In an ancient forest where trees soared thousands of feet high and exotic birds and beasts flitted through the foliage, a giant three thousand feet tall roared at the heavens, its terrifying aura permeating the surrounding dozens of miles.
He uprooted a towering ancient tree and wantonly destroyed the forest's vegetation. At his feet was a deep pit he had trampled into existence.
This was Gu Kun, a peerless fifth-tier powerhouse with terrifying strength and the bloodline of the Ancient God Clan. Even among those of the same rank, he was an exceptionally formidable existence.
But now, he was consumed by boundless rage, wishing he could pierce the sky and shatter the earth.
The reason was simple: the sacred fruit he used to enhance his bloodline was gone. It was a sacred fruit unique to his Ancient God Clan, capable of elevating bloodline and bolstering strength.
However, due to his oversight—no, not oversight, the enemy was too cunning and had stolen his sacred fruit!
"Ant! Ant! Crawl out here! I will grind you into dust!"
"Argh! This infuriates me to no end!"
Gu Kun roared, his eyes scarlet. The surging blood in his veins rushed towards the heavens.
He harbored immense hatred and anger. Under his very nose, his sacred fruit had been stolen by a mongrel. This was precisely what he had prepared to lure that mongrel, intending to use it to reach the sixth tier.
But now, the sacred fruit was stolen, and the mongrel creature had vanished as well.
He had been tricked!
The thought of being toyed with for an entire day by that mongrel filled him with a monstrous killing intent and an unyielding sense of injustice.
"Argh! Scoundrel!" Gu Kun bellowed, smashing a colossal mountain with a single punch. He summoned his weapon, a mace, and gouged out a deep pit in the ground, resembling an abyss.
He attempted to trace the mongrel's aura but failed. There was not a trace of it, nor even the easily detectable scent of the sacred fruit.
After a long while, Gu Kun finally calmed down, sitting alone in the pit, his body trembling, perpetually on the verge of an eruption.
"No matter who you are, no matter where you flee, if I do not kill you, I, Gu Kun, will be unworthy of the honor of the Ancient God Clan!" Gu Kun swore with his soul. This was an oath of the Ancient God Clan, and once sworn, it must be fulfilled.
Therefore, he had to find and kill that mongrel creature. Otherwise, this oath would become a festering wound, preventing him from ever breaking through in the future.
"Gu Kun, have you seen that human?" Gu Kun's commotion attracted Tuoba Tao. Seeing Gu Kun's state, he displayed surprise, but then amusement dawned on his face. He recalled how he had been similarly affected when his own three subordinates were killed by that human right before his eyes, and Gu Kun had even mocked him then.
"Scram! Don't bother me! Tuoba Tao, tell me all information about that human. I want to kill him, he stole my sacred fruit!" Gu Kun’s eyes were scarlet as he stared intently at Tuoba Tao.
Tuoba Tao, intending to mock the other a bit, was slightly taken aback upon hearing his words. The sacred fruit of the Ancient God Clan – no wonder Gu Kun was so furious.
He inwardly sneered, quickly deducing why Gu Kun had lost the sacred fruit. This fool must have used the sacred fruit to lure the human, intending to hunt him, only to be outplayed and tricked instead.
"Heh, I don't know much about him," Tuoba Tao said with a smile, relaying the information he possessed to Gu Kun.
"Possesses the means to instantly kill mid-tier opponents! A four-thousand-foot Ancient God physique, extremely adept at concealing his aura." Gu Kun was inwardly shocked. He had calmed down now. While furious, he was not a brute. At this moment, only by reclaiming his honor could he wash away his shame.
"His speed is exceptional, and he is very skilled at escaping. Of course, that's not the most important thing; what is important is his ability to conceal his aura, to the point that even I cannot detect it."
Tuoba Tao spoke, his brow furrowed. Given their status as races of the God Realm, what kind of techniques were unattainable in this world? Naturally, they disdained cultivating techniques for concealing their aura. In their eyes, only the weak did such things.
But now, they were helpless against Li Xiaotian's ability to conceal his presence. If he went into hiding and didn't reveal himself, they couldn't find him.
"Tuoba Tao, neither you nor I can capture him. Although, if he dared to show himself, either of us could crush him, but if he remains hidden or escapes, when will our shame be washed away?" Gu Kun said, his eyes boiling with killing intent, causing the surrounding energy to surge with his breath.
He was very powerful, otherwise, he wouldn't have explored alone. Of course, the Ancient God Clan was small in number, so each of its members was not weak.
"You mean?" Tuoba Tao inquired.
"We need to find help! The Blazing Sun World brought a Sunbird this time. The Sunbird's golden eyes can pierce through void, and it can help us find that rat. As long as he cannot hide, killing him will be effortless!" Gu Kun declared. He had to kill that mongrel, even if it meant bringing in outsiders to share in that mongrel's fortune.
"I know you don't want others interfering in this matter, but you alone would definitely not find that human. Otherwise, you wouldn't have deliberately told me his information."
"Tuoba Tao, compared to pride, what is that human's fortune? It's also possible we're overestimating him. Perhaps, that human's fortune is world-shattering in his eyes, but in ours, it's just ordinary luck."
"Moreover, many powerful individuals have already gone to the three sacred lands of fortune. If we two waste our time here, even if we eventually find that human, we will suffer significant losses."
"Therefore, I suggest we seek help from those birds from the Blazing Sun World. Kill that human in the shortest possible time—no, capture him, and then you and I can each pursue our own fortunes."
Listening to Gu Kun's words, Tuoba Tao glanced at him. The Ancient God Clan was not as foolish as the rumors outside suggested.
"Very well, the Radiant Sun Saint Child from the Blazing Sun World is my friend. I can ask him for assistance," Tuoba Tao nodded and agreed.
Meanwhile, Li Xiaotian, after snatching the sacred fruit, fled for over a thousand miles without stopping. His heart was filled with excitement, and he suppressed the surging desire within him, refraining from consuming the sacred fruit on his journey.
Upon arriving at a lake, he immediately dove into the depths, isolating a clear space, and then promptly swallowed the sacred fruit.
Such a precious item, he would naturally not hoard it. Transforming it into his own power was the most sensible choice.
"Buzz!" Instantly, the blood within Li Xiaotian boiled, and his body temperature surged. He wore a look of extreme pleasure, emitting red energy from his nose and mouth. His entire body seemed to undergo a metamorphosis.
"Haha, it was worth wasting a whole day plotting," Li Xiaotian laughed as he felt his body transform. That giant from the Ancient God Clan, possessing strength but lacking intellect. He had expected obtaining the sacred fruit to be arduous, but who would have thought it would be so effortless.