Chapter 365: Taming Beasts

The eagle dove straight toward the lake. Its wings spread wide, and one of its feather blades sliced across the surface of the water. The surrounding mountains trembled, water erupted into the air, and a fierce gust of wind shattered the nearby rocks.

Suddenly, a colossal head emerged from the depths. It was a gigantic water serpent, about the size of a small mountain.

Dandara’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that peaceful lake to be hiding a monster of that size. What’s more, judging by the aura it gave off, it was another advanced Mutant Beast.

More precisely, Dandara could tell that the serpent’s body was 50% adapted to Ether. The eagle, meanwhile, had reached around 75%.

The moment the serpent emerged, it spat out a dark mist filled with a pure and sinister Yin. A sharp, piercing sound filled the air, as if the very fabric of space were being corroded by the attack’s corrosive nature.

The eagle beat its wings and shot straight into the clouds at incredible speed, easily dodging the poisonous mist. Then, its eyes began to glow blood-red.

*PIERCE!*

A dazzling beam of light shot from its pupils, piercing through the serpent like a divine sword.

’That’s the power of a bloodline!’ Dandara excitedly transmitted to Priam mentally.

Apparently, once beasts reached 75% mutation, they began developing a bloodline abnormal enough to give rise to unique abilities.

That beam contained a soul-targeting immobilization power, combined with a mixture of wind and space—making it impossible to dodge.

The beam struck the serpent’s head dead-on, causing it to explode instantly. The colossal creature died from a single blow.

The eagle sank its talons into the reptile’s corpse and began flying toward Priam and Dandara, dragging the massive body along the ground.

’Great, let’s go.’

Priam gave a signal, and Dandara held onto him tightly. He activated Divine Concealment, while she used her peculiar ability to mask her own energy through Miasma.

It wasn’t a perfect technique, and any expert would be able to spot its flaws. However, against beasts that acted mostly on instinct, it was enough to go unnoticed.

Moving through the shadows, Priam circled around the eagle’s field of vision and jumped straight onto the dead serpent’s tail.

He lifted one of its enormous scales, and the two hid underneath it. Then, Priam tried to drive his fists into the skin to anchor himself...

’?’

He failed. Even without the protection of the scales, the monster’s flesh was ridiculously dense. If he used any more force, he would end up attracting the eagle’s attention.

Realizing what was happening, Dandara quickly pulled out one of her daggers and handed it to him. Priam understood what she meant, circulated a trace of the wind element through the blade, and managed to drive it deep into the serpent’s flesh.

He used the dagger as an anchor. It had barely secured itself when the eagle took off into the air for good, lifting the serpent’s body off the ground. With the dagger holding them in place, Priam and Dandara remained firmly attached.

’Boss has a plan?’ Dandara asked mentally, looking thoughtful. It would be ideal to know in advance so she could act at exactly the right moment.

’Nothing complicated. Since the eagle is carrying this serpent, it definitely intends to eat it. You just need to wait.’

Priam took a deep breath and extended his free hand, pulling out a power rune.

It was the Soul Poison Rune, an intermediate-level synthesis that was simple to execute. As its name suggested, its energy acted as a toxin that targeted only the soul, leaving the physical body unharmed.

Would that beast resist the contract? Not if its soul was thrown into chaos. All it needed was a subtle "incentive" to make the creature submit and accept the connection.

Was it a cruel method? Maybe. But it was necessary. If Dandara were a malicious person, things would be different. However, Priam was absolutely certain that she would take the utmost care of her beasts.

To her, those creatures weren’t mere tools, but companions—just like Mirra was to him.

The pain Dandara had felt when her six beasts died had been equivalent to losing loved ones. She had tried to hide her suffering from everyone, but Priam knew that once she was alone, she had completely broken down, devastated.

That was why he had promised himself that he would help her obtain the best beasts possible, ensuring that she would never have to experience that kind of pain again.

And Mutant Beasts were perfect for that purpose, since they possessed unlimited growth potential. All Dandara had to do was help them transform into complete Primordial Chaos Beasts.

As for Arvid and Mo Lan, Dandara had already told him that the influence of her power on them had been far greater than expected. Although it would take time, both of their bloodlines were already undergoing metamorphosis, and they could already be considered Mutant Beasts with around 10% adaptation.

It might seem like very little, but they had achieved it in an incredibly short amount of time. If they maintained that pace, they would become true Primordial Chaos Beasts in about ten years.

Priam directed the Soul Poison Rune toward the cut made by the dagger, into the serpent’s flesh. The rune was quickly absorbed and disappeared inside the monster’s body.

’When the eagle eats this flesh, even if it’s only one bite, the toxin will directly infect its soul. The instability will leave its body weak and vulnerable. At that point, establishing the contract will be infinitely easier,’ Priam explained calmly.

Hearing his explanation, Dandara’s eyes shone with admiration, and she hugged his back even tighter.

Priam sighed. The current situation reminded him of the months when he had carried her on his back. But this time... the tight embrace, her warmth, and her scent caused some of his internal energies to stir involuntarily.

He kept his expression neutral and pretended nothing was wrong, suppressing the reaction.

However, Dandara noticed his reaction and smiled to herself.

...

They flew for more than six hours. Priam and Dandara didn’t dare peek outside, afraid of being detected.

Suddenly, a sharp, shrill cry echoed from the eagle. The next second, they felt themselves go into freefall—the serpent’s corpse was rapidly plummeting from the sky.

What was happening?

The eagle’s cry was filled with pure fury. At the same time, a violent boom echoed from ahead.

Priam hurriedly peeked outside. When he saw the scene, he was stunned.

At the summit of a towering mountain stood a colossal nest. However, the entire structure was covered in blood. A gigantic lizard was frantically devouring a hatchling.

Scattered around the nest were the fragments of four broken eggs. The chicks had just been born; they were still featherless, their eyes tightly shut.

There were bloodstains near the eggshells. Clearly, one of the hatchlings had already been devoured, and the lizard was now tearing the second one apart.

*BOOM!*

The eagle dove at the intruder like an arrow, striking it with merciless talons. However, when its claws collided with the reptile’s hide, sparks flew, and a deafening clash of metal against metal rang through the air.

Unfortunately, that eagle specialized in speed and defense. The devastating attack it had used earlier had come purely from its mutant bloodline—a one-use ability with a long cooldown.

It had already used its greatest trump card to kill the water serpent, and now it found itself in a desperate situation.

Although its talons couldn’t pierce the lizard’s hide, the sheer force of the impact sent the predator flying out of the nest, sending it tumbling down the mountainside.

’Is this lizard any good?’ Priam asked mentally.

’It’s not particularly impressive. Its strengths are concealment abilities and high-level concentrated assassination attacks. Its mutation percentage is practically identical to the eagle’s,’ Dandara explained. Then, her voice was filled with barely contained fury. ’However, it’s a despicable thief. Its favorite pastime is devouring helpless creatures... especially the hatchlings of other Mutant Beasts. That’s why it’s not good at direct confrontations, acting more like a troublesome parasite. It’s not suitable to become my beast.’

Priam let out a sarcastic snort. ’Even in the world of beasts, there are creatures like this that refuse to follow a dignified path.’

*BOOM! BOOOM!! BOOOOM!!!*

The two beasts clashed furiously, shaking the firmament with a continuous barrage of explosions.

The lizard’s defense wasn’t particularly impressive, but the eagle’s physical offensive power was even weaker. Thus, whenever the reptile focused its power into concentrated strikes, it was able to engage in a brutal battle.

It was obvious that the lizard wanted to devour the two remaining hatchlings. The eagle, however, desperately and stubbornly blocked its path.

Priam couldn’t help but sigh. ’Beasts normally don’t possess much intelligence and act purely on instinct, but a mother will defend her offspring to the very end. They would never allow anyone to lay their claws on their young. As for humanoids...’

No matter how savage a beast was, it would never devour its own offspring. When faced with danger, it would risk its life to protect them.

But humanoids? Families destroying each other for power, even children killing their own parents, were common occurrences. Which side was truly cruel and devoid of intelligence?

The eagle couldn’t break through the lizard’s armor and was forced to keep retreating.

Suddenly, its eyes began glowing a vivid red once more, and a dazzling beam of light struck the predator’s head.

Blood sprayed into the air. A deep gash opened across the lizard’s head, but the wound wasn’t fatal—it hadn’t even cracked its skull.

The eagle, meanwhile, burned through two-thirds of its life force to forcibly activate that mutant power.

Even severely weakened, it continued unleashing a merciless barrage of physical attacks without retreating a single inch.

’Boss, let’s sneak over and grab those two hatchlings,’ Dandara’s voice echoed in Priam’s mind.

The eagle wouldn’t be able to hold the lizard back for much longer, and it would inevitably devour the two remaining hatchlings. They were two new lives, and Dandara couldn’t bring herself to stand by and watch them get torn apart.

’We can’t. To get there, we’d have to cross that exposed cliff. If we go straight there, we’ll be spotted, and the eagle will assume we’re other predators trying to steal the hatchlings. It’ll attack us immediately. Going around would take too long.’ Priam shook his head.

Dandara lowered her head, looking dejected. Priam sighed and spoke gently. ’Let’s keep watching. Maybe an opportunity will come up.’

The two remained hidden inside the serpent’s corpse. As expected, the eagle’s power was rapidly running out. The lizard had already gained the upper hand.

Just when the tragic outcome seemed inevitable...

A radiant light tore across the sky, illuminating the world. An overwhelming pressure descended upon the region like a mountain.

The instant that aura appeared, the two Mutant Beasts stopped fighting. They raised their heads and gazed at a resplendent figure that bathed the heavens in scarlet hues.

Dandara froze in shock.

’It’s a legendary Primordial Chaos Beast! The Infernal Fire Wyvern!’