As Diten returned to his lair, carrying the Soul Orb in his mouth, dusk had already permeated the mountain forest.
From deep within the cave, the soft whimpers of cubs could be heard; seven fluffy little beasts were circling the White Tiger Consort, their paws tugging at the teats on the mother tiger's belly.
When Diten's figure appeared in their amber eyes, the most playful one suddenly wagged its tail and stumbled over, and as its tiger head rubbed against his front paw, it dragged three faint golden claw marks in the muddy ground — that was the Bloodline Power inherited from Diten.
"Ding! The 9th cub is born, Physique: Superior, Awakened Metal Spiritual Perception."
The System prompt caused Diten's pupils to constrict slightly.
He lowered his head, gazing at the faint golden glow flickering between the cub's paw pads, and suddenly recalled the trace of gold that had appeared in his fur when he Broke Through to the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment.
Could it be that as his Dao cultivation increased, some ancient Divine Beast Bloodline was gradually Awakening?
Diten had read some cultivation novels in his previous life, so he couldn't help but ponder for a while.
"Roar wooh~" The White Tiger Consort rubbed against his neck, her nose carrying a wisp of fur mixed with gold and ash.
Diten noticed his reflection in her eyes; his body was a full circle larger than three months ago, the mane on his shoulders and neck gleamed with a metallic luster, and when he opened his maw, his canines subtly revealed a jade-like translucence.
Even more bizarrely, whenever he circulated the Five Elements Art, a clear ringing sound of metal striking stone would echo between the bones of his limbs, as if a living volcano was hidden within his body, capable of erupting with world-destroying power at any moment.
Over the next three months, the mountain forest experienced a rare "baby boom."
Diten and his six consorts took turns enjoying their happy times; low roars echoed from within the mountain cave, and a small tribal group formed by tigers gradually appeared around the cave.
Moreover, with the expansion of his territory, several more beautiful tigers were chosen.
Whenever he patrolled his territory, three to five cubs would always stumble along, and the moss they stepped on would emit a faint glow of Five Elements attributes — some left ice flowers, some left scorch marks, and the most astonishing was the outstanding one among the third generation, who could make plants grow wildly while running, creating a path paved with fresh flowers.
"Ding! The tenth cub is born…..."
"Ding! The eleventh cub…...."
...
"Ding! The thirtieth offspring is born, Physique: Superior, Awakened Wood-Earth Dual Attribute! Gained Dao Cultivation +80."
"Ding! The fiftieth offspring is born, Physique: Peerless, Awakened Complete Five Elements Bloodline! Gained Dao Cultivation +300."
As the System prompts continuously exploded, Diten was absorbing the moonlight on the mountaintop.
He suddenly opened his eyes, only to see the Five Elements halo deep within his Sea of Consciousness vibrating violently; the originally singular golden, wooden, water, fire, and earth five-colored light bands had intertwined into a rotating Yin and Yang fish pattern.
At the same time, a hundred years of Dao Cultivation within his body boiled like lava, surging up his spine to the Baihui acupoint, condensing into five miniature Spiritual Qi tornadoes above his head.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound came from his Dantian.
Diten felt some Restriction shatter with a roar; the heartbeats of all living beings in the mountain forest suddenly became clearly audible — the wild rabbit three miles to the east was gnawing on dew-covered grass roots, the moonlight reflected by the scales of fish leaping out of the water in the western mountain stream, and even the lightning-attributed Spiritual Qi contained in the clouds a hundred miles away, all unfolded in his Sea of Consciousness like a map.
"Realm Breakthrough! Foundation Establishment Tenth Layer!"
"Dao Cultivation accumulated: 628 years!"
"Strength Attribute Breakthrough: 1600 kilograms!"
"Unlocked Bloodline Talent: Five Elements Domain (Can condense a Five Elements Domain within a hundred zhang radius, suppressing the spiritual power of lower-level Cultivators)."
Diten looked at the panel before him, his eyes filled with a slight shock; in his known memories, Foundation Establishment only had nine layers, and after the Great Perfection of the ninth layer, a Demonic Golden Core would form, yet he had reached a Realm he had never heard of.
The System prompt continued to sound.
"Ding! Due to having fifty offspring, you have gained the title 'Fifty and Standing Firm', reward: Heavenly Might Millstone."
"Heavenly Might Millstone - Can automatically release pressure to suppress enemies, can also temper oneself, and can also complete Incomplete Manuals."
"The more offspring, the stronger the power…..."
Diten felt a bit helpless; how many tigers would he have to find... Oh, right, he could after he transformed, hehe...
Diten let out a long roar to the sky, and the sound waves transformed into a tangible shockwave that swept across the mountain forest.
The lake at the foot of the mountain boiled in response, its water decomposed into five forms of Five Elements Power: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, condensing into a gigantic lotus in the air before exploding with a roar, each petal containing world-destroying power.
The wolf pack, currently foraging, uniformly prostrated themselves, emitting fearful whimpers from their throats; they instinctively sensed — that in this mountain forest, a great demon had entered a new Realm, one with immeasurable future achievements.
Late at night, Diten came alone to the mountain hollow where he had first killed a Cultivator.
Moonlight spilled onto the scorched earth where Chen Wu had perished.
He held the Incomplete Manual of the Soul Devouring Art in his palm, and the Five Elements Spirit Devouring Power roared into operation.
The black scroll twisted and deformed in the multicolored light, its originally obscure runes gradually revealing golden veins, finally transforming into a rhomboid Jade Slip, floating slowly above his glabella.
"Detected Incomplete Manual of Soul Devouring Art, purification complete and now complete!"
"Gained new ability: Reverse Soul (Can convert absorbed evil power into Five Elements Spiritual Qi)."
"Ding! Gained new ability - To Act as a Tiger's Accomplice (The resentful souls of those devoured by tigers become their accomplices, to be used by oneself)."
Diten thought to himself... this ability wasn't a good term in his previous life.
Just then, Diten suddenly sensed a familiar aura approaching from the north.
It was the scent of his mother, but mixed with a strange smell of blood.
His pupils constricted sharply, and he unleashed the Divine Travel Technique to its utmost, transforming into a streak of green light that cut across the night sky.
When he arrived at the rock cave where his mother resided, the sight before him made his blood run cold —
His mother was curled up in a corner, covered in wounds, her front paws desperately protecting a trembling cub.
Dark purple blood splattered on the cave wall; that was the spiritual blood possessed only by Cultivators above the Golden Core Stage.
And in the center of the cave, a man dressed in a purple-gold Daoist robe was playing with a Soul Orb, and on the chain wrapped around his fingertips, seven demonic beast Golden Cores were strung.
"Oh? Another Foundation Establishment Perfection tiger demon?" The man raised an eyebrow, and the chain emitted a harsh buzzing sound, "Perfect, my Xuanxiao Sect's Hundred Demon Soul Refining Formation is just missing a pure-blooded sacrifice like you."
Diten stared at the cloud pattern on the man's Daoist robe, finally remembering the name his mother had once murmured in her nightmares — Xuanxiao Sect, that Evil Path sect that delighted in hunting the Yao Race and refining their essence blood.
He took a deep breath, the Five Elements Power circulating wildly within his body, the golden mane on his shoulders and neck suddenly growing explosively, and a gigantic Five Elements Divine Beast phantom appeared behind him.
"Mother, close your eyes." Diten's voice was low as thunder, every word carrying killing intent, "Today, I will let the people of Xuanxiao Sect know that those who violate the Five Elements Bloodline will die without a complete corpse."
The purple-gold robed man was about to form a hand seal, but he discovered with horror that his spiritual power was rapidly draining away.
Diten's Five Elements Domain had quietly unfolded around him, a gigantic Bagua diagram appeared on the ground, and the five spiritual powers of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth surged in like a tide, completely sealing off his retreat.
"Th-this is ancient Divine Beast Bloodline... Impossible! How can a mere tiger demon…..."
"Nothing is impossible." Diten revealed his chilling canines, and the Five Elements Art condensed into a multicolored light blade between his claws, "You just said you wanted to refine my soul? Too bad, you can't even touch my claws."
The moment the light blade flashed, the stalactites on the ceiling of the rock cave exploded with a roar.
When the dust settled, the purple-gold robed man had turned into a pile of minced flesh, with only the Inner Core necklace falling perfectly intact beside Diten's paw.
He gently licked it, and the Restriction on the necklace was dissolved by the Five Elements Power; the seven Inner Cores transformed into streams of light and merged into his body, and the Five Elements Yin and Yang fish in his Sea of Consciousness shone even brighter.
His mother trembled as she rubbed against his cheek, her gaze falling on the golden mane on his shoulders and neck, and suddenly tears flowed.
"Tian'er, your father he…..."
"No need to say more, Mother." Diten gently licked away the bloodstains from the corners of her eyes, "No matter where my Bloodline comes from, I now have the ability to protect this mountain forest, to protect you and all my offspring."
As the first ray of dawn pierced through the clouds, Diten stood on the mountaintop, overlooking his tribe.
Fifty cubs chased and played on the grass, his consorts lay in the shade of trees grooming their fur, and in the distance, the wolf pack cautiously presented a freshly caught antelope — a symbol of submission.
He raised his front paw, and a complete Five Elements spiritual glow appeared in his palm.
This mountain forest, coveted by evil Cultivators, would ultimately become a sanctuary for the Yao Race under the protection of the Five Elements Bloodline.
And he, Diten, would take the first step towards the legendary Realm with his new Foundation Establishment Realm.
"Ding! Hidden quest triggered: Establish the Yao Race territory 'Five Elements Forest Domain'."
"Quest reward: Bloodline Awakening Degree +2%, unlock ancient Legacy 'Zhou Tian Star Dou Art'."
Diten raised his head and let out a long roar, the pressure contained in his voice causing the clouds within a hundred-mile radius to disperse.
The legend of the descendant of the Five Elements Divine Beast had just begun.