Inside the Grand Pavilion, an old man sat behind a heavy wooden table, dressed in imposing martial robes. His back was straight, his aura steady and oppressive.
He was Su Hangan.
On the other side of the table stood a young man clad in white martial attire. His hands were clasped behind his back as he spoke with restrained concern.
"Master… why did you do that? No matter what, she is still your daughter."
Su Hangan didn't even look up from the documents in his hands.
"Do you think I had a fucking choice?" he said coldly. "The entire Su Manor turned against Su Jing today. They forced that competition upon me. From a leader's perspective, their reasoning isn't wrong."
He finally put the papers down.
"She stayed in the Rain Appreciating Pavilion all these years only because Zhuo Riyan entered the Great Bound Sect. But three years ago, when he was crippled, everything changed. The pressure from the clan never stopped. Today, it finally exploded."
"But master… this means they'll be thrown into the guest pavilions," the young man said worriedly.
Su Hangan closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"…Enough. Tell me. Did you find anything that can recover my grandson's dantian and veins?"
The young man hesitated.
"No. I searched everywhere. There were no clues. And about what happened to Zhuo Riyan three years ago..."
At the same time, inside the Rain Appreciating Pavilion, Su Jing lay weakly on her bed, her breathing shallow, illness written all over her body.
Zhuo Riyan sat beside her, his hands trembling slightly.
"Mother… where is the Three Leaf Frozen Grass?"
"In the table drawer…" Su Jing replied weakly.
Zhuo Riyan rushed to the table and yanked both drawers open.
Empty.
His heart sank.
The Three Leaf Frozen Grass was the only thing suppressing her illness. It wasn't extremely rare—but it grew in dangerous areas guarded by vicious beasts. Getting it was never easy.
He turned back sharply.
"Mother… it's all gone. I am going to get some..."
Su Jing forced a faint smile.
"Don't worry… it's just a little pain. Someone will send it soon…"
Zhuo Riyan knelt down beside her bed and tightly held her cold hand.
"Mother, don't lie to me. I'm not the same anymore. My cultivation is back. I have a lifebound beast again."
His eyes burned with determination.
"This time… I won't let anyone fucking take anything from us."
After some time, Zhuo Riyan stood before the massive entrance of a vast forest, the little cat perched lazily on his shoulder.
This place was known as the Hundred Beasts Mountains.
Its territory sprawled endlessly, filled with deadly beasts. The deeper one ventured, the more terrifying the creatures became. This entire mountain range lay under the control of the Su Family.
Zhuo Riyan stepped inside without hesitation.
He had been here before—back when Xiao Xiao was still alive. He remembered clearly where he had once found the Three Leaf Frozen Grass. But he also knew the odds were slim. Three years had passed. That place had likely been cleaned out long ago.
After hours of travel, he finally reached a quiet pond with still waters.
Back then, Three Leaf Frozen Grass had grown all around it.
Now, there was nothing.
Not a single blade left.
Zhuo Riyan let out a heavy sigh and glanced at the little cat on his shoulder.
"Hey, can't you help me find Three Leaf Frozen Grass?"
The little cat smacked its lips in its sleep.
"Nope. I'm busy dreaming about beautiful female cats. Find your grass yourself."
Its face twisted into a shameless, lustful expression even while asleep.
Zhuo Riyan's eye twitched. "Useless, horny piece of shit…"
With no other choice, he headed deeper into the forest.
As he moved forward, he recalled the true terror of the Hundred Beasts Mountains. The forest was divided into seven regions.
The first region was the absolute core—no one had ever reached it.
The second region lay just outside the core. No one had reached it either, but cultivators could vaguely sense an overwhelming pressure from that direction.
The third region was where only the strongest disciples from major families dared to enter. Even then, only a few ever came back alive.
The fourth region was where elite disciples of the Su Manor trained and searched for precious treasures and herbs.
The fifth region was open to outsiders as well.
The sixth and seventh regions were the safest—home only to low-level beasts.
As Zhuo Riyan advanced, he soon entered the sixth region.
Suddenly, a thick stench of blood attacked his nose.
He stopped.
Scattered across the forest floor were the corpses of several Rank 1 low-level wolf beasts, their bodies torn apart, blood still fresh.
Wild beasts without lifebound masters cultivated through their beast cores, storing their life essence within. Their ranks determined their strength.
Zhuo Riyan's eyes narrowed.
"Someone strong is hunting here…"
And whatever it was—
It was already in eight level of beast vein stage.
Zhuo Riyan's gaze slowly dropped to the ground near the corpse. His pupils narrowed. More than one pair of shoe prints were pressed into the dirt.
He quickly realized it meant there had been more than one person—but it had nothing to do with him. His goal is the Three Leaf Frozen Grass.
He continued walking forward.
The forest was unnaturally silent. Not a single beast appeared along his path.
How strange, he thought. Years ago, when I came here, Rank 1 high-level beasts filled the Sixth Region. You couldn't even take ten steps without being attacked.
As he was lost in thought, a terrifying roar suddenly tore through the silence from straight ahead.
Zhuo Riyan snapped his head up.
From the shadows, one pair of crimson eyes appeared. Then another. And another.
In the blink of an eye, ten pairs of blood-red eyes gleamed in the darkness, all locked onto him.
A chill ran down his spine.
Zhuo Riyan instinctively took several steps backward and shouted, "Fucking scared? Come out if you have the guts!"
The next moment, ten massive figures strode out of the darkness in perfect unison.
Golden fur covered their bodies. Thick muscles bulged beneath their skin. Each of them had a sharp horn growing from its forehead.
Golden Apes.