38: Your opportunity has arrived.

Thinking this, he had already arrived at his destination.

A massive waterfall cascaded down from a hundred-meter-high cliff. The water slammed into the deep pool below, creating a thunderous roar, and the splashing mist left the surrounding tens of meters damp.

Behind the waterfall, on the rock face, there was a cave entrance obscured by the curtain of water.

This was it.

Jiang Chen's figure did not pause for a moment, passing directly through the cold water curtain.

The cave was very damp.

In the corners, some glowing, light-blue mushrooms were the only light source.

The light was dim, casting a chillingly eerie hue over everything in the cave.

A young man was leaning against the slippery rock wall.

He was very young, appearing to be only sixteen or seventeen, dressed in the tattered robes of a Beast Taming Sect Disciple.

His face was ashen, his lips cracked, and stained with already blackened blood.

One leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.

There was a deep, bone-visible claw mark on his chest, still seeping blood, and each breath brought a suppressed, wheezing sound like a broken bellows.

Qin Yu.

The Child of Destiny who was about to obtain the Golden Winged Great Peng Bird and change his Heaven-Defying fate.

At this moment, he was like a fish thrown onto the shore, on the verge of death.

In his arms, he clutched a golden giant egg, about the size of a man's embrace.

The eggshell was covered with spiderweb-like cracks, and the life Qi emanating from it was as faint as a candle flame that could extinguish at any moment.

It was exactly as described in the intelligence.

Qin Yu sensed someone entering. He abruptly raised his head, his eyes flaring with a final trace of vigilance and ferocity.

But the moment he clearly saw Jiang Chen, he froze.

The newcomer was very young, dressed in black, his expression overly calm.

Most strangely, he was clean and dry, without a single drop of water, as if he hadn't come from outside the waterfall, but had appeared out of thin air.

He was not the Sect's pursuers.

Who was he?

Qin Yu's mind was a bit slow to process.

And in the brief moment he was dazed, he suddenly felt the golden egg in his arms vibrate gently.

A sense of longing and closeness, originating from the depths of its Soul, emanated from the golden egg.

Not for him.

But for that... unfamiliar young man in black!

Qin Yu's heart sank sharply.

He didn't have time to think, and with his last ounce of strength, he fumbled for a dagger at his waist, trembling, trying to cut his wrist.

This was his last hope.

To complete the contract with this divine bird egg using his own essence blood!

However, his injuries were too severe.

His hand trembled violently; he didn't even have the strength to grip the dagger tightly.

“Clang.”

The dagger fell to the ground, emitting a clear sound.

That sound was like the shattering of the last spark of light in his heart.

Despair, like a tide, engulfed him.

Jiang Chen did not look at him from beginning to end.

It was as if he hadn't seen a second person in the cave. He walked directly in front of Qin Yu, and then... squatted down.

His gaze fell upon the golden giant egg.

Like a gourmet admiring a delicacy about to be tasted.

“Your Opportunity...”

He reached out his hand, his pale and slender fingers gently touching the cold eggshell.

A barely perceptible wisp of vast vitality, fused with the Hundred Herb Spirit Body, and the domineering power of the Phoenix Divine Fire, passed from his fingertip into the egg.

“...has arrived.”

The moment that wisp of power entered the golden egg.

It was like throwing a sun into a pile of dying embers.

Buzz—!

The entire golden giant egg vibrated violently.

It was an extreme joy and longing, originating from the Origin of life!

For this Golden Winged Great Peng Bird cub, whose Bloodline was noble but was on the verge of death due to Innate deficiencies, Qin Yu's Mortal essence blood was, at most, a bowl of life-sustaining rice soup.

And what was this power that Jiang Chen infused?

It was the supreme divine medicine, a Fusion of divine wood vitality and Phoenix Origin!

It was a nourishment more Advanced and purer than even the Origin power of its parents!

On the eggshell, the spiderweb-like cracks began to heal at a visible speed.

No, not healing.

Instead, more brilliant and robust golden patterns grew in the cracks, as if adorning this egg with another layer of sacred armor.

The previously faint, almost imperceptible life Qi began to surge upwards!

From a flickering candle in the wind, to the light of a firefly, and then to a... rising sun!

Vast vitality even overflowed from the eggshell, transforming into golden light particles that drifted throughout the entire cave.

The glowing mushrooms in the dark corners instantly grew larger under the nourishment of this vitality.

Even the bleeding from Qin Yu's wounds nearby slowed down a bit.

But there was no joy on Qin Yu's face.

Only a deathly pallor.

Because he could clearly feel that the last faint connection between himself and the golden egg was completely and forcefully... pushed aside by a stronger, more domineering power.

It was like a prince about to inherit the throne, watching a stranger walk into the palace and put on the crown that should have belonged to him.

And he was isolated outside the palace, not even qualified to be an observer.

Why... would this happen... He couldn't understand.

He wanted to roar, to question.

But he couldn't make any sound. His throat felt like it was blocked by a burning coal, and all his strength was drained under that immense life pressure.

He could only watch helplessly.

Watching the young man in black, like a Creator, Dominator the fate that should have been his.

And at this moment.

In Jiang Chen's mind, the System's cold notification sound rang out.

【Ding!】

【Detected that the Host has successfully interfered with and usurped the Child of Destiny “Qin Yu's” core fate anchor point — “Contract Divine Bird.”】

【“Fate Reversal Deprivation System” has been activated!】

【Target “Qin Yu's” fate power has collapsed and is undergoing reversal...】

【Reversal power is being absorbed and purified...】

【Congratulations to the Host, you have gained Formless Life Essence * 8000 units!】

【Currently depriving the target of their most outstanding talent...】

【Congratulations to the Host, you have gained the talent — Heart of Beast Mastery (Incomplete)!】

【Heart of Beast Mastery (Incomplete)】: You now possess an extraordinary affinity and deterrent force towards intelligent beings of non-Human Race. You can communicate and issue basic, barrier-free commands to them on a Soul level.

A series of notification sounds announced the perfect success of this plunder.

The cold smile on Jiang Chen's lips deepened.

Heart of Beast Mastery... This talent came at just the right time.

It was like a key, giving him the qualification to directly communicate with this “Yao Beast treasure trove.”

And at this moment.

“Crack.”

An extremely faint sound of an eggshell cracking rang out.

That sound, in this quiet yet noisy cave, was as clear as if it had exploded next to his ear.

Jiang Chen looked down.

He saw a small crack appear at the top of the golden, brilliant giant egg.

A tiny, slightly damp, downy golden beak emerged from inside, clumsily pecking at the hard eggshell next to it.

“Crack... crack...”

The crack grew larger and larger.

Soon, a fluffy, still somewhat unsteady golden little head emerged from the opening.

It shook its head, seemingly a bit disoriented.

Then, it opened its eyes.

What kind of eyes were they?

The pupils were pure gold, as sharp as two unsheathed divine swords, carrying an Innate arrogance and domineering presence.

But when its gaze fell upon Jiang Chen's face, so close at hand, that sharpness instantly melted away completely.

It was replaced by the purest, most unreserved adoration and dependence of an infant seeing its mother.

“Chirp!”

It let out a clear and melodious cry, affectionately extending its head and rubbing its still-sticky downy feathers against Jiang Chen's finger.

This action became the last straw that broke Qin Yu.

The light in his eyes completely extinguished.

A mouthful of heart's blood, no longer suppressible, suddenly spurted out, splattering on the rocks in front of him, like a wilting blood-red plum blossom.

However, before he could pass out.

A voice filled with rage and killing intent, like a thunderclap, came from outside the waterfall, making the entire cave hum.

“Traitor Qin Yu, prepare to die!”