The mountain forest steamed with heat in the midsummer downpour. Ditian lay on a rock at the top of his nest, gazing down at the playful group of cubs below.
The golden mane on his shoulders and neck had completely covered his gray fur, shimmering with a glass-like luster in the lightning. With a casual press of his paw on the stone surface, he could cause Spiritual Plants with all Five Elements to sprout.
Three months had passed since his Breakthrough to the Half-Step Golden Core, and the Spiritual Power within him surged like a river, showing signs of breaking through its restraints at any moment.
"Ding! Detecting that the Host is about to face the Golden Core Lightning Tribulation!"
"Warning! Due to the Bloodline's special nature, the Lightning Tribulation will manifest as a composite form with Five Elements attributes!"
"Tip! You can choose: 1. Undergoing Tribulation in your beast form, retaining the Yao Race's inherent characteristics; 2. Transform into a human, and face the Lightning Tribulation as a Cultivator."
When the System's mechanical voice sounded in his Sea of Consciousness, Ditian was using his paw to groom the downy fur on a cub's back.
He paused, his gaze falling on his front paws, which were covered in golden patterns—a symbol of the concretization of an ancient Divine Beast Bloodline.
Transform into a human?
This thought caused complex ripples in his heart.
He had seen prosperous Cultivation cities in the Jade Slips of human Cultivators, seen the unrestrained freedom of Cultivators soaring on swords, and also seen the disdain and greed in their eyes towards the Yao Race.
If he transformed into a human, perhaps he could blend into their world, uncover the truth behind his mother's clan's extermination, and even find clues left by his father...
But at the same time, he remembered his White Tiger Consort with wild fruits in her mouth, her eyes reflecting his own gray fur with golden spots, and the sense of dependence when the cubs always rubbed against the mane on his neck.
Once I transform, will I still be the King they know?
"Roar~" His White Tiger Consort nudged against his waist, a wild fruit glowing with Spiritual Light in her mouth.
Ditian lowered his head and licked her forehead, suddenly remembering something his mother once said: "Our Yao Race Cultivates not to become human, but to protect our Dao."
These words were like a revelation, gradually clarifying the choice in his heart.
Protection—this word weighed heavily in his Sea of Consciousness.
His Dao was never to become an "alien powerhouse" in the eyes of human Cultivators, but to protect this mountain forest and the continuation of the Yao Race Bloodline.
"Ding! The 64th offspring has been born, with superior Physique, gaining 60 Dao cultivation!"
....
"Ding! The 69th offspring has been born, with exceptional Physique, gaining 150 Dao cultivation!"
The System's notification sound suddenly blared, interrupting Ditian's thoughts.
He turned his head and saw, deep within the cave, a newly born cub wiggling towards its mother tiger's nipple.
One of the cubs even had rare multicolored markings on its fur, and a vertical eye was faintly visible on its forehead.
This was a sign that the Bloodline concentration had broken through the critical value!
Ditian's heart trembled, realizing that his choice not only concerned his personal destiny but would also affect the future of the entire clan.
At midnight, the thunderclouds arrived as expected.
Unlike the Nine Heavens Thunderclouds of ordinary Cultivators, the clouds above Ditian's head displayed five colors—gold, wood, water, fire, and earth—intertwining to form a giant vortex, with every lightning bolt carrying the oppressive power of the Five Elements Power.
The creatures in the mountain forest prostrated themselves, and even the most violent gales held their breath before the Lightning Tribulation.
Come on.
Ditian stood proudly on the mountaintop, his Five Elements Domain automatically unfolding around him, yet a hint of apprehension arose deep within his heart.
This was his first time directly facing a Heavenly Dao Lightning Tribulation, and also his first time using Bloodline Power to contend against the Laws of Heaven and Earth...
And his offspring were looking up at him from below.
The first wave of Lightning Tribulation struck first—golden lightning pierced through like a sharp sword, but upon touching the Domain, it was guided to the ground by earth-attributed power, exploding into a vibrant green Spiritual Field.
He looked at the tender sprouts breaking through the soil in the Spiritual Field, and a strange sense of peace surged within him: This was not only his tribulation but also an opportunity for the clan's rise.
Immediately after, the Wood Lightning struck. Ditian did not dodge, allowing the lightning to merge into his body.
A stinging sensation came from deep within his bones, yet it was mixed with the nourishing Spiritual Power like a warm current.
He suddenly remembered a scene from his childhood when his mother fought a Yao Beast to protect him, covered in blood yet still shielding him with her body.
Now, he too must become such a shield, protecting his offspring from all storms.
The third wave of Lightning Tribulation was the mixed-attribute World-Ending Lightning.
Crimson fire lightning and dark blue water lightning intertwined into a net, attempting to trap Ditian in the center.
His heart rate suddenly accelerated, instinctively wanting to retreat, but catching sight of the cubs scrambling to hide at the foot of the mountain, a fierce resolve suddenly surged within him: If I retreat, they will have nowhere to go.
Ditian let out a long roar, and the illusory figures of Five Elements Divine Beasts appeared behind him.
The Dragon head and Tiger body opened their massive mouths, actually swallowing the lightning net whole.
As the Five Elements Power completed its cycle within his body, the System notification sounded again:
"Ding! Due to the Host's Bloodline resonance, the offspring's Aptitude has improved: The current average Spiritual Root Awakening rate of offspring has reached 68%!"
"Obtained passive skill: Beast Kings Blessing (When offspring are born, there is a probability of inheriting the Host's temporary attribute bonuses)!"
Ditian felt the surging power within him, and heard the heartbeat of his clan even more clearly—it was the vitality of over fifty cubs pulsating, like the multicolored Spiritual Light in the Five Elements Domain, independent yet interconnected.
"Boom!"
The most powerful Heavenly Dao Lightning finally descended.
A giant golden palm extended from the clouds, its palm etched with demon-slaying runes, clearly a killing move aimed at the Yao Race.
Ditian felt every bone in his body tremble, and a metallic sweetness rose in his throat, yet at this moment, he heard his mother's voice from deep within his Sea of Consciousness—
"Tian'er, look at your paws."
He instinctively lowered his head and found that the golden mane had spread over his entire body, with every hair tip flowing with multicolored Spiritual Light.
Even more astonishingly, the patterns on his paws perfectly matched the broken jade piece his mother had treasured in his memory.
Images flooded in like a tide: his mother fleeing with a cub in her arms in a pool of blood, the broken jade left by a mysterious Cultivator inscribed with "Candle Dragon Bloodline, Master of the Five Elements," and the golden light that merged into his Bloodline from his father's dying moments...
These fragments formed a complete picture in his Sea of Consciousness, and the System's red light simultaneously flared:
"Detecting Host Bloodline resonance with the broken jade! Unlocking hidden System: Yao Race Genealogy!"
"Currently queryable: Mother's clan 'Candle Dragon Lineage' extermination file (incomplete)!"
Ditian's pupils constricted, but at the moment the Heavenly Dao Lightning struck, he chose to open his Sea of Consciousness.
The intense pain was like thousands of blades simultaneously cutting his Soul, yet it made him see even more clearly: The newly born cub with multicolored markings was looking up at him from the nest, its eyes devoid of fear, only trust.
"Bloodline Awakening degree has broken through 30%! Unlocking talent 'Heaven Defying Dragon Roar'!"
"Ding! The Host chose to Undergo Tribulation in beast form, gaining special ability 'Five Elements Ancestral Witch Body'!"
"The 81st offspring has been born! Triggering Bloodline Regression! Gaining 300 Dao cultivation!"
When the fifth Lightning Tribulation dissipated, Ditian had completely transformed.
His body had grown to three zhang, covered in golden scales, and the vertical eye on his forehead could see through illusions when it opened and closed.
Deep within his Sea of Consciousness, the Yao Race Genealogy interface slowly unfolded, and the first page prominently read: The Candle Dragon Lineage, controlling the Five Elements and commanding the Four Symbols, its Blood can suppress all evil, its Soul can awaken a hundred Yao...
Amidst the cries of the cubs, Ditian looked down at the Five Elements Spiritual Light pulsating in his palm, then looked towards the cub in the nest that had awakened the Candle Dragon illusory figure—it was patting the air with its tender paws, actually condensing a miniature lightning ball in its palm.
The System panel refreshed frantically:
"Strength: 3000 kilograms!"
"Unlocking skill: Transformation · Half-Human Form (Can maintain a tiger-headed human body form, retaining Yao Race characteristics and human wisdom)!"
"Offspring Cultivation System upgrade: Activating 'Elite Offspring Cultivation Mode'!"
The heavy rain gradually ceased, and Ditian looked towards the eastern horizon.
A trace of purple Qi was gathering there, a sign of a powerful Cultivator emerging in the Cultivation world.
But at this moment, what he cared about more was gently cradling the multicolored cub with his newly formed hand, feeling the Five Elements Power within it resonate with his own.
The System notification sounded gently:
"Ding! Your existence has become a totem for the rise of the Yao Race, current loyalty of the mountain forest Yao Race: 100%!"