After dealing with the Blood River, Ye Cangtian turned his gaze back and saw the Nether Hunting Tiger still prostrate on the ground.
It seemed as if it dared not leave without his command.
The next moment, Ye Cangtian walked forward and reached out to stroke its head.
To his surprise, the Nether Hunting Tiger offered no resistance to this gesture, allowing Ye Cangtian to caress it.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian slowly asked, "Do you recognize this Grim Reaper's Scythe?"
Wuwu! Wuwu...
The Nether Hunting Tiger nodded, emitting whimpering sounds as if recounting something.
However, Ye Cangtian on the other side was utterly bewildered and finally said helplessly, "Stop whimpering, I don't understand what you're trying to say at all!"
Upon hearing this, the Nether Hunting Tiger's large eyes rolled, and it then let out a roar.
Immediately after, a faint glow seeped from the 'King' character pattern on its forehead.
The glow was water-drop shaped and emitted a deep azure light.
Ye Cangtian was stunned. This drop of light was not an offensive technique.
In fact, he wasn't sure what it was, but the only thing he knew was that it was the manifestation of the creature's spiritual power.
Thinking this, Ye Cangtian looked at the Nether Hunting Tiger inquisitively and slowly asked, "What do you mean by this?"
Wuwu! Wuwu...
In response, the Nether Hunting Tiger whimpered while its claws pointed at the drop of light, then at Ye Cangtian's forehead.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian asked doubtfully, "You want me to merge with my own spiritual power?"
As his words fell, Ye Cangtian saw the Nether Hunting Tiger nod vigorously.
He hesitated for a moment before deciding to give it a try.
After all, the Nether Hunting Tiger now showed no hostility, so it shouldn't be playing tricks with its spiritual power.
Moreover, the creature didn't seem proficient in spiritual power, otherwise, it would have used it during their earlier confrontation.
The next moment, the azure light droplet merged with Ye Cangtian's spiritual power, and instantly, a flood of information appeared in his mind.
It was a contract, and an incredibly unfair master-servant contract for a demonic beast.
"You want to pledge allegiance to me?"
Ye Cangtian looked at the Nether Hunting Tiger, his eyes filled with confusion, and inquired.
He found it rather inexplicable; he had never heard of anyone being able to tame such a ferocious demonic beast.
However, the contract in his mind was undeniably real. As long as he was willing to sign it, the life and death of the Nether Hunting Tiger would be entirely at his whim.
But he couldn't understand why.
This was their first meeting, and they had even fought previously. Why did the creature's attitude change so drastically after seeing the Grim Reaper's Scythe?
On the other side, the Nether Hunting Tiger whimpered and nodded, even gesturing with its claws for Ye Cangtian to quickly sign the contract.
Seeing this, Ye Cangtian frowned slightly, hesitated for a moment, and finally completed the contract using his spiritual power.
In any case, this matter posed no danger to him and was actually quite advantageous.
Thus, he decided to take the Nether Hunting Tiger with him, gaining another powerful combat force.
Wuwu wuwu...
When the Nether Hunting Tiger felt the contract was complete, it whimpered excitedly again. Strangely, this time, Ye Cangtian understood its meaning completely.
So, Ye Cangtian quickly asked, "Why do you want to pledge allegiance to me? And how do you recognize the Grim Reaper's Scythe?"
The Nether Hunting Tiger hid nothing from Ye Cangtian's questions and readily answered.
It recognized the Grim Reaper's Scythe due to its inherited memories.
In its memories, during ancient times, those who possessed the Grim Reaper's Scythe were all peerless powerhouses.
To ensure the continuation of their race and to avoid provoking such powerful beings, the Nether Hunting Tiger lineage had clearly stated in their inherited memories that such individuals must not be offended.
As for why it pledged allegiance to Ye Cangtian, it was for the same reason.
It considered Ye Cangtian a potential asset and believed that by staying by his side, it could gain countless benefits and even have a chance to break through to the Heavenly level.
"Heh, you even know how to bet on potential!"
Listening to the Nether Hunting Tiger's explanation, Ye Cangtian was speechless and continued somewhat exasperatedly, "I don't object to you recognizing me as your master, but you're far too conspicuous when I'm among humans..."
Taking in the Nether Hunting Tiger was a good choice, but Ye Cangtian was now starting to worry.
Having such a majestic demonic beast by his side would likely attract immense attention, making his plans considerably more difficult.
"I know the Bone Shrinking Technique, the inherited skill of the Nether Hunting Tiger clan!"
Upon hearing this, the Nether Hunting Tiger quickly explained.
As its words fell, the markings on its body glowed again.
With the flashing of the light, its massive body began to shrink rapidly, visibly so.
In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a small, fluffy kitten with blue markings, appearing incredibly cute and a stark contrast to the ferocity of the Nether Hunting Tiger.
"Damn! There's truly nothing that doesn't exist in this world!"
Ye Cangtian exclaimed, his eyes widening in astonishment. He then added, "Don't become so adorably foolish, that will also attract trouble!"
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, the Nether Hunting Tiger glanced at him, then, with a look of wronged innocence, transformed again, finally earning Ye Cangtian's approval.
Without further ado, it leaped onto Lan Yue's body.
"This..."
Lan Yue was instantly bewildered. After all, it should have been Ye Cangtian who signed the master-servant contract with the creature, so why did the Nether Hunting Tiger latch onto her?
Ye Cangtian was pondering the same question and then asked, "Hey, aren't I your master?"
Wuwu! Wuwu...
The Nether Hunting Tiger whimpered a few times, and Ye Cangtian finally understood.
It had pledged allegiance to Ye Cangtian, but how could it bear to have Ye Cangtian carry it around everywhere? In its view, this would be a great disrespect to its master.
Therefore, it chose a free laborer, namely Lan Yue.
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian couldn't help but chuckle wryly. He said exasperatedly, "It's fine for her to carry you, but don't bully her. She's my senior sister, and even I respect her..."
The Nether Hunting Tiger did not resist Ye Cangtian's warning, nodding repeatedly and agreeing.
...
The next morning.
Ye Cangtian was having breakfast with Lan Yue and the others.
Suddenly, a knock came at the door. It was a guard from the branch.
He walked directly to Ye Cangtian, bowed respectfully, and said, "Lord Dawnbreak, Lord Xuan Si Jiu requests your presence in the main hall, stating it is a matter of great importance!"
"Understood."
Upon hearing this, Ye Cangtian replied calmly, then waved his hand, signaling the guard to leave.
Shortly thereafter, after finishing his breakfast, Ye Cangtian proceeded to the main hall alone.
Seeing Dawnbreak arrive, Xuan Si Jiu, who was in the hall, quickly rose to greet him.
After some pleasantries, Xuan Si Jiu steered the conversation.
"My Lord, first, congratulations on successfully eliminating the Bright Squad!"
Ye Cangtian, known as Dawnbreak, had informed Xuan Si Jiu of this immediately after eliminating the Bright Squad.
Firstly, it was to inform him to send people to clean up the scene.
Secondly, it ensured everyone knew that he was the one who eliminated the Bright Squad, preventing anyone from trying to claim credit.
However, this action made Xuan Si Jiu grit his teeth in frustration.
The reason was simple: he had done nothing during the entire process of eliminating the Bright Hall squad, meaning he had earned no merit.
Consequently, he harbored resentment towards Dawnbreak.
Despite his dissatisfaction, he dared not show it. After all, he was the one who had sided with Bone Sea and used tactics against Dawnbreak, so he couldn't blame the latter for treating him this way.
"Xuan Si Jiu, there's no need for pleasantries. What is it that you've summoned this seat for?"
On the other side, listening to Xuan Si Jiu's words, Ye Cangtian snorted.
With the major功勞 secured and the Blood River eliminated, he was preparing to leave Dongjiang City with Lan Yue and the others and did not wish to waste time with Xuan Si Jiu.
Seeing Dawnbreak's attitude, Xuan Si Jiu quickly said, "My Lord, I have just received news. It is rumored that Ye Cangtian is actually Death God of the Anti-Black Alliance, and that the Xue family and the Shadow Tower have already joined the Anti-Black Alliance..."
In fact, Xuan Si Jiu had heard rumors about Ye Cangtian two days prior.
However, he had felt that the timing was not right and had not disclosed it then. At that time, Dawnbreak was focused on dealing with the Bright Hall squad and had no time to handle these matters.
But now, it was different. Dawnbreak's so-called mission was complete, and it was the perfect time to deal with Ye Cangtian and avenge him!
After all, the Xue family and the Shadow Tower had colluded, not only killing many people from the branch but also annihilating most of the private army he had painstakingly built.
He could not let this vengeance go unfulfilled!