Tian'er continued: "That was the real reason why I decided to stay by your side, to see if the legend held any truth, whether or not being with you, and with the Four Great Saint Attributes combined, would there be any change."
Zhou Weiqing quickly asked: "So… what is the result? Was there any change?"
Tian'er nodded, saying: "Yes, of course there was. Otherwise, why would I stay for so long by your side. Before I knew it, it's already three years…"
Speaking up to that point, she hesitated a moment before changing the topic: "When I'm with you, especially when in contact, the two Saint Attributes that I have will be activated and roused up by your two Saint Attributes, indistinctly forming a unique, new energy field. Thus far you have not been able to sense this as you have not entered the Zun Stage yet, but I was able to quietly cultivate in this energy field, and in doing so being able to absorb the purest form of the world's energy. That is the reason why I had no need to eat or drink, and this pure energy is more than able to sustain and nourish me. In doing so, it also imbued my body with much more spirit, strengthening and spiritualizing it. If not for that energy field, do you really think your Immortal Deity Technique is sufficient to let you break through to three Jewels in a mere three years, to the state where you are almost reaching four Jewels? Although your Immortal Deity Technique is quite miraculous, it is still not at the point where you can cultivate so rapidly…"
Zhou Weiqing said rather nonchalantly, as he did not really agree: "Is it really that fast? Compared to you, Little Witch or Shangguan Xue'er… none of you are that much older than I am, and you are already at the six or seven Jeweled cultivation level. I'm merely at the three-Jeweled cultivation level… how could it be considered fast by any stretch of the imagination?"
Tian'er pursed her lips, saying: "Undoubtedly, our cultivation levels are much higher than yours… but have you thought about how we… the heirs, members of the direct bloodline, or core disciples of the Great Saint Lands actually train and cultivate?"
"From the time that we are one month old, our little bodies are immersed in all sorts of treasures, medicines in order to give us a head start and build a strong and powerful foundation, improving our physiques. At the age of three, we start cultivating Heavenly Energy, and before the age of five, most of us have already Awakened our Heavenly Jewels. After that, the rest of our young lives are spent in the specially chosen training grounds which have the densest atmospheric energy for our absorption. To us, we do not have any childhood, with every single day of our lives spent either cultivating… or cultivating. We spend all those years doing nothing but that, persevering, training with all our might. Coupled with our own innate talent and the fact that we do not have to worry about Consolidating Equipment or Skill Storing, that is the reason why we are able to reach such heights at our age. It can be said that even for the Great Saint Lands, to foster and train disciples like ourselves takes an astronomical cost. Each generation, only a few select disciples will have that opportunity. That's why the Blood Red Hell will not let you off so easily since you all killed Han Bing… you cannot imagine how much they have spent in developing a talent like him…"
When she spoke of having no childhood, Tian'er's eyes revealed a faint sorrow.
"As I spent more time with you, I began to enter my Transformation Phase. That was also the reason why I spent so much time sleeping. Originally, for us Heavenly Beasts, the Transformation Phase is considered one of the most dangerous for us, and we usually only go through it with the protection of our elders and family guarding us. Even so, it is an extremely dangerous and painful process, not to mention long, before we actually succeed in Transforming. However, this time, due to the strange energy field between us, generated by the Four Great Saint Attributes, my Transformation Phase did not have any bottleneck, and I entered it with relative ease."
"Soon after, my cultivation level made astonishing progress, advancing by leaps and bounds; during that evolving, I even broke through the seven-Jeweled Stage. That was truly a miracle; after all, when I was young, I was actually very naughty and playful. My father doted on me, and although I did spend a lot of time cultivating, it was definitely not comparable to someone like Shangguan Xue'er. Yet, I was still able to catch up to her in such a short period of time, reaching the seven-Jeweled stage. This… is the power of the Four Great Saint Attributes energy field. If this continues, I estimate that it will not take me another five more years before I can start attempting to breakthrough to the Heavenly King Stage… and perhaps become the youngest ever Heavenly King Master in the world today! I believe that similarly to its aid to my Transformation Phase, it will also reduce the bottlenecks in breaking through to the Heavenly King Stage, and it will prove much less difficult than for any other Heavenly Jewel Master."
Pausing as she spoke up to that point, a yearning look entered Tian'er's eyes, though it was quickly replaced by a complicated look.
"Father once told me that if I want to gain something, it will always come at a cost. In the past, I did not understand what he meant… but now that I have spent several years with you, I think I have slowly began understanding the meaning."
"Weiqing… do you know? In order to gain the greatest benefit for my cultivation, I should have killed you." Tian'er continued faintly.
Zhou Weiqing started, shocked by the sudden proclamation, as he felt an abrupt cold on his back.
"At that time, when I had just completed my Transformation Phase, if I had killed you then and drained you of your spirit, soul and blood… perhaps, by now, I would already be much more powerful than Shangguan Xue'er. However, I was unable to take action."
"I kept telling himself that the reason I did not take action was because I needed to continue using the Four Great Saint Attributes energy field for cultivation… that it would not be too late to kill you after I had broken through to the Heavenly King Master Stage. But… I knew that I was lying to myself, giving myself excuses for what I knew to be fact - that I could no longer bring myself to kill you."
As she spoke those words, her eyes reddened. Indeed, as she told Zhou Weiqing all of this, it was also the first time that she had truly faced her feelings head on. Looking at this little rascal in front of her, her heart struggled with itself.
"Zhou Weiqing, your Demonic Change State is truly different from any before, unlike what others may think, it isn't just as simple as being attributed to a First Generation Heavenly Demon Master. Within your bloodline lies the aura of an unbelievably powerful and high ranked Heavenly Beast, such an aura and scent that I have not seen before in my life. I can confirm that this Heavenly Beast is also a tiger-type, and definitely of equal or higher rank as us Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers. It is also that scent and aura within your bloodline that caused me to…"
Tian'er last few words that she had almost said it was actually 'start falling for you'. She was not trying to make an excuse, but was indeed telling the truth. After all, Divine Heavenly Spirit Tigers were the spiritual leaders and holy beasts of the entire WanShou Empire, considered the top bloodline of the Heavenly Snow Mountain, especially since it was the bloodline of the current Mountain Lord. They were extremely proud of their own bloodline, and of themselves, feeling like their bloodline was the most noble and powerful in the entire world. Even when considering the Divine Spirit Flame Lions, second only to them, and usually considered almost at the same level as them, Tian'er was a little disdainful. That was one of the reasons why she ran away from her arranged marriage. Although she said that the Dark Demon God Tiger bloodline of Zhou Weiqing's was perhaps equal to her own Divine Heavenly Spirit Tiger, it was actually at a much higher ranking level. This was also one of the reasons she stayed so long by Zhou Weiqing's side, causing her to slowly be entangled and trapped in a web of emotions and feelings.
If it were any other person, it would have been extremely difficult, perhaps impossible, to move Tian'er. Instead of saying Zhou Weiqing had moved her, perhaps it could be said that his bloodline had conquered her. In the Heavenly Beast world, the phrase conquer was very apt. In order to win a mate, power and strength was of primary importance in the Heavenly Beast world. When Zhou Weiqing had gone through his own second evolution, just the bloodline essence and aura had given Tian'er an irresistible, unbreakable feeling. This was especially further accentuated that day when Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er had that one crazy night, causing Tian'er to be filled with a strong desire as well. Of course, this was something that she would never ever tell Zhou Weiqing.
Of course, Zhou Weiqing did not know anything about such inside information regarding bloodlines. Hearing Tian'er speak of it, he just assumed she was shy and it was just her excuse, and he just grinned widely and kept silent.
"What are you laughing at? Hmph, you scoundrel!" Tian'er gave our dear Little Fatty a swift kick.
Zhou Weiqing continued grinning as he said: "Heh heh, I'm just overjoyed at my own suave attractiveness! Even such a beautiful lady like Tian'er can fall for me!"
Tian'er gave a loud humph and said: "Like means like, so what about it? We Heavenly Beasts are very direct, I have indeed fallen for you, and I have chosen you as my mate. Therefore, you have to protect me in future, and work hard for my sake as well."
"Ahh?" Zhou Weiqing stared at her, mouth agape. He had only been teasing her, and had definitely not expected such a response. For all the girls that he had met previously, even those with a more open-minded, forthright characters like Little Witch and Ming Hua would never have said something like that outright. Yet, Tian'er had done just that so very naturally, saying that she had fallen for him without beating around the bush, and that had definitely caught him by surprise.
Heavenly Beasts usually had active and direct characters, daring to love and hate outright, not fearing to show their emotions. Although Tian'er felt a little bashful inside, she still self-examined her own feelings and emotions; since her identity had already been exposed by Zhou Weiqing, she decided to simply face her own truths and speak out forthrightly.
Love was something that had to be fought for. This was the world of Heavenly Beasts. They would not give up their love just because of something so petty like bashfulness.
Zhou Weiqing originally had a wicked, teasing grin on his face, but hearing Tian'er admitting that she liked him so readily, it was his turn to be embarrassed."
Tian'er gave a humph as she said: "Bing'er did not strictly restrict you from having other women… within reason. In our Heavenly Snow Mountain, the stronger the Heavenly Beast, the more mates they would have. This is the same for both male or females. The more mates, the more it shows one's power, ability and status. My father has several dozen concubines, and not a single one of them would dare to have another man. Whoever dares touch them would be a challenge to my father. If one day, I find that you are not able to protect me, or perhaps do not have anything for me to like any further, I will also leave you. In truth, this is not just our Heavenly Beast's world, though we might be more obvious about it. It is also the same in your human world… power is everything in the end."
Tian'er's words and perspective could be said to be seemingly very different from any human's perspective, and Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but twitch helplessly, and he could not resist saying: "Does that mean that… besides me… you will look for other men?"
Tian'er saw his gloomy look and felt a surge of glee in her heart: "That will be up to you and your ability. If you have the ability to make me commit wholeheartedly to you, just like my father, I will naturally not look for anyone else. Just like, if you can 'conquer' the three Shangguan sisters, I will be very proud of you! Ohh, but I have to warn you… if my father discovers my whereabouts, my fiancé will definitely come looking for me. If you are actually serious about marrying me, you will have to get through two extremely tough barriers. The first is my fiancé; you will have to defeat him in fair combat, to convince him with your power. The next would be my father, you will have to somehow gain his approval."
Zhou Weiqing asked tentatively: "What happens if I can't defeat your so-called fiancé, or perhaps not able to win the approval of your father?"
Tian'er lifted her hands, rubbing them softly across Zhou Weiqing's cheek as she said gently: "In that case, I'm afraid there is only one ending."
Death. Naturally, Zhou Weiqing knew what the ending she was alluding to would be, and a wave of depression struck his heart.
Although the Heaven's Expanse Palace hadn't treated him well in regards to Shangguan Bing'er, being rather overbearing in their attitudes. However, no matter what, they had not treated him badly, rather gently in fact, with only the condition that he defeated Shangguan Xue'er, and without even giving him a time limit! Yet, Tian'er's side was much more savage… If he lost, that would be the end of him for good. Zhou Weiqing couldn't help but sigh inwardly. I have really gone looking for trouble for nothing, why did I have to go unmask her, isn't that adding on to my long list of troubles?
Despite his inward complaints, he still lifted his hand and drew Tian'er into his embrace, leaning down frankly into a kiss.
Tian'er, who had been so forthright in professing her love just moments ago, was instantly flustered, and she quickly slipped out of his arms in a swift movement, saying: "What are you doing?"
Zhou Weiqing said exasperatedly: "If your fiancé comes to kill me, and I haven't even touched you yet, isn't it such a huge disadvantage to me? Quick, come here, let your hubby collect some interest first."
Tian'er giggled, saying: "In your dreams! If you want to touch me… sure! But, you must follow our Heavenly Snow Mountain rules. You've already gotten past the most difficult obstacle, as I have already falen for you. In order to get intimate for me, it is very easy; as long as you can defeat me, that means you have the power to conquer me, and you can do anything you want with me. As for now… you're still far from it." As she said that with a lilt in her voice, she gave him a provoking, teasing waggle of her finger.
Exasperated, Zhou Weiqing said huffily: "You just wait. It won't take long, and I'll let you know my power. Hmph, your little bottom better watch out!"
Tian'er smiled faintly, saying: "I'm waiting eager for such a day, waiting for you to conquer me. But as for now, we better get through this Heavenly Jewel Tournament of yours first…"
The two of them had already stayed at their starting area for almost an hour, but besides the panther which had attacked them earlier, it had been relatively quiet.
Zhou Weiqing savagely 'molested' Tian'er with his gaze once through, before finally saying: "So… does that mean you have are actually willing to help me?"
Tian'er said: "You are my man, of course I will help you. This Lustre Spatial Realm is truly strange. Normally, it stands to reason that any Heavenly Beast would be able to sense the high ranking Heavenly Beast aura from both you and I, and would never dare to attack us. Only a Heavenly Beast of at least Heavenly King Stage and higher could possibly dare do such a thing. Yet, just now, that little panther actually dared to ambush us… it must be due to the unique properties of this Spatial Realm."
Zhou Weiqing nodded in agreement, saying: "Indeed. We should also make our move now, we've spent enough time here. I wonder how the rest are doing, I hope they are all okay. We should just be careful and start looking around for signs of the other team members, and hopefully we can all gather together as soon as possible." As he said that, he lifted his head to look at the sun high up in the skies of the Lustre Spatial Realm, before turning to a nearby tree and striking out at it, leaving a mark. Although these huge trees were extremely tough, with Zhou Weiqing's power, it wasn't too difficult to strip it of some bark.
*Swoosh* Tian'er leapt up into the air, transforming back into the little Fat Cat as she did so, landing perfectly on Zhou Weiqing's shoulder. Her beautiful purple eyes were filled with a warning look as she said: "Don't you dare touch me willfully, otherwise I'll hit you so hard that your teeth fall out!"
Zhou Weiqing laughed heartily, saying: "No touching means no touching. Wait until I conquer you, I'll definitely touch you everyday! Hmph! I'm a man with high aspirations!"
Although Zhou Weiqing knew that clarifying Tian'er's true identity as well as the reasons she had found him and clung to him, as well as affirming their relationship, would definitely bring him many problems in the future, Zhou Weiqing did not care now. He was definitely in a good mood; at least that invisible yet yawning gap between the two of them had now vanished into thin air, and he had also found out about Tian'er's true feelings. As for the problems from the Heavenly Snow Mountain… it wasn't as if he lacked problems now right? Pressure and stress also brings about motivation and impetus - Zhou Weiqing was extremely clear about this point.
Zhou Weiqing continued moving ahead slowly and carefully, his senses extended to maximum capability as he probed the surrounding forest. Every time he walked a certain distance, he would leave a mark on one of the trees. He had a very good memory, and coupled with an estimation of direction using the shadow of the trees from the sun rays, he was able to start plotting a rough map of the area in his head, slowly perfecting it as he walked around the forest.
In doing so, Zhou Weiqing walked for almost an hour without meeting any problems, but he did not dare relax. He knew that for the Heavenly Jewel Tournament to be held here, it definitely had its share of danger.
"Fat Cat, let's climb up a tree to have a look from the canopy. That way, we will be able to see into the distance, and hopefully discover something." Zhou Weiqing said to Tian'er.
Fat Cat nodded, saying: "That sounds good, let's head up then. But you should be careful, I just keep having the premonition that this Lustre Spatial Realm isn't as simple as it seems, it definitely holds some untold dangers."
After nodding in agreement, Zhou Weiqing looked around for a suitable tree to climb. Settling upon a particular thick and stout large tree, he began his climb. His hands forming a claw shape, he struck the ground hard with his right foot, propelling himself into the air in a quick burst. His hands swiftly struck the tree trunk several times to continue his upwards momentum, and in a few swift strikes he was up in the canopy layer of the tree.
Looking down from the vantage position of the tall tree canopy, it was definitely a large improvement in vision and line of sight. Looking ahead, it was a seemingly endless sea of green as the tree canopies formed a 'field' in the sky, the expanse of the breathtakingly beautiful blue heavens almost seeming translucent, almost transparent.
Zhou Weiqing muttered to himself: "Such a huge forest… and to only bring in thirty two people… in just a month's time… it should be impossible for any of us to meet without some crazy stroke of luck. If my guess isn't wrong, this Heavenly Jewel Tournament is for us to compete on our survival skills… that is to say overall strength. Of course, there is also a large element of luck here… if anyone were to meet a Heavenly King Stage Heavenly Beast upon entering the Spatial Realm, they would probably be eliminated instantly."
In the short time that he was muttering to himself, Zhou Weiqing's thoughts were suddenly interrupted. Looking ahead in shock, he saw that the skies in the distance had totally turned red. The next moment, a deep red flash accompanied by a searing heat crossed the skies, almost filling the entire immense sky!
As the temperature of the air rose drastically, the startled Zhou Weiqing ducked down under the branches into the cover of the leaves. The sudden rush of searing hot air passed by in a flash, and its passing caused several of the smaller branches sticking out to be burned to crisp, and the top leaves of canopy also turned a withered yellow.
"What was that?!" Zhou Weiqing exclaimed in shock, as he asked Fat Cat.
Fat Cat was also in a state of shock. "That… that… it seemed like… like… a Skill… a Heavenly Beast Skill…"
Zhou Weiqing stared in shock, mouth agape, before finally gathering himself to speak: "That's impossible right? That red light just now covered almost ten thousand square metres… can a Heavenly Beast actually use such a terrifying skill of such an area of effect?!"
Fat Cat looked at Zhuo Weiqing, taking in a deep breath as her eyes gleamed: "Yes… my father can."
Zhou Weiqing felt as if he had just swallowed a whole chicken's egg, his voice changing as he said: "Dearest… are you trying to tell me that… that… in this Lustre Spatial Realm… there is a Heavenly God Stage Heavenly Beast…?"
Fat Cat gave a bitter smile and said: "I'm afraid that is the reality of the situation. Do not ask me why as well… I do not know either."
Zhou Weiqing carefully craned his head out of the canopy to look once more, and he was shocked to see in a huge creature in the distance, flying towards their direction.
It was at least a hundred metres long by his estimation, covered in a dark red scales, with a pair of huge wings extending from its back, looking slightly similar to a large iguana with massive claws.
It… was … a dragon!