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Chapter 517: Three Examinations Choosing Son-in-Law (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Zhou Weiqing continued sitting there cultivating. The amount of time did not affect him at all, as he was fully immersed in his cultivation, and time seemed to breeze past. On the other hand, Gu Yingbing's mindset was a little unstable. Although his cultivation level was very high, there was a severe shade in his heart regarding Zhou Weiqing. Naturally, that was because of Tian'er. The one that she truly loved was this mere human, not himself. Whenever he thought of this, Gu Yingbing's heart was filled with pain and rage. He truly itched to tear Zhou Weiqing into shreds, only then would it assuage the sheer rage in his heart.

At this moment, all Gu Yingbing could think of was to defeat Zhou Weiqing as quickly as possible; to chase him away and allow him to marry Tian'er as quickly as possible. As long as all of this ended, he could have Tian'er to himself. It was more important to marry her and be intimate with her first, he could slowly cultivate her love for him over time.

Looking at Zhou Weiqing, he felt as if that fellow was looking more and more disagreeable to the eye by the second. He could only hope that this torturous wait would finally be over.

After more than two hours of waiting, Xue AoTian finally reappeared in the Grand Hall. As he did so, his previously overcast expression had vanished, resuming his usual impassive face; as if the previous events had not happened.

"Lion King, Bro Long, I have already prepared all the Heavenly Beasts for the first competition. Come, lets go." As he said that, he headed back out once more towards the door.

Long Shiya quickly roused Zhou Weiqing, while the Lion King Gu Site led his son in following. As for the Tiger King Xue Aoying, he was the first to follow behind his brother, as the entire group headed towards the depths of the Heavenly Snow Castle.

Xue AoTian walked at the head of the group, but he moved slowly. From the back, none of the others could see his face or expression, but even as he moved at that stately speed in front, this top powerhouse of the world gave them all a feeling as he could not be overtaken.

Looking at Xue AoTian from behind, Long Shiya's face changed slightly. He knew that in this life, he would truly never be able to pass this great mountain or obstacle that was Xue AoTian. All of his hopes could only fall upon his precious disciple. No matter how powerful a Heavenly Emperor was, in the end he was still restricted at the Heavenly Emperor stage.

…

The group walked for almost fifteen minutes, twisting and turning throughout the castle before they finally reached a large room. Within the sides of the room, there were stairs headed down, and Xue AoTian continued leading the group down. After almost three hundred yards down the spiralling stairs, at last they reached a strange holed out crypt.

This crypt did not have obvious signs of being man made, almost as if it was a naturally formed cave of sorts, filled with glowing brilliant ice crystals around, as well as snowy white Heavenly Cores studding the ceiling, providing light illuminating the entire area in a strangely dazzling yet warped sensation. As soon as the group entered, it felt as if they had entered some strange fantasy world. Without question, this was part of the Heavenly Snow Mountain, and one that was deep within the heart of it. It was also one of the most important sacred areas of the Heavenly Snow Mountain. Normally, if there were no critical issues or unique circumstances, no one was allowed to enter this place, let alone outsiders like Long Shiya and Zhou Weiqing. Even the Lion King Gu Site had never actually entered this area before.

On the other hand, Gu Yingbing was relatively familiar with this place. It was the zone where the Heavenly Snow Mountain kept and raised Heavenly Beasts.

The Heavenly Snow Mountain was very different from other Great Saint Lands. For the other Great Saint Lands, when they captured Heavenly Beasts, they would Seal and imprison them in order to let their Jewel Masters Skill Store from them. Of course, the Heavenly Snow Mountain was very different. The Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger and Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion were in a sense also Heavenly Beasts, top level Heavenly Beasts on the same rank as Dragons. As such, their own presence was of great deterrence and awe to any Heavenly Beasts. To be able to stay in the Heavenly Snow Mountain was considered a great honour, utmost honour, to any Heavenly Beast. As such, these Heavenly Beasts here could only be described as raised or cultivated, not caught or imprisoned.

Of course, to be able to stay in the Heavenly Snow Mountain, most of these Heavenly Beasts were of the Ice Attribute. Only then would they be able to survive in the cruel icy conditions of the peak.

One should not think that the depths of the Heavenly Snow Mountain would be warmer than the outer regions. On the contrary, the depths were much colder.

Only the direct bloodline of the Heavenly Snow Mountain would know that deep in the heart of the mountain there lay an unimaginably huge slab of Ice Jade. This Ice Jade could not possibly be harvested out, not even a Heavenly God Tier powerhouse could. This was the true reason why the Heavenly Snow Mountain maintained such a low temperature even right in the middle of the warm climate of the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens.

One of the main reasons why the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers had always suppressed the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lions was also due to this. The Elemental Attributes of the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers were Divine, Spirit and Water, while the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lions were that of Divine, Spirit and FIre. There was normally no difference in power between Water and Fire Attribute, but in the Heavenly Snow Mountain… that difference was clear.

The immense Ice Jade Slab had an impressive supplementary assistance to cultivation of ice and water Attributes. This was also a huge reason why Xue AoTian could actually reach the Heavenly God Tier stage. His own talents were undoubtedly outstanding, but it did not guarantee he could actually reach such a stage. However, with the aid of that massive Ice Jade Slab, his cultivation speed was fast enough to reach the Heavenly King Stage before the age of thirty, slowly allowing him to step by step climb up the paths towards the Heavenly God Tier.

…

The surrounding temperature continued dropping as the group moved along. Besides Xue AoTian, all the remaining members found that a thin layer mist had formed around their bodies.

Xue AoTian continued walking down the icy path, his slow measured strides seeming so casual like that of an ordinary human. As for the Lion King and Prince, the mist around them was glowing with a faint red, while that around Long Shiya was a six-coloured glow. After all, Long Shiya had the Water Attribute as well, and this environment was of no effect to him. In truth, when one reached the Heavenly Emperor Stage, it was difficult for external environment to affect them.

As for Zhou Weiqing, the mist surrounding him was extremely strange, grey in colour, surprising the rest of the party. In fact, he seemed to be totally fine, in an even more relaxed state that Gu Yingbing.

Although Zhou Weiqing did not have the Fire or Water Attributes, one should never forget what his bloodline contained. The Solidified Dragon Spirit had given him immunity to fire, but at the same time it had also strengthened his resistance to cold far beyond that of any ordinary person. Although the current temperature was at a terrifying low, he still did not feel anything. In truth, he himself was puzzled about the grey mist around his body. Strangely, he seemed to sense an evil aura about the icy depths, drawing his own Demonic Attribute, causing it to automatically come out of his body and surround him. In such a situation, his own cultivation level was actually aided. At least for his Demonic Attribute, his power levels was increased by at least thirty percent.

As for the Tiger King Xue Aoying, a blue mist surrounded his body. Although he was at the front of the party, his senses were extended out, continuously keeping watch over Zhou Weiqing. Xue Aoying had watched Tian'er grow up, and he knew this niece of his too well. For a man to draw the eye of his proud niece, how could he be ordinary? At least, the current changes around Zhou Weiqing's body gave him a strange sensation, almost startling even, and he began to have some doubts about his original judgement on this entire competition.

At long last, under the lead of Xue AoTian, the entire group reached a wide space, almost a thousand square metres, with a height of more than thirty metres. This was possibly the biggest piece of open space in this icy caverns. At the side of the of this open cave, there was a dark hole, an entrance to another pitch black cave. It seemed very deep and quiet, but all of them could sense several powerful auras deep within. Some cold, some ferocious, some frenzied. Without question, those were the Heavenly Beasts Xue AoTian had referred to.

Xue AoTian said solemnly: "The first competition will soon begin. For the purpose of fairness, besides the last Heavenly Beast, I have prepared a pair of each of the first type of nine Heavenly Beasts, with each single of the pair for each competitor. As long as you manage to succeed in overwhelming one, you can go on to the next one, until one of you actually fails."

Long Shiya said: "What if both of them successfully overwhelms all ten of your chosen Heavenly Beasts?"

Xue AoTian said proudly: "That is impossible. The last Heavenly Beast… is my partner."

Hearing his words, Long Shiya couldn't help but be caught by surprise: "You mean… it is…"

Xue AoTian nodded towards him and said: "Of course, otherwise, how can I truly test the true limit of these two? If they can successfully overwhelm the first nine Heavenly Beasts, then the final judgement will be determined by my old partner. I am sure my old partner will give a fair judgement, with its pride, it will never lie. Bro Long, what do you think?"

This time, Long Shiya did not hesitate to nod in agreement, saying: "I agree." One could imagine, for a Heavenly Beast to gain the approval of the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya, even respect and even a slight fear, one could imagine how powerful this Heavenly Beast was. A power that even Long Shiya would not doubt its judgement.

Of course, Gu Site would not have any objections, and before Xue AoTian could ask him, he nodded in agreement as well.

Xue AoTian smiled faintly and said: "In that case, let us begin. Both of you, stand apart at a distance of thirty metres."

Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing immediately walked forward. Their gazes met momentarily, and it was as if obvious sparks flew in the air from the tension.

Although Gu Yingbing had the Fire Attribute, and would be slightly affected by such intense cold of the environment, he was after all a member of the Heavenly Snow Mountain, and he had already grown used to such an environment. Furthermore, as the saying goes, when the extreme meets, some good will come of it. In truth, when he cultivated his Fire Attribute Heavenly Energy in such intense icy conditions, it was also of some benefit.

At this moment, Gu Yingbing's eyes were filled with palpable hate, as if he wanted to devour Zhou Weiqing. On the other hand, Zhou Weiqing looked calm and peaceful, and that calm caused Gu Yingbing to rage even more. To him, Zhou Weiqing was dreaming that he could even beat him!

Abruptly, Xue AoTian clapped his hands.

With that, two huge figures slowly walked out from the side cave. When the two Heavenly Beasts appeared, both the Tiger and Lion King's expressions changed slightly. Although they knew that Xue AoTian would not choose some weak Heavenly Beasts, they had not expected that just the first one would be so powerful. After all, both Gu Yingbing and Zhou Weiqing had not reached the Heavenly King Stage, and such a test seemed just too tough.

Chapter 518: First Test. Power. (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

The two huge Heavenly Beasts slowly lumbered all the way to the front of both youths before they stopped. They looked almost exactly the same, their body length about seven metres large, covered fully with a thick layer of icy blue scale armour. In contrast, their height was only one and a half metres tall, with their entire body down close to the ground, showing a stark difference between their heights and lengths.

Zhou Weiqing did not recognize such a Heavenly Beast, but it looked like a huge pangolin. Its eyes flashed with cold light, and from the aura, both were Upper Level Zong Stage Heavenly Beasts.

It had to be known – the task for both Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing was not to defeat these Heavenly Beasts, but to overwhelm them with their aura. To an ordinary Heavenly Jewel Master, perhaps they might be able to defeat a Heavenly Beast of equal level, maybe even higher level. However, in order to just use their aura to overwhelm a Heavenly Beast, they had to be at a much higher cultivation level! Yet, these two Heavenly Beasts in front of them… let alone Zhou Weiqing, even Gu Yingbing was at a lower cultivation level! After all, Gu Yingbing had only just reached the Nine Jeweled stage. This test would truly be highly dependent on both their bloodlines now!

The two huge Heavenly Beasts were extremely obedient, their eyes fixed upon the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord Xue AoTian, as if waiting for any instruction. From the looks of it, they were unbelievably well behaved and honest.

Xue AoTian said passively: "You both can start now. The time given is five minutes 1. If in this time, any of you have not succeeded in overwhelming them, it counts as a failure."

As Xue AoTian gave the command to start, Gu Yingbing was the first to act. Gold-red light sprang forth around his body, and his eyes also turned a brilliant gold. At the same time, a powerful aura burst forth from him, the terrifying presence enveloping the huge pangolin-like Heavenly Beast in front of him.

The Heavenly Beast's body trembled slightly, and it seemed to hesitate slightly before it stepped back a few steps. Its four limbs buckled, and it fell to the ground, its body still trembling. Success… it had been overwhelmed.

The gold-red light slowly dimmed slightly, and Gu Yingbing put his hands behinds his back in a relaxed position, as if nothing much had happened.

In a matter of a few short breaths, he had successfully overwhelmed a powerful Heavenly Beast living in the depths of the Heavenly Snow Mountain. One could imagine how powerful his aura was.

In truth, with Gu Yingbing's bloodline and current cultivation level, he normally would not be able to overwhelm such a powerful Heavenly Beast at such a speed. However, he had been in quite an unstable state for the past few hours, with all the hate towards Zhou Weiqing raging in him. This time, he wanted to give Zhou Weiqing a quick blow first, and he had burst forth with a massive power boost at the start, succeeding in an instance.

As soon as Gu Yingbing succeeded, he naturally turned his gaze to Zhou Weiqing at the side, waiting to see if he could actually succeed.

As he did so, his eyes naturally gleamed with an obvious disdain and contempt.

As compared to Gu Yingbing's dazzling performance and impressive presence and aura, Zhou Weiqing's performance was vastly different. He actually took a few steps forward right in front of the powerful Heavenly Beast, placing his palm on its huge forehead. The faint grey mist around his body started glowing more, swirling around, though his body did not have any other obvious changes, nor did he seem to release his aura much at all.

Gu Yingbing gave a cold smirk. He had been waiting all this while for Zhou Weiqing to take action. This first Heavenly Beast was already at the Upper Level Zong Stage, and with that puny cultivation level that Zhou Weiqing had, how could he possibly overwhelm it? Still, why didn't he release that Demonic Change State of his? If he used that, at least he might have some chance of success.

Just as Gu Yingbing was getting slightly curious about that, all of a sudden, the huge pangolin Heavenly Beast in front of Zhou Weiqing collapsed onto the ground. It was success for Zhou Weiqing as well! Although its body was not shivering, it had actually collapsed cowering down on the ground.

Gu Yingbing subconsciously turned his gaze to Xue AoTian, and actually saw slight surprise on his teacher's face.

In a way, one could say that this form of overwhelming Heavenly Beasts was of no meaning in actual combat. After all, in any normal fight, Heavenly Beasts would never stand there obediently allowing you to slowly overwhelm it. At the same time, Heavenly Jewel Masters would usually not spend their Heavenly Energy on strengthening their aura and pressure. Despite all that, it was no question that it was a shockingly impressive feat for Zhou Weiqing, a mere six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, to be able to successfully overwhelm a nine-Jeweled Heavenly Beast! More so, he had not taken much more time than Gu Yingbing did!

On the scene, there were six people in total. Of them, three were at the Heavenly Emperor Tier stage, and one Heavenly God Tier stage. In the entire world, that was already considered the apex of power. Yet, out of all four of these powerhouses, somehow none of them could figure out how Zhou Weiqing actually succeeded in overwhelming the Heavenly Beast. Indeed, not a single one. Even the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord Xue AoTian was not able to figure out. Only Long Shiya could vaguely guess how Zhou Weiqing managed to do so, but he was still not sure.

Even though he seemed to have succeeded in overwhelming that nine-Jeweled stage Heavenly Beast, Zhou Weiqing still did not emit any powerful aura or presence. It was truly a strange sensation. How did he manage to pull that off?

In fact, when Zhou Weiqing placed his palm on the massive pangolin Heavenly Beast's forehead, his eyes had subtly turned a deep purple. However, his back was facing the group, and the others did not see it. As for the Heavenly Beast, in the next instant it felt a strange presence emitting from the palm, an aura filled with despair.

Icy cold, despair, darkness, gloom, deathly stillness.

Uncountable negative emotions swarmed into the pangolin's mind. A Zong Stage Heavenly Beast already had some intelligence, but it was no match for those Heavenly King Stage or higher Heavenly Beasts. As soon as it was filled with those powerful negative emotions, its only feeling was that it could only surrender or die.

In this first round, Zhou Weiqing had actually resorted to skillful trickery. He did not want to reveal his true powers too quickly. What he had done was actually very simple – hiding the Devour Skill of the Demonic Attribute within his palm, but not actually releasing it out. As such, none of the others could detect it, but the sensation and aura of it was still emitted through his palm to the Heavenly Beast's head, even if it had not taken action yet.

As his cultivation level had grown, and his body had gone through evolution twice, Zhou Weiqing's Devour Skill had also improved drastically. It could be said to be full of many different miraculous uses, and it truly lived up to its name as the strongest Skill of the entire Demonic Attributes, able to improve infinitely. More importantly, the Heavenly Beast had been given strict instructions not to fight back, and his strategy of using the hidden Devour Skill had been a straightforward, yet miraculously effective one.

As soon as Zhou Weiqing completed overwhelming the Heavenly Beast in front of him, he did not even look at Gu Yingbing. Instead, he took a few steps back, standing there in a calm and relaxed position.

When the two Heavenly Beasts stood up once more, the one that faced Gu Yingbing did not have much change, just a hint of fear in its eyes. However, the one which faced Zhou Weiqing had its head held down low, not even daring to look at Zhou Weiqing. It was ingrained into its mind that even if it just looked at Zhou Weiqing, he would Devour it totally.

Chapter 519: First Test. Power (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Xue AoTian waved his hands, and immediately the two Heavenly Beasts slunk back to the cave from which they had come from, dejected and with their tails between their legs.

Xue AoTian continued passively, not giving any comments on the duo's performance. "Second one, prepare yourselves."

None of them detected how the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord managed to do so, but from within the depths of the dark cave, the next two Heavenly Beasts appeared. However, as compared to the large lumbering pair previously, these two were much smaller and more agile. They were extremely familiar to Zhou Weiqing, a pair of Silver Emperors.

The two small figures flashed in midair, encircling around Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing's heads respectively.

This pair of Silver Emperors were still young, and their cultivation level was also at the Upper Level Zong Stage, just like Zhou Weiqing's old pet Little Red Bean.

Thinking about Little Red Bean, Zhou Weiqing felt his heart wrench suddenly. Previously, Little Red Bean had been killed while protecting him from Gu Yingbing, and even up until now, he still remembered that scene clearly, as well as the heartache it brought him. Looking at the two Silver Emperors encircling them, Zhou Weiqing's calm finally broke, and he glanced towards Gu Yingbing.

As if sensing Zhou Weiqing's gaze, Gu Yingbing also looked towards him, his eyes flashing with both disdain and an unhidden killing intent. With a cold humph, the golden-red light flashed brightly once more, bursting into the skies.

If one were to liken Gu Yingbing's Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion aura and presence to that of an ocean, then the Silver Emperor would be a tiny boat within that ocean, thrown about by a tempestuous storm, doing its all to break free of the restraints of the powerful aura.

Both were Upper Level Zong Stage Heavenly Beasts, but it was clear that the Silver Emperor with the potential to reach the Heavenly King Stage was much stronger and more resistant than the first Heavenly Beast. Furthermore, it was much more agile and with an impressive speed. If not for Xue AoTian's restriction, it would have already broken free of Gu Yingbing's aura and fled swiftly. Of course, if these Heavenly Beasts could attack them, it would be far more difficult to oppress and overwhelm them with just their auras.

On the other side, Zhou Weiqing had also taken action. Due to the fact that his first round had been 'won' so strangely, currently all the powerhouses were focused on him.

The thick grey swirling mist rose forth once more from Zhou Weiqing's body, a pure and thick Demonic aura. The next moment, Zhou Weiqing simply raised his head and looked at the Silver Emperor encircling him. With a single rumbling command, he said: "Come down."

A miracle happened next.

The next instant, the freely circling Silver Emperor stopped abruptly, its wings folding as if some invisible power had gripped it, a power it was unable to break free from. As it spiralled down, it landed onto Zhou Weiqing's outstretched right hand, lowering its proud head.

This time, Zhou Weiqing's speed was actually even faster than Gu Yingbing!

The bloodline of the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion was undoubtedly strong, but they were after all Heavenly Beasts of the land. The Silver Emperor belonged to the skies, and thus Gu Yingbing did not have any easy way to reach it. He could only use his own powerful aura to continue pressuring it, and by the time he succeeded in overwhelming his Silver Emperor, Zhou Weiqing had already released the Silver Emperor in his hands.

Of course, the reason why Zhou Weiqing could deal with the Silver Emperor so easily… only he and Long Shiya knew the reason. It was actually very simple – the dragon bloodline within his body.

What was a dragon? One of the strongest Heavenly Beasts around, even higher level than the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lions. More importantly, they were overlords of the skies, holding absolute sovereignty over the skies. As soon as Zhou Weiqing released his aura with the Demonic essence, it held a hint of his dragon bloodline, and the little Silver Emperor could no longer resist.

The Solidified Dragon Spirit may not have brought Zhou Weiqing any Skills, but the number of benefits it had was numerous. Power over the flying beasts was one of them.

At this moment, the Lion King Gu Site's face had turned overcast. Originally, the test that he thought would be a crushing victory had turned to be a far more even fight than he had imagined. He couldn't help but worry a little, as this disciple of the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor was not as simple as he thought. With a mere six-Jeweled cultivation level, he had actually managed to succeed in overwhelming those two Heavenly Beasts. More so, this second round was even faster than his own son!

Next was the third Heavenly Beast. Once again, it was at the Upper Level Zong Stage power level, and this time it was Gu Yingbing who took the lead again, as it was a speed based land Heavenly Beast, and the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion was strong against it, causing it to be overwhelmed very quickly. As for Zhou Weiqing, it took him almost half the time before the Snow Leopard was finally overwhelmed.

"You two may rest for a while." Having completed the third round, Xue AoTian did not call forth the fourth pair, instead motioning for the two of them to rest. After all, the past three rounds had taken quite a toll on their spiritual energy and Heavenly Energy, and also their willpower.

"Master, no need, I can still continue." Before Zhou Weiqing could speak, Gu Yingbing spoke out eagerly, looking at Zhou Weiqing disdainfully.

Seeing that his own disciple was so lacking in calm, Xue AoTian couldn't help but furrow his brow. Although he knew the reason why Gu Yingbing was acting like that, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed by that subconscious rashness and lack of grace he was displaying.

Zhou Weiqing ignored Gu Yingbing's look,, turning to Xue AoTian and saying respectfully: "Thank you Senior." As he said that, he sat down in a meditation position, starting to silently recover himself.

Knowing that a grueling task remained ahead of him, Zhou Weiqing naturally wanted to keep himself in top condition. He knew it would not be easy to defeat Gu Yingbing, no matter how confident he had claimed he was earlier to Long Shiya, and he would allow himself to act like his opponent, underestimating him. Furthermore, he knew that his own Attributes lacked the Spirit Attribute, and in terms of spiritual energy he was no match for Gu Yingbing at all. In the past three rounds, especially the last one, Zhou Weiqing had paid a heavy price in the mental toll just to prevent his own strength from being revealed too early. At least he had managed to depend on the aura of the Dark Demon God Tiger to suppress the Snow Leopard, succeeding after some struggle.

Seeing that Zhou Weiqing did not fall for his provocation, Gu Yingbing could only sit down huffily, starting to recover his own Heavenly Energy and spiritual energy.

Xue AoTian gave them both ten minutes of rest. However, when the next pair of Heavenly Beasts came out, they were no longer Zong Stage…

When two Snow Wolf Kings appeared in front of Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing, both their expressions froze.

The Snow Wolf King was about one and a half metres in height, four metres in length. They were not considered huge, their body covered with silver fur, and a faint silver halo at their feet. Their limbs were thick and powerful, and the obvious long claws gave a loud 'clink'ing sound as they walked along floor. No one would doubt that these powerful Heavenly Beasts would wreak havoc on any battlefield they appeared in with their terrifying offensive power.

Snow Wolf King. Low Level Heavenly King Stage, a Dual Attribute Heavenly Beast with the Spatial and Ice Attributes. It also had an innate talent of Bloodlust, and was one of the rare native species only found in the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens.

The two Snow Wolf Kings walked respectively to the front of Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing. They were both quiet and docile, clearly under the control of Xue AoTian, but even so their eyes were filled with pride and their cold aura was far beyond the first three Zong Stage Heavenly Beasts. A Heavenly King Stage was after all a Heavenly King Stage.

Xue AoTian's expression remained impassive, and he said calmly: "Begin. The time is increased to ten minutes."

"Rooaarr" A loud, resounding howl, filled with wild ferocity, emitted from Gu Yingbing's mouth. At the same time, his gold-red hair instantly sprang outwards, just like an enraged male lion. The golden-red light did not scatter out like the previous three times, instead covering his entire body like a solid shield as his eyes glowed in a brilliant light, as if two swords of gold light were shooting out of them towards the Snow Wolf King.

Zhou Weiqing might have been hiding his true power, but did that mean Gu Yingbing wasn't? Although his heart was full of hatred for Zhou Weiqing, the Lion Prince was still the Lion Prince after all. He was no fool, and his sheer strength and power was without question. After all, he was not only a powerful member of the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion, he was also the first disciple of the top powerhouse in the entire world!

On the other side, a strangely similar howl rang out from Zhou Weiqing's body, almost at the same time. However, as compared to Gu Yingbing's highly excited, angry howl, Zhou Weiqing's roar was low, even icy cold.

His eyes turned bloodshot instantly, as thick black tiger tattoos sprang forth on the surface of his skin. His muscles bulged obviously, and his right leg began to left backwards while his palms warped into tiger paws. A thick black, grey and blue, tri-coloured glow burst forth from within his body. If one would describe Gu Yingbing's aura as wild and ferocious, then Zhou Weiqing's aura would be a haughty arrogant strange coldness… even demonic!

Facing a Heavenly King Stage Heavenly Beast, these two had no choice but to use their true power. This was the power of their bloodline.

"Demonic Change State!" The Lion King Gu Site and Tiger King Xue Aoying both exclaimed at once, their shocked eyes turning to land on the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya. Both of them did not know anything about Zhou Weiqing, and as soon as they saw his Demonic Change State, they were both surprised and puzzled. After all, the Demonic Change State could be said to be the exclusive power of the Heavenly Demon Sect. Yet, this young man in front of them was Long Shiya's disciple? How could that not be strange?

Long Shiya glanced at them exasperatedly and said: "Who said that only the members of the Heavenly Demon Sect can have the Demonic Change State? Fine, I'll tell you the truth. My precious disciple is a first generation awakened Demonic Attribute. That is to say… his Demonic Attribute is of the Saint Attribute level. Hmph Hmph."

Hearing Long Shiya's words, the Tiger King's face was filled with shock. Not only did Zhou Weiqing have Six Attributes just like the Long Shiya, one was even a Saint Attribute! This youth of less than twenty years of age… perhaps his talent was even more terrifying than the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor… More importantly, he was just so young! Although he had only just reached the six-Jeweled stage, but he still had more than ten years to charge forward. With the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor as his teacher, who dared say he wouldn't be able to reach the Heavenly King Stage before the age of thirty! If he managed to do so, then… perhaps… a future Heavenly God Tier?!

Chapter 520: Heavenly Emperor Beasts! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

As for the Lion King Gu Site, the moment he saw the Demonic Change State around Zhou Weiqing, the thought that sprang in mind was very different. His gaze on Zhou Weiqing also changed, turning cold and overcast. Such an unbelievably talented youth, yet he could not be used by himself. If I give him enough time to grow… that could lead to unforeseen, even disastrous circumstances…

Only the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord Xue AoTian remained standing there impassive, his face still expressionless as if he did not care about anything. However, if one examined him closely, they would discover his gaze was also transfixed on Zhou Weiqing

From Xue AoTian's perspective, he was rather curious about Zhou Weiqing. He had heard a lot of news about this youth from his daughter, and at present, what he was about to do was to create a truly fair fight, although on the surface appearance he was helping Gu Yingbing.

Regarding this young fellow who had stolen his daughter's heart, Xue AoTian's feelings were rather mixed. However, it was without a doubt that he was very curious about him, especially when he learned that Zhou Weiqing had the two Saint Attributes, Demonic and Time, that had piqued his interest even more.

Of all the people present, the one who had the strongest impression on Zhou Weiqing's current aura and presence was naturally Xue AoTian. Just like his daughter years ago, his own Divine and Spirit Attributes, the other two Saint Attributes, could clearly sense the Demonic and Time Saint Attributes from Zhou Weiqing. Vaguely, the four Saint Attributes were resonating with each other.

The Tiger King Xue Aoying also felt a strange connection to Zhou Weiqing as well, and that was the reason why, though he did not know it. As for the Lion King and Prince, although they both had the Divine and Spirit Attributes as well, in terms of purity and strength, it was no match for the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger bloodlines. In addition to the fact that they had strong feelings of enmity and hatred for Zhou Weiqing, the 'connection' with Zhou Weiqing was much weaker, even negligible.

Perhaps, a large portion of why Xue AoTian was willing to give Zhou Weiqing a fair chance now was because of his two Saint Attributes.

After all, he would never allow a useless person, a person without a good future, to become his son in law.

Currently, all of Xue AoTian's senses were focused on Zhou Weiqing, and almost as soon as Zhou Weiqing unleashed it, he sensed something different from his Demonic Change State.

As the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord, how could Xue AoTian not have any prior contact with the Heavenly Demon Sect? He had faced many of the powerhouses from the Heavenly Demon Sect in his time, and he naturally knew how powerful the Demonic Change State was. Even for himself, he was also wary about the unique powers of the Demonic Attribute and its special changes. However, Zhou Weiqing's current Demonic Change State was different from any that he had seen before… perhaps at a higher state than any, even the current Heavenly Demon Sect Master's!

Heavenly God Tier. That was a terrifying state that could fully control and dominate all energy within their sphere of control. Xue AoTian could naturally sense every minor change, detailed flux in Zhou Weiqing's body.

The first thing about Zhou Weiqing's Demonic Change State that he felt was the change in his spirit. For all the previous Heavenly Demon Sect powerhouses that Xue AoTian had met, even the Sect Master, when they entered their Demonic Change State, their spirit would fluctuate and be unsettled. However, this was not present for Zhou Weiqing. Indeed, when he entered the Demonic Change State, though his aura and presence underwent an entire upheaval, his spirit was still calm and peaceful like a lake of water. What did that mean? It was no longer as simple as a controlled Demonic Change State!

The next was the sheer power within Zhou Weiqing's bloodline. The Demonic Change State was originally a kind of mutated power that joined bloodline power with the Demonic Attribute. Generally speaking, it was unique factors within human bloodlines mixed with the Demonic Attribute, and it was exactly because the power held within the Demonic Attribute was far greater than that of the human bloodline, thus many Demonic Jewel Masters entered a crazed state, losing control etc etc.

However, Zhou Weiqing's situation was clearly very different. The bloodline power that merged with his Demonic Attribute was not just his own human bloodline, but also another bloodline that was no weaker… perhaps even stronger… than his own Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger bloodline. This bloodline… even this strongest powerhouse in the world, Xue AoTian, who controlled all the strongest Heavenly Beasts in the entire Heavenly Snow Mountain… he had never seen any bloodline like this before. In fact, he had not even heard anything like it before.

When these two powers merged together, it caused Zhou Weiqing's Demonic Change State to become far stronger than anything he had seen before. The aura emitted by Zhou Weiqing was already far beyond any ordinary Demonic Change State.

Tian'er had told Xue AoTian regarding Zhou Weiqing, and how he had an incomparable talent in overwhelming Heavenly Beasts. Previously, when he his cultivation level was still very low, he had already managed to Skill Store so many powerful Skills. This was also the reason why Xue AoTian had chosen the route of overwhelming Heavenly Beasts during this first competition. After all, just in terms of cultivation level, he was just too far from Gu Yingbing, and the age difference was not inconsiderable. To keep the competition actually fair, he did not want a direct frontal clash between the two youths.

Currently, as he continued sensing all the changes of Zhou Weiqing's Demonic Change State, but Xue AoTian's face remained impassive and expressionless. Despite that, his heart was actually filled with shock. What kind of bloodline did this Zhou Weiqing have? How could it be so powerful?!

Furthermore, as time passed, the shock in Xue TianAo's heart grew stronger and stronger, so much so that one could almost describe it as tempestuous storms brewing and raging turbulent waves rolling. That was because he discovered that Zhou Weiqing's bloodline was also of the Tiger type. More importantly, that bloodline seemed to have a strange complementary relationship with their own Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger bloodline!

In that instant, Xue AoTian could fully understand why his daughter had looked for Zhou Weiqing to accompany him on such an easy whim. At that time, Zhou Weiqing's cultivation level was low, and he was not able to hide any of his presence or aura.

At that time, Tian'er had not only sensed the draw of the Four Saint Attributes reverberating and drawing upon each other, but also that complementary aura of their bloodlines that had so strongly drawn her to him.

As he thought up to that point, Xue AoTian's heartbeat couldn't help but beat rapidly. Even as the top powerhouse in the world, he was somehow unable to control his own heart from racing. That was because from Zhou Weiqing, he saw a possibility. The possibility of breaching the thirteenth Jewel – the legendary Heavenly Change! In that instant, the scales in his heart were trembling.

At last, with a plop sound, the Snow Wolf King in front of Gu Yingbing fell to the ground. Overwhelming success. Wolves and Lions were not on the same level after all, and Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion perfectly countered the Snow Wolf King, especially since Gu Yingbing was already at the nine-Jeweled stage. More so, Gu Yingbing had already used his Spirit Attribute in pressuring the Snow Wolf King. The power of a Saint Attribute along with the superior bloodline; it was not that difficult to overwhelm the Snow Wolf King. The Divine and Spirit Dual Saint Attributes was one of the important techniques of the Heavenly Snow Mountain in suppressing or controlling Heavenly Beasts, so in a way the Snow Wolf King could be said to be used to being overwhelmed like that.

Just as Gu Yingbing succeeded, on the other side, Zhou Weiqing also succeeded at almost the exact same time.

Zhou Weiqing had raised his Demonic Right Leg behind him, his palms extended out. They could clearly see that between each 'paw', there was a ball of grey mist swirling. As for his bloodshot eyes, they were glowing with a shocking intensity, with a thick aura of suppression that somehow succeeded in overwhelming the other Snow Wolf King at the same time.

Of course, this Snow Wolf King was not just afraid of Zhou Weiqing's Dark Demon God Tiger aura, but also the Devour Skill in his hands. Any Heavenly Beast below the Heavenly God Tier stage would instinctively be terrified of the Devour Skill, and this was also one of the reasons why Zhou Weiqing had been able to overwhelm those powerful Heavenly Beasts in the past when his cultivation level was much lower, allowing him to Skill Store far beyond his normal level.

The reason why he used the simple Demonic Change State instead of his newly gained Dragon-Tiger Transformation was because he still wanted to hide his true power. After all, the Solidified Dragon Spirit was not like his Dark Demon God Tiger bloodline inheritance, affecting his entire body. As such, after melding with the Solidified Dragon Spirit, he was no longer able to enter transformation state without entering the Demonic Change State. Of course, he could still not activate the Dragon-Tiger Transformation and only use the Demonic Change State. Furthermore, even as he used his current Demonic Change State, it was mainly only focused on presence and aura, and was not a large toll on his energy. He could even hide his wings, not allowing his full transformative state to be displayed in front of all the others. Even so, he had managed to succeed in overwhelming the Snow Wolf King. After all, overwhelming Heavenly Beasts was what he excelled in even in the past, let alone now that he had reached the six-Jeweled stage.

…

The next few Heavenly Beasts, the fifth sixth and seventh, were all also at the Heavenly King Stage, just at the Mid Level, High Level and Max Level respectively.

So far, Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing had used the same method as in the fourth round, in order to complete their overwhelming. Of course, the time taken had also continued increasing, but the two still continued succeeding.

Seven out of the ten rounds had already completed, and both were still fully equal. Originally fully confident in his victory, Gu Yingbing's disdain and scorn had changed to seriousness. He had a strange feeling that this current Zhou Weiqing was very different from the puny fellow he had easily trashed just a few months ago. Even his Demonic Change State seemed different. It might not be that easy to defeat him in terms of overwhelming Heavenly Beasts.

For the entire group of onlookers, perhaps the most easy going one was surprisingly the Six Ultimate Emperor Long Shiya. He knew that Zhou Weiqing had not even used the Dragon-Tiger Transformation, but had already completed seven rounds of overwhelming. Although both sides looked exhausted, he was still confident that Zhou Weiqing had this in the bag.

"You both may rest for an hour." Once again, Xue AoTian proclaimed a rest time. This time, Gu Yingbing did not speak out, and the two youths sat down at once, quickly trying to recover their spirit and energy. They might have completed the first seven rounds, but that did not mean that the last three would be easy for them. Without question, it would be time for them to meet Heavenly Emperor stage Heavenly Beasts!

Just like Heavenly Jewel Masters, in terms of cultivation level for Heavenly Beasts, it was also a massive gap between the Heavenly King stage and Heavenly Emperor stage. Both Gu Yingbing and Zhou Weiqing were not confident in continuing to succeed. After all, no matter how strong a bloodline was, there was a limit to how much it could bridge the gap in cultivation level and sheer power. Even if the Heavenly Emperor Beast was restricted from attacking them, it was still a difficult task.

The superior feeling in Gu Yingbing's heart had long dissipated, but he still did not think he would lose. As a nine-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, he was confident that his recovery speed was far superior to Zhou Weiqing, especially since he had the Spirit Attribute, his Spiritual Energy and recovery speed was definitely astonishing.

Chapter 521: Heavenly Emperor Beasts! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

However, one hour passed, and when the two youths stood up once more, Gu Yingbing was surprised to see that Zhou Weiqing looked refreshed and rejuvenated, as if he was back in tip top condition. How could he not be surprised?

Xue AoTian looked at the two of them and said in a serious tone: "Next, you will both be facing Heavenly Emperor stage Heavenly Beasts. I do not need to remind you too much, for Heavenly Beasts to reach the Heavenly Emperor stage, it is without question that they also have extremely high quality bloodlines. As such, your advantage of bloodline will not be that obvious, and you may even run the risk of being counter-injured."

Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing's faces turned serious. Overwhelming a Heavenly Emperor stage Heavenly Beast. They had never even dreamed of doing it at their current levels, let alone trying it out, and they did not know whether or not they could succeed.

*Boom* *Boom* *Boom*

A low, rumbling thunder shook the entire cave as it rang out. The Heavenly Beasts that they would face had not even appeared, but a terrifying and oppressive presence could already be felt.

The expressions of both Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing instantly changed. In their hearts, they suddenly had the strange misconception – Who was the one doing the overwhelming?! The two Heavenly Emperor stage Beasts had not even appeared, and they were already barely able to hold on. Such a level of power, was it really possible for them to succeed? Wasn't that just a fantastical dream?

Even if it were a lowest level Heavenly Emperor Stage Beast, it was still the difference of heaven and earth compared to a max level Heavenly King Stage Beast!

The two youths were not the only ones whose expressions changed. Long Shiya, the Tiger King and Lion King also looked serious. With their cultivation level, they could easily sense the sheer power of the two incoming Heavenly Beasts – not Low Level Heavenly Emperor Stage, but at the Mid Level Heavenly Emperor Stage! Besides Xue AoTian, only Long Shiya actually had any confidence that they could overwhelm Beasts of such a level with only their aura and presence.

Soon, two unbelievably immense figures appeared in their sights, so massive that it was almost terrifying. This cavern was extremely huge and spacious, but as soon as the two Heavenly Beasts appeared, it was as if the cavern had suddenly become too tiny.

Both Beasts were more than ten metres tall, fifteen metres in length, their bodies covered with long white fur with huge tusks protruding out like two terrifying lumbering mountains of doom.

Mammoths! These were Mammoth – Type Heavenly Beasts!

Mammoth Type Heavenly Beasts were extremely talented, their bloodlines ensuring they could reach at least Upper Level Zong Stage or higher. These two were magnificent species amongst their kind, obviously with their Heavenly Emperor Stage, and they were Lords and Leaders amongst all Mammoth type Beasts.

Long Shiya muttered: "Snow Lord Mammoths. These huge fellows. Old Monster Xue, you are already bringing these out on the eighth round? How can they possibly succeed in overwhelming them? Do you think they have already reached our level?"

Xue AoTian glanced at Long Shiya before saying passively: "From this round onwards, the test is reversed. Yingbing, you and Zhou Weiqing will have to withstand the oppressive pressure of these Snow Lord Mammoths for 5 minutes. If anyone fails in that time, you will have lost the round. If both of you can withstand the pressure, then we will go on to the ninth round…"

"Yes, Master." Gu Yingbing said respectfully. He couldn't help but heave a huge sigh of relief in his heart. At least it was not an impossible task. Withstanding pressure and attempting to overwhelm these Heavenly Beasts was a hugely different task.

By this time, the two massive mammoths had already lumbered to the front of Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing respectively. If one thought their presence was terrifying just now, the addition of their massive bodies in front of them brought some strange new pressure!

Snow Lord Mammoths. These monstrous beasts had the Ice, Earth and Wind Attributes, and their innate talent was to berserk. In the entire Ten Thousand Beast Heavens, they were highly ranked and respected. In the WanShou Empire, there was a Legion of controlled Heavenly Beasts controlled only by the Heavenly Snow Mountain. It was also one of the main reasons why the other four Great Saint Lands feared them so much. The Legion Commander of that Legion had a Snow Lord Mammoth mount, and one could imagine how powerful it was for such a high ranked powerhouse.

They were able to control winds and snows, trample across the earth in stampedes. They were considered a rare breed that were equally power in both offense and defense.

Such powerful Heavenly Beasts, even Long Shiya would have a bit of trouble in defeating them. For Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing, it was definitely impossible for them stand against them. The Snow Lord Mammoths might not seem to have any scales or armour, but their pure white fur was actually deceptively tough, one of the strongest defenses. Even a full powered attack from a Max Level Heavenly King Stage powerhouse might not be able to cause any damage to them. Of course, one had to consider that these powerful Heavenly Beasts were under full control of Xue AoTian, and from that alone one could tell how powerful this Heavenly God Tier powerhouse was.

The Lion King Gu Site's somber eyes were suddenly filled with a burning heat. Even he had not expected that the Heavenly Snow Mountain held so much power. If… his son could control the Heavenly Snow Mountain in the future… perhaps… they would be able to sweep over the entire mainland!

*ROARR* Almost at the same time, two resounding roars rang out from the two Snow Lord Mammoths, their long trunks raised up in the air. Instantly, a powerful layer of green-blue light sprang forth from their bodies, enveloping Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing's bodies respectively.

In the next instant, Zhou Weiqing felt as if he was trapped in a world of ice and snow. The surrounding air plummeted to absolute zero, the frigid temperatures buffeting him along with the cruel pressure of the Mammoth's terrifying aura, feeling like uncountable sharp ice shards slicing all over his body. A massive spiritual pressure descended upon him like a huge mountain from the skies, smashing down over his head.

Zhou Weiqing gave a muffled grunt as he staggered back subconsciously. Even under the Demonic Change State, he was almost unable to withstand this terrifying pressure.

On the other side, Gu Yingbing was in a much better state than Zhou Weiqing. After all, his cultivation level was at the nine-Jeweled stage, much higher than Zhou Weiqing. He had not staggered back, holding his ground, though his expression had turned very ugly and his body was trembling slightly. The golden-red light around him was so thick that it was as if an actual solid burning shroud was around him, as the thick Heavenly Energy reverberations around him denoted his channeling of his spirit to the maximum.

Alas for these poor two young souls, both Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing had just been foolish enough to be relieved and think that withstanding the pressure would be easier than overwhelming. Now, they knew what a joke their previous thoughts had been just an instant ago. Facing a Heavenly Emperor stage was never a trifling task.

Having reached the Mid Level Heavenly Emperor stage, as soon as the Snow Lord Mammoths' powerful aura smashed down upon them, they realised it was far more difficult than when they were trying previously to overwhelm the Max Level Heavenly King Stage Beasts!

Furthermore, this pressure was now reverse. That was to say, they definitely had to hold on the best they could, otherwise failure would also lead to serious injury. More importantly… that already-terrifying pressure was still increasing slowly!

The terrifying pressure was crushing down upon both Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing, draining their energy at a crazy rate. When Zhou Weiqing staggered back a step, he felt as if he could no longer hold on. However, after moving back one more step, he finally stopped staggering back just like that. Although he was still having trouble holding on, at least he had finally stabilized himself and not lost just immediately.

At this moment, even the Tiger King Xue Aoying couldn't help but reveal a hint of admiration on his face. For a six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master, even with the aid of the Demonic Change State, to be able to withstand a Mid Level Heavenly Emperor Stage Heavenly Beast for so long, it was already unbelievably astonishing. He could imagine that any other six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master would have already imploded internally from facing such pressure. After all, the gap in cultivation level was just too huge.

*Haaahhh* Gu Yingbing yelled softly in exertion as his arms raised up abruptly, palms facing upwards. The next moment, the golden-red light around his body actually turned pure golden, as if flames rising into the air.

Divine Flames. This was not any Skill, but the pure merger of Heavenly Energy of the Divine and Fire Attribute merging together fully. This was also one of the ultimate secrets of the Heavenly Snow Mountain that was never to be passed outside. With the sheer power of the Divine Flames, Gu Yingbing finally managed to hold his ground, but his Heavenly Energy expenditure was now several times his original.

Gu Yingbing finally had a moment of respite to turn to look at Zhou Weiqing. In his mind, Zhou Weiqing could not possibly hold on for five minutes. Although the Divine Flames was a huge drain on himself, he was confident of at least holding on for that long, and without question that would put him as the ultimate victor.

However, a shocking sight followed next. Just as everyone thought the swaying body of Zhou Weiqing would fall, abruptly a tearing sound rang out, and the back of Zhou Weiqing's shirt ripped apart in a burst. A pair of huge wings sprang forth from his back without warning.

The black grey wings were like an artifact calming the seas. When they appeared, the massive amounts of various energies suddenly started surging crazily towards Zhou Weiqing. At the same time, it was as if Zhou Weiqing's bloodline aura abruptly raised up to an even higher state. Although his cultivation level was still the same, the gap between them still like an unbreachable chasm, his bloodline aura was suddenly at a massive advantage against the Snow Lord Mammoths!

Using bloodline alone to suppress a Heavenly Emperor Stage Snow Lord Mammoth of noble blood!??

Both the Tiger King and Lion King widened their eyes. This time, as Xue AoTian saw the wings spreading out from Zhou Weiqing's back, even he was not able to maintain his impassive expression.

Paired wings that could actually upgrade one's bloodline?! What the h*** was going on?!

In that instant, Xue AoTian suddenly realised that he had severely underestimated that ancient tiger bloodline of Zhou Weiqing's. He had previously thought he had already judged it very highly, but it appeared it wasn't as simple as he thought… perhaps… it was even at a far higher level than his own bloodline… a nobler and higher grade than even the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers!

As soon as the wings burst forth from Zhou Weiqing's back, shock filled the eyes of Snow Lord Mammoth in front of him. Abruptly, the pressure on Zhou Weiqing almost halved, and in the short instantaneous respite, Zhou Weiqing had actually taken a huge step forward, regaining the footing lost previously.

Black and grey light swirled around him as if burning into the air. It was a mix of his Darkness and Demonic Attributes.

The Divine Attribute and Demonic Attribute were both Saint Attributes, and it was hard to compare which was stronger than the other. However, if one compared Darkness and Fire Attribute, there was an obvious difference. Zhou Weiqing had somehow managed to just use his Demonic Change State to somehow merge his Darkness and Demonic Attributes, fusing them perfectly like the Divine Flames of the Heavenly Snow Mountain. All this without any secret arts! This was the advantage of his bloodline power!

The Dark Demon God Tiger was originally of the Darkness, Demonic and Lightning Attributes, and had full control over all these Attributes, able to merge them easily. As such, under the Demonic Change State, instinctively having them fuse together was not that difficult a task.

Chapter 522: Heavenly Emperor Beasts! (3)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Furthermore, although Zhou Weiqing's Heavenly Energy was far lower than Gu Yingbing, do not forget about his Immortal Deity Technique! With the twenty four opened Death Acupuncture Points and the energy whirlpools, along with the pair of wings behind his back, his energy regeneration was somehow able to sustain the massive drain on his Heavenly Energy.

"What… what kind of bloodline is that?!" The Tiger King Xue Aoying was finally unable to control himself, turning to the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor beside him and asking.

Long Shiya was eyeing his disciple with unbridled smug satisfaction on his face. There was nothing to hide about the name of Zhou Weiqing's bloodline; after all, it was his alone. "It is called the Dark Demon God Tiger Bloodline, a perfect match for your own Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger bloodline! One black tiger, one white tiger… That is why I said that my Little Fatty is more suitable for your little Tian'er. How about it, Tiger King, my precious disciple is not bad huh?"

Xue Aoying smiled bitterly and said: "Bro Long, if you are willing to let me have him as disciple instead, I will satisfy any condition you have! Even that marriage, I will do everything in my power to ensure it happens." He spoke softly to Long Shiya, though he was not afraid of the Lion King listening in.

Long Shiya gave an exasperated humph and said: "Don't daydream. Even if you use the entire WanShou Empire to swap with me, I will not do so! My precious disciple is one of a kind!"

Both sides had already stabilized, but in comparison, at least in outward appearance, Zhou Weiqing was slightly better off. The Snow Lord Mammoth facing him showed a hint of fear towards his bloodline aura, and even its powerful aura now seemed slightly weaker than than the other one.

Looking at Gu Yingbing's side, his expression was extremely ugly. He had never in his wildest dreams imagined that Zhou Weiqing could last up to this round, let alone take the advantage here. He could clearly see that this had to be because when Zhou Weiqing's cultivation level had broken through to the six-Jeweled stage, his Demonic Change State had either mutated or evolved somehow, with those wings appearing.

Thinking up to this point, Gu Yingbing suddenly calmed down, breaking out of his state of rage and jealousy. At that moment, he suddenly realised he had been ignoring all this time, a serious problem indeed – Zhou Weiqing's cultivation level.

Previously, he had been disdainful of Zhou Weiqing's mere six-Jeweled cultivation level. Yet, all of a sudden, as he thought about it, the last time he faced Zhou Weiqing, he had just broken through to the five-Jeweled stage! However, now, in just a matter of months, he had somehow already reached six Jewels! This was something that was impossible just from cultivating… something else must have happened.

As he thought about that, Gu Yingbing's scorn and underestimation of Zhou Weiqing was wiped away. At last, he realised that for Zhou Weiqing to dare to come here today, especially since he was brought by Long Shiya, he had to have been fully prepared. If there was no chance at all, even if Zhou Weiqing was crazy enough to do so, would the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor be that crazy?

As comprehension dawned upon him, Gu Yingbing turned calm and cool. He knew that if he wanted to defeat Zhou Weiqing today, it would not be an easy task, and he could not afford to underestimate his foe.

Time passed, second after second, minute after minute. Gu Yingbing and Zhou Weiqing were both gritting their teeth as they held on with all their might. The two Snow Lord Mammoths aura continued raising up to a certain before maintaining equilibrium. After all, they were not able to actually strike out in an attack, and if they raised their presence too far, they would have no choice but to strike.

Five minutes was not considered a long time, but it was not too short either. By the time the time ended, both Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing were surrounded by mist – their bodies generating so much sweat that was then quickly evaporated by the vast amounts of Heavenly Energy around them.

The two youths, perhaps the absolute top of their entire generation, had finally passed this round. When the pressure from the two Snow Lord Mammoths disappeared, both of them instantly sank down onto the ground, quickly assuming a meditative position to recover their energy.

This round of testing had not only pushed the two to the limit, but also squeezed out their potential and talent. Facing these two powerful Heavenly Beasts, the drain had been far more than all of the last seven rounds added up together.

When the Snow Lord Mammoths stopped, both Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing had felt utterly exhausted. After all, facing a healthy Heavenly Emperor Stage Heavenly Beast in top condition was far different from those Sealed in the Skill Storing Palaces.

"You both only have one hour of rest." Xue AoTian's voice rang out, in a rather emotionless and almost unreasonable way.

Currently, all the powerhouses present were interesting in finding out what the limit was for both Gu Yingbing and Zhou Weiqing. There was still two more rounds of this test to go, and since the eighth was already with Mid Level Heavenly Emperor Beasts, the last two were definitely even stronger. How far could they go?

Besides Xue AoTian, not even the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya could claim to do the same as these two youths when he was at their age… let alone the Tiger and Lion King! However, the strongest emotion in his heart now was pride. After all, Zhou Weiqing was not even twenty years old yet! If Long Shiya previously only held some hope that Zhou Weiqing would reach the Heavenly God Tier, now, he was extremely confident that as long as his precious disciple could continue growing and improving at his current speed, he would definitely reach the Heavenly God Tier eventually.

One hour passed quickly, and when Zhou Wieqing and Gu Yingbing stood up once more, their expressions were quite different.

Gu Yingbing's face was grave and serious, his face still pale. As for Zhou Weiqing, he was still covered in the black tiger tattoos, but his eyes were bright and clear. The powerhouses present could clearly sense that Zhou Weiqing's spirit and Heavenly Energy recovery was no less than Gu Yingbing! Was this a recovery speed of a six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master?! Especially since he was still maintaining his Demonic Change State…

The Lion King Gu Site's expression was rather ugly. He could not believe that this mere six-Jeweled little brat was holding his own against his son. In theory, that was truly impossible.

A Six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master withstanding a Heavenly Emperor's pressure? Even if they said it out who could believe it?

Before Xue AoTian could summon the next group of Heavenly Beasts, Gu Site suddenly spoke out. "Mountain Lord, I have a suggestion."

"En?" Xue AoTian turned to him and said passively: "Lion King, what is your suggestion?"

Gu Site continued: "Mountain Lord, from a certain perspective, we can be considered Heavenly Beasts. How about, for this ninth round, let me and the Tiger King be the testers. The Tiger King can suppress Yingbing, while I will do the same for this Zhou Weiqing. My cultivation level is about the same as the Tiger King's, so that is fair. What do you think?"

"Haha." Long Shiya burst out laughing heartily. "I never expected that the Lion King, head of an entire Empire, would be so shameless. Your WanShou Empire is trying to band together to bully me and my disciple? I do not reject your suggestion, but the one who suppresses your son will have to be me for it to be fair."

"Bullshit. How is that not fair? My cultivation level is the same as the Tiger King's, but you are already at the Max Level of the Heavenly Emperor, with the boost of your Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor. Your suggestion is the unfair one!" Gu Site said angrily.

Long Shiya said coldly: "Don't forget that your son is nine-Jeweled, and my disciple is only six-Jeweled. That evens things out."

Xue AoTian swept them both with his gaze before saying solemnly: "Both of you need not argue. This test is mainly about their bloodline power, and though cultivation level is definitely of help, it is not as huge as difference. Bro Long, as I said, in this test, Yingbing will have some advantages. Both of you need not argue, I will still go on with my original test."

As he said that, he waved his hands as he sent out a command. Instantly, all the air in the cavern seemed to freeze and still, as two calm, stable and boundless auras came forth from the cave entrance.

Sensing the two auras, even Long Shiya's expression changed swiftly.

This was the true hidden background power of the Heavenly Snow Mountain. In the Heavenly Snow Mountain, they did not have the sheer numbers of powerhouses like the Heaven's Expanse Palace, nor their terrifying wealth and Consolidated Equipment. However, the Heavenly Snow Mountain had many powerful Heavenly Beasts, and many of these were under the control and command of the Heavenly Snow Mountain Lord. Without question, if Xue AoTian were to command these powerful Heavenly Beasts of the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens to war, he could almost wipe out all of humanity, bringing about a holy war between Heavenly Beasts and Humans.

Of course, such a scenario was not just feared by the human empires, but even the WanShou Empire or the Heavenly Snow Mountain did not want something like this to happen. After all, there was no benefit in doing so. Most of the powerful Heavenly Beasts were already divested of their requirement of food, able to gain their nourishment from absorbing the atmospheric energies. As such, their existence in the Ten Thousand Beast Heavens was safe, nor did they fear interference from humans. The best case scenario was for both sides to coexist without interference from each other. At the same time, if the four Great Saint Lands joined forces against the Heavenly Snow Mountain, it would be hard for them to hold out as well.

Two faint gold lights approached, and before Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing could actually see clearly, they felt their vision blur momentarily and there was a man standing in front of them respectively.

Indeed. A man, middle aged, with short gold hair.

Both these middle aged men were gold in colour, their skin a faint gold colour with a yellow-gold short hair. In fact, their entire body was shining with that faint gold light, and even the pupils of their eyes were gold. It was as if they had been carved out of gold.

Long Shiya's face was full of surprise as he exclaimed: "Old Monster Xue, you have even called upon your Heavenly Snow Mountain Guardians, the two Light Titan Apes… you truly think very highly of this two young fellows huh?"

The two middle aged men looked exactly alike, clearly a pair of identical twins. Hearing Long Shiya's words, the two smiled at Long Shiya, nodding in greeting as they said: "Since the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor is here to visit, how can we not show up."

Indeed, these two middle aged men were actually the two Light Titan Apes. Some Heavenly Beasts, even if they cultivated up to the Heavenly God Tier stage, they were still unable to take human form. Some were able to do so at a low cultivation level. For example, Tian'er, she had already been able to take human form even though her cultivation level was not too high. Although that did not mean anything for their power or cultivation level, it usually meant their intelligence was higher than those which could not take human form.

Chapter 523: Heavenly God Beast! Mother-in-Law! (1)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

Both these Light Titan Apes were at the Upper Level Heavenly Emperor stage. Although they might not be able to compare with the human Heavenly Emperor Jewel Masters, their strength was undoubtedly terrifying.

In fact, the main difference of power between Heavenly Beasts and human Heavenly Jewel Masters was in their Consolidated Equipment and the restrictions of Skills. Long Shiya had fought with these two Light Titan Apes several times before, the first time when he had first reached the Heavenly Emperor Stage. At that time, Xue AoTian had not reached the Heavenly God Stage as well. Although these two Light Titan Apes did not have any Consolidated Equipment, they were a pair of twins which could work together very well. During that fight, Long Shiya had barely won by a hair. It was only in the future as he finally completed his 'Hate Sky No Handle' Legendary Set, and his cultivation level increased, that he could finally guarantee defeating them in a fight.

Heavenly God Tier Heavenly Beasts could not possibly be controlled or commandeered by others, not even the Heavenly Snow Mountain. As such, it was already the absolute limit to command Heavenly Emperor Stage Heavenly Beasts. Furthermore, only a Heavenly God Tier powerhouse like Xue AoTian could fully convince such powerful Heavenly Beasts. These two Light Titan Apes could be said to be a core backbone of the Heavenly Snow Mountain power base, and whenever Xue AoTian entered closed door cultivation, they would personally guard him.

Currently, for them to be invited to test Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing, it was no wonder that Long Shiya was so astonished.

Xue AoTian's originally impassive face finally revealed a faint smile as he nodded towards the two Light Titan Apes, making an inviting gesture towards the two youths. This was a treatment that not even the two Snow Lord Mammoths had gotten.

Gu Yingbing's eyes showed some clear nervous tension. He was not foolish enough to think that these Heavenly Snow Mountain Guardians would take it easy on him. These two Light Titan Apes only listened to Xue AoTian alone.

"This time, you both only need to withstand their pressure for 2.5 minutes to pass this round." Xue AoTian told Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing.

A thick gold light sprang forth the moment the words ended. The entire cavern was surrounded with ice, and in the sudden brilliant light, it painted a miraculous picture of astounding beauty.

In the midst of the pure gold light, the two Light Titan Apes' bodies shimmered and slowly became transparent. Their aura and pressure did not seem like the Snow Lord Mammoths, compared to the massive mountains pressuring down, it was more like an intangible yet all-encompassing environmental energy. That did not mean it was any weaker, as terrifying pressure swelled around the two youths from all directions. Behind the two Light Titan Apes, a huge, illusory image of themselves appeared.

Looking at that, Long Shiya, the Lion and Tiger Kings, all of them suddenly realised that these two Light Titan Apes had strengthened once more, now only a step away from reaching the Max Level Heavenly Emperor Stage. On the surface, their aura and pressure was more 'gentle' than the Snow Lord Mammoths, but it was strengthening at a frightening pace, far faster than the Mammoths earlier. More so, it was a pervasive pressure that came from everywhere, invaded everywhere.

It was as if all the Light Attribute Energy in the world was focused here in that instant, fully pressuring against Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing. What was in front of them did not seem like two Heavenly Beasts, but two bright suns shining with radiant light.

Such pressure was not just on their spiritual energy anymore, the pressure almost like a solid presence, actually oppressing their bodies. If their cultivation level was insufficient, such a pressure alone would be able to crush them into dust, vanishing from this world forever.

Without any delay, the gold Divine Flames blazed forth around Gu Yingbing's body. Facing the Light Titan Ape, he dared not hold back at all, circulating all of his Heavenly Energy, bloodline power as well as all his Attributes at once, fully powering his Divine Flames which burned and rose in the middle of all the incoming pressure. Even so, the Divine Flames that blazed so strongly momentarily was quickly pressured back in all the way to a tiny area surrounding his body.

Looking at the situation, the Lion King Gu Site was no longer frowning, instead feeling joy. The reason was simple – the Attributes of the Light Titan Apes!

The Light Attribute was the natural counter to the Darkness Attribute. At least, Gu Yingbing had the Divine Attribute, which could be in a certain way described as an sublimed upper state of the Light Attribute. At least, it had a natural resistance towards the Light Attribute. Yet, the Darkness and Demonic Attributes of Zhou Weiqing were naturally countered by the Light Attribute of the Light Titan Ape. As such, even facing the same amount of pressure, Zhou Weiqing should fare much worse. Seeing his son having such difficulty, he expected that Zhou Weiqing would be in dire straits.

Alas, the truth of the matter that happened next surprised all the watching powerhouses.

With a low tiger's howl, the grey-black swirling mist around Zhou Weiqing's body grew thicker, the wings around his back flapping gently rhythmically, causing his entire person to seem to be wrapped in layer of thick black mist. At the same time, within the mist, arcs of bluish purple electricity flashed about erratically. The most surprising thing was that the large layer of black mist was somehow being suppressed at a slower rate than Gu Yingbing's Divine Flames!

His bloodline actually had some other hidden powers that hadn't been released up to now? Both the Lion and Tiger Kings were taken aback. What kind of bloodline power was that? It was no lower than even the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger!

Indeed, the Light Attribute was a natural counter for the Darkness Attribute, and they were on the same level. However, if one counted the Demonic Attribute, how could the Light Attribute alone possibly counter it fully?

Furthermore, Dragons had the Light and Fire Attribute. While Zhou Weiqing's Light Attribute resistance was far lower than his Fire Attribute resistance, it was definitely not as weak as Gu Site had estimated. Hidden deep within the black mist, Zhou Weiqing's eyes had turned from the deep red to a purple. In order to withstand the Light Titan Ape, he had already started entering the Dragon-Tiger Transformation.

After all, this was just pressure from aura and presence, not Heavenly Energy. The main fighting was bloodline power. It was without question that Zhou Weiqing's bloodline was far superior to Gu Yingbing.

The Light Titan Ape in front of Zhou Weiqing revealed a hint of surprise in his eyes. He could clearly sense Zhou Weiqing's cultivation level, and for a mere six-Jeweled Heavenly Jewel Master to withstand his own pressure, even giving him an indistinct hint of a threat. That sense of danger came from the bloodline power of Zhou Weiqing, and was definitely not obvious, but the occasional twinge in his heart made the Light Titan Ape unwilling to push his own aura and pressure to the maximum.

—Roar—!

At the other side, Gu Yingbing was no longer able to hold on. Abruptly, the gold flames around his body burst out in a sudden rise. The next moment, his entire body seemed to drop to the ground, and in the middle of the thick gold light, he turned into a massive four metres long gold lion. The circle of blood red fur around his neck obvious.

Under the sheer pressure of the Light Titan Ape, Gu Yingbing had no choice but to release his original Heavenly Beast form. In his Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion form, his bloodline power was greatly boosted, a similar case to Zhou Weiqing's Demonic Change State. Once again, both youths entered a sort of equilibrium state; both holding on with all their might, both refusing to fall.

Sweat poured down from their bodies, only to evaporate a few moments later to disappear into the air. Their breathing grew heavy and ragged; with such pressure beating down upon them, their sweat soon turned to fine blood droplets appearing along their skin.

At this moment, Zhou Weiqing felt like his entire body was being squeezed to the limit, as if he were about to explode at any moment. Yet, under such pressure, his twenty four energy whirlpools at the Death Acupuncture Points somehow broke through their previous limitations, speeding up at least fifty percent of their previous maximum speed. His body had already far surpassed his limit, and the suffocating feeling made him feel like he was about to be destroyed at any moment.

In truth, perhaps Zhou Weiqing was in a lot more trouble than Gu Yingbing. However, in terms of withstanding pain and suffering, Gu Yingbing was no match for Zhou Weiqing. Just his Immortal Deity Technique alone had given him a massive experience in withstanding pain, let alone the period of time he had spent immersed in lava while at the Fire Spirit Mountain. Having gone through the spiritual suffering during the merger of the Solidified Dragon Spirit and his Dark Demon God Tiger bloodline, his nerves were now unbelievably steely and his resistance to pain was unparalleled. Even a Heavenly Emperor powerhouse might not be able to match him in that regard. Right now, this level of pain was nothing, definitely within his limits. With that, he forcefully did not fully enter the Dragon-Tiger Transformation. After all, this was only the ninth test, and there was one final one. He was certain that the final round of test would be a Max Level Heavenly Emperor Beast. If he revealed all of his Dragon-Tiger Transformation now, it would be difficult to achieve victory later.

Even so, Zhou Weiqing's potential was being fully pressed out of him. At that moment, behind his back, an illusory light appeared abruptly.

The figure of light was not clear at all, but it vaguely seemed to be a huge black tiger, wings spread out behind his back, just like the ones on Zhou Weiqing's back.

This is his bloodline lineage! Xue AoTian thought to himself. In a certain perspective, this little brat can be considered a beastman, with such powerful Heavenly Beast bloodline within him. The Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger bloodline was already considered the top in the entire world, king of all Beasts. Could this unknown Dark Demon God Tiger's bloodline actually be superior to his own Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger?!

Towards this, Xue AoTian was not willing to admit it, but the facts in front of him were almost too much to ignore.

2.5 minutes was half the time of the previous round. However, to Gu Yingbing and Zhou Weiqing, that time was like an eternity. By the time the two Light Titan Apes halted and left stealthily, the two could not control their own bodies, flopping down onto the ground panting and gasping for breath.

Long Shiya had his hands behind his back, a huge smug smile on his face. Zhou Weiqing had managed to reach this point, and he was extremely proud. Having gone through this entire test this time in the Heavenly Snow Mountain, no matter the final result, it was already a cleansing and possible evolving for Zhou Weiqing in all matters. He now truly had the power to protect himself.

Xue AoTian's gaze swept across Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing, a hint of appreciation in his eyes. Gu Yingbing was his disciple, his pride, and he was not too surprised that he had managed to succeed. After all, he had spent a lot of time on effort on developing Gu Yingbing.

From Xue AoTian's status and perspective, he could see things from a whole different level from the Tiger King Xue Aoying. He had long grown past the restrictions of tribe or race, and could look down at the bigger picture from his stage up above.

Chapter 524: Heavenly God Beast! Mother-in-Law! (2)

Translator: Zen Translations Editor: Zen Translations

No matter the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger or the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion, both belonged to the WanShou Empire. The reason why he spent so much time and effort to groom Gu Yingbing was simple – he was the most talented and held the most potential amongst the entire young generation. What he needed was a heir who could hold up and support the entire Heavenly Snow Mountain, and he would not hold back just because Gu Yingbing was from the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion Tribe.

Zhou Weiqing had already brought more than enough surprise to the unflappable Xue AoTian. From this youth, he had seen so many impossibilities, challenging so many things that he had taken for granted. Xue AoTian could not help but admit the how outstanding this young man was, his sheer talent and potential… and that he was truly worthy of his own beloved daughter.

The first test was reaching the end, and at this point, Xue AoTian's inner heart was already more on Zhou Weiqing's side. In his ears, Zhou Weiqing's previous words from the Grand Hall resonated. Indeed! He was not a good father… did he really have to sacrifice his daughter just for the sake of the Heavenly Snow Mountain? As the Mountain Lord, did he still need to use such means to solidify the alliance between the Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger or the Heavenly Divine Earth Spirit Lion Tribes?

No. He did not need to. Thinking back to how his daughter's bright eyes and life when he told her about Zhou Weiqing coming, Xue AoTian finally made his resolute decision. This young man Zhou Weiqing had the courage to ascend the Heavenly Snow Mountain for his daughter's sake, and that very courage and resolution was more than enough to ascertain how much feelings he had for his daughter.

I guess I have to help them now. Xue AoTian sighed inwardly, closing his eyes slowly as he sent a message to the strongest Heavenly Beast in the other exit.

This last rest for Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing lasted two whole hours. Their recovery rate was rather astonishing, and their Heavenly Energy had fully recovered before that time. The reason why they took two whole hours was because their spiritual energy was just too huge.

Two hours later, when both youths stood up once more, they looked at each other, and they could see the fatigue in each other's eyes. Somehow, the enmity between them lessened slightly. As love rivals, it was nearly impossible for them to 'cherish' each other, but it did not stop a slow respect from growing towards each other. In the end, the most important thing in the Heavenly Jewel Master world was after all still power!

Xue AoTian slowly walked to the two of them and said solemnly: "You both have gone through the first nine rounds to reach this step, and that has already proven how outstanding and talented you are. I am very pleased, gratified, to see this. Well, this last round will be a true test of your deepest potential. Similarly, you will be facing an oppressive pressure, and you will have to withstand it. However, this time, there will only be a single Heavenly Beast, and it will unleash its aura and pressure on both of you at the same time. With its control, it will refrain from hurting you. Whoever lasts the longest time will be the final victor of this last round. I will go according to your status to judge this round, when I feel that your body or spirit is about to breakdown, I will stop this round. Do you both understand?"

At once, both Gu Yingbing and Zhou Weiqing nodded their heads, and as their eyes met once more, they saw the resolution in each other's eyes. Gu Yingbing no longer dared underestimate Zhou Weiqing, nor had the slightest bit of disdain left in his eyes. In this first nine rounds of competition, though the two had not actually fought against each other, their 'fight' had already been violent and difficult. Gu Yingbing had quickly adjusted his own attitude, treating Zhou Weiqing as a worthy opponent, an equal.

"Come on then, I know you have already awaken. I have already waited twenty years for this day." Xue AoTian's face suddenly turned gentle, as if speaking to his greatest kin. As he spoke, the light around suddenly dimmed.

No matter the Tiger King or Lion King, both of them had a puzzled look on their faces. None of them knew which Heavenly Beast could be deemed Xue AoTian's old partner, nor had they even heard anything about it!

Only Long Shiya's face suddenly changed, shock in his eyes as his gaze was fixed in front of Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing.

From the shadows, as if it had only taken a simple step forward, a transparent looking Heavenly Beast suddenly appeared in front of everyone's eyes. In a somewhat similar fashion to Xue AoTian, when it appeared, it did not have any of the overbearing presence or aura that any of the previous Heavenly Beasts have, as if it was just part of the surroundings, having always been there and appearing just so natural.

It was a greyish black tiger Heavenly Beast, only about two metres long and eighty centimetres tall. It's sleek black fur was gleaming, but its body seemed to have a sort of transparent or translucent feel to it, the grey colour seeming to shift and move, while the most obvious stripes were that of a tiger tattoo. On its forehead, there was a glowing crystalline 'King' 1 tattoo, greyish in colour yet glittering like a crystal.

When he saw the Heavenly Beast in front of him, Xue AoTian's face, which had remained emotionless for most of the day, suddenly showed an excitement and agitation, his body flashing as he appeared in front of it. Right in front of everybody, he knelt down on one knee, extending his arms and hugging the Heavenly Beast's neck.

The Tiger Heavenly Beast's eyes were also gentle, its head nuzzling against Xue AoTian's face as it said: "AoTian, I have missed you too."

Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing stood there, not far away, exchanging helpless glances. They could see the surprise in each other's eyes. Who or what was this Tiger Heavenly Beast? Weren't they supposed to be having their final test? Why was Xue AoTian being so affectionate with it, saying they had not met for twenty years!?

Xue AoTian gave a bitter smile and said: "Alas, it is my fault that I do not have the ability to stay by your side. If not for Tian'er being married, I'm afraid 'he' will not allow you to come back, to reunite with us father and daughter."

As the Tiger Heavenly Beast heard Xue AoTian's words, its eyes dimmed slightly. Lifting a front paw, it gently laid it on Xue AoTian's shoulder. "I'm sorry AoTian, I can never betray Master. He has given me my life, especially since Master is doing so for the sake of the lives of all in the Boundless Mainland. How could I possibly leave him?"

Xue AoTian nodded his head and said: "I understand. Unless someone can defeat him in the future, otherwise, he can never be free. We can only depend on all of you guardians and his own sheer willpower for now. Phelia, these two young men in front of you now both love our daughter, you have already seen their performance in the first nine rounds. This tenth round, having you as judge will be the fairest, and you are the only one who has the qualification to make the final decision."

Phelia's gaze turned to Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing, who were just standing there dazed in shock. Xue AoTian had not used his Heavenly Energy to hide his conversation with Phelia, and all present had heard his words.

This Tiger Heavenly Beast in front of them was actually Tian'er's mother, and, it seemed like she came from another secret place. Everything else aside, the fact that she was Tian'er's mother 2 had already left them all shaken. Even the Tiger King and Lion King had never heard of Phelia's existence, let alone seen her before.

Phelia turned her gentle gaze towards Gu Yingbing and Zhou Weiqing, nodded slightly to them. "Not bad, not bad at all, both of you are outstanding young men. I have already seen your efforts just now. In fact, I already have a choice in my heart, but if I were just to say it out like that, none of you will think it is fair right? So, let me give you this final test."

Phelia had actually said she had her own choice in her heart! Hearing those words, both Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing's hearts skipped a beat. This was their possible future mother in law in front of them! As long as either of them could gain her approval, that would be half the battle won! Alas, who could know what was her choice right now.

The 'King' word on Phelia's forehead grew brighter, and she smiled faintly before saying: "I am just a Entropic Nether Tiger, and to be more accurate, I am not wholly of this world. You can count me as a Heavenly God Tier Heavenly Beast. So, be careful."

Heavenly God Tier. These three words were like a battle hammer, smashing into the already-stunned bodies of Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing, causing their bodies to tighten up in shock once more as their spirit entered an excited state. At the side, the Lion King, Tiger King and even the Six Ultimate Heavenly Emperor Long Shiya's faces were all grave. No matter any of them, they knew they had severely underestimated the Heavenly Snow Mountain. Especially for Long Shiya, whose feelings were the strongest. From Xue AoTian and Phelia's conversation, he could naturally hear that behind this Phelia, there was another person that even Xue AoTian could not compare to. The Master of a Heavenly God Tier Heavenly Beast, what kind of existence was that? For an instant, Long Shiya fell into a dazed trance.

Right at that moment, both Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yingbing suddenly felt the air around them twist and warp, as everything turned illusory about them.

Instantly, the two of them entered a strange state. Everything around them seemed to vanish in the twisting vision. As for the rest of those present, all they could see was a faint layer of grey-black colour glimmering as it enveloped the two youths, yet there was no powerful aura or presence. The only thing they could see was the sudden glitter in the Entropic Nether Tiger Phelia's eyes.

It all happened so quickly and suddenly, and Zhou Weiqing felt as if his soul was being torn apart. The violent pain in his soul was no less than the time of the merger of the bloodlines during his time in the Fire Spirit Mountain.

Luckily, this pain did not last for a long time, just a few seconds. All of a sudden, the pressure lessened, and Zhou Weiqing was surprise to see that he had appeared in another place.

This was a dense and thick forest. Everything seemed so real, and there was no hint whether or not this was an illusion or reality, though all signs pointed to the latter.

Right at that moment, Zhou Weiqing suddenly realised that his surroundings had darkened. Yet, his heart was shocked to realise that this darkness was because of himself. Subconsciously, he looked down, and he was shocked for the upteenthed time today. He realised that he was no longer human, but a pitch black massive tiger!