Chapter 74: A Friendship Forged Through Conflict

The Thunder Convergence King Beast suddenly leaped upward, soaring over a hundred feet into the air. With the loss of gravity, Chu Feng felt as though he were drifting among the clouds. In the next instant, the Thunder Convergence King Beast’s mountainous body crashed down heavily.

Boom!

The ground was smashed into a deep pit.

Yet Chu Feng refused to let go, clutching with a grip of fifty thousand catties! Such force would have tamed even the most unruly Cloud-Breaker Stone Eagle, and though the Thunder Convergence King Beast did not die instantly, it was so overpowered it could hardly move.

“This is my only winning move—more strength, still more, never let go! The moment I let go, I’ll die a horrible death!”

Holding fast to this belief, Chu Feng summoned every ounce of strength he had left.

Fifty-five thousand catties.

Sixty thousand catties.

A sharp, nerve-wracking crackling sounded as Chu Feng’s muscles twisted together with those of the beast.

Seventy thousand catties.

Eighty thousand catties!

He was astonished to find that he had unleashed eighty thousand catties of divine strength—already beyond his physical limit, wringing out the last of his potential!

With strength erupting to such a degree, Chu Feng could exert not a jot more; every part of him was drained. The Thunder Convergence King Beast, too, lay utterly still. Who knew if it was dead or alive?

“Ah!” he shouted, his limbs and every sinew feeling shattered, his body collapsing limply to the ground.

Fortunately, the beast did not move again; it had been strangled to death. If it had retaliated, Chu Feng would have met a grisly end.

Relaxing completely, Chu Feng resolved to rest, even in this harsh environment, and recover some strength.

Suddenly—

A dragon-like roar burst forth from the Thunder Convergence King Beast, which then stood before Chu Feng.

“I never thought my life would end here,” Chu Feng thought in despair as he watched the beast’s ferocious visage—sharp fangs crackling with arcs of thunder energy. This time, he was surely doomed.

Another piercing roar erupted, making Chu Feng’s eardrums buzz and his chest churn with blood.

“If you want to kill me, do it! If you want to torment me, get on with it! What’s with all the roaring?” Chu Feng couldn’t help but curse, glaring at the beast.

Remarkably, the Thunder Convergence King Beast seemed to understand him. It shut its mouth, lowered its triangular head, and nuzzled Chu Feng’s chest with its snout.

Affectionate rubbing?

“What is it doing?” Chu Feng’s mind raced in confusion. The beast’s attitude seemed anything but murderous.

It continued to scratch at his chest with its head, even sticking out a bluish-purple tongue to lick Chu Feng’s face.

“What are you doing? Move aside!” Chu Feng shouted.

The beast immediately retreated a step, then slowly bowed its body and nodded to Chu Feng again and again.

“Hm?”

A thought struck him. Among beasts, nodding to a human martial artist was a gesture of submission. Could it be that this mighty Thunder Convergence King Beast was submitting to him?

Saying nothing, Chu Feng patted the ground, signaling the beast to lie down.

The Thunder Convergence King Beast, evidently quite intelligent, immediately complied, lying flat and gazing at him with wide eyes.

“Haha!” Chu Feng was overjoyed. He waved his hand for the beast to stand. The king beast rose at once, lifting its two short foreclaws high off the ground, craning its neck like a miniature tyrannosaurus—but with two extra fleshy wings besides.

“You’re quite something, Thunder Convergence King Beast. Just now you fought me so fiercely, and now you submit! Seems we truly met through combat—fate is not shallow between us!”

Chu Feng nodded in satisfaction at the beast. Though he spoke of forging bonds through battle, inwardly he thought this king beast was rather shameless. It had nearly exhausted him to death, and now turned so meek—wasn’t that a bit lowly?

…

Beyond the Wind Cavern and Thunder Cavern, amidst swirling sand, Lei Jianqin, Fan Qianjun, and Tang Jiao struggled to hold their ground, locked in battle with two Thunder Convergence Beasts.

Lei Jianqin had taken a blow to the back from Liu Run and then strained herself lifting a boulder. After coughing up blood twice, her internal organs were injured and she could no longer fight.

Fan Qianjun and Tang Jiao each faced a Thunder Convergence Beast and could do little but defend. Tang Jiao especially, her foot already injured, was at a dire disadvantage against the agile Thunder Convergence Beast, her situation perilous.

“Senior Brother Fan, why hasn’t Young Master Chu come out yet? What could be happening to him inside? Has he run into danger?” Tang Jiao fired arrows at the beast, her voice anxious.

“I don’t know!” Fan Qianjun replied. His bright silver snowflake hatchet, being a short weapon, was at a disadvantage against the Thunder Convergence Beast’s lightning attacks. “Earlier, Liu Run darted out that side path. The way he looked, it seemed he knew something about Young Master Chu’s situation.”

“The depths of the Wind and Thunder Stone Caverns are exceedingly dangerous. They say a Thunder Convergence King Beast dwells there. Young Master Chu’s been inside so long with no sign—he’s either lost or trapped in danger!” Lei Jianqin’s face was deeply worried.

“Damn it! I thought myself a hero, but what use am I?” Fan Qianjun’s anxiety turned to rage. “Chu Feng helped our Thunder-Wind Martial Hall so much, yet our own people tried to harm him. Now we don’t know if he’s alive or dead, and two Thunder Convergence Beasts keep us pinned here, unable to go deeper and find out. It’s enough to drive a man mad!”

He roared in frustration, hacking at the Thunder Convergence Beast with his hatchet. The beast was unfazed, responding with even fiercer attacks.

Hearing Fan Qianjun’s words, Lei Jianqin and Tang Jiao were deeply ashamed—ashamed that Liu Run had betrayed them, and that they themselves were so powerless, unable to help Chu Feng and only dragging him down.

Suddenly, the twin-tailed Thunder Monkey battling Tang Jiao closed in. With a flick of its tails, two bolts of lightning shot forth.

Tang Jiao’s bow was effective at range, but up close she was at a disadvantage—and she was no match for the Thunder Monkey.

“Ah!” she cried out as one bolt nearly struck her face. Seeing the second bolt speeding for the injured Lei Jianqin, Tang Jiao leapt to shield her without hesitation.

“Sister Tang, no!” Lei Jianqin exclaimed in horror. Even if Tang Jiao survived the attack, she would be gravely wounded, perhaps crippled.

In that instant, a dragon’s roar echoed from the path between the Wind and Thunder Caverns.

Fan Qianjun, Lei Jianqin, and Tang Jiao all found the sound piercing, but the two Thunder Convergence Beasts, as if mice hearing a cat, abruptly ceased their attacks and showed clear fear.

“Oh no! Another, even more powerful Thunder Convergence Beast?” Fan Qianjun’s face turned pale with dread.

“It’s me!” Chu Feng’s voice rang out as a shadow swept before Tang Jiao and Lei Jianqin.

It was Chu Feng, astride the Thunder Convergence King Beast!

He dismounted in one graceful leap, saying, “I hope I’m not too late. Are you two unharmed?”

“Young Master Chu, you’ve finally returned! I’ve been worried ever since you entered the heart of the Wind and Thunder Stone Caverns, afraid something would happen to you. Now that you’re back, I can rest easy!” Lei Jianqin’s joy was so great, it seemed even her injuries improved.

But as soon as she spoke, her face flushed. Her words were so heartfelt, they might be taken for something more than mere concern between teammates.

“Yes, Young Master Chu, we were so worried! If you’d been any later, I fear Senior Sister Lei and I would have been in real danger!” Tang Jiao added, both anxious and relieved.

“Chu Feng, you must think little of me now! I was about to go in after you, but got entangled with this Thunder Convergence Beast and couldn’t do a thing,” Fan Qianjun said dejectedly.

Just then, the two Thunder Convergence Beasts, catching sight of the King Beast, scurried away like servants before a king.

“Young Master Chu, what… what kind of creature is this? It actually scared off the Thunder Convergence Beasts!” Lei Jianqin asked in shock.

“This is the Thunder Convergence King Beast! That scoundrel Liu Run lured it here, hoping it would kill me. But I’ve tamed it—it’s now my personal battle beast!” Chu Feng replied with a smile.

The three stared at the King Beast beside Chu Feng. Though it was not particularly handsome—more a grotesque creature—its terrifying presence was undeniable; anyone could sense its immense power.

None of them dared meet its eyes or approach.

“By the way, where did Liu Run go?” Chu Feng suddenly asked.

“I was just about to go in after you when Liu Run darted out. I chased him, but he summoned two Thunder Convergence Beasts to distract us and escaped while we were pinned down,” Fan Qianjun said.

“Hmph, he won’t get far,” Chu Feng replied. “Liu Run has done everything possible to sabotage us, even resorting to violence. He must be following someone’s orders, plotting something big. There’s no time to lose—you three take the Swiftstride Giant Crab and head back together. I’ll ride the King Beast and go after Liu Run. If I catch him, we’ll turn the tables!”

“Very well, Young Master Chu—thank you for taking the trouble!” Lei Jianqin, Fan Qianjun, and Tang Jiao clasped their fists to him, gratitude written plainly on their faces.