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Chapter 298: Zhou Weiqing's Coming of Age 'Ceremony! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Power. This was all due to a massive gap in power levels. As such, even though he didn't know how long he had to wait for Bing'er, perhaps only a short amount of time, Zhou Weiqing did not want to waste any of it, and he sat there cultivating.

In the previous fight against the Dan Dun Battle Team, he had Devoured some of Shen Little Demon's Heavenly Energy, then once more some of Lin TianAo's Heavenly Energy when he was being healed, and then Shen Little Demon's once again when he healed her. That had given him a huge overall boost to his Heavenly Energy, but it was very mixed and impure. As such, these few days, he had been refining and purifying this external Heavenly Energy and making it his own.

The Demonic Manual that Little Witch had lent him had given him a whole new insight to the Demonic Attribute, and more so the Devour Skill, and had also given him a new target for his future cultivation.

The Devour Skill was indeed a great skill in combat, but its true benefits actually lay out of combat, in supporting his cultivating, enabling him to Devour other humans or even Heavenly Beasts' Heavenly Energy for his own use. Once that Devoured Heavenly Energy was cleansed and purified for his own use, it would truly belong to him. Of course, by that time, less than ten percent would be left, and he would still need constantly purify and meld it to make it his own, a rather tedious process. This would restrict those Heavenly Demon Jewel Masters from using this Skill to gain a terrifying amount of power in a short amount of time.

Yet, even with all those restrictions, any Heavenly Jewel Master with the Devour Skill cultivated at speeds far beyond that of any ordinary talented Heavenly Jewel Master. Of course that was provided he or she had sufficient Heavenly Beasts or other Heavenly Jewel Masters to constantly Devour from.

Earlier, he had gone through all the levels of the Consolidating Equipment Pavilion and looked through the materials, and after thinking about it, he knew that he just had too many things he wanted to purchase. Still, he would not rush into it. After all, his finances were limited. His plan was to wait until after the Heavenly Jewel Tournament before starting his purchases. If they could get a decent ranking position in the Tournament, he would be able to make use of a better discount to purchase more materials.

At the same time, he had a new focus for his cultivation after today, with the Skill Storing Palace being the best place for him to train. That was because there were more than enough Heavenly Beasts for him to Devour there. As long as he was extremely careful in keeping it hidden, he should be safe from being discovered.

As he continued cultivating, he continued making his plans, deep in thought. In such a state, time passed by swiftly, and it was like a blink of an eye and evening had already come.

"Little Fatty." A soft voice roused Zhou Weiqing from his cultivation, and his eyes snapped wide open instantly to see the beautiful face of Shangguan Bing'er in front of him, tears in her eyes.

Zhou Weiqing leaped up to his feet, grabbing her hands as he pulled her into an embrace.

Currently, she looked extremely exhausted, but the excitement in her eyes at their meeting was not diminished at all.

Shangguan Xue'er stood beside Shangguan Bing'er, an exact look, but a totally different aura and expression, forming a different beauty altogether. Alas, Zhou Weiqing only had eyes for his Bing'er, and did not even glance at Shangguan Xue'er.

"Bing'er, you should come back earlier. You will need to cultivate in order to stablize your state, so you can properly go through fresh new Consolidating." Even though she was speaking to her own beloved sister, Shangguan Xue'er's voice still seemed cold.

Shangguan Bing'er nodded to her sister, saying: "Big Sis, I will be back before midnight."

Zhou Weiqing did not greet Shangguan Xue'er, pulling Shangguan Bing'er away out of the Consolidating Equipment Pavilion and right back to the hotel where the Fei Li Battle Team were staying. He was almost half carrying Bing'er as he rushed into his room, slamming the door shut before hugging her tightly in his embrace.

At this moment, it was as if their hearts beat as one, melding together like they were about to break free of their chests and join together as their bodies pressed together, and their heartbeats raced increasingly.

"Little Fatty… Little Fatty…" Shangguan Bing'er muttered, as if not believing that what was happening in front of her was true, and it was all just a dream.

Zhou Weiqing could feel Shangguan Bing'er's body in his arms emitting a shocking heat, melting his body, his heart and his soul.

Lowering his head, he found her lips so naturally, kissing down lightly as if afraid of hurting her.

Shangguan Bing'er could clearly feel the pent up emotions, the excitement in the taut tension of his body, but yet Zhou Weiqing's kiss was so soft and careful as his lips quivered.

Lifting her arms and wrapping them around his neck, she took the initiative to deepen the kiss, inexperienced and awkwardly, but very intensely as they felt their connection deepen even further.

Two fiery hot hearts, blossoming outward like fireworks in the skies, spreading into every inch of their body, that fire seeming to melt every part of them…

Within that room in the inn, a spring in the air thicker than that of the Heavenly Jewel Island grew, as love and yearning intertwined in the heat.

Rough, powerful pantings, and soft sweet cries rose in sudden excitement, then dropped…

…

As night fell, the skies darkened, and the entire Heavenly Jewel Island was covered in clouds, shimmering with a layer of soft light.

Snuggling deep into Zhou Weiqing's embrace, feeling his large hot hands lingering around her back, Shangguan Bing'er did not feel like moving at all, as if her body was like cotten candy.

This was not their first time, but as compared to their first time, especially for Shangguan Bing'er, it was the difference between Heaven and Hell.

This was a true joining of love, of flesh and spirit, and even she was rather shy and embarrassed about her earlier frantic excitement. Still now, in the warm afterglow, she felt that there was no distance between the two of them, as if they were part of each other now.

Zhou Weiqing lowered his head, kissing her forehead and hair softly, a doting love in his eyes. How he wished that this moment could last forever!

And so they spent several moments just like that, tightly embraced together, neither willing to ruin that special moment, until…

"Ahhh—" Shangguan Bing'er gave a low cry of surprise, moving back a little fearfully, as she could clearly feel that 'little monster', that had brought her to the brinks of joy last night, yet now making her shy and scared, show signs of life once more.

Zhou Weiqing quickly moved back a little as well, saying embarrassedly: "I'm sorry Bing'er, I didn't mean to. Bing'er, you're tired, rest a while more."

Shangguan Bing'er had been exhausted previously when she had come out of the fourth level of the Consolidating Equipment Pavilion, and yet both of them had spent the whole night in over-excited 'activities', all the way up till now. Looking at Bing'er's, pale face, Zhou Weiqing felt an ache in his heart.

"I… I don't want to sleep, I want to talk with you a while more. Who knows when I'll be able to see you again…" As she said that, her eyes reddened.

Zhou Weiqing quickly embraced her once more, saying resolutely: "Do not cry Bing'er, I will definitely work hard and train hard, to do my utmost to become worthy of bringing you away as soon as possible."

Shangguan Bing'er put her head on his chest as she said: "Little Fatty, do not blame my father and sisters, I know they are doing everything for my good. In truth, they have already acknowledged your talent and capabilities, but father wants me to go through closed door cultivation to re-Consolidate my Physical Jewels and Elemental Jewel Skill Storing. That might require quite a long time."

Zhou Weiqing nodded, saying: "That is a good thing. You stay here and train hard then, when I have grown sufficiently to prove myself, I will come to pick you up again."

Shangguan Bing'er lifted her head to look at him, saying: "Little fool, do you really think I care about that? Actually, I wanted to leave with you no matter what, but father said that he missed mother so much, and wanted to reunite our entire family. Only if I stay in the Heavenly Jewel Island will he have the chance to bring mother back together. For both their sakes, and ours as well, that is the reason why I am staying. Since I am staying, that's why I agreed to let father improve my power, so that when I return to the Heavenly Bow Empire to find you in the future, we can build up our Empire together. In my heart, I will always be a citizen of the Heavenly Bow Empire, and it will always be my home."

Although she wasn't willing to sleep, Shangguan Bing'er was just too tired. In Zhou Weiqing's comfortable embrace, even as they spoke, she unknowingly fell into a deep sleep.

Zhou Weiqing stroked her hair and back tenderly, slowly circulating his Heavenly Energy carefully into her body to aid her recovery.

Alas, good times always never seemed to last. When an icy cold call came from outside their door, it shook both Zhou Weiqing and the sleeping Shangguan Bing'er from their reverie.

"Third sis, it's time to go home."

The cold voice was undoubtedly Shangguan Xue'er's. It was already long past midnight, and Bing'er had not returned. As the big sister, she had been worried, and had came to look for her.

"Big sister, I'm coming out, wait for me a while."

Zhou Weiqing looked on silently as the blushing Shangguan Bing'er dressed. He did not say anything, just quietly looking at her, helping her comb her hair, which had been messed up in the night.

As he did so, the more Shangguan Bing'er could not bear it, and tears welled in her eyes, though she forced herself not to cry.

"Little Fatty, don't see me off alright… please?" She said pleadingly.

Zhou Weiqing's voice was rather hoarse as he said: "Let me send you to the entrance of the Heaven's Expanse Palace. Every second with you is worth it."

Shangguan Bing'er shook her head, tears glittering as the motion jerked them into the air. "No! Little Fatty, if you do so, I'm afraid I will not be able to stand it. I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes, I will always wait for you. I will not go anywhere, nor will I leave the Heaven's Expanse Palace until you come back, lest you aren't able to find me. Alright?"

Zhou Weiqing held her tightly once more. "Bing'er… Bing'er… I will not let you wait long. I promise! In three to five years, I will definitely come back to the Heavenly Jewel Island and defeat your sister, to officially marry you!"

Shangguan Bing'er turned back, hugging him back with all her strength before finally releasing him, running out the door without looking back.

Shangguan Xue'er was standing at the doorway, and she had naturally heard their conversation. When Shangguan Bing'er ran past her, there was a strange look in her eyes, and she turned to Zhou Weiqing and said: "Do not disappoint Bing'er." After that, she quickly left to catch up with her sister.

Zhou Weiqing stood at the door, dazed. He did not chase after them; he did not want to go against Bing'er's last request to him. Yet, at that point, an indescribable sense of loss and intense longing overwhelmed him.

Zen Note: As you all might have guessed, the title of this chapter is "Zhou Weiqing's Coming of Age 'Ceremony'". Though not NSFW, it was harder than expected to translate! *Phew*

Chapter 299: Zhou Weiqing's Coming of Age 'Ceremony! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

In the corner of the room, Fat Cat popped her head out, staring blankly at Zhou Weiqing in the doorway, a complicated look in her eyes as well as she pawed the couch in front of her with her claws.

After a long moment, Zhou Weiqing finally seemed to snap out of it, abruptly turning around and saying: "Come on Fat Cat, let's go to the Skill Storing Palace."

Although it was already in the small hours of the morning, Zhou Weiqing could not still his restless heart. Fat Cat started a little, but quickly jumped onto his shoulder and sliding down into her usual spot in his arms. She did not know why, but at that moment, she particularly wanted to feel his warm embrace.

Feeling the warm furry body of Fat Cat in his arms, the empty feeling in Zhou Weiqing's heart felt a little better.

After exiting the inn, the fresh cold air cleared Zhou Weiqing's mind in a flash. Looking up, he was instantly caught by the breathtaking sight of a sky filled with stars, as if they were winking at him from a close distance, just a hand's reach away from him.

Taking a huge breath, he held it in until his lungs felt like they were about to explode. Only then did Zhou Weiqing stop, expelling out his troubles in that one long breath.

The troubled look on his face disappeared, replaced by a resolute edge to it.

Zhou Weiqing was only seventeen years old, and yet, at this moment, he had finally truly grown up.

And his earlier re-uniting with Shangguan Bing'er, was just like his coming of age ceremony, signalling that he was now truly an adult, a man!

The Skill Storing Palace on the Heavenly Jewel Island was very close to their inn, and before long Zhou Weiqing had entered it. With the Heavenly Jewel Plaque, he easily gained access.

At first, he had been worried that the Skill Storing Palace might be closed at night, but on reaching his destination, he found that his worries had been unfounded, and that the Skill Storing Palace on the Heavenly Jewel Island was actually open everyday, at all hours.

The Skill Storing Palace here had a slightly different payment system as compared to the others Zhou Weiqing had visited before; when entering, no matter which level of Heavenly Beast one wanted to Skill Store from, every day was a flat fee of fifty thousand gold coins.

As compared to the lowest prices in some of the Empires' Skill Storing Palace of five hundred gold coins, it was more than a hundred times more.

Still, no one would complain of it being too pricey.

That was because each and every one of the Heavenly Beasts in this Skill Storing Palace was painstakingly chosen, and only the best would be allowed to stay here, each having only the best, strongest or most useful Skills.

Amongst them, there was no lack of Heavenly King or even Heavenly Emperor stage Heavenly Beasts!

As for whether there were even higher stage Heavenly God Heavenly Beasts, not many people knew.

Under normal circumstances, entering the Skill Storing Palace, the first thing Zhou Weiqing would have done would be to first Store his two last remaining Skills of the Time Attribute.

Yet, the current him was filled with the image of Shangguan Bing'er, and he could not maintain a calm head. In such a state, he had no patience to slowly look for the most suitable Skill for himself. Coming here in the dead of the night, his target was not to go through Skill Storing.

Under the guidance of an employee, Zhou Weiqing entered the depths of the Skill Storing Palace. The size of this place was actually smaller than that of the ZhongTian Empire Skill Storing Palace, but at every passageway there was a Lustre Gem.

The guide who brought Zhou Weiqing in asked him: "Which Heavenly Beast Attributes are you looking to Skill Store?"

Zhou Weiqing hesitated a moment, before asking solemnly: "Do you all have any Heavenly Beasts with both the Darkness Attribute and Demonic Attribute? Any stage is fine."

The white clad guide looked at him in surprise, saying: "Please hold a moment, I will have to check regarding that request."

As he said that, he walked to one of the Lustre Gems at the side and started to search for the required information.

Naturally, Zhou Weiqing had a reason for choosing a Heavenly Beast with both Darkness and Demonic Attributes. The reason he came here this night was actually to Devour a Heavenly Beast's Heavenly Energy in order to cultivate faster.

After seeing Shangguan Bing'er, his thirst for power had grown to new heights, and he wasn't even willing to waste any time, wanting to grow stronger in the shortest possible time to gain back his Bing'er.

As for why one which had both the Darkness and Demonic Attributes, there was naturally a reason for that as well. After reading through the Demonic Manual, Zhou Weiqing had a much deeper understanding of the intricate profound mysteries of the Devour Skill.

According to the records in the Demonic Manual, when using the Devour Skill for the purpose of cultivation and training, the easiest for one to purify and absorb was the Heavenly Energy from Heavenly Beasts with both these attributes. That was because the Devour Skill was after all a Demonic Skill, and the Demonic Attribute was intricately linked to the Darkness Attribute.

In truth, having both the Darkness and Demonic Attributes was the hidden foundation that one had to have before they could actually have the Devour Skill.

As such, when the Devoured Heavenly Energy consisted of those two attributes, it would have the greatest fit with Zhou Weiqing's own Heavenly Energy, allowing him to gain a greater proportion after purifying and absorbing, reducing wastage and greatly further increasing his rate of cultivation.

This was the fastest speed possible for cultivating!

Of course, a Heavenly Beast having both the Darkness and Demonic Attributes was even rarer than a human with those two attributes. If not for the fact that this was the Heavenly Jewel Island Skill Storing Palace, Zhou Weiqing would not even bother asking about this.

It didn't take long for the guide to finish his search and return to Zhou Weiqing, saying respectfully: "Sir, I have completed the search. Heavenly Beasts with those two Darkness and Demonic Attributes are extremely rare, and even in our Heavenly Jewel Island Skill Storing Palace, we only have two. One is a Top level Zong Stage Heavenly Beast, the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider, and the other is a Heavenly Emperor Stage Heavenly Beast, the Devil Dragon Girl."

"However, in order to Skill Store Heavenly King Beasts and above, one needs to have a certain contribution to our Heavenly Jewel Island, otherwise a barter trade of equivalent exchange is required."

Zhou Weiqing started: "Additional payment of gold coins isn't accepted?"

The guide smiled as he shook his head, saying: "I'm sorry Sir, the value of Heavenly King Beasts and above isn't measurable by just gold coins alone."

Hearing his words, Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "I see… so the fifty thousand gold coins here are just for Zong Stage Beasts. In that case, I'll choose that Eight-Eyed Demon Spider you mentioned earlier then."

"Please follow me." The guide nodded as he led Zhou Weiqing into the passageway where the Darkness Attribute Heavenly Beasts were.

As it was late in the night, the rather empty Skill Storing Palace was eerily quiet, and only their footsteps could be heard as they walked down the path led by the guide. As they walked, the guide told Zhou Weiqing: "In order to ensure the Heavenly Beasts are active and in a good environment, although they are given Seals and restrictions, the restrictions are much weaker than compared to other Skill Storing Palaces. The Eight-Eyed Demon Spider is a fierce, violent creature, and you need to be careful when you are going through Skill Storing later."

Zhou Weiqing nodded towards him, saying: "Thanks for your advice, I will take care."

The two walked almost a hundred metres through various passageways, twisting and turning before they finally reached a large door, about two metres tall and a metre wide. Clearly, there was a Sealed Heavenly Beast behind this door.

Finally, the guide stopped right before the door, pausing a second before saying: "Sir, the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider you requested is right behind that door. Please do note that you have one day in order to go through Skill Storing. If you do not come out within a day, you will be charged a second day's fee even if you do not make full use of the time. After completing your Skill Storing, please return via the route we came by, and do not wander into any of the other Heavenly Beasts' rooms, lest any harm comes to you."

As he said that, he took out a key and opened the door, before motioning Zhou Weiqing to enter.

Zhou Weiqing thanked the guide before entering the room alone.

The room wasn't large, though it was specially reserved only for the lone Heavenly Beast, and it was only about a dozen or so square metres. As soon as he entered the door, Zhou Weiqing spotted his target easily.

It was a huge spider, almost totally lifeless-grey in colour. It's body was large, almost the size of a big millstone. As compared to ordinary spiders, its eight limbs were not long at all, but its large eight glowing eyes on its back were icy cold, almost terrifying.

Its entire body was also covered densely with black tattoo lines, almost forming a strange web design on its body. It's relatively short legs were actually terrifying, with vicious reverse spikes studding it. On a single look, one could easily tell this was a fierce creature designed to be a killing machine.

This was the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider indeed. It truly lived up to its name.

Zhou Weiqing drew in a deep breath as soon as he saw the creature. Even someone used to seeing Heavenly Beasts like himself was almost caught by surprise. His earlier excitement cooled down instantly, as he forced himself to calm down.

Without even looking at the introduction, he understood clearly that if not for the fact that this Heavenly Beast was Sealed, he could not possibly even dream of facing it. In fact, even the entire Fei Li Battle Team together would not be a match for it.

Dual Attributes. Darkness and Demonic. Top Level Zong Stage!

That was already more than comparable to an ordinary nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master!

Just as Zhou Weiqing was busy thinking, the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider decided to try to give him a show down, a scare. Its still, unmoving body abruptly charging forward in a sudden pounce at Zhou Weiqing.

Its swift, violent abrupt movement, coupled with the intense killing intent from all its eight eyes.

Almost subconsciously, Zhou Weiqing flew backwards in retreat, his back striking the door heavily. At the same time, the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider's body was stopped in mid air, barely a metre from him.

It had been stopped by a long thick black chain, which seemed to made of an unknown material, tough and flexible as could be.

In just that short instant, Zhou Weiqing was startled into cold sweat. The Eight-Eyed Demon Spider looked at him, its eight eyes seeming to mock him as it glared coldly from its position.

"Damn it, are you asking for death?" Zhou Weiqing growled in a low tone.

The sheer violent tyranny of the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider had sparked his own anger and fire.

He had originally already been in a bad mood, and had came here specially to train, and now he had met a creature testing his limits as well.

The muscles of both arms bulged out, growing at a sudden insane speed that the naked eye could follow. Soon after, the usual black tiger tattoos spread across his entire body, and with a savage stomp of his right foot, Zhou Weiqing suddenly charged forward towards the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider's head.

If this powerful Heavenly Beast had not been Sealed, perhaps Zhou Weiqing could only attempt to run if he saw it, and even that would be a minuscule chance of escaping. Yet, now, it was severely restricted by the Darkness Seal on it, and it could barely unleash a fraction of its own power.

When Zhou Weiqing entered the Demonic Change State, the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider seemed to grow agitated. Seeing him charge forward, it emitted a shrill cry, its legs shrinking in as it lowered its back, revealing layers of scales like an armored covering.

Alas, what met its defenses was Zhou Weiqing's Demonic Right Leg.

A loud explosion. The Eight-Eyed Demon Spider's body was smashed savagely down onto the ground.

Chapter 300: Lustre Spatial Realm (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

The strongest part of Zhou Weiqing's considerably powerful body was definitely his right leg, especially after his entire body had gone through its second evolution. Added on to the fact he was in the Demonic Change State, even if Lin TianAo was using his five-Jeweled Assembly Set Shield to block Zhou Weiqing's right leg, he would be hard pressed to do so and remain standing stably.

Furthermore, that was just considering the pure brute strength of the blow. Within Zhou Weiqing's Demonic Right Leg also contained a powerful mixture of Demonic and Darkness Energy, and once it struck an enemy, would be infused into his body. Although Zhou Weiqing's current Heavenly Energy was not strong, but it was extremely high quality Darkness and Demonic Energy. In terms of energy grade, even the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider was unable to match it.

Facing such a blow, the Sealed Eight-Eyed Demon Spider was unable to dodge or block it, and could only take it head on with its tough armored scales. Alas, without sufficient Heavenly Energy to support itself, all its abilities were greatly reduced, even its defensive capabilities.

In that massive explosion, its eight legs were unable to support its body, and it fell down hard onto the ground.

Another earsplitting shriek emitted from the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider, and a deep footprint was actually left on its armored back. That was still after Zhou Weiqing had held back a little, fearing that he would kill it, and he had only used the back of his foot, and not the 'scorpion hook' that his Demonic Right Leg had warped into in the Demonic Change State.

Zhou Weiqing glared at the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider with a murderous intent in his eyes, saying disdainfully: "You know you've been Sealed, and you still want to test this Big Bro? Hmph, you are truly asking for death. Be good at let me Devour from you, and I'll let you off… Otherwise… You see this?!"

As he said that threateningly, he had already lifted up his Demonic Right Leg once more, this time placing the glowing black hook in front of the spider's eight eyes. With his Heavenly Energy infused within, the hook was glowing, giving forth a cold, evil icy aura, enveloping the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider and causing it to shudder involuntarily.

The spider cried out in a low tone, though its eyes were still angry and recalcitrant, but its eight short legs spread out slowly, its body fully resting on the floor.

With its legs spread out by its body, it naturally wasn't able to move its body to attack. Although they had no common language, such a powerful Heavenly Beast was extremely intelligent, and it showed Zhou Weiqing that it wouldn't fight back with its body language.

The character of the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider was violent and murderous, but it was extremely intelligent. Facing a human who could threaten its own life, it did not dare take any rash actions. Furthermore, it could sense a terrifying aura from Zhou Weiqing's body. Earlier, when Zhou Weiqing had first entered, it had not sensed it, but as he unleashed the Demonic Change State, the aura grew much stronger… the aura of a pure bloodline ranked Heavenly Beast!

Zhou Weiqing gave a humph and said: "That's better."

As he said that, he placed both palms onto the back of the large spider, quickly activating the Devour Skill.

The Eight-Eyed Demon Spider's eyes had previously shown its unwillingness to submit, even if its actions did the reverse. Yet, the moment Zhou Weiqing placed his palms on its back, it started struggling violently, and only a pure unadulterated terror was left remaining in its many eyes.

Zhou Weiqing was caught by surprise and almost thrown off its back, and only through the might of his considerable strength was he able to hang on and suppress the spider's movements.

It was inscribed within the Demonic Manual that when Heavenly Demon Masters with the Devour Skill unleashed it while in the Demonic Change state, they would be able to directly make use of the stolen energy to power their own attacks without first purifying and absorbing it, thus greatly increasing their sustainability in battle, just like what Zhou Weiqing had done in his fight with Shen Little Demon. However, this would disrupt them from continuing to Devour. Even so, during this process, it could allow the 'maximum' Heavenly Energy of the Heavenly Demon Master to increase greatly during the fight. This was also one of the most important reasons why Zhou Weiqing had managed to beat Shen Little Demon.

Currently, with the Devour Skill in effect and at maximum effort from Zhou Weiqing, the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider could sense its energy and life force being drained rapidly, causing it to feel shock and fear.

That was one of the most terrifying things about the Devour Skill; not only did it drain Heavenly Energy, but also life force! This Devoured life force could not only be used to heal wounds, but also to temporarily strengthen the user's body and physique. Worse still, if the Devoured target continued being Devoured, it would eventually end up a dried up corpse. It would be just like the previous time when Zhou Weiqing had used it on the forest direwolves for the first time.

For the Demonic Manual to state the Devour Skill was the most powerful tool of the Demonic Attribute, naturally it wasn't just for fun. Just imagine, for a person to be drained of life and Heavenly Energy, it might even reduce his cultivation level!

With the Devour Skill active, Zhou Weiqing felt as if he was filled with infinite strength as power surged through him. He kept his hands pressed against the spider, the hook of his right leg stepping at the centre of its eyes as a precaution. At first, the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider wanted to attempt to get up and resist, but in its unfavorable position, it struggled to do so, and very quickly, it grew too weak to do anything else.

The massive influx of energy surged through Zhou Weiqing's thick arms into his body, and in a few moments, he felt as if his entire body was bloated, brimming with excess energy until almost bursting point. As for the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider below him, the once lustrous glow of its armored shell was now dim.

It was barely ten second since he started before Zhou Weiqing quickly vaulted away from the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider's back, jumping over to a corner which the spider could not reach before sitting cross legged in a meditative position to cultivate.

At the same time, he removed his Demonic Change State.

After all, Zhou Weiqing was still merely a three-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, while the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider was a top level Zong Stage Heavenly Beast. Although it was no match for him due to its Seal, it was just unable to use its energy and abilities, and the power within still remained, far beyond what Zhou Weiqing could handle.

As such, Zhou Weiqing could only Devour a very tiny fraction of its Heavenly Energy and Life Force, before his own body was already at its limit. If he continued Devouring, he might even self-implode and die! After all, the true cultivation gap between the two was just too huge.

After sitting down, Zhou Weiqing started cultivating with his Immortal Deity Technique, the fourteen Death Acupuncture Point energy whirlpools whirling like crazy. Due to the improvement to his physique, and the additional life energy he had just Devoured, the energy whirlpools were now whirling at a much faster rate.

Within his body, the black and grey currents of energy were swiftly torn apart by the energy whirlpools of the fourteen Death Acupuncture Points, slowly assimilating the Heavenly Energy as his own.

The corner of Zhou Weiqing's lips moved upward in a slight, pleased smile. The Demonic Manual was accurate after all, and his efforts were well rewarded. The Darkness and Demonic Attribute imbued Heavenly Energy he had Devoured was indeed much more compatible with his own, and it was much faster to purify and absorb it to become his own, faster by several times as compared to when he was assimilating Shen Little Demon's! As he had Devoured so much energy this time, nearly his maximum limit, Zhou Weiqing could clearly sense his Heavenly Energy growing at a respectable rate, bit by bit.

To actually sense their own Heavenly Energy growing while cultivating, that was definitely something unheard of to any Heavenly Jewel Master! Even the great cultivation techniques of the other Great Saint Lands did not have such an effect, yet Zhou Weiqing had clearly done so. The sheer advantage of having this Devour Skill was slowly showing itself now. Zhou Weiqing did not realise that the original owner of his very own black pearl, Dark Demon God Tiger, was notorious for cultivating with this Devour Skill.

After more than four hours, Zhou Weiqing finally opened his eyes slowly. When he did so, the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider was also startled awake, its body shuddering as it tried to back away in fear.

That feeling of its life force and Heavenly Energy both leaking away, out of its control, was just too terrifying. Not to mention it already had a certain intelligence, even a low level Heavenly Beast's base instincts would be terrified of such a feeling… such a person!

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "Heh heh, don't be afraid. I will make sure I do not kill you. After all, my hopes of cultivating fast are all on you."

The poor trapped Eight-Eyed Demon Spider was ultimately unable to escape the clutches of Zhou Weiqing and his Devour. Of course, Zhou Weiqing did not dare underestimate the spider as well, making sure to enter the Demonic Change State first as a precaution despite its energy waste.

In truth, the previous Devouring of the Eight-Eyed Demon Spider was less than a tenth of its overall Heavenly Energy, and after four hours, it had already fully recovered the energy. Alas, more importantly, the recovery of life force was not so quick, and it had only recovered a little of that when Zhou Weiqing had pounced upon it again.

And so, one dejected terrified spider faced its impending disaster, as Zhou Weiqing continued the cycle of Devour, Absorb… Rinse and repeat, and Zhou Weiqing's own Heavenly Energy grew at an astonishing rate!

Thirty two hours passed swiftly, immersed in his cultivation. It was already the third day of them entering the Heavenly Jewel Island, and finally Zhou Weiqing wasn't able to continue from sheer hunger. Exiting the Skill Storing Palace, he returned to the inn.

Besides the massive hunger, Zhou Weiqing could sense something else – that he had Devoured way too much Heavenly Energy, his own control and finery unable to reach the same level as his Heavenly Energy. He would need to stabilize for some time before he could go about doing this again.

As soon as he entered the inn, Zhou Weiqing bumped into Drunken Bao.

When Drunken Bao saw him, he was taken aback momentarily, before quickly giving him a light punch on the shoulder, saying: "Weiqing, you little rascal, why didn't you tell us you were heading to the Skill Storing Palace, and for such a long time!? If not for the fact that we asked the employees of the island where you were, we would be all at a loss about where you were! Tomorrow is the finals match, everyone is waiting for you and Leader to discuss our strategy tomorrow."

Zhou Weiqing scratched his head sheepishly, saying: "Sorry, I did take too long in the Skill Storing Palace. Bro Bao, let me just go grab a quick meal, you get the rest of the team to gather in Leader's room. I'll be there as soon as I finish eating."

The past few days he had spent fully engrossed in cultivation, and his spirit usage wasn't high, and the steady improvement of his cultivation and Heavenly Energy, as well as the usage of Devour, had kept his body in tip top condition. As such, he did not need much rest currently.

After less than an hour, and a massive meal later, Zhou Weiqing reunited with his teammates in Lin TianAo's room.

Little Witch was there as well, and from her smiling face, they could easily tell that she had accomplished her goals in the Heavenly Jewel Island, and definitely had no small gain.

Chapter 301: Lustre Spatial Realm (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Lin TianAo glanced at Zhou Weiqing before saying: "Yesterday, we all discussed a simple strategy. Since it should be a team fight, then we will be fighting on overall strength. Little Witch has heard that for this fight, all eight members, both main team and reserve team alike, will have to fight. That is to say, all eight of us will get to take action. Since we are not sure of the exact rules, location of the fight or who we are fighting, we'll just plan accordingly to our own strengths for now. When we fight, I will be right at the front handling our defenses. Crow, Drunken Bao, both of you will be at the flanks guarding our sides. Weiqing, you'll be right in the middle, in charge of controlling the battlefield and supporting us all. Xiao Yan and Ye Paopao, both of you are skilled at long ranged attacks, so you will be right behind, and will be our main damage. Little Four, you will be in charge of scouting and supporting attacks. Little Witch, you will stay with Weiqing in the middle. You will be our ace, and when we meet any powerful enemies, you will have to give them a sudden surprise, unleashing all your power to defeat them in a quick swoop."

Finally finishing, Lin TianAo looked towards Zhou Weiqing and said: "Weiqing, that is our draft plan so far. Do you have anything you want to add?"

Zhou Weiqing thought for a moment, then said: "Do any of you know whether or not Heavenly Beasts can be used in this final fight?"

Little Witch said: "I do not know the exact rules, but it should be allowed. After all, the WanShou Battle Team will definitely have Beastmasters amongst their ranks. If they are not allowed to use Heavenly Beasts, that will have a huge impact on their power, and it will not be a fair fight at all. My guess is that there will be some sort of restrictions, perhaps on the numbers allowed or something else, but they should be allowed in general."

Zhou Weiqing nodded and said: "Good. In that case, we can add a Icy Soul Heavenly Bear to each flank to support our defenses. They are extremely strong, and with the Wind and Ice Attribute to boot. With them added to our defenses, it will be a great effect. This way, it will also allow Drunken Bao and Crow to put some of their offensive power to good use."

Drunken Bao grinned and said: "What about your little white tiger? That little fellow has evolved once right, we almost got killed from that, shouldn't it be of good use in a fight as well?"

Hearing Drunken Bao bring up Fat Cat, a mysterious smile flashed across Zhou Weiqing's face, and he said: "There is no hurry, let's wait and see what happens when the fight starts. I will not let Fat Cat take action easily."

Little Witch covered her mouth to conceal a giggle as she looked at Zhou Weiqing, a strange, amused look on her face. Only she could somewhat understand what Zhou Weiqing meant.

Lin TianAo said solemnly: "We do not know the exact details and rules of the fight, and there is also no point in guessing wildly. Since we have already entered the top four, we have already accomplished more than we set out to do. From now on, however further we go is up to us to pit our skills to the test. Let me remind everyone once more that I'd like everyone to keep safety first in mind. You have all just gotten a Zong Stage Consolidating Equipment Scroll, and you have a great future ahead. Your lives are much more important now."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Zhou Weiqing stood up once more, stretching lazily before saying: "If that's all, I'll be heading off again."

Lin TianAo started, before saying: "Tomorrow is the fight already, where are you going now?"

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: "I'm heading to the Skill Storing Palace once again. Do not worry, I'll be back tonight, and I won't take as long this round. I will definitely not miss tomorrow's fight, you know how important it is to me as well."

After saying that, Zhou Weiqing turned to leave with a wave of farewell to his friends.

The finals fight was about to start, and he had something very important to do. The past two days of cultivation had a clear and amazing effect, but he was still missing the last two Time Attribute Skills. If he could gain two more powerful skills before the the finals fight started, it would undoubtedly be a huge boon to not just himself, but the entire Fei Li Battle Team.

Exiting the inn, Zhou Weiqing looked around for an employee of the Heavenly Jewel Island and asked him: "Could you please help me look for Senior Shangguan Longyin, I am called Zhou Weiqing, and I have something very urgent to look for him. Please help me tell him that, and he will definitely come look for me. Thank you very much."

Since he wanted to go through Skill Storing, and he was already on the Heavenly Jewel Island, a rare opportunity indeed, how could Zhou Weiqing be satisfied with merely storing from Zong Stage Heavenly Beasts? After all, Shangguan Longyin had mentioned previously that one of the conditions of trading for his Immortal Deity Technique was to allow him to go through Skill Storing in their Heavenly Jewel Island Skill Storing Palace without restriction. Although they hadn't actually gone through the trade yet, he was still confident that Shangguan Longyin would allow him to Skill Store from Heavenly King Beasts or higher first. Combined with his Devour Skill, he would be able to quickly recover in time to easily store two Skills.

…

Dawn of the next day.

The members of the Fei Li Battle Team all got up, washed up, and were having their breakfast in the dining hall. The prices of food in the Heavenly Jewel Island were all rather expensive, but luckily the inn they were staying in at least provided breakfast for free. These few days, their main nourishment had naturally came from this free breakfast. As soon as they entered the dining hall, they saw Zhou Weiqing already seated there gorging away. His clothes were tattered, and his hair messy.

Little Four burst out laughing, saying: "Weiqing, last night did you go to the Skill Storing Palace or try to pick up some girl again? Could it be you got beaten up again?"

Zhou Weiqing glared at him exasperatedly and said: "Pick up your own head! I laboured hard through the whole night, it was tough but I managed to do it!"

Lin TianAo could see that although Zhou Weiqing's appearance was in shambles, the look in his eyes was filled with joy and excitement. Without question, something good had definitely happened.

"Weiqing, do you need to rest a while? It will probably be a while more before the Heavenly Jewel Island staff come to bring us to the tournament grounds." Lin TianAo asked.

Zhou Weiqing shook his head, a hearty grin on his face as he said: "No, that isn't necessary, I'm in a good state now. I'll just need to replenish my energy with a good meal."

It had indeed been an eventful night for him. Just like he had expected, Shangguan Longyin had arrived to meet him, and had easily agreed to let him Skill Store any of the Heavenly Beasts in the Skill Storing Palace for free. Zhou Weiqing had actually Stored not two, but three Skills last night! That was the reason why he looked so shabby now, as he had barely succeeded in doing so, almost sustaining several injuries in the process of doing so.

However, his efforts had not been in vain, otherwise, he would not be in such an excited state yet. His three new Skills not only strengthened his overall power, but also brought some new abilities to the table that he did not previously have.

After all of them had eaten, they waited awhile more before the Heavenly Jewel Island guide arrived at the inn to pick them up.

Led by their guide, the entire team left the inn and headed towards the central zone of the Heavenly Jewel Island, which was covered in mist. Upon seeing the direction they were taking, they couldn't help but wonder… could it be that the final fight would be held in the Heaven's Expanse Palace itself?

It didn't take long before the members of the Fei Li Battle Team saw the other three Battle Teams being led by their respective guides, each from different directions, all headed towards the misty central zone.

Zhou Weiqing was walking behind Lin TianAo, recalling the past few days in what could be called some rather miraculous experiences. All of a sudden, he felt himself shiver as an abrupt sense of cold enveloped his entire body.

Our dear Little Fatty had the sense of a wild beast, and this strange sensation was definitely a product of that, instantly rousing his guard. Subconsciously, he looked in a direction, catching a cold gaze filled with killing intent.

The owner of that gaze was the Leader of the ZhongTian Battle Team, Zhan LingTian, who was walking right at the head of his Battle Team.

Sensing the gaze filled with enmity, Zhou Weiqing was left puzzled. He couldn't think of a reason why Zhan LingTian would look at him like that, after all he had not had any contact with him previously.

As their gazes met, a cold light flashed in Zhan LingTian's eyes, and he narrowed them before turning away.

Zhou Weiqing pursed his lips, thinking to himself: So haughty! What so great about you, hmph, let's see when the fight starts, we'll see who has the last laugh!

Lin TianAo could naturally sense the enmity between Zhan LingTian and Zhou Weiqing, and his heart sank a little. Towards Zhan LingTian, he wasn't as optimistic as Zhou Weiqing. As the ZhongTian Battle Team leader, he was far beyond even Shen Little Demon, and she could be considered easy pickings compared to him. Furthermore, he had heard of Zhan LingTian before, in the previous round of the Heavenly Jewel Tournament, Zhan LingTian had only been twenty two years old, but had already become the mainstay of their team then. The ZhongTian Empire could be said to be full of powerhouses, even in the younger generation, especially with the Heaven's Expanse Palace's support. For Zhan LingTian to stand out from amongst such a heavy competition, he was naturally not to be underestimated.

Amongst the ZhongTian Battle Team, the only female member seemed rather dull and unassuming, but if one really looked carefully, she seemed to possess a set of nimble, cunning eyes that belied her ordinary dull appearance, as they flashed with a mischievous light. Looking at the clash in the gazes of Zhan LingTian and Zhou Weiqing, her eyes lit up in glee.

The members of the WanShou Battle Team were all as frosty as usual, while the four couples of the BaoPo Battle Team looking at each other tenderly as usual. However, it was clear that the air between the four teams was rather nervous and tense, and the looks between teams were much reduced. After all, the final fight was about to begin.

The central zone of the Heavenly Jewel Island was not very big, and they soon reached it, the swirling mists right before their eyes. The guides soon stopped in front of them.

Shangguan Longyin stood there, still clad in white, shrouded by the mist in the background. Right behind him stood ten other white clad old men. They all looked to be around sixty years of age on the average, each looking stable and wise.

Seeing that all four teams were gathered here, Shangguan Longyin said passively: "The Heavenly Jewel Tournament Finals will soon begin. Now, let me first tell you the rules and fight format."

"In our ZhongTian Empire and Heavenly Jewel Island Skill Storing Palaces, you should have all seen the Lustre Gem. It is indeed a rather miraculous item. Soon, you will be heading to the site of your upcoming finals fight, and it is also named somewhat similarly, the Lustre Spatial Realm."

"The Lustre Spatial Realm… you can understand it as a special type of magical Formation, an ancient formation passed down from ages beyond, inscribed on the Heavenly Jewel Island. How it was formed, or who it was left by, nobody knows. When our Heaven's Expanse Palace Great Founder and ancestor came to the Heavenly Jewel Island, it was already existing."

"In a sense, the Lustre Spatial Realm is a new realm, a separate dimension not of this world. It is not very large, and its entire land surface is covered by virgin rainforest. We do not know how this realm was constructed, or if it is just a portal to another world, but what I can tell you is that whatever happens in that realm is totally real. That is to say, if you die there, it will be for good."

Chapter 302: Lustre Spatial Realm (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

"The Lustre Spatial Realm rainforest is inhabited by many different types of Heavenly Beasts, from the lowest stages to the top end ones, and even we from the Heaven's Expanse Palace do not know exactly where they may be found, as they could move around. In fact, every time we activate the Spatial Realm, the inner workings seem to be slightly different as well."

"In order to activate and enter this Spatial Realm, it requires ten Spatial Attribute Upper Level Zong Stage Heavenly Jewel Masters or higher working together at the same time, infusing their Heavenly Energy into the formation. Even with all them working together, the maximum time we can keep it open is a month. As mentioned, your final fight will be held in this Lustre Spatial Realm, and once the fight begins, you all will be transported to this spatial realm at random. That is to say, each and every one of you will appear in a random location in the Spatial Realm, and we have no way of controlling that. Your next month will be spent there, and what happens next is dependent on all of your luck, power, and skill combined. What you all need to do is to do your best to survive while looking for your teammates, defeating your opponents and also enduring attacks from various Heavenly Beasts. The Battle Team which has the last remaining survivor or team of survivors will be the champion. If by the time the month ends, there is more than one survivor, then the ranking will be determined by the number of people left in the Lustre Spatial Realm."

"Please do note that there are countless of Heavenly Beasts in the Lustre Spatial Realm, not just in terms of numbers, but also types. At the same time, any gains from killing Heavenly Beasts you all get is considered part of your rewards, and you do not have to submit them to our Heaven's Expanse Palace. If you are actually able to capture and bring out any live Heavenly Beasts, you can also sell them to us, or go through any equivalent trade."

"After this briefing, we will be giving each of you a small Lustre Gem and a Spatial Ring that can contain live Heavenly Beasts. These two objects will have to be returned to us when you exit the Lustre Spatial Realm. During the entire month which the fight lasts, if you meet an opponent that you feel you are unable to face, you can infuse your Heavenly Energy into the Lustre Gem, and it will instantly transport you out of the Lustre Spatial Realm."

As he spoke up to that point, Shangguan Longyin's voice turned sombre and serious: "Life is extremely precious, especially for all of you, so young… so talented… all of you are the cream of the crop of your generation, and your empire, your teachers, they have spent much time and effort in cultivating all of you. I'd like to ask that you do not treat your lives lightly, as soon as you meet anything you cannot face, you should activate the Lustre Gem immediately to save your lives. I will have specialised personnel in charge of healing any wounds you all suffer in the Lustre Spatial Realm. I know how important this Tournament is, and the honour it signifies, but in the end, your life matters the most as well."

After a slightly pause, Shangguan Longyin turned his gaze to the members of WanShou Battle Team and said: "I must remind you that in the Lustre Spatial Realm, if you are bringing your own Heavenly Beasts, I recommend that each one of you only bring one. That's because within the Lustre Spatial Realm, there is a strange energy in the atmosphere that will cause non-native Heavenly Beasts to become irascible, violent and uncontrollable, and Heavenly Jewel Masters will need to continuously use their own spirit energy to aid their Heavenly Beasts and keeping them in a normal clear-headed state. Under such a circumstance, a single Heavenly Jewel Master is usually only able to protect one Heavenly Beasts, if you try to bring more in, it might possibly lead to all of them losing control."

Hearing Shangguan Longyin's words, the Fei Li Battle Team members exchanged helpless looks.

It was obvious that all of their plans had gone to waste, and even Shangguan Longyin's warning to Zhou Weiqing had gone to waste. It was indeed a team battle, but a rather unique one, in a special environment and highly different rules. In fact, once they entered the spatial realm, they would all be separated, and had to depend on their own personal strength in order to fight and survive. Without question, this was the worst possible scenario for the Fei Li Battle Team. After all, in terms of pure cultivation level and battle strength, they were definitely the weakest of all four teams, even with the addition of Little Witch.

Shangguan Longyin gave a broad wave of his hand, and instantly one of the employees of the Heavenly Jewel Island walked up, handing each of the competitors a Spatial Ring and a Lustre Gem.

The lustre gem they received was almost exactly the same as the ones they had seen in the Skill Storing Palace, just a lot smaller. It was actually embedded into the top of the Spatial Ring, and it was easily accessible by just infusing Heavenly Energy through the ring and to the gem, easily activating it.

After everyone had gotten their Spatial Ring and Lustre Gem, Shangguan Longyin nodded, saying: "Within the Spatial Ring we have passed you, there is also sufficient food and water for thirty days. Prepare yourselves now, we will soon start the teleport." As he said that, he lifted his hands in a signal to the ten old men behind him.

Ten white figures flashed in instant motion as they vanished into the mist.

Without a doubt, these ten old men were the ten Spatial Attribute Upper Level Zong Stage Heavenly Jewel Masters required to activate the Lustre Spatial Realm that Shangguan Longyin had mentioned earlier.

For the other three teams, they were pretty used to it. After all, they had been attending the finals of the Heavenly Jewel Tournament every three years, and they were also from their own respective Great Saint Lands. However, for the members of the Fei Li Battle Team, seeing all that happen in front of their eyes was a barrage against their sensibilities indeed.

The Spatial Attribute, one of the four greater attributes, was considered rather rare. To be able to cultivate up to the Upper Level Zong Stage, they were all considered rare powerhouses in their own right; out in the world, they would probably be renowned. Yet, here in the Heaven's Expanse Palace, they could send out ten so easily just to open a portal formation. The Heaven's Expanse Palace, to be known as the top of the five Great Saint Lands, they truly had an impressive wealth and background, living up to their name indeed. Watching the scene in front of them, the entire Fei Li Battle Team, Zhou Weiqing included, could feel how small they were.

The process did not take long. Very soon, the thick mist around the Heaven's Expanse Palace started to change colour, its original white starting to turn a pale silver, and they could all sense an intense fluctuation of Spatial Energy around the area.

An unbelievably thick roll of atmospheric energy spread across the crowd, causing everyone to perk up. Realisation dawned upon Zhou Weiqing.

No wonder Shangguan Xue'er was able to reach the seven-Jeweled stage at such a young age of below twenty! The atmospheric energy in the whole Heavenly Jewel Island was already much higher than the mainland, and here at the vicinity of the Heaven's Expanse Palace, it was even more so! Any Heavenly Jewel Master cultivating in such an environment would definitely find it much easier, yielding twice the result with half the effort. That was not even considering all their other wealth and treasures which could help their cultivation. The Heaven's Expanse Palace had indeed made full use of the Heavenly Jewel Island to continually build their lead, walking step by step towards the top echelons of the world.

As the silver in the mist grew stronger, the silver light seemed to swirl and focus around Shangguan Longyin.

Abruptly, a piercing silver light shone forth from the center of the forming energy whirlpool… slowly turning into a gold colour. In the center of the energy whirlpool, it was as if a door was being opened, and if one looked closely, they would be able to sense that beyond the gold light lay another world.

Shangguan Longyin's voice rang out: "Prepare yourselves to enter. You will enter the portal according to the last Heavenly Jewel Tournament's placing. ZhongTian, WanShou, BaoPo, FeiLi. Your order of entry will be single file. Begin now!"

The ZhongTian Battle Team was the first to spring into action. Zhan LingTian, the leader of the ZhongTian Battle Team, who had shown such animosity towards Zhou Weiqing earlier, stood right in front; in a flash, he disappeared into the gold mist. Slowly, one by one, the entire team entered the light. Once they had all entered, the WanShou Battle Team followed, then the BaoPo Battle Team.

When it was the Fei Li Battle Team's turn, Zhou Weiqing silently sent the sleeping Fat Cat in his arms into the Spatial Ring he had received. He did not want any unknown accidents when entering the other realm.

As he did that, he said to his companions in a low tone: "When you all enter the Lustre Spatial Realm, do not rush into any action. Just try your best to stay hidden and slowly familiarize yourself with the area. Avoid any fights if possible, and do not draw attention to yourselves. Our first priority is to try and group up together. If any of us meet up with any opponents or Heavenly Beasts we aren't able to handle, just use the Lustre Gem directly. We are originally the weakest team, and no one expects more of us, there is no shame even if we get a fourth position."

They did not have much time, and Zhou Weiqing could not wait for a proper team meeting, and he quickly spoke his mind before they entered.

Lin TianAo nodded in agreement, signalling his support for Zhou Weiqing's words. The rest of the team also agreed swiftly in understanding. The Heavenly Jewel Tournament had finally started, and all of them were excited and nervous indeed.

Soon, it was finally their turn. Lin TianAo was the first to enter, with Zhou Weiqing following closely behind.

As he stepped into the golden mist, Zhou Weiqing instantly felt an indescribable sense of freedom flood his body, as his entire surroundings seemed to blur into an illusion. Soon after, he felt a strong suction power dragging his body charging in a direction. He did not know how long he moved, or how far it traveled, but he felt as if he had moved a massive distance indeed.

He seemed totally surrounded by a gold colour, and he couldn't see anything else besides it. Abruptly, the gold light shone brighter, and Zhou Weiqing grunted in pain, closing his eyes. The next moment, his body tightened as the suction seemed to twist in a different direction for a moment, then a sense of realism returned to him.

Subconsciously, Zhou Weiqing instantly opened his eyes, and he was surprised to see that he was actually suspended in midair. Before he could react, he started falling at a breakneck speed.

Luckily, he wasn't too far from the ground, and his body landed on a thick tree branch. After a succession of breaking branches, softening his blow, he finally crashed through the thick canopy and was now falling to the ground.

Having that buffer time, Zhou Weiqing cleared his mind quickly, unleashing his Heavenly Energy. At the same time, he grabbed out with his hand towards the tree trunk beside him to stabilize himself.

As his hand made contact with the tree trunk, Zhou Weiqing discovered that its wood was extremely tough, perhaps even tougher than his Heavenly Bow Empire's Stars Wood!

With that stabilizing, he was able to drop down to the ground easily before starting to examine his surroundings.

As he looked around, Zhou Weiqing could not help but give an exclamation of surprise. It was hard to believe that the scene before his eyes was a man-made realm.

A beautiful blue sky and white clouds adorned the scene above his head, and all around him, it was all forestry, with no signs of any humans living there.

The tree beside him which had broke his fall was almost twenty metres tall, a massive foliage. He was surprised to find that he could barely recognize most of the vegetation around him; most of which he had not even seen or heard of before.

The air was crisp and clear, the atmosphere even better than the Heavenly Jewel Island, with the temperature extremely good as well. Although he was surrounded by vegetation, the humidity wasn't too high. In his eyes, this seemed like an almost perfect place for cultivation. Everything seemed so real, not at all like he was in a different realm. Without question, this was the Lustre Spatial Realm.

Leaning back into the large tree, Zhou Weiqing did not jump into action instantly. Taking his time to take in the sights and sounds, he thought to himself that he was rather lucky. At least, he had not been ambushed by Heavenly Beasts upon his entrance.

After a moment's pause while he settled down, he quickly released Fat Cat from within the Spatial Ring.

Chapter 303: Tian'er! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Just before Zhou Weiqing had entered the portal, he had thrown Fat Cat into the Spatial Ring abruptly, and without warning. As soon as she was let out, she instantly gave him an angry growl. However, her attention was quickly drawn away by the surrounding environment, and she jumped up onto Zhou Weiqing's shoulder, her eyes roaming around.

Zhou Weiqing stroked her on the head, saying: "Previously, Senior Shangguan said that Heavenly Beasts will be affected here. Are you okay?"

Fat Cat gave a low, disdainful wuuu wuuu, lifting her little head proudly, as if to say 'This place, how could it possibly affect me!'

Zhou Weiqing grinned, pulling Fat Cat from his shoulder into his arms, saying: "Fat Cat, we have been together for almost three years right. These three years, I have treated you so well! Good food, good drinks, everything! Now that we're finally in this Heavenly Jewel Tournament Finals… it's time you repay me right? Heh heh heh."

Hearing his words, Fat Cat looked at Zhou Weiqing warily, giving a low wuu wuu sound as she struggled to get out of his arms.

Zhou Weiqing was holding her with one hand, the other hand unceremoniously on her round little buttocks. "Wait, let me finish. Sighh, in truth, I really do not want to say this, as I am afraid that after doing so, it can never be the same between us again."

Lost in a contemplative deep thought, Zhou Weiqing brought Fat Cat in front of him, holding her to his cheek gently.

Fat Cat's body stiffened, the wary look in her eyes disappearing. Her howls stopped as well, but a new look of being at a loss appeared in her eyes.

"However, we cannot continue like this forever, right? Furthermore, I do not know if we do so… perhaps one day you will just disappear without warning. After much thought, I finally steeled my resolve to have a good talk with you today."

As he spoke up to that point, his words grew thicker with feeling. Bringing Fat Cat back into his embrace, he gave the 'King' word on her head a soft kiss.

"When we first met, it was not long after I had become a Heavenly Jewel Master, when Bing'er was in danger and I had subconsciously and unknowingly activated the Demonic Change. When the fight had finally ended, you had suddenly appeared under my feet, and refused to leave me. In truth, at that time, I already thought that you approached me with some motive in mind. Although up to this point, I still do not know what that motive is, I am still very confident in my own judgement."

"As we spent more time together, day after day, I was more and more certain that you were no ordinary Heavenly Beast. These few years, you were always by my side, but did not eat or drink… spending most of the time sleeping even… yet under such a circumstance, you were still able to evolve! Without question, you managed to gain something from me. However, no matter what, you do not owe me, and I was, and am, more than willing to let you continue gaining what you want from me."

Hearing Zhou Weiqing's words, Fat Cat's eyes seemed to freeze, an invisible pressure emanating from its body, but Zhou Weiqing seemed oblivious as he continued.

"These few years, you have saved my life more than once. If not for you, perhaps I would have died long ago when we faced the Icy Soul Heavenly Bear… not just me, but also Bing'er, and my teachers. Furthermore, you have helped me so many times during Skill Storing, for the Silver Emperor… and even last night. If not for you, even though I have that unknown aura that can intimidate Heavenly Beasts, I still wouldn't be able to Store Skills from Heavenly King Beasts and higher. It can be said that we have been together for so long in a reciprocity and mutual benefit based relationship, even when you evolved, you brought me along and I actually gained an additional level of Heavenly Energy."

"However…" Zhou Weiqing stopped suddenly, a hesitant look on his face, but he continued: "However, between us, there has always been that invisible gulf. I do not want to feign ignorance any longer, and I hope that we can be honest with each other, to remove that divide between us. Although I have tried to deny my guesses many times, but after all that we have been true, I am extremely certain that my guess is accurate. Right… Tian'er?"

In the instance when Zhou Weiqing called out the two words, Tian'er, Fat Cat's hair bristled up as her hackles raised up, staring at him wide-eyed in shock and disbelief.

Zhou Weiqing met her gaze impassively, saying: "I believe that my guess is accurate."

There was a moment of silence, the Fat Cat sighed, and she actually spoke out loud suddenly: "When did you know?"

Zhou Weiqing said with a bitter smile: "The first time I saw Tian'er, I had some suspicions. At that time, facing Ming Wu who could have easily killed me, and Tian'er suddenly appeared to tell him that I was already chosen by the Heavenly Snow Mountain. Yet, in all my memory, I knew that I had never had any contact with the Heavenly Snow Mountain; in fact at that point I didn't even know of the Great Saint Lands. Furthermore, and perhaps more importantly, even though both your forms, either Fat Cat or Tian'er, might look extremely different, but one thing remains unchanged, your eyes."

"From the start of my memory, the only purple eyes that I have seen were yours, and having been together for so long, they are naturally well inscribed in my memory. At first, I did not dare believe my ludicrous suspicions; after all, Tian'er was a human, and my little Fat Cat was little white tiger, how could they be the same person? Yet, as the days passed, and more events happened, especially when you first faced Shangguan Xue'er, the feelings of your aura and Attributes. Later on, once I heard about the Attributes that the Heavenly Snow Mountain was famed for… and only then did I dare to start believing in my wild speculation. My little Fat Cat was actually that mysterious young girl from the Heavenly Snow Mountain… Tian'er! That was the only explanation for all the strange happenings, the coincidences. After all, that time when you scared Ming Wu away, Fat Cat was not beside me!"

"In the end, the final confirmation to me that you are Tian'er was when Little Witch passed me the Demonic Manual, she secretly told me that the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord was actually not human, but a powerful Heavenly Beast called the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger, the King of the Beasts."

"As expected, it was here." Fat Cat said angrily. "Zhou Little Fatty, get your dirty hands off my buttocks!"

A thick purple light shone out from Fat Cat's body, and in a swift motion, she sprang out from Zhou Weiqing's arms. The light intensified and spread out, and this time, Fat Cat did not grow larger, slowly morphing directly into human form in the middle of the purple glow.

Even though Zhou Weiqing had already guessed that Fat Cat was Tian'er, but it was still a guess, no matter how confident he had been in it. Now, it was the first time for him to witness the actual transformation with his own eyes, seeing the entire process, and was caught by surprise by it.

White hair, purple eyes, a contrast that accentuated the cold beauty in front of him.

A tall slim figure, yet strangely curvaceous. Tian'er finally appeared in front of Zhou Weiqing once again, but this time, her face was filled with killing intent.

An abrupt intensified flash of the purple light, and Zhou Weiqing felt as if a needle was stabbed into his brain, causing him to feel dizzy. The next moment, a huge force travelled towards his buttocks, and his entire body flew up into air, causing him to smash into a huge tree ahead, before he finally crashed onto the ground.

That white clad figure, still trailing purple light, followed closely. Soon after, a series of shrill cries of pain rang out, along with loud sounds of crashes and beating.

"Stupid Zhou Little Fatty, you vulgar, perverted, disgusting person! Hmph! Who asked you to recognize me… who asked you to recognize me…"

"You still have the face to say we are together for three years… and what have you done all this while? Toying around with me, catching me to… to… bathe with you…"

"If you hadn't revealed who I was, I might still be able to tolerate you. Hmph… very good… since you actually know who I am now, then I'll deal with you for all the grudges at once!"

"You little rascal, you already guessed I was Tian'er, and know I have a human form, and you still dared to touch my… buttocks earlier. Don't you know a tiger's bottom cannot be touched?!" 1

The pent up anger of the past three years poured out of Tian'er in a torrential flow, as fist ad foot crashed into flesh as she dealt out an angry beating.

Naturally, Zhou Weiqing was extremely cooperative, his hands covering his head as he did not dare resist, just howling in passionate cries of agony, as if he was suffering the worst torture in the world. Anyone who heard it might have cried in sorrow.

Tian'er beat him up for several minutes before she finally expended all her anger, finally stopping as she gasped for breath, her impressive chest heaving up and down. Looking down at Zhou Weiqing, her gaze will still angry, obviously she still hadn't totally had her fill yet.

In truth, although it seemed like she had been beating Zhou Weiqing savagely, that was all purely physical strength, without using any hint of Heavenly Energy at all.

Zhou Weiqing lay on the ground unresisting, his body curled in a ball, just like a well-cooked prawn, moaning sorrowfully.

"Get up! Stop acting already. Don't think I do not know your stupid thick hide can easily take such a beating without any issues? Hmph!" Tian'er said angrily as she gave his buttocks another swift kick.

"Aiyahh!" Zhou Weiqing quickly jumped up, vaulting swiftly as he dodged behind a large tree.

Just like what Tian'er had said, this fellow was totally fine at all. With his physique, and the Immortal Deity Shield to boot, it was nigh impossible for anyone to hurt him without using Heavenly Energy.

Zhou Weiqing looked at her with a depressed look, saying: "Tian'er, you have beaten me up already. For the sake of the fact that I was so cooperative to let you hit me without resisting, your anger should be assuaged by now right. After all, in the past, you were the one who made the move to stick to me, rubbing against me. It was only years after taking you in that I knew you could become human right? When you are Fat Cat, you are so cute and cuddly, as an owner, petting my pet is very normal right? As for touching your buttocks, I have to explain it… you cannot blame me, who asked your buttocks to be so pert and round!"

As he said that, he eyed the above-mentioned body part.

"Hmph! You little rascal, are you asking to die?!" Tian'er cried out angrily, about to pounce forward once again.

Chapter 304: Tian'er! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Zhou Weiqing quickly ran around the tree again, barely avoiding her. "Stop stop, I surrender! We are in the Lustre Spatial Realm, it wouldn't be good if we attracted any unwanted attention!"

Tian'er gave a cold smirk, saying: "Don't think I do not know the reason you revealed my identity at this moment. Your goal is for me to help you win this Heavenly Jewel Tournament right? Hmph, stop dreaming, I won't let your wishful thinking come to fruition so easily."

Zhou Weiqing lamented in a loud bemoan: "Fat Cat… don't be so heartless. Although what you said is indeed true, but this is a win-win situation."

Tian'er gave a loud hmph, saying: "Don't give me that. Who is in a win-win situation with you?!"

Zhou Weiqing peeked his head out from behind the tree, asking: "If you do not want to help me, then what is your plan?"

Hearing that question, Tian'er was the one at a loss instead. Just now, Zhou Weiqing had caught her by surprise in unmasking her identity, and she had returned to human form to beat up that fellow. Although that had indeed made her feel better, now that she was asked about her plans, Tian'er was instead blank. She herself did not know what her next step was.

All of a sudden, a great sense of loss enveloped her heart. She suddenly realised that since Zhou Weiqing now knew who she truly was, then they could no longer have the same relationship as before. She could no longer be just Fat Cat, staying by his side, settled in his arms, feeling his warmth and heartbeat as she cultivated in her sleep.

Looking at her dazed look, Zhou Weiqing thought to himself: There's hope!

"Fat Cat, how about this? Since you are not willing to help me, nor are you willing to tell me why exactly you were following all this time… why don't we just pretend nothing happened, that I did not say anything. You can still become Fat Cat and follow by my side. I promise that I will not do anything untoward to you any longer… Alright?"

"En?" Tian'er was startled out of her reverie by his words. She found herself highly tempted by Zhou Weiqing's suggestion, but after some thought, she quickly dispelled the notion, saying angrily: "Since you already know my true identity and my human form, how could we possibly return to our original state? Are you daydreaming?"

Zhou Weiqing said bitterly: "But… I cannot bear to leave you. Even if I do not get your help, I still hope to stay with you forever. In our entire lifetimes, if we do not have any unique favourable turns or experiences, we would only live several dozen years, and we have already been together for three years of that. Three years… I have already grown used to waking up and seeing you as the first thing, used to that furry little body of yours nestled in my arms. Tian'er, I cannot leave you!"

"Indeed, when I revealed I know who you were, it was to borrow your power for this Heavenly Jewel Tournament. At the same time, I did not lie to you, I truly hope to remove that invisible divide between us. Because, I hope that you can always stay by my side, and never leave me. I feel that uncovering your identity now is better than having you leave quietly and abruptly some day. At least, this way, I have the situation in my own control, with a little hope of striving to get you to stay."

"I know that in your heart, I am just a vulgar, perverted scoundrel. However, even scoundrels have human rights, scoundrels also have feelings! Amongst your powers, I guess that you have the Saint Attribute, the Spirit Attribute right? That means you should have the power to manipulate another person's memories. Come then, use it on me, let me forget that Fat Cat is Tian'er. This way, we can still continue as we have… right? I'm sorry, I did not think that you would mind being uncovered this much. However, even if you manipulate my memories, you must make sure that you leave the memories of the time we spent together. I … I … I do not want to totally forget you."

As he finished his long, impassioned speech, Zhou Weiqing closed his eyes slowly, a peaceful look on his face. His body was totally relaxed, with nary a sign that he would resist at all.

Most Heavenly Beasts' instincts and senses were usually much keener than humans, let alone a Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger, the absolute top of the pyramid of Heavenly Beasts.

Tian'er stared blankly at Zhou Weiqing, totally nonplussed. She could clearly sense that when he spoke those words, he was being totally sincere, his true sentiments heartfelt. The current him was totally defenseless, his guard totally down, awaiting for her to modify his memories.

Bastard, this bastard! Didn't he know that totally dropping his guard, especially of his mind and spirit, if his mind was attacked, he could become a total retard?

He… he really cares for me so much? Trusts me so much?

Without knowing why, Tian'er felt as if something was stuck in her throat, that Zhou Weiqing in front of her suddenly not so hateful after all.

Right at that moment, Tian'er abruptly whipped her head towards the sky. At the same time, she shouted out: "Be careful!"

A thick gold light burst forth suddenly from her body, enveloping Zhou Weiqing's body instantly. At the same time, her entire body flew towards him at breakneck speed.

Two purple glows shot out from her eyes, striking perfectly at a blood-red panther Heavenly Beast that had just pounced down from the tree canopy above.

Zhou Weiqing's defenseless body was sent flying by Tian'er's charge, and the blood red panther was also struck by the purple light from her eyes, and it cried out instantly in pain. Even so, its two paws left two deep marks where Zhou Weiqing was standing a moment ago, the two marks giving forth an intense heat, as if molten lava was flowing through them.

*Peng* a loud crash as both Zhou Weiqing and Tian'er crashed into the ground, with Tian'er landing on top of him. Zhou Weiqing's closed eyes snapped open, to see Tian'er's beautiful purple orbs in front of him.

"Fat Cat! Ahh, no, Tian'er! I…"

Before Zhou Weiqing could finish his sentence, Tian'er's cheeks were stained with a blush. She could naturally sense her chest pressed against Zhou Weiqing as well.

With a flash, she quickly leaped away. In mid air, a strong gold light burst forth from her once more, descending like a gold pillar from the heavens, landing directly on the blood red panther which had just recovered from its momentarily stunned state.

Instantly, another pained cry emitted from the panther's mouth, as it was enveloped by a thick gold mist. The next instant, Tian'er landed right beside it.

Struck by the gold light, the blood red panther seemed to be greatly weakened. Tian'er's right palm struck its waist area, and it was unable to dodge at all.

A soft sound of impact, followed by another burst of gold light, enveloping the blood red panther once more as it flew back in the air.

This time, the powerful gold light surrounding it proved more powerful. It did not even have time to cry out, and its entire body seemed to dissolve into the gold light, with only a blood-red nucleus core falling to the ground.

Zhou Weiqing stared, jaw agape, at the scene in front of him. Although he knew that Tian'er was extremely powerful, he had not expected her to be THIS powerful.

That blood red panther was at least a Zong Stage Heavenly Beast, but in Tian'er's hands, it did not even have a chance to react before being slain by her, and so overwhelmingly that it didn't even have remains left! What kind of power was that?!

"Why don't you get up already!" Tian'er said to Zhou Weiqing exasperatedly. However, the gaze from her purple eyes was gentle.

Zhou Weiqing started a little, before quickly jumping up. Looking at Tian'er in front of him, turned around as she refused to look at him, he felt his emotions befuddled.

Without question, in his heart, the one he loved most was Shangguan Bing'er. However, no matter Fat Cat or Tian'er, he had an undeniable link to her… and indescribable emotion.

If Mu'En was here, he would definitely tell Zhou Weiqing that this was fraternity of man, the base depravity that almost all men suffered from.

Due to the difference in physiological structure and setup, men's interest and thirst for sexual relations was a lot stronger than women's. In general, as long as they saw someone beautiful from the opposite opposite gender, it would spark interest in them. This was not a shift in love or emotions, just their base nature. Just like most men would wish they could have several wives or concubines, when they saw a beautiful lady, thoughts or dreams would be sparked in their minds… it was inevitable.

Yet, as for most women, this was not the same, as they were usually loyal and faithful for life. That was because their own requirement for sex was lower than men, with a greater need for emotional dependence. Of course, there were always some exceptions, but usually once a woman truly loved a man, it was for good. This was also the same reason why many women could not understand why a man would be so philandering, and they would call this physiologically induced phenomenon 'being perverted'.

Without question, if one were to appraise or judge him, Zhou Weiqing was definitely a perverted man. Facing any beautiful woman, his immunity dropped drastically. At the same time, Shangguan Bing'er was a woman who understood this clearly, as she had told Zhou Weiqing long ago. Although she did take it to heart, but she did not directly oppose it, as long as she was the most important in his heart.

This was a smart woman's choice in their society, allowing her man to be together with her without any pressure, to be able to love her wholeheartedly. As such, in Zhou Weiqing's heart, no one could ever displace Shangguan Bing'er's position as number one in his heart, and perhaps her leniency had something to do with it.

"Why are you staring at me? You better be careful, this is a dangerous place after all! Who wants to remove your memories!?" Just like Zhou Weiqing was befuddled, Tian'er was just as much so. She did not look at Zhou Weiqing, because she did not know how to face him.

It could be said that Tian'er had witnessed the growth of Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er's relationship and feelings from almost the start to present. She did not know how she herself felt about Zhou Weiqing. At first, it was purely just to make use of him, but as time went by… could she really just be using him only? The answer was clearly no.

Today, Zhou Weiqing had unmasked her, and not only was Tian'er surprised, but also a little afraid… and helpless. Subconsciously, she was actually more afraid than Zhou Weiqing about leaving him, and what Zhou Weiqing had said earlier had struck her right in her heart, moving her deeply. At least, she could clearly sense that Zhou Weiqing did have some feelings for her… though what exactly those feelings were she wasn't willing to face. As long as there were some feelings… that made her feel less anxious… more assured…

Chapter 305: Tian'er! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

"How about… you change back to Fat Cat. Just like previously, following me, I definitely will not tell anyone about you, okay?"

Tian'er turned back around, looking at him rebukingly as she said: "Hmph, you're still calling me Fat Cat? You want me to turn back so you can bully me?!"

"Heh heh." Zhou Weiqing laughed foolishly. "At least when you are as Fat Cat, I can hug you to sleep like I'm used to! If I try to sleep with you like you are now… heh… I will definitely do commit something foolishly wrong."

"You…" Tian'er flushed a deep red, glaring at him savagely. "Don't try to tease me like your Bing'er, I'm not so good tempered like her. Hmph. With your current power levels, this young lady can easily take you down!"

Zhou Weiqing put his arm casually around Tian'er's shoulders, saying: "I do not know whether or not your temper is good, but I am definitely sure that your tolerance level is much stronger than Bing'er. Otherwise, I've touched Fat Cat's little bottom so many times, but you've never really lost your temper."

He knew that saying that would get him into trouble, and as soon as he said those words, he instantly used Blink and vanished on the spot, just managing to barely dodge a flying kick from Tian'er.

"Beautiful Lady Tian'er, I'm wrong! Come on, let's go. This suave young fellow will protect you." Zhou Weiqing stuck his head out from behind the tree he had Blinked behind, grinning as he apologised.

Tian'er's reactions and behavior had allowed his heart to rest easy. Without question, Tian'er had some feelings for him, otherwise she wouldn't treated him that way or reacted in such manners. The icy cold expression on her face was quite an act, much different from the cold aura fro Shangguan Xue'er, which seemed to be down to the core.

Tian'er looked at him with a complicated look on her face, before walking down to a large tree and sitting down. Beckoning towards Zhou Weiqing, she said: "Come here."

Zhou Weiqing looked at her warily, saying: "No… you're using your beauty to trap me right?"

Tian'er said exasperatedly: "Trap your head! Didn't you say we had a gulf between us? I'll tell you what you want to know about myself."

Zhou Weiqing looked at her in surprise: "You'll really tell me?"

Tian'er nodded her head slightly.

Quickly, Zhou Weiqing rushed to her side in delight, sitting down right beside her. This time, he did not attempt to take advantage of her, keeping a small distance as he sat down, looking towards her as he waited for her to speak.

Tian'er sighed deeply before saying: "Perhaps meeting you was part of my destiny… a disaster that I am fated to go through as training."

Zhou Weiqing immediately interrupted her: "What do you mean disaster?! It should be a lucky romantic encounter! Meeting such a young handsome fellow like myself, you should be honoured!"

Tian'er exclaimed angrily: "If you keep interrupting me with nonsense, I'm not going to continue telling you!"

Zhou Weiqing immediately shut up, his hand flying to his mouth as he gave a fake look of horror. That mischievous, playful look causing Tian'er to almost burst out laughing.

"Your guess earlier was mostly right, I am indeed from the Heavenly Snow Mountain, and one of the direct bloodline inheritors. My father is the current Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord, also the strongest man in the world today, the only Heavenly God Stage Powerhouse in the entire mainland today."

Heavenly God Stage. Those words caused Zhou Weiqing's heart to twist savagely for a moment, the meaning behind them just too strong indeed. Heavenly God Stage, that was also the very pinnacle of Heavenly Jewel Masters, twelve sets of Heavenly Jewels, with a cultivation level that was nearly the maximum. The most powerful man in the world today. What a domineering and powerful title indeed!

"My status in the Heavenly Snow Mountain is comparable to that of Little Witch in the Heavenly Demon Sect, Shen Little Demon in the Blood Red Hell, and Shangguan Xue'er in the Heaven's Expanse Palace; the successor as the next Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord."

"Our Heavenly Snow Mountain direct bloodline and disciples are mainly non human, all powerful Heavenly Beasts in the world today. Only those Heavenly Beasts of the Heavenly King Stage and higher, or those with unique bloodlines and meridians, have the ability to take human form. In truth, our Heavenly Snow Mountain is mainly made up of these Heavenly Beasts who have the ability to take human form. This is also the reason why the other Great Saint Lands have such enmity towards us."

Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Does that mean that those representatives of the WanShou Empire Battle Team are also Heavenly Beasts in human form?"

Tian'er shook her head, saying: "Of course not… do you really think that it is so easy for a Heavenly Beast to take human form? They are merely the outer sect disciples of Heavenly Snow Mountain, mostly the humans from the WanShou Empire whom we have taken in as disciples in aid of their training. As for the direct bloodlines or inner circle of our Heavenly Snow Mountain, only those powerful Heavenly Beasts who can take human form will be part of that group."

"Amongst the Heavenly Beasts of the Heavenly Snow Mountain, our Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger bloodline is considered one of the top royal bloodlines. Alas, our numbers are just too few, and we have no choice but to inter-marry with other Heavenly Beasts, and if the child happens to be of the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger bloodline, they can inherit. This generation of Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger bloodlines in our Heavenly Snow Mountain, including myself and my father, we only number seven! As such, as soon as I entered my Transformation Phase, just about to take human form, my father arranged a marriage for me."

"Indeed, the strongest bloodline in our Heavenly Snow Mountain is us, the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers, and the next strongest would be the Divine Spirit Flame Lions. In the Heavenly Snow Mountain, their status is second only to us. The future husband Father had chosen for me was the current Lion King's only son, one of the most talented of our generation in the Heavenly Snow Mountain. At the age of thirty, he already reached the eight-Jeweled cultivation level, and is at the same level as Shangguan Xue'er."

Upon hearing that, Zhou Weiqing suddenly interrupted with a question: "Wait a moment, didn't you say that the Divine Spirit Flame Lion King's son is at the eight-Jeweled cultivation level, but Shangguan Xue'er is only at the seven-Jeweled cultivation level. Why did you say they were at the same level?"

Tian'er gave a cold smirk, saying: "Did you think it'd be so easy to marry your dear Bing'er? To defeat Shangguan Xue'er? She is after all the heir and successor to the Heaven's Expanse Palace, and thus has the most powerful Legendary Set in the world, the Boundless Infinitum Set! Any ordinary Heavenly Jewel Masters facing, even if they were nine-Jeweled, let alone eight-Jeweled ones, they might not be able to defeat her! She is no ordinary seven-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, and coupled with the Boundless Infinitum Set, she can even fight against ordinary Heavenly King Masters. For you to challenge her, it is impossible, at least with your current power levels. For our Heavenly Snow Mountain to be able to fight with her at the eight-Jeweled cultivation level is already a testament to our power.

"Similarly, even though my father is the only Heavenly God Stage powerhouse in the world, but facing the current Heaven's Expanse Palace Master, Shangguan Tianyang, who is at the Heavenly Emperor Stage, he can only suppress him, perhaps barely defeating him, but will never be able to kill him in single combat. That Legendary Boundless Infinitum Set truly lives up to its name as the top Legendary Set in the world. In not for this, do you really think that our Heavenly Snow Mountain would have an overall strength lower than the Heaven's Expanse Palace?

Zhou Weiqing nodded, saying: "Alright, go on then. What were you saying before I interrupted you. Your father arranged a marriage for you, so what happened next?"

Tian'er's face grew ugly as she said: "I do not like him at all… That fellow is just a blockhead who only thinks about fighting and cultivating. Being with him is totally joyless, let alone being happy for life. My life, my happiness, I will hold it in my own hands, and not arranged for me. So, on the surface, I agreed, then I secretly ran away from home."

"Ehhh… Runaway?" Zhou Weiqing looked at her, a vague smirk on his face.

Tian'er gave a humph as she said: "So what if I ran away from home?! I was forced to by my father. Hmph, wanting me to marry that fellow after I Transform? No way am I going to agree to that. Alas, who knew that after I escaped from the WanShou Empire, I wandered into the Fei Li Empire and bumped into you little bad boy."

Zhou Weiqing said with a wronged look on his face: "Hey… beautiful lady… you must set the record straight. It was you who came up to me, not I who forced you to look for me. How am the one who's bad? I didn't do anything to you."

Tian'er said angrily: "You… you even touched me down there… what else do you want!?"

Zhou Weiqing grinned and said: ���Heh heh… but the one who came up to me was indeed you right."

Tian'er flushed deeply, saying: "That was because of the attraction of your Elemental Attributes, not because of you!"

"I remember… that was the first time you entered the Demonic Change State I believe. At that time, the aura and power you were emanating, even though I was miles away I was still able to sense it. Us Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers have the two Saint Attributes, the Divine and Spirit Attributes, and our senses are extremely sharp and honed. At that time, I could already sense that you actually had the other two Saint Attributes, Evil and Time."

"Ordinary Heavenly Jewel Masters think that there are only three Saint Attributes, Divine, Spirit and Time. However, the truth is that a first generation Evil Attribute is definitely at the level of one of the Saint Attributes. This is especially so since you have the Devour Attribute, which can be considered equal or even greater than any of the attributes of the other three Saint Attributes, and can last you as a main skill throughout your life and career as a Heavenly Jewel Master. That is also the reason why Little Witch has been trying so hard to curry favour with you… if you actually join their Heavenly Demon Sect, I estimate that in ten, twenty years, given time for your talent to fully flourish, the Heavenly Demon Sect might truly become a force to be reckoned with."

Zhou Weiqing looked at her teasingly, saying: "Hey, you've gone off topic, continue saying why you came latching onto me."

"Who's latching onto you?!" Tian'er glared at him exasperatedly as she exclaimed indignantly. "At that time, when I sensed that you actually had the other two Saint Attributes, Evil and Time, I was shocked. Not just shocked, but at the same time, overjoyed. The real reason why I stayed by your side is because of an old legend."

"Legend?" Zhou Weiqing looked at her in surprise. "What legend?"

Tian'er's eyes gleamed as she said: "An old legend passed down from ancient time states that if one can gather all four of the Great Saint Attributes and cultivate at the same time, they will complement and boost each other, and with that comes the chance of perhaps breaking through the Heavenly God Stage into an unknown, higher stage. Our Heavenly Jewel Master cultivation is known as the Heavenly Jewel Twelve Changes, and in breaking through past the Heavenly God Stage into this new stage of legend, it is the Thirteenth Change of us Heavenly Jewel Masters, also known as the Heavenly Change Stage. Heavenly Change… signifying he would can even change the heavens!"

When Zhou Weiqing heard her words, he was immediately caught by surprise. This was the first time he had heard that there was anything beyond the Heavenly Jewel Twelve Changes, a level beyond his previous imagination. After all, in this world, there was only one known Heavenly Jewel Master who had actually reached the Heavenly God Stage – Tian'er's father, the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord!