As the Snow Leopard Emperor confirmed that its enemy was truly dead, it paused for a moment before dashing toward the mansion where it had sensed the presence of its offspring. Upon reaching its destination, it found its egg clutched in the frozen hands of a human who had already perished, encased in ice by the sheer cold.
Despite its child being safe, the Snow Leopard Emperor let out a furious roar, shattering the surrounding ice with its voice alone. Without hesitation, it gathered the blood of more than 50 million humans to serve as nourishment for its offspring before swiftly departing, ignoring all else. Something far more pressing was approaching.
The survivors, who had been hiding, breathed a collective sigh of relief as the Snow Leopard Emperor left. Joyous cries rang out in the city.
But then…
A sinister chuckle echoed from above.
"Hehe… Thank you, Snow Leopard Emperor, for leaving so many humans for us to enjoy."
A voice resonated from a massive white ox. Its pristine fur shimmered under the moonlight, and its eyes burned with insatiable hunger.
"I must also express my gratitude," rumbled a deep voice. A towering polar bear emerged, its immense form casting a shadow over the ruined city. "But I'll be taking an extra million humans. How about I trade for a Pure Rainbow Fruit?"
"I only need two fruits," hissed a colossal white centipede with ten thousand legs as it slithered forward, licking its razor-sharp tongue. "I'll give you my share two million humans in exchange."
The polar bear grinned. "Deal."
The blood drained from the faces of the surviving humans as they listened to the monstrous conversation above. Their bodies trembled in terror.
Hovering in the sky were seventeen epic-level beasts accompanied by countless others of varying strength, numbering in the millions.
"Ruuuuuuun!"
A desperate scream pierced the silence, and the citizens erupted into chaos. Beast tamers summoned their companions in a frantic attempt to escape. But against a horde of beasts at the epic level, escape was nothing more than a fleeting dream.
As the city descended into a frenzy of panic and despair, agonized screams filled the air.
Just as some attempted to flee beyond the city limits, a massive wall of crimson fire erupted into existence, sealing them in. The roaring inferno burned like an impenetrable fortress, dashing any remaining hope.
"This is bad! Everyone, combine your strength and break through the wall! If we don't escape now, we're all going to..."
Before the man could finish his sentence
Schlk!
His body convulsed, and he collapsed to the ground, blood gushing from a deep wound in his chest.
An old woman, witnessing the scene, fell to her knees in despair. Her eyes were filled with hopelessness as she screamed, "Why?! Why is Dawn's Radiance slaughtering us? We're humans just like you!"
At her cry, shadows appeared in the sky.
The remaining citizens turned their gazes upward, eyes filled with dread. What they saw were hundreds of figures hovering over the city. Each one was clad in robes of orange and red, their faces concealed behind masks adorned with the emblem of the sun the unmistakable mark of Dawn's Radiance.
The oppressive aura emanating from their bodies was undeniable. Even the weakest among them stood at the diamond level.
Another voice rang out.
"Let me join Dawn's Radiance!" A man stepped forward, his voice tinged with desperation. "I'm a high diamond-level beast tamer!"
The remaining survivors were paralyzed with fear.
Behind them, the horde of ravenous beasts lurked, their eyes gleaming with hunger.
In front of them, deranged cultists who had abandoned all humanity blocked their only path to freedom.
Some collapsed in despair. Some fell to their knees, sobbing in terror. Others still clung to the faint hope that the Central Government would send help in time.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of deafening explosions erupted across the city. Waves of scorching fire swept through the streets, sending countless bodies flying through the air. Some were instantly torn apart by the sheer force, their flesh and bones reduced to unrecognizable fragments. The anguished screams of the dying filled the skies, but mercy was nowhere to be found.
At that moment, the aura of an emperor surged high above the city.
A young woman descended from the dark clouds, her golden robes embroidered with the blazing sigil of the sun. Her crimson eyes burned like flames, radiating an eerie, otherworldly glow. She curved her lips into a menacing smile before speaking.
"Rejoice. You shall become the sacred offering to the God of Sun ."
BOOM!
A violent burst of flames erupted.
A crimson shockwave engulfed the entire city in an instant.
Even the enormous white centipede, a terrifying beast that had once ruled the battlefield, trembled in sheer terror. Its voice quivered as it let out a desperate roar.
"This is bad! That's an emperor-level being! Retreat! Now!"
But it was already too late.
BOOM!
In a single moment, the entire fifth-tier city was wiped off the map.
It didn't matter whether they were beasts, humans, or even powerful tamers every last one of them was incinerated. The blazing inferno consumed over fifty million lives, leaving behind nothing but charred remnants.
The emperor-ranked beast tamer of Dawn's Radiance surveyed the devastation with a cold, detached gaze. Then, without a hint of remorse, she issued her next command.
"Begin harvesting the blood and remains."
Immediately, the other members kneeled in unison, acknowledging the order before moving into action. They began gathering the blood of the fallen and the corpses of beasts and humans alike into strange, metallic containers. All that remained was the inferno, its unrelenting flames devouring everything in sight.
Somewhere deep within an isolated forest…
A hidden cave lay nestled within a remote mountain range. Inside, a sacred tree stood tall, emanating a soft golden light. This ancient entity radiated restorative energy, its essence pulsating with healing power.
At the heart of the tree, a figure lay encased within its roots.
It was Shen Kang, the adoptive father of Shen Ya. He was alive, but his body was riddled with grievous wounds. If not for the tree's mystical power, he would have perished long ago.
Suddenly, his eyes snapped open.
Although his mind was still clouded, his instincts screamed of imminent danger.
Footsteps echoed from the entrance of the cave.
His heart pounded.
This place was hidden protected by a complex formation that should have made it undetectable. How could someone have found it?
Before he could react, the footsteps abruptly stopped.
Shen Kang turned his gaze toward the entrance. His pupils shrank in shock.
"This… This is impossible… You…?"
SCHLK!
A faint drip echoed in the silent cave.
Shen Kang's body convulsed as his vision blurred.
A single bullet of water had pierced through his skull.
His lifeless body collapsed to the ground. No final words. No last struggle. Just death instant and absolute.
In that very moment, a shadowy entity, an ethereal wraithlike figure, emerged from the killer's body. Without hesitation, it lunged toward Shen Kang's fallen form, consuming his soul entirely.
The essence of Shen Kang was erased from existence.
His spirit was obliterated, ensuring that he would never reincarnate again.
The sacred tree, once radiating warmth and vitality, withered away.
It died alongside its master.
By the laws of the beast-taming contract, when a tamer perished, their beasts perished as well. And so, every single one of Shen Kang's beasts was erased from existence.
The man in black stepped forward, standing over Shen Kang's corpse. His expression remained cold and unreadable as he crouched down and retrieved the lifeless body.
Then, without hesitation, he pulled out a phone and dialed a number.