Chapter 507 - 499: Arrival in the Mountains

Chapter 507: Chapter 499: Arrival in the Mountains

Zhu Jiuqian gently stroked the giant eagle’s feathers, his gaze soft. He spoke with a hint of nostalgia, "Out of pity, I fed it a Sixth Grade Healing Elixir I happened to find in the Outer Realm before entering the mountains. That’s what saved it from the Death God and allowed it to survive. From then on, it’s always been by my side, mockingly watching me get bested by other Magical Beasts time and time again. Haha... thinking back, this guy must have been angry. Angry that I couldn’t see the treasure right in front of me. I had such a powerful Magical Beast with me, yet I was still picking up sesame seeds while holding a bar of gold, right!"

"Elder Zhu... can I ask you a question?" Mu Chen suddenly said, his expression serious. "Is it... a Kunpeng?"

"Oh?" Zhu Jiuqian was slightly surprised. "You’ve got a sharp eye, kid, to even know about an Ancient Divine Beast like the Kunpeng. No wonder that old fool Dilaka took a liking to you. But you’re wrong. It’s not a Kunpeng. It’s... a Golden-winged Imperial Eagle with the bloodline of a Kunpeng."

"A Golden-winged Imperial Eagle?"

Mu Chen carefully searched his memories of the Magical Beast encyclopedia given to him by the Profound Old Ghost, but he couldn’t find any mention of a creature called the Golden-winged Imperial Eagle.

"Hehe, what do you think? Now you know that book knowledge has its limits, don’t you?" Zhu Jiuqian chuckled. His gaze shifted to the distant horizon, his expression turning serious as he began to explain, "On this bizarre and magnificent continent, humans, as a species that came from behind, know far too little. And the mutation of Magical Beasts is one of the many things humans still don’t understand."

"The Golden-winged Imperial Eagle is a Mutated Magical Beast! If I told you its original name, you’d definitely know it. Its origin is the Shaking Mountain Eagle!"

"The Shaking Mountain Eagle?!" Mu Chen was stunned. "Isn’t that a Tier Six Magical Beast? But..."

’But just now, when I first saw the Golden-winged Imperial Eagle, its kingly aura was almost tangible. That’s clearly a sign of having reached the Saint Realm! How could a Tier Six Shaking Mountain Eagle reach such a level through mutation?!’

Seeing Mu Chen’s dumbfounded expression, Zhu Jiuqian laughed. "I knew you’d have that look on your face. Did you forget what I just said? This guy has the Bloodline Power of a Kunpeng. Isn’t the Bloodline Power of an Ancient Divine Beast enough to completely change a Magical Beast’s innate talent?"

Mu Chen’s expression shifted at his words. It wasn’t that he knew nothing about mutation; he had some understanding of it. But in his view, mutation and bloodline inheritance weren’t the same thing. Thinking of this, Mu Chen asked, "Elder, are you saying the Golden-winged Imperial Eagle mutated because it has the Kunpeng bloodline? But mutation is a Postnatal development, while bloodline inheritance is innate. This..."

Elder Zhu said, "Heh, you’re a persistent one. I never said the Golden-winged Imperial Eagle’s Kunpeng bloodline was innate, so your theory doesn’t prove anything. Since we’re on the topic, I might as well reveal a bit more about Holy Beast Mountain to you all."

"From the moment you arrived, you should have learned about the origins of Holy Tomb Mountain, so I’ll skip that part. Back then, when hundreds of millions of Alien Space Demon Clan members appeared out of nowhere, humanity was caught off guard. Even with the help of Emperor Realm Great Powers, our already limited forces suffered heavy losses due to the sheer numbers. It was impossible for humans to avert this disaster on their own. However, just as it seemed the entire continent would fall apart, the Magical Beasts suddenly struck! They helped humanity withstand the pressure from the Alien Space Demon Clan, successfully giving us a chance to breathe! Only then did a way to completely seal away the Alien Space Demon Clan emerge!"

"It was the only time since the Ancient Times that humans and Magical Beasts joined forces. At this point, you might not understand how this is related to the beast mutations I mentioned earlier. Don’t be hasty. I’m about to tell you just how huge the connection is!"

As he spoke, Elder Zhu’s tone grew more and more passionate. "Just like humanity’s Martial Emperors and Martial Saints, the Emperor Beasts and Holy Beasts from the Magical Beast race fought their final battle against the Alien Space Demon Clan on Holy Tomb Mountain. Therefore, Holy Tomb Mountain is composed not only of the bodies and bloodlines of humanity’s ancestral Great Powers, but also the bodies and bloodlines of the ancestral Magical Beasts!"

"Just as humans receive a massive boost upon entering Holy Tomb Mountain, Magical Beasts within it also experience an incredibly terrifying enhancement. Not only that, but through long-term exposure to the auras of the ancestral Magical Beast Great Powers, the Magical Beasts inside Holy Tomb Mountain far surpass others of the same tier in both strength and realm!"

"Furthermore, to repay the Magical Beasts for their help in fending off the enemy, humanity carved out a special space within Holy Tomb Mountain, buried all the corpses of the ancestral Magical Beast Great Powers there, and named it Holy Beast Mountain. Although their sizes differ, its status is exactly the same as Holy Tomb Mountain’s!"

"Over time, Holy Tomb Mountain has been subtly changing, and the same is true for Holy Beast Mountain. Having absorbed the flesh and blood of countless ancestral Magical Beast Great Powers, Holy Beast Mountain itself now possesses countless bloodline inheritances in its very essence. The grass that grows there, the flowers that bloom, the fruits that ripen, and even the soil itself might carry the bloodline inheritance of some Ancient Magical Beast. With the right opportunity, eating a few fruits rich in Bloodline Power can trigger a Postnatal mutation! Now do you understand the cause and effect?"

"In short, I’ll tell you one thing! Do not underestimate any Magical Beast within Holy Beast Mountain! You might turn your nose up at a First-tier Magical Beast today, only for it to stand before you decades later as a King! So, little ones, don’t wait until you’ve lost something to feel regret. Let fate... guide your choices!"

FWOOSH...

Its mind connected to Zhu Jiuqian’s, the Golden-winged Imperial Eagle knew his speech had ended. With a sideways glance, it abruptly strengthened the Earth Attribute Elemental Shield around Mu Chen and the others by several times. Then, it suddenly spread its wings. A layer of golden light, like a Fire Flame, extended outward from both sides of its back, instantly enveloping its wings completely. The Golden-winged Imperial Eagle was finally revealing its defining feature.

Before Mu Chen and the others could admire the sight for long, the Golden-winged Imperial Eagle let out a low cry. With a powerful gust of swirling air, it suddenly transformed into a golden streak of lightning that tore through space with a PFFT and entered a spatial tunnel.

Their vision went black, but it wasn’t long before a blinding light filled their eyes. They knew the spatial transit was complete. The journey to Holy Beast Mountain awaited them.

When his vision returned, Mu Chen gazed into the distance and was shocked to find a hazy, golden radiance stretching out before him. It was shrouded in a light mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

The area covered by this pale gold light was incredibly vast. Faintly, through the glow, he could make out what appeared to be range after range of mountain peaks.

The Golden-winged Imperial Eagle slowly descended to the ground, its huge golden wings kicking up a powerful gust of air that flattened the weeds below.

"We’re finally here. Go on, little ones, get down." Zhu Jiuqian took a deep, nostalgic breath of the fragrant air and was the first to float down from the Golden-winged Imperial Eagle. Mu Chen and the eleven others followed, jumping to the ground.

"Old friend, it’s rare for you to come out. Go stretch your wings. I’m all that’s needed here now."

The Golden-winged Imperial Eagle nodded in a human-like way. After confirming there was nothing unusual in the surroundings, it spread its wings and flew into the golden mist. Its figure flickered a few times and, in an instant, vanished from everyone’s sight.

"Elder Zhu, is there a Forbidden Sky Array on Holy Beast Mountain? Why don’t we just fly over? From here, it looks like it’s still over a hundred li away," Mu Chen asked.

Zhu Jiuqian said, "There’s no Forbidden Sky Array, but don’t forget how many powerful Magical Beasts there are on Holy Beast Mountain. Although these Magical Beasts won’t actively attack humans, they will be provoked if another beast flies over their territory. Unless your Magical Beast is powerful enough to suppress every other beast here, don’t even think about trying to fly across. Let’s go."

The group of thirteen was just about to head toward Holy Beast Mountain when a fierce wind suddenly kicked up in the sky. A massive figure shot past overhead, stirring up a hurricane.

Everyone’s eyes followed it. What appeared before them was a Flying Magical Beast comparable to a scaled-down Golden-winged Imperial Eagle, but its appearance was even more magnificent. It was about six meters long, pale red all over, with the body of a bird and features of a Dragon Beast. It had long, five-colored plumes on its head and tail. After flying past, it even turned its head in a human-like way to give the group a playful smile.

"Whoa! What kind of Magical Beast is that? It’s huge! And so beautiful!" Little Tiger’s jaw dropped, his eyes sparkling with the excitement of seeing something new.

"A Tier Seven Magical Beast, the Dragon Eagle." Mu Chen recognized the creature at a glance.

"The Dragon Eagle is an extremely rare Wind Attribute Magical Beast, making it most precious to a Wind Attribute Martial Artist. This is because it can complement a Wind Attribute Martial Artist, achieving a powerful one-plus-one-equals-two boost in speed. That’s why they are highly sought after by Wind Attribute Martial Artists on the continent. Alright, the deeper we go, the more unique Magical Beasts you’ll find waiting to be discovered. But don’t forget your destination, or how long you have to stay," Zhu Jiuqian reminded them sternly from the side.

Hearing this, everyone collected themselves and began to walk forward with renewed effort. Since they couldn’t fly, walking was their only option—unless someone could conjure up a Land Magical Beast.

They traveled north. Fortunately, a distance of a hundred li wasn’t much for them. In less than two hours, Mu Chen and the others followed Zhu Jiuqian to the vicinity of Holy Beast Mountain.

The closer they got to Holy Beast Mountain, the denser the Primordial Power became. A mist with a golden sheen rose before them, through which towering mountain peaks could be seen, appearing and disappearing. Clearly, Holy Beast Mountain wasn’t a single mountain, but a whole mountain range. As they drew nearer, the mist also seemed to thin considerably, allowing them to see more clearly.