Nine Astra Skies

The Giant Bear felt a formidable Psyche pricking his brain like thousands of needles. He roared to the sky in alarm and anger, and his body suddenly flashed with beams of black light. There was a "bang", and Ye Chen's Psyche was bounced backward.

"You can't even begin to capture me. I'm a divine pig that's like the wind – ah! Pooh-pooh-pooh! I mean divine bear, I'm not a pig!" The Giant Bear puffed out a magnificent breath, then tore off running. When the Giant Bear ran, he was like a moving fort, barreling through anything in his path. The ground quaked violently while the trees and rocks by the wayside were sent flying.

What an impressive fellow!

Ye Chen had never expected his own Astral Body to be bounced off. This Giant Bear had not been subdued by any Celestial Beast Daemon King because he had his tricks too. The way he spoke was the same as how the Daemon King Zhu Gonggong had spoken.

This Giant Bear was already a peak Daemon King Rank existence. Although its speed was not incredible, its defenses all over were as tough as a metal barrel.

The Mystique Adept Rank mystical beasts gaped at their Boss Giant Bear fleeing frantically and exchanged looks in dismay. "Swoosh"– they had promptly scattered without any signs of loyalty.

"Boss Giant Bear is done for."

"Surely Boss Giant Bear won't be turned into a stew."

"Even if he is, his flesh would be too tough to chew!"

"I hear that bear paws are worth a lot…"

The Mystique Adept Rank mystical beasts chatted among themselves as they swiftly disappeared in the dense woods.

"I don't believe that I can't tame you!" Ye Chen snorted coldly. His Astral Body took shape once again and shot out, pricking the Giant Bear's brain.

"My goodness, whoever this Celestial Beast Daemon King is, let me go, please. I'm old and feeble – even the wind can knock me over. Even if you subdue me, I won't be of much help." The Giant Bear spluttered these words as he wailed loudly, all the while scampering away in panic.

Ye Chen's Astral Body paused. This Giant Bear is rather amusing. Should Ye Chen subdue him? This Giant Bear had been knocking down so many boulders and tall trees in his path – how could the wind possibly knock him over?

"Youngling Ye Chen, what are you hesitating for? Just tame this little bear. I'll have someone to run errands for me." Master Lion's voice rang out from the Heavenly Astra Seal.

"But this bear isn't too willing. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." Ye Chen flashed an awkward smile. This mystical beast Daemon King must submit cheerfully to be properly subdued. Otherwise, how would he put in any effort into his tasks?

"I don't give a sh*t whether he's willing. Subdue him, even if by force. If he dares to slack off, I'll trash him! Acting as my errand boy would be his absolute honor. Any bit of scrap I toss to him would be enough to support his development for over a century. Many mystical beasts would kill to take his place." Master Lion scoffed coldly, displaying his authoritarian side. "Youngling, quick!"

Ye Chen's Astral Body stretched out along the path.

"Old Bear, if you follow me, you'll live a good, affluent life," Ye Chen said. He felt like someone attempting to trick and abduct a kid.

"I won't listen to your bull. Many mystical beast Daemon Kings of the Bear Clan have been tamed, and none of them had a happy ending. All were bamboozled. You can't even begin to trick me!" Old Bear snorted twice as he kept on racing away.

"Those are other Celestial Beast Daemon Kings. I'm different. After you come with me, you'll feast as much as you like. If you have any conditions, you can mention them to me!" Ye Chen continued tempting Old Bear.

"I'm not lacking that. I prefer to keep on being the king of my mountain, eating meat and drinking wine all day, snatching ladies from the village. What leisurely, carefree days!" Old Bear sneered disdainfully.

"Youngling Ye Chen, this punk keeps on blabbering a bunch of nonsense!" Master Lion said, disgruntled.

Snatching ladies from the village – it looked like this bear had done his fair share of wicked deeds!

"In that case, I can only subdue you by force!" Ye Chen raised an eyebrow as his Astral Body suddenly plunged.

Old Bear sensed that Ye Chen's Astral Body suddenly grew stronger and the wisps of his Psyche also started to tremble. A Celestial Beast Daemon King's suppression of a mystical beast Daemon King was too overpowering. Fortunately, Ye Chen's Astral Body was only at beginner Daemon King Rank. Even if his Astral Body was more advanced than Old Bear's Psyche, his strength was still slightly inferior to a mid-Daemon King. Old Bear himself was a peak Daemon King Rank existence.

"In the past, peak Daemon King Celestial Beasts had tried to subdue me, but they failed in the end. A beginner Daemon King like you wants to tame me – you can keep dreaming!" As Old Bear spoke, he did not turn back to face Ye Chen but instead kept fleeing. Although he said this, he felt that Ye Chen's Astral Body was rather different, much scarier than some peak Daemon King Rank existences.

Ye Chen's Astral Body bunched up and stabbed into Old Bear's mind.

"Roar!" Old Bear roared thunderously and a light seemed to flash across his neck. With a "bang", something had swatted Ye Chen's Astral Body away.

With Ye Chen's cultivation base, it would not be easy to tame this mystical beast Daemon King. It looked like he was in for a battle. Ye Chen was prepared to summon the Purple Demon Armor. He had taken out the three long swords of the Ternary Sword Array as well. Once a fight began, this Giant Bear Daemon King would most likely be injured.

"So, it's soul jade essence. No wonder this bear is more difficult to deal with than ordinary mystical beast Daemon Kings. There's this treasure hidden in the fur of his neck," Master Lion said from the Heavenly Astra Seal. "Youngling Ye Chen, you won't be able to subdue him with your capabilities. Let me do it."

"Master Lion, how do you want to do it?"

"Open a gap in the Heavenly Astra Seal!" Master Lion commanded.

"Very well." Ye Chen wielded his Astral Body to rip a hole in the Heavenly Astra Seal's barrier. Master Lion's energy slipped out of the Heavenly Astra Seal with a "swishing" sound, extending toward the galloping Giant Bear Daemon King.

When Master Lion's energy enveloped the Giant Bear Daemon King, the Giant Bear shuddered all over in fright. His legs beamed stiff and he lost control. His body sprawled forward –"boom, boom, boom". Just like a massive rolling boulder, he had crushed dozens of large trees in his path.

The Giant Bear Daemon King stood up shakily, trembling unceasingly.

"What powerful energy. What is that?" The Giant Bear Daemon King could feel his heart quaking. He had never encountered such a formidable existence. That energy had contained a terrifying force that made him unable to put up any resistance.

The Giant Bear Daemon King looked up and saw Ye Chen standing in mid-air. Ye Chen's eyes flickered with purple flames, like a heavenly god, observing him.

"Giant Bear Daemon King, if you won't surrender, I have no other choice but to attack." Master Lion's voice seemed to boom out across ancient eras, deep and ruthless. "You have ten breaths' time. If you're still unwilling to give in, I can only wring you like a rag."

In the ears of the Giant Bear Daemon King, this chilly voice seemed to arise from the inferno of hell. He stood there trembling, not daring to move. His Spirit was under tremendous suppression.

The Giant Bear Daemon King felt a quiver run through him. He knew that this ancient existence was not bluffing. Although the Giant Bear has thick, rough skin, he did not have the slightest impulse to resist Master Lion. Master Lion's energy was too frightening – this was an ancient, ferocious existence!

Being wrung out like a rag would be sheer agony.

"I'm willing to give in! I'm willing to give in!" The Giant Bear Daemon King hurriedly knelt and stayed down.

When Master Lion got involved, the results were exceptional indeed. In just a moment, this Giant Bear Daemon King had been scared witless and was willing to serve them.

The Giant Bear Daemon King removed his defenses. Ye Chen's Astral Body tightened up and wormed through the defenses of Giant Bear Daemon King's mind. Upon the Giant Bear's palm-sized Psyche, Ye Chen left a strand of his Psyche energy. Ye Chen felt as if his own Astral Body was suddenly hollowed out.

With Ye Chen's current Astral Body, controlling a peak Daemon King Rank existence was still very strenuous. Fortunately, his Astral Body was strong enough and he could just about do it.

As he stared at this Giant Bear that was like a large fort, Ye Chen was delighted. This was a peak Daemon King Rank existence!

Although the strength of this Giant Bear Daemon King was lacking a little compared to the three mystical beast Daemon Kings under Tong Tian the Leo King, he was still a valiant, unrivaled existence.

"What are you called?" Ye Chen asked. Having subdued the Giant Bear Daemon King, Ye Chen's manner was much more casual.

"Your Highness, I'm called Old Bear," the Giant Bear Daemon King said quickly, "my subordinates call me Boss Giant Bear." This Giant Bear Daemon King appeared to be slow in the head, but he looked boorish and showed tiny signs of shrewdness.

"Old Bear? Giant Bear?" Ye Chen frowned slightly. "These names aren't great."

"Your Highness, please name me," the Giant Bear Daemon King said respectfully.

"A name?" Ye Chen was silent in thought for a moment. "I've taken in a few mystical beasts before, they're called Fluffy One, Fluffy Two, Fluffy Three, Fluffy Four, Fluffy Five, Fluffy Six, Fluffy Seven, Fluffy Eight, and Fluffy Nine. In that case…" Ye Chen looked at the Giant Bear Daemon King's sturdy built, and said, "I'll call you One Buck." (TN: In Chinese, the names "Fluffy One" to "Fluffy Nine" may be also read as "ten cents" to "ninety cents". In this sense, the name "One Buck" is actually a pun.)

"One Buck?" The Giant Bear Daemon King scratched his head, looking puzzled. 'After Fluffy Nine, shouldn't it be Fluffy Ten? Why is it One Buck? Fluffy Ten would be such a cool name. Why did it become a name like One Buck?' Still, he dared not question Ye Chen. How could he possibly object? Thus, he gave a giddy smile. "Many thanks for the name, Your Highness."

As he mumbled this new name, One Buck, to himself, he was also thinking, 'His Highness is so incredible, to have tamed so many mystical beasts. Aren't Celestial Beast Daemon Kings able to subdue three mystical beasts at most? How did His Highness manage to subdue ten mystical beasts?'

As they were speaking, Master Lion had already withdrawn his energy.

The Giant Bear Daemon King instantly felt the pressure over his body had reduced. He did not know what that energy was – it was too powerful. He looked up at Ye Chen. Could that mighty presence be held within this Celestial Beast Daemon King's body?

One Buck dared not ask these questions. In any case, he was the subordinate of this Celestial Beast Daemon King from now on. Whatever this Celestial Beast Daemon King asked of him, he must do without resisting at all. Otherwise, a single thought from Ye Chen and his brain would shatter with a "bang". When he realized this, he hung his head dispiritedly. His youthful years of being king of the mountain would never return.

"One Buck, by following me, you'll live a lavish existence. If you have any requests, just voice out!" Ye Chen looked at One Buck and asked, "Can you assume a human form?"