The Fruit Ripens, and Ten Thousand Beasts Contend

The sun hung high at midday as Mu Jizi and Kunpeng chatted idly. Both had been born in the North Sea, and an indescribable bond existed between them.

At this moment, only a little over three thousand years had passed since the world's creation. Kunpeng had gained intelligence merely two thousand years ago, and his mind was still innocent, unlike the cunning and ferocity he would possess in later ages. He also felt an inexplicable dependence on Mu Jizi, who had enlightened him.

Yet Kunpeng was, after all, a demonic beast. The bloodthirstiness in his bones could not be erased; it merely lay dormant for the time being.

Time flew by, and another ten years passed!

That day, a hazy aura began to emanate from Mu Jizi's true form, the nanmu tree.

The hazy aura spread as waves of strange fragrance drifted out. For a time, heaven and earth shone brilliantly. Then multicolored light plunged down, directly merging into the nine dark-green fruits on the nanmu branch.

"Buzz~~~~"

At that instant, a rippling splendor spread from the nine dark-green fruits. Then they began to pulse, halos echoing around them as though human hearts were beating.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

The pulsing green fruits seemed to follow some law. Each time they beat, a ripple spread outward in every direction.

The ripples spread, and for some unknown reason, they traveled far into the distance without fading!

Just then—

Heaven and earth suddenly changed color. Winds swept away the clouds, sea waves howled, and enormous figures emerged one after another from the ocean surface. Powerful auras spread through the air.

"Th-this..." Mu Jizi's face appeared on the tree trunk. Sensing countless immense auras roaming beneath the sea with his divine sense, he was left dumbstruck. He had never imagined that the ripening of several fruits on his true body would cause such an enormous reaction!

"Big Brother, Big Brother!"

Just then, Kunpeng's voice entered his mind. Mu Jizi's heart jolted, and he asked, "What is it?"

"I feel that the fruits on you would benefit me!" Kunpeng transmitted.

"Hm?" Mu Jizi's heart stirred. He transmitted, "You want to eat these fruits too?"

"Yes!" Kunpeng nodded. "I feel that if I eat these fruits, I can break through my current realm and attain the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal Dao Fruit, just like you, Big Brother!"

"Really?" Mu Jizi was astonished. He had never imagined that the fruits borne by his true body would possess such an effect.

"Yes!" Kunpeng replied with certainty.

"If that is so, then eat the fruits!" After pondering briefly, Mu Jizi transmitted.

"Alright!" Kunpeng nodded, but rather than immediately eating the nine fruits on the nanmu tree, a bloodthirsty and savage gleam rose in his eyes. He continued transmitting, "But first, we need to deal with those troublesome fellows!"

"Roar!"

After saying this, Kunpeng did not wait for Mu Jizi's reply. With a low roar, he spread his great wings. The sky darkened as he soared straight upward, roaming heaven and earth, stretching for tens of thousands of miles. Finally, he dove down. His twin claws were like swords and needles; with the slightest movement, they flashed like lightning as they clawed at the sea.

In an instant, towering waves surged, wind and rain converged, and the claw plunged deep into the sea like a heavenly talon stirring the ocean. A gigantic whirlpool abruptly appeared!

"Roar!"

A tremendous roar rang out—the furious, trembling bellow of an ancient giant beast. After the roar, with a crash, a massive beast stretching hundreds of miles was forcibly dragged from the seabed by Kunpeng!

The giant beast resembled a snake, its body hundreds or even thousands of miles long. Its tail forked like a swallow's tail and also like a silver hook. Dense scales covered its body, its mouth was as large as a basin, and two crimson fangs protruded hideously. It was a truly terrifying sight!

"Th-this is actually an ancient ferocious beast, a Hook Snake!" Mu Jizi's eyes widened. That ancient giant beast was exactly like the Hook Snake he had seen in a compendium of ancient ferocious beasts in his previous life. This ancient Hook Snake, at the early Golden Immortal realm, had actually been forcibly pulled from the seafloor by Kunpeng! One had to know that creatures born in water could exert several times more strength in water than above its surface. Several times the strength of an early Golden Immortal, yet such cultivation was not even enough to withstand a single exchange with Kunpeng!

Kunpeng let out a series of roars, like a canopy of heaven covering the horizon. Mu Jizi's heart shook!

Could it be... could this Kunpeng be the great primordial deity, the ancient Demon Master, Patriarch Kunpeng!

At this moment, Mu Jizi could not help recalling the first time he had seen the great bird. Back then, it had still been a strange fish, swimming over from the sea. Only after soaring to the heavens had it transformed. It had seemed familiar then, but its body had been only a dozen meters long, so Mu Jizi had not dared connect it to the ferocious beast Kunpeng!

But now, with a single spread of its wings, Kunpeng stretched for tens of thousands of miles. Its beak, feathers, and claws were all identical to the bird form of Kunpeng described in that compendium of ferocious beasts. Coupled with such savage might, even if Mu Jizi did not dare believe it, the thought could not help surfacing in his mind!

"Roar!"

With a low roar, Kunpeng loosened the claws gripping the Hook Snake. A bloodthirsty gleam flashed through his eyes as he drifted on spread wings. Then his claws became blades and swords, slashing fiercely across the sky. In an instant, cold light flickered from them, like an illusion—as though a Milky Way had streaked across the heavens.

"Pfft!" "Roar!"

The Milky Way slashed across the Hook Snake's vital point. At once, an earth-shaking shriek rang out, and blood rained down from the sky. Then, with a bang, the Hook Snake's battered, enormous body crashed heavily into the sea.

"Roar~~~~~~"

The instant the Hook Snake fell, the sea waves churned. Ancient ferocious beasts roared one after another, then sped toward its corpse. In no time, blood dyed this stretch of sea red. Within moments, the Hook Snake, hundreds of miles long, had been divided up and devoured by more than a dozen ferocious beasts!

Mu Jizi's divine sense remained spread out at all times. The sight beneath the sea of beasts tearing into raw flesh and blood entered his mind as clearly as a film. He had not merely never seen such a savage scene before—he had never even heard of one. Yet now it unfolded vividly before his eyes, and his state of mind changed ever so slightly.

"In the jungle, the weak are meat and the strong are eaters. Hongjun has yet to preach the Dao. Scenes of creatures devouring raw flesh and blood are played out every moment throughout the primordial world! If I do not wish to be eaten alive by others, I can only grow stronger myself!"

At that moment, the depths of time flickered in Mu Jizi's eyes. He suddenly felt as though he had seen through the mortal world and stepped beyond the Five Elements! His ambitions also expanded without limit at that instant...

A gentle breeze drifted past. Strange fragrance and the scent of blood filled the North Sea. For a time, the tides surged, and powerful auras rushed in one after another.

At this moment, more than a thousand ancient ferocious beasts had gathered beside the small island where the nanmu tree grew. Each beast watched with predatory eyes fixed upon the nine small fruits on the nanmu tree, yearning in their gazes—but that yearning was mixed with deep wariness!

The stench of blood permeated the surroundings, and countless bones bobbed upon the waves. High in the sky, Kunpeng watched everything with cold eyes. His feathers were black and gleaming, while blood dripped from his twin claws, radiating an astonishingly bloody aura. By now, no fewer than a hundred ferocious beasts had died beneath those claws...

As a new author with a new book, recommendations and bookmarks are very important. I beg you!