Chapter Twelve: The Golden Phenomenon

He had long since grown accustomed to the twin moons hanging in the sky. Casting a glance toward the distant Lion’s Cave, listening to the sound of flowing water, Wang Luo slowly closed his eyes and began his cultivation.

Time passed silently as Wang Luo cultivated. No one knew how long it had been when, all of a sudden, a tiny golden point of light appeared above the Lion’s Cave in the distance. At first, the golden point seemed insignificant, but as it grew larger and spun ceaselessly like a vortex, it swiftly transformed into a massive golden whirlpool.

Deep within the forest where Wang Luo resided, ancient trees that required several people to encircle stood everywhere, their trunks growing ever thicker and more luxuriant the further one ventured in. At the summit of one such towering tree sat a young man of about twenty, draped in a long black robe. The moment the golden vortex appeared, his eyes, previously closed in meditation, slowly opened.

An intangible pressure radiated from him, stirring a violent storm. The surrounding colossal trees swayed furiously as if they might be uprooted at any moment, yet, strangely, not a single leaf fell. In the blink of an eye, the invisible storm dissipated, the giant trees ceased their trembling, and all returned to its original state, as though the storm had never happened.

A streak of black light shot in from afar, halting before the young man to reveal a remarkable boy, not more than a few years old. Eyes alight with excitement, the boy cried, “Dad, another two magical beasts have advanced to the Sanctuary! You said that when three Sanctuary-level magical beasts appeared in the Beast Forest, you’d let me visit the human world!”

“Dad?” The young man’s eyes widened at this address, puzzled—when had the boy learned that word? There were hardly any magical beasts nearby who had ventured into human society. Could he have sneaked out by himself?

Startled by the young man’s question, the boy—who had been lost in visions of playing in the human world—lowered his head and stared at the giant tree beneath his feet. His eyes darted back and forth, clearly plotting something. The young man, brow slightly furrowed, waited for an explanation.

“Well, Dad—oh, no, Father…” The boy stumbled over his words, hesitating for quite some time, but ultimately failed to give a reason.

Seeing the young man’s increasingly furrowed brow and narrowed eyes, the boy’s heart trembled. At once, he confessed the truth. “Nine years ago, a human infant was transported into the Beast Forest and adopted by those two golden lions who just advanced. I was curious and went to see. The child is clever, and I learned ‘Dad’ from him. He said calling someone ‘Dad’ means the father and son are close. If you don’t like it, I’ll stop.”

The young man was momentarily stunned by the boy’s explanation, but he quickly concealed his reaction and asked, “Did they see you?”

The little boy shook his head, somewhat disgruntled. “No. Every time I went, I stayed hidden. They never knew I was watching. Over the past two years, the lions were preparing for their breakthrough, so I stopped visiting, afraid I’d be caught.”

“Very well, then you may call me Dad from now on,” the young man replied, nodding. The boy was taken aback, then gleefully called out “Dad! Dad!” several times.

Watching the joyous boy before him, the young man’s eyes softened with a hint of a smile. He looked toward the Lion’s Cave, where the enormous golden vortex was now visible as a faint dot from this distance.

“Who knows what rare treasures those golden lions devoured? A century ago, when that cowardly hydra was tamed as a human’s magical pet, those lions were only mid-level rank nine magical beasts. I never expected them to reach the Sanctuary. The Beast Forest will be thrown into chaos once again!”

“There are only a handful in the continent who possess teleportation scrolls. That human child’s origins are anything but simple. And for this boy to be so captivated by a human child—just what sort of child could stir his curiosity? If not for the lions’ advancement and the resulting barrier within a hundred miles, I’d go see for myself.”

“This time, the Holy See had best stay away. Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to deal with them!” At this thought, a chilling murderous intent flashed in the man’s eyes.

In an unknown wilderness, a disheveled old man wandered along, a wine jug in his left hand and a large slab of unidentifiable roasted meat in his right, eating and drinking as he walked. The moment the golden point appeared, however, a sharp, piercing light flickered in his otherwise clouded eyes—gone as quickly as it came. He continued his shambling journey, seemingly unchanged.

Behind him, a hungry wolf that had been stalking him for a meal suddenly collapsed in silence, blood seeping from its eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. It lay motionless, unmistakably dead.

The Holy See was the mightiest religious order on the Divine Continent, enjoying the devotion of nearly ninety-nine percent of humanity. In the soft yellow glow of a lamp, the Holy Pontiff sat cross-legged on his bed, reading. The instant the golden point appeared, he looked up toward the Lion’s Cave and, with a wave of his hand, sent a beam of white light edged with gold streaking into the distance.

The instant the golden point emerged, every being across the continent who sensed its presence paused, turning their attention to that place. Some were filled with excitement, others thoughtful, and some merely glanced over indifferently before returning to their own affairs.

Wang Luo, in the midst of his cultivation, also opened his eyes without warning as the golden point appeared. He frowned deeply, puzzled as he gazed at the golden vortex above the Lion’s Cave. He could clearly feel the terrifying energy contained within that spinning vortex, as well as the mounting pressure radiating from it.

Suddenly, he felt a weight on his shoulder—a little white lion with an eager expression had appeared, urging him on with excited whimpers toward the Lion’s Cave, sensing the presence of its lion father and mother.

The gigantic golden vortex, some forty to fifty meters in diameter, hung in the sky like a second sun, dyeing the heavens a blinding gold. Wang Luo squinted at the ceaselessly spinning vortex, keenly aware that the power within could shatter him to pieces. He resisted the little white lion’s urging and did not set out for the cave.

Instead, he comforted the little lion in his arms, though he himself was worried about the lion couple and longed to see them. Yet, even from this distance, the pressure from the vortex pressed heavily on his chest. Wang Luo guessed that if he tried to approach, he would be crushed to pulp before he ever reached the cave.

The immense golden vortex in the sky began to spin even faster, gaining speed until all that could be seen was a blur of golden light. With each revolution, a thunderous boom echoed, like the rumble of a distant storm.

Minute by minute, time slipped by. Wang Luo remained where he was, holding the little lion and soothing its quiet sulk.

Otherworldly Azure Dragon, Chapter 12: The Golden Phenomenon—End of update.