I, Bai Ze, Am Willing to Call You King

The third floor of Beast King's Mansion.

There was none of the killing intent Lu Chen had imagined here. If anything, the atmosphere on this floor was somewhat tranquil.

The moment Lu Chen stepped onto the third floor, he saw a broad Dragon Throne sitting empty directly ahead in the passageway.

Nine ordinary chairs stood on either side of the Dragon Throne, each occupied by a person—old or young, male or female.

Behind every chair stood several incompletely transformed demon beasts, serving as attendants.

Everyone stared at Lu Chen in unison. Wind Dragon knew full well that the demon beasts before them would not be easy to deal with.

Seeing Lu Chen approach, the burly middle-aged man at the head of the group rose to his feet, and an invisible aura bore down on Lu Chen.

Lu Chen was only at the Breath Regulation Realm. Caught in that sudden pressure, he could not move. He circulated the spiritual energy within him, trying to take another step forward.

The burly man saw through Lu Chen's intentions. With a cold snort, he further intensified the pressure of his aura.

For a full ten minutes, Lu Chen forcibly endured the man's pressure. His body gradually gave out, and he forcefully activated the bloodline within him, driving the Primal Chaos Greatsword into the ground before him with both hands to keep himself from falling.

"Hmph! You want to become the new king? With your strength, you are still far from it!"

With a cold snort, the man withdrew his oppressive aura, and only then did Lu Chen let out a breath.

"Greetings, Lord Wind Dragon. Have you been well these three thousand years, Lord Wind Dragon?"

The man and those behind him clasped their hands and bowed toward the Primal Chaos Greatsword in Lu Chen's hand. Though they appeared to be paying respects, there was not a shred of reverence in them.

"I'm doing fine. There is no need for you to trouble yourselves over me. Beast King's inheritance has already gone to this boy. From now on, he is your king."

Wind Dragon's aura spread from within the Primal Chaos Greatsword, carrying the sword's violent presence as it swept across the entire third floor.

When that aura washed over the demon beasts, it brought not even the slightest pressure and did not so much as stir a corner of their clothing. The demon beasts were somewhat surprised.

Sensing Wind Dragon's weakened aura, the burly middle-aged man at the head of the group suddenly transformed into a massive five-clawed Golden Giant Dragon. A violent aura crashed straight into the Primal Chaos Greatsword.

"Hehehe, how laughable, Lord Wind Dragon. Do you truly think you are still a lord in our eyes?"

"Roar..." Seeing that Wind Dragon still hid within the Primal Chaos Greatsword without resisting, the Golden Giant Dragon's oppressive aura grew even stronger. Its tail swept out and directly sent the Primal Chaos Greatsword flying.

"Looks like your cultivation really is no longer enough."

"You were only slightly stronger than us in that competition back then, which was why you were honored as one of the five great leaders. Now look at the aura you are giving off—even you must find it laughable."

The Golden Giant Dragon was clearly still bitter over that contest from long ago. Now that Wind Dragon had lost all his strength, he seized the chance to make trouble.

Lu Chen looked at the people behind the Golden Giant Dragon. Some reclined, some sat, and some revealed their true forms. No one yielded to anyone else.

They watched the struggle between the Golden Giant Dragon and Wind Dragon with mocking faces, without a single one showing any intention of helping.

When the Primal Chaos Greatsword was sent flying, Lu Chen had already been forced to the ground by the oppressive aura. He sat there, watching the Golden Giant Dragon and Wind Dragon battle.

Although Wind Dragon lacked strength, relying on the power of the Primal Chaos Greatsword kept him from falling into a disadvantage for the time being.

At that moment, a shifty-looking man dashed to Lu Chen's side, blocked the oppressive aura, and brought Lu Chen back among the demon beasts.

"Get lost." The man drove away a burly fellow beside him, then let Lu Chen sit in the chair.

The burly fellow was clearly afraid of the shifty-looking man and swiftly left.

"Young man, I am Sky Devouring Rat. My true form is the Nine Revolutions Sky Devouring Rat. Did you really obtain Beast King's inheritance?"

"My name is Lu Chen. I suppose I did obtain the inheritance. All of you are currently inside my magical treasure."

Lu Chen looked at the man before him in astonishment, unable to understand why he was helping him.

Sky Devouring Rat's eyes darted rapidly as he said, "Then that means you can let us out? Let's make a deal. You let me out, and I'll help Wind Dragon deal with that stupid dragon."

"That should be possible, but I don't yet know how to let you out." Lu Chen was somewhat tempted upon hearing Sky Devouring Rat's words.

"Little brother, do not listen to him. This rat is a sinister scoundrel." A kind-faced young man came to Lu Chen's side and shielded him behind himself.

Sky Devouring Rat said, "Bai Ze, you dare ruin my plans?"

"Say one more word, and I guarantee you will not live to see tomorrow."

The young man grabbed Sky Devouring Rat and threw him out. Sky Devouring Rat hit the ground, transformed into a little rat, and scurried away in disgrace.

"Little brother, I am Bai Ze. You may also call me Brother Bai. I have followed Lord Beast King since childhood. Since you have obtained Lord Beast King's inheritance, I, Bai Ze, am willing to call you king."

Hearing Bai Ze's name, Lu Chen recalled where he had heard it before.

Wind Dragon had previously told him that Bai Ze was an ancient exotic beast, knowing all things and able to understand the past and foresee the future—a beast of auspicious omen.

"Did you all hear that? I, Bai Ze, am willing to call him king."

Bai Ze swept his gaze over the crowd. The demon beasts before him lowered their heads to Lu Chen one after another and acknowledged him as king.

"Hmph, he is just a little brat. My king will only ever be Lord Beast King, the Sixth Ancestor. If he wants me, Kui Niu, to call him king, then he must conquer me with his strength." A burly man rose and spoke.

Lu Chen turned to look at Kui Niu. Kui Niu was likewise an ancient exotic beast, with the body of an ox and the feet of a snake. His voice was like thunder, and whenever he traveled, wind and rain accompanied him.

The demon beasts in the hall had already split into three factions. One, led by Bai Ze, wished to acknowledge Lu Chen as king. Another, led by Kui Niu, insisted that strength determined kingship. The rest stood in the middle and watched.

At that moment, a seductive woman in red stepped forward and said to Bai Ze, "Bai Ze, you can comprehend the past and future. Did you see something?"

Hearing the alluring woman's words, everyone turned to look at Bai Ze. Though Bai Ze was not the strongest among them, his gift was what they feared most.

Bai Ze looked at the alluring woman. "If I said I could not see his future, would you believe me?"

The moment Bai Ze said this, everyone was stunned and gathered around him. Even the Golden Giant Dragon and Wind Dragon stopped fighting to listen to Bai Ze's explanation.

"Bai Ze, are you not known for understanding the ancient and knowing the present? How can you fail to see it?" Sky Devouring Rat also quietly came to Bai Ze's side and asked.

Bai Ze glanced at everyone and said unwillingly, "Not only can I not see his future, I cannot see his past either. Everything concerning him is shrouded in fog."

Bai Ze looked at the crowd and said, "Our Bloodline Inheritance contains memories of the Darkness Riot in the ancient age. During that riot, many races vanished, while human cultivators gradually rose to prominence."

"The current methods of cultivation are simply unsuitable for us. Sooner or later, we too will disappear. I want to gamble once. I am betting that he can help us reclaim the lost inheritances of the ancient age."

"But isn't he also human?" Kui Niu objected.

"No, he is no ordinary human. I have already seen everything that happened on the second floor. He bears two ancient bloodlines—the Azure Emperor's and the Phoenix Ancestor's. That is why I want to gamble."

A different aura erupted from Bai Ze as he displayed before everyone the scene of the marks appearing on Lu Chen on the second floor.

The Golden Giant Dragon looked at the scene before him, and his thoughts shifted slightly. "Is this true? But before he possesses absolute strength, all of this is empty talk. I would rather leave hope to the future than gamble, unless he can grow strong enough to withstand the Darkness Riot."

"I, Kui Niu, also believe he must have strength. Otherwise, when the Darkness Riot comes again, the last inheritance of our race will vanish as well." Kui Niu still insisted that strength was king.

"I want to gamble once. There is only me left among the Nine Revolutions Sky Devouring Rats anyway. I might as well take a chance that he can find the cause of the Darkness Riot. If not for the Darkness Riot, our Nine Revolutions Sky Devouring Rats would never have ended up like this."

Sky Devouring Rat's aura changed. He turned and walked behind Bai Ze, joining Bai Ze's faction.

The demon beasts in the hall made their choices one after another, walking toward their respective factions.

At that moment, the seductive woman in red walked up to Lu Chen and said, "Have you all forgotten something? This young man has not yet agreed to shoulder our fate."

Hearing the red-clad woman's words, Wind Dragon controlled the Primal Chaos Greatsword and swiftly returned to Lu Chen's side.

He was merely a living being condensed from pure wind elemental energy and did not understand what these demon beasts with Bloodline Inheritance were talking about. But he understood that he had to protect Lu Chen.

"Little brother, tell your sister—are you willing to seek the truth behind the Darkness Riot for us?" The seductive woman in red leaned against Lu Chen and asked in a voice full of temptation.

"Red Fox, withdraw your charm technique. We have no need for such despicable methods." Bai Ze rushed forward, pushed the seductive woman aside, and stood in front of Lu Chen.

"Oh, Brother Bai, why did you push me so hard? You hurt me." The seductive woman rubbed her arm, swaying as she complained that Bai Ze had used too much force.

"And besides, Brother Bai, you should call me Little Cutie. Though I am a Nine-tailed Red Fox, when people keep calling me Red Fox, they always think I am some fox spirit."

"Red Fox, do not think that transforming into human form truly makes you human. With all your coquettish posturing, you are still nothing but a fox spirit."

A middle-aged woman among the demon beasts mocked Red Fox. Her appearance gave no clue as to what kind of demon beast she was.

"Hmph, aren't you just jealous because you are old and faded?"

"What did you say?" The middle-aged woman seemed to have been struck where it hurt, and she stepped forward, about to grapple with Red Fox.

"Enough. Let Bai Ze ask what this young man wants." The Golden Giant Dragon loudly rebuked the two of them.

"Yes, my lord. This servant will withdraw at once. But that sallow-faced hag keeps bullying this servant. My lord, you must stand up for me."

"Dead fox, who are you calling a sallow-faced hag?" The middle-aged woman was about to rush forward again upon hearing those words.

Bai Ze looked at the two of them before suddenly saying, "Red Fox, there is no need to pretend in front of me. I can see your past. This is your chance."

Upon hearing Bai Ze's words, Red Fox's gaze and aura became sharp. Without speaking again, she walked behind Bai Ze, showing that she was willing to gamble once.

"Enough. Pretending for all these years has been exhausting. Bai Ze, today I will trust you once and place the fate of our Nine-tailed Red Fox clan upon this boy."

Nine fox tails emerged behind Red Fox, revealing a chilling, murderous aura. There was not a trace of her previous wanton charm and seductiveness.