Soul Land 5: The Rebirth of Tang San

Chapter 350: Establishing the Blood Pact

The Lion-Tiger Clan elder hesitated momentarily, and he was just about to say something when Tang San continued, "But before I take you there and before we proceed with your bloodline fusion, we must establish a contract. We must sign a blood pact to ensure mutual trust."

Hearing this, the Lion-Tiger Clan elder actually breathed a sigh of relief. A blood pact was the highest level of agreement on the Daemon Continent. Once established, not even a Demon Emperor could break it without suffering a fatal backlash from their bloodline.

"Alright, I will represent the Lion-Tiger clan to establish a contract with you."

The facts were right in front of him: the bloodline power within the female Lion-Tiger had been indeed fully fused. The Lion-Tiger Clan elder felt its potency even more clearly than the Lion-Tiger Sword Saint. The fused energy was far superior to the original Lion-Tiger bloodline; it contained immense power and it might well truly be a first-tier bloodline. This temptation was too great to resist. Moreover, solving the continuity issue of the Lion-Tiger Clan was crucial.

In fact, with only around two hundred Lion-Tigers left, the clan was on the brink of extinction or could be wiped out at any moment. A lifeline had finally appeared, and despite the elder's inner doubts, he had no choice but to grasp it.

Tang San had asked about the number of remaining Lion-Tigers earlier to make this judgment. Therefore, when he communicated with the Lion-Tiger Clan elder, he was very direct, knowing for a fact that the elder had no other choice.

Establishing a blood pact was not a simple matter.

Tang San followed the Lion-Tiger Clan elder to the village's central altar. The Lion-Tiger clan was one of the few demon clans that did not worship their ancestors. They believed they had been forsaken by their lion and tiger demon ancestors, and cursed by their bloodlines. Therefore, they only worshiped the heavens.

The altar was very simple, made up of many piled-up beast bones. Tang San carefully observed it and, fortunately, did not find any human bones. Otherwise, he would’ve had to rethink signing a pact with the Lion-Tigers..

The Lion-Tiger clan, indeed, did not eat humans. The reason was quite simple: human flesh and blood were too weak in life force to serve as their food.

The Lion-Tiger Clan elder used his sharp claw to cut his left forelimb, letting the blood flow into the altar. "I, Sky Cat of the Lion-Tiger Clan, hereby establish a blood pact with Asura of the human clan today."

"I, Asura of the human clan, hereby establish a blood pact with Sky Cat of the Lion-Tiger Clan today," Tang San said in a deep voice, imitating the elder’s action.

Sky Cat elder continued, "Today, Asura solves the bloodline conflict problem for our clan. We, the Lion-Tiger Clan, will become allies with him, helping each other and forming an eternal bond. Should Asura need anything, we will protect and fight for him with all our might, never betraying him. In return, Asura must thoroughly resolve our bloodline conflict, becoming a true ally of our clan, never to betray us. We establish this blood pact, witnessed by our bloodlines and the heavens."

Tang San repeated the elder's words.

Under the guidance of their spiritual powers, the two different bloodlines slowly merged, causing a misty blood light to rise from the altar.

The names were not significant. Even if Tang San used the name Asura, he could not break the promise, as his own blood witnessed it.

The blood light slowly merged into their bodies, forming a contract imprint.

Tang San instinctively glanced toward the distant Kali City. Mei Gongzi, are you well? I've prepared another gift for you.

The blood pact was established. From that moment on, they were true allies.

Then, Elder Sky Cat told Tang San about the village. As it turned out, the state of the Lion-Tiger clan was beyond pitiful.

In total, the clan had 232 members. Over sixty percent were old, weak, or disabled. Only about seventy could be called warriors, including both males and females.

The Lion-Tiger Sword Saint was the strongest among them. His earnings from the Great Beast Fighting Arena sustained the clan.

But now, survival was becoming increasingly difficult because the bloodline conflict remained unresolved, and the number of clansmen steadily decreased. If Tang San had not arrived, Big Cat's wife, Little Cat, would likely have perished.

Tang San first had Elder Sky Cat assess the current situation within the clan. He identified those who needed immediate treatment and were on the brink of death, prioritizing those with close blood relatives. If there were no blood relatives, he sought out those with the closest bloodlines to have them donate. As long as a clan member was still alive, then they could be brought back even from the brink of death.

An interesting point about the Lion-Tiger clan was that they did not recognize themselves as part of either the lion or the tiger races. But since both lions and tigers belonged to the feline family, they called themselves "Cat." They harbored deep hatred towards both the lion and the tiger races. It was because of the rejection by these two races that they had reached the brink of extinction. Otherwise, with the resources of the two powerful races, they wouldn't have fallen to their current state.

Tang San focused on solving critical patient issues in the following half month. He found that although the Lion-Tiger clan had inherent bloodline conflicts, their bloodlines were very similar. This was also due to their small numbers, which often resulted in offspring from close relatives. In the end, he managed to save all twenty-some critically ill patients.

The blood pact was just an agreement that could bind both parties. Yet Tang San’s actions were a priceless favor to every family of the Lion-Tiger clan. The fact that he was a human did not impede him in the slightest from gaining the recognition and gratitude of the entire clan. In the words of the Lion-Tiger Sword Saint, Big Cat, he was the true benefactor of the Lion-Tiger clan.

During this period, Tang San took Sky Cat and Big Cat to Golden Valley, allowing them to experience the life energy within personally. Naturally, this left both of them in awe.

However, Sky Cat decided not to rush the entire clan's relocation for a simple reason. Although the two powerful races rejected them, strong members from those races frequently monitored them. Suddenly disappearing would easily arouse suspicion.

After discussing, Sky Cat decided to send those clansmen who had already been treated and had their bloodlines successfully fused to Golden Valley. This was to prevent the discovery that they could now fuse their bloodlines and because the rich life energy in Golden Valley would greatly aid their recovery.

Night fell.

Tang San was ready to leave. However, since his residence in Kali City was constantly under surveillance, he needed to return regularly to show his presence.

The Lion-Tiger Sword Saint, Big Cat, escorted him to the teleportation array at the mountaintop. Today, he seemed unusually quiet.

Tang San said, "What's wrong? Little Cat is recovering well, don't worry."

"Yes, I know. She told me that although her cultivation has greatly decreased, she is recovering quickly. In at most six months, she can return to her previous level. Moreover, her bloodline power has become much stronger after the fusion. We are all very grateful to you. If it weren't for you, I would have lost my wife."

Tang San smiled. "Then why do you still seem hesitant?"

Big Cat smiled wryly. "I've been thinking these past few days. Actually, I—"

"I know what you're thinking. I'm about to go to the Ancestral Court. You want to come with me to protect me. But you also envy your companions and you want to undergo bloodline fusion as soon as possible, right?"

Big Cat's face turned red as he scratched his head. "Yes! That's exactly what I'm thinking."

Tang San said, "Tomorrow, I'll help you with the transformation. Then, you can stay in Golden Valley with Little Cat and recover your cultivation as soon as possible. I don't know how long this trip will take, and your situation can no longer be delayed."