197 The Old Lion King

Sheng Feilong hesitated for merely a moment after the voice sounded out from within the cave. Not wasting any time, he stepped forward, staring directly at the pair of blazing eyes deep inside the cave. Huang Jialong and Yuanen Yehui reacted just a moment later, ready to follow behind Sheng Feilong.

However, the two of them were stopped by a towering paw stomping down in front of them. The crimson-maned lion looked down on them with a ferocious expression, the ground beneath its feet cracking. "You have no purpose to meet with my king, humans."

The crimson-maned lion seemed ready to kill them at this point, utterly displeased with the fact that humans were standing on their pride's mountain to begin with, but the voice from within the cave sounded out again. "Let them be. They are guests."

Sheng Feilong took that short moment where these eyes glanced at the crimson-maned lion instead of himself to take another breath, then walked deeper into the cave. Soon, he couldn't see the outside any longer. He would be able to see clearly if he used his Spirit Power, but with these blazing eyes staring him down he didn't dare to and walked the path down in darkness.

With each step he took, the blazing eyes seemed to grow. After a while, he stopped in his tracks, staring in front of him. He still couldn't see in the darkness, but his gut feeling told him that there was something in front of him.

"Enter." The voice from within sounded out again, seemingly not travelling outside the cave as the eyes were still fixed on Sheng Feilong. He stepped forward, passing through something that felt like walking through a thick, uncomfortable curtain.

On the other side, Sheng Feilong was finally able to see again. He had entered a vast, spacious cavity. For an unknown reason, the whole cavity was dimly lit, enough for Sheng Feilong, as a Soul Master, to see perfectly fine and in great detail what was in front of him.

At the opposite end of the cavity, laying on a slightly raised platform was a massive, golden furred lion, nearly double the size of the crimson-maned lion. Its eyes were eerily blazing with a reddish hue – clearly the same eyes that had stared at Sheng Feilong this whole time.

However, compared to the golden furred lion's outside, this one seemed to be in much worse shape. It didn't have the same powerful build with seemingly bulging muscles, but was instead unhealthily skinny, its fur having lost its glossy shimmer a long time ago.

Stretching from its shoulder, over its entire back and down the calf flowed a horrendous scar, the already caved in tissue being devoid of any fur altogether. This king of the pride of Three-Eyed Golden Lions living in the Great Star Dou Forest looked anything but majestic.

Still, the sheer power it radiated easily outmached the crimson-maned lion outside and its still blazing eyes left Sheng Feilong with the impression that there was nothing he could hide in front of this king of lions. Finally, after staring at Sheng Feilong for a while, the lion king finally spoke. "What have you come here for, descendant of Sheng Wuyong."

"Junior Sheng Feilong greets His Majesty, the king of lions. How may I address you, Senior..?" Sheng Feilong bowed deeply with his hands clasped in front of his chest to show his respect; His heart was still violently pounding and he didn't dare disrespect this Soul Beast in the slightest.

The king of lions remained silent, neither answering Sheng Feilong's question, nor acknowledging his greeting. Still, the latter didn't take this as an offence; Rather, he straightened his back again, meeting the gaze of the king of lions before speaking up. "I have come here in search of my Ancestor's remains. My father and I are the last that remain of the Clan Ancestor Wuyong founded and only I have primarily awakened my bloodline; My father's still lays dormant."

"...Awakened by the Soul Bone of our sister, that has found her end at the hands of humans, as I see." The lion king's voice sounded out again, apathetic on the surface, but seething with anger underneath. Sheng Feilong, though, instinctively understood that this anger wasn't directed at him, and only tensed up for a short moment.

Sheng Feilong remained silent for a moment, while the king of lions stared down on him. Finally, Sheng Feilong opened his mouth again, deciding not to comment on the lion king's last words. "Seeking out Ancestor Wuyong's remains was the only was I could think of to fully awaken my bloodline."

The lion king continued to stare at Sheng Feilong without blinking. After a long time it slowly spoke again. "Why do you need more strength? You are a human child, merely over a dozen years old, yet you are strong enough to fight head to head with our 10.000-years-old brethren. None of the younger generation of my pride can match your strength, yet you seek even more power."

The king's words, caused Sheng Feilong to swallow dryly. He hesitated for a long while, the lion king silently staring into his eyes in the meantime, until he finally decided to tell the old lion about the Netherworld Putrefaction Demon and the problems he has with it in full.

He didn't dare lie to it as he feared being seen through by it. Moreover, it was related to him by blood, knowing even his ancestor, Sheng Wuyong, and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion his Artificial Soul Bone originated from. He simply had no reason to fear this king of lion knowing of his secrets; They shared the same blood.

After he was finished, the lion king remained silent for a long while, not saying a word. From time to time, it would slowly close its eyes for a few seonds before looking at Sheng Feilong again; It's gaze changing every time – from indifference and displeasure, to interest and finally sympathy and sadness.

Sheng Feilong had already sat down cross-legged in front of it when the lion king spoke to him once more, its voice filled with indiscernible emotion. "40.000 years ago, hunters injured me greatly, and my dear brother saved my life, losing one of his legs; 4.000 years later, my own brother betrayed our pride, leaving and hiding far away from our home. 20.000 years ago, humans ascended to become Gods, defeating those that hunted us Soul Beasts down."

With a slightly surprised expression, Sheng Feilong listened closely to the lion king. "15.000 years ago, those people reemerged, starting the hunt anew and taking the life of my beloved sister, the strongest of us, my brother, being nowhere near to help. 10.000 years ago, my own beloved child gave her life for that of a human, granting this human the sacred power of our brethrens' eyes."

10.000 years ago; This was the time of the fabled Spirit Eyes Douluo, Huo Yuhao. The same who was said to possess the sacred power of the Great Dou Forest's Auspicious Emperor, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion – The Eye of Destiny. Sheng Feilong's eyes widened when he noticed this connection, not having thought that this old lion king would have such a history.

Without regard for Sheng Feilong's shock, the king of lion's continued. "6.000 years ago, my dear brother came back to our home. He had become a human; Taking the name of Sheng Wuyong and calling himself a useless saint. His life as a human, was coming to an end, yet in the short time he spent as a human, he had reached heights where a wave of his hand would have been enough to eradicate our pride."

Again, Sheng Feilong's eyes widened. Sheng Wuyong was known as the founder and strongest expert the Sheng Clan had ever seen, yet for him to reach heights where he could kill dozens of 10.000-years-old Three-Eyed Golden Lions and even 100.000-years-old ones with a wave of his hand? This was unheard of, even from what his father told him about the Clan's ancient records.

"I couldn't believe what I saw, much less what I heard when him spoke. Asking me to lead our pride to leave our home and travel to a place he would show us; 'A dying man's last wish', as he called it. Yet, I couldn't bare to deny his wish; The wish of my brother, who was so close to death's door." The lion king's voice grew heavier the longer he spoke, but he didn't stop even once.

He looked out of the cave, towards the far off entrance and the vast forest beyond it. "A mountain gathering the power of the sun day by day; A forest so filled with energy, that even the weakest of Soul Beasts could become hunters. He and I alone walked into the deepest part of the mountain's cave, where my dear brother finally died in peace..."

"Again, I couldn't bring to hate him. His selfish wish brought prosperity upon our pride; Our young being stronger than ever before, causing even an inheritor of our brethren's sacred power to emerge among them again. Yet, he wished to remain known as a traitor." The old lion king now stared at Sheng Feilong again, its blazing red eyes meeting his gaze.

For the first time, the lion king actually moved its body, slowly standing up. Its sorry state was now fully revealed to Sheng Feilong; A body riddled with scars and old wounds, skinny and so weak it could barely support its own weight. On the ground, layers upon layers of old fur lay, scattering at the wind that was kicked up by the lion's movements.

It walked only a few steps aside before laying back down with an echoing thud. Revealing a tunnel leading deeper into the cave that has formerly been blocked by its hulking figure. Again, the old lion stared at Sheng Feilong, its eyes now revealing a saddened, incredibly tired expression. "Descendant of Sheng Wuyong, my dear brother, can you shoulder the heritage he has left behind for your kin to claim?"