Jiang Yang measured the earth with his feet rather than flying. The pleasures of this primeval wilderness could not be experienced from the sky.
At this time, fierce beasts abounded between heaven and earth, and trees and vegetation spread in layer upon layer.
Over several months of traveling west across the land, he encountered wild cattle three stories tall drinking on the grasslands, eagles soaring through the sky with ten-meter wingspans, and fierce tigers two stories tall in the jungle.
These were all beasts that had mutated after the apocalypse, or their descendants. Now, they had become beast kings that dominated their own territories.
Unable to contain his joy, Jiang Yang simply had to share it with them. He even took out his phone to pose for friendly photos with them.
Several months later, Jiang Yang emerged from a lush forest, and the view before him abruptly opened up.
A Golden Humans tribe appeared before Jiang Yang, with wisps of cooking smoke rising from its center.
Having seen no sign of human habitation for months, Jiang Yang showed a trace of delight. He took a hooded outfit from his Flame Domain and changed into it, then walked toward the Golden Humans tribe after concealing his eyes somewhat.
As soon as he entered the tribe, he saw that an air of sorrow pervaded it. The Golden Humans hung their heads in dejection, steeped in a deathly gloom.
Somewhat puzzled, he headed straight toward the center of the tribe.
Soon, he discovered a little girl with snow-white skin, covered in wounds, hanging high above the ground.
The girl's hair was disheveled, her head hung low, and her clothes were ragged. She looked utterly wretched.
In front of her, countless prey animals had been piled into a small mountain, and the smell of blood assailed his nostrils.
All around stood tribespeople with their heads bowed, every one of them wearing a fearful expression.
Jiang Yang pulled aside one of the Golden Humans at the edge of the crowd and asked what had happened.
The man turned to glance at Jiang Yang, puzzlement appearing on his sallow, gaunt face. Fortunately, he did not notice that Jiang Yang's pupils were not vertical. He merely looked over Jiang Yang's clothing and spoke softly.
"Are you an outsider from far away? Leave quickly. A powerful, ferocious monster will be coming to our tribe soon. Your clothes are completely different from ours. I'm afraid that intensely curious monster will notice you."
A powerful, ferocious monster? Wasn't this the Olympian Region? Hadn't the Olympian Shelter sent anyone to deal with it?
So Jiang Yang asked.
"Haven't you sought help from the Gods? And what's going on with that girl in the square?"
The tribesman was just about to answer when a sound that shook the earth and mountains suddenly rang out.
He hurriedly dropped to his knees with a thud and buried his head firmly in the dirt.
Rumble!
As the sound drew closer and closer, all the tribespeople prostrated themselves on the ground.
The only exceptions were the little girl hanging from the tall wooden frame and Jiang Yang, who stood at the edge of the crowd.
Closer, closer still.
With an earth-shaking roar, a vast shadow appeared over the tribe.
Not far away, an enormous creature slowly revealed itself.
Jiang Yang narrowed his eyes and looked up, spotting a hundred-meter-tall figure in the distance. It had a lion's body and head, with a pair of enormous feathered wings on its back.
Its tail was a python flicking its forked tongue, swaying back and forth as it let out suffocating hisses.
What was this thing? A beast that had mutated after the apocalypse?
Before the eagle-winged, snake-tailed lion beast reached the tribe, its booming voice carried over.
"Foolish mortals, have you prepared your offerings for Lord Sphinx?"
This thing could actually talk?
Jiang Yang was astonished. Honestly, this was his first time seeing a mutant beast that could speak.
"Honored Lord Sphinx, we have already prepared your offerings in the square. Please do not harm us lowly mortals."
In the center of the square, a white-haired old man spoke loudly.
He was a B-rank awakener, already the strongest person in this tribe.
Meanwhile, the lion-bodied beast with eagle wings and a python tail that called itself Sphinx exuded the aura of an emperor-rank awakener from its entire body.
"What, none of those Gods on Mount Olympus came to help you this time? That Olympian God last time, the one waving a trident whom I beat like a dog-didn't he say an even stronger Olympian God King would come teach me a lesson?"
Sphinx finally approached, its enormous shadow blotting out all the sunlight in the square.
It first glanced at the mountain of prey piled in the square and nodded in satisfaction.
Then it looked at the little blond girl tied to the tall wooden frame, frowned, and lowered its head to roar.
"Why is there only one? Are there no others?"
Its foul breath turned into a gale, making the old man standing in the center of the square tremble. He spoke nervously.
"Lord Sphinx... our tribe truly has only one child with such divine features..."
With that, he hurriedly called out to the little girl on the tall wooden frame.
"Filiya, raise your head. Let Lord Sphinx see what you look like."
Hearing his words, the little girl on the tall wooden frame shook all over with fright, but still tremblingly lifted her filthy little head.
"I'm Filiya, the person you're looking for."
The young girl's clear, pleasing voice spread across the silent land.
She was a little blond girl whose pupils were not vertical, her eyes just like those of Jiang Yang and the other old humans.
Sphinx looked at the little girl, the pleasure of revenge showing in its enormous bestial eyes.
"Hahahaha! Once, that bunch of Gods from Olympus claimed they wanted to cleanse this land. They forcibly hunted me down and drove me out, nearly killing me.
"Now my strength has advanced another step, and I've returned to this land. I'll begin by eating you, a human who looks just like them!"
It proudly raised its lion head and roared wildly.
Then it lowered its enormous head and swallowed all the prey in the square in a single mouthful. As it chewed, scarlet blood immediately poured onto the ground.
Everyone pressed their heads firmly against the ground, not daring to look up.
Just as it lowered its head to eat, it suddenly noticed a hooded figure standing at the edge of the crowd.
"Hmm?! Someone actually dares face my majesty without kneeling, without humbly begging Lord Sphinx for forgiveness. What a pity. Your offerings are useless now. All of you must die! Hahahahaha!"
The enormous monster burst into wild laughter, its foul saliva scattering with its bloody breath.
In despair, the people turned to look toward the back of the crowd. Sure enough, they discovered a hooded figure standing perfectly straight at its edge.
"Zeus above, who is that?"
"We're doomed..."
Just as the tribespeople were despairing, the tall, straight figure threw back his hood, revealing a bright, handsome face.
He had a head of shining blond hair, and flames seemed to burn within his bright golden eyes!
As he revealed his true appearance, the endless firelight all around seemed to gather there, setting him aglow with boundless radiance.
"Ah! An exalted God!"
"Hahaha, it really is a God!"
"Can this God defeat Sphinx?"
Some of the tribespeople rejoiced, while others worried.
Jiang Yang stepped into the air, standing level with Sphinx's lion head. He unleashed his aura, and a blazing, scorching presence immediately enveloped the entire expanse of heaven and earth.
With a faint smile, his handsome, majestic voice carried in every direction.
"Sphinx? To think I'd encounter an interesting little lion that can talk on my travels."
A little lion?
Sphinx warily watched this God who had suddenly appeared. It sensed an extremely dangerous aura from him.
But so what?
It recalled those days of being hunted by the Gods of Olympus, and the flames of vengeance burned fiercely in its heart.
So Sphinx opened its huge mouth, baring its bloodstained fangs, and roared furiously.
"So, you're that God King Zeus the sea god Poseidon spoke of?"
Before you continue