Zong Teng's Jealousy and Han Shan's Shamelessness

Not long ago, the Heavenly Wolf Tribe's group had been a formidable five-man squad. In the blink of an eye, they had been reduced to one dead and four injured—and all of it had been done by the previously miserable Zong Teng!

Such a dramatic scene left the Spirit Beasts present feeling as though it was unreal, as if they were dreaming.

"Zong Teng is powerful, but Huo Yang is no ordinary opponent either. At most, he was only slightly inferior to Zong Teng. Of the four men under him, three were not much weaker than Lu Sui.

With the five of them joining forces, unless top experts like Lu Hou or Zong Qingfeng acted, it should have been impossible to defeat them so easily. What exactly happened to Zong Teng after he boarded the Flying Boat?"

Han Shan of the Rhinoceros Demon Tribe broke out in a cold sweat. He had crossed paths with Huo Yang before, and Huo Yang was not much weaker than him. If Zong Teng could behead Huo Yang with a single strike, who among those present could stop him?

"That azure sword light definitely did not belong to Zong Teng, nor does it seem like the handiwork of the Heaven-Reaching Ape Tribe. Who exactly is that mysterious great figure?"

Mo Feng of the Nine Nether Tribe frowned deeply. He possessed Phoenix Tribe bloodline. Earlier, he had been confident that even if he could not defeat Zong Teng, he could at least protect himself. But now...

"Haha, friends, there's no need to be nervous. My boss has never been fond of killing.

It was only because Huo Yang had secretly stirred up trouble earlier, and his intentions were unforgivable. He was ordered to apologize, yet refused to go, so he had to be killed as a warning to the others."

Seeing that the timing was right, Lu Duowen immediately followed the script Ye Kong had given him and began soothing the beasts.

"That's right. That young master merely asked me to teach those shady rats a lesson, then forgave my earlier offense and even bestowed Elixirs and sword qi upon me to heal my wounds and kill my enemies.

I have received great kindness from the young master, so naturally I must repay it. Huo Yang's death was the result of my righteous fury. If anyone objects, Zong's sword awaits them at any time!"

Zong Teng flung Huo Yang's head onto the ground. Like a cold, merciless weapon of slaughter, he issued an icy warning to everyone.

He knew full well that since he had chosen a side, he had to go all the way to reap the greatest benefits.

The sword qi within that Elixir had originally only been enough to seriously injure Huo Yang's group, but Zong Teng had not been satisfied. He had directly cut off Huo Yang's head while he was severely wounded.

He knew how much infamy this would bring him, but what kind of person was the Young Master of the Sword Domain? Why would he care about such a trivial matter?

Since that man had no intention of touching Zong Qingfeng, this did not count as betrayal. It did not matter how ruthless he was now. Once the elders of the tribe learned of it, not only would they protect him, they would praise his ability to adapt and value him even more.

As he swept his gaze over those who had not attacked him earlier but had secretly despised him, Zong Teng could only sneer inwardly.

What's wrong with playing both sides? I'm now the Kunpeng Tribe's little brother while taking benefits from the Heaven-Reaching Ape Tribe. Two top Divine Beast tribes are serving me alone. Isn't that blessing enough?

With both approaches working together, the Spirit Beasts present soon stopped stirring. Led by their respective captains, they sat cross-legged to rest and waited for the Small Body Refining Tower to open, though no one knew what they were truly thinking.

After roughly half an hour of calm, sunlight blazing like raging flames streamed down from the sky and fell upon the mottled, broken spire of the Small Body Refining Tower. Twenty battered stone battle platforms also rose one after another, blooming with an ancient, desolate radiance.

Many Spirit Beasts took a deep breath. Only then did they remember that they had originally come merely to challenge the tower and seek opportunities, never expecting such a series of twists and turns.

On the Flying Boat, Ye Kong straightened his clothes, rose to his feet, accepted the golden folding sword sheath from Lu Hou, and smiled.

"There are twenty reception platforms in total. That's not bad. Let's go join the fun too."

Following behind Ye Kong, Lu Hou said somewhat regretfully, "Unfortunately, I'm afraid no one will dare fight us today. That's a little boring."

"Not necessarily. There may be some bold fellows. Besides, these people really aren't worth taking seriously."

Lu Kaizhi chuckled. Although his combat strength ranked only fourth here, his true strength still steadily surpassed Zong Teng's.

That was simply how unreasonable the strength of a top Divine Beast tribe could be.

After the three of them shot into the air, they discovered that not a single Spirit Beast had stepped onto a reception platform. All the beasts' gazes immediately converged on Ye Kong.

They desperately wanted to know just who this mysterious leader was. He had been completely unknown before, yet the moment he acted, he had shaken the world.

The Heaven-Reaching Ape Tribe's style of conduct this time was vastly different from usual. If there was a reason for that change, it likely lay with this blue-robed swordsman.

Ye Kong had anticipated this long ago. Without pausing, he landed on one of the tallest reception platforms.

He removed his bamboo hat, revealing a young, handsome face with smooth features. He clasped his hands toward the crowd below and called out loudly.

"My name is Kong Ye. Invited warmly by the Young Clan Leader of the Heaven-Reaching Ape Tribe, I have the honor of serving as the Heaven-Reaching Ape Tribe's Ambassador of Amity. Greetings, outstanding Spirit Beasts!"

The beasts were first startled by his youthful appearance. Then, upon examining him carefully, they discovered that he was actually human, and his cultivation did not seem particularly high. His spiritual energy fluctuations were merely at the late Heaven-Reaching Realm.

For someone his age, such cultivation was certainly formidable. But all the beasts present were the elite among their tribes' elites. Their cultivation had reached the pinnacle below the Venerate Realm, and they were about to attempt to shed their beast forms and become Supreme experts in one leap.

Late Heaven-Reaching Realm cultivation was truly difficult to take seriously.

Of course, while they were surprised by his cultivation, no one dared underestimate him. They had all personally witnessed the example set earlier, not to mention the Heaven-Reaching Ape Tribe's attitude was right there for all to see.

Filled with both wariness and doubt, many Spirit Beasts clasped their hands in return, though there was not much respect on their faces.

At that moment, a gray figure shot into the sky and landed opposite Ye Kong. The rhinoceros horn atop his head erupted with powerful spiritual energy fluctuations.

There really is someone who isn't afraid of death? Has that brute from the Rhinoceros Demon Tribe gone mad?

When they saw that it was Han Shan of the Rhinoceros Demon Tribe, the beasts' expressions shifted as they froze in place.

On the high platform, Han Shan had none of his usual imposing dominance. With an extremely courteous expression, he clasped his hands and introduced himself.

"I am Han Shan of the Rhinoceros Demon Tribe, skilled in the path of physical cultivation. Greetings, Ambassador Kong Ye. Today, I overestimate myself and wish to experience your brilliant techniques. I hope you will show mercy."

Ye Kong saw through Han Shan's intentions. Holding the still-sheathed Golden Sword horizontally, he smiled.

"No need to stand on ceremony. I happen to have some attainments in the path of the body as well. This sword is called the Burying Buddha Tablet. Its killing intent is extremely heavy, so it is not casually drawn. Please."

"Good! Then I'll offend you!"

Han Shan nodded and attacked without further concern. Violent spiritual energy and blood qi erupted from his burly body, sweeping out rolling ferocity. His five fingers clenched into a fist and punched forward, sending faint ripples through space.

Ye Kong narrowed his eyes. Wielding the Burying Buddha Tablet with the Kasyapa Sword Scripture, which had already broken through to a quasi-perfect Divine Art, he formed streams of inch-long golden qi swords and met Han Shan, who seemed to have transformed into an ancient savage rhinoceros. Golden and gray battle shockwaves instantly exploded outward.

"That damned rhino! He usually looks like a fool, but when it comes time to change his tune, he's faster than anyone!"

After Ye Kong entered the arena, Zong Teng had also claimed a high platform and watched Ye Kong's battle from afar. Seeing Han Shan's drastic change in behavior, he immediately understood his purpose, and jealousy flashed in his eyes.

Damn it, I worked myself to death just to successfully pick a side, yet this brat is taking advantage of his head start to get in front of him and show his face? He'd better sleep with one eye open from now on!

This highly anticipated battle did not last long. After only three exchanges, Han Shan, who had gone all out, was sent flying by a single strike from Ye Kong's Burying Buddha Tablet. His powerful blood qi was suppressed by the sea of sword-light qi, leaving him unable to rise again.

"Cough, cough. Thank you for showing mercy, young master. Han has truly had his horizons broadened today."

After Ye Kong withdrew his aura, Han Shan clutched his agonizing chest and shakily rose to his feet, his face filled with admiration.

He had felt it clearly. When Ye Kong attacked, he had not unleashed even the slightest trace of spiritual energy. Calm and composed, he had easily received Han Shan's three strongest attacks before striking back and defeating him.

In other words, he had not used spiritual energy, nor had he activated that divine sword. With only a portion of his physical strength, he could knock down—or even kill—Han Shan, who had gone all out, in a single move!

Ye Kong put away the Burying Buddha Tablet and flicked a streak of azure light from his fingertips into Han Shan's hand. He clasped his hands and said, "Brother Han has immense potential and a promising future. I look forward to working alongside Brother Han to promote the prosperity and development of the Spirit Beast world.

I hope that when that time comes, we will have another chance to spar."

"Haha! Then thank you for your auspicious words, young master. In the future, I'll have to seek more guidance from Young Master Kong Ye and the experts of the Heaven-Reaching Ape Tribe!"

Han Shan decisively swallowed the Elixir and stepped down from the platform. Before he even reached the ground, he discovered in astonishment that his injuries had healed, and his physical strength had even improved!

Overjoyed, he shoved aside the teammates who ran over to check on him, picked a target, and mounted a platform again.

"Brother Duowen, today I, Han, will throw away all shame. Let me once again experience the brilliant techniques of your Many-Eared Macaque lineage. Please enlighten me!"

Damn, what good stuff did Boss give these guys? The effects are absurdly good. And this dead rhino is shameless enough already. Did Boss beat him stupid?

Lu Ming grumbled inwardly, though his face was wreathed in smiles as he raised his long staff.

"Then come on. But let's make this clear first—I'm not as rich and generous as Boss. If I injure you, I can't afford to pay for your Elixir."

Little Meng Xin politely asks for continued reading, bookmarks, and recommendations.