Eternal Tale
chapter-222

In the end, the humans were satisfied, as if they had found the answer, while the spirit beasts were almost entirely driven to the Tian Duan Plains, where they began to grow freely.

Such a cruel history was something humans didn’t want future generations to know about. They started to slaughter the remaining spirit beasts, hoping to completely erase that period of history.

The Blazing Red Lion clan never recovered from this, and even to this day, humans have not stopped hunting them. Yet, those doing the hunting no longer know the reasons behind it—they simply take the corpses back to extract blood and bones to strengthen themselves.

Back then, three Nascent Soul cultivators rose from his clan, dominating a region. Their high-profile behavior attracted unwanted attention, and a large number of cultivators were sent to annihilate the clan.

Now, humans and spirit beasts coexist peacefully in the Great Li Realm, and mutual hunting is quite normal. No large-scale wars have erupted since, and the remaining memories of that time have been completely erased.

Most of the spirit beasts that exist now are not from the ancient clans but have risen later, with no memory of that bloody history.

This is the reason Little Red wandered alone, always keeping a low profile, and avoiding unnecessary words. The world is vast, and there’s always a place for him to survive.

…

“Your enemies are actually the humans of the Great Li Realm?” Chen Xun’s eyelid twitched. “Little Red, this means your background is quite significant—an ancient bloodline?!”

“Brother Xun!!!” The Blazing Red Lion cried out in alarm and prostrated on the ground, sweating profusely. “I burned a few strands of my fur and severed ties with the Blazing Red Lions. I have absolutely no intention of seeking revenge!”

Now, it was without a clan or faction, a true wanderer, never getting involved in disputes.

The big black ox trembled all over, letting out a low, amused “moo.” It couldn’t help but admire Little Red for managing to break through to the Nascent Soul stage under such circumstances.

“This isn’t your true form, is it? Not even when we first met,” Chen Xun asked.

“Moo?!”

“Brother Xun, Brother Ox, I didn’t mean to hide anything from you, but I never show my true face to anyone, human or beast,” the Blazing Red Lion’s voice boomed. “But I got caught by you two big brothers once…”

“Moo~~~” The big black ox exhaled a long breath through its nose, its eyes gleaming with wisdom.

Indeed, only history and experiences like that could shape such a personality—it was a reflection of what he and his big brother had gone through. The big black ox finally understood Little Red.

“Heh, it’s no big deal. This isn’t our true form either.”

“Moo moo!”

Chen Xun and the big black ox chuckled quietly. Their true forms were revealed only during the Heavenly Tribulation tempering. Walking the world, one had to learn to endure.

“Roar!”

The Blazing Red Lion widened its eyes—it really was just like them! It had finally found a group it could belong to!

It recalled the conversations they’d had before; there was no deception in their words.

Chen Xun lowered his head, flipping through the small booklet and analyzing its contents.

The big black ox rested its head on Chen Xun’s shoulder, looking along with him.

“It seems there’s some connection between the northern spirit beasts and Great Li Realm,” Chen Xun squinted, remembering the mountain he had seen before. “Back then, some spirit beasts must have escaped to another region, carrying a large amount of the God-killing Stones with them.”

“Moo~” The big black ox nodded. But how they managed to do it remained a mystery, since back then, no conditions seemed to favor their escape.

The Blazing Red Lion’s eyes swirled as it looked at them, shocked. Could the two big brothers have come from the other side of the Tian Duan Plains?!

It turned its gaze outward, looking at the terrifying speed of their flying ship. It was starting to make sense now—perhaps they really had.

“Little Red, are there any spirit beasts in the Great Li Realm that can suppress the power of God-killing?” Chen Xun asked.

“Brother Xun, I’ve never heard of such a thing,” the Blazing Red Lion thought long and hard, then shook its head. “The Great Li Realm has wiped out too many ancient spirit beast clans. Even if there were, they’d be impossible to find now.”

Chen Xun clicked his tongue in response, sighing in both astonishment and dismay. It wasn’t just in Qian Nation—Great Li Realm’s rulers were just as ruthless and cold-blooded—beyond anything he had imagined.

He looked the Blazing Red Lion up and down, a glint in his eyes. He had never heard of a spirit beast being able to shrink to such a small size, and it was only now that he realized it.

His face was full of intrigue. “Little Red, are you not focused on body cultivation?”

“Moo?!” The big black ox’s pupils constricted—it had been so caught up in amazement that it had forgotten to ask.

“Brother Xun, Brother Ox… I primarily focus on shapeshifting… it’s for hiding, to avoid disaster.” The Blazing Red Lion spoke hesitantly, shrinking its neck. “I’m also pretty good at stealing things and running away—it’s a natural talent of my race.”

Many people think the Blazing Red Lion’s flame light is some kind of spell, but that’s not the case.

“Brother Xun, my flame light is actually a technique for controlling divine senses. Cultivating the flame light is equivalent to cultivating divine senses, which helps in breaking through cultivation levels.”

At this point, Little Red felt a wave of regret. In the past, it had never failed in its escapes. But now, it had no idea what kind of formation had trapped it, sealing even its flame-light Nascent Soul.

Moreover, judging by the timing, it seemed the formation had been set up without much effort. Little Red had no idea who was behind it.

“Moo~~”

The big black ox sprayed out a mouthful of air in a daze. Given the nature of the Tian Duan Plains, most of the spirit beasts there were body cultivators, relying on brute strength in combat.

It had never encountered any that cultivated divine sense—Little Red’s clan must have been in extremely harsh circumstances, forcing them to turn their flame light into a defensive technique.

No wonder Little Red was such an oddity—cultivating divine sense just to survive.

“I see.” Chen Xun nodded thoughtfully, recalling the introduction to the Blazing Red Lion in a spirit beast encyclopedia. “At the very least, the Blazing Red Lion’s original talent remains, right? Little Red, why don’t you try out the God-killing Stone?”

The Blazing Red Lion’s racial talent was its body strength, but Little Red seemed to have evolved into something different, following a unique path.

Had it not been for the big black ox’s Five Elements Array sealing and tormenting its Nascent Soul, Little Red might have escaped already.

Chen Xun waved his hand, and a fist-sized God-killing Stone appeared, dim light flickering faintly on its surface.

“Brother Xun!!!” Little Red let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed on the ground. “I don’t want to die! Brother Ox, say something!”

“Moo?” The big black ox rested a hand on Chen Xun’s shoulder, puzzled about why his big brother had taken out the God-killing Stone.

“Don’t worry. I’m just trying to verify something. Little Red, this won’t harm you.” Chen Xun casually flipped through the small booklet, his eyes gentle. “It might even help you break through your current level.”

At that moment, the God-killing Stone emitted a faint dark glow, and scattered wisps of God-killing Wind drifted toward Little Red, who lay collapsed, his eyes vacant.

Suddenly, flame light burst forth from his body, wrapping around the God-killing Wind and gradually suppressing it.

Chen Xun’s eyes gleamed with realization. As expected, the “ancient” in Blazing Red Lion’s name was no mere coincidence. Little Red’s lineage had deep, ancient roots!

The big black ox and Little Red exchanged confused glances, both unsure of what their big brother was getting at.

Little Red frowned. Why had his divine sense undergone a slight shift? Could it be that his clan’s flame light had other uses?

“Ancient Red… Ancient Immortal Sect… Ancient Cultivation Clans… You all mastered the use of this God-killing power.” Chen Xun’s voice was low, as he bowed his head slightly. “There’s only one conclusion—when the spirit beasts were driven by the humans, the Blazing Red Lions discovered this ability and escaped. These are the spirit beasts now hidden deep in the Northern Territory.”

As for how they escaped, the only possibility was a teleportation array. They likely destroyed several large teleportation arrays between the two major cultivation realms.