Chapter 24: Beast Mountain Range
"This guy seems so arrogant! Isn't he just at the Mid Fasting Stage?" Hearing the tone of the middle-aged man's question, the Ancient Divine Beast White Tiger was somewhat displeased.
"Just passing by," Xiao Chen responded calmly, neither humble nor arrogant, showing no trace of fear.
"Hmph! Leave quickly!" the middle-aged man snorted coldly, his expression filled with disdain.
"Su Heng, don't be rude!" At this moment, a clear and loud voice came from the carriage. Immediately, a young man lifted the curtain of the carriage, poking his head out to look at Xiao Chen.
After observing for a moment, the young man smiled and said, "Haha, where are you heading? I can give you a ride. I am Su Gutian."
"As expected, he's from the Su family! He must be the young master of the Su family, at the Late Heart Movement Stage, the same cultivation level as the young master of the Liu family," Xiao Chen thought to himself. Hearing the young man call the middle-aged man Su Heng and refer to himself as Su Gutian, it was clear he was from the Su family.
"Thank you, but no need!" Xiao Chen replied with a slight smile, then turned and left.
Seeing Xiao Chen being so disrespectful to Su Gutian, Su Heng frowned, a flash of anger in his eyes, and immediately shouted angrily, "Kid, stop! Do you know who you're talking to? You're quite bold!"
"What do you want?" Xiao Chen replied without turning around, his voice turning cold.
"Su Heng, forget it. Haven't I always told you not to bully the weak? Everyone is equal and has dignity. Don't trample on others' dignity and disgrace our Su family," Su Gutian quickly said.
"Yes, young master!" Su Heng nodded respectfully.
Xiao Chen glanced at Su Gutian, then turned his head, saying as he walked away, "I am Xiao Chen!"
Watching Xiao Chen's departing figure, Su Gutian laughed, "Xiao Chen, quite a spirited fellow, haha."
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xiao Chen arrived at the massive stone gate of Tiandu. Looking at the two large characters of Tiandu, Xiao Chen smiled and said, "Haha, although I didn't explore Tiandu fully this time, I'm still very happy. When I return from my training, I will definitely explore it completely without any regrets."
"Xiao Chen, how long do you plan to train?" the Ancient Divine Beast White Tiger asked telepathically.
"Until I break through to the Golden Core Stage!" Xiao Chen replied with a faint smile, then turned and left, heading towards the Beast Mountain Range with a heart full of anticipation and fear.
The Beast Mountain Range is located south of Tiandu. Although not far, it still takes three days to reach it. The beasts in the Beast Mountain Range are powerful and ferocious. Though cultivators from Tiandu often go there for training, many have also perished in the mountain range.
"Break through to the Golden Core Stage? Does that mean you'll stay in the Beast Mountain Range until you achieve that breakthrough?" the Ancient Divine Beast White Tiger asked in surprise.
Xiao Chen nodded and smiled, "Of course. If I can't break through to the Golden Core Stage, I won't leave."
Many people head to the Beast Mountain Range every day, mainly to hunt beasts, obtain beast cores, or extract beast blood for cultivation. These can be auctioned in Tiandu for spirit stones. When encountering powerful beasts, cultivators often join forces to kill them, as the bones of such beasts can be used to forge armor, which are precious treasures.
Leaving Tiandu behind, Xiao Chen returned to the deep mountains. His slender and agile body swiftly moved through the forest, his speed remarkably fast.
"Xiao Chen, your speed is increasing!" the Ancient Divine Beast White Tiger transmitted its voice with a smile. Seeing Xiao Chen grow stronger little by little genuinely made the White Tiger happy.
"Haha, it's all thanks to my cultivation efforts! With Bahun Senior's powerful techniques and the divine blood enhancing my physique, my cultivation speed is naturally fast!" Xiao Chen replied with a smile, his eyes filled with determination and confidence in the future.
From a young age, Xiao Chen understood the importance of strength. In the cultivation world of Tianyue Continent, strength is paramount. Without strength, one is destined to be bullied. Only with great power can one trample others underfoot. The cultivation world respects power, not words.
As long as you have great strength, even if you are wrong, you have the right to say you are right. Without strength, even if you are right, others will say you are wrong. There is no room for sentiment.
Xiao Chen understood this very well. From a young age, he bore the pain that his peers could not endure, never giving up on his dream of becoming powerful.
For three days, Xiao Chen traveled without eating or drinking, finally arriving at the Beast Mountain Range, a place he had heard about since childhood. At this moment, his heart was filled with excitement.
Along the way, Xiao Chen saw many cultivators heading to the Beast Mountain Range. Upon arriving, he saw even more cultivators, some traveling in groups, others alone.
The vast mountain range stretched for hundreds of thousands of miles. Even at the outskirts of the Beast Mountain Range, Xiao Chen could hear the roars of beasts, causing his heart to race.
"Are those roars from beasts? I didn't expect so many people to come here for training!" Xiao Chen said with a smile, feeling nervous. At this moment, he was sitting on a large tree branch, resting after traveling for three days and nights. He decided to recover fully before venturing in for safety reasons.
Of course, not everyone comes to the Beast Mountain Range for training. Some are here to make a living by hunting beasts and seizing their beast cores. Some aim to find valuable bones of powerful beasts to exchange for spirit stones. If lucky, they might even find treasures left by the dead, such as spiritual tools or medicinal herbs and pills.
"Hey, kid, the Beast Mountain Range is not a place for someone like you. It's too dangerous. Go back," a kind-hearted cultivator passing by couldn't help but remind Xiao Chen.
"Kid, you must be tired of living. With your small build, a beast's single strike will turn you into minced meat. You're still young, your cultivation isn't sufficient, it's better to go back," another cultivator mocked.
"Haha! A kid in his teens also wants to enter the Beast Mountain Range? Ridiculous! Haha! Do you think you're a young master of one of the three major families? They have powerful protectors in the shadows. You're alone, isn't that like a sheep entering a tiger's den?" Another cultivator mocked, laughing loudly.
Xiao Chen concealed his aura, so they couldn't discern his cultivation level. Judging by his age, they assumed his cultivation was too weak to detect any energy fluctuations.
Xiao Chen nodded slightly at the kind-hearted cultivator, ignoring those who mocked him without even a glance.
The cultivators didn't bother further. To them, if Xiao Chen wanted to seek death, it wasn't their concern. They soon left.
After resting for half an hour, Xiao Chen finally entered the Beast Mountain Range. Though nervous and scared, he couldn't turn back now and had to proceed.
At the outskirts of the Beast Mountain Range, beasts rarely appeared. Even if they did, they were usually weak, manageable even at the Fusion Stage.
Xiao Chen cautiously leaped from tree to tree, visibly tense. He had never seen a beast before, only heard that they were extremely large.
"Xiao Chen, are you very scared?" sensing Xiao Chen's nervous and fearful emotions, the Ancient Divine Beast White Tiger couldn't help but ask.
"Of course, I'm scared. I've never seen a beast before, and I heard they are very powerful," Xiao Chen replied, his voice kept low as if fearing a beast might suddenly jump out.
"Don't worry, I'm an Ancient Divine Beast. There are no beasts nearby. Go further in," the White Tiger transmitted its voice with a smile.
"Whew! You should've said earlier. I was sweating from the tension!" Xiao Chen sighed in relief, wiping his sweat.
"Didn't you see others rushing in? That means there are no beasts nearby. The Beast Mountain Range is so vast; it's impossible for every corner to have beasts," the White Tiger explained with a laugh.
"Alright!" Xiao Chen took a deep breath and sped up.
For a 12-year-old, having the courage to come to the Beast Mountain Range alone was impressive, much better than those young masters who needed protection in the shadows.
After about ten minutes, Xiao Chen reached an area where beasts appeared and could sense the powerful auras from deep within the mountain range.
"What strong auras! Is the Fasting Stage so terrifying?" Xiao Chen exclaimed, feeling the violent aura which he initially mistook for the Golden Core Stage.
"Roar!"
"Boom!"
As Xiao Chen was shocked, a beast's roar came from not far to the left, the sound intimidating, with massive sound waves hurting his eardrums, followed by a loud explosion.
"Xiao Chen, there's a beast over there! And it's fighting!" the White Tiger quickly transmitted its voice.
"What a loud roar, my ears are almost deaf!" Xiao Chen exclaimed, cold sweat forming as his ears rang.
"Xiao Chen, hurry and check it out! It will benefit you. See how beasts fight and how others deal with them," the White Tiger urged.
"Alright!" Xiao Chen mustered his courage and swiftly moved towards the source of the sound.
The closer he got, the more nervous he became. After passing several large trees, he saw a massive monster in the distance, causing him to jump in fright.
"What…what kind of monster is that? It's so powerful!" Xiao Chen couldn't help but stop, seeing a ferocious-looking beast with six claws not far away, its sharp claws attacking wildly.
Not far away, a six-clawed beast was fighting intensely with a Heart Movement Stage cultivator. The beast's destructive power was immense; each claw strike created a large pit in the ground, and nearby trees were swept away.
After watching for a moment, Xiao Chen frowned and said, "That guy is at the Mid Heart Movement Stage, and the beast is also at the Mid Heart Movement Stage, but the beast's physical strength is overwhelming. If that guy doesn't escape soon, he will surely die!"