"Luciel, be careful!"

Standing on the withered tree, Yue Feiyan's crimson eyes widened in alarm as she shouted, "Another beast is coming!"

From her vantage point, she could see a massive spider, nearly two meters in size, crawling swiftly toward Luciel.

"It's fine." Luciel waved his hand casually.

The two domesticated beasts had simply come over to take a look, curious that their master seemed to be catching something.

But Yue Feiyan froze in horror when a giant lizard suddenly appeared beside the spider, moving toward the Nine-Section Demon Insect.

Her expression changed drastically. "Luciel! There are not one—but two beasts!"

Panicking, the red-haired girl began climbing down the dead tree, ready to rush to his aid.

"Hiss~~"

"Squeak~~"

The tricolor lizard and the red ghost spider—the two domesticated beasts—surrounded the prey, their predatory gazes locked on the still-struggling Nine-Section Demon Insect.

Their approach terrified the worm-like creature, making it thrash even harder.

Crack!

The withered tree trunks snapped under the strain of the taut spider silk.

The web loosened, and the Nine-Section Demon Insect immediately tried to retreat underground.

"Hiss!"

The tricolor lizard's body flashed with a sheen of three shifting colors—it had activated its Scale Hardening ability.

With lightning speed, it lunged forward.

Puff—!

The lizard slammed down on the worm, claws tearing through its carapace, pinning it to the earth.

With a wet crunch, its sharp talons pierced the creature's head, and it ripped out a pale, jelly-like mass—the creature's brain.

Luciel, who had been about to use Earth Manipulation to unearth the worm, stopped mid-thought.

Watching the tricolor lizard's raw strength, he decided it was a good chance to let it hone its hunting instincts.

But before he could react further, the entire fight was already over.

In just seconds, the Nine-Section Demon Insect was dead—killed cleanly by the tricolor lizard.

"Hiss~"

The lizard flicked its tongue proudly, clutching the glistening white brain like a trophy, as if it wanted to offer it to Luciel.

"Well… so much for taming it." Luciel sighed helplessly.

He glanced at the lizard's claws—bloodied, with bits of brain matter clinging to them. "Hold still."

He unsheathed his long knife, sliced open the worm's thick hide, and pried out a large, white, prism-shaped crystal—its beast core, glowing faintly.

Holding up the core, he waved his hand. "Alright, Xiaocai. You can eat the rest."

"Hiss~"

The tricolor lizard happily stuffed the remaining meat into its mouth, though it soon looked confused—the worm's flesh wasn't nearly enough to fill its appetite.

"Squeak~~" The red ghost spider crept closer, letting out a pleased noise.

"Alright," Luciel chuckled softly. "You've earned your evolution."

He gave a mental command:

> System, evolve red ghost spider to Level 5.

> Ding! Evolving from Level 4 to Level 5. Deducting 10,000 evolution points.

Ding! Evolution complete — Red Ghost Spider is now Level 5.

Talent 'Silk Control' has advanced to 'Thousand-Silk Manipulation.'

Talent adaptation complete — new control protocols integrated.

In moments, the red ghost spider before him grew from a two-meter creature to a towering, four-meter behemoth.

A grimacing face seemed to emerge on its back—so lifelike it was as if a tormented ghost had been sealed within.

Luciel rapped his knuckles against one of its sharp legs, which rang with a metallic clang. "These legs could pierce armor now," he muttered.

He looked down at the fine, hair-thin strands of spider silk in his hand, murmuring with a wry smile, "Thousand-Silk Control, huh… why does this feel strangely familiar?"

It reminded him of a certain flamingo-like power from an old pirate anime he once watched.

"Luciel!" Yue Feiyan's voice came as she ran over, breathless and worried.

She froze upon seeing the peaceful scene before her—the man standing calmly between two giant beasts.

"Are you… are you alright?" she asked uncertainly.

"You're just in time," Luciel smiled, gesturing toward the creatures. "Let me introduce you to our new companions."

He patted each one fondly. "The big spider is Xiaohong, and the big lizard is Xiaocai."

Yue Feiyan blinked in disbelief. "Xiaohong… and Xiaocai?"

She looked at the two fierce beasts, their intimidating auras filling the air.

"Their names… sound so powerful," she muttered under her breath.

Luciel pretended not to hear her teasing.

Moments later, Wei Geng came running with several hunters, alarmed by the earlier noise.

"My Lord! Are you unharmed?" he shouted, glancing warily at the enormous spider and lizard.

"It's fine," Luciel replied calmly. "They're spirit beasts of the Black Tortoise."

"Spirit… beasts?" Wei Geng exchanged uneasy looks with his men. "You mean—like the Little Black Tortoise?"

"Exactly." Luciel nodded, patting the lizard's scaled head.

"Hiss~~"

The tricolor lizard flicked its tongue and fixed its cold, reptilian gaze on Wei Geng, who froze on the spot.

"U-Understood, my Lord…" Wei Geng stammered, forcing a nervous smile. His subordinates didn't even dare look directly at the beasts.

Then his eyes caught the giant worm corpse nearby—and his jaw dropped. "My Lord, you… you hunted a Nine-Section Demon Insect?!"

That creature was infamous among hunters.

It was said to be as strong as a fourth-tier human enhancer—and far more dangerous in close quarters.

Last time, over twenty members of their hunting team had died just to bring one down.

Now, Luciel had done it effortlessly.

"Yes," Luciel said simply. "By the way, is its meat edible?"

Wei Geng's eyes lit up. "Of course! The flesh of the Nine-Section Demon Insect is delicious—and these carapaces," he knocked on the shell, producing a crisp sound, "can be forged into excellent armor!"

"Good," Luciel nodded. "Call everyone here. We'll haul this thing back and end the hunt for today."

The portion above ground was already three meters long; counting the buried part, the creature likely stretched over seven.

That was enough meat to feed Black Tortoise City for several days.

"Yes, my Lord." Wei Geng smiled, relieved.

He put two fingers to his lips and blew a series of rhythmic bird calls.

"Buchi~chi…"

Moments later, faint echoes responded from deep within the dry woods.

Luciel raised an eyebrow. "A signal?"

"Yes, my Lord," Wei Geng explained, "it's how our hunting team communicates."

Luciel looked intrigued. "So you imitate birds? Then… have you ever actually seen one?"

Wei Geng blinked, confused, then shook his head. "No, my Lord. These sounds were passed down from the Moon Lake Tribe long ago. We don't actually know what a bird looks like."

"I see…" Luciel said softly, a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Luciel," Yue Feiyan said suddenly, eyes brightening, "do you… want to catch a bird?"

"Of course," Luciel replied instantly, curiosity piqued.

"I know where there are big ones," she said, voice dropping to an excited whisper. "In Asuka City—'City of Flying Birds.' I heard there are even mutants there who can fly."

Her expression turned dreamy. "I've always wondered what it would feel like… to soar through the sky."

Luciel's eyes gleamed. "Where is Asuka City?"

He'd long wanted to raise flying beasts—to guard the skies above the rock tortoise, and to complete his army of land, sea, and air forces.

"I-I don't really know…" Yue Feiyan said shyly, glancing away. "I only heard my mother mention it once. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask her."

Luciel nodded thoughtfully. "Alright."

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