Magic: Reincarnate from high-voltage electricity at the start, level up independently.

Roll...roll...

The heavy stone door slowly pushed open to one side.

The black eagle, which was writing on the floor with its claws, suddenly retracted its claws and quickly raised its head.

Upon seeing the two figures entering through the door, it immediately shouted excitedly:

"Brothers! I knew you guys would remember me!"

"I remember, I remember, that's why I rushed over to save you."

Aigu quickly nodded in agreement, and seeing Black Hawk's tearful expression, he felt a strange sense of amusement.

While the man and the eagle were chatting, Chu Ge had already walked up to Black Eagle.

She looked down and her gaze fell on the floor next to Black Hawk's right foot.

The bluestone slab was covered with a dense array of messy claw marks, clearly the words carved out stroke by stroke by the black eagle with its sharp claws.

The handwriting was crooked and irregular, and it contained only two sentences, which were repeated dozens of times.

"They will come to save me."

"They won't come to save me."

"They will come..."

I had countless expectations of myself, and countless times I denied them.

The final claw mark froze on the words, "They will come to save me," and then abruptly ended.

Chu Ge shifted his gaze to the side, fixing it on the iron ring connecting the thick iron chain to its right ankle, and said in a calm tone:

"Lift your foot."

Without the slightest hesitation, Black Hawk immediately and obediently raised his right foot, aiming it steadily at the position next to Chu Ge, afraid that she would bend over and make unnecessary movements.

Chu Ge raised his hand, took out the key, inserted it into the lock, and turned it gently.

Click!

A crisp metallic unlocking sound rang out.

The iron rings that had imprisoned Black Hawk for years snapped open, detached from his ankles, and slammed heavily onto the ground with a dull, heavy thud.

Black Hawk shook his right foot, which had been freed for many years, and felt completely relaxed.

Just as it was about to roar excitedly, Chu Ge's cold voice rang out again:

"The other one."

Black Hawk immediately turned to the side and skillfully raised his left foot.

With another crisp click, the iron ring on the left side also fell to the ground.

With his shackles removed, Black Hawk was completely free. He immediately paced around the empty room, overjoyed.

But its first words almost made Chu Ge and Ai Gu lose their composure.

"Hehehe! Thirty whole years! This old man is finally free!"

The eerie laughter had barely escaped twice when Black Hawk instantly shut his mouth.

It suddenly realized that it wasn't the only one in the room!

Looking down, it saw Chu Ge and Aigu staring straight at it, their eyes full of scrutiny.

Black Hawk coughed awkwardly, hastily trying to find an excuse:

"Um...sorry, I haven't spoken in a long time. I just got out of prison and I couldn't quite get into it, it's just a conditioned reflex!"

"I understand," Chu Ge replied calmly.

"I understand, I understand. That's how it is when people get out of jail. It's normal procedure," Aigu quickly tried to smooth things over.

He looked at Black Hawk with a hint of sympathy in his eyes, and felt a strange sense of finding a kindred spirit.

Chu Ge said nothing more, turned around and walked out of the cell.

Aigu followed closely behind, catching up quickly.

Black Hawk didn't dare to delay and quickly followed the two out of the room.

It walked to the doorway, cautiously raised its paw, and tentatively took a step outside.

Hey.

The claws landed firmly on the ground outside the door, without any restraint or backlash.

"Very good……"

Black Hawk breathed a heavy sigh of relief, the huge weight that had been hanging over his heart finally lifted.

During the years it was trapped, whenever it dared to step out of this room, the iron chains on its feet would tighten instantly, gripping its body tightly and making it unable to move an inch.

It wasn't that it didn't try to break free of its shackles.

But these chains were ridiculously hard; even though they were at the peak of SS-level, they couldn't budge them an inch.

The purpose of the confinement imposed by the old master Nicholas was quite simple.

The overall combat strength of the Mermaid World is relatively low, and the extraordinary individuals are generally only at the A-level.

Without suppression, Black Hawk at the peak of SS-level would be the true ceiling of combat power in this world.

Once it runs rampant, no one can stop it or control it; it could overturn the entire mermaid world.

The same principle applies to the demonic beasts chained up on the second floor of the palace.

Although their strength is not comparable to Black Hawk, the weakest of them are at least S-class, each carrying deadly poison and possessing fierce combat power.

If these monsters were to flood into the outside world, it would be no different from a mass natural disaster for the Mermaid World.

As for the demonic beasts on the first floor of the palace, although they are not shackled or restrained, they are subject to implicit restrictions.

They can move freely in the passageways of the palace's underground palace, but they can never step out of the underground palace and reach the surface world, posing no threat to the outside world.

Of all the monsters in the entire palace, only that tiger was an exception.

Nicholas thought it was simple-minded and had the least destructive power, so he did not impose any restrictions on it.

From the very beginning, it had the authority to leave the palace and freely enter and exit the outside world at any time.

The tiger himself was completely unaware of this from beginning to end.

Every time it went to the ground, it simply went out to hunt and then returned to distribute the prey to the various monsters in the palace.

It wasn't that it hadn't considered escaping, but it always harbored some apprehension.

It feared that if it escaped on its own, it would anger the powerful high-level demonic beasts in the palace and attract endless pursuit, so it always kept to itself and behaved itself.

Now, all the constraints and restrictions have been abolished after Chu Ge inherited Nicholas's legacy.

Black Hawk followed the two downstairs to the second-floor hall, where he found that all the stone doors to the cells on the second floor were wide open and the rooms were empty.

It was obvious that all the demonic beasts imprisoned on the second floor had regained their freedom and gone elsewhere.

We walked all the way to the main hall on the first floor of the palace.

The spacious and magnificent hall was densely packed with all sorts of strange and wonderful beasts.

Including the Black Hawk that just escaped, there are a total of thirty-four.

These monsters were fierce in appearance and had a chilling aura.

Apart from the tiger, which was particularly conspicuous with its brown and yellow fur, all the other demonic beasts were pitch black, with crimson eyes, and were surrounded by a dense, deadly aura of poison.

Chu Ge and Ai Gu, two small and thin figures, stood in stark contrast amidst a group of enormous creatures.

If outsiders were to see them, they would think the two were just some protein snacks captured by these monsters.

All the demonic beasts' eyes were now fixed on Chu Ge.

They are fully intelligent, have lived for a long time, and are very clear-headed.

It was this white-haired girl before them who inherited the legacy of her old master, broke the shackles, and gave them freedom.

According to the words left by the old master Nicholas before he left, from this moment on—

Chu Ge is their new master.

The tigers on the outermost edge of the monster horde were completely bewildered and utterly confused.

In the short time it took for him to go out for a quick meal of corpse food, these two not only emerged alive from the dangerous upper levels of the palace, but also transformed themselves into his masters.

Strange things happen every year, but this year is particularly strange.

As the most senior and strongest demon beast in the palace, Black Eagle took the initiative to step forward and take charge of the situation.

It bowed slightly, concealing all its sharpness, its posture extremely respectful, and slowly spoke to Chu Ge:

"We will heed the words of our former master. From this day forward, you will be the new master of all of us demon beasts."

As the words fell, it lowered its head even further, its voice growing more devout, and cried out loudly:

"Owner!"

Seeing this, the remaining thirty-three demonic beasts exchanged glances, then bowed their heads in unison, their synchronized voices echoing throughout the empty hall:

"Owner!"

The echoes piled up in layers, creating a powerful and moving sound.

Aigu, standing to the side, was deeply shaken.

He knew all too well how terrifying these monsters were.

Any one of these creatures, if placed in the outside world of the mermaid world, would be enough to destroy a city and cause a catastrophe.

But now, these terrifying monsters, capable of destroying the world, have all bowed down and acknowledged Chu Ge as their master.

This is absolutely a tremendous opportunity, and also an unimaginable source of confidence.

While pleasantly surprised, Aigu also felt a slight apprehension.

These monsters have all lived longer than him and are deep-thinking. Would they really be willing to submit to a newly appointed young master?

Human hearts are complex, and so are demonic hearts.

His gaze unconsciously fell on Black Hawk.

Putting everything else aside, the moment the black eagle broke free, the "hehehe" it uttered was enough to show that this thing was definitely hiding a lot of bad intentions and ulterior motives.

Black Hawk keenly sensed Aigu's gaze and was filled with doubt.

It looked down at its own wings and body, which were clean and majestic.

"Am I too handsome, with such a strong presence, that people are stunned?"

It secretly admired itself and couldn't help but think to itself: Even if I am the most handsome eagle in the demon beast world, you can't just stare at me like that. You have no manners at all.

If Black Hawk could see through Aigu's thoughts, he would definitely scoff at it.

People generally believe that monsters are cunning, but in reality, monsters are a hundred times more loyal than humans.

Once a demon recognizes a master, they will remain loyal for life.

Once they have chosen a master, they will follow him to the death and will never betray him.

Nicholas saved all the monsters back then, granting them opportunities and helping them grow, treating them with kindness as heavy as a mountain.

Therefore, all the demons and beasts will abide by the message and obediently submit to Chu Ge.

In their hearts, Nicholas was their eternal master, while Chu Ge was their little master whom they had to protect with their lives.

Of course, there are always exceptions among all the monsters.

The tiger on the edge is the only outlier.

At this moment, it also bowed its head and bowed along with everyone else, pretending to be respectful and submissive, but in its heart it had already begun to make crazy plans.

"Stay calm, Tiger, this is just a temporary respite!"

"You are destined to become the Tiger Emperor, roaring across the heavens and dominating all ages!"

"Temporarily being subordinate to others is merely a trial on the path, nothing serious!"

Not long ago, it devoured the corpses of a venomous snake and a spider, causing its strength to surge dramatically, and it has already faintly touched the threshold of the mid-A level.

Today, its confidence is at an all-time high.

It was certain that if it encountered that scarred man again, it could tear him to shreds with a single claw.

In the center of the hall, Chu Ge quietly looked at the group of demonic beasts who had bowed their heads in submission, remaining silent for a long time.

She was genuinely a little lost at that moment.

In the past, she would only keep a few small pets, which were easy to take care of.

Now, things have gotten really complicated. They've suddenly been overwhelmed by a legion of over thirty enormous and terrifyingly powerful monsters.

She pondered silently how to settle these large creatures.

At first, she thought of simply letting them go free and return to the mountains and forests to live a carefree life.

But as soon as the thought arose, she immediately rejected it.

She knew perfectly well why Nicholas had imprisoned these monsters.

They feared that these terrifyingly powerful monsters would venture into the outside world, wreak havoc, and overturn the world order.

If I were to rashly release them, I would undoubtedly be betraying Nicholas's trust.

However, if you carry everything with you, there are also real problems.

There were too many of them, and they were too big for Aigu's small villa to contain. Taking them around would also attract too much attention and cause a lot of trouble.

After a moment's thought, Chu Ge raised his hand, signaling all the demonic beasts to rise, his clear, cold voice echoing throughout the hall:

"From this day forward, I am your master, but I will not restrict your freedom."

"You can roam freely and live freely in this mermaid world, without having to be by my side at all times."

Her tone shifted, becoming more warning:

"But you must adhere to the bottom line, and you must not hurt people at will or cause destruction wantonly."

"If anyone breaks the rules and causes trouble, even if Fellow Daoist Nicholas has given me instructions beforehand, I will never show mercy."

After saying that, Chu Ge gently raised his hand and revealed the bamboo flute in his hand.

All the demonic beasts instantly felt a chill run down their spines, immediately understanding the deeper meaning behind it.

Their old master, Nicholas, had long ago planted a restriction deep within their souls.

This bamboo flute was specifically designed to subdue them.

No matter how far apart they are, as long as Chu Ge plays his flute, the sound will resonate directly in the minds of all the demons and beasts.

The sound of the flute can control the mind and suppress demons. In the blink of an eye, it can control all their actions or instantly kill them.

After Chu Ge finished speaking, the hall fell into a long silence.

The thirty-four demonic beasts looked at each other, none daring to speak first. Finally, all eyes turned to the most senior Black Eagle, waiting for it to make a decision.

Black Hawk lowered his head and pondered for a long time, a complex and gentle look flashing in his eyes.

Every monster here has an incredibly tragic past.

They were all severely injured and on the verge of death, displaced and bullied by their respective tribes. It was Nicholas who traveled the world and brought them back to the palace one by one.

It was this old master who gave them a place to live, gave them the chance to survive, and devoted all his resources to nurturing weak monsters on the verge of death into the powerful figures who now dominate the region.

They were trapped in this palace for countless years.

The long period of imprisonment was tedious and boring.

Black Hawk had wondered about this countless times.

A powerful being like Nicholas, who could reach the heavens with a single thought and determine the fate of the world with a wave of his hand, had no need for these demonic beasts to protect him or charge into battle.

In the eyes of the supreme and powerful, they may be no different from ants or dust.

Black Hawk struggled countless times with the meaning of his existence, yet he never dared to ask.

It fears hearing the cruelest answer most of all—"I don't know either."

After a long while, Black Hawk raised his eyes, looked directly at Chu Ge, and made the final decision for all the demon beasts.

"Master, we have made up our minds."

"We are willing to stay and guard this palace."

"Without your summons, I will never leave this place in my life; I will simply stay here quietly."

After saying that, Black Hawk turned his head, pointed his jet-black wings at the tiger standing on the outermost edge, who looked honest and simple.

"Little Tiger, step forward."

As soon as the sound fell, all the monsters in the arena, including Chu Ge and Aigu, focused their attention on the tiger.

The tiger froze instantly, its heart leaping into its throat.

It panicked instantly.

Finished!

Could it be that my secret, domineering, and long-suppressed thoughts have been discovered?

Is this a public trial of its disloyalty, followed by making an example of it and executing it in public?

Fear surged into the tiger's heart instantly, and a thought of resistance arose in the tiger's subconscious mind, but it was completely suppressed in the next second.

What a joke.

Any one of the monsters present could easily overwhelm it.

If you really want to fight, it won't even have the right to struggle.

It had no choice but to grit its teeth and leave the line, its head bowed low, not daring to look up at anyone, its heart already silently giving up.

"If they really want to kill me, I'll just lie down and not care how I die. I just want to be reincarnated sooner so that in my next life I can be invincible from the start and truly dominate for all eternity!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Black Hawk stared at the trembling tiger, remained silent for a long time, and then slowly spoke, revealing a secret that no one knew.

"Master, Little Tiger is the most special one among us."

"It is not a native monster of this mermaid world, but an alien creature brought back by the old master from another great world beyond the heavens."

These words caused an uproar in the room.

All the monsters were stunned and incredulous.

Having lived together for so many years, they always thought that the tiger was a native monster of the mermaid world, just like them. They never imagined that the tiger actually came from another world.

Even Chu Ge and Ai Gu raised their eyebrows slightly, surprised.

Black Hawk didn't pause, and continued slowly:

"The old master mentioned this to me privately."

"Little Tiger comes from a vast world called the Myriad Demon Star Domain. His race is special, and his bloodline potential is terrifyingly high."

"Once it fully awakens its bloodline and breaks free from its shackles, its future potential is extremely high, no less than that of the most powerful demon races in the heavens."

"The old master had long ago entrusted Little Tiger with the secrets of its origins and its destiny. One day, it must return to the Myriad Demon Star Domain, find its own clan, and unravel all its secrets."

"We old folks have long been rooted here; we'll spend the rest of our lives guarding the temple."

"But Little Tiger is different. It was not born to belong here and should not be trapped in this small palace to die."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tiger was completely stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

His tiger-like eyes widened in disbelief, his mind buzzing as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt.

It originally thought that after devouring powerful enemies and breaking through its cultivation level, it would immediately be able to thrive in this small world.

As long as you can hold out, you'll eventually become the Tiger Emperor.

He was then told that he was a visitor from another world, burdened with a bloody past, and bound by a destiny.

In the future, we will traverse the heavens, return to the unfamiliar world, reunite with our kin, seek our roots, and bear the fate of our people.

At this moment, the tiger felt no joy whatsoever, only frustration and irritability.

Are you kidding me?!

The smooth and stable path of development is gone, replaced by a bunch of grand missions that are incomprehensible and intangible.

What Demon Starfield, what awesome bloodline, what destiny of the race, it doesn't want any of it!

It just wants to honestly level up by defeating monsters and peacefully dominate the world for eternity!

As for following Chu Ge, it didn't resist at all, and was even a little secretly pleased.

Being able to follow her out of this palace that has confined him for so long and see the vast world outside is a hundred times better than being trapped in the underground palace for the rest of his life.

Even if you are burdened by a strange destiny, at least you are free in the moment.

The tiger lowered its head and pondered for two seconds, then quickly composed itself and obediently responded:

"I will heed the old master's words and from now on follow the young master closely, never disobeying any orders."

With that, the matter of the palace monsters came to a close.

The two people and the tiger left the underground palace that imprisoned countless demonic beasts.

After leaving the palace, Aigu turned back and properly disposed of the demon hunters' corpses.

He found a picturesque hill and buried all the deceased one by one, allowing these demon hunters who had fought alongside him for many years to finally rest in peace.

After all the trivial matters were dealt with, the group rushed back to the villa, and dawn was already breaking.

At the entrance of the villa, Arya stood gazing into the distance, her slender figure fixed on the road ahead.

When she saw Aigu, her eyes lit up instantly, and she rushed over without hesitation, throwing herself straight into Aigu's arms.

Aigu quickly reached out and hugged her daughter tightly, her heart filled with self-blame and heartache.

Seeing his daughter's eyes redden and on the verge of tears, he softened his voice and asked gently:

"You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?"

Arya nodded vigorously, then quickly shook her head, explaining with a choked voice and a heavy nasal tone:

"I thought Dad would be back soon, so I waited from dusk till night, but I didn't see you."

"I wanted to come find you and tell Alice, but Alice isn't home."

"I found a note she left on the table. She said she went out to look for you, so I just kept waiting at home."

"Later, a scarred uncle came and told me that the white-haired, red-eyed sister had saved everyone and even went to the underground palace to rescue me, and that I shouldn't worry."

"I waited and waited until dawn, and finally my dad came home..."

In the end, all the pent-up grievances from the previous night finally broke down, and large tears rolled down her cheeks.

Aigu's heart softened, and she raised her hand to wipe away her daughter's tears, but she was afraid that her slightly rough hands would hurt her daughter's delicate skin.

The morning breeze was cool and gentle on my face, and the rising sun slowly shone down, gradually dispelling the chill of the early morning.

In the end, he gently raised his hand and tenderly wiped away the tears from Arya's eyes.

The scene of the father and daughter embracing each other tenderly was quiet and healing.

Chu Ge didn't go forward to disturb them, and silently led the newcomer, Xiao Hu, to the back garden of the villa.

On the lawn in the backyard, Doubao was curled up and fast asleep.

Its sense of smell is extremely sensitive. Even when it was deep in sleep, it instantly smelled the familiar scent and slowly opened its eyes.

Almost at the same time, the villa's maid carried a breakfast tray into the back garden, preparing to feed Doubao.

The next instant, both the man and the dog's pupils dilated in shock, and they both let out a scream.

In the center of the lawn stood a massive tiger.

Standing over two meters tall and nearly five meters long, with brownish-yellow fur tinged with dark gold, even when deliberately concealing all its power and not releasing the slightest bit of killing intent, the natural oppressive aura of the king of beasts is enough to crush ordinary creatures and leave them breathless.

Doubao was so frightened that he immediately lay prostrate on the ground, trembling all over, not daring to move an inch.

The maid's legs went weak, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.

Fortunately, Chu Ge reacted quickly, instantly rushing forward to support the unconscious maid and preventing her from falling and getting injured.

After a minor incident, the villa returned to peace.

Life returned to a stable and orderly state.

For the next two weeks, Chu Ge and Ailiya devoted themselves to training, honing their musical skills day and night, and focusing on preparing for the upcoming Music God Grand Ceremony competition.

During a break in preparations, the two took time to attend Susie and William's grand wedding.

Weddings of the elite are extremely luxurious and grand.

Susie looked stunningly beautiful in her wedding dress, while William looked handsome and dashing in his formal attire.

A handsome man and a beautiful woman, they stunned the audience.

All the guests present praised the two as a match made in heaven and a perfect couple.

The wedding came to a successful close, and time flew by.

Only one day remains until the highly anticipated Music God Grand Ceremony Competition opens.

But on the eve of the competition, an explosive piece of news swept through the entire mermaid world at lightning speed.

Doria.

They've disappeared.