Foliage and the Beasts

A solitary tree, roughly one meter tall, was growing at the highest point of the Kunlun Summit.

It had forcefully taken root within the bronze as if it was soil from which to absorb nutrients. Its body was green and translucent with a radiant luster.

The tree trunk was as thick as one’s wrist and it, although not very tall, possessed cracked bark like that of an old tree. The scaly exterior gave it a vigorous appearance.

Its leaves, shaped like the palm of an infant, were seemingly carved of jade with a touch of penetrative spirituality. The dew hanging upon them rolled around with the gentle caress of the wind like pearls upon a tray of jade.

A single fist-sized flower was growing at the top of this tree. It was silver in color with some gold spots, blooming at the cliff edge and overflowing with a sweet fragrance.

This bewitching little tree stood in proud silence.

Chu Feng tried several times, but it was impossible to approach from this side of the mountain. He decided to take the risk, and he climbed from the collapsed side. He had to be extremely careful because the slightest mistake might lead to his death.

He retreated from the mountainside and arrived at a more level area where he circled to the other side and looked up.

"How is it able to grow on a mountain of bronze?" Chu Feng was puzzled.

The fast-changing world was becoming increasingly incomprehensible.

Chu Feng was calm, but he frowned thinking about this curious little plant and the odd bronze mountain. None of this followed common sense.

A figure appeared within his heart; this person had once told him some things which he didn’t take to heart at the moment. But now his emotions were stirred.

"When one day you see the roadside weeds bearing brightly colored fruits, the ordinary world as we know it has perhaps ceased to exist." [1]

Those words were once spoken by Lin Naoi. She had spoken them casually and with relative calmness.

It was the same tone she had when she broke up with Chu Feng. Her voice seemed distant and somewhat apathetic as if she was speaking from somewhere high above.

Chu Feng had thought she was referring to their relationship—about how life and feelings were all fleeting and prone to change.

"Did her words have a deeper meaning?"

This world had undergone several changes since the post-civilization era, many of which weren’t known to the general public. However, there should be a small group of people who knew the actual truth.

What did Lin Naoi know and how much?

Chu Feng let out a sigh when her image appeared in his mind. He was frustrated and disappointed, but one should ultimately learn to let go.

He raised his head once again and gazed toward the bronze summit. Surprise flashed across his face.

Did she really mean something else? Following her train of thought, it seemed everything normal was soon about to change. Then what of this inherently extraordinary tree?

This tree should’ve been out of the ordinary even before experiencing any type of change!

There were several loose rocks under his feet. Chu Feng had already arrived at the edge of the mountainside and could hardly progress any further.

A gust of wild wind suddenly kicked up and jolted Chu Feng from his reverie. He saw a fast-moving shadow on the ground which soon covered him.

Something was approaching, fast!

He reacted with great agility. His well-built body dived out of the way and rolled for a certain distance on the ground. During this process, he retrieved his crossbow and assembled it with great efficiency.

As a lone traveler, he naturally brought a weapon he could use to defend himself. With a twist of his body, he stood up and took the shot whereupon the bolt flew out with a thump.

He discovered his assailant at that same moment!

An expression of great astonishment appeared on Chu Feng’s face. The animal was so much bigger than its peers.

A bright golden bird of prey almost five meters in wingspan had rushed down toward him from the high above and nearly caught him in its claws.

With a clang, the crossbow bolt struck a distant limestone rock amidst a shower of sparks. The bird evaded swiftly, causing the projectile to miss narrowly.

At the same time, its sharp claws also struck the rock and earth on the ground to emit a terrifying scraping sound. It then soared upwards amidst rushing winds.

Chu Feng felt a chill run down his spine. He would’ve been in unimaginable danger had he not reacted quickly just now.

Normal falcons could easily crack the bones and skulls of its prey. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the strength such a large beast would process. He would be in a rather miserable situation if he was just one step late.

Chu Feng retreated immediately to more advantageous terrain and took cover near a giant rock. He then cautiously aimed his crossbow toward the sky once more.

The ferocious golden bird made a sharp turn in the air and flew close to the mountainside, kicking up powerful gales.

He had truly never seen such a large bird.

From its appearance, it was likely a golden eagle. Its bright plumage was polished and sleek with little if any blemish at all—its size was staggering and its nature ferocious. The eagle's golden pupils shone brilliantly with a certain spirit of the wild.

There was no way for a normal eagle to grow this big. This was definitely a mutant. This was grossly abnormal!

The ancient people might consider such a large bird as the legendary great roc—

—because many ancient records were somewhat exaggerated. A bird five meters in wingspan was definitely something that would cause a great sensation if discovered.

This was especially true for the Mount Kunlun region because the whole place was shrouded in myths and legends.

The golden bird was extremely violent, yet it didn’t charge back immediately but instead circled overhead. The animal, with its keen senses, had seemingly noticed the might of Chu Feng’s crossbow.

Suddenly, Chu Feng noticed a certain fishy odor.

Three snow leopards were silently climbing up the mountain. Their eyes were distant, and traces of blood were discernible on their sharp fangs. It was clear that they had just finished hunting other prey.

They were staring at Chu Feng with their bodies slightly arched. At the same time, they glanced at the golden bird in the air and were greatly intimidated, letting out low, uneasy growls.

The three snow leopards were bigger and stronger than what was normal for their race. Their sharp claws suffused with a cold glow, poised to pounce for the kill at any moment.

Chu Feng frowned. He hadn’t expected to encounter such a dangerous situation. There was a vicious bird in the air and prowling leopards on the ground—the situation appeared rather dire.

Suddenly, the three leopards began to tremble as their fur stood on ends and soon vanished into the rocky mess.

A yak had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Its jet-black body was enshrouded in flowing black light while a pair of large horns was pointed towards the sky.

It could even be called a yak monarch since it was over three meters long, with stout limbs and a large body. It stood there like a small black hill.

Chu Feng was greatly astonished to find that this gigantic animal had approached as silently as the snow leopards and was almost impossible to discover beforehand.

Furthermore, the three snow leopards had immediately darted away after seeing the great yak. This was quite abnormal!

The black yak raised its head and glanced at the golden bird in the sky and later stood there silently and motionlessly, gazing at the bronze peak.

Why were these three animals gathered here?

Chu Feng knew that he was in a precarious situation and dared not move carelessly. He was waiting for an opportunity.

In the distance, the silhouettes of several beasts could be seen running up the mountain. They were extremely fast with glaring white fangs, appearing extremely ferocious.

These six wolves were extremely large in size and much bigger than their peers. The fierce alpha wolf was snow white in color and had only one eye within which flowed a faint green light.

They temporarily halted their steps after arriving nearby. They seemed rather uneasy, apparently fearful of the black yak and golden eagle.

Suddenly, the peace was broken as the six wolves rushed through the rocks and swiftly made their way towards the summit.

At the same time, the three snow leopards also made their move. They ran straight toward the summit at lightning speed.

Chu Feng gradually retreated at that point, hoping to escape the place.

The roar of beasts resounded continuously at the mountaintop as they fought their way up the mountain.

A thunderous sound was transmitted from afar as a grossly deformed snow leopard came tumbling down. It’d been mangled into a bloody mess after being struck by a yellow figure.

The assailant was like a flash of lightning as it suddenly appeared from one side and rushed into the group of beasts with great swiftness.

It was a mastiff roughly the size of a regular Tibetan mastiff. The hair on its neck was thick and long akin to a lion’s mane and its claws were drenched in snow leopard blood.

But it was truly violent. A single leap took him several meters as it pounced forward yet again.

Wolf howls rang out in great misery as flowers of blood bloomed in all directions. One of the wolves had been bitten in the neck and flung away.

Another was stunned after it was struck flying and crashed into a giant rock.

"That’s the rumored true mastiff!" Chu Feng was surprised.

According to the locals, the true mastiffs lived in the wild and could fight against tigers and leopards. Their numbers were few and rarely ever appeared in human sight.

This true mastiff was even more powerful than the rumors suggested. It charged into the pack of beasts like a bolt of lightning and had disabled one leopard and two wolves in the blink of an eye.

Chu Feng guessed that this was likely a mastiff king or something even more powerful.

The mastiff leaped up once again and swiftly crossed over eight meters, whereupon its claws once again came down with a bear-like force. One of the wolves’ eye was gouged out and sent tumbling.

After it landed, the mastiff pounced upon yet another snow leopard. Their roars were terrifying as they rolled on the ground in a discharge of bestial rage.

The snow leopard finally collapsed in a pool of blood after having its neck torn off. Apparently, it didn’t have much to live.

The mastiff was still unwounded with all the hairs on its leonine mane standing on end. Although it wasn’t incredibly large in size, the mastiff possessed a certain imposing manner like a mythical lion as it leaped once again toward the remaining beasts.

Chu Feng almost couldn’t believe there existed such a powerful and ferocious mastiff! It had almost finished off a pack of wild beasts after a few pounces.

The final snow leopard had died, leaving only the single-eyed alpha wolf fleeing for his life. It rushed down the mountain, hoping only to leave this place alive.

But soon, the mastiff caught up to it. A bloody maw bit into and broke the wolf’s neck, almost decapitating it on the spot.

Thus, the nine ferocious beasts were all killed in a short period of time.

Chu Feng grasped his crossbow tightly. He was on high alert at this time because this place was simply too dangerous.

The mastiff once again became silent, its body completely drenched in the blood of the other animals. It raised its head and gazed at the small tree on the cliff.

It wasn’t particularly large in size but was indeed exceptionally ferocious. Its earthen yellow fur, dyed red with beast blood, was a testament to its imposing might.

During this whole process, the black yak simply stood there, gazing at the little tree on the bronze mountain. It was completely unperturbed by the nearby battle and hadn’t bothered to move at all.

The golden bird of prey was still circling high in the sky as before with its eyes fixated on the area below.

The three mysterious life forms appeared rather calm as if they possessed human intelligence. Their target was obviously the little tree, but none of them made a move, seemingly waiting for something.

Chu Feng felt deeply astonished because the three animals were truly extraordinary.

...

[1] The original sentence was "when the roadside weeds bear fist-sized bright-red colored fruits" which I thought was too specific and made no sense, so I modified it somewhat.

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Retranslated by Alsey 2018/JAN