Chapter 1027 - 1356: Obtaining the Spirit Fruit, Escape

The Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lion is a type of demon beast group living in the Jade Secret Realm.

Its size can range from as small as cats and dogs to as large as mountains. Its fur is like golden flames, it has a single horn on its head, wings on its back, and even without cultivation, the physical power of adult Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lions can rival those of Third Realm strongmen.

They are belligerent, becoming braver with each battle, and are the overlords of this Jade Secret Realm.

They were supposed to live carefree in this secret realm, but everything changed ten thousand years ago.

This secret realm was discovered by outsiders who coveted the Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lion Race's holy tree—the Pure Treasure Tree.

Thus, the nightmare descended upon them, and the Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lion Race suffered a massacre, leaving only the old, weak, and infirm.

The surviving Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lions witnessed these "people" not only occupying their holy tree but also killing their husbands/fathers, skinning their husbands/fathers, wearing their skins as trophies, then disemboweling their husbands/fathers to extract the demon cores.

The younger Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lions couldn't understand why these "people," some being from the Demon Race, would ally with humans and employ such cruel methods.

The seeds of hatred were thus planted in the hearts of the young Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lions, who deeply remembered their enemies' scent and swore to avenge their elders.

But they didn't know that the nightmare was far from over.

They realized they were trapped in this world and couldn't get out.

Though this world was resource-rich, it was insufficient for their cultivation to the realm where they could seek vengeance.

They nurtured resentment but held onto hope, believing that as long as they lived, there would be a day for revenge.

A thousand years later, the young Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lions had grown into old Golden-Maned Lions, and as their lives were nearing their end, the murderers who had killed their parents returned. They thought they could avenge their parents by slaying their enemies, but the enemies had grown even stronger than a thousand years ago.

Cold-blooded and ruthless, after a millennium of development, the once-again powerful Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lion Race suffered another massacre, leaving only the old, weak, and infirm as the last time.

Hatred naturally transferred to the next generation of Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lions.

Millennia after millennia, the Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lion Race was slaughtered time after time.

They tried to resist, but ultimately, it was futile, and they were no match for these foes.

The blood of the clan deeply stained this land, with hatred continuing to deepen, buried within the bones of every Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lion.

Later, they learned that the land they lived on for generations was used by their enemies as a place for training and distributing benefits.

Every demon beast that reached the Second Realm would be slaughtered before they were ready for training.

They didn't know when this suffering would end, but they weren't crushed by it, nor would they forget the blood feud.

Iron Teeth is the clan leader of the current generation of Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lions.

Over ten thousand years, due to being sealed, high-level resources in this world have become increasingly scarce. Without sufficient resources, the Heaven-Reaching Golden-Maned Lion Race struggled to develop; although the number didn't decrease, their overall power diminished.

When it came to Iron Teeth, even gathering all the clan's resources only allowed him to cultivate to the Fourth Realm.

Iron Teeth knew that if this continued, their clan would grow weaker, ultimately unable to exact revenge.

But he had no way out, trapped like prey in a steel cage, unable to escape the hunter's grasp.

As the millennium massacre time approached, Iron Teeth made the same choice as his ancestors: better to die standing than to live kneeling.

It was in their blood, preventing them from stretching their necks for slaughter.

Iron Teeth allied with all demon beast groups in this world, and as the time approached, he gathered them together.

However, when the time came, the expected massacre did not occur.

Instead, after a short while, some weak "humans" entered.

Iron Teeth knew through ancestral tales that these people were juniors sent by their enemies for training, coming to pick their holy fruits.

Iron Teeth didn't know what exactly had happened, but he understood that the opportunity for revenge had arrived.

Killing them was also a way to seek vengeance for their ancestors.

Iron Teeth knew the location of the Holy Tree, but they couldn't enter it. Thus, they arrived early outside this valley and ambushed the intruders.

Once the humans arrived, Iron Teeth didn't act rashly but first explored the situation, checking for any powerful enemies accompanying these young foes.

He waited for them to open the valley array, hoping for a chance to reclaim the Holy Tree.

After some waiting, when Iron Teeth saw nothing amiss, he could no longer contain the hatred within and led the demon beast group to invade the valley.

...

Upon entering the valley, Iron Teeth immediately saw a Chi Yuan soaring into the sky, causing his eyes to redden.

His parents had told him that their clans were the Eagle Owl Race, Dark Demon Leopard Race, and Human Race, and had repeatedly urged him never to forget.

"Don't even think about running!"

A roar tinged with fury erupted from his massive mouth, his golden mane seemingly transforming into golden flames, which intensified rapidly.

Meanwhile, the purple crystal horn atop his head appeared to concentrate all Iron Teeth's energy, and a dazzling purple beam shot out from the horn.

The speed of the beam was terrifying, almost like a flash, appearing in front of the Chi Yuan after just two leaps.