Don't Hit the Face

Ever since The Case of the Stolen Warehouse occurred, quite a few people had been assigned to patrol inside and outside the warehouse over the past several days. As a result, that Demonic Beast had never found another chance to steal any precious Medicinal Herbs.

Although its strength might already have surpassed that of all the warehouse attendants, given its intelligence and caution, it probably would not act rashly under such circumstances, lest it be discovered.

That was precisely why the warehouse had remained safe and sound these past few days, causing even more people to begin suspecting Hao Jiyong.

Thinking of that Demonic Beast's intelligence, Song Ankang could not help sighing. It possessed such astonishing intelligence before even reaching the Inner Refinement Realm. If it continued growing, it might one day have a chance of breaking through to become a First-rate Warrior.

To keep the Demonic Beast from growing suspicious, Song Ankang had not withdrawn all the guards from inside and outside the warehouse. Instead, he left a few behind to put on a show, having them wander about. They mostly patrolled the entrance and surrounding area, rarely entering the warehouse itself.

Naturally, this gave the Demonic Beast ample opportunity, leaving a gap for it to exploit.

Song Ankang had already prepared himself for a prolonged battle, but perhaps because it had gone several days without eating precious Medicinal Herbs, the Demonic Beast had grown hungry for them. That very night, in the dead of night, it silently arrived at the warehouse. Following the tunnel it had dug long ago, it emerged beneath the warehouse and opened the tunnel cover, which had been left exactly as it was.

"Kwang, woo..."

As the Earth Cage Talisman activated, the Demonic Beast, only Ninth-Rank Low-Tier, was directly bound by it and could no longer move.

"Ying ying ying..."

Suddenly restrained, the Demonic Beast could not help letting out a miserable cry, but the sound left Song Ankang rather stunned.

Such a pleasant voice—could it be a Fox Demon capable of transforming into a Beauty that topples cities?

Song Ankang quickened his pace, with Jiang Yunhe at his side. Qiushi, Hao Jiyong, and the others followed close behind, charging toward the warehouse like a gale. Before long, they lifted the Cool Leaf Grass and saw the Demonic Beast firmly bound by the Earth Cage Talisman.

It had a flat head, a thick body, and was about a foot long. Its entire body was grayish-black, with a tuft of green fur on its head swaying in the wind. Its round black eyes were wide as it glared fiercely at Song Ankang, while its mouth still let out an arrogant cry. "Ying ying ying..."

"Th-this... what kind of Demonic Beast is this? I've never seen it before, nor have I ever heard of it." Qiushi widened her bright eyes, staring curiously at the flat-headed Demonic Beast.

Jiang Yunhe also frowned. "I've never seen a Demonic Beast like this either. It seems to be an extremely rare species."

However, delight appeared in Song Ankang's eyes as he smiled. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be an Earth Badger. It is said to be a Demonic Beast found only in the Kunlun Mountains, rarely appearing within our Xia Kingdom. I wonder how one ended up here. Could someone have brought it over?"

There was another crucial point Song Ankang did not mention: this Earth Badger was an Earth Badger Cub, with a high chance of being tamed.

Earth Badgers generally possessed the strength of First-rate Warriors once they reached adulthood. Some with especially formidable Talent and Aptitude could even surpass First-rate Warriors and become true Demonic Beasts.

On the Xuanhuang Continent, Demonic Beasts whose strength had not surpassed that of First-rate Warriors generally did not qualify to be called Demonic Beasts. They could only be called Fierce Beasts.

This Earth Badger Cub was a Ninth-Rank Low-Tier Fierce Beast, but it had the potential to break through the Ninth Rank. Earth Badgers were generally judged by the level of their intelligence when assessing their Talent and Aptitude.

To possess such astonishing intelligence while still a cub showed just how exceptional this Earth Badger's Talent and Aptitude were. In the future, it would certainly break through the First-rate level and enter the Transcendence Realm.

If he could tame it, it would surely become one of Song Ankang's most capable aides in the future.

Compared to this precious Earth Badger Cub, those dozen or so medicinal herbs were nothing at all.

However, to avoid letting others learn of this and stirring up envy in certain people, Song Ankang did not say much. He would wait until he had tamed the Earth Badger before deciding whether to reveal it.

"An Earth Badger?"

Jiang Yunhe, Qiushi, and the others wore blank expressions. Clearly, they had never heard of it.

Song Ankang smiled as he picked up the Earth Badger, which was bound layer upon layer on the ground. "I tell you to read more, and you always complain that it's a waste of time. Now you know how ignorant you are, don't you?"

"I'm taking this Earth Badger away. I need it for something. You can use this tunnel entrance to search for the Earth Badger's nest and see whether there are any precious Medicinal Herbs left inside. But I don't think that's likely. It should have already eaten them all, otherwise it wouldn't have come back to the warehouse to steal Medicinal Herbs."

As he spoke, Song Ankang hurried out of the warehouse and headed toward the Training Room. He could hardly wait to tame this incredibly valuable Earth Badger.

Watching Song Ankang's swiftly departing figure, Qiushi and Jiang Yunhe both found it strange, but they did not think much of it. Much less did they imagine that Song Ankang intended to tame this Fierce Beast.

The Training Room was built inside and out from Black Iron Stone, which was even tougher than Qinggang Stone and harder than ordinary steel. Even with an Earth Badger's burrowing ability, it would need a great deal of time to escape. Song Ankang could tame it properly there.

After carefully sensing the Earth Badger's strength along the way, Song Ankang discovered in surprise that it had already reached the peak of Ninth-Rank Low-Tier, only half a step away from joining the ranks of Ninth-Rank Mid-Tier Fierce Beasts. At that point, its strength would be able to contend evenly with martial artists of the Inner Refinement Realm.

One had to know that this Earth Badger was still only a cub. It had probably been born merely a month ago, yet it already possessed such astonishing strength and intelligence. Once it matured, it would surely surpass First-rate Warriors, perhaps even reaching an even higher realm.

As expected of an exotic beast from Kunlun Mountain, its Talent and Aptitude far exceeded Song Ankang's imagination.

This made Song Ankang want it even more. He hastened into the Training Room, bolted the door, then released the Earth Cage Talisman's restraints, preparing to give this Earth Badger a proper lesson through forceful means and tame it thoroughly.

There was only one best method for taming an Earth Badger Cub: confront it head-on and suppress it with overwhelming force, using iron and blood to crush its will completely until it would never dare betray him for the rest of its life.

Come, my prospective pet beast!

"Boom boom boom boom boom boom..."

But what Song Ankang never expected was that the instant he released the Earth Cage Talisman, the Earth Badger Cub, which had been bound for so long, immediately sprang out. Then it leaped into the air, clenched its two front paws into tiny fists like a human, and, crying "Ying ying," blasted them toward Song Ankang.

"Bang bang bang bang bang bang..."

Before Song Ankang could even react to what was happening, the Earth Badger Cub's two tiny fists slammed viciously into his face—six times six, thirty-six blows in all!

This was an Innate Martial Skill!

Such speed and such a ferocious offensive had caught even Song Ankang, whose strength far surpassed the Earth Badger Cub's by several times, completely off guard. There could be no explanation other than an Innate Martial Skill.

Fierce Beasts capable of possessing Innate Martial Skills were one in ten thousand. In the future, they could basically enter the ranks of Transcendence. This Earth Badger Cub was even more extraordinarily gifted than he had imagined.

But... don't hit the face!