Swallowing the Stars: Reboot, The Eternal Serpent!

Chapter 42 Tiger!

"Improving physical fitness is a good thing, as it means that at each level, one can unleash speed and power far exceeding that of the same level... Speaking of speed alone, I am still skilled in the time-based school, so my ability to escape in the future will definitely not be weak."

Jiang Zhe touched the dark purple lightning mark on his chest, quite satisfied. "I need to give it a name... how about 'Thunder Prison Realm'? Anna, what do you think?"

"Perfect! It must be a special ability that has never appeared before, and it's fitting that you, Master, should name it!"

Orianna's judgment was based on evidence. This special ability should be comparable to the level of a World Lord, similar to the level of a Primal Core, and should not be something that a planetary-level life form could awaken.

"As for lightning-attribute treasures..." Jiang Zhe turned to Oriana, "Are there any lightning-attribute treasures on Earth?"

Orianna checked the network and tentatively asked, "The Thunder Dragon King's horns, scales, bones, tendons, heart, and blood?"

"???"

Jiang Zhe's lips twitched. "Why didn't you suggest I use Thor as a tonic to refine him?"

"Does Babata have any good stock? My teacher's World Ring should be on him, I don't believe there aren't any good things inside."

Orianna shook her head. "What you need is an A-grade lightning-type treasure. Your teacher isn't so poor that he needs to scavenge for scraps, is he?"

Suddenly remembering something, Orianna reminded her, "Master, that mechanical immortal comprehended the Law of Lightning. They like to hoard all kinds of materials. This World Bracelet might contain something you need."

Jiang Zhe took the bracelet Orianna handed him, played with it in his hand for a moment, and asked, "What effect will using my mental power to cleanse the life imprint inside have on me?"

"No, I tried using primal energy to cleanse it before, and I didn't get any backlash, but it was very difficult to cleanse even a tiny bit."

"Even though the original owner is dead, the life imprint within is as fragile as water without a source. But the energy of the immortal level is not something we planetary level beings can shake. The Han Xia idiom 'The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains' is a perfect description of your process of washing away the life imprint."

"The Foolish Old Man Who Moved Mountains?" Jiang Zhe raised an eyebrow. "So... it's possible, but it will require a lot of effort?"

He then put the purple-gold bracelet covered with secret patterns on his wrist, making his stance clear.

The World Bracelet must be broken as soon as possible!

Several pots are already heated, waiting for the rice to be cooked!

After showering in the bathroom, Jiang Zhe lay on the bed and began to recall the various cultivation points of the "Dragon Hibernation Technique".

"Sleep with your head to the east, lying on your side, like a coiled dragon or a crouching dog. One hand is bent at the elbow to support the head, subtly touching the sea of ​​consciousness; the other hand is used to massage the navel, connecting to the dantian; one leg is extended; the other leg is retracted. Before the mind falls asleep, the eyes fall asleep, reaching the utmost emptiness, maintaining perfect stillness..."

Assume the correct posture and visualize the image of the slumbering azure dragon in the "Dragon-Hibernating Method," and the mysterious charm of "Zhuangzi's Butterfly Dream" will arrive as promised.

Jiang Zhe felt a wave of comfort, as if he had returned to the time when he was conceived, and fell asleep with a peaceful smile on his face.

The consciousness in my mind soars into the void.

……

It was the height of summer, and the cicadas chirped incessantly in the ancient forest, disturbing the sleep of all living things.

In the dark and damp cave.

On the foul-smelling deer hide, a frail-looking "golden shaded dog" slowly opened its eyes, exuding a unique spirituality, and trembled as it tried to explore the world.

The mother tiger seemed to sense something, turned her head, and licked it twice with her barbed tongue, her eyes filled with a human-like worry.

There were four tiger cubs in this litter, with the youngest being the weakest and the last to open its eyes.

The other tiger brothers were already able to stagger through the cave by the third day, opened their eyes on the fifth day, and began eating raw meat on the tenth day...

It's the fifteenth day now, and the youngest is still lying paralyzed in the animal skin, barely able to drink any milk... But thankfully, he's opened his eyes and can see this world.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it will likely struggle to survive this winter.

After nursing, Hu Yao smacked his lips contentedly and fell asleep, his snores gradually rising.

Glug-snoring-

Gradually, the cute and adorable snoring turned into a deep, thunderous sound.

The tiny body, as long as an adult's arm, trembled violently with the thunder, the intensity of the shaking making one worry that it might suddenly fall apart at any moment.

Logically, this should be painful, but Tiger's fluffy round face was full of enjoyment.

It simply follows its instincts and does what is most beneficial to itself.

The mother tiger was slightly taken aback, and watched quietly.

One of the tiger cubs complained that it was too noisy and tried to wake it up, but the mother tiger slapped it to the ground and sent it tumbling several times.

The sound of cicadas mingled with the thunder in the cave, making this summer even noisier.

The three tiger cubs paced restlessly inside the cave.

The mother tiger, being somewhat knowledgeable, understood the vibrational pattern of the "Tiger and Leopard Thunder Sound" and lay down on the ground to imitate it.

At first, they were clearly distinct, but gradually they caught up with Hu Yao's rhythm, causing the two thunderous sounds to resonate in unison.

The air inside the cave seemed to vibrate, exuding a perfectly harmonious atmosphere.

It's probably like... the pattering rain can help you sleep, and seeing others eat heartily will make you eat a few more bites too.

Exhausted from all the commotion, the three little ones fell asleep on the spot, snoring loudly amidst the thunder, their bodies exhibiting strange tremors.

Eating, sleeping, snoring.

These are the only three things Tiger Yao does after opening its eyes; it wakes up to eat every hour and a half on average.

This resulted in insufficient grain storage, forcing it to eat raw meat the next day.

It smells fishy and has a nutritious taste, but it doesn't taste good.

These were Tiger's thoughts as he ate for the first time.

Those bright eyes, filled with resistance, watched as she devoured a whole wild pheasant.

For some reason, its intelligence is frighteningly high, and it is not influenced by likes or dislikes, so it does not refrain from doing things that are beneficial to itself.

It seems that... as the king of the jungle, the obsession with becoming stronger is deeply imprinted in its blood and consciousness?

That's the only explanation.

carry on.

Eating, sleeping, snoring.

Five days, ten days, a month...

Tiger is like a vegetable in a greenhouse, growing wildly and at a speed that horrifies even the tiger.

From arm's length; to over a meter; then to about a meter tall at the shoulder, with a body length of about two meters, and the tiger's tail still accounting for two-thirds of the body length.

It grew from the weakest of the tigers in the den to the size of two of its brothers.

It was the forty-seventh day after I opened my eyes.

While the mother tiger was out hunting, a lone wolf sneaked into the tiger's den. The giant wolf, which was two meters tall at the shoulder, was old, lame, and riddled with illness, posing a life-or-death crisis to the four tiger brothers.

In the end, Tiger One, taking advantage of its smaller size and greater agility in the narrow cave, joined forces with its three older tiger brothers to kill the old wolf.

The price was that Tiger Three's abdomen was ripped open by Wolf Fang, his organs scattered all over the ground, and he died on the spot.

Staring blankly at his third brother's corpse, Hu Yao mechanically tore open the wolf's throat, swallowing the scalding wolf blood. Strange thoughts such as "cruelty," "survival of the fittest," "the strong prey on the weak," and "survival of the fittest" kept popping into his mind.

After the mother tiger returned, she silently carried away the tiger cub's body and buried it under a century-old tree.

On the forty-eighth day, the three brothers were taken by their mother, the tiger, to learn how to hunt.

Tiger was as clever as ever, mastering the skills in no time. He left the group to act alone, caught a tender sika deer, and dragged it into the valley to drink its blood.

Moments later, thunderous snoring filled the valley.

More than seventy sunrises and sunsets later, winter arrived as scheduled, with wind and snow falling.

Hunting is becoming increasingly difficult.

The old forest is full of snow-covered ditches that could swallow a tiger, and you should know that it is now nearly two meters tall at the shoulder.

But the clever Tiger knew how to avoid danger and had the knack for finding prey, so it never returned empty-handed from a hunt. In fact, after the entire winter, its size increased dramatically.

In spring, as the snow melts, Tiger's family begins their migration.

Hmm... they migrated separately.

Tiger was expelled from the small family. The intelligent tiger felt disappointed, but it had long expected this day to come.

He secretly escorted the tiger mother and her two brothers for a hundred miles. Hearing the imposing tiger roars coming from afar, Tiger Younger prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed. Only after a long time did he get up, turn around, and return the way he came.

Returning to their former cave, they turned this area, spanning hundreds of miles, into their hunting grounds, revealing their cruel nature.

First, they hunted down and killed all the wolves.

In the eleventh month after its birth, Tiger Yao slaughtered or drove away all the large animals within a radius of hundreds of miles around the hunting grounds, turning the area into a "barren land".

It was satisfied, enjoyed killing, and liked to display its ferocity.

At this time, Tiger Boy's size had surpassed that of Tiger Mother, with a shoulder height of nearly four meters, making it impossible for him to conceal his presence while walking in the forest.

It began its march into the deeper primeval forest.

In December, it faced a life-or-death crisis with a crested, dark red venomous python.

Even someone as clever as a tiger is being very careful, trying not to get bitten and injected with venom, and not to get entangled by a snake...

But no matter how much you calculate, who knew it could spray venom more than twenty meters away?

The venom vaporized into a mist that enveloped the tiger's face, instantly causing a burning, corrosive sensation. It then seeped into the tiger's nose, and the effects of the venom began to spread throughout its body.

Fortunately, Tiger closed his eyes in time, avoiding the tragic fate of becoming a blind tiger.

Tiger's ears twitched, and he heard the sound of wind rushing towards him. Tiger Yao stumbled and turned to flee.

I'm currently reading the error-free version! This is the first time I've published this novel.

He crashed into countless trees and tore through countless vines. The poison took effect, his vision blurred, and he fell headfirst into a rushing river.

Fortunately, there's always a way out.

Downstream, where the current is gentle, a "hangover" Tiger Yao swam ashore carrying a six-meter-long crocodile in his mouth.

It survived the snake venom, and after waking up, a large fish was brought to its mouth to replenish its energy. It truly is God's most favored child.

It is said that there are good eels and bad leopards.

Today, since Brother Leopard didn't come, I'll treat his cousin—Brother Tiger—the same way.

In the first year and four months, he challenged a chocobo. Those strong bird legs left a deep impression on Tiger... They were very strong and delicious.

In the first year and six months, a brown bear nearly twenty meters tall made Tiger Yao flee at the mere sight of it.

In the second year and three months, Tiger saw a human for the first time. The human was six meters tall, with reddish-brown skin, and was wearing an animal skin. An instinct drove Tiger to stay away.

Don't go near them, they will bring you misfortune!

In the fourth year and seven months, Tiger was venting its anger in its territory. It felt that it was already "high" enough and wanted to break through the "ceiling" that restricted it.

It slowly retraced its steps, searching for a stirring in its heart.

In the fifth year and two months, he returned to his birthplace, only to find the cave occupied by a black panther.

I was trapped inside and trembling with fear.

The current Tiger is no longer as brutal as it was when it first debuted. It still enjoys killing, but only against powerful opponents who can bring it a sense of satisfaction.

It did nothing to the black panther, and after half an hour it turned and left to continue searching for the mother tiger and her two brothers.

In the fifth year and nine months, after searching aimlessly for nearly seven months, it was always haunted by a lingering attachment, unable to find a satisfactory resolution.

The clever Tiger sometimes finds it very funny.

I am clearly a wild beast in the mountains, how could I have such delicate emotions and thoughts as humans?

Continue the search for spiritual perfection.

In the sixth year and three months, it encountered a sick tiger.

It is a male tiger.

But it was even smaller than the tiger mother in Tiger's memory, blind in one eye, emaciated, with half of its tail broken off, and covered in scars.

To be honest, this tiger is probably not doing as well as the lone wolf it killed the first time.

But Hu Yao froze, his tiger eyes bloodshot.

This is its second brother!

How could things have turned out so tragically? They've reached the point of utter exhaustion!

Unfortunately, Tiger Brother Er's intelligence is limited, and he can't recognize Tiger Brother Yi at all; he also has some "dementia."

But upon hearing that it was to avenge it and get revenge, it led Tiger to a tribe with nearly a thousand people.

Looking at the tribe that resembled a giant beast entrenched on the plain, Tiger Brother Er let out a desperate howl.

Tiger One understood what it meant—Tiger Mother and Tiger Brother had both died at the hands of those humans below, and their bodies had been carried into the city.

Night fell, dark clouds obscured the moon, and Hu Yao attacked the city.

The city walls, built from century-old logs, couldn't even withstand a single impact from it. It crashed into the residential area, rolled on the spot, and turned into a bloody grinder...

In blood and fire, a large tribe was annihilated.

Following the scent, Tiger Boy found two tattered tiger skins, the only remaining possessions of his mother and elder brother.

Overwhelmed with intense grief and experiencing a violent fluctuation in consciousness, it finally broke through that "ceiling".

But if given a choice, Tiger would rather not have it.

Tiger Brother staggered over and collapsed onto the two tiger skins. His body was covered in wounds, and he had almost bled to death.

On its deathbed, its cloudy eyes seemed to regain their clarity, and it let out a contented whimper, knowing that its family was reunited.

Tiger One howled and flew away from the place, carrying Tiger Two and two tiger skins on its back, back to the cave where they were born.

It begins here and ends here.

Nine years and three months later, after three years of silence, Tiger Boy set off again, heading to the core area of ​​this primeval forest, to establish his formidable reputation as the "Tiger King".

In the nineteenth year and ten months, Hu Yao became one of the supreme "Peak Beast Kings" on this planet.

In the twenty-third year and seven months, a huge warship descended from the sky. Hu Yao looked at the behemoth and felt an inexplicable sense of dread.

Its innate spirituality was frantically reminding it that it must escape as soon as possible, far away from this tragic native planet that was about to be shrouded in catastrophe.

escape?

Where can I escape to?

This is the land that nurtured me; my mother and three brothers are buried here.

In the twenty-third year and eight months, Hu Yao went to observe from afar. The first to suffer were humans, who were bound in batches, chained together, and driven into the belly of that enormous creature.

In the twenty-third year and eleventh month, the calamity spread from humans to other species.

As one of the most renowned "Supreme Beast Kings" on the planet, Hu Yao was captured without any resistance, forced to wear a slave collar, stripped of his self-awareness, and plunged into a dazed state.

When it regained consciousness, it had been taken into a circular building and forced to participate in an activity known as "beast fighting".

Tiger cherishes every moment he is conscious.

He survived countless fierce battles, accumulating a winning streak, and became the top fighter in the arena.

It secretly accumulated strength and never gave up its pursuit of freedom.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and the winning streak ended at 797 games.

In order to make a big profit, the Colosseum management decided to sacrifice it.

Before his appearance, Hu Yao was injected with a chronic poison. With his body half-stiff, he unleashed a final burst of brilliance, instantly killing his opponent with a lightning field before succumbing to the poison.

"I am... Tiger One?"

"No, Kang Chul! I am Kang Chul!"

In the final moments of his life, the mystery of his birth vanished, and Hu Yao... no, Jiang Zhe regained his full clarity.

But it was too late. Looking back, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.

Even if a Beast King is at the peak of the Planetary level and possesses a domain, what is it in the universe?

……

The protagonist's mental cultivation will be improved through the "Dragon Hibernation Technique" in the future.

This is my first time practicing, which is why I wrote it in such detail. I will omit it in the future.

It's Mid-Autumn Festival, so I'm preparing to post two updates, totaling 6000 words.

(End of this chapter)