Ordinary catnip only affects some big cats, and certain individuals are not interested in its scent. However, the catnip Yuan Xiao unleashed had been modified by the Hunter Association, making it irresistible to all tiger-like beings.
Still, as these tiger-like beings were superpowered species, consuming the catnip balls did not render them incapable of fighting. Their senses were not weakened either, so any thoughts of sneaking up on them for a surprise attack were wishful thinking.
Even without losing their combat capabilities, their desire to fight was greatly diminished. They became indifferent to other matters, and even passive in carrying out orders from superiors to subordinates. This was enough.
As the big cats throughout the city were in a state of blissful ecstasy, an ice-blue barrier rose within the city, dividing Yue Shan City into two halves.
At the Yue Shan City government building, now the tiger-like king's palace, a humanoid tiger with golden fur sat languidly on its personal terrifying throne.
It had heard that some humans liked to use tiger pelts as chair coverings to display their authority, so it had also commissioned a human-skin seat to demonstrate its own power.
This golden tiger was the first tiger-like being created by the 'Progenitor,' and was revered by other tiger-like beings as the Golden King. Its strength was already close to that of the 'Progenitor,' reaching the True Order realm.
As a member of the tiger-like species, it could not escape the clichéd naming convention. It had been named Jin Da Hu by the 'Progenitor,' a name it quite liked.
Jin Da Hu held two catnip balls in its hand, occasionally extending its tongue to lick them, thoroughly enjoying their flavor.
It had stumbled upon this wonderful item in a human pet store. A few licks were all it took to experience extreme pleasure, so it immediately claimed the item for its exclusive use, reserved only for itself and a few of its major slave owners.
While indulging, Jin Da Hu suddenly leaped up and rushed to the window. Outside, it was raining catnip balls, and judging by the scent, they were much purer than the ones it held!
Its eyes seemed to sparkle with tiny stars, akin to how humans might feel watching money rain from the sky.
But its joy was short-lived. It then saw the ice-blue barrier that had divided the city. It felt as if someone had doused it with a bucket of ice water, instantly sobering it up.
"This must be a scheme by those humans!"
Jin Da Hu immediately rushed out of the palace, intending to order its subordinates to destroy the barrier and secure the locations of all hostages, thereby threatening the Hunter Association to refrain from any underhanded tactics.
However, although its subordinates heard its commands, they carried them out lethargically. With their current state, it would take quite some time for the orders to be executed.
Jin Da Hu's lips trembled with rage as it stammered, "...This, this, how malicious! Those despicable humans are corrupting the minds of our kind with this substance!"
It pointed at its subordinates who were munching on catnip balls and roared, "Foolish creatures, drop what you're holding! Even though this stuff makes us feel heavenly, and it's harmless, and it's everywhere..."
The more Jin Da Hu spoke, the less confident it became. With such a wonderful item readily available, its subordinates were unlikely to give it up. Hoping for its kin to be as clear-headed as itself was nearly impossible.
Just then, a human male wearing a pierced outfit charged towards Jin Da Hu with unstoppable force. Any tiger-like being that blocked the man's path was easily sent flying, only to be disintegrated into a paste by an unknown force in mid-air.
"Are you the mastermind?"
Jin Da Hu roared, its body contorting bizarrely as it transformed into a golden tiger over ten meters long, lunging towards the human.
...
In a basement in the West District, a golden snub-nosed monkey scratched its skin in distress. A louse was hidden within its fur, and it wanted to extract it.
This golden snub-nosed monkey was about the size of a human, possessing a thick, long tail that ended in a hand. This hand was restlessly waving in front of its body.
That's right, in front of its body. The monkey's tail grew about three fingers' width below its navel...
Besides this monkey, there were four other figures in the basement. One of them was Ake Alou, who had escaped from Wen Wen.
At the far end of the basement was a massive pit. Within the pit lay a strange substance, resembling a pool of writhing pitch emitting a faint glow. Within this pitch, there were countless colored bubbles, large and small, each containing an eyeball!
"It seems the Hunter Association is preparing to deal with these foolish cats. The sooner the battle ends, the sooner we can get out of here..." Ake Alou mused.
The six of them had originally intended to infiltrate and assassinate Jin Da Hu out of vengeance. However, shortly after their infiltration, Yue Shan City was sealed off by the Hunter Association. Not wanting to attract the association's attention, they could only hide here and wait for events to conclude.
"They're just a bunch of foolish tigers deluded into thinking they can dominate the world. Now that the Hunter Association has made its move, they should be dealt with quickly. We can leave then," the monkey said, spitting out human words with a sneer.
A creature that was entirely snow-white and streamlined said, "Speaking of which, the human who set up this barrier is quite skilled. Even the underground is sealed. Otherwise, we could have left through the tunnels."
"Hmph, if you ask me, we should just break through the barrier and leave. What can the Hunter Association do to us?" a monster with crocodile-like skin grumbled impatiently.
Ake Alou scoffed, "Old Crocodile, you're still as foolish as ever... You're not afraid of ordinary demon hunters, but what about a Cataclysm-level threat?"
The mention of "Cataclysm-level" silenced all the monsters in the room.
Over the millennia, they had all become much stronger. The quality of the strong individuals within their group even rivaled that of large clandestine organizations. However, not a single one of them had successfully advanced to the Cataclysm-level, which was why they remained in hiding.
A figure clad in a black robe stood up. Beneath the black robe was an exquisite suit of black armor. This person spoke in a very hollow voice:
"Everyone, please remain quiet and wait... At the very least, remaining hidden is still necessary. While we still feared the Disaster Containment Facility, the peripheral organizations we once dismissed have now grown into behemoths comparable to the former facility."
"Those eight Executioners, each possesses the power to individually destroy all of us. Therefore, our existence absolutely cannot be exposed. If caught by the Containment Facility, the worst we'd face is imprisonment. But if caught by the Hunter Association... things won't be as easy." Su Dan Novel Network
After he finished speaking, the other monsters fell silent, as this black-robed individual was the strongest among the monsters present.
His words also served as instructions for the other monsters. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, after the Hunter Association dealt with all the tigers, they would leave Yue Shan City without attracting any attention whatsoever.
Without causing the slightest ripple, as if they had never existed.