Chapter 1228: Goodbye Tuntun

Deep within the Hundred Mountains, a space had been carved out, forming a world of its own. This place was the ancestral land of the Golden-Horned Dragon race.

As Zhou Yuan followed Jin Ling'er into this space, he was met with a thick, ancient, wild aura. Faintly, he seemed to hear the roars of countless Genesis Beasts. An indescribable sense of oppression enveloped him. It was a formidable presence accumulated by the Golden-Horned Dragon race over countless ages. Should uninvited intruders enter, they would be met with the full force of this power. Under its might, even a Law Domain expert would gain no advantage whatsoever.

With Jin Ling'er leading the way, this formidable presence naturally didn't affect Zhou Yuan much. Still, his eyelids twitched. The Golden-Horned Dragon race's ability to be one of the Seven Great Clans of All-Beast Heaven, and such deep heritage, was indeed not to be underestimated.

"Zhou Yuan, do you know why Jin Ya tried to intercept you? And why Little Ancestor called you here?" Once inside the ancestral land, Jin Ling'er looked at Zhou Yuan with her beautiful eyes and whispered.

Zhou Yuan calmly shook his head.

"It's because of the Dragon Spirit Grotto-Heaven." Jin Ling'er let out a wry smile and said, "Legend has it that the Dragon Spirit Grotto-Heaven was formed from a wisp of the Ancestral Dragon's remnant soul. It's considered one of the top-tier opportunities in All-Beast Heaven, and countless Genesis Beast races flock to it."

"That place also holds an opportunity that Little Ancestor needs. Due to various rules in the Dragon Spirit Grotto-Heaven, the stronger one's Saint Beast bloodline, the higher the chance of obtaining a great opportunity. It's a two-person system, meaning two people form a team. So, you understand, the greater the benefits for whoever accompanies Little Ancestor."

"Little Ancestor is participating on behalf of the Golden-Horned Dragon race, so the seventh-rank members of the clan fiercely vied for the slot to accompany Little Ancestor into the Dragon Spirit Grotto-Heaven. The one who emerged victorious was Jin Lan, who is among the top seventh-rank experts of our Golden-Horned Dragon race. So, in a sense, his obtaining this spot was due to his strength."

"Furthermore, he is also Jin Ya's elder brother and the chief commander of the Golden-Horned Dragon race's internal law enforcement team."

Jin Ling'er explained at length, then looked at Zhou Yuan and slowly said, "Everyone thought he would be Little Ancestor's partner this time. But to everyone's surprise, a few days ago, Little Ancestor announced that it already had a chosen person and did not acknowledge Jin Lan."

"And that chosen person... is you."

Zhou Yuan was startled, then his eye twitched involuntarily. That rascal Tun Tun was really stirring up trouble for him everywhere. No wonder Jin Ya had come to intercept him so furiously; it turned out he had taken her elder brother's place?

"Is this in line with the rules?" Zhou Yuan asked somewhat helplessly.

"To enter the Dragon Spirit Grotto-Heaven, one needs to offer Saint Beast essence blood. Little Ancestor made the largest offering this time, so strictly speaking, it has the right to decide these matters. The Golden-Horned Dragon race, in fact, benefited from Little Ancestor's participation, allowing more of our people to qualify for entry," Jin Ling'er explained.

Zhou Yuan nodded slightly. "No wonder people from your Golden-Horned Dragon race seem to dislike me."

Jin Ling'er, upon hearing this, shook her head: "To be precise, it's more likely the people from the Grand Elder's lineage who don't see you favorably. After all, Jin Lan is the Grand Elder's most valued grandson."

"As for me, I belong to the Second Elder's lineage. These past years, our clan leader has been in secluded cultivation, and clan affairs have been handled by the two great elders. Naturally, there's been much contention between the two factions. So, while our lineage isn't exactly gloating over this matter, we are observing it with a detached eye."

Zhou Yuan nodded then; internal factional struggles were unavoidable everywhere. Fortunately, he had finally understood the situation.

He raised his head, gazing far into the Golden-Horned Dragon ancestral land. He saw majestic mountains stretching across the land, and in the distant reaches, enormous beasts moving mountains and spewing forth seas, like a primordial world.

After explaining everything, Jin Ling'er directly led Zhou Yuan and Yao Yao towards a great mountain in the center. When Zhou Yuan first saw this mountain, he was even shocked by it. Its grandeur was indescribable; from nearby, it covered his entire field of vision, its end completely unseen. Its height and size were immeasurable. It was said to be the ancestral mountain of the Golden-Horned Dragon race.

On a vast platform of the ancestral mountain, Jin Ling'er guided Zhou Yuan down. Many figures were already present there. Zhou Yuan observed that all the figures, like Jin Ling'er, were in human form. Genesis Beast races often adopt partial human forms, not because they consider human form special, but simply for convenience in communication. Otherwise, if they all maintained their true, enormous forms, it would be far too inconvenient.

Zhou Yuan's gaze swept over them, noticing that the members of the Golden-Horned Dragon race were all looking at him with peculiar gazes, filled with scrutiny, curiosity, and doubt. However, when their eyes fell upon Yao Yao behind him, expressions of astonishment immediately erupted, and for a moment, they seemed eager to approach.

Zhou Yuan ignored the crowd, maintaining a calm expression as he looked towards the center. There were several figures faintly exuding astonishing pressure. Leading them were two golden-haired elders, who, judging by the oppressive aura emanating from their bodies, had both entered the Law Domain stage.

Behind these two elders, Zhou Yuan also saw Jin Ya, who had intercepted him earlier. At this moment, she stood beside a tall, slender man, glaring at Zhou Yuan with gritted teeth and angrily whispering something to the man. The man beside her was exceptionally striking: tall and slender, with a handsome face and golden hair gently swaying in the breeze. With a single glance, he was clearly the focal point of everyone's attention.

At this moment, as he listened to Jin Ya's voice beside him, he gazed deeply at Zhou Yuan, lost in thought. As if sensing Zhou Yuan's arrival, his eyes, which faintly shimmered with golden light, turned towards him. That gaze carried an extremely powerful oppressive force, along with an uncontainable ferocity that sent shivers down one's spine. However, Zhou Yuan's expression remained unchanged. In his heart, he knew that this person was likely Jin Lan, the one who had sought to become Tun Tun's partner...

"Haha, Elder Zhou Yuan has come from afar, our Golden-Horned Dragon race has been neglectful."

As Zhou Yuan descended, one of the two golden-haired elders in the center let out a hearty laugh and stepped forward, cupping his hands towards Zhou Yuan. Although Zhou Yuan possessed only Genesis Infant stage strength, he still held the status of an elder from the Tianyuan Region in Hunyuan Heaven. Therefore, this high-ranking elder of the Golden-Horned Dragon race greeted him with an equal demeanor.

"This is the Second Elder, Jin Jin," Jin Ling'er whispered. "The one who hasn't moved over there is the Grand Elder, Jin Jie."

Zhou Yuan glanced at the tall, robust elder behind him. The latter merely watched the Second Elder speak with a cold gaze, and his look at Zhou Yuan contained a hint of doubt and condescension. It seemed this somewhat arrogant Grand Elder did not regard Zhou Yuan as an equal, unlike the Second Elder.

Zhou Yuan didn't get angry; he simply cupped his hands and smiled at the Second Elder, Jin Jin: "I hope Elder Jin Jin will be more forgiving of any disturbances."

Elder Jin Jin waved his hand, his voice like a resounding bell: "You are a guest personally invited by Lord Zutaotie, which makes you a distinguished guest of our Golden-Horned Dragon race. I am aware of the previous incident where someone intercepted you. This was our Golden-Horned Dragon race's negligence in hospitality, and we will certainly give you a proper explanation."

Behind them, the woman named Jin Ya's expression immediately turned grim. The Grand Elder finally spoke indifferently: "Second Elder, it was merely youthful recklessness; there's no need to make a big deal out of it. Elder Zhou Yuan surely wouldn't mind such trivial matters." As he spoke, he looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "I hear you are Grand Venerable Cang Yuan's personal disciple. I am acquainted with Sect Master Xuan Kun and others from the Tianyuan Region. This incident was Jin Ya's impulsiveness; don't take it to heart."

Although he spoke these words, his tone was as if he were placating a junior. Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan simply smiled faintly. Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly shifted, and he raised his head, looking into the distance. At this moment, Elders Jin Jie and Jin Jin also narrowed their eyes slightly, looking behind them.

There, in the sky, terrifying Genesis Qi was rising. A streak of light shot through the air, as swift as a bolt of lightning, while a roar filled with inexplicable majesty echoed throughout heaven and earth. The streak of light pierced the sky, and after a dozen breaths, it appeared above the plaza.

As the light dissipated, a massive golden beast stood revealed. Clouds formed beneath its four hooves, and its body was covered in golden scales, upon which flashes of purple light shimmered, giving it a mysterious and noble appearance. From its large mouth, fearsome fangs were revealed, with black light flickering within them, as if they contained a black hole. Golden mane gently swayed atop its head, majestic and formidable.

Standing in the void, an indescribable aura of majesty emanated from it. Under this majesty, the many Golden-Horned Dragon experts below all felt a sense of trembling. It was a suppression originating from their bloodline. Although the Golden-Horned Dragon race had no direct blood relation to it, a born Saint Beast was inherently the highest tier among Genesis Beasts. Thus, when the Golden-Horned Dragon clan members saw it, they felt a sense of awe.

Zhou Yuan's gaze also settled on this majestic and mysterious giant beast. The beast still bore faint traces of its former self, but in terms of both size and aura, it had utterly transformed. Now, it truly possessed the might of a Saint Beast.

"This fellow..."

"He's changed so much..."

The giant beast before him was none other than Tun Tun, whom he hadn't seen in many years!