Rumors had it that during the Primordial Huai era, the Demonic Beasts dominated, a time when the Human Clan waned, and the Demonic Beasts roamed unchecked.
Crocodile dragons and Golden Lions were the true Divine Spirits of the Demon Race in that era, mighty and unparalleled. They had each reigned over the Tiandu Continent for a long stretch of the Primordial Huai era until the Human Clan eventually rose to splendor upon the same lands.
The Scale Armor Golden Lion was a genuine Innate Exotic Beast, coursing with a trace of crocodile dragon and Golden Lion bloodline, inheriting the advantages of both Great Divine Beasts combined into one, possessing extraordinary growth potential.
Because of this, Ye Chen did not wish to kill the Scale Armor Golden Lion. Moreover, on this unfamiliar Trial Road, there was nothing more familiar with it than the native creatures, and such an Exotic Beast commanded more fear and respect from the local Fierce Beasts or Demonic Beasts than he, an outsider, could ever garner, saving him much trouble invisibly.
The Scale Armor Golden Lion roared and bellowed, unwilling by instinct to submit to his feet, fighting fiercely to break free, the very earth trembling in response.
Yet Ye Chen’s face was expressionless. He stamped his foot fiercely, and an unimaginable force acted upon the Scale Armor Golden Lion from above, causing the entire earth to quiver. The Scale Armor Golden Lion’s dark scales burst apart, blood flowing, and one could even faintly hear the sound of bones shattering.
This was the might of the Human Origin Golden Body, a single stomp capable of inflicting heavy damage on an Innate Fifth Rank Mutant Demon Beast, an opponent impossible to contend with by force.
"Submit to me!" Ye Chen said the same words again. Then, the second foot fell, and the ground trembled violently, cracks spreading. The Scale Armor Golden Lion was plunged into a huge pit, its scales shattering in countless pieces, blood running profusely, unable to move.
The Scale Armor Golden Lion wanted to roar and struggle, but it found all efforts futile. The more it struggled, the greater the pain it suffered.
Moreover, the seemingly insignificant human standing above exuded a staggering might, making it instinctively sense a terrifying pressure, infinitely more powerful than itself.
In the end, it instinctively chose to submit, struggling no more.
Ye Chen nodded, "Good. Since you have submitted to me, naturally, I won’t let you be covered in injuries."
A stream of golden light flowed from his body, then entered the Scale Armor Golden Lion. Visibly, the wounds on the Scale Armor Golden Lion were healing at an astonishing rate, fully recovering in less than half a day, leaving not a single injury, truly miraculous.
But all this only made the Scale Armor Golden Lion sense Ye Chen’s supreme might even more, bowing its head and roaring softly, nuzzling against Ye Chen affectionately.
With a whoosh, Ye Chen mounted the back of the Scale Armor Golden Lion. A Light Radiance suddenly bloomed at his brow, emitting subtle fluctuations. Moments later, he abruptly looked in one direction, sensing the presence of humans. He pointed and said, "Go, to there."
The Scale Armor Golden Lion roared and spread its wings, rushing towards that location as if chasing stars and moons.
As the sun set in the west, night fell, and the stars dotted the night sky.
Within the Endless Ancient Forest, in an ordinary valley, more than a dozen figures were gathered at this moment—all young, yet with powerful Cultivation, reaching above the Innate Realm. They were currently resting in the valley, replenishing their strength, preparing for further battles.
These people were not solely from one force’s group of young experts; they had slowly come together and adopted the method of forming alliances.
The competition on the Trial Road was now too intense. To enter the Tiandu Academy, it was no longer like the past, where reaching the Acquired Eighth Realm began to qualify for the trial. Even reaching the Innate Realm today still faced a very high elimination rate.
Out of the fifteen thousand Trialists on the Trial Road, more than half had been eliminated in just about three months, which spoke volumes of the shocking elimination rate, a rate that was becoming even more intense.
All of this was because of a rumor about this competition—to decide a king among the younger generation, driving all the young experts into a frenzy, desperately seizing others’ Identity Tokens, plunging the entire contest into an unprecedentedly fierce and cutthroat state.
To truly pass the Trial Road, many had already begun to choose to form groups. This was especially true for those with slightly weaker strength.
Under these circumstances, even being in the Innate Realm was no longer an advantage because those participating in the Trial Road were essentially the best among the younger generation from all large forces, with at least forty percent above the Innate Realm.
Moreover, a considerable portion of people were not just stepping into the Innate Realm for the first time. They had already reached a high enough level within that realm, possessing the qualifications to look down on the majority of the Trialists.
Facing these Super Experts, those in the Innate Realm could only band together for self-preservation, not striving for the so-called kingship, only hoping to complete the Trial Road because even scoring enough points was extremely difficult at present.
An Identity Token was only worth two points, so to gather fifty points or more, one needed to seize the tokens of more than twenty-five people, which was easier said than done, unless one was a true outstanding contender.
In this valley, secure compared to the rest of the Trial Road and rarely visited by Demonic Beasts, this group had a rare moment of relaxation.
Among the group were thirteen individuals, seven men and six women, each with their cultivation fluctuating around the Innate Second and Third Realm—a strength that was neither too formidable nor too feeble.
A bonfire was lit, illuminating the pitch-dark forest, making for a particularly striking scene. Everyone took out the demon beast flesh they had hunted from their packs; naturally, they could not be from Innate Demonic Beasts since such creatures were often very savage, especially catching one in the forest was no easy feat.
At this moment, they were all roasting the demon beast flesh, preparing to eat and replenish their energy.
Throughout the long duration of the trial, the toll on anyone would be tremendous, not merely physically, but the mental strain of having to stay constantly alert was not to be underestimated either.
Though lighting a bonfire in the darkness of night might seem conspicuous, the assembled thirteen weren’t likely to be harassed by a group that stayed together.
"How many Identity Tokens have we collected today?"
While roasting the meat, a woman spoke up, her voice crisp and pleasant to the ear.
Of the thirteen, seven men and six women, this woman clearly became the central leading figure.
She was a remarkably attractive lady, about twenty-one or twenty-two years old, with a beautiful complexion as if carved from jade. The prime of her youth shone through her cascade of blue hair and her skin was smooth as cream.
Her figure was graceful, with full and firm curves and a tiny waist like weeping willows, creating an exquisite and alluring shape beneath the thin layer of her clothing that drew frequent glances.
Her long and beautiful blue hair hung down like a clear spring, making her a distinct and striking scenery amidst the forest.
It could even be said that the eyes of the seven men present all held a barely concealed ardor as they gazed at the girl. The few women did not look at her with envy, but with admiration and reverence instead.
At the sound of the blue-haired girl’s inquiry, everyone took out their Identity Tokens. When combined, they amounted to quite a dozen or so.
This haul came after another team had attacked them that day, hoping to seize their Identity Tokens. Ultimately, under the girl’s leadership, they triumphed and took the other team’s Tokens, which explained the current abundance they held.
Alas, these Tokens still fell short of qualifying any one of them for the Trial Road; at least twenty-five were required.
It was an incredibly daunting figure, to say the least.
"Miss Qingxue, why don’t you take all these Identity Tokens?" spoke up a handsome young man. "Gathering enough Tokens for thirteen of us to pass the trial is too difficult. It might be more feasible to focus on just one individual, and you, being the strongest among us, deserve the Tokens. It’s been thanks to your actions and care over these days that we haven’t been eliminated yet."
He said this with a burning intensity in his eyes that he could not hide, and his suggestion met with the agreement of the others.
Collecting enough Tokens for thirteen to pass was near impossible, requiring even more than what was needed for a king’s qualification match.
Indeed, as the man suggested, they might be considered quite advanced among the younger generation of the great forces and were even the pride of their families. Yet, on the Trial Road, strong candidates abounded, and without the blue-haired girl’s help and leadership over the time, it was very likely they would have already been eliminated.
Acknowledging the slim chance of succeeding on the Trial Road, they considered giving their Tokens to the blue-haired girl, perhaps aiding her passage.
Miss Qingxue gently shook her head, her black hair fluttering captivatingly as she said, "Let’s talk about this later. For now, let’s not provoke anyone or any team unnecessarily. Just making it through this Trial Road will suffice."
Yet, everyone responded with a wry smile; traversing this Trial Road was immensely hard. The further one went, the fiercer it became, and the Identity Tokens each trialist carried became more coveted and contentious, leading to many mid-way eliminations.
For now, they could still fend off stronger enemies by sticking together, but what lay ahead was uncertain, and they might not be able to suppress a true young powerhouse, even in numbers.
Suddenly, everyone’s expression changed as faint footsteps were heard, a presence approaching from within the jungle, putting everyone on high alert.
Everyone readied for battle, prepared to engage at the first sign of trouble.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
A figure emerged from the darkness of the jungle, tall and slender. Yet, when the appearance of the newcomer became clear, everyone was taken aback—it was none other than a youth.