CHAPTER 32: I, BAI ZE, AM WILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU AS KING.

Contrary to what Lu Chen had imagined, the third floor of the Beast King Manor wasn't filled with murderous intent. The atmosphere was strangely calm.

The moment he stepped onto the third floor, his eyes fell upon a wide, empty dragon throne positioned straight ahead at the end of the passage. Nine simple chairs flanked each side of the throne. None were empty; men and women of varying ages were sitting in them.

Behind every chair also stood a group of beastfolk attendants in their semi-transformed states. They all turned to stare at Lu Chen. Wind Dragon knew very well that these beasts wouldn't be easy to deal with.

As Lu Chen walked forward, a burly man seated at the center rose to his feet. An invisible wave of pressure surged toward Lu Chen.

Lu Chen was only at the Qi Regulation Realm. The sudden oppressive force instantly froze him in place. Gritting his teeth, he tried to circulate his spirit qi and force himself to take another step forward.

The man saw through his intent and snorted coldly, intensifying the pressure.

For a full ten minutes, Lu Chen braced himself against the man's oppressive force. His knees started to buckle, but he forcefully drew upon his bloodline power and plunged the Hunyuan Greatsword into the ground, using it to brace himself and keep from collapsing.

The man sneered. "Hmph! You want to be our new king? With that strength, you're not even close to worthy."

He stopped releasing the pressure, and Lu Chen could finally let out a breath of relief.

"Greetings, Lord Wind Dragon. Has everything been well in the past three thousand years?"

The man and those behind him cupped their hands and bowed toward the Hunyuan Greatsword in Lu Chen's hands. It looked like a show of respect, but not a single one of them showed genuine reverence.

Wind Dragon's aura burst forth from within the Hunyuan Greatsword, his wild and chaotic energy sweeping across the entire third floor. "I am holding up fine. There's no need for your concern. The Beast King's legacy has been passed on to this young man. From now on, he is your king."

Yet, that wave of power did nothing. It didn't even ruffle the robes of the beastfolk. A few even raised their brows in surprise at how weak Wind Dragon's aura had become.

The burly man suddenly transformed into a massive five-clawed golden dragon and blasted a violent surge of power straight toward the Hunyuan Greatsword. "Heh... how laughable, Lord Wind Dragon. Did you truly believe you were our superior back then?"

Wind Dragon remained hidden within the sword and made no attempt to resist. Seeing that, the Golden Dragon intensified its aura. With a sweep of its tail, it struck the sword and sent it flying. "So it's true. You've lost your strength. You were only barely stronger than the rest of us in that contest back then, and that's the only reason why you were named one of the five chieftains. But now? Even the aura you're giving off is laughable, and you know it well."

It was obvious that the Golden Dragon had never let go of that past defeat. Now that Wind Dragon was weakened, he took the opportunity to strike.

Lu Chen glanced at the others standing behind the Golden Dragon. Some lounged, others sat idly, while a few partially revealed their true forms.

Their gazes brimmed with mockery as they watched the standoff between Wind Dragon and the Golden Dragon. Not one showed any sign of wanting to intervene.

***

When the Hunyuan Greatsword was struck, Lu Chen was already crushed to the ground under the Golden Dragon's pressure. He could only sit there and watch the battle unfold.

Despite his weakened state, Wind Dragon relied on the power of the Hunyuan Greatsword to hold his ground. For the moment, he hadn't lost the upper hand.

Just then, a shifty-looking man rushed to Lu Chen's side. He blocked the pressure and pulled Lu Chen back into the crowd of beastfolk.

"Move aside," the man ordered, shoving a burly beastman aside and motioning for Lu Chen to sit down.

The beastman he pushed aside seemed terrified of him and scurried off without a word.

"Young man, the name's Heaven-Devouring Mouse. My true form is the Nine Cycles Heaven-Devouring Mouse. Did you truly inherit the Beast King's legacy?"

Lu Chen looked at the stranger, surprised that he had stepped in to help. "I'm Lu Chen. I suppose you could say I did. All of you... are currently inside my enchanted artifact."

The mouse's eyes darted back and forth as he said, "So that means you can let us out? How about a deal? Free me, and I'll help Wind Dragon deal with that stupid golden lizard."

"I suppose I could, but I don't know how to. Not yet, at least," Lu Chen admitted, tempted by the offer.

Before he could say more, a young man with a kind, honest face stepped forward and shielded Lu Chen behind him. "Don't trust him, little brother. That mouse is a slippery trickster."

The Heaven-Devouring Mouse's face twisted. "Bai Ze, how dare you ruin my deal?"[1]

"Say one more word, and I'll make sure you don't live to see tomorrow."

With that, the young man called Bai Ze grabbed the Heaven-Devouring Mouse and flung him aside. The Heaven-Devouring Mouse hit the ground, turned into a small gray rodent, and scampered off in a hurry.

The young man said, "Little brother, I'm Bai Ze, but you can call me Brother Bai. I've followed the Beast King since I was young. Now that you've inherited his legacy, I, Bai Ze, am willing to acknowledge you as king."

Lu Chen froze when he heard the name. It struck a chord of familiarity.

He recalled Wind Dragon once telling him about Bai Ze. Bai Ze was an ancient beast said to be omniscient, capable of seeing both past and future, and revered as a symbol of wisdom and fortune.

Bai Ze looked at the crowd. "Did you all hear what I said? I, Bai Ze, am willing to acknowledge him as king."

The beasts standing before him all lowered their heads toward Lu Chen and hailed him as king.

A burly man rose to his feet and scoffed. "Hmph, he is just a mere brat. My king will only ever be Lord Sixth, the Beast King. If he wants me, Kui Bull, to acknowledge him as king, then he'll have to earn it with strength."

Lu Chen turned to look at Kui Bull. Like Bai Ze, Kui Bull was also an ancient beast. It had the body of a bull, legs of a serpent, and a voice that rumbled like thunder. Wherever it went, storms followed.[2]

The beasts on the third floor had already split into three groups. One followed Bai Ze, ready to acknowledge Lu Chen as king. Another rallied behind Kui Bull, insisting only strength could determine a ruler. The rest remained in the middle, still undecided.

At that moment, a seductive woman dressed in red stepped forward and looked at Bai Ze, "Bai Ze, you can perceive the past, present, and future. Tell us, did you see something?"

At her words, all eyes turned to Bai Ze. He wasn't the strongest among them, but it was his innate gift that made others wary of him.

Bai Ze looked at her calmly. "If I say I couldn't see his future... would you believe me?"

His words stunned the crowd. Many gathered around him, and even the Golden Dragon and Wind Dragon stopped fighting, turning their attention to hear what he had to say.

The Heaven-Devouring Mouse quietly approached them again, "Bai Ze, aren't you known for seeing through time? How could you not see anything?"

Bai Ze scanned the faces around him, frustration evident in his tone. "It's not just his future; I can't see his past either. Everything about him is covered in mist."

He paused before continuing, "Our bloodlines still carry memories from the Dark Rebellion of ancient times. So many races were wiped out during that chaos. And from the ashes, human cultivators began to rise."

"The current cultivation path doesn't suit us at all. Sooner or later, we'll vanish too. I want to take a gamble that he might help us recover the ancient legacies we've lost."

Kui Bull objected, "But isn't he human too?"

"No. He isn't just an ordinary human. I've seen what happened on the second level. He carries the bloodlines of both the Green Sovereign and the Phoenix Ancestor from ancient times. That's why I want to place my bet on him."

Bai Ze released a unique aura and revealed the markings that had appeared on Lu Chen during his time on the second level, allowing everyone to see the truth.

The Golden Dragon took in the scene Bai Ze had revealed, and he began to waver in his decision. "Is this real? Still, without absolute strength, all of this means nothing. I'd rather place my hope in the future than gamble blindly, unless he becomes strong enough to resist another Dark Rebellion."

Kui Bull remained firm. "I agree. If another rebellion comes and he has no power, then our final inheritance will disappear with it."

The Heaven-Devouring Mouse said, "I'll take that gamble. I'm the last of my kind. If he can uncover the truth behind the rebellion, then it's worth it. Without the Dark Rebellion, the Nine Cycles Heaven-Devouring Clan wouldn't have ended up like this."

With that, he stepped back and moved to stand behind Bai Ze, choosing his side.

One by one, the beasts made their choices and walked toward the factions they believed in.

Just then, the red-robed woman stepped in front of Lu Chen. "Have you all forgotten something? This boy hasn't even agreed to carry the burden of our fate."

At her words, Wind Dragon flew back with the Hunyuan Greatsword and landed beside Lu Chen. He didn't understand the complicated matters of bloodline and inheritance, and didn't care either. The only thing he knew was that he had to protect Lu Chen.

The woman leaned gently against Lu Chen, her voice soft and laced with charm. "Little brother, tell me, are you willing to help us uncover the truth behind the Dark Rebellion?"

Before Lu Chen could respond, Bai Ze stepped forward and pushed her aside. "Red Fox, stop with the charm tricks. We don't need that kind of cheap tricks right now."

The woman rubbed her arm and twisted her body, complaining coyly. "Oh my, Bai-gege, why so rough? You are hurting me. And Bai-gege, you should call me little cutie. I may be a Nine-Tailed Red Fox, but every time someone calls me that, it makes me feel like some flirtatious vixen from a folktale."

A middle-aged woman among the beasts suddenly spoke up with a sneer. "Red Fox, don't think that just because you've taken human form, you're truly human. With all that seductive behavior, you're still nothing more than a fox spirit."

It was hard to tell what kind of beast she was just by her appearance.

Red Fox scoffed, "Hmph, you're just jealous because you're old and losing your charm."

The middle-aged woman stiffened, clearly offended. "What did you say?"

She lunged forward, ready to start a scuffle with Red Fox.

Before the clash could happen, the Golden Dragon bellowed at the two, "Enough! Let Bai Ze ask the boy what he thinks."

Red Fox pouted. "Yes, my lord, I'll step back. But this yellow-faced hag keeps bullying me. My lord, you must stand up for me."

The woman charged forward again. "You damned fox, who are you calling a yellow-faced hag?"

Bai Ze looked at the two and said, "Red Fox, drop the act in front of me. I've seen your past. This is your chance."

Red Fox's eyes turned sharp. Without another word, she moved behind Bai Ze, showing that she, too, was willing to take the gamble.

"I'm done pretending. After all these years, it's exhausting. Bai Ze, I'll trust you this one time. I'll place the fate of the Nine-Tailed Clan in this boy's hands."

As she spoke, nine fox tails unfurled behind her. The aura they gave off was deadly and oppressive, a stark contrast to the coquettish charm she had shown before.

1. Bai Ze (白泽) is a mythical creature from Chinese mythology. It is often depicted as a white, ox-like or lion-like beast with multiple eyes and horns. ☜

2. Kui Bull (夔牛) is a mythical creature from Chinese mythology. It is described as a one-legged ox-like beast that can produce thunder with its movements. Often associated with divine power, music, and storms, the Kui Bull is mentioned in ancient texts like the Shan Hai Jing (Classic of Mountains and Seas). ☜