Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off

Chapter 646: The Upper Domain

The Upper Domain.Deep beneath a mountain that no longer appeared on any map, an ancient dungeon sat buried within endless darkness. There was no light, no sound, and no life. The darkness was so thick that even breathing felt difficult, as though the air itself had become part of the suffocating void.

Yet within that darkness, a pair of emerald eyes slowly opened.

They glowed faintly, cold and emotionless, like a beast staring at its prey. No...perhaps even that comparison was wrong. Beasts still possessed emotions. The owner of those eyes did not.

Teng Siyan knelt upon the cold floor, his entire body trembling uncontrollably. Blood dripped steadily from his neck where the Beast Suppressant Lock wrapped around his throat. Every breath felt as though he were swallowing shards of broken glass.

Yet none of that frightened him.

The thing that truly terrified him was the person sitting before him.

Xuan Long sat upon the black throne as though he had always belonged there. A spotless white robe draped over his body, pure and immaculate. It should have looked holy. Instead, it only made him appear more terrifying.

Like a demon pretending to be a god.

Teng Siyan’s lips trembled as he forced the words out.

"X-Xuan Long..."

The emerald eyes slowly shifted toward him.

Instantly, Teng Siyan felt as though an enormous mountain had crashed down onto his shoulders. His body lowered involuntarily under the pressure.

"I’m your uncle."

His voice cracked as he spoke.

"You can’t kill me. The clan rules forbid it."

Silence answered him. The darkness swallowed his words whole.

Suddenly a low laugh echoed through the dungeon. It was not loud or mocking. It was the sort of laugh someone might make after hearing something utterly absurd.

Xuan Long lowered his gaze toward him.

"Uncle?"

His voice was soft.

The corners of his lips lifted slightly.

"Interesting."

As he leaned forward, Teng Siyan felt a chill crawl through his entire body. For some reason, that simple movement frightened him more than anything else.

"You speak as though you’ve ever acted like one."

The faint smile vanished.

"So tell me."

"When exactly were you my uncle?"

Teng Siyan froze.

Slowly, Xuan Long rose from the throne. His white robe brushed across the floor as he walked.

Every footstep sounded like a death sentence.

Only then did Teng Siyan realize something horrifying. He could not sense any aura from Xuan Long.

Standing before him did not feel like standing before a person. It felt like standing before an abyss.

No matter how hard he looked, he could not see the bottom.

Xuan Long stopped directly before him and then crouched down. Their eyes met.

For the first time, Teng Siyan truly saw what was hidden within those emerald eyes.

It was nothing...

It was as though Teng Siyan’s existence held no value whatsoever. As though he was not even worthy of being hated. That realization shattered something inside him.

"Do you know what I hate most?" Xuan Long asked quietly.

Teng Siyan could not answer. His body had already gone numb.

"I hate hearing clan rules."

The smile returned. A beautiful and terrifying smile.

"Every parasite in the Teng Clan hides behind those words."

As he spoke, his fingers lightly touched the Beast Suppressant Lock.

The next second...

CRACK!

Teng Siyan’s scream tore through the dungeon.

The lock suddenly tightened around his neck. Every bone in his body felt as though it were being crushed into powder. Veins bulged across his skin as blood poured from his mouth.

He collapsed onto the floor and began thrashing wildly.

"Aaaaah!"

His screams echoed endlessly through the darkness.

Xuan Long simply watched. His expression never changed. Like someone observing an insect struggling after losing a leg.

Minutes passed.

Teng Siyan’s voice gradually became hoarse, weak, and broken.

Yet the torture never stopped. The Beast Suppressant Lock continued tightening.

Again.

And again.

Teng Siyan desperately wanted to faint. He wanted nothing more than to escape into unconsciousness.

But he could not. Every time darkness approached, another wave of agony dragged him back.

Xuan Long possessed complete control.

At that moment, Teng Siyan finally understood.

Death was not the punishment.

Death was mercy.

And Xuan Long had no intention of being merciful. The realization nearly broke him.

"Xuan Long..."

He cried out. The proud elder of the Teng Clan wept like a frightened child.

"Please..."

"Please..."

The emerald eyes stared down at him.

For a brief moment, Teng Siyan thought he saw pity within them. Then he realized he was wrong. It was not pity but disappointment.

As though Xuan Long had expected more from him.

How ridiculous.

How terrifying.

Without warning, Xuan Long stepped forward. His foot came down onto Teng Siyan’s face.

The force shattered the stone floor beneath him.

Teng Siyan’s jaw broke instantly. Blood spread across the ground.

Yet Xuan Long did not move his foot. He simply stood there, looking down at him.

The same way someone might watch a dying insect.

"Do you know what’s amusing?"

His voice echoed softly through the dungeon.

"You used this lock on a cub."

Teng Siyan’s pupils shrank violently.

"You knew exactly what it did."

The pressure increased. More bones cracked. Teng Siyan’s vision blurred.

"And yet you expected mercy from me."

For the first time, a trace of emotion appeared within those emerald eyes. It was not anger but hatred, pure disgust.

A colder fear settled over Teng Siyan than anything he had experienced before. Because he suddenly realized the truth.

This was not revenge. If it were revenge, Xuan Long would at least care.

But he did not. To Xuan Long, Teng Siyan was already less than human. The man had been judged long ago. This was merely the execution.

Hours later, Teng Siyan no longer possessed the strength to scream. His body lay motionless upon the floor while his consciousness drifted in and out.

Before darkness finally consumed him, a single thought surfaced within his mind.

Xuan Long was not a demon. Demons still enjoyed cruelty. Demons still possessed desires. The man before him possessed neither.

He was worse.

Then Teng Siyan lost consciousness. Silence returned to the dungeon.

From the darkness, a subordinate emerged and knelt respectfully.

"Master."

A silver tray was offered forward. Upon it rested a clean white cloth.

Xuan Long accepted it calmly and wiped the blood from his fingers, as casually as someone brushing dust from their hands.

When he finished, he tossed the stained cloth aside.

Without sparing Teng Siyan another glance, he turned and walked away. His white robe slowly disappeared into the darkness.

Only a single sentence remained behind. Without the slightest trace of emotion.

"Keep him alive."

The subordinate immediately lowered his head.

"Yes, Master."