Beads of perspiration fell from Silver Fang's body. In that moment, he could feel his silver robes slowly stick to his tall and lean frame. Suddenly, he felt naked and cold…. The whole world had melted away to leave behind Dyon and Dyon alone.
Silver Fang's heartbeat like a war drum, threatening to shatter his ribs with just the smallest bit of added pressure.
"Kill me." He finally said.
Dyon shook his head. "You beasts are truly pitiful. You're so blessed by the heavens that you cower when it's time to go against it."
Silver Fang's life glowed with a fierce light. "Kill me."
"Weren't you determined just now? I wonder, why is it that you've given up?"
The humiliation formed a lump in Silver Fang's throat. He didn't understand what was happening to him. He felt like he couldn't even control his own body.
Dyon had known this would happen. His bestial aura was too much for a heaven grade beast, even if he was a king, to withstand. He didn't even have to use his Presence.
Looking into Silver Fang's yellow eyes, Dyon pondered. He could sense two streaks of silver light bounding toward them at their fastest speed, but clearly, they were much slower than Silver Fang himself.
"Your wives are on their way." Dyon said slowly.
Panic struck Silver Fang for the first time. "They have nothing to do with this. Let them go."
Dyon's head tilted to the side as he ate another mouthful of beast meat. Seeing Dyon ingest so much without side effect, Silver Fang couldn't help but think he was very stupid. Was this really the person he thought he could beat? Even he would have to meditate for hours on a single small bite, yet Dyon was practically stuffing his face.
'What kind of flame could even cook this meat?!' The more Silver Fang analyzed, the more panicked he grew. He felt remorse, not because he couldn't fight back, but because he had brought his wives into this mess with him.
"You disgust me." Dyon suddenly said.
Rage lit Silver Fang's eyes. He disgusted him?! He was sitting here, practically threatening the lives of his wives, two women who had nothing to do with this, but he was the disgusting one?!
"You know the lives of your wives are in danger, yet you still don't dare to move. Are you even a man?"
The moment he heard these words, Silver Fang's heart stopped beating.
Was Dyon holding his arms down? Did he feed him a paralyzing poison? No. And no. So, what was holding him back? Was he really unwilling to move for fear of Dyon's retaliation, even with the lives of his loved ones on the line?
Silver Fang's chest fiercely thumped, a silver light once more erupting from him as he roared into the skies.
A sly smile graced Dyon's lips. "There you go. Now you look like a real King."
Silver Fang fell over, landing awkwardly on the small asteroid Dyon sat cross legged upon just as his wives came into view.
"You…" Silver Fang sent an incredulous gaze toward Dyon. "Who are you…"
"You're asking questions when you haven't even answered mine?" Dyon raised an eyebrow, looking at Silver Fang as though he was looking at a fool.
Silver Fang coughed awkwardly. This man had just helped him have a breakthrough, yet his words were so crude. When had he ever been in such a situation before?
"One of every few thousand or so Embryonic Infernal Beasts will have that sort of infernal core. It becomes their basis for evolution into a true Infernal Beast."
"And what of the other few thousand?"
"Their luck isn't as good. They have no chance to become true Infernal Beasts in the future and will continue to meander around this quadrant until their life force runs out."
Dyon looked at the marble in his hand. "So it's a gamble? Interesting… This should probably be quite valuable then, no?"
In the distance, Silver Fang's wives hesitated before deciding to stay in the distance. Of all the things they expected to happen, a cordial conversation didn't even cross their minds.
"To the right people, it's worth about ten times that of a single Dao Stone." Silver Fang said casually.
Dyon's pupils constricted into pins. "What did you just say?"
Silver Fang looked at Dyon in confusion. This man was a supreme expert, wasn't he? What kind of supreme expert reacts like this in the face of money?
"It's worth about ten Dao Stones." Silver Fang repeated.
Dyon looked down at the infernal stone in his hand. A dao stone? That was a million celestial stones! A billion saint stones! A trillion profound stones! Yet this was worth ten times that?!
This reality only made Dyon shed tears. He had never really cared for money. In his youth, he had more mortal realm money than he could spend in ten lifetimes. When he entered the martial world, he finally fell into poverty, but his array alchemy skills redeemed that quicker than he could feel its effects. It wasn't until recently that he truly began to long for money.
Running an Empire required a ridiculous amount, something Dyon simply didn't have. This one infernal core was worth an entire month's profit to Dyon previously. Although his businesses should have expanded in his now almost year long absence, this core would still likely be worth about 10% of what they could make in a month.
Silver Fang sighed in his heart. 'Is this what they mean by all powerful hermits are eccentrics? To think that such a much who could so easily help me breakthrough had the vice of greed.'
Dyon began to have plans of mass collecting these infernal cores, but he could only sigh as he himself poured cold water over his dreams.
Firstly, these could only be found in one of every few thousand embryonic beasts. Secondly, even if they could be found in every one, Dyon took three months to defeat even one, not to mention the fact he was quite lucky to win.
"Would stronger beasts have infernal cores that are worth more?" Dyon asked.
Silver Fang nodded. "A lower saint embryonic beast would have one worth about 1 dao stone. This beast is of the middle saint realm, so its is worth 10x that. A high saint would be worth 100x, and a peak saint would be worth 1000x. Celestial embryonic beasts are counted by the same progression except with transcendent stones. Dao embryonic beasts also follow the same pattern but with enigmatic stones."
Dyon nearly fainted at these words. A transcendent stone was worth a million dao stones. An enigmatic stone was worth a million transcendent stones! Although he wanted to kill that bastard who decided to place a transcendent stone below and enigmatic one, this was simply the way of the martial world.
Soon, Dyon became lost in his own world, dreaming of a day pigs could fly and a dao embryonic beast would fall onto his lap.
Silver Fang, though, only grew more confused. Their five clan alliance had so many energy stone mines that he had never worried for money much like Dyon's younger self, how could he understand the weight on Dyon's shoulders? Although he too had never seen a transcendent or enigmatic stone, it wasn't something he cared about.
"This infernal core is more valuable for cultivation, though." Silver Fang said almost pleadingly, unwilling to see such a valuable treasure exchanged for just money. "Even shaving off a small pile and refining it into body cultivation pills would help your cultivation forward by leaps and bounds!"
Dyon turned a glare toward Silver Fang. "What the hell do you know?!"
Silver Fang's eyes widened as he took a step back. Why did his demeanor change so suddenly? He looks no different from a gambling addict. If Silver Fang knew Dyon's previously, he would be even more off-put. This wasn't Dyon's personality at all.
"Get out of here, I have to train. You're following the human path so you can't help me!" Dyon shooed Silver Fang away.
Stunned, Silver Fang froze. Was this eccentric a human… Following the beast path? He had never heard it done in reverse… A light of admiration lit in Silver Fang's eyes. With a single step, he bowed.
"Thank you for your help, elder. I'll repay this kindness!" Afterward, he turned away and disappeared along with his wives.
Dyon nearly coughed up blood hearing these words. 'I'm several thousand years younger than you…!'
