In a rundown house at the edge of the city, twelve young men sat in a half circle. Yufan stood before them, his voice low but brimming with pride,
"From today onwards,we are the Iron Vultures. We'll be known as the most powerful group of bandits in the city... So get ready, guys; many riches are about to come our way," Yufan spoke.
Yah!!!
Iron Vultures!!
Iron Vultures!!
Yufan walked out with a smile,leaving the rest of his new bandit crew celebrating. He sat on the window; Jinhai followed behind him.
"Yufan,this is great, but are you okay though... you seem a little pale. Are you sick?" Jinhai asked.
Yufan pulled out a black pill and swallowed it,"I'm fine... I overdid it while training, but I'll be okay in a few days."
It was nighttime;Omari sat cross-legged with Teacher Fang in front of him.
"I don't know what's gotten into this kid,but he seems more determined to cultivate than ever. But it's understandable after the events of yesterday. This kid actually dared to challenge the prince... Definitely crazy," Teacher Fang thought.
"Like you asked,I'll start explaining the Soul Expansion realm."
He stroked his beard a bit and began,
"After the Spiritualist stage comes the Soul Expansion realm...The realm I'm striving to reach. At this stage, a cultivator finally opens their origin sea, gaining different abilities depending on the nature of their sea."
Teacher Fang continued teaching Omari for a few hours,then he reached the part that got Omari really motivated to get stronger. Finishing his teachings for the night, he sighed deeply.
"Omari,true cultivation begins at the Heavenly Ascension Realm. This is when a cultivator declares war on the heavens and faces their first calamity: Heaven's test and punishment. Most cultivators never reach this stage; some don't reach it on purpose... being held back by their fear of the calamity. Only one in a thousand can successfully pass the calamity. All those below this stage are nothing," he spoke, about to walk away when,
"Teacher Fang...Fight me!" Omari stood up, pulling out his dagger.
Fang Lei turned around,"You want a sparring match?" he smirked, thinking, "This kid... But this is a great opportunity to bond with him, make him get attached and respect me."
"Do your best,Omari; I'll help you get stronger," Teacher Fang declared.
Omari instantly charged forward,but Teacher Fang wrapped his spiritual energy around Omari, hurling him away with a smirk on his face. Omari slammed hard on the ground, instantly getting up and charging forward, running around Fang Lei.
"If I want to destroy that damn prince,I need to be better than this man in front of me; I need to be stronger than him," Omari thought.
Fang Lei raised his hand,about to repeat his last move. Omari quickly realized.
"He keeps wrapping me with spiritual energy and hurling me away...I have to stop him this time," he pondered.
He spun,throwing his dagger at Fang Lei's arm, and leaped into the air.
Teacher Fang waved his hand,forming a barrier with spiritual energy, blocking the dagger, while Omari was a hundred feet in the air, spinning and coming down, charging his right hand, ready to strike from above, when his body suddenly stopped, covered in Teacher Fang's energy. He got hurled into a tree in the middle of the courtyard and coughed roughly, a trickle of blood sliding down his lip.
"That same damn move again;is he doing it on purpose?" Omari thought.
"That's enough for today,"Teacher Fang declared.
"Not bad,but you can do better," he spoke, walking away.
Two weeks later,
"Have you heard?A new gang of bandits has risen in our city... The Iron Vultures. You have to be careful where you go these days; those guys are ruthless," a woman spoke.
"I heard about them too;it's best to not walk alone in uncrowded areas," her friend replied.
A few meters out of the city,a girl ran, huffing and puffing, breathing heavily. Behind her, a group of young men followed, armed with swords and daggers.
The little girl was Ming Yu,the girl helped by the prince before.
"The prince has long left this city,little girl, so hand over those spirit stones he gave you," Yufan yelled, running, his crew following behind him.
His ruthlessness had helped in the quick rise of the Iron Vultures.
"This guy is insane,having the audacity to rob something given by the prince himself... that's Yufan for you," Jinhai thought.
Ming Yu ran into the forest,tears running down her face. She held on tightly to the pouch she received from the prince and ran.
"This was given to me by the prince;how can I lose it to those kinds of people? This pouch is the only thing I can use so that the nice prince remembers me when I go and find him when I get stronger," she thought.
No matter how fast she ran,she could never outrun an Awakened. She tried her best, but Yufan appeared right in front of her. She skidded to a halt, falling down to the ground.
"Hand it over!"Yufan declared, his crew surrounding her.
"Never!!"she yelled.
"The nice prince gave it to me...I'll never give it to you."
Yufan sighed.Then kicked her in the stomach, "You ugly, diseased rat... Hand it over while I'm still being nice."
She quickly curled up,holding the pouch tightly at her chest, "Never... I'll never give it," she cried.
"Didn't you hear what he said...Hand it over!" Jinhai jumped in and started kicking her in the stomach and stomping on her back.
She cried in pain,still refusing to give the pouch away. "My hero gave this to me; I'll never give it up," she yelled.
Yufan waved his hand,signaling for Jinhai to stop. He pulled out his dagger.
"I tried,but I guess you have to die now," he spoke, walking toward her. Her body was shaking in fear, "Prince, please save me," she whispered underneath her breath.
A white light shone,blinding everyone.
Roar!!!
The Majesty Lion beast appeared;the pressure from the roar sent Yufan and his crew flying, slamming into trees.
Yufan stood up to see the beast that had attacked.
"It can't be...Run!!"
The crew stood up about to run,but another white, blinding light shone and all that could be heard were screams and crunching sounds.
When the light vanished,Yufan slowly opened his eyes, and what he saw terrified him.
The lion stood behind Jinhai.Its imposing figure was huge. It stared at Yufan for a few seconds while Jinhai shook, unable to move in fear. Its maw opened, wider than should be possible, revealing rows of dagger-like teeth.
"Yufan...help," Jinhai begged, tears streaming down his face.
"I don't want to die..."before he could finish his sentence, it bit down, its eyes still locked on Yufan. There was a wet, sickening crunch-pop of bone and viscera, and Jinhai was torn in two. The upper half of his body landed with a thud, his eyes still wide with terror, while the lower half was tossed aside like garbage.
Yufan's chest was going up and down,his breathing heavy. One of his crew members dashed, running away, but he was too slow. It roared and sent him flying and falling on the ground. It walked forward, its head held high. Its paw landed on the young man's leg and it slowly applied pressure, breaking his leg while he screamed in agony.
Ahhhh!!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!
"Yufan!Yufan!! Help!" the young man yelled, staring at Yufan.
Yufan's body couldn't stop shaking.When he locked eyes with the beast again, he instantly turned around and ran, leaving his friend. Behind him, his friend screamed and a horrible crunch echoed as he died.
The beast then took chase,following Yufan. He was shaken; even running had become something hard for him. He tumbled and fell, got up, only to fall again.
The beast quickly caught up and leaped into the air.Its front legs landed on Yufan's back, slamming him on the ground face first.
Ahhhh!!!
Yufan screamed in pain.The beast started walking around him while he crawled, tears running down his cheeks, trying to escape.
The Lion lifted a paw,its claws gleaming like polished bone in the light. It didn't swipe; it hooked them into Yufan's back and dragged. Fabric, flesh, and muscle tore open in parallel furrows. Yufan's screams weren't sounds of fear anymore, but raw, guttural shrieks of pure, unadulterated agony.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!
He screamed,blood running down his back.
"Please,someone help."
"Oh please,god, HELP!!!"
He screamed for help.
The beast circled him again,then it stepped on his right hand, breaking it.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!
Oh God,please!!
I don't want to die!!
Haaahhhhh!!
He screamed in pain after a sickening crunch echoed.
The Majesty Lion walked and stood over him,its golden eyes boring into his soul. It sniffed him once, a hot, wet blast of air, and let out a low, disdainful rumble. It was not granting him mercy; it was delivering a message. Then, with regal indifference, it turned and vanished back into the forest, leaving Yufan broken but alive. Everyone in the Iron Vultures perished, leaving only Yufan alive.
Yufan got up and started running back to the city.He held his broken arm and limped, leaving the forest. He could see the city in front of him, but from above, a cultivator landed. He was wearing a white robe and had a black token around his waist.
He smirked,looking at the injured young man in front of him.
Yufan suddenly felt dizzy and passed out,falling to the ground.
[Majesty Lion
A divine beast shrouded in mystery and reverence. It is said to bring fortune to any who earn its favor or raise it with genuine care. From humble cultivators to mighty kings, countless have waged wars and spilled blood in pursuit of this creature, believing that its presence grants endless prosperity, longevity, and the right to rule. Some people kill it and gain luck from its essence.
From the moment a Majesty Lion is born, the natural order seems to bend around it. Some beasts instinctively kneel and guard it, drawn by an unseen will, hoping to share in its destined luck or glimpse enlightenment through its existence.
Legends whisper that the Majesty Lion can peer beyond the veil of time, seeing fragments of what is yet to come. Others claim it can sense the threads of fate woven into every soul. Whatever the truth, one thing is certain, a fully grown Majesty Lion is a being few dare to face, and fewer still could ever hope to kill.]