Chapter 126: Astral Lion 'cub'

The scenario that unfolded in front of me was something that I wasn't expecting at all. And here I was, thinking that first impression always last and that the Astral Lion Cub that came out of the Bad Egg would remain cute and cuddly for a long time. But I was mistaken, totally mistaken.

With a single roar, the Astral Lion Cub grew in size as its roar resonated all throughout the surrounding area, shaking the trees, making the skies groan, and shaking the earth as if a tremor just erupted. the Astral Lion grew so incredibly massive that it was probably one and half times the size of the White Pearl Snake I fought during the quarterfinals of the tournament. It was as big as the walls of the City Shelter, making it look more intimidating and fierce compared to its former look.

Needless to say, it looked formidable... as expected of a Mythic Beast.

"Give it a name!" Hui-ying excitedly squealed inside my head. I could imagine her jumping up and down in joy after meeting her summon for the second time.

And now, they're both with me, aiding me in stopping the end of our world. It might sound cliche, but that's the cold hard truth. Who would've thought that I would be given a second chance in life just so I could be the one to save the world. Anyone else could've done it, but luck was on my side or maybe, I was really chosen because of my innate talent. Nevertheless, I don't have to think about it too much since it already happened. All that I have to do is to wholly accept my role and to put all my effort into stopping the end.

I couldn't save the world, let alone my disciples, from the outbreak. Now I intend to do it. It's the reason why I got my consciousness back after all.

"All right all right. I will think of a name for it." I said, trying to hide the grin that was trying to emerge from my lips. I was just as excited as Hui-ying since a mythic beast should be much stronger than a spirit beast, right? They might've reached an undiscoverable realm that is leaps and bounds stronger than the Transcendence Realm. "Still, don't you think it's weird?"

"What?'

"I mean, isn't this a Mythical Beast? Why is it so compliant in front of a cultivator in the King Realm? It even accepted me as its master. Don't tell me, does it have to do with you, Hui-ying?" I asked. If that were true, then that means I just got some sort of cheat, right?

"N-no, I can tell that I don't have a connection with it anymore." Hui-ying vehemently denied. "And also, I would have felt it if it could still detect my presence but I don't have any sort of link with it. Maybe it imprinted itself to you because you were the one who took care of it while it was still an Egg. I mean you were the only one who took care of it."

"I see, somehow I'm relieved," I said with a sigh.

After that ferocious roar, the Astral Lion knelt sat, and lowered its head towards me. And then, it licked my face while it wagged its tail. It was totally in submission to me. "All right, I will name you Pixiu, how's that?"

"Ahaahaha!" Fui-ying laughed her heart out at the name, making a nerve popped up on my forehead.

"Why? Is it too cliche for a name?"

"Not really. In that past, I named my Mythic Lion the same name." Hui-ying tried to suppress her chuckle but to no avail. She was roaring with laughter in my head, making me want to make her shut up but I didn't. This was the first time I heard Hui-ying enjoy herself and I thought that I'll just leave her to it as a treat. I mean, whenever she talked to me, it felt like she was always nervous. But now, somehow, she finally relaxed.

But even until now, I still dread to ask her how it feels to be in someone else's head.

Rustle. Rustle. Rustle.

My Astral Lion's ears perked up as it heard a distant rustle of leaves. It opened its mouth, baring its fangs at the mysterious identities who were approaching us. I immediately realized who they were so I went towards my Astral Lion and patted its mane. "Fret not, Pixiu, they're my allies on the battlefield."

"Fret not? What are you? Some sort of historical figure?" Hui-ying teased.

"Sshh." I hissed.

The rustling became louder and pretty soon, the undergrowth near me parted and Liu Zhi's party came out. "Whoa! That's big!" Liu Zhi exclaimed.

"It looks majestic. Is that your summon, Yong Rui?" Wu Yan asked, her eyes glistening in awe.

"Somehow, I want to experience what it feels like to ride on it." Blade whispered.

"This here is Pixiu, my new summon. He just hatched from an egg so he's still feeling nervous. I'd suggest not getting near it for now." I said.

"You were gone for so long we thought something happened to you. That's why we've backtracked. We didn't expect you to get another summon. Is it in the Titanium Rank?" Liu Zhi excitedly asked.

"Umm, no," I said after letting out a chuckle. If I were to tell them that he's leaps and bounds higher than the Titanium Rank beasts they know, they would've flipped out in shock.

"Figures, it just hatched from an egg after all. But how could it get so big when it just hatched? The Egg must be bigger than him." Blade muttered under his breath. He was still as distant as ever.

As if on cue, the Astral Lion shrank in size until it was no more than the size of a basketball. Instead of roaring, it let out a soft purr like a newborn kitten. And then it approached me and rubbed its head on my ankles. I thought that it was trying to tell me to pick him up so I did. After letting out yet another purr, it buried its head on my chest and comfortably fell asleep while nestled on my arms.

I looked towards Liu Zhi and the others. "That's about it. Why don't we go on our way to the dungeon now? We have until morning to investigate it, right?" I asked.

...

The dungeon was, well, nothing sort of a dungeon. In fact, it looked more like a tower than a dungeon and I wondered why Shen Rong called it a dungeon.

Spanning hundreds of meters tall from the ground up, the tower reached the heavens and vanished from the clouds. Occasional lightning erupted from its top part, making it seem more eerie than normal. Adding to that, its reddish and blackish stony walls gave it a vibe of no man's land— if one were to enter it, they might not be able to return at all. That was the feeling I got from it.

"Isn't this a tower? Why did Shen Rong call it a dungeon?"

"Oh about that..." Liu Zhi muttered. "Apparently, there was no way up the tower, just downwards. That's why it's called the Void Tower. It's literally void from the ground up so there was no need to climb up."

The Void Tower seemed to grow bigger the more we approached it but I knew that that was just an optical illusion. If it were really getting bigger, then there might be some sort of Qi Energy at work here. Well, I wouldn't go so far just to observe it from its exterior. Our sole purpose here is to recce the interior part. And besides, Liu Zhi's explanation of the tower was more than enough for me to think about.

I mean, why would someone create a tower without anything in it, and then go through the effort to dig underground just so it could be called a dungeon? It just doesn't make sense.

I do know that dungeons are mysterious things that show up out of nowhere and then vanish without a trace after being cleared so maybe, I'm just thinking too much into it. Perhaps the creator of the dungeon was a lunatic. Either that or he's a genius who wanted to show his artistic side.

Still, I could confidently say that the design of the Void Tower dungeon was lame and boring. It looked cool at first glance but for me, it's just a waste of building materials, time, and money. So whoever built this dungeon, well, he can do better next time. There's a lot of room for improvement on this one.

"Our mission is just to enter the dungeon, observe the first floor or the surrounding area for a bit, hopefully, explore deeper before morning comes, and then we make our report to Shelter Leader. The next day, we'll attempt to clear this dungeon with a suitable group of zombie hunters." Liu Zhi announced.

But before he could step foot inside the tower, an entity came out, blocking its doorway.

"Who dares try to enter this Void Tower?" The entity spoke in a cold deathly voice.