As a member of the awakened monster tribe with a bloodline inheritance, the Maine Coon knew very well that to stir such a wide range of Spiritual Energy Vortex, it would have to be at least a True Monarch or a demon lord from the Refining Spirit to Return to Void Stage.
At the time when the Spirit Energy Tidal Surge had just arrived, it was impossible for this remote place to give birth to such a strong being at this realm, so this Spiritual Energy Vortex must have been caused by some kind of worldly treasure.
With the reminder from the kitten, the Maine Coon immediately realized the potential opportunity within.
Turning its head towards the dozens of stray cats behind it, the Maine Coon issued a low growl from its throat, and the stray cats scattered and fled as if they had received an order.
Soon, the Maine Coon's massive body seemed to blend into the shadows, quickly rushing towards the center of the Spiritual Energy Vortex.
As the Divine Capacity Seed absorbs Spirit Energy at a faster rate, many animals in the old district affected by the Spirit Energy Tidal Surge start to gather.
Among them was a huge rat king, overweight and carried by a horde of rats, an eerie crow with various colored feathers and fire at its feet, and a gigantic roach that could fly and stood half a meter tall...
These monsters gathered outside Shen Yuan's courtyard, looking greedily at the cultivation room inside.
Having awoken their bloodline early in the onset of the Spirit Energy Tidal Surge, these monsters, each one a king within their own tribe, knew very well what such a wide-ranging Spiritual Energy Vortex represented.
Heavenly materials and earth treasures that could extend lifespan, natural spirit objects that could enhance cultivation, or even... Divine Capacity Seeds that nurtured Divine Arts.
Regardless of which kind, they could provide an unimaginable advantage in the early return of the Spirit Energy Tidal Surge, allowing them to transcend the limitations of their tribe and become future Demon Kings.
Thinking of this, the greed within these monsters began to swell rapidly.
Compared to the indigenous beings of this place, the Maine Coon arrived a bit later. By the time it got to the courtyard, several monsters and a large number of rat hordes and crows had already surrounded the courtyard.
The arrival of the Maine Coon immediately attracted the attention of the other monsters, and its robust body, as tall as half a human, made it seem like a fierce tiger. Consequently, the other monsters retreated somewhat upon first seeing the Maine Coon.
A Tiger Demon Transformation is known as Mountain Sovereign, qualified to become Earth Deities and Mountain Gods, they are great demons with innate divine powers. If there really was a Mountain Sovereign here, no monster would qualify to compete with it.
However, after recognizing that the Maine Coon's head did not have the royal character symbolizing a Mountain Sovereign, but just a palm-sized furball, the other monsters no longer had their initial trepidation.
The Maine Coon's enormous body did provide a certain advantage when facing other monsters, but this was not enough to get them to hand over the treasures willingly.
Only the overweight Rat King instinctively quivered its body, hiding itself within the rat horde.
The kitten on the Maine Coon's head excitedly looked towards the center of the gathering spirit energy. But when it saw it was a human dwelling, its delight instantly turned into disappointment.
"It turns out it's someone else's possession!" the kitten grumbled unhappily.
The Maine Coon cast a slow glance at the other hovering monsters, then stuck out its crimson tongue to lick its paw and nonchalantly said:
"My lord, if you need it, I can snatch it for you."
At these words, the kitten threw another punch at the Maine Coon's head.
"Didn't I tell you? If we want to develop in human society, we absolutely cannot do illegal things, especially stealing other people's stuff."
The Maine Coon, which had been domineering just a moment ago, immediately appeared wronged.
"But, but using a box to locate someone's offline address is also illegal!"
The kitten was immediately stunned, a look of embarrassment appearing on its face. It immediately started to explain:
"It's all that jerk's fault, if he hadn't provoked me first and refused to apologize, would I have wanted to find him offline?"
"And besides, I still haven't found him yet, so it definitely doesn't count as breaking the law."
As the kitten countered, the Rat Demon could no longer contain itself and had its horde of rats charge towards the courtyard.
The rats descended like an avalanche towards the wooden door, with the ones showing signs of demonization gnawing rapidly at the rotting door. It was only a matter of time before the door would collapse.
However, the commotion outside did not seem to attract the attention of anyone in the room. The rats continued to ram into the wooden door, which looked ready to fall apart at any moment.
Seeing this, the kitten wore a conflicted expression and whispered to the Maine Coon:
"There are still humans inside the room, those guys are definitely planning to kill the humans and then take the treasure. Should we stop them from killing?"
This time, the kitten wasn't giving orders, but inquiring with a business-like tone.
The Maine Coon, having been abandoned by humans, had no good feelings for them and instinctively wanted to refuse.
But when it saw the hopeful look in the kitten's eyes, its heart inexplicably softened.
"According to your will!"
The kitten was carefully put aside, and the two stray cats behind him immediately came up to protect it. The Maine Coon rushed into the rat swarm like a fierce tiger. The rats panicked and fled as they were trampled to death in panic.
"Stop!"
Roaring in the midst of the carnage, a surge of demon energy started to press against the besieged monsters in the courtyard.
The display of such a mighty demonic power caused many monsters to furtively glance at each other. If this cat stepped further, it could have reached the Qi Transformation realm and become a real member of the monster tribe.
"The treasures in the courtyard are up for grabs, but no harm should come to the humans inside!"
The Maine Coon's words fell and the monsters became immediately infuriated.
"Who do you think you are?"
"I knew that cats are just humans' lackeys!"
"Did you, a rat, just tried to insult a dog?"
"You are protecting humans, you're a traitor to our race!"
The Maine Coon ignored their scornful remarks. It lifted its paw and politely licked the remains from its fur, a look of complete disdain in its eyes.
"I'm just establishing the rules here. Anyone who does not follow them, dies!"
The Maine Coon's firm stance caused the surrounding to fall silent for a while.
The monsters' eyes shone with caution. Their goal was the treasure within the courtyard, and the death of the people therein was of no significance to them. A clash with the Maine Coon would be a losing affair.
Exchanging glances and prepping to agree, they were suddenly interrupted by a violent disturbance within the courtyard. The ground collapsed and countless mice began rushing out of the hole.
The rat king, a noticeably plump rat, was in the center.
The monsters were shocked. They assumed that the rat king had hidden because it feared the natural predator, the cat demon, but it had ordered the rats to dig a tunnel and take the initiative instead.
This ignited a state of frenzy amongst the monsters, discarding their calculated caution and rushing towards the courtyard, completely disregarding the Maine Coon's stance.
The Maine Coon stood in front of the wooden door with a grimace. It had planned to rely on its own strength to deter other monsters, but the rat king had changed the situation.
Although it was powerful, it couldn't possibly face off with these monsters for the sake of one human.
With that thought, it stepped aside.
The swarm of mice rushing from the courtyard had already reached the door to the cultivation room, carrying the rat king. The rat king's tiny eyes were filled with excitement.
It could see that the treasure was within reach.
Just as the swarm of mice was about to touch the door, the massive spiritual energy vortex suddenly vanished, and the door was gently pushed open by a hand.
A handsome young man wearing a white shirt stood there. He looked weak and ordinary as if any transformed rat could easily bite through his throat.
This ordinary young man threw something towards the swarm of mice.
The rat king took a closer look. It was a small brown matchbox, way too small to light a fire that could kill a rat.
"A desperate attempt in panic!"
The rat king was immensely scornful.
Before he could react, deep black cracks began to appear all over the small matchbox and a restless aura started spreading rapidly from it.
Before he could respond, the black cracks had spread all around, enveloping the entire swarm of mice and even affecting the rushing monsters in the courtyard with the spread of massive space rifts.
Neither the torn flesh nor the erupting demonic power could affect that shattered space, and the monsters cluelessly entered the ripped space one after another like lambs voluntarily entering the slaughterhouse.
The shattered space rift acted like the mouth of an enormous and ruthless beast, swallowing all the demons up.
In the swarm, the desperate cries pierced through the silent night sky.
"Shattering Void, he is the Void Refining True Monarch!"