Chapter 42: Tiger!

Chapter 42: Tiger!

"Enhancing physical attributes is definitely a good thing—it means I can unleash far greater speed and strength than others at the same cultivation stage", Jiang Zhe mused, patting the Violet Thunder Seal on his chest with satisfaction. "I should give it a name... How about Thunder Prison Realm? What do you think, Anna?"

"Perfect", Orianna replied. "This ability is unprecedented, so it’s only fitting for you, its master, to name it!"

Orianna’s confidence wasn’t unfounded. This power rivaled Realm Lord-tier abilities, comparable to the Primordial Core’s might—far beyond what a Stellar-Level cultivator should naturally awaken.

"As for Thunder Artifacts..." Jiang Zhe turned to Orianna. "Are there any thunder-attribute treasures on Earth?"

Orianna hesitated before listing possibilities: "Thunder Dragon King’s horns, scales, bones, sinews, heart... or Dragon Blood?"

"???"

Jiang Zhe twitched his lips. "Why don’t you just suggest I refine Lei Shen himself into a pill?"

"Babata might have better stock", Jiang Zhe added. "My teacher’s World Ring should still be with him. I refuse to believe it’s empty."

Orianna shook her head. "You need A-grade Thunder Treasures. Your teacher wasn’t destitute enough to scavenge trash, was he?"

Suddenly recalling something, she added, "Wait—Master, that Mechanical Race Immortal who perished specialized in Thunder Laws. They loved hoarding materials. This World Bracelet might hold what you need."

"Will cleansing its life imprint with mental energy harm me?"

"No. I tested it with Primal Energy before—it won’t retaliate, but it’ll be extremely difficult to remove even a trace."

"Even though the original owner died, the life imprint remains like water without a source—fragile, yet Immortal-tier energy is still beyond our Stellar-Level capacity to erase. The Hanxia idiom Yùgōng Moves Mountains fits perfectly here."

"Yùgōng Moves Mountains?" Jiang Zhe arched a brow. "So... it can be done, but it’ll take monumental effort?"

Without another word, he slid the Violet-Gold Bangle, covered in secret patterns, onto his wrist. His actions spoke clearly.

The World Bracelet had to be cracked—fast.

Too many projects were waiting for resources!

After showering, Jiang Zhe lay on his bed, recalling the Dormant Dragon Technique’s key points:

"Sleep facing east, lie sideways like a coiled dragon or a curled dog. Bend one arm to pillow your head, subtly pressing the Consciousness Ocean; place the other hand flat on your abdomen, connecting to the Dantian. Extend one leg, tuck the other. Before sleeping, close your eyes first. Embrace emptiness, dwell in stillness..."

He assumed the posture, visualizing the dormant azure dragon from the technique. The mystical serenity of Zhuangzi’s Dream of the Butterfly enveloped him.

A blissful calm washed over him, as if returning to the womb. A tranquil smile graced his lips as his consciousness drifted into the void.

...

It was midsummer, the ancient forest buzzing with relentless cicadas. In a damp, shadowy cave—

A weak, shivering "golden tabby" kitten opened its eyes, its gaze brimming with uncanny intelligence as it trembled, eager to explore the world.

The Tiger Matriarch turned, licking the frail cub with her barbed tongue, her eyes shadowed with worry.

This litter had four cubs. The youngest was the weakest, the last to awaken.

The others had stumbled around the cave on day three, opened their eyes on day five, and devoured raw meat by day ten...

Now, on day fifteen, the runt still lay limp on the hide, barely nursing... but at least it could see the world now.

If nothing changed, it likely wouldn’t survive winter.

After suckling, the Tiger Monarch smacked his lips contentedly, then began snoring.

Gruuuumble—snore—

Gradually, his cute, rumbling snores morphed into thunderous resonance.

His tiny body, barely an adult’s forearm in length, trembled violently with each thunderous snore, shaking so fiercely one feared he’d fall apart.

It should’ve been painful, but the Tiger Monarch’s fuzzy face radiated pure bliss.

Instinct guided him to what benefited him most.

The Tiger Matriarch paused, watching silently.

One curious cub, annoyed by the noise, tried to shove him awake—but the Matriarch swatted it aside, sending it tumbling.

The cave echoed with thunderous snores blending with cicadas, summer’s cacophony intensifying.

The three older cubs paced restlessly, their mother’s sharp instincts recognizing the Tiger-Leopard Thunder Resonance’s rhythm. She lay down, mimicking the Monarch’s cadence.

At first disjointed, their resonances gradually synchronized, merging into a harmonious thunderous hum.

The cave air itself seemed to vibrate, exuding perfect synergy—like rain’s patter inducing sleep, or sharing a meal with someone who eats heartily.

Exhausted, the three older cubs collapsed, their snores syncing with the thunderous rhythm, their bodies trembling with eerie oscillations.

Eating, sleeping, snoring—

The Tiger Monarch’s sole routine after awakening. Every ninety minutes, he’d rouse to feed.

This caused a food shortage. By day two, he resorted to raw meat.

Smelly, nutritious, but unappetizing.

His first meal’s verdict: Disgusting.

Yet those bright eyes, full of reluctant resolve, devoured an entire pheasant.

Strangely, his intelligence was terrifyingly high—never letting preference hinder self-interest.

As if... the jungle king’s bloodline carried an unyielding obsession with strength, etched into his very soul.

The days passed.

Eating, sleeping, snoring.

Five days. Ten days. A month...

The Tiger Monarch grew like a weed, his rate of growth shocking even his kin.

From forearm-length to over a meter; then shoulder-height, two meters long, his tail spanning two-thirds of his body.

From runt to rivaling two older brothers in size.

Day forty-seven after his birth:

A two-meter-tall wolf, aged and crippled, infiltrated the den while the Tiger Matriarch hunted. To the four cubs, it was a death sentence.

The Tiger Monarch, smaller and more agile in the narrow cave, led his brothers in ambushing the beast.

The cost? Third Cub’s abdomen torn open, organs spilling, dead instantly.

Staring blankly at his brother’s corpse, the Tiger Monarch mechanically tore the wolf’s throat, gulping its scalding blood, his mind flooded with foreign concepts: Cruelty. Survival of the fittest. The strong devour the weak.

The Tiger Matriarch returned, silently carrying Third Cub’s body to bury beneath a century-old tree.

Day forty-eight:

The Matriarch took the three surviving cubs to hunt.

As always, the Tiger Monarch mastered the basics instantly, then split off alone, dragging a tender sika deer to a stream to feast on Divine Stag’s Blood.

Moments later, thunderous snores echoed through the valley.

Seventy more dawns and dusks passed. Winter arrived, snow and frost biting.

Hunting grew harder.

The forest’s snowdrifts could swallow the Tiger Monarch whole—nearly two meters at the shoulder now.

Yet his cunning prevailed. He avoided danger, mastered hunting tricks, and never returned empty-pawed. By winter’s end, his body had grown even larger.

Spring arrived, melting the snow. The Tiger Monarch’s family was preparing to migrate.

…Separate migrations.

Exiled from his small family, Tiger Monarch felt a pang of loss but had long anticipated this day. With quiet resolve, he secretly escorted the Tiger Matriarch and his two elder brothers for a hundred miles. Hearing distant, menacing roars, he prostrated himself on the ground, bowing deeply until he finally rose and turned back alone.

Returning to his birth cave, he claimed the surrounding hundreds of miles as his hunting ground, unleashing his ruthless nature. First, he slaughtered all the wolves. By his eleventh month, he had either killed or driven away every large animal in the region, leaving it a barren wasteland. Satisfied, he reveled in the carnage, his bloodlust insatiable.

By now, his frame had surpassed the Tiger Matriarch’s. Standing nearly four meters at the shoulder, he moved through the forest like a storm, impossible to hide. He ventured deeper into the Primeval Forest.

In his twelfth month, he faced a life-or-death crisis: a crowned Crimson Viper. Even the cunning Tiger Monarch had been cautious—avoiding its venomous fangs and constricting coils… but who could predict it could spray venom over twenty meters? The venom vaporized into a mist, engulfing his face with searing corrosion that seeped into his nostrils, spreading its potency through his body.

Luckily, he closed his eyes in time, escaping blindness. His ears twitched at the sound of rushing wind—he stumbled backward, fleeing in panic. He crashed through countless trees and vines, his vision blurring as the poison surged. Finally, he plunged headlong into a roaring river.

Mercifully, the heavens spared him. Downstream, the “hungover” Tiger Monarch emerged from the water, dragging a six-meter crocodile ashore.

He’d survived the venom. Awakening to find a feast waiting at his jaws, he mused—truly, he was heaven’s most favored child.

They say eels have their eels, crocodiles have their leopards.
Today, the leopard’s not here—meet your tiger elder brother instead.

Year 1, Month 4: He challenged a Landstrider. Those powerful bird legs left a deep impression… both formidable and delicious.

Year 1, Month 6: A Brown Bear nearly twenty meters tall sent him fleeing.

Year 2, Month 3: For the first time, he encountered humans—six meters tall, red-skinned, clad in beast hides. An instinct screamed at him to stay away.

Don’t approach them—they bring only misfortune!

Year 4, Month 7: Within his territory, he raged, feeling he’d grown tall enough to shatter the “ceiling” above. He retraced his steps, seeking a forgotten longing.

Year 5, Month 2: Returning to his birthplace, he found his cave occupied by a Black Panther, trembling inside.

Now, he’d mellowed from his brutal youth. He still craved slaughter, but only against foes that thrilled him. He left the Black Panther alone, departing after half an hour to search for the Tiger Matriarch and his brothers.

Year 5, Month 9: Seven months of aimless searching left him restless, incomplete.

The clever Tiger Monarch sometimes laughed at himself.
Why do I, a wild beast, harbor such human-like emotions?

Year 6, Month 3: He met a dying tiger—a male. Smaller than his memory of the Tiger Matriarch, one eye gone, emaciated, half his tail missing, scars covering his body.

Truthfully, this tiger had fared worse than the first lone wolf he’d killed.

Yet Tiger Monarch froze, his eyes bloodshot.
Second Brother Jiang!

How could he be so wretched, so near death?

But the old tiger’s mind was clouded, barely recognizing him—some “senility.” Yet at the mention of revenge, he led Tiger Monarch to a Thousand-Soul Tribe.

Gazing at the tribal fortress sprawled like a beast on the plains, the old tiger let out a ragged, anguished roar.

Tiger Monarch understood: the Tiger Matriarch and eldest brother had died by human hands, their bodies dragged into the city.

Night fell, clouds veiling the moon. Tiger Monarch descended upon the city.

Centuries-old wooden walls crumbled under his charge. He rolled through the residential district like a blood-soaked millstone…

Fire and blood consumed the tribe.

Following their scents, he retrieved two tattered tiger pelts—his mother’s and eldest brother’s only remains.

Grief surged, his consciousness shattering the final “ceiling.”
If I could choose… I’d never have this.

Second Brother staggered forward, collapsing onto the pelts, his body broken, blood drained. In his final moments, his clouded eyes cleared. A contented whine escaped him—knowing the family was reunited.

Roaring in anguish, Tiger Monarch fled with his brother’s body and the pelts, returning to their birth cave.
Here it began… here it ends.

Year 9, Month 3: After three years of silence, Tiger Monarch ventured into the Primeval Forest’s heart, forging his legend as the “Tiger King.”

Year 19, Month 10: He became one of the planet’s supreme “Beast Emperors.”

Year 23, Month 7: A colossal warship descended. Instinct screamed—flee, this planet will be ravaged!

Flee? Where?
This land raised me. My mother, my brothers… all buried here.

Year 23, Month 8: He watched from afar as humans were bound, chained, and herded into the warship’s belly.

Year 23, Month 11: The calamity spread to all species.

As a famed Beast Emperor, he was captured, collared with an Enslavement Collar, his mind dulled. When consciousness returned, he was forced into the Colosseum’s “beast battles.”

He cherished every lucid moment. Surviving death matches, he amassed 797 consecutive wins—the Colosseum’s top attraction.

Secretly, he gathered strength, never abandoning hope for freedom.

But fate was cruel. The management decided to sacrifice him for profit. Injected with a slow-acting toxin before his final match, he dragged his half-paralyzed body into the arena. With a final burst of lightning, he incinerated his foe—then collapsed, the poison claiming him.

“I am… Tiger Monarch?”
“No—Jiang Zhe! I am Jiang Zhe!”

In his last moments, prenatal amnesia shattered. Tiger Monarch—no, Jiang Zhe—regained clarity.

Too late. He laughed bitterly, reflecting.
A Beast Emperor, Stellar-Level peak, Domain-wielder… what am I in this universe?

…

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end