Chapter 384: Come Closer, Just a Bit Closer

Chapter 384 Come Closer, Just a Bit Closer

Game characters can be deleted or reworked with version updates, and the fate of novel characters can be changed on a whim by the author’s inspiration.

Tying everything he knew together with the information Blood Amber Mountain Lord had revealed,

Chen Huaian felt like… he was a game character.

Like a fictional person inside a story.

Only—he was a character that had gone out of control.

Just like Blood Amber Mountain Lord and the other monsters.

They were all out of control.

And because of that… they had to be eliminated?

Ascenders, on the other hand, were officially approved accounts recognized by the game’s administrator. Because they followed the rules, they were granted privileges.

But with privileges came chains—everything they gained could be taken away in an instant.

“These things… the Ancestral Dragon didn’t tell you?”

“No.” Chen Huaian shook his head. “It just warned me not to become an Ascender. Said ascension was a scam.”

The Tiger King looked at Chen with a complicated gaze. “The Ancestral Dragon really favors you.

Though honestly, I don’t see anything special about you… Compared to previous inheritors, you’re very mediocre.”

Chen Huaian: “……”

What the h*ll?

That stupid flood dragon looked down on him last time, and now this damn tiger too?

What, they all think they’re hot sh*t now?

Chen silently withdrew the Healing Pill he was about to offer the Tiger King.

Forget it. A stuck-up tiger like this might as well die.

But Blood Amber Mountain Lord noticed the little movement. It grinned—and finally, a hint of satisfaction showed on its bloodied face.

“In my fragmented memories, every inheritor of the past was comparable to gods and Buddhas.

Yet you’re just peak Foundation Establishment… Hm, looks like you’re about to step into Golden Core, but still—too weak.”

“No need to give me pills. My fate is to die here.

In previous cycles, my wife and children were slaughtered by Ascenders.

My tiger hide became material for their weapons…

To die at the hands of a Dragon Soul inheritor—

That’s my honor.”

“Hey now!” Chen Huaian brought the pill back out. “Don’t say that. Meeting me means your fate is already changing.

Better a tough life than a noble death—you’ve worked hard to reach this level of cultivation. Why be in such a rush to die?”

“Then you shouldn’t have put a hole in my chest with your sword!”

The Tiger King roared, pointing at the gaping wound:

“My heart’s been blown apart! My life force is gone! I’m only talking to you now by sheer willpower—

Even a Gold Immortal couldn’t save me, got it!?”

Chen Huaian: “……”

He apologized silently in his head.

To be fair, he hadn’t known the tiger was sort of an ally.

And even now, he didn’t feel too guilty.

After all, the Tiger King had killed a number of Exorcist Division employees—

Innocent people.

Even if he and the Tiger King were having a chat now, what about those people? Were their deaths just swept aside?

Now that the Tiger King was embracing death, he felt a little less conflicted.

“So, do you have any last wishes?” Chen put the pill away again and asked, “You said your kind are just whetstones.

Surely the whetstones have some kind of countermeasure?”

“My wish… is that my wife and children escape the fate of being killed.

And that the plans of the other Monster Kings go smoothly.”

Blood Amber Mountain Lord’s voice had grown faint.

But it seemed oddly content. Especially when it looked at Chen Huaian—

even the pain lines on its face seemed to ease a little.

At the edge of death, it used the last of its strength to beckon.

“Dragon Soul inheritor… Come closer. I’ll tell you a secret.”

Chen Huaian wasn’t stupid—he stayed alert around the tiger.

He hesitated a long time before cautiously stepping forward.

But he still kept a meter of distance between them.

“Speak. This distance is plenty.”

“Closer. I’m not going to eat you.”

Reluctantly, Chen inched forward a bit.

He thought the Tiger King was going to share some shocking, world-shaking secret.

But the next second—

The tiger let out a wild laugh.

The entire Blood Amber realm shattered with a deafening roar.

The Tiger King’s massive body ignited like a torch, blazing with crimson fire that surged skyward.

Within that red glow, a spectral tiger appeared, howling toward the heavens,

before transforming into a torrential flood that came crashing down from above.

Chen Huaian’s scalp went numb. He tried to run—

But couldn’t move.

He could only watch as the flood poured down,

rushing straight into his crown.

He didn’t notice that the flood split in two—

half of it surged toward Bajii.

His mind exploded with a deafening buzz.

The howling of countless wild ghosts pounded in his ears like thunder, making his skull ache.

Just as he was about to snap from the noise—

ROAR—!

With a thunderous tiger’s roar, everything fell silent.

He wasn’t injured. On the contrary—he felt lighter, clearer,

A terrifying power surged from his dantian, flooding his limbs.

Spiritual energy roared through his meridians like tidal waves—hundreds of times stronger than before.

A Golden Core swallowed into the belly—my fate is no longer Heaven’s to decide.

Chen Huaian turned his senses inward and was shocked—he’d formed a Golden Core.

He was now a Golden Core-stage cultivator.

And his foundation wasn’t unstable at all.

Fresh into the stage, yet steady as a rock.

“You d*mn tiger, you weren’t trying to hurt me—

You were trying to help me break through!

Why didn’t you say so earlier?!”

Chen Huaian felt a twist of emotion.

But Blood Amber Tiger King had already vanished completely—not just the body, even its soul was gone.

Clearly, it had sacrificed itself.

“Whether man or monster, I f***ing hate you self-sacrificing types that never ask permission!”

Chen clenched his teeth. But despite the complaint—

He still gave the Tiger King’s fallen machete a deep bow.

The sky of blood dispersed. The stench of iron flooded into the blade.

When everything settled, Chen realized—he was still beneath that tree.

But the circle Li Qingran had drawn had disappeared.

In its place, two blood-soaked tiger demons—one large, one small—

lay kneeling before him, limbs severed.

All around was blood mist and corpses of tiger demons.

Amid the sea of carnage, a flash of white moved like lightning.

A sword slashed, light exploded—another tiger demon fell without even managing to scream.

Many Ascenders stood around watching, not daring to interfere.

Though the white-robed figure’s back was turned,

Chen Huaian could sense the rage and killing intent in every strike.

His heart sank. Oh no…

Li Qingran was usually sweet and gentle—

But when she snapped, she really snapped.

“Senior! Senior, you’re finally back!”

Wang Shouyi, standing in front of the two kneeling tiger demons, was the first to spot him.

His face lit up with joy, and he immediately shouted to the lone figure in white:

“Sister-in-law! Senior’s back!”

In the middle of the bloody battlefield, that figure flinched—

Then whipped around.

The moment her beautiful eyes saw Chen Huaian, they instantly brimmed with tears.

“Master!”

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