204: Chapter 204 Acquiring Another Territory

With an idea in mind, Qin Ce began to take action.

He was in no hurry to challenge the powerful territories; instead, he first assessed the surrounding situation.

Within the expanded territory perception in his mind, there were a total of ten neighboring borders.

Some were near, some far, some strong, some weak, some friendly, and some hostile.

Qin Ce's strategy was simple—prioritize those territories that harbored "hatred" or "covetous" feelings toward him.

Hatred indicated a life-and-death conflict with the previous lord.

Since Qin Ce had inherited the territory, he had also inherited this hatred.

The other party wouldn't let him off, and he wouldn't let them off either.

It was a kill-or-be-killed relationship; there was no need for hesitation.

Covetousness meant the other party had been eyeing this territory, waiting for the Giant Python to show a weakness.

Now that the Giant Python was dead and its successor was a "weak" human, the other party would surely be unable to resist making a move.

Rather than waiting for the other party to prepare an attack, it was better to strike first.

As for those who were "friendly" or "indifferent," he would leave them alone for now.

It wasn't that he wouldn't attack them, but that the time wasn't right.

Once he cleared out the troublemakers in the vicinity, the friendly and indifferent ones would naturally make their choice.

From the territory perception in his mind, Qin Ce locked onto his first target.

To the west-northwest.

Hatred!

That was the neighbor with the strongest hatred for the Giant Python.

The distance between them wasn't far; from his previous Giant Python territory, heading in another direction, crossing a Rocky Slope, and then over a low hill, he would arrive.

Qin Ce led Qingluan and Tianlu, approaching silently along the territory's boundary line.

Tianlu walked at the very front, the nine-colored light on its antlers flickering slightly as its Heavenly Chant skill silently swept over every inch of ground ahead, confirming there were no ambushes, traps, or third-party forces lurking.

Qingluan flew at a low altitude, nine Wind Cores slowly rotating around its body, ready to activate Wind Barrier or Phoenix Dance Nine Turns at any moment.

Qin Ce followed on foot, his war blade hanging at his waist, his right hand resting lightly on the hilt as wind-element energy flowed slowly through his body.

After walking for about half an hour, a sparse forest of withered trees appeared ahead.

The branches were dry and leafless, like gray bones growing out of the earth, twisting toward the sky in the thin mist.

Deep within the forest, the entrance to a cave could be vaguely seen.

The cave entrance wasn't large, about two meters wide and one meter high, half-hidden by dry branches and rubble. Above the cave was a protruding rock shaped like a crouching beast, overlooking the entire withered forest.

Qin Ce stopped in his tracks, activating Nine-Star Insight to its full extent.

Deep within the cave, there was a life aura.

It was very weak.

Not the kind of weakness from hiding one's strength, but a genuine, bone-deep frailty.

Like an oil lamp about to burn out, the flame flickering precariously in the wind, liable to be extinguished at any moment.

Qin Ce's brow furrowed slightly.

He didn't rush into the cave; instead, he had Tianlu release Heavenly Chant once more.

Silent ripples swept through the depths of the cave, and the feedback was more detailed than Nine-Star Insight—the life aura wasn't just weak; it was continuously decaying.

Its life force was leaking out like air from a puncture.

Qin Ce pondered for a moment and made a decision.

“Qingluan, Wind Prison. Seal the cave entrance.”

Qingluan flapped its wings, and the nine Wind Cores drifted out from its feathers, landing precisely at nine different positions around the cave entrance.

Three were above the entrance, three on the sides, and three in front.

The nine Wind Cores activated simultaneously, silver light spreading from each one to form an invisible force field in the air.

The Wind Prison took shape, enveloping the entire cave entrance.

Qin Ce bent down and slipped into the cave.

The cave was very narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.

The cave walls were covered in fine cracks, with a dull red light seeping through like tiny blood vessels.

A faint burnt smell filled the air, mixed with the musky scent of a beast and an indescribable aura of decay.

Qin Ce walked slowly, each step steady.

After walking about fifty meters, the cave suddenly opened up.

It was a natural domed stone chamber, about ten meters high and twenty meters in diameter.

There were small cracks in the ceiling of the stone chamber, letting in a few strands of faint, cold light through the thin mist.

In the very center of the stone chamber lay a leopard.

It was nearly four meters long and about one and a half meters high at the shoulder, covered entirely in short, dark gray fur, with smooth muscle lines visible beneath the pelt.

Its limbs were long and slender, with claws retracted into its paws, yet the thickness and curvature of those claws were still apparent.

Once extended, they would be enough to tear through the flesh of any Silver Rank Vicious Beast.

Most striking were the markings on its fur.

Fine, lightning-shaped silver patterns spread from its spine to its limbs, standing out vividly against the dark gray fur.

This was a Tian Gu Leopard.

A well-known type of leopard with the lightning attribute.

The one before him was at the Silver Rank Peak.

It was just one step away from reaching the threshold of Gold Rank.

But now, this Tian Gu Leopard lay there like a dried-out husk.

Its body was trembling slightly, and the energy within it was leaking out.

Those silver lightning patterns, which should have been dazzlingly bright, were now as dim as a dying filament.

Its eyes were half-closed, its pupils dilated, and its breathing was so faint it was almost imperceptible.

It hadn't even noticed Qin Ce's arrival.

Standing at the entrance of the stone chamber, Qin Ce activated Nine-Star Insight to its full extent, and lines of information flooded into his mind like flowing water.

[Vicious Beast]: Tian Gu Leopard

[Rank]: Silver Peak

[Potential]: Gold High Grade

[Attribute]: Lightning

[Status]: Near death. Lightning energy within its body is nearly exhausted; many Meridians are severed, Dantian is shattered, and life force is continuously draining.

[Status Description]: This Tian Gu Leopard was heavily injured three days ago while fighting another Gold Rank Vicious Beast for territory. It barely managed to flee back to its lair, but its injuries are too severe for it to recover.

[Weaknesses]: Energy exhaustion; unable to activate any lightning skills. Movement speed has dropped significantly. Combat power is less than ten percent of its Peak.

After reading this, Qin Ce was silent for a moment.

This was even more pathetic than he had expected.

Although the Gold Rank Raven King had been heavily injured during the beast tide, it could at least still fly, release Ink Feather Mist, and fight back.

This Tian Gu Leopard couldn't even stand up.

He did not directly order Qingluan to kill it.

He crouched down and glanced at Tianlu, who was following at his heels.

Tianlu was staring at the dying Tian Gu Leopard, the nine-colored light on its antlers flickering slightly, with a look of eagerness in its golden eyes.

It could sense that although this Tian Gu Leopard was close to death, a large amount of energy still remained within its body.

If it could kill the beast, a portion of that energy would be absorbed by Tianlu through the System's experience mechanism.

Qin Ce patted Tianlu on the head.

“It's up to you.”

Tianlu's eyes suddenly lit up.

Qin Ce stood up and stepped back a few paces, giving Tianlu some space.

“Qingluan, contract the Wind Prison and lock it down.”

Qingluan's wings vibrated slightly as the nine Wind Cores at the cave entrance simultaneously adjusted their positions and angles.

The Wind Prison changed from “sealing the cave entrance” to “trapping the Tian Gu Leopard.”

Nine winds from different directions intertwined within the stone chamber, enveloping the dying Tian Gu Leopard in the center of an invisible force field.

The Tian Gu Leopard finally reacted.

Its body jerked, and its half-closed eyes suddenly snapped open—they were dark gold eyes, now bloodshot, with pupils filled with pain and fury.

It saw Qin Ce, it saw Qingluan, and it saw the little purple-gold lion walking toward it.

“Roar—”

A low, raspy roar squeezed out of the Tian Gu Leopard's throat.

The sound lacked the majesty expected of a Silver Peak Vicious Beast; it was more like the final threat of a cornered animal driven to a dead end.

It tried to stand, pushing up with its limbs, but they buckled again.

It wanted to release a lightning skill, but the lightning energy in its body was so depleted it couldn't even condense a single spark.

It could only lie there, staring intently at Tianlu with its dark gold eyes.

Tianlu stopped five meters away from the Tian Gu Leopard.

It was not afraid.

This Tian Gu Leopard appeared twenty times larger than it and had once been a Silver Peak powerhouse, just a step away from the Gold Rank threshold.

But now, it was just a beast lying in a pool of blood, waiting for death.

Tianlu opened its mouth, and the nine-colored light on its antlers flared brilliantly.

A beam of light condensed on its antlers, compressed, and shot out.

Streaming Light Arrow.

The energy arrow of dual light and fire attributes drew a dazzling golden trail through the dim stone chamber, striking the Tian Gu Leopard's left front leg with precision.

Pfft.

The arrow sank into the flesh, exploding into a small ball of golden flame.

A thumb-thick hole appeared in the Tian Gu Leopard's left front leg, dark red blood gushing out and trickling down its gray fur.

The Tian Gu Leopard let out a roar of rage.

Its body gave a sudden heave, and it actually managed to prop itself up.

Lowering its head, it glared at Tianlu with its dark gold eyes, a low roar like muffled thunder rumbling in its throat. It opened its mouth, and a faint silver-white lightning spark flickered deep within—the very last of the lightning energy in its body.

Then, a tiny, almost invisible bolt of lightning shot from the Tian Gu Leopard's mouth.

It wasn't fast, nor was it powerful.

It could hardly even be called a real “attack.”

But Tianlu was still hit by the bolt.

The silver-white electric arc crackled as it burst against Tianlu's purple-gold scales.

Tianlu's body stiffened, and its small paws slipped on the ground, nearly causing it to fall.

But it did not dodge.

Tianlu shook its head, the nine-colored light on its antlers flickering, then it looked up and stared at the Tian Gu Leopard with its golden eyes.

In those eyes, there was no fear, only a provoked, stubborn, and unyielding light.

“Mew!”

Tianlu let out a short, angry cry.

Then, it increased the frequency of its Streaming Light Arrow attacks.

One golden arrow after another shot from Tianlu's antlers, growing faster, more precise in angle, and more powerful.

The first struck the same wound on the Tian Gu Leopard's left front leg. The second hit the joint of its right front leg. The third hit the lightning patterns on its spine.

Fourth, fifth, sixth—Tianlu was like a tireless repeating crossbow, pouring volleys of Streaming Light Arrows onto the Tian Gu Leopard.

The Tian Gu Leopard trembled all over from the pain.

It wanted to dodge, but its limbs no longer had the strength to support movement.

It wanted to fight back, but the lightning energy in its body was completely exhausted; it couldn't even form a single spark. It could only lie there, enduring Tianlu's attacks with its own body.

Its dark gray fur was charred, revealing the blackened skin beneath.

The silver lightning patterns were blasted apart, turning into rows of dark red scars.

Dark red blood gushed from dozens of wounds simultaneously, pooling on the ground into a dark red puddle.

The Tian Gu Leopard's breathing grew weaker, its heartbeat slower, and the light in its dark gold eyes dimmed bit by bit.

But it did not cry out.

From beginning to end, it didn't let out a single mournful plea for mercy.

It simply lay there, staring fixedly at Tianlu, Qin Ce, and Qingluan with its dark gold eyes.

Until the last glimmer of light vanished from its pupils.

Tianlu stopped its attack.

It stood beside the Tian Gu Leopard's corpse, its small paws making faint splashing sounds in the puddle of blood.

It looked down at the giant beast twenty times its size and slowly closed its eyes.

Tianlu's body began to glow.

The nine-colored light from its antlers shone softly down, seeping through the gaps in its scales to nourish its entire body.

The light grew brighter and denser, dyeing the entire stone chamber in seven-colored hues.

Tianlu's Rank began to change.

Black Iron High-grade.

Black Iron Peak.

It stopped just short of advancing to Bronze.

Standing nearby, Qin Ce watched the layer of seven-colored light on Tianlu, a slight smile playing on his lips.

This was the growth speed of a second Pet Beast.

A Beast Tamer's subsequently contracted Pet Beasts grew significantly faster than the first one.

The reason was simple—the first Pet Beast went from zero to one, with the Beast Tamer and the Pet Beast growing together.

At that time, the Beast Tamer himself was only at the black iron rank, with an energy grade similar to the Pet Beast's, providing limited nourishment.

But it was different for the second Pet Beast.

Qin Ce was now a Silver Rank Beast Tamer, and the energy flowing through him was of the Silver Rank.

The contract between him and Tianlu was like a pipe, through which Silver Rank energy constantly flowed to nourish Tianlu's body.

Although the amount wasn't large, its advantage lay in being continuous, every single moment.

And it wasn't just Qin Ce; Qingluan was also sharing a portion of its Silver Rank wind-element energy with Tianlu through the contract.

A Silver Rank Beast Tamer plus a Silver Rank Pet Beast, with both their Silver Rank energies nourishing a black iron rank Pet Beast at the same time.

It was like watering a seedling with a high-pressure hose; it would be hard for it to grow slowly.

Thus, Tianlu's leveling speed was much faster than Qingluan's had been back then.

Furthermore, as Qin Ce contracted more Pet Beasts in the future, the more high-level Pet Beasts he had, the faster the growth of any newly contracted Pet Beast would be.

This was a positive cycle.

Qin Ce withdrew his gaze and walked over to the Tian Gu Leopard's corpse.

Nine-Star Insight locked onto the location of the crystal core—the very center of the skull, beneath the frontal bone.

He used a Wind Blade to cut open the Tian Gu Leopard's forehead and retrieved the fist-sized, silver-white crystal core.

The crystal core was warm to the touch, with fine lightning patterns flowing inside. Although the Tian Gu Leopard's internal energy was exhausted, about thirty percent still remained in the crystal core; given its Silver Peak quality, it was more than enough.

Tianlu opened its eyes, and the seven-colored light on its body slowly faded.

Its eyes were brighter than before, with a hint of profound light in its golden pupils.

It ran to Qin Ce's feet, patted his leg with a small paw, and then ran toward the depths of the cave.

Qin Ce followed.

At the very back of the stone chamber, on the rock floor, was a glowing rune.

It was identical to the stone platform in the valley and the rune in the cavern.

Tianlu crouched beside the rune and called out to Qin Ce.

Qin Ce walked over and pressed the Tian Gu Leopard's crystal core against the rune.

The familiar milky-white liquid welled up from the rune, enveloping the crystal core and draining its energy. The perception of the territory in Qin Ce's mind expanded outward once again.

To the west-northwest, the withered forest, the Rocky Slope, and the hill with the cave—one piece of land after another was incorporated into his territory perception.

When the last wisp of energy was drained, the crystal core turned into grayish-white powder and slipped through Qin Ce's fingers.

The rune on the ground transformed into the shape of Qin Ce's territorial sovereignty.

Qin Ce closed his eyes and re-sensed the boundaries of his territory.

His existing territory had now expanded to three pieces.

The valley was the center, the west was Green Fang's hill and cavern, and the northwest was the Tian Gu Leopard's withered forest and cave. The three territories were connected by narrow corridors, like three bright pearls!

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