Nine Astra Skies

"Where's Little Chen?" The people had realized that Ye Chen was not around. The bells had rang for long enough, yet Ye Chen was nowhere to be found. As the elder chief, that was a big no-no. Ye Changxuan frowned and ordered the men, "Go look for the elder chief!"

A bunch of Sixth Level youths hurried over to Ye Chen's abode.

"Uncle, it looks like there's a human with the Scarlet Sky Tiger and the Stormphantom Panther. However, we can't make out his or her face since they're far away."

"A human being?" Ye Changxuan was startled. "Since when did a Scarlet Sky Tiger and a Stormphantom Panther associated themselves with the likes of a human?" After all, both tigers and panthers were carnivores.

Unbelievable. Ye Changxuan and Ye Zhantian hopped up to the wall and stared into the distance. There were a Scarlet Sky Tiger and a Stormphantom Panther. Judging by their physique, they were Ninth Level. Although they had lived in the mountains for years and fought their fair share of beasts, they were still astonished at the sight of these beasts. They peered harder into the distance. True enough, there was a human being with the tiger and panther!

Ye Changxuan could see better given his higher cultivation. He looked in disbelief and asked, "Is that Little Chen?"

"What? Little Chen? How's that possible?" Ye Zhantian looked at Ye Changxuan in bewilderment. He looked harder into the distance. The person's face was difficult to make out but it seemed like it was Little Chen, especially that eye-catching white little dot on his shoulder, which was probably the tanuki.

"It's Little Chen!" Ye Zhantian rubbed his eyes to ensure he was not seeing things. "What's Little Chen doing with two beasts?" These were two Ninth Level beasts they were talking about. Ye Zhantian could not help feeling distressed. If either of them were to act up, there could be serious consequences.

The closer Ye Chen was to the castle, the more he slowed his pace to prevent startling his people. Noticing the people looking at him, Ye Chen waved his hand in the air to indicate that it was him. However, the bell continued the toll, which made him a little nervous. Could his people not see him at all? Why did they continue the ring the bell?

Even at a distance, Ye Chen could see his people very clearly but his people did not possess a sight as good as his. As much as they see him, it was still a very vague image for them. Meanwhile, the Scarlet Sky Tiger and the Stormphantom Panther remained alert.

It was Little Chen. The people atop the castle looked at one another in disbelief. Why would the elder chief be with two Ninth Level beasts?

"Send someone down to clarify the matter with Little Chen!" Ye Changxuan scanned the crowd and set his sights on a Sixth Level man. "Ye Ping, you do it." Ye Changxuan had to remain on the walls to keep an eye out on things, lest so the Scarlet Sky Tiger and Stormphantom Panther invaded the castle ground. At this point, they were already used to defending their homes from the invasion of beasts.

Ye Ping was worried. This was a tiger and a panther they were talking about. What would happen to him if he got too close and the beasts suddenly lash out? Then again, if the elder chief was with them, then there should not be a problem. Ye Ping convinced himself to calm down. Although he was a brave man, he was still a little anxious as he walked out of the castle gates toward Ye Chen's direction.

Seeing that someone had come out, Ye Chen quickened his pace again.

"Ye Ping, get my father and granduncle to open the gates," Ye Chen called out from afar.

The distance between Ye Ping and Ye Chen was only one or two meters away. To say that he did not see the ferocious Scarlet Sky Tiger and Stormphantom Panther would be a horrible lie. The image of a Ninth Level Unihorn Lizard attacking their home in the past remained vivid in his mind. It took a lot of wounded men to befall the said creature. As such, a Ninth Level beast was no laughing matter.

"Elder chief, why have you brought two Ninth Level beasts with you? It's dangerous, you can't let them into the castle grounds!" Ye Ping's voice trembled as he was getting closer to the beasts. Ye Ping was a courageous man. Most lads at his age would have run for their lives the moment they saw such a creature.

Many beasts roam Lianyun Mountains but those that were Ninth Level were far and few. While journeying through the forest, the people knew of the horrors that awaited them should they encounter a Ninth Level beast. Most Seventh and Eighth Level beasts usually end up getting devoured by Ninth Level beasts!

Ye Ping was now a few meters from the Scarlet Sky Tiger and the Stormphantom Panther. He could almost feel his heart skipping a beat.

Having noticed that Ye Ping was anxious, Ye Chen got down from the beast. "It's okay, Ye Ping. This is Fluffy One and Fluffy Two. They're good boys, they won't harm you."

"What in the world are you talking about Elder Chief? That's a Scarlet Sky Tiger and a Stormphantom Panther! You better set them off back into the woods!" Ye Ping was close to bursting into tears. The elder chief was strong and had what it took to defeat these beasts but not the rest of the people. If the beasts went on a rampage in the castle, they could not possibly do a thing!

Ye Chen chuckled at the look of Ye Ping. Ye Chen realized it was not going to be easy to get his people to befriend these two Ninth Level beasts. Perhaps it was best if he heard what his father and granduncle had to say. Ye Chen responded, "Tell my father and granduncle that I have domesticated the tiger and the panther. They're now my pets and they're perfectly harmless."

"Okay, I'll go." Ye Ping darted back to the Ye Castle at full speed.

Ye Changxuan and the rest who were on the wall were startled to hear what Ye Ping had to share.

"Little Chen said he had domesticated the Scarlet Sky Tiger and Stormphantom Panther and that they're now his pets. What do you think?" Ye Changxuan looked to Ye Zhantian and the rest. Little Chen was always full of surprises. Just when they had finally calmed down, he was now getting involved with Ninth Level beasts.

A domesticated beast turned pet? That was a little too far-fetched! There were stories of how people took home a beast's cub to rear them. Over time as the cub lived with humans, their primal instincts gradually waned and they became receptive to human order and as such, they became domesticated. Even so, it would take years to domesticate a beast with a naturally ferocious nature and all of that came with occasional mishaps. Only the Royal Family of Xiwu Empire would rear such a beast and most of them were kept in cages. The Ye Castle did not have such a thing!

"If the tiger and panther truly obey Little Chen's words, the clan would've two more Ninth Level combatants to the ranks." Ye Zhanlong's eyes shimmered. He was always the adventurous one.

"I'll say forget it. If the tiger and the panther act up and start harming our people, we won't be able to contain them!" Ye Zhanxiong protested as he found Ye Zhanlong's opinion rather risky.

"Little Chen has always been full of surprises, some that I can barely comprehend. He's pretty much an oddball in our clan. However, I'm willing to believe him if he says that he has the two creatures domesticated. If they weren't domesticated, they wouldn't be together. They would've been locked in a fight long ago!" Ye Zhantian had an idea. "For safety's sake, we'll get Little Chen to place both beasts below the castle wall."

"Great thinking. We can do that first and observe if the tiger and the panther are truly harmless." Ye Changxuan nodded in approval.