even the Sovereign couldn't help but shiver.

Huxian used the impact of his bloodline to dart between the savanna lion king's paws and appear behind him. He then bit deeply into the back of the cat's neck and threw him down on the platform like a pathetic kitten being scolded by his mother. The lion collapsed into a mangled heap, barely breathing. The battle was over.

"You were lucky I showed mercy and only want this mountain to be stronger," Huxian said disdainfully. "However, I'll gladly accept your tribute of territory. Perhaps the life of a pauper will teach you a well-deserved lesson."

The entire crowd, including the Sovereign, were greatly shocked by the tremendous display of power. The mountain became so quiet one could hear a leaf drop. Many of the neutral kings, who had been ambivalent about the addition of a new king, started looking favorably on the young pup King Two Tails.

"Anyone else?" the Sovereign asked. Seeing no response, he continued with the meeting. "The next item on the agenda is the human tide. I have received a message from the humans, where they state that they will be sending out mid-level foundation establishment experts. Therefore, all the kings in the forest will need to be on guard this time around."

"Why the sudden change?" a timid porcupine lord asked amongst the whispering demon beasts.

"I do not know the reason," the Sovereign said gravely. "However, this has happened two times in the past. Unfortunately, I am unable to participate. All I can do is warn all the beasts on the mountain to protect themselves and hide to minimize losses. We will move on, and they will leave when they are satisfied with their gains."

All the kings in the forest grumbled with discontent. However, one voice dared to speak up.

"What a load of hogwash," Huxian said loudly.

"Excuse me?" the Sovereign asked menacingly. "Would you care to repeat what you said?"

"I said it's a load of hogwash," Huxian said proudly. "Your strategy of dividing us up is deplorable, and tantamount to treachery. We lose countless beasts every year because you instruct us to spinelessly hide and not support each other. Not just that, you are conveniently excused from this scuffle. Have you no shame?"

The Sovereign's eyes narrowed. "I have nothing but the best interests at heart for every beast in this mountain. How dare you accuse me of treachery."

"If only it was just an accusation," Huxian continued, sighing. One of his tails glowed, and a small mouse darted out and landed on his back. "Everyone, I have an announcement to make. My subordinate Lei Jiang overheard a conversation between the bear sovereign and a human cultivator during the last human tide. He colluded with the humans and leaked my existence and location. As a result, they ambushed me immediately after with twenty cultivators. Later, they were joined by twenty more. It was only with the assistance and cooperation of many of the beasts here that I managed to survive!"

"How dare you!" the bear roared, growling menacingly. "I've treated you so well, yet you have the guts to accuse me of treachery? Kings, seize him! We don't need a beast like him on the mountain."

The brown bear king and the panther king immediately walked up, and some of the fence-sitters also reacted. The eagle king circled overhead while the badger king stood up on his hind paws, revealing vicious claws.

"You think you can do anything you want because you are the mountain sovereign?" a voice slithered. The geomantic boa pulled up beside Huxian, glaring at the other four menacingly. "I've seen his proof, and it's beyond a doubt. You are a traitor to this mountain, and we've had enough of your ways."

"Right," the queen bee said, bringing her horde of drones. "You've suppressed me by stealing my honey all this time, stopping a sovereign-level beast from maturing. If I had been able to evolve, our mountain's strength would have increased greatly. You're just a cowardly bear that relies on the humans to clean up any threats to your rule."

"I have also seen this proof," the moose king said, walking up beside Huxian. "The Sovereign's acts are deplorable, and he must be deposed."

"I will support my master," Lei Jiang yelled while releasing his aura. Surprisingly, despite being a low purification beast, the aura he emanated matched that of a middle purification beast. Their forces were evenly matched.

The bear king looked around, but unfortunately, the turtle king didn't move. Meanwhile, the savanna lion king could do nothing to help; he lay prone on the side, licking his wounds. The stoat king looked like he wanted to speak up, but he was immediately shut down by a menacing glare from the geomantic boa. The threat was obvious: If you speak up, I won't give you the antidote to your minions, and they will all perish. The geomantic boa's devious ploy had come to fruition.

"It seems we're at an impasse," the Sovereign said calmly. "However, who will you nominate as sovereign? There are no upper purification realm beasts aside from myself. It will be difficult for you to protect this mountain without me."

"You need not concern yourself with this, traitor," Huxian growled. "I challenge you for sovereignty of this mountain in a battle to the death. Our other forces are evenly matched. Whoever wins, the others will follow. This is the ancient law that has been passed down by our ancestors."

The Sovereign looked at Huxian's supporters. "Are you agreeable to this condition?"

One by one, the other beasts nodded.

"Very well, I shall kill this pup and teach you all humility!"

It didn't take long for all the beasts on the mountain to congregate around the giant jade slab. Every beast, whether they were insects, birds, mammals, or reptiles paid close attention. After all, their destiny would be determined by the winner of this single battle.

"Are you ready?" the Sovereign asked. "When you die, I want to make sure no one thinks I relied on trickery."

Huxian snorted and split his body into his two black and white clones. "I was born ready. I'll even give you the chance to attack first."

The bear sovereign's eyes narrowed. "You've truly hidden yourself deeply. However, I refuse to believe that this sovereign, who has achieved the late purification realm, can be thwarted by a mid-level runt like yourself."

The black rune-covered bear stood up on its hind paws, its hundred-foot frame looking down on all the beasts present. Like Huxian, it chose not to hide its strength any longer. One by one, the silver runes on its body lit up and glowed in a soft green color, not unlike the jade platform beneath them.

Huxian gulped. Is he drawing from the jade platform to cause his bloodline to evolve? Does that mean that I'm no longer fighting a normal late-purification beast, but a variant beast instead?

The demons in the world were known for their adaptability. As such, it wasn't unusual for variant beasts to rear their ugly heads. However, this meant that the challenge for sovereignty had just become a deadly crisis for Huxian.

The bear, who had grown to a height of 150 feet, stomped his paw down as soon as the last jade rune on his body lit up. Huxian was suddenly overwhelmed with a gravitational field ten times greater than normal. According to his senses, this field encompassed the entire jade platform, making it impossible for Huxian to ignore this suppression. Huxian's white clone activated its purification aura, but the gravitational pull was too difficult to ignore. He could only halve its suppression, and only for his white half.

You say you're upright, but you play dirty. He gritted his teeth, and both his clones began attacking the bear in tandem, carefully avoiding the vicious swipes of the bear's paws. Even Huxian's unreasonably tough body would have trouble defending against such overwhelming strength.

His two clones expertly dodged the two paws. His white clone, the least affected by the extra gravity, leaped up and tried to bite the bear's knees. As he bit down, however, his mouth ached as one of his teeth cracked. He swiftly retreated after barely drawing blood.

I feel like I've bitten into a block of immortal jade. This is too unreasonable, too unfair! His white clone could only begin looking for weaknesses on this seemingly invincible bear.

"Do you now see the gap in power between us?" the bear yelled with glee. "No matter how hard you bite, you'll never be able to do more than draw a little blood. In fact, I heal faster than you can damage me!"

Huxian witnessed the truth of his words when the small bite mark he had inflicted swiftly regenerated.

It's all up to my shadow form now.

Unfortunately, his shadow form wasn't faring much better. Despite being able to directly attack the bear's shadow, it seemed like the bear had somehow reinforced it. It wasn't pitch black like most shadows but contained a greenish hue. Meanwhile, it could still be affected by the bear's attacks. The ten-times increase in gravity affecting his clone was no laughing matter.

Let's try my newest abilities, Huxian thought. I sure hope this works. His shadow form instantly dissolved, covering the jade platform in an inky substance. From this substance, shadowy awls suddenly darted out, threatening to pierce the bear.

The bear sovereign swung his paws fiercely to try and deflect them, to no avail. Unfortunately, they bounced off his skin harmlessly. Then, they snaked around his arms and legs and restrained his movements. The bear sovereign roared as he used his entire strength to attempt to free himself.

Meanwhile, Huxian was feeling the impact from every jerk of the bear's massive body. He couldn't hold on for very long under the strain. After all, both his clones were part of his true self, and injuring one was the same as injuring the other.

Seeing that the bear was trapped for the time being, Huxian's white clone began shining like the sun. Around him, eight glowing sigils sprang to life and began absorbing all light in the surrounding area. He was clearly charging up for a fierce attack.

***

The bear's eyes narrowed when he saw the bright glow, and he redoubled his efforts. His every attempt to move resulted in cracks forming on the black chains.

I can't let this attack hit me or I'm done for!

Seeing that the situation wasn't looking good, he initiated a technique that was taboo for all demon beasts: burning his blood essence.

Blood essence was far more precious for a demon beast than a human. Every amount lost not only decreased one's power, but also lowered the strength of one's bloodline. He had struggled for many centuries to upgrade his previously pitiful bloodline of a silver-runed black bear. It was all thanks to the insights he'd gleaned from the jade platform that his bloodline was able to undergo a quantitative leap.

Burning his blood essence would mean that after this fight, he would require many natural treasures and dozens of years to recover his power. Yet, if he didn't do it, death awaited him.

With his newfound strength, his muscles bulged, and one of the chains holding him down shattered into motes of shadow. Three more chains followed, and finally, he roared and unleashed his power to the maximum. The chains shattered and agglomerated into a pitiful black fox coughing blood.

However, he didn't have time to deal with the shadow clone. Instead, he began building up energy to resist the incoming blow. Light was too difficult to dodge for him. He was a slow but powerful demon beast, and he knew to play to his strengths. With but a thought, his front paws glowed jade green in preparation for executing his trump card—Jade Executioner!

***

Huxian coughed out a mouthful of blood as his shadow clone was forced to revert to its original form.

Not good. I'm not sure if I can take this guy if he can defend himself. He had thought about unleashing his beam prematurely, but before he knew it, a jade glow appeared on the bear's front paws. Huxian scoured his genetic memories but could find nothing like this ability.

It must be a self-created ability. That bear is a lot shrewder than I gave him credit for. Two more tense breaths passed as both beasts built up power to unleash a devastating strike. The surrounding beasts held their breath. They knew that this attack would surely decide the victor.

Suddenly, the eight sigils surrounding Huxian congregated near his mouth and fused together into a tiny point. The bear's eyes narrowed. He brought his claws out to defend with all his might.

Eight-Sigil Light Beam!

Jade Executioner!

The explosion of white and green pushed back all the nearby beasts. They had wished to see the final outcome, but their vision was obscured by clouds of dust. Then, little by little, the clouds faded. Both the white and the black Huxian had blood leaking from their five orifices .

The bear sovereign was breathing raggedly, and various cuts could be found covering his entire body. Three of his claws had broken in the process of blocking Huxian's monstrous attack. In addition, it seemed like his regenerative abilities were having difficulty healing him. Yet, upon closer observation, the bear's vital areas were all intact.

"You lose, little fox," the bear sovereign exclaimed. "Now be a nice pup and go to sleep."

As the bear approached, many of the beasts allied with Huxian offered to help bail him out. Lei Jiang was poised to evacuate his master at a moment's notice. However, Huxian swiftly sent a mental message to all of them. As injured as he was, he still had one last resort he would use. He was just hesitant to use it, since it would delay his progress for over a year.

Oh well, no sense in moaning about it. On the bright side, it'll give Cha Ming a chance to catch up. That guy's talent is so terrible it's not even funny.

This thought removed the last bit of hesitation from Huxian's mind. He gazed upward, looking at the bear's menacing jade paws, which were about to crash down on him.

Unfortunately, this ability of his couldn't be used for very long. If his timing was slightly off, he would perish instead. So he waited until an ominous glint appeared in the bear's eyes and his paws came crashing down. In only a tenth of a breath, he would be smashed into a meat patty.

Now!

Both of Huxian's clones suddenly disappeared, and the jade platform was cloaked in pitch-black darkness. No one could see anything, and it was like a tank of water had suddenly been filled with a giant glob of ink.

After a breath of time had passed, however, everyone became aware of a faint glow where Huxian's body had once been. It didn't look anything like a fox, but rather like a small bead of concentrated sunlight.

A loud shout alerted everyone to the name of this technique: Light in the Darkness. The ball of light flashed toward the bear sovereign, who didn't have a chance to defend. It dove into one of his eye sockets and came out the back of his head.

As suddenly as the darkness had appeared, it disappeared entirely, leaving behind a single black-and-white fox. Huxian, exhausted from the fierce battle, collapsed on the stage. The winner was clear. The large black bear, who now had a hole passing through his head where his beast crystal would normally reside, fell to the ground in a dead heap of demon-beast meat.

***

Lei Jiang darted to the side of his master protectively. "Step out of the way," a slithering voice said coldly.

"I refuse," Lei Jiang shouted. You can get my master over my dead body!"

A puzzled look suddenly appeared on the geomantic boa's face. "Oh, you misunderstand, little one. We were going to bow to our new sovereign, but there's no way we can stand by bowing to a little shrimp like you."

The small mouse looked around and saw earnest expressions on all the nearby beasts. All beasts, no matter if they were demon beasts, spirit beasts, or god beasts, obeyed the strong. Lei Jiang let out a sheepish laugh and scampered off to the side. Then he joined all the nearby beasts in bowing to their new sovereign.

A new sovereign who would lead them against the human cultivators and would help these beasts defend what was rightfully theirs: their home on the mountain.