Chapter 5：The Arrival of the Earth God

Li Xie probably forgot, as Caron told him, that magical beasts or pets in the Land of the Gods, with a grade of five or higher, may possess intelligence. Some of the higher-grade magical pets are known for their prideful nature. Unless they belong to their master, no one can touch them!

Although Landolf looks cute, it is an eighth-grade magical pet! It is one of the few super-grade magical pets, and its pride is well-known in the Tudor Dynasty.

Apart from Lord Lien, it doesn't even acknowledge the Emperor of Tudor, let alone letting others touch it!

However, the warnings from Lord Lien and Caron came too late, and Li Xie's hand had already reached Landolf's nose.

A trace of anger flashed in Landolf's watery eyes, and its lion's mouth opened.

"Snap!"

Li Xie's hand, from his palm to his wrist, was bitten off by Landolf!

"Ah! It! It bit off my hand! Oh my god, stop, give it back to me! Don't eat it!"

Li Xie endured the pain and quickly tried to pry open Landolf's mouth to retrieve his severed palm.

In fact, after losing a palm, Li Xie could grow a new one within a few seconds, but it all required energy!

The vampire's body was entirely composed of energy. While losing a hand or foot wasn't fatal, it still depleted the body's energy, much like bleeding.

Moreover, the severed tissue would oxidize and burn within five seconds, leaving nothing behind. But if reattached within five seconds, the energy could be preserved.

Li Xie urgently tried to retrieve his severed palm, but his attempt to touch Landolf resulted in his hand being bitten off. How could Landolf tolerate Li Xie trying to pry its mouth open?

"Roar!"

Landolf swallowed Li Xie's severed palm, then roared again, unleashing an invisible shockwave from its mouth. The powerful force sent Li Xie flying backward, but luckily, Kanuo acted quickly, flying to catch Li Xie and reduce his momentum, allowing him to land safely.

Despite his apparent kindness, Kanuo was solely focused on Li Xie's safety and didn't immediately consider how a supposed legendary summoner could have his hand bitten off by an eighth-tier magical beast.

Meanwhile, Count Larian was seething with anger. This impostor legend had dared to touch his beloved pet. When Landolf had roared, it merely pushed him back without causing harm. However, Larian couldn't let him off the hook!

Just as Larian was about to confront him, he sensed a change in the air and looked at Landolf in astonishment.

He saw Landolf crouching with its four claws on the ground, its body arched, every hair on its body standing on end, even its lion tail pointed upward. Its watery eyes turned sharp, not directed at anyone but showing a sign of resistance against some kind of pain, a manifestation of its self-will.

Furthermore, there were flickering earth-colored electric arcs on Landolf's neck, followed by a yellowish-brown glow spreading across its body.

"Roar!"

With a roar, Landolf, now radiating with a luminous aura, unleashed a powerful shockwave, causing a violent gust of wind mixed with yellow sand to spread in all directions. The surrounding people found it difficult to keep their eyes open, and Li Xie felt as if he were about to be blown away. Fortunately, Kanuo firmly held his shoulders, stabilizing him.

"Roar!"

Another roar followed, and the yellowish-brown glow emanating from Landolf extended outward, becoming almost blinding.

Seeing this scene, Count Larian was shaken with inexplicable excitement and surprise. Two words flashed in his mind: advancement!

"Quick, retreat! Ten meters away!" Larian shouted. The people present quickly moved back ten meters from Landolf. All eyes were fixed on Landolf, now in its radiant form, but no one could fathom why it suddenly advanced!

The glow surrounding Landolf grew brighter and brighter as its roaring continued unabated. After eight consecutive deafening roars, the radiance gradually receded, revealing Landolf's transformed form. It grew to a height of three meters, with a pair of wings spanning ten meters across its back.

As the light completely faded, Landolf appeared in its advanced form: resembling a majestic lion with golden-brown fur. Its once innocent watery eyes now exuded a domineering and proud aura from its triangular eyes. Two incisors, three inches long, gleamed with an intimidating cold light as they protruded from its lips. The golden wings on its back evoked the imagery of a lion with wings added.

"Roar!"

Landolf flapped its wings and let out a lion's roar, not creating another shockwave but exuding a majestic aura, proclaiming the birth of a ninth-tier magical beast!

Unable to contain his excitement, Count Larian rushed forward and embraced Landolf's neck. "Landolf..."

Two tears streamed down Count Larian's resolute face, appearing out of place. As the commander of the Tudor Lion Legion, a man who commanded one-third of the empire's forces, he had shed blood and endured wounds, but he hadn't shed tears since he was a child.

Today, he couldn't hold back.

Although Landolf had only advanced one level, for Count Larian, it meant so much more!

After numerous failed attempts at advancement, Count Larian had lost all hope. Landolf was not only his magical beast but also his lifelong companion, as close as a brother. The sudden advancement naturally stirred overwhelming emotions within Count Larian.

Moreover, advancing from the eighth to the ninth tier wasn't just a matter of one level; it represented a vast difference in strength and status!

You see, among the four most powerful empires in the continent of the gods—the Empire of Anju, the Empire of Blova, the Empire of Golden Sparrowflower, and the Empire of Lancaster—there are only seven ninth-tier magical beasts, and only one tenth-tier magical beast! Among the smaller nations beneath these four empires, not a single one possesses a ninth-tier magical beast! Landolf's advancement to the ninth tier signifies that the Tudor Dynasty may have the potential to become the fifth great empire. It also means that Count Larian's position within the Tudor Dynasty will no longer be that of a count!

The mere advancement of one tier holds such profound significance, and this is why Count Larian couldn't contain his excitement.

Beside him, his guards, including Kavin, were also thrilled. For them, their commanding officer's meteoric rise meant their own potential for advancement.

"Kevin, I cannot feel the divine light of the Earth God descending! My advancement feels peculiar!" Landolf's voice rang out like a bell.

"Not feeling the divine light of the Earth God's descent?" Count Larian paused, reflecting on the sudden and indeed unusual advancement of Landolf. Indeed, there had been no fluctuation in divine energy!

In the continent of the gods, such a situation could be described in four words—it defies natural laws!

Although most of the gods had fallen, the inhabitants of the continent still held onto their faith in the divine. Their collective belief formed a celestial display in the sky, manifesting as the divine light of the gods they worshipped.

For magical beasts to advance, they must harness the divine light. Only when the divine light descends can they level up! There are two ways for divine light to descend. One is for the magical beast or its master to be devout enough to pray for the blessing of the gods, inviting the divine light to descend. The other is to seek the help of a sacrificer. Sacrificers are those who have the closest contact with the gods on the continent and are among the most devout believers. Seeking the assistance of a sacrificer to pray for the divine light to descend is also a pathway for magical beasts to advance, and it is the primary pathway.

However, lower-tier magical beasts require very little divine light to advance, whereas higher-tier ones require increasingly more, along with greater levels of devoutness.

In simple terms, the higher the tier of the magical beast, the more challenging the advancement!

The mainstream pathway for magical beast advancement, the profession of sacrificer, is also divided into twelve tiers based on the level of magical beasts they can assist, with the eleventh tier being the Holy Sacrificer and the twelfth tier being the God Descender.

Sacrificers are individuals who devote themselves wholeheartedly to the gods. Entry requirements are stringent, and life is often austere. The dedication required for this profession is rare, and the lack of luxury in their lives discourages many. Consequently, there are relatively few sacrificers compared to other professions, and high-tier sacrificers are even rarer!

Even the illustrious Tudor Dynasty lacks ninth-tier sacrificers! This is why Count Larian had no choice but to rely on his own devoutness to pray for the descent of divine light to help Landolf advance.

In this context, how did Landolf advance without the descent of divine light?

All eyes, including Landolf's, immediately focused on Li Xie!

Before Landolf's sudden advancement, if there was any unusual circumstance, it was that he swallowed Li Xie's severed hand!

Whoa!

Faced with the hungry and lustful gazes around him, Li Xie timidly took a step back, feeling a chill run down his spine!

Living a life of scavenging and begging, Li Xie had developed the ability to discern people's intentions. Only through this could he occasionally receive some relief from certain individuals.

Could he not see the intentions behind these gazes? It was as if he had been locked up for ten years and suddenly encountered Diaochan; they seemed eager to pounce on him!

Am I turning into the Tang Monk of the other world?

Li Xie's heart was pounding with anxiety!

Li Xie felt that this possibility wasn't far-fetched at all!

Firstly, he was a vampire, not an ordinary human. His body was composed of energy! Moreover, he wasn't from this world; to this world, he was a unique existence!

So, the idea of a magical beast advancing with the help of a severed hand being eaten, though seemingly implausible, actually made sense!

But no, he couldn't let that happen!

Regardless of whether it made sense or not, judging from their eyes, they clearly wanted to feed him to the lion to prove it!

He absolutely couldn't let them have their way!

He couldn't come to this other world, barely drink any blood, and then get eaten by a lion!

But how to resolve the current crisis?

A scene flashed through Li Xie's mind, and suddenly he let out a strange scream!

"Ah!"

The eerie cry puzzled those around who were considering using Li Xie as a guinea pig. They saw Li Xie collapse to the ground, convulsing and foaming at the mouth!

Could it be... epilepsy?

The group, including Marquess Lein, were at a loss!

But when it came to the advancement of high-tier magical beasts, Marquess Lein's gaze turned fierce, and he had made up his mind. He decided to let Randolph eat this person! If it was true that Randolph advanced because of consuming him, perhaps Randolph could directly advance to a tenth-tier magical beast, or even become a sacred or divine beast! If not, then they would just have made Randolph eat a fake legend. Thinking about it, Randolph was the one who would lose out the most, having to eat a commoner!

However, at that moment, Li Xie suddenly sat up cross-legged, his eyes wide open, his face stiff, and he shouted, "Stay! When you see the true Earth God, you should kneel!"

Li Xie's sudden shout stunned Marquess Lein and the others, and the mention of the Earth God's name startled them even more!

Had the Earth God descended?

Marquess Lein and the others looked at each other in astonishment. Although the mainstream belief in the Tudor Empire was in the Earth God, there had never been any miraculous descent of the Earth God's true form in Tudor Empire history, except for the legend of Emperor Mercedes, the founder of the Tudor Empire, who was said to have been visited by the Earth God.

"Stay! Impudent ones! Are you mocking this deity?" Li Xie shouted again.