Chapter Ninety: The Third Chosen One

A moment later, Jiang Cha'an hurried out of the teahouse. Usually composed and steady in bearing, he now seemed strangely disordered in his steps.

Behind him, Yang Luo emerged with a calm expression. After glancing once at Jiang Cha'an's departing figure, he got into the car bound for the company, escorted by two members of the Ninth Division in black suits.

In three days, he would leave his hometown and depart from this city for the imperial capital.

Before that departure, there were still many matters he had to settle.

Yet after settling into the back seat, a trace of darkness flickered in Yang Luo's eyes.

"Still no response from the Lord of the Divine Hall... neither punishment nor anything else."

Though the Lord of the Divine Hall had once told him, "There are no taboos, no demands," Yang Luo had always believed that since that existence had chosen him as a disciple, it must at least have expectations of him, and some awareness of his dealings with the outside world.

Just now, although it seemed as if he had directly spoken of the Lord of the Divine Hall's existence to Jiang Cha'an, before saying it aloud he had inwardly asked that deity no fewer than dozens of times whether this could be disclosed to the outside world.

And yet, no matter what, he still had not received any reply from that god.

Was it unable to sense it, or simply did not care?

Yang Luo's gaze grew a little grim.

"If it's the former, that's one thing. But if it's the latter, then that existence... even if a great power in the mortal world learns of where it is, it still feels nothing at all..."

There were members of the Ninth Division in both the front and rear seats.

But Yang Luo simply leaned back against the seat, closed his eyes in silence, and a storm gathered quietly in his heart.

...

Qingxia City.

Outside Huang Yuan's home.

A police car was parked by the courtyard gate, and several uniformed officers stood nearby, waiting quietly for the person being taken into custody to say farewell to his family.

After a while, Huang Yuan came out from the doorway. A woman behind him, holding Huang Yiyi's hand, followed with tears in her eyes, watching as Huang Yuan got into the police car.

With a click, two officers cuffed Huang Yuan's wrists.

"Ten years ago, I probably never would have imagined that one day I'd end up wearing this thing too."

Huang Yuan's expression was dim, and he forced out a faint smile.

But neither the officer driving nor the personnel seated on either side showed the slightest smile.

They kept their eyes forward, as though unwilling to exchange even a single word with Huang Yuan.

Once the police car started, it sped away into the rain.

At the very last moment before it left the street, Huang Yuan turned his head and looked through the rear window, seeing that the figures of the woman and child were still veiled beneath the misting rain.

In that instant, he could not hold back his tears.

...

In the mountains on the outskirts of Qingxia City.

A place dense with trees.

A stream murmured, moss flourished, and the fish in the riverbed and the squirrels in the branches did not disturb one another.

There, at the foot of a tree, a gray figure sat crouched and watching the blackened body before it, muttering under its breath.

"Why still not awake? Could it be this fellow's constitution isn't suited to the master's power?

"I was clearly dying before, but after taking that 'medicine' I was full of energy before long.

"I'm a dog, and I recovered so quickly; this guy is a human... could it be that he's not even as good as a dog?"

If someone were standing nearby and heard that voice, then followed it to the speaker's face, they would likely cry out in shock on the spot.

For though the speaker's voice was rough and deep, it was no burly man at all, but a genuine, sturdy big dog.

It sat on the ground, its fur a silvery gray, its eyes black as ink, and from its throat came the gurgling sounds of human speech.

It was none other than Gray Shadow, the first mutant beast ever raised by Xi Gu.

A rustling beat of wings sounded from above.

In less than half a second, a black male eagle with feathers cold and sharp as iron landed in front of Gray Shadow.

Gray Shadow did not look up, for it knew that wingbeat too well.

Without lifting its head, it knew the creature it hated most had arrived.

"Ha... stupid dog."

A cold laugh, like a suppressed snort, drifted from the stream in the distance.

Black Moon stood on a stone amid the water and looked down arrogantly at Gray Shadow, sneering.

"Hmph, stupid bird."

Gray Shadow turned its head to look at it and gave a disdainful laugh.

"This time the master gave you a chance, and you're planning to use it on this half-charred guy?"

Black Moon casually flapped a wing, sending ripples surging over the stream beneath its feet with an effortlessly graceful motion.

"And why not?"

Gray Shadow remained crouched where it was, as though an immovable old farmer, blocking in front of Lin Heng's body so that the currents of wind and water would not reach him.

"Hmph."

Black Moon said proudly, "The person you chose is destined to go up against the one I chose. By then... he probably won't even live a few days. It seems your position as 'divine envoy' won't last long either."

Gray Shadow immediately shot back:

"I wouldn't be so sure.

"And the one you chose, isn't he just a thoroughly vile fellow? The moment he gained power, he became so arrogant and bloodthirsty, killing without restraint. I refuse to approve of such a choice."

"Heh."

The sneer in Black Moon's heart only deepened. But because it was an eagle, no matter how coldly it sneered, its face showed no change.

"That really is a laugh. We're one an eagle, one a dog; what do the lives or deaths of ordinary humans have to do with us?

"Besides, the extraordinary beings the master created on that island in the east have killed far more people than Yang Luo ever has. Why don't you go there and stop the one the master chose?"

Gray Shadow's throat gave a low gurgle, as if it wanted to say something, but for a moment it could not.

After a long pause, it drew itself up and said:

"The master must have his own reasons for everything he does. His position is higher than the highest peak on this planet... but beings like us have only a narrow field of vision, so we need only decide on our goal and keep walking toward it.

"So, though I am a dog, I still have a heart that seeks to uphold justice."

Gray Shadow spoke solemnly and looked at Black Moon with righteous dignity, but the latter stared back with contempt.

"You think I can't guess what you're thinking? Whether it's Yang Luo or that superpowered being in the east, both of them have completed spirit transformation, their evolutionary level has risen dramatically, and they've awakened marvelous extraordinary traits.

"You, no doubt, are only trying to choose a human value system and standpoint, attempting to blend into it, and through that gain what humans call 'character' in order to obtain the power of spirit transformation, am I wrong?"

Gray Shadow's back seemed to slump at once. It stared at Black Moon in dumbfounded silence, too shocked to speak.

"You... yo-you-you..."

"How would I know, you say? Hmph."

Black Moon gave it another disdainful look.

"You think only you ever consider such things? I've long ago thought about it, tried it, and failed."

"However, I must remind you: we are mutant beasts, while those extraordinary beings are superhumans. Though both are extraordinary, their natures are worlds apart. If we are to pursue spirit transformation, we can only think in terms of the beast side of things. So... no matter what, it will be vastly different from the spirit transformation of those extraordinary humans now."

"Also, you'd best choose another target. Otherwise, the moment he comes down from the mountain, he'll likely be crushed to death by Yang Luo."

With another flap of its wings, Black Moon took off the next second and vanished from the forest.

In the woods, only a dog deep in thought and a person of unknown life or death remained.

"The key to spirit transformation... must lie in the beast nature itself?"

Black Moon's words prompted Gray Shadow to think, and it murmured to itself.

But soon after, Gray Shadow's gaze gradually became resolute again.

"No—I believe that whether mutant beast or superhuman, the essence is actually the same. The difference between extraordinary and ordinary beings is far greater than the difference between human and beast."

Thinking this, Gray Shadow glanced down at the ground, its body jolting as it said joyfully, "Ah, you're finally awake!"