Chapter 1279: The Secret of the Tiger King

"You're telling me such a thing is possible? Are you just making this up to trick us because you're afraid to die?"

The young white tiger stroked his chin suspiciously, asking a rhetorical question with a demeanor that belied his age.

Given the three-headed hound leader's current appearance, it was truly unimaginable that he would still have the audacity to deceive Xu Yang and the others.

More than half of his tribe had been killed, and hound corpses lay everywhere, to the point where it could be described as a river of blood. How could he possibly dare to deceive Xu Yang and the others now? There would be no point in doing so.

"If you believe me and grant me this opportunity, I can accompany you to the Tiger King clan's headquarters and expose their true intentions face-to-face! To my knowledge, among the three main leaders of the Tiger King, the second and third leaders are already conspiring to usurp power, excluding the true Tiger King. I have evidence!"

As he spoke, the three-headed hound leader led Xu Yang's team directly into a stone cave on the back mountain of the three-headed hound headquarters. This was the leader's private secret dwelling, which he had built himself. Normally, no one was permitted to enter except him, not even his own sons.

Upon entering the cave, everyone saw a pale yellow seal in the deepest part of the secret chamber. It was a memory imprint that the three-headed hound had once sealed within one of its own heads!

After the seal was broken, a brilliant golden light quickly enveloped the mental worlds of everyone in Xu Yang's team, and the specific contents clearly emerged.

The memory core revealed that the last time the three-headed hound visited the Tiger King headquarters for a pilgrimage and tribute, he inadvertently witnessed the second and third leaders secretly assembling a team of tiger warriors. They were doing this behind the back of the great leader, Tiger King, and moving them to a secret hidden space in an outer district.

Out of pure curiosity, the three-headed hound leader had followed them that day, which led him to discover the secret base of the Second and Third Kings. This base contained all the cultivation resources they had secretly gathered over recent years, intending to break through their bottlenecks quickly, overthrow the Tiger King's long-standing absolute rule, and become new members worthy of a place among the Ten Kings.

Undoubtedly, this mental imprint perfectly confirmed that the three-headed hound leader had not lied to Xu Yang and the others about this matter.

"Alright, even if what you're saying is true, the Second King and Third King are both extremely powerful, second only to the Tiger King himself. Logically, they shouldn't need to take such a risk!"

The three-headed hound sighed helplessly: "You are not native to the Far North Wilderness, so you don't fully grasp that attaining the rank of a Ten King is far more than just acquiring supreme spiritual glory.

Every royal leader who is granted the rank of a Ten King is invited by the Beast Emperor clan to personally visit the headquarters of the Sacred Ancient Elephant clan to undergo the baptism of their legacy.

It is said that this baptism is a process of impartation, which grants the Ten King an unparalleled boost in combat power, a qualitative leap! However, after completing the baptism and leaving the Sacred Ancient Elephant Imperial clan's territory, all memories from that period are permanently sealed deep within the Ten King's soul.

Should the Ten King leader inadvertently reveal any of these imperial memories, their soul will be instantly annihilated."

Hearing this, Xu Yang instinctively furrowed his brows: "I've heard that in the Far North Wilderness, there's a powerful contractual method specifically for beast races. It can bind soul memories with the power of an oath, and if the bound party betrays that oath, they suffer severe soul punishment. It appears this is the price the Ten Kings must pay for the imperial legacy."

Everyone nodded in agreement: "It seems the Beast Emperor clan is highly skilled in control! Through such means, they can forever keep these powerful Ten Kings firmly in their grasp. No matter how strong they become, they will never be able to escape their control!"

Talia seemed to realize something, looking at Xu Yang with a worried expression: "If what he says is true, and the secret of the Holy Beast's Heart happens to be part of the Tiger King's bound memories, then how will you be able to successfully acquire that secret?"

Xu Yang gently stroked Talia's long hair, responding with a light chuckle: "You don't need to worry about that. I have my own way of handling it."

Upon hearing Xu Yang's assurance, everyone felt relieved.

"It's not difficult to survive. From now on, show your sincerity, and we will let the matter of the Pufferfish clan go. But if you dare to play tricks with us again, you should know the consequences: not only will you be destroyed, but every remaining member of the three-headed hellhound clan will be annihilated!"

Xu Yang unleashed his cold and decisive demeanor, completely subduing the three-headed hellhound leader before him, who could only nod submissively in fear.

"Rest assured, sirs, even if I had a hundred times the courage, I would never dare oppose you again! Once I have settled matters within my clan, I will accompany you to the Tiger King clan's headquarters. And as a gesture of sincerity, I can pledge the allegiance of the three-headed hound clan to Queen Talia of the Naga clan, which would make the conquest of the Scorpion clan seem less abrupt."

Everyone was quite satisfied with this suddenly insightful individual. With such a cooperative attitude, Xu Yang and the others were unlikely to press him further.

The three-headed hound warriors who had perished could be seen as atonement for his past mistakes. Now, all past grievances were wiped clean; there was no need to dwell on them. They all needed to look to the future.

The three-headed hound leader departed temporarily, and Xu Yang and the others brought the pufferfish warriors before the team.

"Well? We have helped you achieve your revenge. From now on, the Pufferfish clan will be under the protection and command of Queen Talia of the Naga clan. Take this token immediately and return to your people. Lead the remaining Pufferfish tribesmen to the Black Panther clan's jungle territory to begin a new life there. They will surely accept you when they see this token!"

Upon receiving these instructions, the elder warrior of the Pufferfish clan was overcome with gratitude, bowing deeply to Xu Yang and the others in thanks before quickly disappearing from their sight.

With all matters concluded, the three-headed hound leader formally began the journey with Xu Yang and the others.

Crossing the border of the Misty Swamp meant entering the Tiger King clan's territory, although their center of power was still some distance away.

And precisely because of this, Xu Yang's team indeed discovered a problem: at the very edge of the Tiger King's territory, nearly all the tiger clan powerhouses they encountered were black and white tigers, whose fur colors perfectly matched those of the Second and Third Kings!