Chapter 516 - 17: Beast God Realm: The Law of the Jungle

Ghost Car, also known as the Nine-headed Bird, was a notoriously vicious bird even back in the Ancient Era. It is the subject of many legends and has various purported origins, but no one knows for certain where this Divine Bird truly came from. The only thing that can be confirmed is that it, too, originated from the most powerful Divine Bird, the Phoenix, but it is not a direct descendant of the Nine Phoenixes, let alone a Nine Phoenix itself.

Perhaps their Primordial Ancestor was indeed a Nine Phoenix that had fallen to a wicked path, but once it became the first of the Ghost Car line, most of its connections to the Phoenix were severed.

Ghost Car is synonymous with disaster and malice. It loves to feast on the young, its dripping blood causes calamities, and it possesses immense power and Divine Techniques. It can devour souls, and its wings beat with the force of a Roc. Furthermore, its multiple heads can keep watch and alert one another, making it one of the more powerful types of Divine Birds.

The Divine Bird Ghost Car that occupies the Feather Race Main City in the Beast God Realm currently possesses the strength of the Extraordinary Peak. It doesn’t have nine heads like its legendary Primordial Ancestor; it only has three. After advancing to the Commander level, it can grow six heads, and upon reaching the Overlord Tier, it can manifest the full power of its ancestor.

Each of Ghost Car’s heads has a different personality and a relatively independent will. Its first head, the most active one, made an immediate decision upon learning that a multinational task force from Earth had entered: "That little Peacock told us this news because it obviously intends to divert disaster onto us. It wants us to fight those visitors from the Immortal Realm, hoping we’ll both suffer heavy losses."

"Speaking of which, these remnants from the Immortal Realm are truly strange. The Immortal Gods left long ago. It’s a blessing we haven’t invaded them, so how dare they come and invade us?"

"Don’t underestimate them. The previous Peacock King was killed by them. That proves they have Powerhouses on par with a Beast King. Otherwise, the little Peacock wouldn’t be so brazen about diverting this trouble to us—because with that kind of strength, even if we don’t make a move, they will eventually come for us."

The second head shook from side to side, skilled in analysis. "So, we can naturally divert the disaster as well. The previous Peacock King is dead, and both the Scale Race and the Mao Race are eyeing our territory. I know they have spies at the border... We’ll leak a rumor that the Peacock King’s lost treasure is there. It’s the absolute truth, no matter how they try to verify it!"

As it spoke, its tone turned sinister. "To ensure its authenticity, we’ll pretend we don’t know about their spies. We’ll send some of our guards over, make it look like they’re escorting a secret message. Let the Scale and Mao Races ’accidentally’ obtain this information. They’ll take the bait themselves."

As for the guards who would be sacrificed in this gambit, they were clearly not part of Ghost Car’s considerations. And as for the other Divine Birds, while there were limits to the internal struggles among the Feather Race’s upper echelon, they could fight amongst themselves. But when it came to dealing with the other races, even if they disapproved, they wouldn’t interfere.

The third head was the most direct. It lifted its blood-soaked head and laughed maniacally. "When the time comes, after they start fighting, we’ll eat them all!"

In the language spoken by the Divine Bird Ghost Car, one could faintly discern traces of Chinese—in fact, it was simply an ancient form of Chinese spoken with a peculiar accent.

This was not surprising.

In the past, the Immortal Gods intended to civilize the Beast God Realm, elevating all Divine Beasts, Spirit Beasts, and even ordinary beasts into sapient species. They taught them their own civilization and then departed.

Although the powerful beings, led by a group of Divine Beasts, later forcibly erased the fruits of this civilizing effort, they ultimately never managed to create their own language and writing system completely. They merely patched up and modified the civilization brought by the Immortal Gods, transforming it into its current form.

And as Ghost Car’s three heads conversed and finalized their plan, they continued to eat.

Its meal was a massive Yellow Ox, twelve meters long and seven meters tall, with the strength of a High-level Awakening. Even for the three-headed Ghost Car, with its nearly thirty-meter wingspan and height of over ten meters, this was a sumptuous feast.

The classes in the Beast God Realm are divided into the Devotion Species, Slave Species, Production Species, Combat Species, and Divine Beast Species.

Within the Beast God Realm, the vast majority of the Yellow Ox Race belong to the Devotion and Slave Species. Lacking sapience, their rapidly growing bodies and relatively strong power for Spirit Beasts of their tier serve only to make them food and slaves for the upper-class Combat and Divine Beast Species.

However, a small portion of the Yellow Ox Race, through the "grace" of certain Divine Beasts, are granted sapience and are allowed to enter the ranks of the Production Species, serving as blacksmiths and craftsmen.

Looking at it now, this "grace" was not necessarily a good thing.

This was a female Yellow Ox, and she was pregnant. But clearly, this only added to Ghost Car’s enjoyment—or perhaps it was intentional, as Ghost Car was a vicious bird that relished devouring the young.

Due to excessive blood loss, the female Yellow Ox was already fading into unconsciousness. She didn’t realize that Ghost Car had already devoured her unborn child completely, and she continued to beg in a muddled voice.

"My... my Lord... Please don’t eat me... I can offer a leg, or even half my body..."

"I still have a family, I have children... Let me go back, and I can continue to work for the great Venerable Lords..."

But how could Ghost Car feel pity at such words? It paid no mind to the Yellow Ox’s pleas, merely commenting, "The flesh of the Devotion Species is bland and tasteless. It only fills the stomach, and it has little Spiritual Qi. The Slave Species has a bit of Spiritual Qi, but they ultimately have no Soul, so eating them is just like adding a pinch of sugar."

"The Production Species is much better. An angry Soul has a zesty flavor, a pleading Soul has a sweet flavor, and a hateful Soul has a sour flavor... I never tire of eating them, each one is different!"

Its first and most active head seemed to be getting tired of the Yellow Ox’s endless muttering. It sighed with mock pity, "Alas, there’s no need to grieve, little ox. Your family is already all here. Don’t worry, you’ll all be reunited in my stomach."

At this very moment, inside the Divine Bird Hall in the Feather Race Main City, Ghost Car’s guards and offspring were enjoying a rare feast of ensouled flesh. Yellow Oxen, large and small, were being dismembered, their tendons torn and bones broken. Their hides were peeled off and hung to the side, raw materials for making leather armor.

Blood flowed freely, and the sweet scent of flesh rich with Spiritual Power filled the air. All the carnivorous and omnivorous Races couldn’t help but breathe heavily, while the herbivorous ones remained impassive.

All of this was done in public. Around the main city, every member of the Production and Combat Species who witnessed this scene was completely accustomed to it. Some from the Production Species even bent their limbs and prostrated themselves on the ground before the Divine Bird Hall, as if in prayer and congratulations.

"To be eaten by the Venerable Lord, to fill its belly—what a great blessing! Now that Niu Kuan’s family has been eaten, they will surely be reincarnated under the gaze of the Venerable God of Life and become part of the Combat Species!"

The one who said this was a Great Serpent from the Scale Race, a Medical Craftsman responsible for refining herbal medicines. The territories of each race contained creatures from other races; only the ruling Divine Beast at the top determined which race’s territory it truly was.

There were even some from the Production Species of the Ox Race itself who roared with a mixture of jealousy and anguish, furiously pounding the ground. "Why not me? Oh, Venerable Lord, I have a strong body too! Eat me! Even just a leg would be enough!"

In response to all this, the Yellow Ox being eaten could only tremble.

It did not dare to resist. In fact, the thought of resistance had never once crossed its mind. In the final moments of its life, it only mumbled, "This is all a gift from the Venerable God of Life... But, Ghost Car Venerable Master, after I die, will my Soul Spirit truly return to the great Life Lord to await Reincarnation?"

’Of course not. Your souls are merely seasoning for my feast. Besides, the Venerable God of Life has been dead for ages. Only foolish beasts like you would believe otherwise.’

Despite thinking this, the Divine Bird Ghost Car put on a ’smile’ of Compassion.

It extended a head and plucked an organ from the Yellow Ox’s body. The motion contained not a hint of savagery; on the contrary, it seemed sacred and solemn. "Of course."

While devouring the Yellow Ox’s organs, Ghost Car spoke with an air of universal sympathy, "After your death, you will be reincarnated according to your blessing—and the blessing of being eaten by me is enough for your entire family to be reborn as the Combat Species."

"...Is... that so..."

Exhaling its last breath, the Yellow Ox died happily.

It possessed the strength of a High-level Awakening. Although the Cultivation Technique it practiced was crude and simple, its brute strength alone meant it could not be called weak.

Even if it couldn’t truly harm the Extraordinary Peak Ghost Car, it could have at least made the meal less pleasant and smooth—it could have resisted.

But it didn’t.

It even deliberately suppressed its own body’s instinctual reactions, not daring to struggle for fear of spoiling the Ghost Car Venerable Master’s appetite and reducing its own blessing.

Its meal finished, Ghost Car’s three heads let out a triumphant cry. It laughed as it flew into the sky, looking down from a thousand meters high upon the city that belonged to it—a city of towering spires, the city of the Feather Race.

From the Devotion Species to the Slave Species, from the Production Species to the Combat Species.

From body to Soul, from faith to civilization.

Everything. All buildings, all property. Whether it was the food the beasts planted, the weapons and tools they crafted, the authority and glory they enjoyed, or even their very lives.

Everything in the Beast God Realm belonged to the Divine Beasts—even the Tree of Life, which all the Divine Beast Kings ostensibly revered and worshipped, was in reality nothing more than a long-dead tree.

Only the Divine Beasts were the true ruling class. Even the Combat Species, who on the surface shared in the glory of the Divine Beasts, were nothing more than guard dogs.

This kind of authority, this kind of power, this kind of supreme, unchallengeable status—how could the vision of civilization left behind by the Immortal Gods possibly offer such a thing?

’In the civilization of the Immortal Realm, even a supreme Celestial Venerable has to plan and think for both Immortal Gods and common mortals. Even a Dragon King of a realm has to summon clouds and make rain for mortals—that kind of civilization simply treats Powerhouses and the Celestial Dao as nothing.’

The Divine Bird Ghost Car would forever reject the civilization of the Immortal Gods and forever champion the civilization of the Beast God Realm. Its will was the will of all Divine Beasts in the Beast God Realm.

’Survival of the fittest, where the strong prey on the weak—that is the Righteous Dao.’