**Chapter 22: The Price of a Legendary Beast**
The cultivation requirements of the **Invincible Connate Divine Art** were so strange that it had earned an infamous nickname among cultivators—the **Virgin Divine Art**. Among all Primordial Energy Arts capable of reaching the Epic stage, it was the least practiced, not because of any weakness, but because of how cruelly restrictive its conditions were.
First, the Invincible Connate Divine Art could only be cultivated by men. Women, who made up more than half of humanity, were completely excluded from even attempting it. That alone eliminated an enormous portion of potential practitioners. On top of that came its most notorious condition: the cultivator had to remain a virgin. The moment this requirement was violated, the art would collapse entirely, turning all previous effort into nothing but wasted time.
No matter how powerful the Invincible Connate Divine Art was reputed to be, this single flaw was fatal. To cultivate for years—decades, even—only to have everything rendered useless in an instant was a risk very few were willing to take.
Naturally, most people never even had the opportunity to obtain such an art. It was a rare inheritance, tightly controlled by powerful families. For ordinary cultivators, the question of whether they could maintain its requirements was meaningless—they would never touch it in the first place.
**Vivaan Sharma** wouldn't have been too surprised if someone, somewhere, had successfully cultivated the Invincible Connate Divine Art. The world was vast, after all, and geniuses appeared in every generation. But **Kabir Sinha** was different.
Kabir Sinha was infamous.
He was known as someone who spent his days immersed in pleasure, constantly surrounded by women, living a life of apparent indulgence and excess. Because of that image alone, it was almost impossible to believe that he had not only obtained the Invincible Connate Divine Art, but had actually mastered it.
The contradiction was so absurd that it left Vivaan momentarily stunned.
Kabir Sinha, however, showed no sign of concern. He didn't even spare a glance at the wound slashed across his waist. The muscles around the injury were tightly compressed, suppressing the bleeding so thoroughly that only a faint trace of blood remained.
"Did my second brother send you?" Kabir Sinha asked coldly, his gaze locking onto **Devansh Kapoor**.
Gone was the careless, lecherous smile he usually wore. Gone was the lazy, unserious demeanor he used to deceive everyone around him. In its place was a sharp, penetrating stare—one that carried neither ignorance nor hesitation.
Devansh Kapoor nodded calmly. "At first, I thought it was unnecessary for him to go this far," he said. "But now, seeing you like this, I understand why your second brother is so wary. To remain pure despite constantly surrounding yourself with women… that alone proves your resolve. You're a true genius, Kabir Sinha. If you're allowed to grow, you'll become a thorn he'll never be able to remove."
"Devansh Kapoor, have you lost your mind?" **Yuvraj Chauhan** shouted, clutching the wound on his body. "You're actually helping **Viraj Sinha** kill Brother Kabir? Do you even understand what you're doing? If Brother Kabir dies here, how do you plan to explain this to Godfather? Have you forgotten the kindness he's shown us? He favors Brother Kabir the most—how can you bear to make him grieve?"
Yuvraj's injury was far lighter than Kabir's. But unlike Kabir, he had not cultivated the Invincible Connate Divine Art. The blood he had lost was enough to make his vision blur and his head spin.
Devansh Kapoor didn't even look at him.
He tightened his grip on his dagger, his eyes never leaving Kabir Sinha. The way he stared was no different from a starving wolf locking onto prey it had already decided to kill.
Yuvraj opened his mouth again, but Kabir raised a hand, stopping him.
Kabir Sinha's voice was calm, almost detached. "Since I was young, I've never fought my brother for anything. To prevent him from suspecting me, I deliberately acted frivolous. I drowned myself in pleasure, ignored family affairs, and made myself look useless. I wanted him to believe I posed no threat."
He paused, his eyes darkening.
"But even then, he refuses to let me live."
"Two tigers can't share the same mountain," Devansh Kapoor replied. "A family can't have two leaders. If there's anything to blame, it's that you only pretended to be a pig instead of actually becoming one. If you had truly been useless, none of this would have been necessary."
Kabir Sinha let out a low, humorless laugh. "Devansh Kapoor… do you really believe you can kill me?"
"By telling you all this," Devansh said coldly, "I've already shown my determination."
As he spoke, he tore off his left sleeve.
A spiraling blue-green tattoo covered nearly his entire arm—a coiled snake, its form intricate and lifelike.
The tattoo shimmered as though alive. A demonic green-blue glow pulsed across it, and in the next instant, scales emerged from his skin. They wrapped around his arm and hand, transforming them into something monstrous—a venomous serpent made of flesh and Primordial Energy, radiating an eerie, oppressive aura.
"Explosive Scaled Snake… a Legendary-stage Companion Beast…" Yuvraj Chauhan whispered, horror written across his face. "Impossible… you're only at the Mortal stage. How could you incubate a Legendary Companion Beast? Don't tell me you've already advanced to the Legendary stage? Reaching that realm at sixteen… that's impossible!"
Devansh Kapoor shook his head slightly. "I haven't advanced. I'm simply capable of using it."
"That's impossible!" Yuvraj shouted. "The Primordial Energy required by the Explosive Scaled Snake would drain a Mortal-stage cultivator dry. There's no way you could incubate it!"
Kabir Sinha snorted. "My brother really went all out to kill me. There's only one way to possess a Legendary Companion Beast at the Mortal stage without incubating it yourself."
His gaze sharpened.
"You let a Legendary-stage expert forcibly transfer their Companion Beast to you—even if it costs them their life."
Devansh Kapoor's lips curled into a faint smile. "You really are smart."
Then his expression turned cold.
"Unfortunately, you still have to die."
He lunged forward.
His snake-like arm slashed downward, jade dagger flashing with deadly light. The speed was terrifying—so fast that it seemed to vanish from sight, transforming into a streak of green-blue radiance aimed straight at Kabir Sinha's neck.
The strike was faster even than the Skeleton General's spear.
Vivaan Sharma's heart clenched. For a brief instant, he was certain Kabir Sinha was dead.
*Clang.*
The sound rang sharply through the air.
Kabir Sinha had caught the dagger.
His hand—no, most of his body—was now enveloped in black iron armor, heavy and imposing, radiating ancient authority.
"Black Knight," Devansh Kapoor said grimly. "A Legendary-stage Companion Beast… so you used the same method. No wonder you weren't afraid."
"You're wrong," Kabir replied calmly. "I didn't sacrifice anyone. And I didn't need to."
He tightened his grip.
The jade dagger snapped in half.
Devansh Kapoor retreated rapidly, clutching the broken hilt, shock flashing across his face.
"The Invincible Connate Divine Art possesses the greatest Primordial Energy reserves among all arts," Kabir Sinha said as he advanced step by step. "Even at the Mortal stage, I can incubate a weaker Legendary Companion Beast—though it comes with risk. But it's more than enough to deal with your Explosive Scaled Snake."
Devansh Kapoor's eyes darkened. "No wonder Viraj Sinha sees you as a threat. Your talent is terrifying."
Without another word, he turned and fled deep into the Ancient City.
Kabir Sinha didn't hesitate for even a second. He immediately gave chase.
"Don't pursue him!" Vivaan Sharma shouted when he realized Devansh was fleeing toward the Skeleton General's territory.
But Kabir Sinha had already vanished around the corner, his strides firm and resolute.
Both men possessed speed values nearing eight or nine. Vivaan couldn't catch up. Moments later, they disappeared from sight entirely.
Vivaan slowed to a stop.
Behind him, Yuvraj Chauhan quickly treated the wound on his neck before rushing forward.
"What are you waiting for?" Yuvraj yelled. "Why aren't you helping Brother Kabir?"
Vivaan Sharma lowered his gaze to the phone in his hand and calmly launched the **Ancient Imperial City** dungeon.
Then he looked up and replied simply:
"After you."