Savior

"Nya..."

All of the beasts kneeled down in front of the beast that just came. Shi Li looked at the beast that just came and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Indeed, the aura that the beast exuded was on par, if not stronger than the Rank 8 Beast that was about to eat him. But there was just something...off.

Compared to the Rank 8 Beast, the beast that came was not large or tall at all. Shi Li thought that it could reach up to his kneecaps at most. It also didn't look menacing when compared to the Rank 8 Beast. It had white fur that glistened under the rays of the sun, eyes that looked like black beads, and a body shape that could be said to look like a steamed bun. It had two fluffy ears that were shaped like triangles on top, a mouth underneath that was shaped like a W, and four legs that looked more like stubs rather than legs.

Indeed, this beast looked like a...

(OwO)

Cat.

Even though Shi Li stared at the cat intently, the cat did not mind this at all and looked at the Rank 8 Beast that wanted to eat Shi Li. It then focused its aura towards the surrounding beasts and sent a wisp of inner energy to the Rank 8 Beast, acting as its voice.

"Nya...If you don't get away from my territory, you'll know what happens," the cat's voice was a soft yet forceful...but mostly soft.

Though that was the case, the Rank 8 Beast looked at the surroundings and couldn't help but shiver. It then sent a wisp of inner energy back to the cat and said in an apologizing manner, "I apologize for intruding into your territory. I'll tell them to leave the vicinity."

Afterwards, the Rank 8 Beast sent out multiple wisps of inner energy to the beasts surrounding it before nodding towards the cat and then running away. Of course, the beasts that came with the Rank 8 Beast left as well. Not to mention, the Rank 5 Beast that chased Shi Li also took this chance.

At the moment, it was only Shi Li and the cat remaining within the vicinity. Of course, the happenings a while ago were all a blur to him.

The Rank 8 Beast and the cat stared at each other for a bit before the beasts that surrounded him a while ago ran away, leaving him alone with the cat.

"Haah..." Although he didn't know what happened, he let out a sigh of relief and stood up once he realized that the shackles made out of inner energy were gone. He checked if Sundering Flame was nearby and grabbed it after a few minutes of minding.

After grabbing Sundering Flame, he walked away from the vicinity to go back to his clearing...only to be stopped by the cat.

"Where do you think you're going nya?" In an instant, the cat focused its aura onto Shi Li as it sent out a wisp of inner energy acting as its voice.

Of course, in front of the aura, Shi Li felt like he was suffocating... but the beast behind him was a cat, it wasn't intimidating at all. Gritting his teeth, he turned around and replied in a cocky manner, "I'm going back to my clearing. What are you going to do about it?"

Feeling that the conversation was done, Shi Li turned around and started to walk again, with the aura still focused on him. He didn't know that this would be a bad thing to do.

The cat was dissatisfied at Shi Li's answer, making it sigh in disappointment before creating a shackle of inner energy around Shi Li's ankles, making him fall.

Thud.

"Agh! What did you do that for?" Shi Li fell face first and it stung a lot. It then looked back at the cat with a frown on his face, as if he was being wronged.

"I just did what I had to do nya." The cat walked towards Shi Li and focused its aura into a small space, intensifying the terror felt by Shi Li. Not only that, it also conjured a white energy bolt midair with its inner energy. "You're my prey so you have to listen to me nya. You do know I can kill you with just a slap of my paw right?"

The cat looked incredibly harmless on the outside, yet it was a terrifying existence to Shi Li. This was what Shi Li forgot. As a Rank 8 Beast, it would have a strength of around 400 or so ren, definitely enough to kill Shi Li with just a slap. Giving up on escaping, Shi Li sighed before replying, "I apologize, you just didn't look that terrifying to me. I also thought that you were on my side and you were going to let me go."

The cat couldn't help but sigh as well after hearing Shi Li's reply. "Nya...I was planning to let you go if you thanked me, but since you acted like I was a pushover, I had to use other means."

"Also, it isn't my fault that I look this way nya! I blame my bloodline for this!" The cat couldn't help but grumble after hearing that it didn't look terrifying.

"Bloodline..." Hearing this word, Shi Li remembered that he also had a bloodline, but he didn't know how to awaken it. In the end, he sighed and said in a sincere manner, "Do whatever you want with me."

The cat looked at Shi Li for a bit before removing the shackles made out of inner energy on him.

"Eh? Why?" Shi Li was dumbfounded. He knew he acted cocky a while ago, forgetting the fact that the Forest of Ruin was dangerous. He didn't understand why the shackles on him were removed. "Why did you remove those shackles?"

"Don't misunderstand nya," the cat replied. "Follow me. You won't die or anything like that."

After saying that, the cat turned around and started to walk towards a certain direction. Seeing this, Shi Li couldn't help but sigh. He knew he would die if he defied the cat's words so he followed behind it.

...

The sun was already near the West, coloring the landscape a beautiful orange. Nonetheless, it was useless in the inner area of the Forest of Ruin, where darkness is supreme.

Crackle...crackle...

The crackling of fire could be heard as Shi Li prepared a fire for the night. With the help of his Flame Slash, he was able to chop trees without any difficulty. While doing this, he was able to see that the orange sword light generated by the Flame Slash had small golden wisps within.

"Is this..." Shi Li had his guesses, but he couldn't afford to think about that at the moment since the cat was in front of him.

The cat looked at Shi Li who was finished pondering and sent a wisp of inner energy. "Who are you nya?"

"I'm Shi Li." Shi Li didn't dare to lie at a beast that was multiple times stronger than him. "I'm a part of the Shi clan that's located within Verdant Breeze Town not far away from here. You?"

The cat thought about what it had to say for a bit before sending another wisp of inner energy that only contained one word.

"Moddy."