The demonic chimpanzees continued roaring threateningly at the children, shaking the surrounding trees, and stomping the ground with tremendous force. Their furious cries echoed throughout the forest, making the entire area feel like it was trembling.
Leylin quickly noticed that the troop consisted of more than just low-level demonic chimpanzees. Several much larger ones stood among them, their towering frames making it obvious they were intermediate-level demonic beasts.
However, for some reason, none of them attacked.
They simply remained where they were, roaring and displaying their strength as if trying to overwhelm the children mentally before making their move.
Leylin's terrified mind desperately prayed for his father to somehow appear and save them, but as he looked at his younger sisters, he knew he could not continue thinking like that.
Scarlet's three daughters were trembling so badly that they could no longer move. Leyana and Leyina clung tightly to each other, their faces pale with fear, while even Leywini, who was normally overflowing with confidence and clever ideas, stood frozen in shock.
Seeing them in such a helpless state, Leylin gritted his teeth so hard that his jaw hurt. He dug his fingernails into his palms, forcing the pain to suppress the fear threatening to overwhelm him.
At a moment like this, who else could his sisters rely on if not him?
As the eldest brother, it was his responsibility to protect his younger siblings no matter the cost. His mother had repeated those words to him ever since he was old enough to understand them.
Besides, they had sneaked out of the city without permission. It was unreasonable to expect his father to somehow know they were here and miraculously appear to rescue them.
What made him regretful the most was that they had deliberately left their array communication devices at home so nobody could track them. Now they had absolutely no way to call for help.
He had made one foolish decision after another.
Even so, he refused to give up.
If sacrificing himself could allow his sisters to survive, then so be it.
His mind raced desperately before finally settling on the only plan that seemed to offer even the slightest chance of success.
He would forcefully tame one of the demonic chimpanzees.
If he succeeded, he would immediately command it to attack the rest of the troop and create as much chaos as possible. While the chimpanzees were distracted fighting each other, his sisters might be able to ride Rosy, Ruby, and Revy through the opening and escape the encirclement.
It was an incredibly reckless plan with almost no chance of succeeding.
But at this moment...
It was the only hope Leylin could think of.
Just as Leylin was about to put his desperate plan into motion after selecting the strongest-looking intermediate-level chimpanzee, the entire troop suddenly fell silent.
The abrupt quiet caught him completely off guard.
A moment later, an even bigger chimpanzee dropped down from somewhere above, slamming into the ground with such force that the earth shook violently.
THUM!
Leylin lost his balance from the tremor and landed hard on his backside. Behind him, his sisters grew even more terrified.
It was a high-level demonic chimpanzee.
Now everything made sense. The troop had simply been waiting for their leader. Once the leader arrived, they would likely be executed as a show of force.
"ROAR!"
The chimpanzee leader let out a thunderous roar at the children, revealing a set of large, terrifying canines that dripped with saliva. It clearly intended to break their spirits first, to crush their minds with pure terror before finishing them off.
Yet instead of feeling more frightened or overwhelmed by the hopelessness of the situation, Leylin felt the opposite.
This was it.
This was the opportunity he needed.
If he could turn this around, he might actually be able to save everyone. Before, their chances had been almost nonexistent. Now, if he succeeded, the odds of all of them surviving had risen dramatically.
All he had to do was tame the leader.
Leylin immediately shifted his target and activated the ability that would let him attempt to tame the towering chimpanzee.
The method he used was different from the common beast-taming techniques of this world. Most tamers left a spiritual imprint inside a demonic beast's sea of consciousness to establish control. His method worked through bloodline source refinement instead.
Every demonic beast possessed bloodline power.
Most of the time, that bloodline remained dormant until the beast reached a higher stage of evolution. Although inactive, it still existed within every cell and every inch of the beast's body. Their very instincts were engraved by it, making them biologically programmed to obey their own bloodline source.
Because of this, the beast taming method Leylin had inherited was fundamentally different from the common method used throughout the continent.
Rather than planting a spiritual imprint inside the Sea of Consciousness to dominate a beast's mind, this method refined and took control of its dormant bloodline source itself.
Once the bloodline source was refined, the tamer did not merely command the beast mentally.
He controlled it at the most fundamental level of its existence.
That was also the greatest advantage of the technique.
A spiritual imprint could gradually weaken as a demonic beast grew stronger, and in some cases, an exceptionally powerful beast could even break free from its master's control.
A refined bloodline source, however, had no such weakness.
Since every instinct originated from the bloodline itself, betrayal simply could not occur.
Leylin's beast taming talent had taught him exactly how to refine that dormant bloodline source and make it his own.
When his father first explained that nobody in the world cultivated beasts this way, Leylin had been genuinely surprised. Every beast tamer on the continent relied on spiritual imprints. Not a single person had ever heard of bloodline source refinement.
That inevitably made him wonder where his father had obtained the mysterious supreme treasure capable of granting talents to others.
It could even bestow knowledge that did not yet exist anywhere in this world.
Unfortunately, because he was still an ordinary mortal without any cultivation, he could not actually perform bloodline source refinement himself.
Fortunately, his beast taming talent had granted him a single special opportunity.
It was a one-time guaranteed refinement that could instantly tame any demonic beast whose bloodline had not yet awakened.
He had been saving this priceless chance to tame a flying demonic beast. After all, he wanted to soar through the skies as soon as he began cultivating.
But now...
He no longer had that luxury. If he wanted everyone to survive... He had to use that opportunity here and now.
After activating the guaranteed taming opportunity, the high-level demonic chimpanzee that had been flaunting its dominance suddenly froze.
Its enormous body became completely motionless.
Only its eyes moved, trembling violently as an intense internal struggle became visible within them.
The surrounding troop immediately noticed something was wrong. Confused growls and questioning calls spread among the chimpanzees as they stared at their leader, unable to understand why it had suddenly stopped moving.
A moment later, a tiny speck of light emerged from the leader's chest.
It was so small that it would have been impossible to notice under normal circumstances, yet it carried an indescribable ancient aura.
The tiny light streaked across the air and flew directly toward Leylin before disappearing into his body.
It was the dormant bloodline source.
As soon as it merged with him, Leylin instinctively understood that the refinement had been completed.
The guaranteed taming opportunity had succeeded.
The towering high-level demonic chimpanzee was now his spirit beast.
Without wasting a single moment, Leylin followed the method recorded within his talent. With a thought, a complicated tattoo gradually appeared on his right palm, its intricate lines forming an unfamiliar pattern.
He immediately recognized it.
The tattoo was the manifestation of the chimpanzee's bloodline source.
Although the bloodline source had been refined into him, it remained mysteriously connected to the chimpanzee's body, allowing his will to be transmitted directly to it.
"My spirit beast!" Leylin shouted while raising his marked palm. "Order your underlings to retreat immediately!"
Naturally, the high-level demonic chimpanzee could not understand human language.
But it did not need to.
The refined bloodline source understood Leylin's intent perfectly and relayed it to the beast without the slightest error.
The surrounding chimpanzees, however, knew nothing about what had just happened. Seeing the tiny human shouting at their leader only enraged them further.
"ROAR!"
Several of them stepped forward aggressively. Before they could make another move, an even more powerful roar exploded through the forest.
"ROAAAR!"
The troop instantly fell silent.
It was their leader.
The gigantic chimpanzee glared at every member of the troop before issuing a series of commanding roars, ordering them to abandon the humans and return to their territory immediately.
A few intermediate-level chimpanzees growled in confusion, clearly questioning the sudden command.
Their leader answered with another deafening roar.
This time, none of them dared object.
Although every chimpanzee was visibly puzzled by the inexplicable order, instinctive obedience to their leader ultimately prevailed. One after another, they turned around and slowly retreated into the depths of the forest until the terrifying troop gradually disappeared from sight.
Seeing the troop disappear into the forest, Leylin finally relaxed. The tension holding his body together vanished all at once, and his legs gave out beneath him. He collapsed onto his back, breathing heavily, feeling completely drained both physically and mentally.
They were alive.
They had actually survived.
As he stared blankly at the canopy above, tears quietly rolled from the corners of his eyes and slid down the sides of his face.
The fear he had been suppressing until now finally overwhelmed him.
His recklessness had almost cost his sisters their lives.
He was supposed to protect them as their eldest brother, yet he had been the one who led them into danger in the first place. If anything had happened to them today, he would never have forgiven himself.
He should never have agreed to sneak out without their parents' permission.
One trip outside the city had nearly ended in disaster.
Never again.
He silently vowed that he would never make such a reckless decision again.
Only after seeing Leylin break down did the others finally let go of the fear they had been holding back. Leyana and Leyina burst into tears, throwing themselves at their brother and hugging him tightly.
"Brother... we were so scared..."
"We're sorry... We couldn't help at all..."
Their voices overlapped almost perfectly as always.
Leylin quickly wiped away his own tears and hugged the twins back, gently rubbing their heads.
"It's alright. Everyone is safe now. That's all that matters. I'm your big brother. Protecting you is my responsibility."
The twins cried even harder after hearing that.
Beside them, Leywini remained unusually quiet. The cheerful girl who was always full of ideas now only lowered her head, occasionally letting out a soft "Mm." She blamed herself for everything that had happened, believing that none of this would have occurred if she had not persuaded everyone to come.
Leylin could easily guess what she was thinking, but he never intended to blame her. He had been the one who agreed to the plan. As the eldest, the responsibility ultimately rested on his shoulders.
After resting for a while, Rosy, Ruby, and Revy finally recovered enough from their terror to stand again. With the newly tamed high-level demonic chimpanzee following behind them as a bodyguard, the four children climbed back onto the three red foxes and hurried toward Bara City.
The guard who had secretly let them leave earlier stared in astonishment when he saw them returning so soon, especially after noticing the enormous high-level demonic chimpanzee quietly following behind them.
Could it be that Lord Leyvi had already begun teaching the young masters and young ladies beast taming?
That was the only explanation he could think of.
After entering the Leyan Family estate, the four children had barely taken a few steps before Leyvi's voice suddenly echoed directly in their minds.
"My four naughty children, come to my cultivation room immediately. Bring that chimpanzee with you as well."
The four children froze on the spot.
Leylin's heart skipped a beat.
Father knew...
Does that mean he had been watching them the entire time?
"Brother..." Leyana and Leyina grabbed his sleeves from both sides, looking at him anxiously. "Are we going to get scolded?"
Their father had always doted on them ever since they were born. The thought of disappointing him frightened them far more than facing the troop of demonic chimpanzees.
Leywini lowered her head even further, remaining completely silent.
Leylin took a deep breath before forcing a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry. If Father wants to punish someone, he'll punish me. I was the one who agreed to bring everyone out. I'll take responsibility."
The three girls looked at him with watery eyes before quietly nodding.
With heavy hearts, the four children made their way toward Leyvi's cultivation room, fully expecting to receive the biggest scolding of their lives.