Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

The seven blood-red eyes were like a burning crimson inferno, and the three beast heads emitted a silent yet soul-shaking roar!

The dense, impenetrable darkness instantly engulfed Cheng Yuan, and his figure rapidly changed and expanded in the horrified gazes of the crowd!

The pitch-black bone armor spread and covered the area as if it were alive, with sharp bone spikes popping out from the joints. The ferocious beast-head gauntlets and helmet took shape, and finally, a demon-type Digimon that was nearly two meters tall and exuded endless evil and coldness replaced Cheng Yuan's position and stood at the warehouse entrance!

【Dark Beast】!

That tangible, evil pressure almost burst their brains!

"Cheng...Cheng Yuan?! A...A Dark Beast?!" Guan Yan's voice shrilly, nearly dropping the camera from her hand. She clutched her mouth, her eyes bulging as fragments of memories from the Death Volcano began to surface in her mind.

"A human...a human has turned into a Digimon?! How is this possible?!" The color drained from Zhao Gang's face instantly. As a top student from Shanghai University of Technology, he was well-versed in all the theories of Digimon evolution. This scene completely overturned his understanding system that he had developed over the past ten years!

Humans directly evolving into Digimon? That's utterly a fantasy! It's taboo! It's something that could never happen!

Lin Yu and Li Yunjin stared wide-eyed, their jaws nearly dropping to the ground. Their minds went blank, leaving only the terrifying and ferocious shadowy beast's figure in their minds.

Liu Li subconsciously took a step back and hid behind the powerful Angora beast. Her body trembled slightly. This impact was far stronger and more direct than that of the strange frog king outside!

Even their Digimon, Wind Lionmon, Grizzly Bearmon, Runmon, and PowerAngoramon, felt the chaotic yet even more refined and terrifying dark pressure and instinctively let out uneasy low growls.

They adopted a defensive posture, and if their trainer hadn't been nearby, they would have almost attacked this unexpected "fellow animal"!

Only Gatomon remained unresponsive, having long been accustomed to it. It even patted Darkmon's leg, which was covered in bone armor, with its little paw, as if urging it on.

"No time to daydream!"

The Dark Beast's hoarse, cold voice came through the mask. Although the tone of voice had changed drastically, it was still Cheng Yuan's!

He whirled around, and two double-edged demonic swords, "Blood Evolution," wreathed in ominous crimson light, shot out from his wrist armor, their blades pointing directly at the surging ancient soul tides coming from both ends of the passage!

"If you want to live, hold on to the death! Gatomon!"

"Meow! Understood!" Gatomon responded instantly, and the Holy Light Bullet shot out, accurately hitting the Ancient Soul of the Garurumon charging at the front. The holy light exploded, causing the soul to ripple violently and emit a silent scream.

The shadow beast moved!

Instead of rushing out, he remained firmly rooted to the warehouse entrance, a perfect position that allowed him to make the most of the narrow terrain while protecting his teammates behind him.

"Grizzly Beast! Top the left flank! Wind Lion Beast, finish off the right flank! Ranged skills from the back row, unleash them!" Cheng Yuan's voice carried an unquestionable tone of command.

The immense impact and the instinct for survival forced Zhao Gang and the others to suppress the turmoil in their hearts and subconsciously carry out orders.

"Roar!" The grizzly bear orc stood up, its huge bear paw slamming down with a fierce wind, flattening a shell beast ancient soul that was trying to squeeze through the side gap. Its thick hide skill allowed it to withstand two water cannons without even swaying its body.

The Wind Lion Beast's arrows of light, fired like sniper rifles, precisely struck the wrist of an ancient soul guard wielding a sword, blurring his energy weapon.

The heartbeat pulse of the running beast, the ear-cutting of the powerful Angoramon, the white spell of Baronmon, and the endless Holy Light Bullets and Shadow Balls of Tailmon formed a dense barrage of fire, pouring madly onto the Ancient Soul in the passage.

And the Dark Beast is the hardest and most terrifying reef on this defensive line!

He wielded the two demonic swords, "Blood Evolution," into a death storm!

The crimson light blade of [Blood Assault] no longer pursues ranged damage, but instead focuses on the blade's edge. Each slash brings a chilling crimson arc of light, easily tearing apart the ancient soul's soul body!

The seven blood-red pupils on his chest, shoulders, legs, and feet were like seven miniature black holes, emitting a powerful suction force. The ancient soul energy smoke that had been completely shattered and dispersed was drawn into it like rivers flowing into the sea!

With each wisp of energy absorbed, the black patterns on the Dark Beast's armor brightened, and the dark pressure it emitted intensified. Its ferocious appearance seemed to become even thicker and sharper, as if the living demonic armor was constantly growing and evolving!

"Caw! Caw!" The seven bird-like beasts circling in the air also let out excited cries. As armor spirits, they were one with the Dark Beast Armor and enjoyed this feast of soul power as well.

Their data volume increased wildly at a visible speed, the scarlet light in their single eye grew brighter and brighter, their bodies became more solid, their claws and beaks gleamed with cold light, and they even pounced down to help tear apart the ancient souls!

The battle devolved into a brutal tug-of-war.

Ancient souls surged forth like a tidal wave, fearless and driven only by the instinct to carry out their guardian commands.

However, the narrow terrain greatly limited their numerical advantage, and only the first two or three could actually reach the defensive line each time.

The dual DPS lineup of Darkmon and Gatomon is incredibly powerful, especially Darkmon, whose Demon Blade Bloodthirst grows stronger with each battle. Its dark aura is as unfathomable as an abyss, and the eerie howls of its seven blood-red eyes become clearer and clearer in everyone's minds, as if countless wronged souls are whispering in their ears, bringing immense mental pressure.

The Digimon of the people in Shanghai did their best to fill in any gaps, control the Digimon, and protect the tamers.

Baron's [Guardian Barrier] lit up repeatedly, blocking the attacks that slipped through; Guan Yan, disregarding the shock of regaining her memories, took out a spare energy detector and tried to record the energy data of the Dark Beast and the Ancient Soul. This was an unprecedentedly precious sample!

Time flew by amidst the fierce battle.

The number of ancient souls within the passage decreased at a visible rate, gradually becoming sparse and scattered from the initial surging tide.

There were no corpses on the ground, only a large amount of faint, lingering wisps of soul energy, which were then mercilessly devoured by the Dark Beast's blood-red eyes.

Finally, when the last ancient soul guard wielding a spear was cleaved in two by the Dark Beast and its soul power was absorbed into the Blood Eye, the passage fell into a deathly silence.

All that remained were the heavy, labored breathing of the people and the Digimon.

Pfft!

The Grizzly Beast was the first to give in. Its massive body collapsed to the ground like a collapsing mountain, its tongue lolling out from exhaustion. Its body was covered with shallow marks left by the soul power weapon, and its Thick Skin skill was almost shattered.

The wind lion beast's mane was disheveled, its light dimmed, and it lay on the ground panting.

The Running Beast moved as slowly as if it were taking a stroll, and the Mighty Angora Beast also knelt on one knee.

The holy light on Gatomon's body also weakened, as the continuous high-intensity output of holy light bullets had caused it to consume a lot of energy.

Baron closed the ancient book, breathing slightly heavily.

Even the Dark Beast's powerful aura showed a barely perceptible fluctuation. Continuously absorbing massive amounts of soul power was a huge burden on its will and spirit. The light in its seven blood-red eyes burned to its extreme, as if it were about to drip blood at any moment, and its eerie whispers almost materialized.

"Is...it over?" Lin Yu plopped down on the ground, his voice hoarse, as if he had just been pulled out of the water, his whole body soaked in sweat.

“It’s…it’s over…” Li Yunjin slid down against the wall, not even wanting to move a finger.

Zhao Gang forced himself to check on the Digimon's condition, his face grave: "Everyone has reached their limit, they must rest and recover immediately!"

Cheng Yuan took a few deep breaths and quickly checked his own condition and that of the Dark Warrior's Soul. The seven bird-like beasts transformed into seven streaks of red light and flew back, reverting to their blood-red eyes embedded in the armor. Their data volume had reached the peak of their growth stage, seemingly only a hair's breadth away from maturity.

Most of the absorbed soul power seemed to be stored away for some deeper transformation, rather than directly driving their evolution.

The three beast heads on the Dark Beast Armor became even more ferocious and terrifying, exuding a sense of power.

Cheng Yuan noticed that the three beast skulls had also absorbed a lot of soul power, causing a surge in power and terrifying aura, but they lacked "spirit" and therefore did not awaken.

He could sense that these three beast heads, like Blood Eye, also needed to absorb three specific beast-type Digimon to complete their transformation, along with sufficient soul power, so that the Dark Beast Armor could complete its metamorphosis.

But he quickly rallied. The gains were enormous; the power of the Dark Beast had been significantly enhanced, and his control over the Dark Warrior's Soul had been further improved.

He looked at his teammates, some sitting and some lying down, who were watching him with a mixture of shock, curiosity, and awe, and knew he needed to give an explanation.

However, before he could speak, Zhao Gang struggled to his feet, looked at him with an extremely serious expression, and said in a deep voice, "Cheng Yuan... what... what exactly are you?"

All eyes were focused on the black-armored demonic Digimon, awaiting its answer, but no one was worried that it might suddenly attack.

Because they clearly knew that it was Cheng Yuan, and that it had not lost its true nature.

The news that humans can transform into Digimon is enough to cause a massive tsunami in the entire world of Digimon Tamers!

Chapter 186 The Adventures of the Ancient Music Beast

Before Cheng Yuan could explain, Guan Yan stepped in front of him, her voice urgent yet firm as she addressed the crowd: "Of course he's human! He's just... using the power of a digital gadget!"

Her gaze swept over the astonished and doubtful faces of Zhao Gang, Lin Yu, and the others, and she continued, "Think about it, if Cheng Yuan were a Digimon, how could he possibly possess the identity of a Tamer and be able to use the Arc Machine? This is just the effect of the prop!"

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions softened slightly, but their eyes remained fixed on Cheng Yuan, needing a more definitive answer.

The idea of ​​humans directly transforming into Digimon is incredibly impactful.

Cheng Yuan nodded, and following Guan Yan's words, said in a slightly tired but clear voice, "Sister Guan Yan is right. This is a special digital item that I obtained by chance in the Yellow Springs region."

"From there... the scavenger heroes."

"Heroic scavenger?" Zhao Gang frowned as he caught this unfamiliar term.

Guan Yan took a deep breath and took over the conversation, explaining the truth she knew about the Yellow Springs Scavengers in the simplest possible language: "They are not ordinary lost souls. They are the pioneering beast tamers and their partners who first entered the Yellow Springs region many years ago to explore and develop! For various reasons, they were trapped there, fighting against the dark data, and became the scavengers there... They endured the corruption of the dark data there year after year. They are the true heroes!"

She paused, then looked at Cheng Yuan with deep admiration: "Cheng Yuan... he used a special method to temporarily purify the dark and chaotic data on them, giving them and their partners a brief period of peace. This item is a gift of gratitude and a legacy from these pioneering ancestors to Cheng Yuan."

This explanation was like a bombshell dropped on everyone's minds.

The Yellow Springs region was terrifying enough from Guan Yan's description, yet those pioneers have struggled to survive there until now? And Cheng Yuan even helped them?

Imagining that tragic and protracted struggle, and the role Cheng Yuan played in it, everyone's gaze towards Cheng Yuan completely changed.

The initial surprise and fear were quickly replaced by awe and admiration.

So what if he possesses dark energy? What he did was far more important than the properties of that energy! It was a responsibility and courage that transcended life and death.

"Does the association...does the association know about this?" Liu Li asked, her voice trembling slightly.

“We already know,” Cheng Yuan said in a deep voice. “The association is organizing forces to enter the dead volcano and do everything in its power to search for any remaining scavenger predecessors.”

Lin Yu slapped his thigh excitedly and exclaimed, "Damn it! So that's how it is! When I get back this time, I'm going to train like crazy and get my professional license as soon as possible! Then I'll sign up for the search and rescue team!"

"Count me in!" Li Yunjin's blood was boiling.

Zhao Gang nodded emphatically, his eyes resolute: "This is what we animal trainers should do!"

Doubts vanished, replaced by a profound sense of mission and absolute trust in Cheng Yuan.

Those who can gain the approval of heroes and be given such important items cannot be evil.

As the atmosphere eased, everyone felt a wave of exhaustion and sat down against the walls or the wreckage of the equipment. They took out energy drinks and food and tried to recover their strength. The Digimon also lay down, licking their wounds and absorbing energy supplements.

Cheng Yuan did not remove the Dark Beast's armor. He walked to Guan Yan's side, lowered his voice, and asked softly in a volume only the two of them could hear, "Have you regained your memories?"

Guan Yan's body trembled slightly. She raised her head and looked at him with a complicated expression. Her eyes contained surprise, understanding, and a hint of indescribable shyness and excitement.

She nodded gently, her voice barely audible: "I remember... you are Qilin." Her face inexplicably flushed, as if she were recalling some special experience.

Cheng Yuan noticed her blushing and felt a little strange, but he didn't think much of it and just nodded.

He knew that the mysterious power would soon blur her clear memory of the "Qilin's" specific identity, leaving only a powerful impression and a strange sense of goodwill.

fair enough.

He stood up and said to everyone, "You all take this time to rest and recover, but don't let your guard down. I have something to take care of first."

Guan Yan immediately understood, grabbed his arm, and said worriedly, "You're going to find that foundation team? That's too dangerous! They're clearly not good people, and you've already exhausted yourself! Let's go together after we've all recovered a bit!"

Cheng Yuan shook his head, his eyes sharp: "It's too late. They're ahead of us. Every minute we wait, they might destroy another precious relic and erase another piece of important ancient knowledge. Besides, the trap we just saw was very likely set by them. We can't be passive; we must take the initiative. Who knows what tricks they'll pull next?"

"But..." Guan Yan wanted to persuade her again.

"Don't worry." Cheng Yuan interrupted her, his tone carrying a reassuring and powerful confidence. "I know what I'm doing. Don't forget, I'm someone who came out of a dead volcano."

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Guan Yan knew that further persuasion was useless. Yes, he was "Qilin," a beast tamer capable of creating miracles.

She slowly released her grip and whispered, "Be careful."

"Okay." Cheng Yuan responded and called out, "Gittomon, let's go."

"Meow!" Although Gatomon was also a little tired, it immediately perked up and jumped onto Cheng Yuan's shoulder armor, its little paws firmly gripping the cold bone spikes.

The figures of the man and the beast quickly disappeared into the deep darkness of the ruins, leaving only the sound of their footsteps fading into the distance.

After walking a distance in the darkness, Cheng Yuan suddenly stopped.

"Right, did we forget someone?" he muttered to himself, feeling as if he had missed something.

Gatomon tilted its little head, looking puzzled: "Meow???" (Who? Is there anyone else?)

After thinking for a while without remembering, Cheng Yuan shook his head: "Never mind, I might be mistaken. Let's hurry up and follow the trail they left behind."

He stopped hesitating and, following the faint footprints and residual energy on the ground, sped forward in pursuit.

Meanwhile, inside the Shanghai Animal Tamer University.

The ancient beast was wandering around aimlessly.

It got separated from Cheng Yuan and Dilu Beast starting yesterday.

I blame myself for sneaking out to play.

It ran to watch the Digimon physical training on the playground for a while, then glanced at a group of human tamers playing soccer on the grass, and finally wandered into the library, wandering under the rows of tall bookshelves, its little nose twitching as if searching for a familiar scent, but to no avail.

It's only knee-high, with two big ears on its head, making it look both peculiar and adorable.

Occasionally, a girl passing by would notice it and exclaim in surprise, "Wow! Look at that Digimon, it's so cute!"

But often, the next second, when they want to take a closer look or take out their phones to take pictures, their gaze will involuntarily shift away, as if their memory has been gently wiped away by something, and they will forget the cute little thing they just saw and continue doing what they were doing before.

The unique nature of the Ancient Music Beast makes its presence extremely faint in the eyes of ordinary people.

Tired from walking around, Gu Le Shou strolled out of the school gate and, following the lively atmosphere, arrived at the bustling commercial street on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest.

The place was bustling with noise, holographic advertisements flashed incessantly, and pedestrians with Digimon thronged shoulder to shoulder. The tiny Gulemon squeezed through the gaps between the crowd's legs, curiously looking around.