#961 - Bloodmane Lionhound

The Upper Realm, the Ancient Star of Azure Sea, the largest life-bearing ancient star in the entire Upper Realm universe, possesses vast and boundless lands and seas.

The continent of the Ancient Star of Azure Sea is composed of the Five Regions: Eastern Region, Southern Region, Western Region, Northern Region, and Central Region.

Among them, the Eastern, Southern, Western, and Northern Regions are similar in size, but the Central Region is the most expansive and the most resource-rich and fertile land among the Five Regions.

The extreme east of the Eastern Region is the borderland of Azure Province, located near the Eastern Transverse Mountains.

Near the Eastern Transverse Mountains, at the edge of the Flowing Cloud Forest, the mountains rise and fall, with towering peaks, lush vegetation, and ancient trees reaching the sky.

Within this Flowing Cloud Forest, a large number of ancient beasts and fierce birds live, and the forest is filled with an aura of wildness.

In front of a mountain range, the void cracked open, and two figures fell out of it.

"Is this the Upper Realm?"

Jun Wuxie, holding Jing Ya, slowly descended, surveying the environment.

All around were towering peaks and ancient forests, with old vines winding around the trees, hanging down like inverted pythons.

"Eastern Region, the extreme east, the border of Azure Province in the Eastern Region. The place we are currently in is called Flowing Cloud Forest. Judging from the level of the wild aura permeating the forest, it should be at the edge of the Flowing Cloud Forest."

Jing Ya said, the coordinates she provided only roughly located the Flowing Cloud Forest.

Once, she had happened to come here, so she knew the approximate coordinates of this place.

Jun Wuxie heard this and looked towards the sky.

The sky here was extremely high and distant, with thin wisps of smoke and clouds lingering above the forest, flowing with the wind, which was very fitting to the name Flowing Cloud.

He carefully felt it, and took a slight step, feeling quite unaccustomed.

Because this world felt completely different from the Lower Realm, the gap was too great.

When he took a step, he felt a sense of heaviness. Compared to the Lower Realm, the gravity of this land was many times stronger.

The vitality between heaven and earth contained a faint aura of sacredness, which was an energy with a quality far higher than spiritual energy. With each breath, compared to breathing spiritual energy, it felt even more comfortable.

"I'll go see which direction is the exit of the forest first!"

Jun Wuxie rose into the air, came to a high altitude to look out, but found that his eyesight could not reach far at all, only reaching a range of hundreds of miles. He immediately activated his pupil technique, but could only see the outline of an area of roughly thousands of miles.

Beyond thousands of miles, there were still continuous mountains, all covered by ancient forests.

"Didn't see the end of the forest?"

Jing Ya said as Jun Wuxie fell from the sky.

"The rules of this world are too strong, the abilities of cultivators are greatly restricted, and I can only see thousands of miles away even with my pupil technique activated."

Jun Wuxie smiled wryly. Coming here for the first time, he was really unaccustomed. Even walking and flying were not used to, because he had to use more power than in the Lower Realm.

"You've only just arrived in the Upper Realm, it's normal to be unaccustomed. Your body and senses need time to adapt. I think this should be the direction of the exit of the Flowing Cloud Forest."

Jing Ya turned and pointed in a certain direction.

Jun Wuxie and Jing Ya headed in that direction, traveling through the mountains and forests.

The speed was naturally far from comparable to the Lower Realm, and worried that Jing Ya could not keep up, he estimated that it was only about two thousand miles per hour.

Compared to the speed of hundreds or thousands of times the speed of light in the Lower Realm, this could simply be called the slowest of turtle speeds.

Half the speed of sound…

Jun Wuxie was very speechless. He estimated that even if he used the 'Line' word formula and the divine power of the rune path, he could only reach the level of one times the speed of sound.

This reminded him of what Ling Qingyu said back then. At that time, she said that she could only barely reach the speed of sound on the land in the Upper Realm.

However, the current Ling Qingyu was already in the Saint King Realm, and her speed must have improved a lot, no longer comparable to when she was only at the peak of the Saint Realm.

Rumble!

As they walked, they suddenly heard a faint rumbling sound in the distance, and the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.

Immediately afterwards, there was a low, angry, and violent roar.

"Are ancient beasts fighting?"

Jun Wuxie was startled, and immediately went with Jing Ya in the direction from which the sound came.

Before long, they passed through a valley and came to a mountain depression.

Looking through the dense trees, they saw about a thousand meters away, where the trees were in a mess, and more than a dozen blood-stained corpses were lying on the ground in disarray.

Those corpses were almost torn apart, tragically disfigured, and deformed weapons were scattered all over the ground.

"Roar!"

An ancient beast, more than one meter tall, three meters long, with a lion's head and a dog's body, with vigorous blood-colored mane, was walking step by step towards a young man tens of meters away from it.

The brocade clothes on the young man were stained with blood, his face was slightly pale, blood stains hung on the corner of his mouth, and he held a battle sword.

However, the hand holding the sword was twitching slightly, and he slowly retreated with the steps of the ancient beast.

"Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast?" Jing Ya said in surprise, in a low voice: "How could such an ancient beast appear in the Flowing Cloud Forest? And this is still the edge area…"

"Its bloodline seems to be very extraordinary, but its current growth strength is not high, it should be because the degree of bloodline awakening is low!"

Jun Wuxie also saw that the Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast in Jing Yi's mouth had very extraordinary potential hidden in its bloodline.

"The Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast is a growing ancient beast. The longer the cultivation time, the higher the level of bloodline transformation. The highest can be transformed into a sub-divine beast bloodline, and its highest growth can be equivalent to the peak level of the legendary epoch! Because the ancient beast has a strong physical body, growing to that point, in the same realm, its combat power is almost invincible below mythology."

She said that this Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast might have run out of the Transverse Mountains, and this kind of ancient beast should not exist in the Flowing Cloud Forest.

At this time, the Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast continued to approach. With each step, its claws would leave a paw print the size of a sea bowl on the ground.

Its angry eyes shone with fierce light, and its grinning mouth revealed sharp canine teeth three inches long, flashing with cold light.

The young man's face was full of fear, holding the battle sword and constantly retreating, but his eyes glanced from time to time towards a certain area in the forest.

Boom!

The Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast suddenly accelerated and pounced on the young man.

Almost at the same time, the young man's body shot out to the side like lightning. He had predicted the Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast's attack in advance. After avoiding it, he rushed towards the rear of the Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast with all his strength. While still in the air, the battle sword in his hand was swung out.

A crescent-shaped sword energy flashed, and the cold light illuminated the mountain forest.

The sword energy broke through the air and cut open a certain shrub.

A shadow rushed out of the shrub, making a tender low roar, its tail dripping with blood, and a little tail tip was cut off.

"Roar!"

The Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast missed the attack. Turning around and seeing this scene, it was immediately furious and went berserk in place, roaring and rushing towards the young man.

The young man did not dare to stay in place. His eyes locked on the little Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast that escaped from the shrub, chasing frantically.

Jun Wuxie was stunned when he saw this scene.

He looked at the environment here. The air was full of the scent of Bloodmane Lions, and many areas in the forest left the footprints of Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beasts, speculating that this should be its temporary nest.

The young man and the dead people did not know whether they accidentally broke into the territory of the Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast, or came specifically to hunt it.

He originally wanted to watch in secret, but he did not expect that the little Bloodmane Lion happened to come towards the area where he and Jing Ya were hiding.

At this time, the Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast chasing the young man had narrowed the distance, and its sharp claws suddenly waved forward.

Sharp claw awns broke through the air.

The young man had to give up chasing the little Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast, and hurriedly turned back to block with his sword.

When!

The claw awn collided with the battle sword, clanging loudly, and sparks flew everywhere.

The young man's body was hit by a huge force and broke several big trees, just hitting the big tree where Jun Wuxie and Jing Ya were hiding, exposing their bodies.

The young man fell heavily to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

He struggled to get up, but saw Jun Wuxie and Jing Ya, and was stunned.

At this time, the Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast came towards here, the little Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast followed beside it, grinning at the young man, with an angry and fierce look.

The young man's hand holding the sword was cracked, dripping with blood, his face was pale, although the previous blow blocked the claw awn, but the impact was too fierce, making him almost break his bones and twist his tendons, and his internal organs seemed to be displaced.

He covered his chest and slowly retreated until his back rested against a big tree.

Seeing the Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast approaching, the young man suddenly looked at Jun Wuxie and weakly issued a cry for help: "Brother Dao, save me!"

Jun Wuxie originally did not want to participate in this kind of thing. Now that the young man asked him for help, and thinking that he had just arrived and did not understand the situation on the border of Azure Province, he needed to inquire, so he came up and stood in front of the young man.

"Roar!"

Seeing the human who suddenly appeared in front of it, the Bloodmane Lion let out a fierce roar. It spewed hot air from its mouth, its eyes bloomed with fierce blood, and it suddenly accelerated and pounced, stirring up a fierce wind, and fallen leaves flew all over the ground.

Jun Wuxie spread out his palm and greeted it forward, shattering the Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast's claw awn, shaking away its sharp claws, and slamming a palm on its jaw.

The Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast screamed in pain, its mighty body somersaulted several times in the air, and fell to the ground with a bang.

"Woo woo ~ woo woo ~"

Seeing this, the little Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast no longer had the fierce appearance it had just now, and hurriedly ran forward, anxiously rubbing its head against the big Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast.

The Bloodmane Lion-Hound Beast shook its head hard a few times, trying to stand up, but the strong dizziness in its head made it unable to stand up after several attempts.

“Brother, what strength!” The youth looked at this scene in shock, then excitedly walked forward, pointing at the blood-maned lion-dog beast, and said, “Brother, please kill that beast. My companions all died under its claws. If it lives, it will surely harm innocent people in the future!”

Jun Wuxie did not attack again, turning to look at the youth, and said, “How did you end up in the blood-maned lion-dog beast’s territory?”

“Brother, we originally came here to search for heaven and earth spiritual essence, but unexpectedly strayed into the blood-maned lion-dog beast’s territory. That beast launched an attack on us. We were no match and suffered heavy casualties!”

The youth’s face was filled with grief, and he said, “Brother, it is said that the blood-maned lion-dog beast can grow and transform into a sub-divine beast bloodline at its peak. Your arrival today is truly an opportunity for you. Kill that blood-maned lion-dog beast, and you can capture the smaller blood-maned lion-dog beast and raise it!”

“I have no interest in that. These ancient beasts are not that easy to raise.”

Jun Wuxie refused.

The youth was immediately stunned, then said, “If you don’t want it, brother, could you help me kill the blood-maned lion-dog beast and let me capture the smaller one? Rest assured, I will definitely repay you handsomely!”

Jun Wuxie shook his head, looking at the blood-maned lion-dog beast, which was swaying and standing up, its dizziness gradually disappearing, and said, “Take your child and leave. You can’t stay here anymore. Find a safe place to live again.”

Upon hearing this, the fierce light in the blood-maned lion-dog beast’s eyes gradually disappeared, and it looked at him with disbelief.

This human, who was so strong that it couldn't resist, would actually let it and its child go. It found this hard to believe.

“Brother!”

The youth was anxious.

“Go.”

Jun Wuxie waved his hand.

The blood-maned lion-dog beast was doubtful. It took its child and turned to leave, walking to the edge of the mountain hollow. When it was far away from Jun Wuxie, and the human really didn't chase after it, it immediately turned around, looked at him from afar, and roared to the sky.

The roar was like thunder, the sound waves shaking the surrounding trees, causing leaves to fall.

But there was no ferocity or violence in this sound. It was a kind of gratitude.

Jun Wuxie understood and couldn't help but reveal a smile on his face, saying, “Go back to the Hengduan Mountains. Don't stay in the Liuyun Forest. It's not safe here.”

The blood-maned lion-dog beast looked at him gratefully, then took its child and disappeared into the mountains.

“Brother, how could you…”

The youth saw the blood-maned lion-dog beast disappear, and he hesitated.

“You intruded into its territory, so it attacked you. Besides, I won’t kill the mother of a young beast for no reason. That’s the bottom line.”

The youth was stunned, then cupped his fist at Jun Wuxie, saying, “Brother, you are kind and benevolent, making me feel ashamed. Yuan Feng thanks you for saving my life! I wonder if you and this young lady came to this Liuyun Forest to search for heaven and earth spiritual essence as well?”

“You could say that.”

Jun Wuxie nodded.

“Then have you found it?”

“I have found it, and now I am about to leave.”

Upon hearing this, the youth immediately revealed a happy expression, saying, “In that case, brother, how about traveling with me?”

“Of course.”

Jun Wuxie did not refuse and immediately headed towards the exit with the youth.

As he left, Jun Wuxie glanced at the dozen or so corpses in the distance.

The youth, Yuan Feng, led the way, saying enviously, “I wonder which sect you and this young lady are from. Judging by your strength, brother, you have probably already stepped into the Saint Realm, right?”

“There’s no sect. The two of us are just rogue cultivators, and we’re thinking of joining a sect.”

“You two are actually rogue cultivators?” Yuan Feng revealed a look of surprise, then smiled and said, “Then your talent is extraordinary. It’s difficult for rogue cultivators to obtain resources, but you have actually become a Saint, brother. It’s truly amazing. Do you have any intentions? Which sect are you planning to join?”

“I haven’t thought about it yet.”

Jun Wuxie replied casually. He just wanted to understand the situation in this area.

“In our Qingzhou border region, there are four major sects in this area: Lieshan Sect, Xuri Sect, Qingyun Grotto Heaven, and Zixia Grotto Heaven. Qingyun Grotto Heaven is the closest to here and is currently recruiting disciples. My Yuan family has some connections with Qingyun Grotto Heaven and knows acquaintances who can recommend you, brother.”

… …

They talked all the way until dusk in the afternoon, finally walking out of the Liuyun Forest.

At this time, Jun Wuxie actually felt a slight hunger, which surprised him.

The Saint Realm, in this Upper Realm universe, would actually feel hungry!

Yuan Feng’s stomach also growled a few times. He smiled awkwardly and said, “You must be laughing at me, brother. I haven’t eaten anything all day and I’m really hungry. The food I prepared was left in the forest, and I forgot to take it when I left. However, Liuyun City is ahead, and my home is in the city. Since it’s late today, brother, why not stay at my Yuan family mansion? It would be good for me to do my part as a host. You saved my life, brother, and I want to express my gratitude, so please don’t refuse.”

“It’s not good to disturb you. Staying at an inn is the same.”

“Brother, how can you say it’s a disturbance? The inns are filled with all sorts of people, and the environment isn’t very good. Besides, you saved my life, brother. Now that we’ve arrived in Liuyun City, if you go to stay at an inn, I, Yuan Feng, will definitely feel uneasy. My Yuan family isn’t a big family. There are only some half-step Saint Realm experts in the family, but the environment of the mansion is still good. Please do me the honor, brother!”

Jun Wuxie was stunned and smiled, saying, “Alright then.”

Yuan Feng deliberately said that there were only half-step Saint Realm experts in the family. This was to send him a signal to dispel his concerns.

This person is very meticulous.

Along the way, Yuan Feng’s conversations with him, almost every sentence he said had a guiding meaning, but it was difficult for people to notice.

This is a smart person.

But he is not a very honest person.

At least he didn’t tell the truth about what happened in the Liuyun Forest.

The location where Yuan Feng’s companions were killed by the blood-maned lion-dog beast was in the central area of the mountain hollow.

If they had strayed in, then when they first stepped into the blood-maned lion-dog beast’s territory, the blood-maned lion-dog beast would have issued a warning, and they could have retreated in time.

Obviously, not only did they not retreat, but they also went deep into the central location of the blood-maned lion-dog beast’s territory.

From this, it can basically be determined that even if they didn’t know about the blood-maned lion-dog beast in advance and came specifically, they had the idea of hunting and capturing it when they saw the blood-maned lion-dog beast.

Liuyun City is not very big, covering an area of ​​about a hundred miles. Such a city is really a very small city for the cultivation world.

However, the city is very lively, with carriages and horses, and people coming and going. The streets are also very wide, and the architectural style in the city has a hint of ancient charm.

The Yuan family is located in the eastern city area of ​​Liuyun City and is a very luxurious mansion.

“Feng’er, you’re finally back!” In front of the mansion, several middle-aged men were anxiously watching. Seeing Yuan Feng returning, they immediately stepped forward. Seeing Jun Wuxie and Jingya beside him, they couldn’t help but be stunned, “Feng’er, who are these two?”

“Father, Second Uncle, Third Uncle, these two are Feng’er’s life-saving benefactors. If it weren’t for them, Feng’er would probably not be able to come back.”

Yuan Feng’s expression darkened, his face filled with grief, and he recounted his experience in the Liuyun Forest. When he talked about the family members who had died with him, his eyes were a little wet.

“So they are Feng’er’s life-saving benefactors. We were rude, please don’t mind, please come in quickly.”

Among the three middle-aged men, the middle-aged man with a square face, fair skin, and no beard greeted them warmly, personally leading the way, and said, “I am Yuan Ji, Feng’er’s father, and also the current head of the Yuan family. May I know what to call the two benefactors?”

“Jun Wuxie.” Jun Wuxie smiled, then looked at Jingya and said, “Her name is Jingya.”

They came to the family hall, and someone immediately served tea.

“Young Master Jun, Miss Jingya, please have some tea. I have already asked people to prepare a banquet, and I will definitely toast Young Master Jun and Miss Jingya a few more cups to thank the two benefactors for saving Feng’er’s life. I only have this one son. If anything happens to him, what should I do? Fortunately, there are two benefactors, otherwise…”

Yuan Ji sighed, with a look of fear, then looked at Yuan Feng and said, “Feng’er, you go with your Second Uncle and Third Uncle to heal your wounds first. Your father will accompany the two benefactors for now. Your father sees that you are seriously injured. Don’t do such dangerous things in the future. You were lucky today, otherwise…”

“Father, please stop nagging.”

Yuan Feng smiled wryly, then bowed to Jun Wuxie and Jingya, and said apologetically, “Brother Jun, Miss Jingya, please forgive Yuan Feng for leaving your side for a moment.”

Jun Wuxie nodded.

Yuan Feng’s Second Uncle and Third Uncle immediately took him away from the hall.

Yuan Ji had a warm smile on his face, drinking tea while talking with Jun Wuxie.

Jingya basically didn’t open her mouth much.

When Jun Wuxie came to the Yuan family mansion, he saw that the head of the Yuan family in front of him was not the half-step Saint Realm that Yuan Feng said. This was a true Saint, and his Saint Realm was not low, he was a peak Great Heavenly Saint.

Yuan Feng’s Second Uncle and Third Uncle were both Saints in the early stage of the Great Heavenly position.

In a certain place deep in this Yuan mansion, there were still several stronger auras, which were cultivators in the Saint Realm Extreme Heavenly Realm.

Obviously, Yuan Feng lied to him, and did not tell him the truth, fearing that he would be afraid and unwilling to come to the Yuan mansion.

Jun Wuxie remained calm and chatted with Yuan Ji about this and that.

"I heard from Feng'er that Young Master Jun and Miss Jingya are unaffiliated cultivators and are looking to join a sect. As it happens, someone from my Yuan family serves as an inner sect elder in the Azure Cloud Grotto Heaven. Furthermore, the Azure Cloud Grotto Heaven is currently recruiting disciples. With Young Master Jun and Miss Jingya's strength, youthful achievements, and outstanding talent, the Azure Cloud Grotto Heaven would surely be delighted to have you join. It's a pity that Feng'er's talent isn't high enough. Before reaching the Saint Realm, it's very difficult to join a sect, even with connections. Unless he goes in as an outer sect disciple, but that wouldn't be very meaningful."

Jun Wuxie said with a smile, "Then I must thank the Family Head. Brother Yuan Feng will become a Saint sooner or later. His current realm isn't far from the Saint Realm, and he could take that step at any time. The Family Head doesn't need to worry."

"Young Master Jun is right. Worrying is useless. Tomorrow, I will personally write a letter to that member of our Yuan family who serves as an elder in the Azure Cloud Grotto Heaven, asking him to recommend you. This matter is sure to succeed. Young Master Jun and Miss Jingya need not trouble yourselves with this. Simply stay in my humble abode and quietly await the news."