Upon hearing this, the Nine-Headed Lion erupted with blazing golden radiance, its fury ignited by the sheer audacity of someone daring to openly declare their intent to tame it as a mount—an act that would forge an unbreakable grudge. The crowd turned, eager to see who possessed such arrogance, willing to provoke a confrontation at this gathering. Was this the prelude to an earth-shattering duel?
Dark mist swirled, revealing several young figures clad in obsidian battle armor, their forms shimmering with an eerie black glow, exuding overwhelming power. Some recognized them—cultivators from the Black Feather Clan of the Hong Domain, rising geniuses of their race. Days prior, Shi Hao had humiliated their elders in the floating palaces. Now, they sought vengeance.
These youths believed the one who had bested them was none other than “Little Stone.” Taming the Nine-Headed Lion here would be a direct insult to Shi Hao, its sworn brother.
“What worthless creatures you are!” The Nine-Headed Lion, now grown into a terrifying force, stood unmoved, its golden mane ablaze with divine light as it glared at them.
The dark clouds churned once more as two middle-aged figures materialized behind the Black Feather Clan’s prodigies, their cold eyes locked onto the lion. The crowd tensed—this clan was infamous for its ruthlessness, even after migrating to the Desolate Domain.
“You may be strong, but you are destined to be a mount!” sneered one of the Black Feather youths, discarding all pretense of civility. Their humiliation days prior—first by a bird, then by a youth who sent them flying in three steps—demanded retribution. Now, with reinforcements, they would reclaim their dignity.
“Come and die, then!” The Golden Lion’s voice was icy, its dominance unquestionable. Years of growth had stripped away its former naivety, forging it into the heir of its lineage.
A gale howled, sand and stones whirling as darkness swallowed the area. The Black Feather Clan’s experts lunged forward, their forms shifting between humanoid and cryptic runes, their attacks dense with sinister glyphs.
**Boom!**
Black light cascaded like a falling star, crashing toward the lion. Yet, the beast remained unmoved. Only its central head roared—a sound that split the heavens and shattered the earth. Golden waves surged, forcing many to cover their ears. This was the legendary **Lion’s Roar Divine Ability**, a technique capable of rending the sky and collapsing the ground at its peak.
The golden radiance erupted skyward, dispersing the black clouds in a single strike. The onlookers gaped—such power! Only Shi Hao, who had once subdued this beast in the Hundred Shattered Mountains, truly understood its growth.
A Black Feather youth plummeted from the sky, blood seeping from his orifices, his body riddled with cracks. He barely survived, his combat strength obliterated.
“Incredible! To think this lineage once devoured gods!”
“The Golden Lion defies the heavens! No wonder its ancestors could slay ancient Divine Kings!”
The Black Feather Clan’s faces darkened. Their attempt at vengeance had backfired spectacularly.
From the roiling clouds emerged another youth, his violet-eyed gaze piercing, his armor gleaming ominously. Each step made the courtyard tremble.
“The Black Feather Clan’s top genius! He’s stepping in!”
His aura swelled like a demonic mountain, shaking the world. But before he could act, an ancient servant beside Princess Huo Ling intervened, his mere presence silencing the turmoil.
“This is a gathering, not a battlefield,” Huo Ling stated coolly.
“Since when do cultivators shy from life-and-death duels?” the Black Feather genius retorted.
“Princess, let him come. I don’t mind adding a few more corpses to my tally,” the Nine-Headed Lion said, its golden eyes unflinching.
Huo Ling hesitated, then nodded. “Very well. The duel shall proceed on the arena.”
A massive platform rose into the sky, a floating coliseum fit for royalty. The lion leaped onto it in a streak of gold, while the Black Feather genius followed as a shadowy blur.
“So, you truly are Little Stone’s sworn brother? Imagine his face when I break you into submission.”
The lion’s voice was glacial. “A wretch like you isn’t worthy to even speak his name.”
The crowd stirred. Even this mighty beast bowed to Shi Hao’s supremacy.
“Exactly. Such trash shouldn’t even show their faces here,” a voice cawed.
A black bird—resembling a crow—flapped into view, its beady eyes dripping with disdain.
“It’s that damn bird again!” someone shrieked.
Days ago, this very creature had slapped around the Black Feather and Fire Ox Clans with its wings.
The Golden Lion nodded in recognition—this was the shameless **Big Red Bird** from the Hundred Shattered Mountains. Huo Ling’s eyes lit up; if this bird was here, Shi Hao couldn’t be far.
“You wretched fowl! I’ll butcher you!” A fiery ox bellowed, charging skyward.
“Try me! After the lion finishes its meal, I’ll roast you next!” the bird cackled.
The spectators exchanged glances. This bird’s mannerisms—its bravado, its hunger—were unmistakably **Little Stone’s** style.
Meanwhile, the arena trembled as the lion clashed with the Black Feather genius. Lightning and golden light collided, shaking the heavens.
The Black Feather genius transformed into a storm cloud, channeling **heavenly tribulation lightning**—a signature technique of his lineage, said to mimic divine punishment.
But the lion was unfazed. Its nine heads roared in unison, each spewing a golden rune into the sky. The symbols merged into a radiant band, tearing through the tribulation and reducing it to nothing.
**”Pathetic. You dare seek my brother’s attention? You’re not even fit to lick his boots.”**
The Black Feather genius’s body exploded midair, his blood raining down. Silence gripped the crowd.
This lion—once Shi Hao’s mount—had single-handedly crushed a genius from beyond their domain.
“Grah! I’ll kill you!” the crow-like bird screeched above, locked in its own battle. Though it had grown stronger, it was no match for its fiery ox foe—until it secretly brandished a fragment of a **black sword**, a relic from the **Heaven Mending Sect**, and bisected the ox in one slash.
The spectators were stunned. Shi Hao hadn’t even appeared, yet his **beast and bird** had already dominated the field.
How terrifying must **he** be?
“Good. So the one who harmed our descendants is this ‘Little Stone’? No matter his background, he **will** pay,” a cold voice intoned.
An elder from **Mount Immortal** stepped forward, his presence like an ancient beast awakening. The air itself seemed to freeze.
The storm was far from over.
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