Chapter 812: Golden Crow Hatching
The Golden Crow Clan.
Even within the Sacred Continent, they were an extremely renowned divine beast race.
Born from the great sun, they were the favored children of fire, naturally wielding the True Sunfire, capable of incinerating all things. Even across the entire world, they ranked among the most powerful divine beasts.
Of course…
When Ling Zhan originally purchased this egg, it was merely to study the Demon Arrival Organization's methods, not to add another contract-bound divine beast to his roster.
Furthermore, at that time, this Golden Crow Egg was considered un-hatchable.
Although it had a designated incubation period, the Demon Arrival Organization had tried countless methods, yet none could accelerate its hatching process.
Naturally, Ling Zhan hadn't found a way either.
He had never expected that once the incubation period was reached, the egg would start to hatch so naturally.
At this moment.
The Golden Crow Egg on the table wobbled back and forth, clearly indicating that the little creature inside had already gained life and was trying to break free.
"Gawu!"
Just then, the Dark Holy Dragon—whom he had already contracted—emerged from the beast companion space, having sensed the presence of another divine beast's life force.
Upon seeing the shaking Golden Crow Egg, it curiously crouched nearby, its obsidian-like dragon eyes fixated on the egg with fascination.
Crack!!
With persistent effort, the small Golden Crow finally broke through the tough eggshell, revealing a tiny, adorable head.
Atop its head, two long golden feathered crests stood erect, its body gleamed in pure gold, and its eyes burned a fiery red. The moment it broke out of its shell, the room's temperature instantly surged.
Ling Zhan casually raised a hand, instantly forming a frost magic array that effortlessly suppressed the little creature's blazing divine presence.
At this moment.
The small Golden Crow ignored the curious gaze of the Dark Holy Dragon beside it and instead locked its fiery red eyes on the human standing before it.
Ling Zhan met its gaze with a calm expression.
A full three seconds passed.
"Mii!!"
The small Golden Crow finally let out a soft cry.
Its voice was delicate and childish.
It was displaying a clear sense of attachment toward Ling Zhan.
Evidently.
This little Golden Crow was no different from the Dark Holy Dragon when it was first born.
It had instinctively regarded Ling Zhan as its father.
This was completely normal.
No matter what kind of divine beast it was, their minds at birth were no different from human infants.
They lacked subjective awareness and would instinctively regard the first living being they saw as their closest presence.
Soon, the little Golden Crow fully emerged from its eggshell, revealing its entire body.
Its feathers were golden all over, and its long, radiant tail feathers shimmered with golden brilliance.
However, being freshly hatched, the little creature looked chubby, resembling a tiny golden chick rather than a majestic divine beast.
But Ling Zhan immediately noticed something unusual.
Some of the radiant golden feathers on its tail were black.
This wasn't a mere coloration change but rather a mutation caused by the Demon Arrival Organization's previous experiments on the Golden Crow Egg. Its bloodline had been altered, affecting even the symbolic golden feathers of the Golden Crow.
Furthermore…
As someone with the bloodline of the Lord of Ten Thousand Demons, Ling Zhan could clearly sense the familiar aura of demGhostc energy from the little Golden Crow.
Likewise, the little creature also sensed a familiar aura from Ling Zhan, which was why it felt an instinctive attachment to him.
Now.
The small Golden Crow flapped its tiny wings after emerging from its eggshell and burrowed into Ling Zhan's embrace.
Then, it let out a contented chirp, "Mii!"
Since they had no contract, Ling Zhan couldn't understand what the little one was trying to express.
However, the Dark Holy Dragon beside him seemed to get jealous.
"Gawu!"
It let out a cry before squeezing into Ling Zhan's embrace as well.
"Mii!"
Despite being level 1 like the Dark Holy Dragon, the small Golden Crow showed no fear and pecked at the dragon's head.
The Dark Holy Dragon wasn't willing to back down either and responded with a headbutt.
"Gawu!" (This is my master! Not yours! Move aside!)
The Dark Holy Dragon let out an adorably fierce declaration of ownership.
A surge of dark energy began to spread from its body.
"Mii!"
The small Golden Crow responded with an equally fierce chirp, refusing to back down.
A scorching fiery aura slowly seeped from its body.
"Alright! Stop fighting, you two!"
Ling Zhan sighed helplessly.
He promptly picked up both the small Golden Crow and the little dragon, placing them on either side of him.
Some might find this statement dramatic—
But Ling Zhan honestly didn't like contracting too many divine beasts.
To put it bluntly, contracted beasts did nothing to enhance his combat power.
Looking at Ling Zhan's growth history, it was evident that even Yun Man, Meng Shuang, and Chang Yue—three powerful divine beast princesses—hadn't contributed much to his strength.
Since that was the case, Ling Zhan felt that contracting divine beasts wasn't a necessity for him.
Most career-changers dreamed of contracting a powerful divine beast because they wanted a reliable battle partner they could entrust their back to.
But Ling Zhan didn't need that.
Moreover…
He had to take care of contracted beasts.
Which was a bit of a hassle.
If other career-changers heard Ling Zhan's thoughts, they would definitely curse him for being ungrateful.
"We dream of contracting a divine beast, and here you are, acting like it's a burden!?"
But since the little one had already hatched—
Ling Zhan had no intention of foolishly giving away a divine beast in his hands.
What else could he do?
Contract it, of course.
From now on, he would try to avoid getting involved with divine beasts.
If he ever came across another divine beast egg, he'd best leave it alone.
Otherwise, he'd end up being a babysitter again.
Without further thought.
He cast a Beast Taming Spell at the small Golden Crow.
It was worth noting that both the Dark Holy Dragon and the small Golden Crow were contracted using 'Beast Taming Spell.'
Whereas Yun Man, Chang Yue, and Meng Shuang had been contracted through a 'Collaborative Pact,' similar to how other career-changers formed contracts.
The difference between the two was significant.
To put it simply.
A 'Beast Taming Spell' contract was a 'Master-Servant Contract.'
Under this contract, no matter what command Ling Zhan issued, the beast had to obey unconditionally.
Even if Ling Zhan ordered them to self-destruct, they would execute it without hesitation.
Meanwhile, a 'Collaborative Pact' was more like an 'Ally Contract.'
It established an equal battle partnership with the divine beast.
The divine beast had the right to refuse the career-changer's commands.
Career-changers who weren't beast tamers could only use 'Collaborative Pacts' to form contracts with divine beasts.
Of course, if they possessed high-tier contract artifacts, such as the 'Soul Contract Scroll,' and if a divine beast was willing to sign it, then their commands would become absolute.