Zhao Letian had set up the Mysterious Dragon Formation, strong enough to withstand the attacks of anyone below the True Martial Fourth Realm. A single Primordial Martial Ninth Realm peak-level Mantis was hardly sufficient to shake the Array Formation Barrier, but with hundreds of Mantises attacking simultaneously, their combined strength was formidable—so much so that even individuals of the True Martial Fourth Realm dared not face it head-on. Thus, after merely one round of assaults, the small-scale Mysterious Dragon Formation nearly shattered.

The cross-legged cultivating Zhao Letian, upon sensing the outside situation, did not just furrow his brows. The Array he had arranged was supposed to ensure utter safety, perfectly capable of handling True Martial Realm demon beasts within the area, yet he had not anticipated an encirclement by hundreds of Primordial Martial Ninth Realm peak-level Mantises.

Fortunately, after cultivating this formation, his body had absorbed nearly half of the abundant Primordial Energy, and his cultivation level had skyrocketed from barely entering the True Martial Realm directly to the major achievement phase of the True Martial First Realm. Even if he stopped cultivating now, there wouldn't be much impact.

"Damn, at this rate, the Array Formation Barrier will soon be breached."

Inside the Array Formation Barrier, figures like Big Tiger held their Spiritual Artifacts, highly vigilant, with extremely tense expressions. Once the Array Formation Barrier broke, they would face an onslaught by hundreds of Primordial Martial Ninth Realm peak-level Mantises. If nothing went amiss, this was almost certainly a death sentence, not to mention the Fiery Flame Mantis, the Mutated Spiritual Beast of True Martial Realm caliber, lurking in the skies.

"Boom!"

In less time than it takes to brew a pot of tea, the ten low-grade Primordial Stones that served as the formation's base were drained of Primordial Energy, and the Array Formation Barrier cracked open in response, allowing hundreds of Mantises to swarm in instantly.

"We're done for!"

Big Tiger and the others went pale, tightly gripping their Spiritual Artifacts, yet unable to muster the courage to resist—the gap between them was just too great. They lacked the confidence to defeat even a single Primordial Martial Ninth Realm peak-level Mantis, let alone hundreds of them.

"Foul beasts, stand down!"

At the critical moment, Zhao Letian suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint exploding within them. At the same time, a ferocious True Yuan Power burst forth from him, sending the swarm of Mantises retreating.

"Master!"

"Brother Letian!"

Seeing Zhao Letian had concluded his cultivation, Liu Wei and figures like Big Tiger instantly revealed a look of delight. With Zhao Letian present, they felt at ease.

"The Fiery Flame Mantis? The creature from legends poised not only to easily ascend to the True Martial Realm but perhaps to ever loftier realms, an excellent Mutated Spiritual Beast fit to become my, Zhao Letian's, Spiritual Beast." Zhao Letian's gaze was electric as he eyed the Fiery Flame Mantis in the sky, a burning ambition flickering in his eyes. Such Mutated Spiritual Beasts were exceedingly rare; if he could subdue one, it would not only be prestigious but greatly enhance his strength as well. Love this story? Show support at *.

Those green Primordial Martial Ninth Realm peak-level Mantises, brimming with spiritual intelligence, sensed Zhao Letian's formidable cultivation and displayed a wary demeanor, only daring to linger at a distance and no longer making careless charges.

"Screech!"

Seeing its minions intimidated by Zhao Letian, the king-like Fiery Flame Mantis suddenly let out an enraged roar. Its True Yuan surged, and wielding a pair of bladelike red forelimbs, it slashed out two crimson streaks of sword light, shooting straight towards Zhao Letian.

"One sword to make you submit."

Zhao Letian's lips curled into a confident smile as he spoke proudly. With a thought, a cyan Longsword appeared in his hand. He then brandished the sword, unleashing a formidable True Essence Sword Light, accompanied by the sound of a Dragon Roar, cutting an opposite path up toward the Fiery Flame Mantis.

Before the Sword Qi arrived, the noble Dragon Roar had already made the Fiery Flame Mantis feel the pressure of bloodline ranking, swiftly causing intense fear to arise within it. Its aura weakened instantly by a third, and as for the green Mantis at the peak of the Primordial Martial Nine Realms, they were prostrating on the ground, experiencing an urge to submit.

"Boom!"

The next moment, the endless Sword Qi within the Dragon Roar obliterated the two crimson blade lights that the Fiery Flame Mantis had slashed out. Following that, Zhao Letian's True Essence Sword Light struck the body of the Fiery Flame Mantis, instantly causing it to scream in agony and fall from the sky.

"Whoosh!"

Before the Fiery Flame Mantis hit the ground, Zhao Letian transformed into a white afterimage and suddenly rushed forward, his palm adorned with tough Black Scale Armor, showing no fear of the blazing flames on the Fiery Flame Mantis. He grabbed it firmly in his hand.

"If you are willing to submit, then form a Master Recognition Contract with me. Once my training is complete, I will grant you freedom. If you are unwilling, I can let you leave," Zhao Letian said to the Fiery Flame Mantis in his hand.

A Master Recognition Contract is a very ancient ritual. Once the contract is established, the Spiritual Beast must loyally serve its master wholeheartedly and never betray them. The ritual is quite simple, and any Martial Artist can conduct it, but it requires the voluntary cooperation of the Spiritual Beast, otherwise other means must be used to control it.

"Squeak!"

The Fiery Flame Mantis made a submissive whimper, indicating its willingness to submit. This was not only because of Zhao Letian's formidable strength, but also because the Dragon Roar made it subconsciously recognize Zhao Letian as a more noble existence to which it could only submit.

"Very well, follow me and you won't be disappointed," Zhao Letian said with an indifferent smile and a nod. As he spoke, he suddenly cut his fingertip with a sword, squeezed out a drop of Essence Blood, and manipulated it with True Essence Power to hover between him and the Fiery Flame Mantis.

At the same time, the Fiery Flame Mantis also spat out a drop of Essence Blood from its mouth, which merged with Zhao Letian's drop. After twisting and merging, it formed a unique and mysterious rune, which eventually sank into the forehead of the Fiery Flame Mantis, branding itself upon its Divine Soul.

"Buzz!"

The moment the ritual was completed, Zhao Letian clearly sensed a certain connection established between him and the Fiery Flame Mantis. If he so wished, he could fully control everything about the Fiery Flame Mantis, which would comply entirely with his intentions.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

The Fiery Flame Mantis affectionately rubbed its head against Zhao Letian's palm, behaving very tamely and affectionately.

"From now on, I'll call you Little Mantis," Zhao Letian said with a smile as he stroked the head of the Fiery Flame Mantis.

"Congratulations, Master, for taming a Mutated Spiritual Beast of the True Essence Realm, your strength is sure to increase greatly in the future," said Big Tiger and the others with envy. To even speak of Mutated Demon Beasts, they couldn't even tame an ordinary demon beast yet.

"Big Tiger, the Fiery Flame Mantis is the king of these Mantis. Now that I have tamed it, I effectively control this large group of Mantis. If you wish, you can choose some of them to be your Spiritual Beasts," Zhao Letian said in good spirits as he glanced at the green Mantis prostrating on the ground. These hundreds of Mantis, though currently only at the peak of the Primordial Martial Nine Realms, would all advance to the True Martial Realm once they reached adulthood. Then, he would own an army of True Martial Realm Demon Beasts.

"No, Master, we still prefer strength-type demon beasts; we are not interested in this speed-type," Big Tiger said, shaking his head. Mantis were not the kind of Spiritual Beasts they desired.

"If that's the case, let's go elsewhere and search," Zhao Letian nodded in agreement, and then he led the group, along with the hundreds of Mantis, out of Black Mountain in a grand procession.