Chapter 1027: Great Wilderness Is Not Simple

"A goddess so beautiful she could overthrow kingdoms? Is there really such a being? If so, then I can rest easy," Chu Feng mumbled to himself.

As they traversed dangerous mountain forests, fierce beasts howled. A large, silver mantis, several meters long, circled above the ridges. Its wings clattered as it flapped, and it wielded a pair of large scythe-like forelegs, cleaving a nine-meter-long black ferocious bird from the sky.

Chu Feng, peering through a tattered slit in the animal skin bag, felt dizzy. What kind of place was this? Even the insects were so brutal.

Upon spotting the giant mantis, even the strong man opted to lie low among the trees and detour, unwilling to provoke it, a testament to its ferocity.

After passing through a rocky area, the mountain path became easier to navigate. The vegetation grew sparse, but what remained were ancient trees, each so thick that a dozen people couldn't encircle one.

Some thorn bushes had stems a meter in diameter, and ancient vines, as thick as water vats, coiled through the mountains. Their roots and stems glowed golden like bronze, and their leaves shimmered.

Splash! By the roadside, fish leaped from streams and clear springs in schools. Each was about a foot long, reddish and glossy like coral, with sharp teeth. They would ambush small passing animals at the riverbank, drag them into the water, and quickly stain the surface with blood.

Chu Feng felt a chill. For a child like him, this mountainous terrain was truly perilous.

"Aoooooh..." A colossal beast's roar tore through the mountain sky. Crimson blood mist, like surging waves, erupted from the deepest part of the mountain range, causing the leaders of all the ferocious beasts to tremble.

The phantom of an ancient beast emerged, boundless and as tall as the sky. Its eyes, like lightning, appeared within the crimson clouds as it confronted another fierce beast.

For a long time, an intense pressure weighed heavily on the area, and a profound silence fell over the wilderness.

"Alas, this dwelling place is becoming increasingly unsafe. The fierce beasts in the mountains are growing stronger, and some exotic beasts have advanced. A beast king battle will happen sooner or later."

The strong man sighed, then quickened his pace, heading out of the mountains.

It was a long time before the deep mountains finally regained their calm. The exotic beast, as tall as the sky, vanished, no longer confronting or roaring.

Outside the mountains, the sound of hooves approached, accompanied by the scent of savage beasts.

A group of brawny individuals arrived, bare-chested and clad in animal hide skirts. Some carried metal maces, while others had large cleavers forged from red metal. They were entering the mountains to hunt.

They rode unusual mounts with golden wolf heads, ox bodies, and horse hooves. While not particularly fast, these creatures were remarkably steady and adept at traversing mountain paths.

"Brother Ji Haishan, why have you returned empty-handed? As one of the masters from the nearby tribes, this doesn't quite match your reputation," a lean, bronze-skinned middle-aged man said, holding a mace. He reined in his wolf-headed, ox-bodied mount, bringing it to a halt.

The strong man, Ji Haishan, had little affection for him. "I come from a small tribe," he retorted, "how can I compare to you?"

The lean middle-aged man, a powerful "Golden Body" level evolutionist with strong psychic abilities, sensed something. "Oh, there's something alive in your animal skin bag. Did you hunt some precious small beast?" he inquired.

"Nothing much, just found a child," Ji Haishan replied truthfully.

"Haha, found a child in the deep mountains? Don't tell me it's yours, a child born from a mountain imp or a weasel spirit, only brought back today?" The lean middle-aged man's voice was loud, his lips twisted into a mocking smile.

His face bore scars, several ghastly wounds left by a ferocious bird, making his smile appear somewhat terrifying.

The others also joined in the laughter.

"Lei Jiao, that's enough!" Ji Haishan roared. Behind him, a vivid, lifelike white tiger, formed from energy, materialized, unleashing an astonishing aura of ferocity that instantly sent sand and stones flying.

"I'm just making a reasonable guess. I remember some surrounding tribes have done that – marrying mountain spirits to gain powerful bloodlines, caring for nothing else. By the way, Ji Haishan, your tribe hasn't produced a single genius in years. How will you explain yourselves to the High Priest at the tribal assembly? You wouldn't really take such a risk, bringing back a bastard child of a spirit from the mountains, would you?"

The lean middle-aged man, Lei Jiao, spoke with barbed words, making them quite unpleasant to hear.

Whoever claimed that the tribes in the frontier regions were simple and honest was clearly mistaken. At least Chu Feng found this middle-aged man utterly repulsive, with his venomous and endlessly mocking words.

After all, Ji Haishan had now taken him in, and Chu Feng genuinely wished to eliminate Lei Jiao for him.

Undoubtedly, there seemed to be rules or restrictions among the tribes against inciting conflicts or bloody battles. Ji Haishan, having misgivings, ultimately restrained himself.

"Since he's not your spirit son, come on, let us see what this child looks like. Then we can testify for you that you haven't adopted a demon."

Lei Jiao forced a smile, subtly cornering Ji Haishan.

"That's right, if he's not a spirit, let us see him!" Lei Jiao's tribesmen also chimed in, clamoring.

Ji Haishan was filled with rage. Since the Lei tribe had grown stronger than the Ji tribe, their people had become incredibly aggressive, provoking them at every turn, pushing him to his limit.

Nevertheless, he eventually untied the animal skin bag. Otherwise, this group might spread rumors back in their tribe, potentially causing trouble for the Ji tribe.

"Oh, he's a fair and chubby boy, but a bit small. He doesn't look like the tribal infants from our Great Wilderness. Could he really be a little spirit?"

Lei Jiao smirked maliciously, then quickly reached out, grabbed Chu Feng, lifted him up, and scrutinized him.

"What are you doing?!" Ji Haishan roared, his killing intent boiling. Pushed beyond his limit, the true form of the white tiger roared behind him, ready to fight to the death at any moment.

"Don't get agitated, I'm just looking. I just feel he doesn't seem to be of our Great Wilderness lineage. Abandoned by his parents so young, he looks inauspicious. Ji Haishan, I'm not saying this to be mean, but you might as well light a fire and burn him to death soon."

Lei Jiao's face, scarred by a ferocious bird, looked somewhat sinister despite his smile.

Damn it! Chu Feng was furious. There was a limit to what one could endure. This lean middle-aged man was utterly despicable. Because he harbored animosity towards Ji Haishan, he even wanted to burn Chu Feng to death?

He acted decisively. Then, from between his legs... a distinct gush, as he directly relieved himself.

"What the f***!" Lei Jiao nearly fainted from rage, his eyes wide. This little brat dared to pee on him?!

He was holding the boy up with his fan-sized hand, looking up at the "idiot child," and as a result... he was directly drenched, his face covered, and his eyes blurred by the stream.

What was worse, when he roared in anger, his mouth was wide open, getting a direct hit—the taste... indescribable!

Enraged, Lei Jiao exerted force, intending to crush the child to death. He was beyond furious.

Ji Haishan had been on guard. The moment he saw Chu Feng relieving himself, he moved, snatching Chu Feng back just before Lei Jiao could make his killing move, and quickly retreated.

"You infuriate me! Kill this brat!" Lei Jiao spat and gagged, wiping his eyes, fuming with rage and roaring repeatedly.

"Arbitrarily provoking tribal conflict will result in punishment for the Lei tribe," Ji Haishan said, standing at a distance and watching them coldly.

"Little brat, I wish I could crush you!" Lei Jiao's chest heaved as he glared viciously at Ji Haishan and Chu Feng. He ultimately restrained himself from acting, but he was immensely infuriated.

Chu Feng, with a pure, sweet smile, extended his small hands, grinning at Lei Jiao, babbling happily.

"Little brat, in a few years, I'll make sure those brats from the Lei tribe finish you off, or at least cripple you!" Lei Jiao declared, then turned and left with his people.

Ji Haishan burst out laughing, looking at Chu Feng. "Good, you're exactly my type. Whether it was accidental or you're naturally a little mischievous, I want to adopt you as my godson."

Chu Feng's smile instantly froze on his small face. A strong man like this for a godfather? It wasn't really that great.

Soon after, Ji Haishan brought Chu Feng back to his tribe. This was a relatively small tribe, with a population of five to six hundred. The terrain here was fairly flat, but numerous rocks were stacked together to form a crude megalithic wall, defending against beast attacks and protecting the people within.

Some children appeared, leaping like mischievous monkeys from the several-meter-high rock wall. Others sat on three-meter-long purple-gold dragonflies, circling in the air.

"Uncle Haishan, other hunting parties have been in the mountains for over two days, and a large group of people visited our tribe!" a child called out.

"What happened?" Ji Haishan, startled, quickly inquired.

Being strong, he had been hunting alone and hadn't joined other parties.

"We heard they might be royalty or nobles, a group of important people who came here for leisure and hunting, passing by our place," a child informed him.

Upon entering the tribe, Ji Haishan immediately went to view a crystal mirror. As he channeled energy, it projected numerous figures, all exceptionally imposing. Their mounts were auspicious beasts with Qilin bloodlines.

Chu Feng was astonished. This tribe was not simple; the crystal mirror could actually project past scenes.

Soon, the expression on his small face froze. He saw a woman, aloof and ethereal, beautiful and noble. He knew her and was very familiar with her. Had she become royalty so quickly?!

Beside her stood a man, shoulder to shoulder. A powerful knight legion surrounded them, appearing to protect them.