Chapter 504 - 431: Peak of Spiritual Vein Opening, the 9-Tailed Fox of the 8 Great Dominators

Achieving this was no easy feat. It required a sophisticated method for controlling the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, but he didn’t know to what extent he had mastered it and still needed to test his limits.

This was why Jiang Qiu was preparing to seek out a Great Dominator. He wanted to first ascertain his own strength and see if he could rival one.

After all, he had not yet Opened his Spirit Veins. ’It would be far too arrogant to think I could rival a True Dominator.’ He’d heard they could conjure storms with a single flap of their wings, and their true power likely surpassed anything he could imagine—at least, based on his current understanding of the Dragon Emperor Secret Realm.

And the even more legendary Taihu Python seemed more terrifying still. If he were to act rashly now, without understanding the Realms and combat prowess of these beings, he would just be throwing his life away.

’Besides, I’ve also got my eye on the Spirit Fruits in that Great Dominator’s territory. If I can eat a fruit containing Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, it would be a huge boost to my Realm!’

With this in mind, Jiang Qiu, already riding on Xiong Batian’s neck, entered a small forest. The woods were shrouded in white mist with a babbling brook running through, a rare and beautiful sight. It felt as if they had left the primitive and savage Primitive Ancient Forest and arrived in an entirely new region.

And this was the White Mist Forest, the domain of the Great Dominator, the Nine-tailed Fox.

"Lord, this Great Dominator’s home is so mystical," Xiong Batian said, slowing his pace. He couldn’t see clearly through the dense white mist and feared that if he ran too fast, Jiang Qiu might fall off his back or be jostled uncomfortably. "I feel like I’m being watched."

Since following Jiang Qiu, his understanding of this world had grown clearer and clearer. Now, he was gradually coming to feel its mysterious power, its endlessness.

’Yes, I used to be just a weak creature with Spiritual Awakening, and part of my territory was even occupied by a Great Demon that had Opened its Spirit Veins. Then, after following Lord Jiang Qiu, I witnessed a true Dominator. I even learned of the Great Dominators above them, and even the True Dominators. How could I not be shaken?’

’Who would have thought that the Dominator I once revered—the one killed by the Demon—was just one among thousands, one who had to act according to the whims of the Great Dominators and wasn’t even worthy of a True Dominator’s notice.’

Of course, his reverence for Little Dominators had since diminished significantly. The reason was simple: the journey from Wild Ape’s territory had been anything but uneventful.

The Dominator in the area where he once lived had been a relatively peripheral figure. Even later, when they reached a slightly more inner circle and met the so-called Little Dominator, Wild Ape, it was also just an outer-layer being.

In other words, Wild Ape itself was an outer-layer Little Dominator, relatively far from the territory of a true Great Dominator. Therefore, it had taken Jiang Qiu a considerable amount of time to travel from its domain.

A full month of sprinting at top speed had brought them to the territory of the Great Dominator closest to Wild Ape. But over such a vast distance, it was inevitable they’d get lost, so they had to ask several Little Dominators for directions along the way.

Unfortunately, not every Little Dominator was as sensible as Wild Ape. They were easily obliterated by Jiang Qiu and turned into excellent Food.

That’s right. Along the way, they had eaten three Little Dominators, each one an incredibly formidable existence!

A single Fierce Tiger Great Demon, a being at the Late-stage of Spiritual Vein Opening, had been enough to cause a massive transformation in Xiong Batian. The change brought about by the three Spirit Control Realm Level Great Demons they met later was even more astounding!

When he ate the first Little Dominator—a being at the Early Stage of the Spirit Control Realm—Xiong Batian’s power skyrocketed, and his bloodline was even purified.

His body shrank again, condensing into a form suitable for Jiang Qiu to ride. Of course, "suitable" was relative—he was still twice the size of the largest brown bear on Blue Star.

But having condensed down from a body the size of a small hill, his muscle density was terrifying. His body felt as if it were woven from steel rebar, his bones like actual steel bars. His heart beat like a great drum, and his blood surged endlessly, making his Qi Blood incredibly abundant!

This was the transformation brought about by eating a Little Dominator Level, Spirit Control Realm creature for the first time. He had directly stepped into the Late-stage of Spiritual Vein Opening, just a hair’s breadth from the Peak, and his personal power had become even more condensed.

’If I could fight that Fierce Tiger Great Demon now,’ he thought, ’even though we’d be in the same Realm and I still can’t use the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, I’m confident I could kill it with a single slap.’

The reason was simple. He had learned the Basic Cultivation Technique from Jiang Qiu, giving him an incredibly solid foundation. His bloodline, for some unknown reason, was also becoming purer. On top of that, his physique had begun to merge with that of a wolf.

Standing, he resembled a bear. Crouched, he transformed into a Wolf King more ferocious than any tiger. He exuded an air of savage power, and his teeth grew ever sharper and brighter.

And this first transformation was only the beginning. At that time, Xiong Batian could even feel his inherited legacy stirring. He had successfully unlocked a portion of the bloodline inheritance that should have belonged to the Giant Wolf.

He obtained a Talent—[Divine Speed].

The Divine Speed Talent was astonishing, not something one would expect an ordinary Giant Wolf Bloodline to awaken. But this wasn’t too hard to understand. The creatures of this world were all in a phase of exploration, not just inheriting boons from their forebears.

An ordinary bloodline could indeed develop an amazing Talent. When Xiong Batian first activated his Divine Speed Talent, for instance, he could enter a full-power state and run so fast through the Primitive Ancient Forest that he left afterimages. In the blink of an eye, he could leave a trail of black shadows, just like a Wolf King that had reached the apex of speed.

’Of course, I was thrilled to gain this Talent, but I was even happier about what it meant for Lord Jiang Qiu—I can finally get him where he wants to go much faster.’

Indeed, if not for this Divine Speed Talent, how could he possibly have carried Jiang Qiu from the outer layer to the territory of the first Great Dominator of the inner layer in just one month?

That was a distance of tens of thousands of miles!

However, perhaps because it was his first time tasting a Little Dominator, the benefits were more significant. The next two Little Dominators weren’t as effective; they merely made the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm within his body more abundant and condensed.

In fact, his Realm had now broken through to the Peak of Spiritual Vein Opening!

He was only a single step away from the Spirit Control Realm of the Little Dominator Level. Moreover, his ability to perceive the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm had reached a new level. He could vaguely feel the form it took as it clung to his limbs—thanks to his Divine Speed Talent, his control over the Spirit Charm within his body had grown stronger.

In other words, under the guidance of Jiang Qiu’s Basic Cultivation Technique, he had a more sophisticated understanding of how to control Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm than any other creature. By leveraging his Divine Speed Talent, he would soon be able to break through to the Spirit Control Realm.

Although it took eating three Little Dominators for him to be on the verge of reaching the Spirit Control Realm, such progress was already unheard-of. If it were that easy, there wouldn’t be only thousands upon thousands of Little Dominators in the world.

Normally, even eating a powerful creature wouldn’t bestow such a great gift. But Xiong Batian was unaware of this. Jiang Qiu’s understanding of this world was also shallow, so he didn’t know any better either; he simply assumed that eating powerful beings was a way to inherit greater strength.

In reality, a creature cultivating and exploring normally could eat ten Little Dominators and still not reach the Spirit Control Realm; even its physical body might not reach that level.

But Xiong Batian seemed to be an exception. In fact, his physical body had already reached the Spirit Control Realm. It was only his mind that was a bit slow, still trying to figure out how to wield the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm...