Eternal Tale

”What’s wrong with you?”

“Great masters... such profound power... I’m in awe.” The Blazing Red Lion trembled as it spoke, with tears welling up in its eyes. ”Great masters, I’ve realized my mistake. Please, spare my life.”

Its long tail was tightly tucked in, completely terrified. It dared not entertain any other thoughts, unable to even gauge the true cultivation level of this man and ox.

”Moo~~” The big black ox gave a naive smile, extending a hoof to pat the lion.

“Enough, stop pretending.”

“Moo?!”

The big black ox was startled. Was the spirit beast faking it? It almost believed that the lion had truly been subdued by them.

”Great masters!!!”

The Blazing Red Lion let out a desperate cry, tears streaming down its face as it knelt to the ground. “I beg you, please spare me!”

“When did we say we wanted your life?”

“Moo?”

“Huh?”

The Blazing Red Lion’s heart skipped a beat, and its eyes started darting around in confusion. According to the legends of the Tian Duan Plains, human cultivators were cunning and not to be trusted. They were likely planning to take it as a mount or use it for breeding experiments, drawing its blood and refining its bones, leading to a terrible fate.

Many of the spirit beast branches in the Tian Duan Plains had been wiped out by humans. The lion had seen it too many times, so deep down, it didn’t trust human cultivators at all.

“We were just passing through and saw you were being chased by a Golden Core spirit beast. We thought it was interesting,” Chen Xun said with a hearty laugh as he sat down. “What’s going on with you? How can someone at the Nascent Soul stage fear a Golden Core beast?”

“Moo moo~” The big black ox also laughed, squatting next to Chen Xun.

“Great masters, what do you mean by this?”

“We just wanted to chat, that’s all.”

“Moo!”

Chen Xun and the big black ox were both sincere, with no ulterior motives.

“This...” The Blazing Red Lion forced an awkward smile. “The Golden Core spirit beasts of the Tian Duan Plains have strong tribes, and I don’t dare provoke them.”

“The Blazing Red Lion tribe isn’t weak. Why are you so afraid?”

“Great masters, I... have been wandering alone since birth. My tribe was wiped out.” The Blazing Red Lion tried to maintain a casual tone, but there was a hint of bitterness in its smile. “If I joined another tribe, I’d likely just be driven away.”

After speaking, it shrank back slightly, instinctively moving a bit further away from them.

This subtle movement didn’t escape Chen Xun’s notice. His gaze sharpened, and he softly asked, “But now you’re a Nascent Soul ancestor. What tribe wouldn’t welcome you?”

“Moo moo!”

“It’s different. They only care about my strength now, but I no longer feel a sense of belonging with those tribes,” the Blazing Red Lion said, slightly lifting its head with a stubborn look in its eyes. “I’ve been living just fine on my own, and I’ve never harmed humans or cows...”

It let out a few chuckles, eyes showing a quiet resilience. Many spirit beasts had mocked and ridiculed it before, but so what? It ignored them all.

“Alright, I see. I won’t take your life.”

“Haha, great master, your generosity knows no bounds.” The Blazing Red Lion quickly put on a flattering smile again. “Great masters, did you come to the Tian Duan Plains to find something? I’m quite familiar with this area.”

It cautiously watched Chen Xun’s expression, praying they weren’t planning anything against it. All it wanted was to live peacefully.

“There’s no such profit-driven motive,” Chen Xun waved dismissively. This lion was overly cautious. “Has no one ever just chatted with you before?”

“Moo?” The big black ox was also puzzled. This was the first time it had encountered a Nascent Soul cultivator who couldn’t hold a conversation.

The Blazing Red Lion was stunned by the question, unable to process it. In this world of cultivation, who would ever chat without an agenda? Especially someone at the Nascent Soul stage.

Chen Xun and the big black ox ignited a fireball, illuminating the cave. The sudden light made the Blazing Red Lion shiver once more.

Gradually, they started to talk, and the atmosphere finally relaxed. As they listened to the lion’s past, Chen Xun and the big black ox became more and more intrigued. It turned out that the lion had experienced many hardships, which explained its timidity.

The Blazing Red Lion’s mood darkened as it recounted the massacre of its tribe. The memories became even more vivid after they had broken through the Heart Refinement Tribulation to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

Many cultivators would develop obsessions after such trauma, but the lion had instead turned it into a determination to simply survive.

An hour passed.

“To be honest, back when the big black ox and I were in a small village, we nearly starved to death. People stole our food, haha...”

“Moo moo moo~~~”

“What? I can’t believe the great masters went through that!”

“Of course! When we tried to reason with them, they beat us up. The ox even had one of its horns broken. We lived on wild vegetables, and there weren’t even any greens to eat.”

“Moo moo!”

The big black ox snorted angrily, a look of frustration flashing in its eyes. It was still furious about it.

The Blazing Red Lion listened with brightening eyes, feeling a deep connection. Its experiences were no better than the two great masters’ early hardships.

“Have you always been in the Tian Duan Plains?”

“Yes, great master. The outside world is too dangerous. To have cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage is already a blessing. I dare not ask for more.”

As the Blazing Red Lion spoke, its head shrank back, eyes filled with deep fear. “Many spirit beasts that ventured out never returned. They say they were made into mounts.”

“What are your plans for the future?” Chen Xun asked thoughtfully.

“Of course, I hope to live out my natural life!” The Blazing Red Lion raised its voice, clearly passionate about this topic. “Great masters, not many spirit beasts get to die of old age.”

As it rambled on, it became more and more animated, recounting the origins of spirit beasts, the destruction of its tribe, and the dangers of the cultivation world. It poured out everything.

Chen Xun and the big black ox laughed heartily, patiently listening. They found it all quite amusing.

The lion talked for another hour before finally stopping, having rambled on for a long time. It seemed it hadn’t had the chance to speak like this in ages, with no other spirit beasts willing to listen.

“Great masters, I apologize for talking too much. Please don’t be offended.”

The Blazing Red Lion nervously apologized, worried that its excessive talking might anger the two great masters.

“No worries, we quite enjoyed it,” Chen Xun said with a calm smile. “We’re not in a rush to do anything.”

“Moo~~” The big black ox nodded in agreement, having also enjoyed the conversation.

The Blazing Red Lion opened its mouth in surprise. These two great masters weren’t just being polite; they had genuinely been listening all along.

The feeling was strange and wonderful. The lion couldn’t quite grasp what level of cultivation these two were at, but they were clearly not ordinary beings.

“Lion.”

“Great master?”

“Don’t you want to see the world outside?”

“Great master, the world outside is nothing compared to the Tian Duan Plains. It’s full of danger and death at every turn.” The Blazing Red Lion shook its head vigorously, clearly terrified. “There are so many high-level cultivators in The Great Li Realm. To them, I’m just a treasure trove of valuable resources.”

“Perhaps it’s not like that at all. Lion, you’ve just been wandering alone for too long.” Chen Xun chuckled softly, reclining with his hands propped behind him. “We’re alike, you and me. I understand you.”