76 Dominion

Huxian stretched and yawned before peering outside his cave. He let his eyes rest on his latest skeleton display, the bleached white bones forming a perfect contrast to the forest landscape. He found it hilarious that the beasts outside thought it was for intimidation purposes. After all, it was clearly there for people to see and enjoy, a work of art he prided himself on. He lamented that his fellow beasts just didn't have a proper sense of aesthetics.

It didn't take him long to feel bored again. Waiting was a chore, and he needed to get stronger before the summit. Fortunately, night was coming. The night was his home.

His shadow ran through the woods unimpeded. No one noticed when he crossed the newly established spirit tail chicken sanctuary—though to Huxian it was simply a chicken farm—darted through the grass, and finally crossed the border into a neighboring territory. This was but one of many trips, and he had taken special note of the various grasses, herbs, roots, and fruits that would benefit his own purification or his minions.

Regrettably, these natural treasures all had lengthy incubation periods. For example, there were several that wouldn't be ready for another ten years—he left those to the others. By the time they matured, he would no longer have a use for them.

As Huxian slinked through the shadows, he chanced upon a miserable family of stoats. They looked half starved and completely exhausted. The power shift in his territory had affected even neighboring ones. These stoats were the weakest in their group and simply couldn't afford to migrate to another, stronger territory. Not wanting to be cannon fodder, they had no choice but to accept a diminutive existence in this territory.

Everything is as it should be.

He continued sprinting through the shadows until he arrived at a clearing, which contained a single yellow flower. It would mature tonight after a full sixty-year cycle, in precisely a half hour. He didn't dare consume it before then, as its effectiveness would instead be detrimental to his growth. Of course, the plant wasn't technically in his territory, so he would have to rely on subterfuge to steal it, so he remained in the shadows and waited.

***

Time trickled by, and soon an unreasonably large boar and his entourage gathered near the flower. The smaller boars fanned out in a protective circle while the demon boar waited patiently in front of the flower. Regrettably, even normal demon beasts could sense when natural treasures were about to mature. They knew it instinctively, no hereditary memories required.

"It's been fifty years since I found this glade," the boar said, sighing as he looked at the plant. "Fifty long years of waiting, and I'll finally obtain the last boost I require to propel me into the middle stage of purification.

"Our great lord is the most intelligent, the most patient," a nearby boar declared. This was followed by a wave of compliments as they sought to outdo each other.

"Your enthusiasm and devotion are duly noted," he said gently. "You will not be forgotten. Now I will consume this flower that has just ripened and usher in a new era for boarkind in this forest!" As he spoke, he opened his mouth and lowered it to bite the flower, whose scent was now ten times as alluring.

Unfortunately, he only bit empty air. A swift streak of lightning had brushed past his face and swiped the yellow flower from under his nose!

***

What the hell is that thing? Huxian wondered. Just as he was about to steal the flower, an unreasonably fast spirit beast plucked it before he had a chance to react. So, you think you can best me in terms of speed? I'll show you what professional stalking is all about.

He rushed out to tail the small ball of lightning. Fortunately, his shadow form could avoid any obstacles and traveled much faster than even his original form could. The little ball of lightning flickered and changed directions occasionally to confuse anyone who might be following.

Finally, it arrived at a secluded hovel. Huxian didn't immediately charge in, rather, he followed the shadows and moved in soundlessly. Inside the hovel, he saw a small yellow flower, and beside it, he saw a little gray mouse.

Why does this mouse seem so familiar? he wondered. Its gray color was unremarkable, but it had a small mark on its forehead. Huxian's eyes narrowed when the mouse turned his head, and he finally saw the mark in detail. It resembled a jagged, circular lightning bolt that bit its own tail like an ouroboros.

A Calamity-Swallowing Mouse? This is definitely my lucky mountain. Calamity-Swallowing Mice weren't Godbeasts, but they weren't far off. They were special mutated beasts that fed on lightning storms and calamity lightning. As mutated beasts, they couldn't produce another one of their species. Instead, their descendants would all be lesser kings among mice.

Swift, agile, and an insane complementary ability. This Calamity-Swallowing Mouse would make the best spy, a wonderful addition to my team. He pondered for a few more moments before deciding to act. His figure blurred, and he appeared in front of the mouse, who was just about to consume the yellow flower.

For the first time since he'd arrived at the mountain, he released his aura as a Godbeast. The little mouse, who was only at the seventh level of spiritization, trembled in fear as it prostrated itself. It was a dual suppression of cultivation and bloodline.

"Henceforth, you shall serve me, Bagua Huxian," the fox declared. One of his two tails glowed, and a character appeared and branded itself on the tail. It was one of the eight trigrams (☳) that represented lightning. "Greet your master, Lightning General."

A glazed look appeared on the little mouse's eyes. It only a few seconds for them to clear, and finally, the mouse looked at him excitedly and bowed down. "Master, it is this lowly general's pleasure to serve," it squeaked and danced around.

Huxian grunted and then looked at the yellow flower. It was a yellow lightning chrysanthemum, and while it would be beneficial to him, feeding it to the small fellow would garner him a demon-beast servant.

"Hide in my fur. We're returning to my cave," Huxian said. "Consume this flower once we return and break through to the Purification Realm."

The mouse shook with excitement and immediately complied. He dived into the same tail where the mark had appeared and slipped into the mark without a trace. Then, Huxian grabbed the yellow flower and scampered off toward his cave. It was a very productive night, and he was very pleased with himself.

One general down, seven to go.

***

A few days later, Huxian was lying down in his cave, watching the evolution of his newest minion. The Calamity-Swallowing Mouse, Lei Jiang, had devoured the yellow lightning chrysanthemum only two days prior. Due to the compatibility between the flower and the mouse, Lei Jiang had advanced by leaps and bounds.

Huxian watched the little speed demon, who was breaking through to the Purification Realm. The process left the small mouse contorting in pain as purple lightning enveloped it periodically, remolding its physique to prepare it for the purification process. The little fox wasn't too concerned about success or failure, as a beast of this level would undoubtedly break through without a hitch.

Just then, he heard a rustle outside his cave. Sighing, he grew back to his larger size and peered outside to see two wolves prostrating themselves outside.

"Speak," Huxian growled.

"Mighty lord," one of the wolves stuttered. "The summit is about to begin. The appointed time was a half hour ago. Are you not attending?" He then cowered with his paws over his head.

"This lord's attendance is not any of your concern. Dismissed," Huxian said coldly. The wolves scampered off like their lives depended on it.

Drat, I forgot about the summit, Huxian thought self-deprecatingly. Oh well, it's best for kings to show up a little late, but I don't want to overdo it in this situation. I'd better take off now.

He let out a soft roar as he transformed once more, expanding his size to twelve feet in length. This was approximately the proportion of a two-tailed demon fox that didn't possess a special lineage. He then trotted out of his cave, proudly walking toward the peak of the mountain. The location was obvious, for where else would beasts hold a summit save for the peak of a mountain?

During his journey, he passed through many other demon-beast territories. However, none of the lords remained. Their helpless minions could only make way for the ferocious demon beast. As he passed through one territory in specific, he noticed an abundance of weasels.

This must be where the demon ferret migrated to after his expulsion. He thinks he can escape my wrath by traveling toward the peak of the mountain? In his dreams.

Soon, he was greeted by the sight of over a hundred beasts. Some were small, a tiny lightning cat being a prime example. Its tiny white frame resembled that of a normal infant housecat, but its demonic heritage was betrayed by its purple eyes. The largest animal he saw on the peak was a geomantic boa, whose large body was three feet thick and several hundred feet long. He took note of this cunning adversary, who was innately gifted with earth-manipulation abilities. These beasts loved nothing more than setting up traps and labyrinths in their territory.

Huxian was not the least bit uncomfortable as he made his way to the middle of the crowd, where the early-purification beasts were waiting attentively.

"You sure took your sweet time," a panther growled derisively as he approached. "You're lucky the full-moon demon bear always arrives an hour late, or he'd be chewing you up for breakfast. Not that you would make a very big breakfast." The panther was three times Huxian's size.

Huxian snorted. "Order of arrival is based on status. A lowly beast like you is already at the peak of its growth, while I am a king among spirit beasts. Therefore, I showed up later. You would do well to respect your betters, lest they fail to give you face in the future."

The panther's face contorted in anger, but he did not reply. Hierarchy among beasts was extremely strict, dependent on both absolute strength and bloodline. The larger feline had clearly lost out on both counts. Another beast in their grouping chuckled. It was a wolf, whose fur was a mix between blue and silver. His golden eyes shone like full moons on a dark night.

"You would do well to listen to your betters, you stupid cat," the wolf said. "If this younger friend here grows to the next step and becomes a king of the forest, I volunteer to be one of his first subordinates."

Huxian gave him a toothy grin. "In the future, it will be my honor to welcome a moonlight frost wolf as a vassal. You will not be treated poorly."

The bickering continued for some time, until a large pressure emanated from the peak of the mountain. None of the beasts, including Huxian, dared to utter a single sound. As they waited, a large shadow appeared in the mists as loud steps made nearby puddles of water ripple. The figure revealed itself gradually until its hundred-foot-long body was completely uncovered.

It was a large black bear, its fur covered in various silver runes that oozed an aura of strength and suppression. It roared with an intensity that made all the beasts cower in submission. Huxian, who wasn't scared, was forced to feign surrender. He kept the day's memory in his heart, vowing to force the bear to prostrate itself in apology for the humiliation.

"Today's beast summit has officially commenced," the bear growled. "The first item to address is the distribution of territory. Three new lords of the forest have appeared, each with varying levels of power. This means that three older lords have been displaced. Lord Earth Ferret has already offered himself as a vassal to Lord Sky Stoat, so only the three-eyed demon bullfrog and the yin-yang python are without a territory. According to the rules, each lord of the forest must have a territory.

"Do any of the kings of the forest volunteer to take either one as vassals and reallocate their territory?"

The question sparked an outbreak of murmurs and discussions.

"I will take the yin-yang python under my command and reallocate accordingly," a voice slithered. The geomantic boa had volunteered, which came as no surprise to Huxian. Like species tended to flock together, gathering up strength to assimilate territory from other species. He watched on as the yin-yang python slithered over to his new faction. Huxian could tell there were many dissatisfied faces in the group, but as the weakest ones, they didn't dare protest.

"No one will take this three-eyed bullfrog?" the bear asked. Silence ensued. "Very well, then we will go according to the old rules. Old One-Eyed, do you have any objections?" He looked toward an ancient-looking badger. This badger's black fur had faded to gray, and a large scar ran down one side of its face. Huxian estimated that this beast was 500 years old.

"No problems, Your Grace," the badger said. "Your rules have protected this old one for so long. I will give the three-eyed frog a third of my territory. Anything higher than that, he will have to earn."

The bear nodded. "Now that this is settled, is there anyone who wishes to officially challenge another to increase their territory? If so, state who you are challenging and your request for territory."

Many beasts spoke up and issued challenges. A demon hedgehog challenged a small adder for a third of his territory. He was victorious but suffered serious injuries in the process. Fortunately for him, an official challenge had benefits. Each beast was allowed one challenge, and issuing a challenge granted them six months' immunity from other challengers to heal their wounds.

"Anyone else?" the bear asked.

"I will challenge the midnight panther," Huxian shouted. "I want two thirds of his territory."

This was the highest possible stake in these official challenges. Likewise, if he lost the challenge, two thirds of his territory would go to his opponent.

The bear looked at him and casually glanced at the midnight panther. "Do you wish to fight, or do you concede?"

There was a hidden message in this statement—that according to the bear's judgement, the panther was not the fox's match.

"I…" the panther stuttered. "I concede. As this is a peaceful surrender, please grant my pack two hours after this summit to relocate."

Huxian nodded nonchalantly and granted him his request.

"All right," the bear said, cutting the tension. "Territory has been allocated. Does anyone wish to challenge a king for dominion?"

The ten beasts near the front all shook their heads.

"Good," the bear continued. "Let's discuss the upcoming human tide. These vicious creatures come every year, killing our kin for our beast cores and stealing various lesser herbs in the forest. Sometimes they even manage to pilfer some natural treasures.

"As most of you know, there is a barrier surrounding this mountain. We are at their mercy, as we cannot relocate. Fortunately, the power of our forces is not insignificant. As per our treaty with the cultivators, they will not send out cultivators with cultivation bases greater than early foundation establishment, while we will not send any combatants above lord level to do battle.

"Similarly, lords may only fight foundation-establishment cultivators, while their foundation-establishment cultivators may not fight against our spirit beasts. Anything else is allowed. Be sure to plan accordingly, as the human tide will arrive in six months."

Many of the beasts grumbled in annoyance, while Huxian was perplexed. He had spent much time on the mountain but had not bothered to look at the outskirts. The news that he was trapped here came as a big surprise. He had also never heard of such a "human tide" before. Shouldn't the opposite situation be happening?

Typically, humans settled while spirit beasts procreated rapidly. At some point, there would be too many spirit beasts, so the lords of the forest would send a significant portion of them out to their deaths to fight against the humans who constantly aggravated them. A victory would lead to an increase in beast territory.

Still, he didn't mull over the details. As per their agreement, he accompanied the panther to his territory, who quickly relocated all the felines to the shrunken territory. Of course, Huxian only got the least-productive portion of the territory. After reviewing the territory, he gathered the existing beasts and issued orders benefiting canines and repressing other subservient and opposing species. The felines had mostly disappeared, so there was no need to single them out.

After completing the allocation of resources and laying out his laws, Huxian visited a nearby lord. Unfortunately, the panther's territory was separated from his by a neighboring territory. Therefore, he gritted his teeth and approached the territory lord, Old One-Eyed. The shrewd old fellow knew of the fox's dilemma, so he offered him a strip of land in exchange for one twice as big. Huxian haggled with all his might but only managed to whittle it down to fifty percent more.

Within an hour of the allocation, the badger's minions had migrated, and Huxian's territory was fully joined. He called out a team of his best markers, who subsequently traveled around the territory and urinated with great gusto. Huxian left them to their business and continued to babysit the Calamity-Swallowing Mouse.

The little critter would make substantial contributions to his future plans.