Chapter 114
Bruce was the proof, back when his half-human heritage still restricted his bloodline, he’d had an absurdly sturdy body anyway.
With the restriction lifted and a special evolution behind him, his physique had taken his combat power somewhere else entirely.
Don’t be fooled by that recent breakthrough to Lower-Tier Emperor Realm.
An ordinary Middle-Tier Emperor was no match for Bruce now.
One last tear through the void, and Soren stepped out with Bruce directly above the Sky Sparrow Imperial Palace.
No reason to keep his head down, simple, and brutal.
The powerhouses of the Sky Sparrow Imperial Palace stared at the two men who walked out of a rift in the sky.
Shadows massed above the palace.
Soren looked them over, some in human form, some in beast form.
The moment they felt Ancestor Realm coercion coming off him, every human and beast lost the will to fight.
Something lodged in their throats, nobody got a word out for a long while.
All they managed was shaking.
"Master, about a dozen Sky Sparrows in human form," Bruce reported.
"Only two Emperor-level, one Upper-Tier Beast Emperor, one Lower-Tier who broke through recently."
"The other eight are in human form but stuck at Beast Venerable, they’ll have taken some specially made pill."
"I’ve heard of them, swallow one and you can hold a human shape, but not for long, you have to keep taking them."
Soren nodded slightly, signaling him to state their business.
Bruce took a big step forward and opened his eyes into perfect circles.
"KILL!"
What? Killing straight out of the gate?
The Palace Master went white to the roots at that one word and started stuttering.
"N-n-no, wait! Th-this Demon Ancestor, m-may I ask what business brings you to my Sky Sparrow Imperial Palace?"
"W-whatever it is, we can talk it over!"
If Bruce had come alone, an Upper-Tier Beast Emperor like the Palace Master would have beaten him up first, mocked him a while, then asked who he was and what he wanted.
Bruce had a Lower-Tier Demon Ancestor standing behind him.
An Ancestor Realm powerhouse.
Set aside the Heavenly Demon Alliance, which almost nobody knew about, and an Ancestor hadn’t shown his face on the Exalted Continent in over a hundred thousand years.
Now one turned up, and without a word told his subordinate to start killing.
They had no idea how they’d offended the man, even if they’d broken every law in heaven, surely they’d get a reason first.
Bruce looked around at everyone’s faces and went, "Uh..."
He turned and cupped his hands at Soren in a hurry. "My apologies, Master, I’m just used to shouting kill..."
"I’ll tell them why we’re here now."
Soren was speechless.
The people and beasts of the Sky Sparrow Imperial Palace were speechless.
Son of a bitch, your used to shouting it nearly finished us, luckily he hadn’t meant it.
"You the Palace Master of the Great Desolate Beast Domain?" Bruce fixed those round bovine eyes on the old man and looked him up and down.
"Yes, this humble one is Arcturus, Palace Master of the Great Desolate Beast Domain and Patriarch of the Sky Sparrow Beast Tribe, might I ask what b-b-brings the two of you here so suddenly?"
His stutter was about half cured. Not all the way.
"Very good."
"From today, you and every beast tribe in the Great Desolate Beast Domain submit to my Master, swear loyalty, now."
Arcturus looked pained. "Uh, well, this..."
He stammered a good while, under the weight coming off Soren, he didn’t dare say no.
That other Lower-Tier Beast Emperor, though, was a newborn calf with no fear of tigers, he snorted. "The Great Desolate Beast Domain belongs to the Beast race! Since ancient times beasts have bowed to beasts, there’s no reason to submit to demons!"
"So you refuse." Bruce’s eyes narrowed, killing intent surfacing.
"Son of a bitch!"
Boom! Bruce threw a punch.
His arm and fist swelled out, the arm running to dozens of meters, the fist several meters across.
The punch was fast and heavy, carrying partial beastification with it.
One hit, and the Lower-Tier Beast Emperor went backward spraying blood, twisted in midair, and crashed through a row of buildings, he didn’t move after that.
Everyone watching went numb at the back of the skull.
What just happened?
"He can partially beastify?"
"That’s uncanny! I’ve heard even Ancestor Realm powerhouses of our Beast race can’t always manage instant partial beastification!"
"He’s Lower-Tier Emperor Realm! That’s devilish!"
"Is it because he’s half-human, half-beast?"
"That’s not how it works! Half-breeds get held down by the human bloodline and lose beast shapeshifting entirely, their appearance locks, and they usually inherit the advantages of neither side."
"He just partially beastified in front of us!"
"Instantly!"
"Which is why I said devilish!"
Whispering ran through the crowd.
Arcturus’s mouth twitched without stopping.
As Patriarch and Palace Master, when his subordinate got hit, he should have stepped in.
But even if he could beat Bruce, the man behind Bruce could erase him from a different dimension whenever he felt like it.
So, no, Arcturus cursed that beaten Lower-Tier Beast Emperor privately, is the boy an idiot? Anyone who reaches the Ancestor Realm is ruthless without exception, how would somebody Soren values enough to bring along be kind-hearted?
"My Master isn’t as merciful as I am," Bruce said, smiling coldly.
"You wouldn’t want your whole tribe wiped out, would you?"
The words came out light and casual, on that serious bovine face, they landed in Arcturus’s chest like a thunderclap.
"Oh my!" Arcturus slapped his thigh and looked at Bruce.
"We’re all on the same side here! One family! Why resort to violence, eh?"
He got that out with a bitter smile and cupped his hands at Soren in a hurry.
"This Demon Emperor, we are all willing to swear fealty! From the moment I laid eyes on the Demon Ancestor, surrendering was already the thought in my heart."
"Truth be told, even if this bovine brother hadn’t spoken, this humble one was about to lead everyone in swearing fealty anyway."
Soren’s face gave nothing.
Bruce sneered. "You serious about that?"
"Truer than real gold!" Arcturus laughed.
Bruce huffed and folded his arms. "That Lower-Tier Beast Emperor just said the beasts of your Great Desolate Beast Domain only submit to beasts, that there’s never been a rule about submitting to demons."