Chapter 28: The Domain of God

"Kept you waiting, did I?"

Meng Fan shook his head, handed Zhong Ling some store-bought cakes, and said, "Here, these are treats I prepared especially for you. You've definitely never tasted these before."

Seeing this, Zhong Ling ate them without the slightest shred of suspicion.

Meng Fan watched as she savored each bite, not disturbing her until she had completely finished every last piece of cake.

"Is it good?"

"Mmm-hmm, it's delicious!"

"It's just..."

Zhong Ling suddenly steadied her head, shook it, and murmured, "Brother Li, why do I feel so dizzy?"

Meng Fan’s lips curled into a smile. "Simple. I drugged it!"

"What?!"

The reason Meng Fan had parted ways with Zhong Ling and arranged to meet again today was specifically to find time to prepare the drugs. If he had chosen to use force directly, he wouldn't have been sure what trump cards she might have had.

Therefore, for the sake of safety, it was better to befriend her first and then, while her guard was down, trick her into eating the "pastries," allowing him to secure the Lightning Sable without shedding a drop of blood.

Tricking such an innocent young girl—Meng Fan really was quite wicked!

Watching as Zhong Ling succumbed to unconsciousness in disbelief, Meng Fan took the deerskin pouch containing the Lightning Sable from her, feeling its heavy weight.

Peering through a small slit, he saw the Lightning Sable still sleeping soundly inside, undisturbed.

A smile appeared on Meng Fan's face.

The Lightning Sable and the Manggu Zhuha were both in his hands. Furthermore, he had already obtained the Divine Art of Northern Darkness and the Lingbo Microsteps. His goal for this trip to the world of *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils* had been achieved; it was a complete success.

Afterward, Meng Fan delivered Zhong Ling to the entrance of the Valley of Ten Thousand Tribulations before returning to the world of *The Outcast* with his three pets.

It must be said that Meng Fan had done his due diligence. Had he been a more cold-hearted person, he wouldn't have cared what happened to Zhong Ling at all.

"Sigh," Meng Fan muttered to himself, "I really am too kind-hearted!"

But when saying that, did his conscience not prick him at all?

***

In the world of *The Outcast*, Meng Fan examined his spoils at home and began to take stock.

First was the Lightning Sable. This had been his primary objective. Now, under the soothing influence of his Beast Tamer skills, the sable showed no signs of agitation despite having lost its master.

Through regular feeding, it had begun to accept Meng Fan’s presence. Of course, this was also because Zhong Ling had not owned it for very long.

In this state, the sable's wild nature had been partially subdued, and it was at a stage where "whoever feeds me is my master," making it relatively easy to transfer ownership.

The same applied to the Manggu Zhuha. As a toad, no matter how miraculous or how potent its toxins were, it could not escape its essential nature as a toad.

Animals with low intelligence are, of course, difficult for a Beast Tamer to communicate with or control. However, once a certain level of mastery is reached, they execute the Beast Tamer’s commands with even greater efficiency.

To describe it as "wielding them like an extension of one's own arm" would not be an exaggeration.

After several days of dedicated training, Meng Fan could now fully control the Manggu Zhuha. He could even make it retract its toxins and sit motionless on his shoulder; if one didn't look closely, it would look like nothing more than a decorative accessory.

For these two exotic beasts, Meng Fan did not rush. He chose to wait until he was fully prepared before taking the next step.

As for how to modify the Lightning Sable, he could follow the plan left by Mo Lishou. As for the Manggu Zhuha, he currently had no ideas at all.

Moreover, even if he wanted to modify the Lightning Sable, he couldn't just pick ordinary specimens. To match the sable and not diminish its potential, he would need to select high-quality eagle and elephant species to complement the water bear genes.

Fortunately, the cultivation of the Flower-Fox Sable could be done in stages.

He could first fuse the Lightning Sable with the water bear to cultivate compatibility, immortality, and resistance to fire and water, then proceed to aggregate the genes of the other two species.

The first step of fusing the Lightning Sable with the water bear required identifying the useful genetic segments—those that granted longevity, immortality, and the ability to survive in extreme conditions.

To master something, one must understand the "why" behind it.

The body structure and physiological mechanisms of the water bear are extremely unique, allowing them to survive in various extreme environments, including high heat, cold, radiation, and high pressure.

Part of their survival in extreme environments is due to their ability to enter a dormant state where metabolism almost completely ceases.

In this state, their life activities nearly stop, relying on minimal resources to sustain life. When the environment becomes favorable, they can revive and resume normal life activities.

Additionally, the cells of the water bear lack the genes that trigger "apoptosis," which allows them to survive longer in extreme environments.

They also possess special genes, such as superoxide dismutase and MRE11, which help mitigate oxidative damage and repair DNA, thus protecting the cells from harm.

The water bear's DNA repair capability far exceeds that of other organisms, allowing them to better protect themselves in the face of radiation and other environmental stresses.

These were the special genes Meng Fan needed.

However, identifying and isolating these genes was destined to be a massive workload. Meng Fan could only explore and experiment slowly; there was no room for haste.

Of course, if he had relevant data, all of this would be easy to solve. Ultimately, the path of the Beast Tamer relies heavily on a foundation of knowledge.

And as for this knowledge base, Meng Fan preferred to think of it as "heritage."

The heritage of the Beast Tamers had been severed. Even the jade tablet left by Mo Lishou, due to limited space, only briefly glossed over how to extract the "bloodline" of creatures like the water bear.

As the saying goes, the beginning is the hardest part. Meng Fan was essentially someone with the techniques but no direction; he had to cross the river by feeling the stones.

Fortunately for Meng Fan, he lived in the modern era, where certain things considered "secret teachings" in ancient times might have already been discovered and deciphered by others.

Perhaps the name "Beast Tamer" was not entirely appropriate; "Biomancer" might be more accurate.

However, this Biomancer was not merely the kind of bacterial manipulation practiced by Old Meng, but a true "Bio-Alchemist."

Turning decay into magic!

Creating life from nothing!

The final stage of the Beast Taming method was to use the special energy of "Innate Qi" to perform genetic bonding and eliminate rejection reactions.

It was about creating an entirely new species from scratch, one capable of reproduction.

This field is known to ordinary people as: The Forbidden Zone of Knowledge!

But Meng Fan preferred to call it: The Domain of Gods!