Chapter 37

New dragon scales appeared on Xiaohai's chest, bringing the total to eighteen.

What were the dragon scales for? Xiaohai still didn't know. The only thing he was certain of was that the power of the Dragon Spirit Pearl had finally reached the second level:

The Control Pearl!

The Control Pearl would grant him the speed of a leopard, the strength of a bear, and the agility of a rabbit. Moreover, he could command medium-level animals in nature and certain specific birds without engaging in combat. Even more astonishingly, he could use the power of the Control Pearl to accelerate the growth of animals and birds, and promote their reproduction.

For example, if he could find a female thylacine at this moment, Xiaohai had the ability to make the two thylacines reproduce and produce more offspring. This power was truly unimaginable.

The key to unlocking the essence of the Snake Queen, which he had been searching for so desperately, was found unintentionally. Not only that, but it also allowed the essence of the Snake Queen, the essence of the Great Unicorn Rhino, and the spiritual energy of the jade to mix, forming another powerful energy that easily broke through the Governor Vessel.

According to Xiaohai's parents, the Dragon Spirit Pearl had nine levels, but they only knew the special abilities of the first three levels. As for how powerful Xiaohai would become in the later levels, they were also unsure.

However, even with the current abilities, Xiaohai was already immensely benefited.

A stream of spiritual energy was infused into the Great Unicorn Rhino's body. The massive creature, which had exhausted its essence, shakily stood up and stood before Xiaohai, as obedient as a schoolboy who had been scolded by his teacher.

Now, he could finally establish a peaceful mental connection with the Great Unicorn Rhino.

Upon further inquiry, it turned out that the Great Unicorn Rhino had a reason for its madness.

The family of the Great Unicorn Rhino, due to the cooling of the Earth's climate and the destruction of their habitat by humans, was forced to migrate over long distances, eventually finding Lake Yananxi, which might be their last paradise.

Centuries had passed, and because the Great Unicorn Rhino could only give birth to one offspring every two years with a very low survival rate, the number of family members gradually decreased.

Finally, the last companion of the Great Unicorn Rhino also left, leaving it with no friends in the primeval forest.

Lonely, it wandered around. Not long ago, it encountered a terrifying python. Although it managed to escape in time, it was still affected by the python's poisonous gas, which made it go mad.

The Great Unicorn Rhino had a natural instinct to find grasslands in nature to heal its ailments. Despite this, a faint consciousness guided it to the entrance of the thylacine cave, telling it that there was something inside that could heal it.

A battle thus erupted.

The Snake Queen! Xiaohai immediately thought of the python as the Snake Queen. Apart from the Snake Queen, what other animal could harm such a massive creature like the Great Unicorn Rhino?

It seemed that the Great Unicorn Rhino had already recovered. Not only had he absorbed all of its essence, but he had also absorbed all the toxins in its body.

This toxin could harm animals, but for Xiaohai, who possessed both the Dragon Spirit Pearl and the essence of the Snake Queen, it was nothing.

The last thylacine, the last Great Unicorn Rhino...

Xiaohai didn't know whether he was lucky or unlucky. It was fortunate to be able to witness these extinct animals with his own eyes, but unfortunate that they had no companions.

Sighing, Xiaohai brought the Great Unicorn Rhino back to the thylacine cave.

The wolf pack immediately growled upon seeing their enemy, quickly surrounding the Great Unicorn Rhino.

The battle with the Great Unicorn Rhino was a disgrace for the wolf pack. Their usual pack tactics, which were usually effective, had resulted in over a dozen injuries.

Xiaosen was particularly angry. This was his first battle as the leader of the wolf pack, and he had been thoroughly defeated by a usually gentle and honest rhinoceros. Where was his face now?

If his status in the king's eyes were to be lowered, it would be even worse.

The thylacine was also dissatisfied. As the lion general, he couldn't even defeat a rhinoceros! If his essence hadn't been depleted, a few rhinoceroses wouldn't be a match for him.

Xiaohai understood what his subordinates were thinking. He smiled, explained the Great Unicorn Rhino's injuries, and announced that it would be assigned to the vanguard, under the command of Xiaosen, the leader of the wolf vanguard.

Animals are animals, and with this arrangement, both the wolf pack and the thylacine were overjoyed.

Think about it, having a powerful rhinoceros like the Great Unicorn Rhino in the vanguard would be incredibly advantageous for future battles. Xiaosen, in particular, was thrilled. Have you ever seen a wolf that could command a rhinoceros?

He was the first in the world!

He was bringing glory to the wolf ancestors, bringing glory...

The thylacine was also secretly pleased. The wolf pack was his subordinate, so the Great Unicorn Rhino, being a subordinate of the wolf pack, would still have to listen to him.

The Great Unicorn Rhino didn't care about being a subordinate and didn't understand what it meant. However, being used to loneliness, it was excited to suddenly have so many "companions."

After calming his subordinates, Xiaohai thought about his long absence from the primeval forest. After defeating the Snake Queen, he hadn't formally bid farewell to them. This time, he would do so.

He carefully instructed his subordinates on what to do in his absence and arranged for the sparrow army to act as messengers between them. If anything happened, they were to communicate immediately.

He had originally thought of leaving them a cell phone, but he only had one, and charging it would be a big problem. He decided to wait until his next visit.

The animals already knew that the king would be away for a long time and were somewhat reluctant to see him go. They were very grateful to the king. Without him, they would still be fighting alone, without any spiritual intelligence.

They had to follow the king's instructions and practice diligently. When the king returned, they would show him their progress, and perhaps he would reward them greatly.

As they were talking, the Turtle Spirit slowly crawled out of the cave, pleading with the king to take him along. He said he had longed for human life and begged the king to take him to see the world.

Xiaohai thought about it and decided that taking a turtle wouldn't be a problem, so he agreed.

After parting with his subordinates, he didn't leave the primeval forest immediately. He had already thought about setting up a farm, but the funding was a huge issue.

Fortunately, he still had a massive treasure hidden in the forest, and he decided to use part of it in advance.

Returning to the cave where the Snake Queen lived, the guarding python and several venomous snakes appeared, scaring the Turtle Spirit half to death. Fortunately, it seemed that these venomous snakes were also the king's subordinates.

When he asked about the situation, everything was calm. Only some foolish mice and rabbits occasionally came to the cave, becoming the python's meals.

Entering the deepest treasure chamber, he selected two valuable items and two gold bars, thinking it was enough, and then resealed the chest.

The python had been waiting outside. Seeing the king finish his business, it hurriedly asked, "King, what should we do with the Snake Queen's body?"

Xiaohai was taken aback, then remembered that although he had killed the Snake Queen, he hadn't dealt with its body. He thought for a moment, then walked out of the cave to the site of the battle.

Although the Snake Queen had been dead for a few days, its body showed no signs of decay.

Xiaohai had an idea. The snake gallbladder was a valuable item, especially from a Snake Queen that had lived for hundreds of years. It might be extremely precious and useful in the future.

Finding the straight-backed knife he had discarded there, he retrieved the snake gallbladder, which, despite his immense strength, made him sweat profusely.

The snake gallbladder was not as large as Xiaohai had imagined, but it was green and appeared to be crystal clear.

Once the snake gallbladder was removed, the Snake Queen's body began to rot immediately. It would likely be completely covered by the ground soon.

Xiaohai was curious. Could the snake gallbladder be the reason the Snake Queen's body didn't decay, apart from the climate of the primeval forest?

What would happen if a human ate it?

Unfortunately, Xiaohai didn't want to take the risk. If it had any side effects, it would be counterproductive.

He carefully placed the snake gallbladder in his backpack, instructed the python to return with its subordinates, and left the forest with the Turtle Spirit and Xiaoqi.

The journey back was different. The second level of the Dragon Spirit Pearl had been unlocked, and Xiaohai was eager to test its effects.

On the way, he encountered an owl. He sent out a stream of spiritual energy, and the owl immediately flew to Xiaohai and said, "Greetings, King!"

Ah ha! Xiaohai was delighted. Owls were much more useful than sparrows, and he could now easily command them to serve him.

He wanted to test other effects and found a jungle eagle perched on an ancient tree. He sent out his consciousness, but the jungle eagle just flew away, ignoring Xiaohai's command.

It seemed that to control higher-level birds, he would need to continue cultivating the power of the Dragon Spirit Pearl.

He continued testing along the way, taming several owls and woodpeckers. As they neared the edge of the primeval forest, he stopped.

He was indeed powerful. Xiaohai suddenly thought of a phrase:

"King, put away your powers!"

Xiaohai almost laughed out loud. This was what the gods in "Journey to the West" said to Sun Wukong. One day, would someone or an animal say to him:

"King Xiaohai, put away your powers!"

Yes, that would be quite amusing.