Reaper of the Martial World

historical

Book 8: Chapter 179: Bronzed (2)

The four bull-bird babies that had once taken on the ugliness of their mother had somehow become akin to mythical creatures one could only dream about seeing.

They had the strength and size, but also slenderness of a pure-bred horse. They were coated in bronzed scales that shone within the pale light of the underground cave.

Despite the bull genes of their mother, they didn’t have hooves. Instead, they had what looked like large, bronze scaled eagle claws. Three powerful claws and a fourth short but sturdy thumb for balance.

Their faces were slender, protected by the same bronze scales, while their eyes shone a fierce red light. At the same time, they took on the bull horns of their mother that looked out of place next to their sharp and jagged teeth.

Still, the most attracting part of their forms were the large bronze folded wings on their back, layered in what looked like sheets of metal formed into agile feathers.

This was a creature Dyon had never heard word of. It had the combined characteristics of so many things that it wouldn’t have been a surprise if they came out as odd looking at their mother, but the reason they hadn’t was likely due to Dyon’s interference.

The Heavens had a love of symmetry. Usually, talent was coupled with beauty. However, for some reason, despite how powerful she was, the bull-bird that birthed these four could only be described as deformed.

Her head was too large, her feet too small, and her intelligence was too low.

Dyon had expected her children to follow the same fate. In fact, they had. When Dyon first saw them, other than standing on four feet instead of just two like their mother, they too were handicapped by terrible deformities.

That was when something changed. After seeing Dyon cure their mother’s infected leg by excavating the essence grade holy type qi stones in this cave, they began to grow curious. One day, Dyon actually found them munching away at the stones.

He didn’t really think anything of it, until he noticed that after several months, changes started occurring within them.

Not only had their intelligence seemingly grown, but the malnourishment they faced due to their mother’s weakness and inability to hunt for them disappeared in a flash. They grew larger and stronger, and the ugliness Dyon had come to know them for was wiped away, bit by bit.

After greeting the four of them, Dyon walked to a pill of bones with a sigh.

This was none other than the bull-bird mother’s final remains…

Dyon had a love-hate relationship with this poor mother, but he hadn’t wanted her to die in this way. He still remembered how shocked he had been when it happened.

He had come to visit the family of five just like any other day, but he had stumbled into the four bull-bird babies feasting on their mother’s corpse. Dyon had been more shaken by it than he knew… It was after that day that the four of them completed their final transformation to become the beautiful creatures they were today. Their mother sacrificed herself for the betterment of their future.

It didn’t sit right with Dyon, but who was he to impose his values onto their family? Still, he would never get used to walking in on Ace, King and Jack taking turns mating with their only sister, Queen. That… He could definitely do without.

Dyon had tried to give their mother a proper burial many times before, but the four of them had stopped him every time. In the end, he chose to leave her remains here.

“Alright you four, are you ready?”

The sound of a horse’s braying crossed with deep bestial growls filled the underground cave.

Dyon leapt onto Ace’s back, stretching out his divine sense as far as it would go.

He only had 20% of his soul strength and the environment of his constitution’s world only allowed him 10% of his normal range, so he could only see a span of 10 000 km. Still, that was far more than anyone else would have in this situation.

“Let’s go hunting.”

Dyon sped forward with four, streaking across his constitution’s world for the first time. Since he was here, he might as well build and army.

It was currently impossible for Dyon to take anything that wasn’t inanimate in or out with him, which was why even Little Yang and Yin couldn’t follow him here but his treasures had. Maybe because his connection with his constitution’s world wasn’t strong enough. But, if there was a day he leapt over this hurdle, wouldn’t it be nice to have such a thing ready and waiting for him?

**

Back within Calming Lake, 80% of Dyon continued to meditate silently, having still not moved a single inch.

He could feel the swirling thoughts around him. Each seemed capable of crushing him consciousness to nothing. But he continued to sit unperturbed.

He was an individual that sat atop the Fifth Trial rankings for a reason. Him losing his mind to his Chaos Flames wasn’t about his own weakness, but more about just how powerful his flames were. Compared to them? This tier of the Calming Lake was nothing but a joke…

However, the streams of consciousness refused to acknowledge that, so Dyon took matters into his own hands.

‘Since you won’t move forward for me, I’ll step forward myself. Let’s see if you dare to encroach upon my mind then.’

If others heard these thoughts, they’d sigh. Didn’t you want to be more cool-headed? It’s hadn’t even been all of ten minutes yet, but you were already charging ahead…