Yes, it was unmistakably a massive fire pit.
As countless beastmen swore a blood oath, streams of blood-red light emerged, each carrying the fate energy of a beastman tribe. All of it surged into the fire pit—this was Bloodfire, the flame of the beastkin's destiny. It represented the gathered national fortune of the beastman tribes. The flames soared skyward, and in a flash, transformed into a yellow blaze.
This was the beastkin's method of establishing an imperial court.
Unlike the human race, which had fewer sub-races and could easily unify their fate under a single dynasty, the beastkin were fragmented into countless tribes—each like a noble clan in the human realm, obeying commands only when convenient, kingdoms within kingdoms. The only way to unify their national fate was through a blood oath alliance—forming a confederation that jointly honored a single imperial court.
During the founding of such a court, swearing a blood oath allowed each tribe to pour part of their fate energy into the process, forging a shared destiny. From that moment on, the court's fortune and the individual tribes' fortunes would become interconnected. If the imperial court flourished, the tribes would receive fate energy in return, growing stronger. But if the court collapsed, they would all suffer varying degrees of loss. Of course, since it was a mutual alliance, the damage would be partial—unless a pack of tigers devoured the dragon, leading to unpredictable consequences.
Such was the duality of the system.
However, the Behemoth Clan, being one of the beastkin's royal lineages, had remained unshaken for millennia. Their innate physical prowess gave them unmatched strength in battle, and their warlike nature ensured that no other tribe had ever succeeded in dethroning them from their royal status.
As long as the Behemoth Clan remained strong, no other tribe could challenge their position at the head of the imperial court.
Beastkin warriors and citizens from all tribes willingly offered their blood. As sovereigns among beastkin, it was natural for the Behemoth King to establish the court. This choice received instinctual recognition and obedience from the various beastman tribes—no one objected.
One beam of bloodlight after another entered the blood pool, which soon transformed into a seething fire pit. Flames roared, and bloodfire surged like a tide, threatening to set the sky ablaze. From the heart of the fire, a towering figure emerged—a colossal golden Behemoth King, condensed from fate energy, easily eighty to ninety zhang tall. An overwhelming presence.
Its entire body was shrouded in flames, radiating golden brilliance.
ROAR!!
Upon materializing, the Golden Behemoth unleashed a thunderous roar filled with unrivaled battle will—a fighting spirit that seemed capable of shattering the heavens, thirsting for battle against infinite foes.
"What a mighty Golden Behemoth. This is the fate spirit of the beastkin's imperial court. Its size is nearly equal to the Luck Dragon of my own Great Yi Dynasty. The combined fate of the beastkin tribes is truly formidable."
Seated in the Hall of Ten Thousand Immortals, Yi Tianxing gazed far into the distance, clearly perceiving the changes unfolding on the Ten Thousand Beasts Plains. This was fate resonance, a sensing ability that transcended distance.
The massive Golden Behemoth stood in the void. One would have to be blind not to see it. While human fate spirits often took the form of true dragons, other races manifested totems or ancestral deities instead. While the forms differed, all were manifestations of national fortune.
There was no denying the deep heritage of the Behemoth Clan, or the profound reserves of the Golden City.
"To found an royal court and step onto the path of a Destiny Dynasty, let's see if you have what it takes," Yi Tianxing murmured, eyes calm and deep.
RUMBLE!!!
As expected, once the fate spirit took form as the Golden Behemoth, dark clouds began to gather in the void. Thunder flickered, and lightning tore across the sky like wild beasts baring their fangs.
A golden eye emerged from within the storm clouds, as if Heaven itself had opened its gaze, releasing an ancient and unfathomable pressure.
The golden eye stared coldly at the fire pit and the golden figure. After a moment, it shut without emotion—seemingly disinterested.
But the tribulation clouds did not disperse.
Lightning continued to dance through the sky.
CRACK!!
A bolt of golden lightning ripped through the air, carrying with it the will of the heavens—tyrannical and absolute—as it struck down toward the Golden Behemoth.
ROAR!!
The Behemoth raised its head and bellowed. Beating its chest with massive golden claws, it then swiped skyward.
With a single strike, the thunderbolt was shattered, dispersed into the void.
Afterward, the Behemoth's aura grew even more powerful.
"So strong! This is incredible! Our fate spirit is untouchable, even by the heavens!"
"Exactly! Even Heaven cannot stop us! Behemoth is invincible!"
Beastkin throughout Golden City and beyond erupted with joy. They had expected the tribulation to be terrifying—but in the face of the Golden Behemoth, it had been crushed with ease. Their confidence soared.
"Passing the heavenly tribulation isn't that easy. This is just the beginning," Yi Tianxing said coolly, unfazed.
Establishing a Destiny Dynasty was no small feat. Any number of tribulations could occur. In the Eternal World, no race was a predetermined protagonist. Humans were not Heaven's chosen, nor were other races Heaven's outcasts.
Everything was determined by strength.
Protagonists weren't born—they were forged.
If humans could establish Destiny Dynasties, so could the beastkin. Heaven would not show favoritism. Pass the tribulation, and the court would be recognized. Fail, and it would be utter destruction.
RUMBLE!!
The clouds thickened, growing heavier and darker, as if they would crush the world beneath them.
Suddenly, a second bolt of golden lightning, thicker and more powerful than the last, struck down.
The Golden Behemoth didn't flinch, meeting it with another claw strike. The thunder was shattered once more—easily.
Then came the third strike, far mightier than the second. The golden bolt blasted down like a celestial pillar.
BOOM!
The Golden Behemoth struck, but its claw turned black, charred from the impact. However, in a flash of golden light, its injuries healed.
"Such a powerful fate spirit. Seems the tribulation can't defeat it," Yi Tianxing muttered.
What made a fate spirit so terrifying was its ability to absorb fate energy to rapidly regenerate. Unless it was instantly destroyed or its fate was severed, it was nearly unkillable.
But the recovery came at a cost.
Each restoration consumed the imperial court's fate energy, and the Golden Behemoth visibly shrunk—its size dropping slightly after each recovery.
Still, unless it suffered a catastrophic blow, the damage was negligible.
The fourth bolt followed—greater than the last.
One claw was blasted to pieces, but it regenerated again. The cost: it shrank again, now down to eighty zhang.
Then came the fifth, sixth, seventh…
With each strike, the Behemoth's body broke and reformed.
Seventy zhang.Sixty zhang.
By the ninth bolt, over half of its body had shattered, and it had shrunk to just over thirty zhang.
"APPROVED!!"
An emotionless voice echoed through the void as the clouds dissipated.
"The Ten Thousand Beasts Imperial Court—established!!"
The Golden Behemoth King, grinning widely, raised his head and shouted with divine authority.
At once, the bloodfire pit hovered over Golden City, forming a yellow inferno, encasing the fate spirit within as it inhaled and exhaled the flames of destiny.
The Behemoth King's words rang across the entire Ten Thousand Beasts Plains—even the surrounding regions heard them. Though the further away, the fainter the sound.
Still, it could not compare to when Yi Tianxing had established the Great Yi Dynasty, whose voice had echoed across the entire Eternal World.