Why Did Your Highness Smile at a Tiger's Butt?

"Your Highness, please..."

Before he could finish the word "decide," Chen Hu caught the curve of a smile on Dai Mobai's lips.

Following Dai Mobai's gaze, he too caught sight of the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger's backside.

"Hiss—"

Chen Hu drew a sharp breath.

Why was His Highness smiling at a tiger's rear end?!

A storm of shock churned within him, but he dared not speak, merely lowering his eyes and pretending he had seen nothing at all.

Dai Mobai noticed Chen Hu's gaze but paid it no mind, his attention entirely fixed on a spot on the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger's back, near its tail.

Compared to the dozen other wounds on the beast, this one was inconspicuous and even superficial; it looked like a mere graze, not even deep enough to expose bone.

Yet, it wasn't the severity that drew Dai Mobai's interest, but the location.

In a head-on confrontation, it would be impossible to leave a mark in such a spot.

The only way this wound could exist was if the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger had been facing away from its opponent.

It was fleeing.

Feline soul beasts were solitary creatures; once mature, they claimed their own territory and would not leave unless necessary.

The White Tiger Guard had chosen their encampment with great deliberation and would never rashly enter the territory of a soul beast.

Therefore, there was only one reason this Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger had appeared here in such a wounded state—

An intruder had breached its territory, an intruder stronger than itself, one that had nearly killed it.

Feline soul beasts were inherently stronger than other types, so whatever had wounded this Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger was likely another feline soul beast, one with a cultivation age of over five thousand years.

At this thought, Dai Mobai reached his decision.

"Take it down."

His gaze sharpened, sealing the fate of the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger.

"Move."

Receiving Dai Mobai's order, Chen Hu waved his hand.

The five White Tiger Guards, who had been circling without attacking, moved in an instant.

All five were three-ring Soul Elders, and their soul ring configurations were far from optimal.

Yet, even against a Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger equivalent to a human Soul Ancestor, they subdued it in less than three minutes.

While the beast's injuries certainly played a part, Dai Mobai noted the seamless coordination of their teamwork.

Had Dai Mobai ordered a kill, they might have been even faster.

"Your Highness, it is subdued."

Glancing at the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger now pinned by the guards, Chen Hu turned to Dai Mobai.

"The White Tiger Guard truly lives up to its reputation. Well done, everyone."

Dai Mobai nodded with a smile, offering his praise without reservation.

To these guards, being praised by the Crown Prince was a supreme honor.

Dai Mobai clearly saw the irrepressible excitement on the faces of the White Tiger Guards; not only did they grip their long spears tighter, but they also stood straighter than before.

"A bunch of blockheads, have you forgotten to thank His Highness the Crown Prince?"

Seeing his men lost in excitement, Chen Hu scolded them with a look of exasperation.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

The White Tiger Guards finally snapped to attention and shouted in unison.

Dai Mobai waved his hand and stepped toward the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger.

Sensing the aura radiating from Dai Mobai, the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger grew agitated. Its massive body began to struggle, its claws tearing into the solid earth and kicking up a cloud of dust.

But no matter how it thrashed, the five long spears held by the White Tiger Guards remained as immovable as if they were rooted into the beast itself.

"Roar—"

Finding itself unable to break free and feeling threatened, the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger opened its maw and let out a roar.

A tangible sound wave erupted from its throat, rippling outward in all directions, causing branches to tremble and birds and beasts to flee in terror.

The White Tiger Guards holding the beast were affected as well, their bodies swaying uncontrollably.

Even Chen Hu, a Soul Emperor, felt a momentary lapse in focus.

But when they looked at Dai Mobai, who was taking the full brunt of the roar, their faces—hardened by life and death—wore expressions of utter disbelief.

There was not a flicker of emotion on Dai Mobai's face, nor did his pace falter in the slightest.

Had they not felt the force of it themselves, they might have thought that roar, which could shake the mountains, was nothing more than a morning breeze.

It wasn't just the White Tiger Guards; even the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger, which had unleashed the roar, froze in confusion, its ferocity momentarily stunned.

Clearly, it had not expected the youth before it, who looked like he could be swatted to death with a single claw, to ignore its tiger roar.

Refusing to believe it, it opened its mouth to roar again, but halfway through, Dai Mobai's knobby palm clamped firmly over its half-open maw.

"Quiet."

Dai Mobai exerted force with his hand, his eyes—which had transformed into blood-red pupils at some point—staring directly into the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger's bewildered eyes.

Not only was the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger stunned, but even Chen Hu and the White Tiger Guards were left dumbfounded.

Doubting what he was seeing, Chen Hu even rubbed his eyes vigorously, yet the scene before him did not change in the slightest.

After a brief moment of shock, a flash of helplessness crossed the eyes of the now-sober Chen Hu.

Although His Highness the Crown Prince was heroic, he was still young after all; tiger-type soul beasts were mostly proud and solitary, preferring death over humiliation. Such behavior would inevitably provoke a desperate counterattack.

Thinking this to himself, Chen Hu mobilized the soul power within his body, instinctively preparing to step in and protect Dai Mobai.

But to Chen Hu's surprise, the scene that followed once again overturned his understanding.

The Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger, whose mouth was being gripped by Dai Mobai, did indeed move, but it was not a desperate counterattack; instead, it lowered its head toward Dai Mobai like a domestic dog, emitting a muffled whimper from its throat.

At the same time, the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger's iron-rod-like tail lifted, and a stream of deep yellow liquid shot out with a "zip," carrying a pungent stench.

It had peed; this Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger had actually been... scared into wetting itself!

The White Tiger Guards exchanged glances; had the situation not been so inappropriate, a curse would have already escaped their lips.

The soul power on Chen Hu's body stalled abruptly, and after half a breath, he retracted his soul power with a wry smile.

Although he did not know how Dai Mobai had managed it, he knew for certain that he could not scare a five-thousand-year soul beast into wetting itself.

A soul beast that had been scared out of its wits no longer posed a threat.

Watching the now-quiet Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger, the sharpness in Dai Mobai's blood-red pupils dimmed slightly.

He pulled his palm away from the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger's mouth and placed it upon its forehead instead.

A suction force emerged, and the blood flowing from the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger's wounds was drawn out, splitting into streams of blood-essence that vanished into Dai Mobai's palm.

Even as it clearly felt its life force ebbing away, the Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger dared not make a single move; it simply trembled, waiting quietly for death to arrive.

A moment later, a satisfied Dai Mobai withdrew his hand.

The Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger's aura was as faint as a candle in the wind, yet it remained alive.

"Your Highness, you..."

Chen Hu glanced at the still-living Void-Splitting Magic Sound Tiger, then back at the calm and composed Dai Mobai, his words catching in his throat.