Chapter 402: Chapter 398: Half a Divine Beast Bloodline

Inside the villa’s ruins, a sea of fire boiled. The flames soared to the sky, incinerating everything.

"You think you can burn me to death? The Demon Management Bureau won’t let you get away with this!"

From within the inferno came a weak, coughing voice. Molten liquid dripped continuously from the nigh-indestructible Metal Man, Du Tianyi.

His Metal Body was crumbling. Searing heat, suffocation, and inhuman pain plunged him into what felt like the Hell Abyss.

Outside the sea of fire, Tu Xiao’an watched with an emotionless expression. This method of burning someone alive was, admittedly, a bit cruel. He was waiting, waiting for Du Tianyi to break down and beg for mercy.

’He can’t last much longer. But this fire won’t kill you.’

The kid had truly rotten luck. Against almost anyone else, he would have been in a virtually invincible position, but he just had to run into Tu Xiao’an, who possessed three Elemental Abilities—Flame being one of them.

At that moment, Tu Xiao’an glanced in a certain direction. The energy fluctuations from the battle over there were immense. He could even see that Celestial Master Zhang had revealed his true form as a Snake Flood Dragon.

’Looks like the Demon Management Bureau has a few tricks up its sleeve. They’ve already forced two Rank Three Demon Spirits to reveal their true forms and go all-out.’

’If this drags on, it won’t just be the Demon Management Bureau. I’m afraid experts from other factions will show up too.’

"COUGH, COUGH... I give up! Stop the fire! My body can’t take it anymore!"

Inside the sea of fire, Du Tianyi had collapsed to the ground, too weak to struggle. He couldn’t break out, trapped inside to be burned alive. And this was no ordinary fire; its temperature was terrifyingly high.

A piece of steel would turn to liquid in an instant in these flames.

Hearing this, Tu Xiao’an walked toward the inferno. He strolled casually into the flames, gave a light wave of his hand, and the sea of fire suddenly dispersed. Du Tianyi was revealed, burned so badly his own mother wouldn’t have recognized him.

His entire body was scorched. The Metal Body was gone, and his skin was a ravaged mess, emitting black smoke.

Tu Xiao’an glanced at him indifferently, squatted down, and said, "Do you have any idea what your surrender means?"

Du Tianyi lay on the ground, desperately gulping down the fresh air. He was in a terrible state, on the verge of death.

He struggled to lift his head and look at the young man, seeing a demonic smile on his face. It was like watching a Demon laugh.

’Choosing to run instead of fight was the right call. A pity I didn’t get away.’

’To think that I, a mighty Rank Three Creature with the Gold Elemental Attribute, would lose so inexplicably... a crushing defeat.’

’A hard counter... My Gold Element was completely countered. How infuriating!’

"As long as you don’t make me your War Servant, I’ll agree to any condition," Du Tianyi said weakly. ’I’m just fish on his chopping block.’

Tu Xiao’an looked at his miserable state and smiled. "I don’t plan on making you my War Servant anymore."

Hearing this, Du Tianyi froze. He raised his head and stared blankly at the demonic man, finding it hard to believe.

’He kept saying he wanted to make me his War Servant, but now that I’ve lost, he’s giving up on it?’

’This wave of happiness feels a little too sudden.’

"Really?"

Tu Xiao’an nodded, stood back up, and gazed at him quietly. He softly uttered, "Your fate will be the same as Leng Shuang’s."

"What? You’re going to kill me?" Du Tianyi felt as though he’d just been plunged from heaven into hell. ’This is worse than becoming a War Servant! At least then I’d still be alive.’

"No... not kill. I want to eat you. I want to obtain your Golden Element Ability."

’Eat? Eat me? What kind of monster is he?’ 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

’He said he killed Leng Shuang, and that he now possesses her power... Don’t tell me he can gain the Awakened Abilities of those he eats?’

’How is that possible? That’s horrifying.’

"Didn’t you want to know if I was human or a Demon? I’ll grant your wish now."

As soon as he finished speaking, a massive snake shadow materialized behind Tu Xiao’an. It shot straight up, its form blanketing Du Tianyi, blotting out the sun.

"A snake... a Snake Demon! It’s a Snake Demon!" Terror filled Du Tianyi’s eyes as he finally understood everything. "Don’t eat me! I’m willing to be your War Servant! I’ll do it gladly! I can sign the Blood Contract with you right now, just spare my life!"

In the face of true death, everything is fragile and crumbles easily.

The more noble and promising one’s future, the more one fears death.

When you’re dead, you’re just dust. All the beauty in the world becomes irrelevant.

Tu Xiao’an shook his head. From the moment he learned Du Tianyi was a Gold Elemental Master, he had slowly begun to change his mind.

Elemental Abilities were rare, insanely powerful windfalls. Now that he had the chance to obtain one, Tu Xiao’an wouldn’t miss it for the world.

"I have to eat you. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for being too exceptional."

’I’m going to lose my mind! Since when is being exceptional a crime? Since when is it a death warrant?’

"Pass on. I will inherit all that you are." Tu Xiao’an’s voice was like an icicle under a winter eave, its chill piercing straight to the bone.

"No, no! Spare me! I’ll be your slave!" Du Tianyi was in a complete panic, trembling to his core. He tried to crawl to his feet, but his body was a ravaged mess of burns, and he had no strength left.

Suddenly, the young man before him vanished. A cavernous, bloody maw descended, and Du Tianyi’s world went black—a sunless black, a black that led straight to Hell.

He never would have dreamed that he’d come here today merely to extort the Bull Demon King, only to inexplicably lose his own life in the process.

The great team leader of the Demon Management Bureau, the mighty Rank Three Creature, the distinguished Gold Elemental Master—in that moment, he ceased to exist.

Fate is just that inscrutable. Life and death are never choices we get to make for ourselves.

"Ding... Congratulations, Host, for successfully Devouring Level 30 Gold Elemental Master Du Tianyi. You have successfully obtained 10,000 Evolutionary Energy Points."

"Ding... This is the Host’s first time Devouring a Rank Three Creature. Special reward: one half-share of a Divine Beast Bloodline. Can be freely chosen in the Shop."

"Ding... Host has Devoured a Gold Elemental Master. Beginning fusion with the Golden Element Ability now."

Devouring a Rank Three Creature was a huge windfall. Tu Xiao’an had initially only wanted to subdue Du Tianyi and make him a War Servant, but now he had ended up Devouring him instead.

Ten thousand Evolutionary Energy Points was an enormous amount. As he recalled, Devouring a Rank Three Snake Flood Dragon had only yielded less than four thousand Evolutionary Energy Points.

This just went to show how formidable Du Tianyi was. He just had truly bad luck running into Tu Xiao’an, a Flame Master.

Against anyone else, even someone at the Demon King Level, he could have escaped with his life even if he couldn’t win.

’The system’s second reward?’ Tu Xiao’an savored his harvest while fusing with Du Tianyi’s Gold Element.

’What’s the deal with this "half a share" of a Divine Beast Bloodline?’

Tu Xiao’an was momentarily baffled. ’Does this mean I have to put up the other half myself?’

If a Divine Beast Bloodline required thirty million Faith Points, then Tu Xiao’an would have to contribute half himself—a total of fifteen million Faith Points.

’Does it have to be so damn stingy?’

’How would Du Tianyi feel about this? He’d be rolling in his grave. Was he really worth so little?’