Chapter 1141 Awaiting
Some were still in their beast forms, others were in their human forms. But, they all seemed to be quite confused. It wasn"t everyday you saw dao formation experts kneeling.
It wasn"t a surprise that Dyon could see resentment aimed toward him among them. Without knowing the whole story, no one would think that their own family heads were in the wrong.
"There"s no need for you all to kneel here." Dyon said emotionlessly. "The length of time won"t change anything, I"ve already made my stance clear. You can go about your lives, and I"ll go about mine."
Dyon took a step forward, disappearing and appearing to their backs. But, before he could flash forward a second time, a voice called out that made him pause.
"Thank you for saving my life!"
Dyon looked back to find them all still kneeling. Obviously, the one who had spoken out was Head Tudo.
Those celestial beasts watching in the distance were stunned to hear these words.
"You"re welcome." Dyon turned to leave once more but more words seemed eager to stop him.
"We don"t kneel here in hopes you"ll forgive us, but that you"ll take pity on the younger generation. We"ll pay for our sins and even die if that"s what you see fit, but they shouldn"t pay for our mistakes." Elder Tudo added, her forehead still marred with dark soil.
Before Dyon could respond, three attendants flew forward from the crowds in the distance, each holding a young celestial beast in their arms.
One bare chested young man held an adorable white tiger cub in his arms that looked more like a kitten than the vicious beast of slaughter he"d grow to be.
Another young man, wearing white scholarly robes and a heavy turtle sh.e.l.l on his back came forward with a young turtle covered in a beautiful black sh.e.l.l, lined with intricate patterns. However, when its small head poked out, its skin and partial scales were entirely white even as its large black eyes blinked with curiosity as it looked toward Dyon.
The last was a young lady. However, unlike her fellow attendants, the young celestial beast with her hung from her back, wrapping its small arms around her neck. The child ape was covered in pristine white fur and peaked over the attendant"s should with an adorable, na?ve curiosity.
In the end, the three of them stopped before Dyon, presenting these youths to him.
"These three have the densest bloodline of their generation and have the potential to become worthy of t.i.tles in the future. Please take them as your partners." Head Tudo"s voice trembled as she begged sincerely.
Dyon"s brows furrowed. "Partners?" He would be lying if he said he understood just what that meant.
Of course, Dyon was aware of the Beast Masters as one of the seven top-tier secondary professions, but he knew next to nothing about them. So, how could he immediately connect this word with its true origin?
Plus, this aside, taking these celestial beasts with him would be akin to having to take care of three babies. Sure, they grew up fast, but it wasn"t as though they"d magically become strong enough to be of any help to Dyon any time soon. Even if they solely followed the beast path, it would take years for them to reach the celestial realm, and even more time to progress along it.
Even without the faintest of knowledge about Beast Masters, Dyon was certain that their beast partners were usually stronger than them, or else what was the use?
This didn"t even mention the fact that the talent of these three was incredibly weak.
Someone hearing this a.n.a.lysis by Dyon might throw a fit, after all, even non-beast masters drooled over the prospect of having a single heaven grade beast, but these three infants, albeit weak in comparison to the peak the celestial beasts once stood on, were still transcendent beasts for better or worse.
However, to Dyon, saying that they had the "densest bloodline of their generation" meant little to him. That was because the celestial beasts had declined so much that that was no longer impressive. In fact, Dyon could tell that the celestial beasts were only a few dozen more generations away from falling out of the transcendent beasts rank just like they fell out of the supreme beasts rank.
Sure, in martial world terms, a single generation was 1.2 million years, so a few dozen was still tens of millions of years. However, although this might seem like a long time, in terms of the scope of the universe, it was pitifully soon.
The worst part was that their downfall seemed to be accelerating…
Esmeralda"s child was meant to be a savior of the celestial beasts. In fact, he could be… But considering the fact his bloodline was of the celestial deer, how could he possibly help the other clans?
Plus, it wasn"t as though Zaire could become a breeding bull for the celestial deer either.
Still, even knowing all of this, Dyon hesitated, not because he was convinced that these three "partners" could be useful, but because something Head Tudo said struck a nerve.
Even if the older generation of the celestial beasts were a lost cause, that didn"t mean that the younger generation was. This, like racism and speciesism, weren"t innate, they were taught. It was only by raising the younger generation to be better that new path could be forged.
Dyon was so lost in thought that he almost didn"t notice Granny Celest approaching him with yet another adorable bundle in her arms.
The young celestial deer looked almost identical to his master, but its gold swirls of hair had considerably less sheen and looked almost grey. However, its white fur almost shone under the sunlight as its large white eyes blinked at Dyon. It looked almost like an albino Bambi.
Dyon could help but give his granny a look that said, "You planned for this, didn"t you?"
Granny Celest only smiled. "What Little Zaire means to you is completely different. He"s not an appropriate symbol for the path forward, especially since he follows both the beast and human path.
"The truth is that even I can"t guarantee that I would have treated you well had I not known you were my grandson." Her tone shifted, hinting at a bit of a guilt and disappointment in herself.
Dyon sighed. He understood this all too well… Often times in life what decided whether you were enemies or allies, whether you were friend or foe, were already engrained biases and simple coincidences.
Sure, Granny Celest treated Dyon as her own kin, but would she do that for all humans? That was doubtful… In another parallel universe, who knows, maybe it was Head Tudo or Head Simia or Head Tigris that decided to stand by Dyon"s side while it was Granny Celest who kneeled along with two others.
"… But it"ll be dangerous. They"re just babies." Was all Dyon could muster.
Granny Celest smiled as the three family heads trembled on the ground, responding to Dyon"s words.
"And it"s because you can see them as such that you must take them. If one, or even all of them die, we won"t blame you."
"… And what about the fact they"re celestial beasts? The moment they step outside, they"ll be among the hunted."
Granny Celest"s smile only deepened. "Then that"ll be the challenge you have to take up, no? My grandson isn"t some coward, now is he?"
Dyon sighed. He remembered a time where he"d be willing to flaunt any and everything, daring those who opposed him to find trouble. And, truth be told, with his t.i.tle as True G.o.d, there"d be very few who dared to find trouble with him… But, the blood of a celestial beast was simply too tempting.
Now Dyon had more people to worry about than just himself. What if they tried to use his wives as hostages to force him to turn over the celestial beast youth? What if they turned their eyes on Soul Rend Quadrant or his home universe?
However, before Dyon could make a decision, his dao heart pumped once more.
"G.o.ddammit…"
He could clearly feel a stream of hope and belief in him coming from the surrounding beasts. Their population wasn"t as large as millions… In fact, there were only a few hundred to each clan that had survived to this day… But they were by far and away so much more powerful than Dyon"s fellow clansmen that his Sovereign Seed swelled to three times its original size.
In the end, four pairs of unblinking eyes looked toward Dyon with youthful curiosity, awaiting his decision.