Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The dim starlight and moonlight filtered down through the dense canopy of leaves.

In a clearing in the jungle, a bonfire crackled. A hundred-pound beast leg was roasting over it, its golden fat making a SIZZLING sound, and the fragrant aroma was enough to make one’s mouth water.

”Little White, dinner’s ready!”

Jiang Chen carved off two ten-pound cuts of roast meat and tossed the rest to Little White.

”AWOO! Finally, food! Thanks, Boss, heh heh!” Little White leaped high, catching the hundred-plus-pound roast in its jaws before running off to the side to gnaw on it with relish.

Grease dripped from its mouth, its small eyes filled with utter contentment.

Jiang Chen tossed the other piece of meat to Lui Yifa. ”Once you’ve eaten your fill, we’re making our move!”

Lui Yifa caught the roast meat and devoured it, swallowing the entire piece in short order. He then looked at Jiang Chen with a gloomy expression. ”Benefactor, why were you so impulsive? How could you agree to that bet with Lui Xun?”

Throughout history, during every hunt in the Celestial Demon Ancient Realm, every family and faction in Yulan Mansion has done their utmost to hunt Demon Beasts and fight for the precious entry quotas.

But even a powerful family like the Lui Family could only ever secure one or two spots each time.

In fact, for the last three times the Celestial Demon Ancient Realm has opened, the Lui Family barely managed to hold on to a single spot.

It has reached the point where the Lui Family has slowly weakened and is now teetering on the edge of the Four Great Clans. If they can’t secure more spots this time, the Lui Family will likely be pushed out of the Four Great Clans entirely. That’s why, even though both Lui Yifa and Lui Xun were scouted by the Saint Martial Sword Sect, they chose to stay and participate in the hunt before heading to the Sword Sect to enroll!

But now...

Jiang Chen actually wanted to secure more than two spots with just the two of them.

This was no different from a fool’s dream!

Jiang Chen chuckled. He swallowed a bite of meat, took a large swig of strong liquor, and smiled. ”Don’t call me Benefactor anymore. My name is Jiang Chen, just call me by my name.” After a pause, he continued, ”Don’t worry. If I lose this bet, it’s my own cultivation that will be crippled. I wouldn’t gamble with my own life!”

”Um... uh, then I’ll just call you Boss like Little White does!”

Lui Yifa was taken aback for a moment, then said, ”Boss, don’t be fooled into thinking the Demon Beasts in the Bluestone Mountain Range are easy to hunt just because there are a lot of them. That’s not the case at all. Especially in the core region—that’s where the exceptionally powerful Demon Beasts live, some even at the Tier Two level. Those beasts have all staked out their own territories and rule as kings. Most Tier One High-level Demon Beasts are subordinates to these Demon Beast Dominators. If we hunt them, we could easily attract the attention of a Tier Two Demon Beast, and that would be extremely dangerous!”

A Tier Two Demon Beast was comparable to a True Martial Realm existence.

The rules for the Celestial Demon Ancient Realm hunt stipulated that only experts thirty years of age or younger could participate, and very, very few at that age could reach the True Martial Realm!

No one would dare to easily provoke a Tier Two Demon Beast.

The Black-striped Golden Bull that Lui Yifa and his group encountered earlier was a lone Demon Beast. It had no Demon Beast Dominator behind it, which is incredibly rare. That’s why the experts from the Qinghuo Gang were so desperate to snatch it!

Jiang Chen just smiled and didn’t answer.

From the side, Little White, who was half-buried in its pile of meat, poked its head out. Its emerald eyes stared at Lui Yifa as a human-like, mocking smile spread across its face. ”Lui Yifa, to use one of your human sayings, you’re more worried than the man himself. Let me tell you, when the Boss gets serious, forget Tier One High-level Demon Beasts—he can slaughter even a Tier Two Demon Beast in minutes. Hmph, that brat Lui Xun daring to bet against the Boss? He’s simply courting death!”

”Little White, who are you calling a eunuch?”

Lui Yifa glared at Little White and huffed, ”A Tier Two Demon Beast is a terrifying existence with the combat power of the True Martial Realm. In all of Yulan Mansion, the only ones under thirty who have reached the True Martial Realm are Zhao Qiankun of the Qinghuo Gang, Yulan Tianpeng of the City Lord’s Mansion, and Si Xiaosheng of the Red Flame Army!”

”Zhao Qiankun, Yulan Tianpeng, Si Xiaosheng... who cares! In front of the Boss, they’re all just trash!” Little White threw its head back confidently.

Lui Yifa rubbed his forehead and gave a wry smile. ”I don’t deny that the Boss is strong, but Zhao Qiankun and the others are genuine True Martial Realm Powerhouses! Those three are disciples of the Saint Martial Sword Sect who came back specifically for this trip to the Celestial Demon Ancient Realm. The Saint Martial Sword Sect... anyone who comes out of there is a monster of a talent...”

Little White rolled its eyes. ’Is the Saint Martial Sword Sect so great? Back when he was only at the Eighth Stage of Martial Arts, our Boss crippled a True Martial Realm special envoy from the Saint Martial Sword Sect!’

”Little White, can’t a few hundred pounds of meat shut you up?” Jiang Chen glanced at Little White, chiding with a laugh.

Little White whimpered and lowered its head, going back to its meat.

Lui Yifa remained sullen.

Jiang Chen just smiled without saying a word.

The rest of the meal passed in a somewhat somber silence. They rested for another hour after eating, by which time night had completely fallen.

A drowsy Lui Yifa felt something wet on his face. He opened his eyes to find Little White squatting beside him, grinning at him. Lui Yifa froze, then said irritably, ”Little White, did you just lick me?”

”Hmph! The great Little White is far too noble to lick you,” Little White said haughtily, throwing its head back.

Lui Yifa wiped his face and found his palm covered in a sticky substance. He asked, puzzled, ”Then what did you put on my face? It’s sticky and disgusting!”

”Uh...”

Little White lifted a front paw to scratch its head, a human-like expression of embarrassment appearing on its small, furry white face. ”Well... the Boss told me to wake you up, but you didn’t respond after I called for ages. Plus, I ate a lot tonight... I couldn’t hold it in, so I just... kinda peed on your head!”

”Oh, just pee... HUH? WHAT? You peed on my head?! Little White, I’m gonna kill you!” Lui Yifa finally processed what was said and, seething with uncontrollable rage, lunged at Little White.

SWOOSH!

Little White dodged with extreme agility, leaping up to a treetop more than ten meters high. It scratched a tuft of long white fur on its head with a forepaw and said with a grin, ”Lui Yifa, trying to catch the great Little White with your speed is just a fool’s dream!”

Little White was a mutated descendant of a Green Water Golden-eyed Beast, and its cultivation speed was incredibly fast.

Its combat power was now comparable to a master of the Martial Arts Ninth Stage, and its speed was on par with a True Martial Realm expert. If it were in the water, it could even fight and kill a True Martial Realm powerhouse!

Lui Yifa was truly no match for it!

”I’m so pissed! Little White, get down here!” Lui Yifa said viciously.

Little White shook its head. ”I’m not coming down!”

”Get down here, I promise I won’t hit you!” Lui Yifa said. ”I’ve got some tasty food here. Come on, I’ll give it to you!”

”Promising not to hit me is useless, and besides, you’re no match for me anyway!” Little White said proudly.

Lui Yifa was helpless.

He could only accept his misfortune. He scrubbed his face and asked with a dark expression, ”Why did the Boss have you wake me up in the middle of the night?”

”To hunt Demon Beasts, of course!” Little White narrowed its eyes, staring at Lui Yifa as if he were an idiot. ”Didn’t you say there’s only half a month left before the Celestial Demon Ancient Realm opens? The Boss said that night is when Demon Beasts are most active, which makes it the perfect opportunity for us to hunt them!”

”At night?”

Lui Yifa was stunned. His expression changed, and he said angrily, ”Isn’t that just madness? Sure, more Demon Beasts are out at night, but the darkness gives them the advantage and will greatly weaken our combat effectiveness. How can we choose to hunt Demon Beasts at a time like this?”

”Idiot, that’s how you mortals hunt Demon Beasts. Who do you think our Boss is? He’s the Boss of the great Little White!”

Little White leaped down, landed as light as a feather, and began walking with steady steps, its head held high and chest puffed out, leading Lui Yifa to find Jiang Chen.

A short while later, the three of them gathered, and Lui Yifa expressed his concerns to Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen gave a faint smile and said, ”Don’t worry, I have a plan. Besides, I’ve already chosen our target for tonight. The enemy is in the open while we are hidden—the darkness is to our advantage!”

”You’ve chosen a target? What kind of Demon Beast is it? Tier One Middle Level? Or Low-level?” Lui Yifa’s eyes widened, shining with excitement as he asked.

Jiang Chen chuckled and shook his head.

Little White scoffed, saying with a disdainful look, ”Tier One Middle Level? Low-level? That’s an insult to us! Little Lui, you need to remember that since you’re following the Boss and the great Little White, you have to raise your standards. Our target this time is the Tier Two Demon Beast in Black Cloud Valley—the Black Cloud Demon Bear!”