Chapter 130 The Beasts of the Primordial Sealing Ruin

Chapter 130: Chapter 130 The Beasts of the Primordial Sealing Ruin

Chapter 130: The Beasts of the Ruin

Purple lightning flashed across the mountain peak.

A gigantic lion stood on the cliff, its purple mane rippling in the wind.

Two enormous wings stretched from its back, and faint arcs of lightning danced between its claws.

Below the cliff, Duanmu Cang and Gongsun Lie approached.

The lion lowered its head, its golden eyes cutting through the mist to lock onto the two visitors.

"Duanmu Cang, Gongsun Lie. What brings you to my mountain?"

Gongsun Lie raised his head with a grin, resting a hand near his waist.

"Can’t we visit an old friend?"

"Old friend?"

The lion snorted, sending sparks cascading down the rock face.

"The last time you visited, half my spirit fruits disappeared."

"You have so many," Gongsun Lie said, waving a hand casually. "What difference did a few make?"

"They were thousand-year-old spirit fruits!"

"Then you should be pleased someone finally ate them instead of letting them rot."

The lion’s mane crackled violently with purple lightning.

Duanmu Cang stepped forward before the argument could go on.

"We came to discuss the seal."

The lion’s expression changed at once.

The crackling died down, and it turned toward the distant horizon, its golden eyes settling on the mountains beyond.

"The seal?"

"The situation has raised concerns among us," Duanmu Cang said quietly. "We can’t be certain when it will happen, but we believe the demons beyond it may threaten this world again."

The lion was silent for a long moment.

Then it lowered its massive body onto the cliff, claws lightly scoring the stone.

"So the day we hoped would never come may come after all."

Gongsun Lie studied its face, his playful manner fading.

"You still remember the last war?"

A low growl escaped the lion’s throat, shaking the ground beneath their feet.

"Remember? I would have to lose my mind to forget."

It gazed toward the distant, misty peaks.

"Back then, I fought alongside your people. I watched the demons tear through our territories. Mountains collapsed, rivers ran red, and countless beasts died defending their homes."

Its claws dug slowly into the stone.

"I remember one battle in particular. We had finally driven the demons from a mountain pass, and another wave arrived before the wounded could even recover. We fought until the ground beneath us was soaked in blood."

Its wings shifted slightly.

"Even now, I sometimes wonder how many of those who survived would be able to endure another."

Duanmu Cang understood the weight behind those words.

The lion had seen the same devastation as the humans who fought in that war.

"We don’t know what lies ahead," he said. "That’s why we’re telling the powerful beasts in this ruin. If the demons emerge again, everyone should have the chance to prepare."

The lion looked down at him.

"And what do you expect from me?"

"If it comes to that, we hope you’ll consider fighting beside us again."

For several breaths, the lion said nothing.

The wind howled through the pass.

Then it rose, purple lightning gathering densely around its wings.

"If those creatures dare enter this world again, I won’t wait for them to reach my mountain before I act."

Gongsun Lie smiled.

"Then we can count on you?"

"Don’t twist my words, human. I said I won’t sit idle while those creatures destroy this land. I didn’t say I’d obey your every command."

Gongsun Lie laughed.

"Your temper hasn’t improved at all."

"And your mouth hasn’t learned when to close."

Duanmu Cang cupped his fists.

"We won’t disturb you any longer."

As the two men turned to leave, the lion spoke again.

"Duanmu Cang."

He stopped and looked back.

"If you learn anything more about the seal, send word. I don’t intend to be caught unprepared a second time."

"We will."

The lion spread its wings and rose into the sky, leaving a trail of brilliant purple lightning before it disappeared into the clouds.

Gongsun Lie watched the sparks fade.

"At least that fellow knows what another war could mean."

"Experience teaches lessons that words cannot," Duanmu Cang replied, as they picked up their pace down the mountain path.

---

Their next destination was a forest thick with ancient trees.

Their branches intertwined overhead, letting only scattered rays of light reach the ground.

A powerful roar suddenly shook the forest floor, sending ripples through the shadows.

A gigantic tiger stepped out between the ancient trunks.

Silver stripes covered its black fur, and its amber eyes regarded the two visitors with open displeasure.

This was the Silver-Striped Tiger.

"Why have humans come to my territory?"

Duanmu Cang cupped his fists, keeping his stance neutral.

"We came to inform you about the seal."

The tiger’s ears twitched once.

"Then inform someone else."

It turned its bulk and began walking away into the gloom.

Gongsun Lie frowned.

"We haven’t even told you what’s happening."

"I didn’t ask."

Duanmu Cang followed at a respectful distance, his stride steady.

"The demons beyond the seal may emerge again. If they spread through this ruin, your territory will be affected as well."

The tiger stopped.

Its heavy tail struck the ground once, shattering a nearby rock.

"And?"

Gongsun Lie stared at it.

"And? Is that all you have to say?"

The tiger turned its massive head, showing sharp, gleaming fangs.

"What would you have me do? Abandon my cultivation to worry about something that hasn’t happened?"

"We aren’t asking you to abandon anything," Duanmu Cang replied calmly. "We only want you to understand the danger."

"Then I understand."

The tiger lay down beneath an enormous tree, curling its body around the roots.

"If those demons enter my forest, I’ll kill them. If they don’t, I’ll keep cultivating. I have no interest in leaving my home to fight a war elsewhere."

Its amber eyes slowly closed.

"Now go."

Gongsun Lie’s face darkened, but Duanmu Cang caught his arm with a slight gesture.

"We’ve delivered our warning. We shouldn’t force the matter."

The two men withdrew, stepping backward out of the clearing.

Once they were far beyond the forest, Gongsun Lie shook his head.

"That tiger is so stubborn even a mountain would find it hard to move."

"It’s confident in its own strength," Duanmu Cang said, glancing back at the dark tree line. "Whether that confidence will be enough remains to be seen."

---

The next territory was a deep valley surrounded by steep, mist-veiled cliffs.

A colossal nine-headed snake lay coiled among the cold rocks.

Its dark scales gleamed softly in the light, and its nine heads rested at different angles.

As Duanmu Cang and Gongsun Lie approached, the middle head slowly lifted, its slit pupils tracking them.

"Humans."

Another head opened its eyes.

"Two of them."

A third head looked the visitors over from head to toe.

"They don’t look particularly interesting."

The middle head flicked its dark tongue.

"Must everything interest you?"

"Then why did you look at them first?"

"Because you were blocking my view!"

Gongsun Lie stopped a short distance away, rubbing his forehead as he turned to Duanmu Cang.

"This one might be more trouble than the others."

"Let us speak first."

Duanmu Cang cupped his fists.

"We came because of the seal."

The nine heads turned toward him one by one, falling quiet all at once.

"The seal?" the middle head repeated. "What has happened?"

Duanmu Cang explained their concerns about the seal, and the possibility that the demons beyond it might threaten the ruin again.

The snake listened without interrupting, its body uncoiling slightly against the stone.

When he finished, one of its heads slowly lowered.

"So you don’t know when they’ll emerge."

"No," Duanmu Cang answered. "We don’t wish to make assumptions. We only believe the danger warrants preparation."

Another head tilted sideways.

"Humans preparing for trouble before it arrives. How unusual."

A third head scoffed.

"Don’t pretend beasts never prepare. You spent years hiding beneath that frost rock because you thought a rival would come looking for you."

"That was entirely different!"

"How?"

"Because I was right!"

The middle head let out a sharp warning hiss.

The other heads fell quiet, glaring at each other sideways.

It looked back at Duanmu Cang.

"What exactly do you want from us?"

"We hope the powerful beasts of this ruin will cooperate if the demons emerge. We won’t demand that you follow our decisions. But working together may give us a better chance of resisting them."

The snake was silent for a while.

The wind rustled through the ravine.

Then it raised all nine heads.

"I have no intention of leaving my territory just because humans want to gather their forces. But I have no desire to see demons claiming this valley either."

Its gaze sharpened.

"If they come here, I will fight them. If they threaten the surrounding territories, I’ll decide how far I’m willing to go."

Duanmu Cang nodded.

"That is all we came to ask. We wanted you to know what may happen, so you can make your own preparations."

The snake lowered its heads one by one.

"Then you’ve delivered your message. I will remember it."

As the two men turned to leave, one of the smaller heads spoke up.

"Do you think the demons will be strong?"

The middle head answered without looking at it.

"Strong enough to be sealed away in the first place."

"Then perhaps we should start preparing."

"Perhaps."

Another head snorted.

"You say that now, but you’ll spend the next hundred days sleeping."

"I do not sleep that much!"

"You slept through the last thunderstorm!"

"That was meditation!"

Gongsun Lie shook his head as they left the valley behind in the mist.

"I’m beginning to understand why that snake lives alone."

Duanmu Cang continued along the mountain path.

"Whatever its temperament, it understands the situation better than the tiger."

"And unlike the lion, it hasn’t promised anything beyond defending its territory."

"The lion hasn’t promised to obey us either."

Gongsun Lie laughed softly.

"True. Asking that fellow to follow orders would probably start another war."

---

The sun was sinking behind the mountains when the two men reached the edge of the next territory.

Gongsun Lie looked toward the towering, misty peak further up the range.

"Who’s left?"

"Just one more," Duanmu Cang replied, his gaze fixed on the highest peak in the distance. "The strongest of them."

Gongsun Lie went quiet, his relaxed posture stiffening slightly.

"The strongest... Let’s hope that one is at least willing to hear us out."

Duanmu Cang didn’t answer.

He simply kept climbing the path.

They had one final territory to enter, and there was no guarantee that the strongest beast in the ruin would even grant them an audience.

For now, all they could do was finish the journey.

End of Chapter 130