Nine Astra Skies

Ye Chen had only just taken a few steps forward but the lynx had stopped in its tracks, eyeing Ye Chen cautiously. It purred slightly as it could sense the terrifying aura that Ye Chen was emitting.

"Grr." The lynx brandished its fangs, ready to attack.

Ye Chen set forth his Astral Body while walking forward until his Astral Body had the lynx cornered.

"Watch out, kid. That lynx is a Tenth Level beast!" Yin Mengtian called out. He was worried that Ye Chen would be hurt but what happened next left him speechless.

The lynx behaved as if it was submitting to Ye Chen's Pressure. It got on all fours and purred. Its bell-shaped eyes spoke of a certain terror.

The Tenth Level lynx was bowing to Ye Chen? Yin Mengtian and the rest could not process the scene unfolding before them.

The lynx's Psyche was far stronger than the Scarlet Sky Tiger and the Skyphantom Panther but the prowess of Ye Chen's Astral Body was unquestionable. Ye Chen was quickly able to locate the lynx's Psyche with his Astral Body and suffocated it until he could imprint a part of his Psyche onto the lynx.

The lynx finally sheathed its fangs and laid down on the floor to greet Ye Chen with a wagging tail as if trying to appease him.

Yin Mengtian and his bodyguards watched on dumbfoundedly as the creature went from being a ferocious predator to a tame pet in mere seconds. Their eyes bulged so hard that it could pop out at any second. The lynx had submitted to Ye Chen? How? They had never seen such a thing before.

One of the bodyguards held up a wounded Zhan Hu. Even Zhan Hu, who took a beating from the lynx, had the same reaction as the rest when he saw how the lynx was laying on all fours in front of Ye Chen like an obedient dog. After all, he had personally witnessed the lynx's fighting prowess. How could a Tenth Level beast submit to a human? It would make sense if Ye Chen was a Venerable One but he was not and his powers were far inferior to the lynx!

This was a Tenth Level beast they were talking about! Thinking about that made Yin Mengtian, Zhan Hu, and the rest died a little on the inside. Getting to the Tenth Level required lots of effort and money! Ye Chen, on the other hand, got a Tenth Level beast to assist him just like that!

Astral Bodies were truly a mystical thing. The size of a Tenth Level beast's Psyche was around one or two fists and so, Ye Chen could easily suppress it with his Astral Body shortly. Even Ye Chen could not contain his excitement as he watched the lynx wagging its tail eagerly in front of him.

A Tenth Level beast's powers were on par with a Tenth Level combatant!

Once Ye Chen got out of there safely, he could roam all over Donglin County as he pleased with a Tenth Level beast by his side!

With a Tenth Level beast on their side, Ye Chen was overjoyed. He walked over to the lynx and petted it. "You may be a Tenth Level beast and thus stronger but let's get some things clear. Before you, I've already gained Fluffy One and Fluffy Two. Henceforth, you shall be known as Fluffy Three!"

The lynx purred again. It was extremely tame now. Since it could sense the might of Ye Chen's Astral Body, it did not dare to go against its owners' words!

Ye Chen tossed the lynx a high tier Spirit Pill. It was excited. Ye Chen had given the Spirit Pill that was a gift courtesy of Mingyuan's master. The pill was probably an Earth-level Adept Stage pill, maybe better. A Tenth Level beast's intellect was equivalent to that of a seven or eight-year-old. It could immediately tell that Ye Chen had not just given it a random pill. This was a high-quality Spirit Pill, something it had never tasted in its lifetime.

Ye Chen walked toward the lynx's side. Yin Mengtian and the rest were momentarily scared for him but they were merely greeted by the sight of Ye Chen petting it. The lynx politely returned a purr or two. They were at a loss for words. Was Ye Chen a beast whisperer or did he possess some form of unique method to tame beasts? They were surprised to see such a person in their lifetime!

Yin Mengtian remembered an old legend involving the tale of the Beastmasters that lived in a faraway empire called the Central Empire. The empire's might was greater than all three sects of the Xiwu Empire combined. The Beastmasters were people who could easily tame beasts and command them to do their bidding. Could Ye Chen be a part of the rumored Beastmasters? It was just speculation on Yin Mengtian's end. It was clear that there were some personal matters involved in this hence he decided it was best he did not question the boy.

"Prince Yin, let's continue." Ye Chen looked at Yin Mengtian. After taming the lynx, Ye Chen felt much better. He was even walking lightheartedly now.

As Ye Chen marched on, the lynx followed suit. That powerful body looked to be five or six hundred kilograms heavy. Just looking at it made everyone feel overwhelmed.

The prince and his men tried to say something about the lynx but refrained from doing so. They merely nodded and followed Ye Chen. They were fearful of the lynx, afraid that it would lash out any time and thus, kept their distance. The guards looked at Ye Chen with admiration.

Most of the beasts steered clear of the group given the lynx's presence and so the group did not encounter many beasts along the way. Occasionally, they would run into some Ninth Level combatants but most scurried at the sight of the lynx, fearful of what they had seen. As for Tenth Level adversaries, they encountered none, given they were rare anyway.

"If my calculations are correct, the Sunken Jade Tower should've opened its doors by now." Yin Mengtian held an hourglass-like object in his hand.

"There's a large open space up ahead. I'm sure many are trying to get into the Sunken Jade Tower. We should lay low for a bit and head in later," Ye Chen suggested. Those leveled Daemon King and above would have surely passed the tower by now. The moment the doors opened, they would descend directly into the deepest depths of the tower. This was when the battle was at its most heated moment. With their power level, joining in the fight would be suicide.

Boom, boom. A violent vibration came from afar, like an earthquake had taken place. The entire passageway shook as if it was going to crumble. Pieces of rocks fell from above.

"What's going on?" Yin Mengtian struggled to maintain his balance. His expression changed.

"This isn't an earthquake is it?" Zhan Hu was just as shocked. They were deep underground. If an earthquake truly were to happen, they would be buried alive with no hope of escaping.

"It's not an earthquake, it's a battle taking place up ahead." Ye Chen shook his head, his heart racing. Those powerful fellows were truly terrifying.

The group was in disbelief. Just what levels of combatants were involved in such battles? Even a Venerable One would struggle to cause such a commotion.

Ye Chen wanted to scout ahead with his Astral Body to see the magnitude of the battle. Alas, he quelled his curiosity. If they attracted the attention of one or two Venerable Ones, they were dead meat.

They remained at their spot for three hours. The battle up ahead had finally ceased as things quietened down and were beginning to stray away from them.

Ye Chen instructed his lynx to scout ahead to ensure no danger awaited them. "It looks like all combatants have descended into the Sunken Jade Tower. We should go too."

Ye Chen and the rest traveled up ahead at full speed, arriving at a new area after traveling two, three meters ahead. They were not prepared for the next scene to come. Countless bodies within a few feet from them laid sprawled across the floor. It was estimated to be thousands of casualties, with one to two hundreds of humans dead, and the rest involving beasts. The sight of a blood-red river greeted them and the smell of metallic blood filled the air. There were a few massive holes in the ground. Just exactly how much power did it take to produce such holes?