1: Chapter 1: The Bear Demon Shi Jian!

In the north lies a mountain called Mingqiu.

In the mountain lies a cave called Eternal Sleep.

This name was not naturally formed; rather, it was an elegant name chosen by the Immortal Cave's master, a bear Yao who had learned from the Human Race.

His name was Shi Jian.

He was a bear Yao with human memories in his head and a bound "Enlightenment System."

Because of this, he was unwilling to remain a stupid, clumsy beast.

Shi Jian did not understand what a System was, but that did not stop him from regarding it as a Heaven-Defying miracle that could change his fate.

[Enlightenment]: 1

[Cultivation]: Early Stage Foundation Establishment (Level 2 Yao Beast)

The information on the light screen was clear at a glance.

Every year, he would receive one Enlightenment quota, which he could use to grant wisdom to all things or keep using on himself to increase the strength of his Divine Soul.

Relying on this divine object, it took him only thirty-five years to go from an ignorant beast to a great Foundation Establishment Yao in this mountain range.

But what then?

The shackles of his Bloodline were like a natural chasm; without rare treasures or a Legacy of Cultivation Techniques, Foundation Establishment was the end of the road for him as an ordinary black bear.

Shi Jian was not resigned to this.

Therefore, he had been waiting.

Waiting for a tool he could use to "borrow a hen to lay eggs"!

"Finally, he's here..."

Deep within the Immortal Cave, Shi Jian's massive bear body trembled slightly. A sharp glint flashed through his bell-like eyes, carrying a craftiness that did not belong to a bear.

"I've been enticing this old thing for several years, and he's finally taken the bait!"

He bared his teeth, revealing a sinister smile that was completely at odds with his honest-looking appearance.

What future was there in being a mountain king? Eating raw meat and drinking blood, living a precarious life.

Becoming a Spirit Beast for human Cultivators—now that was a true leap to the heavens!

Of course, he wasn't going there to be a dog.

Shi Jian wanted to have it both ways!

When the Yao Race was powerful, he would be a peerless great Yao that howled at the moon and swallowed the sun, growing stronger by eating humans and drinking blood—this was following the Heavenly Dao and the law of the jungle.

When the Human Race flourished, he would be an auspicious Spirit Beast that understood human nature, following them to enjoy life and Cultivate while seizing resources—this was also following the Heavenly Dao, for a fine bird chooses its tree.

As for dignity?

Could that stuff put food on the table? Could it help him break through the shackles of his Bloodline?

Cultivating immortality is about longevity; what use is dignity!

His plan was simple.

First, be a Spirit Beast, then be an ancestor!

Once he outlived this decrepit old Cultivator, Shi Jian would transform into the guardian deity of the Family, the Old Ancestor of everyone.

By then, it would be easy to invite a god, but hard to get rid of one!

After he sired a few litters of bear cubs and used the Enlightenment System to grant each of them wisdom, a highly intelligent bear Yao clan would quietly take shape.

After another few hundred years of secret manipulation and usurping their place...

He would be able to establish a firm foothold in the human world. Spiritual Veins, spiritual fields, Medicinal Pills, Legacies... everything would belong to him and his descendants!

With people serving him every day, spiritual rice to eat for every meal, and a Spiritual Vein to use, wouldn't this life be much more comfortable than fighting over territory with those stupid Yao in the mountains?

Risking his life? Impossible.

Enjoying life? Absolutely!

Shi Jian really couldn't understand why those Yao spent all day fighting and killing; they had no vision for sustainable development at all.

He, the Great Yao Shi Jian, was ashamed to be associated with them!

"He's here, my little darling... no, my old darling is here!"

*Cough, cough!*

Shi Jian cleared his throat and instantly reined in all his outward emotions.

"Must be aloof, must be reserved!"

"I must make him feel that inviting this old bear home is a once-in-three-lifetimes stroke of luck, a massive blessing!"

"I must make him enshrine me like a Great Buddha!"

With great calculation, Shi Jian adjusted his posture, sprawling across a giant rock in front of the cave entrance to perfectly showcase his sleek, brownish-black fur and explosive muscle lines.

Look at this magnificent physique, this unfathomable aura!

He didn't believe any Cultivator could resist such a "plump" and promising prospect!

He would have to play hard to get, negotiate a steep price, and then let the human Cultivator comfortably invite him home to be pampered.

"You have come."

Shi Jian slowly raised his eyelids, his voice intentionally low and magnetic, carrying a hint of the indifference of one long in power, full of petty schemes.

Before his voice had even faded, a figure had already quietly appeared outside the cave.

The newcomer was as thin as a flickering candle in the wind, with deeply sunken cheeks as if his vitality had been drained by time, leaving only white hair that was as piercingly bright as snow under the moon.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator of the Sun Clan, Chun Muzi: Sun Hangchun!

An old fellow whose Lifespan was nearly exhausted, with only forty years left to live.

Forty years.

To Shi Jian, it was but a blink of an eye as one passes from youth to prime.

But for Sun Hangchun, it was the Family's last chance to breathe.

Forty years later, he would turn into a handful of yellow earth, and the Sun Clan behind him would lose its Foundation Establishment protection, instantly becoming fat meat surrounded by a pack of wolves.

This was the iron law of the Cultivation world.

What Shi Jian was waiting for was this bone-deep despair and the urgency of a drowning man clutching at straws.

"Fellow Daoist Shi must be joking."

Sun Hangchun cupped his hands, his voice raspy and carrying an aura of decay. "Compared to you, what grace could this old bag of bones possibly have left?"

His cloudy gaze fell upon Shi Jian, making no attempt to hide his envy and longing.

"On the other hand, Fellow Daoist Shi, this Qi and blood... is truly as vigorous as a furnace. It puts me to shame!"

The old man changed the subject, revealing his true intentions.

"With such talent, isn't it a waste for you to reside in these desolate mountains?"

"Why not come to my Sun Clan?"

"I am willing to use the strength of the entire clan to provide for you. You only need to make a Heart Demon Oath to protect my Sun Clan for... two hundred years!"

"Whatever price you want, you decide!"

Sun Hangchun bowed even lower, his posture as humble as could be.

"As long as I can do it, I will grant anything!"

This old fox's abacus was clicking away...

Aside from a second-rank Spiritual Vein and over a hundred mu of spiritual fields, his Sun Clan was dirt poor. Exchanging these inanimate objects for the protection of a living, high-potential Foundation Establishment great Yao was a massive profit!

Two hundred years was enough time for a Genius to appear among the Sun Clan's younger generation.

If they could also get their hands on a high-level Beast-Taming Technique...

By then, it was still uncertain who would be the master and who would be the servant.

His Sun Clan might just use this bear to rise and soar to the heavens!

"I decide?"

"That's fine, but what is the meaning of those people behind you, Fellow Daoist?"

"If you are with them, then unless you give me a reasonable explanation today, I'm afraid you won't be walking out of Mingqiu Mountain!"

Shi Jian slowly rose, his gaze locked onto a spot a hundred zhang away. His Divine Sense strength was actually a notch higher than Sun Hangchun's.

If he were a human Cultivator, it might not be much.

But Shi Jian was a Yao. For a Yao Beast's Divine Sense to be stronger than a Cultivator's in the same realm—especially for a bear Yao known for its strength—was as absurd as seeing a ghost in broad daylight!

"Fellow Daoist Shi, what is the meaning of this?"