"Zhou Hong, if you want me to help you, you have to agree to one condition." Zhou Hong walked through the forest in the Sunset Mountain Range, when the Dark Golden Crow suddenly spoke to him.
"What condition?" Zhou Hong replied as he walked.
"I, the Dark Golden Crow, roam the immortal realm and never tolerate being belittled. If you want me to help you cultivate, fine. But you must guarantee that you will not be pushed around by anyone. Whoever dares to act arrogantly in front of you, you shall slay them. If heaven is arrogant, slay heaven; if man is arrogant, slay man. Can you do this?"
"Haha, this suits me perfectly." Zhou Hong burst into laughter.
"Suits you perfectly? Do you also like this sort of thing? To be honest, I, the Dark Golden Crow, am also known as a peerless beast of arrogance in the immortal realm."
"A peerless beast of arrogance?"
"Yes. If you go ask around in the immortal realm, just mention who the peerless beast of arrogance is, and everyone will know it's me, the Dark Golden Crow," the Dark Golden Crow said proudly.
"I've heard so much about you." Zhou Hong couldn't help but laugh. No wonder the Dark Golden Crow couldn't stand being sealed before. It turned out he was a renowned peerless beast of arrogance in the immortal realm, and as such, he truly couldn't accept it.
"Brother Golden Crow, from now on, I'll listen to you. However you want me to be arrogant, I will be."
"That's more like it. Let's set a small goal now: let's conquer this Sunset Mountain Range and make it your backyard. What do you think?" the Dark Golden Crow asked.
"Conquer?" Zhou Hong seemed a bit confused.
"It means to defeat all the demonic beasts in this mountain range, make them submit to you, and recognize you as their master. Only then will this Sunset Mountain Range become your backyard. If you need to find spiritual herbs, it will be as easy as reaching into your pocket."
"Haha, this is indeed interesting." Zhou Hong laughed heartily.
"Then let's not delay. See where the powerful demonic beasts are in this Sunset Mountain Range."
Zhou Hong immediately took out a map. This map marked the ten most perilous places in the Sunset Mountain Range, each ruled by a powerful demonic beast. Anyone entering the Sunset Mountain Range would carry such a map to avoid venturing into the territories of these ten great demonic beasts.
"Brother Golden Crow, look at this map. These ten red areas are recognized by all humans on the Purple Cloud Continent as the ten most dangerous places. Only those with absolute strength would dare to tread there."
"Very good. Then we shall conquer these ten demonic beast territories. If all these ten demonic beasts submit to you, then this entire Sunset Mountain Range will be your backyard."
"Mhm." Zhou Hong nodded excitedly.
Zhou Hong immediately set off. The closest of the ten demonic beast territories was that of the Black Bear Beast.
Zhou Hong spent a day reaching the Black Bear Beast's territory.
This Black Bear Beast's cultivation had already reached the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm. In the entire Purple Cloud Continent, there were not many beings, whether human or demonic beast, who could reach the Nascent Soul realm.
"Which fearless human dares to trespass into my territory?" As Zhou Hong stepped into the Black Bear Beast's territory, an angry roar suddenly came from the distant forest.
"It's your grandpa, Zhou Hong," Zhou Hong shouted.
A few seconds later, a black bear, ten meters long, surged forward like a hurricane and instantly appeared before Zhou Hong.
Zhou Hong looked at the black bear, ten meters long and seven to eight meters tall, and his body trembled involuntarily. This was a Nascent Soul-level demonic beast. If a human could cultivate to the Nascent Soul realm, they would already be a prominent figure on the Purple Cloud Continent.
"You lowly crawling insect, how dare you be so arrogant in my territory? I think you've lived too long." The Black Bear Beast raised its claw and swiped fiercely at Zhou Hong. If it had hit him, he would have been instantly reduced to a pulp.
However, at this very moment, Zhou Hong's aura suddenly changed, as if he were a god of war.
"Ah!" The Black Bear Beast, which was about to strike, seemed to sense the aura emanating from Zhou Hong, and its hairs stood on end. The claw it had raised remained suspended in mid-air, and it dared not move its body even slightly, as if any movement would result in it being torn apart.
Zhou Hong was unaware that at this moment, an aura of the King of Beasts was emanating from him. This aura naturally came from the Dark Golden Crow.
"Thump." The next second, the Black Bear Beast knelt before Zhou Hong. The ground trembled as its massive body's knees hit the ground.
"What's going on?" Zhou Hong was completely bewildered.
"Greetings, senior. Please spare my life, senior," the Black Bear Beast said, speaking human language.
"Brother Golden Crow, what's happening? I was just thinking of opening my inner world, letting it in, and then having you deal with it," Zhou Hong said hurriedly.
"Your inner world cannot be so cheap, allowing anyone to enter it," the Dark Golden Crow snorted.
"You're right, it really shouldn't be so cheap," Zhou Hong nodded.
"I was merely using your body to emit a tiny bit of the King of Beasts' aura. This little Black Bear Beast, sensing the King of Beasts' aura emanating from you, how could it not tremble in fear?"
"So that's how it is. I didn't expect subduing a middle-stage Nascent Soul Black Bear Beast to be so simple," Zhou Hong laughed, having thought he would have to beat it up.
"Now that this Black Bear Beast has submitted to you, you can say whatever you want to it. Free rein."
"Mhm."
Zhou Hong looked at the Black Bear Beast kneeling before him and said with a smile, "Black Bear Beast, consider yourself fortunate. Otherwise, with a single thought from me, I could turn you into dust."
"Thank you, senior, for not taking my life." The Black Bear Beast quickly kowtowed, seeming to have no doubt about Zhou Hong's words.
"I didn't come here today to kill you. I only wish to rule the entire Sunset Mountain Range and have all ten great demonic cultivators of the Sunset Mountain Range submit to me. Can you achieve this?"
"Replying to senior, it is my honor to submit to you."
"Very good. Then now, take me to the lairs of the other nine demonic beasts in the Sunset Mountain Range."
"Yes."
Zhou Hong immediately climbed onto the Black Bear Beast's shoulder, and the Black Bear Beast quickly carried Zhou Hong towards the territories of the other demonic beasts.
Thus, ten days passed.
Finally, after ten days, Zhou Hong had conquered all ten of the famous great demonic beasts in the Sunset Mountain Range.
Ten days later, Zhou Hong sat in the cave dwelling of one of the demonic beasts, looking at the ten demonic beasts prostrating themselves before him. He smiled slightly. These ten demonic beasts were the ten fierce beasts of the Sunset Mountain Range that Zhou Hong had subdued.
"Everyone, I have no interest in your territories. From now on, you will all return to your respective domains," Zhou Hong said to the ten fierce beasts. Over the past ten days, he had made each one he subdued follow him. By the time he reached the tenth one, he already had ten powerful demonic beasts accompanying him.