Leo’s words caused a slight tremor in the Martial Dynasty Emperor’s stance. Although he had vaguely anticipated it, hearing it directly from Leo still left him shocked.
The Martial Dynasty Emperor was well aware that Leo, despite his young age, had already reached the half-step Spirit God realm. It wouldn’t be long before he truly stepped into the Spirit God realm and established his own sect. It was only a matter of time.
By then, with the Martial Dynasty as the center, nearby dynasties would likely fall under his jurisdiction.
The entire Awakened Continent operated on the principle of the strong ruling over the weak. In its heyday, the Martial Dynasty royal family commanded all sects within its borders.
Now, with the decline of the Martial Dynasty royal family, if Leo’s sect truly grew strong, it could also protect the Martial Dynasty royal family.
The Martial Dynasty Emperor pondered for a moment and said, “Lord Leo, within the Martial Dynasty, there are several places where spiritual energy gathers. Among them, the most abundant is likely Starstream Hollow.”
“Starstream Hollow?” Leo’s eyes flickered with interest. He had heard of the name but was not familiar with its specifics.
The Martial Dynasty Emperor added, “Starstream Hollow is southwest of the capital and northwest of Clearwind Town, about eight hundred miles from Clearwind Town.”
“The name Starstream Hollow comes from a small river within it. At night, the river emits a faint blue glow, resembling a starry river in the sky, hence the name Starstream Hollow.”
“The area around Starstream Hollow is picturesque, with abundant spiritual energy. It is believed that there is a significant spiritual vein beneath Starstream Hollow.”
“A spiritual vein?” Leo and Alondra were visibly shaken.
A spiritual vein is essentially a Spirit Stone mine, containing vast amounts of Spirit Stones underground.
Once mined, the Spirit Stones from a spiritual vein would be an astonishing fortune.
If left unmined and stored near the surface, it could provide spiritual energy to beasts and plants above.
“Isn’t there a sect occupying such a treasure trove with a spiritual vein?” Alondra questioned.
The Martial Dynasty Emperor explained, “The reason no spiritual cultivation sect has occupied Starstream Hollow is because a high-level Demon King beast resides there.”
“A high-level Demon King beast? What kind of beast?” Leo inquired.
“Silverwing Thunderhawk,” replied the Martial Dynasty Emperor.
“Silverwing Thunderhawk?”
Upon hearing the name, Leo, Violet, Holden, Alondra, and others present were visibly startled.
Violet, Holden, and others were no longer newcomers to this Cultivator’s World and were familiar with many of its beasts.
The Silverwing Thunderhawk is rumored to be a hybrid of a Celestial Pegasus and a fiercely powerful Demon Thunder Tiger.
It possesses the bloodlines of both Celestial Pegasus and Demon Thunder Tiger, making it naturally adept at spatial and thunder powers.
With silver wings on its back, it is incredibly fast and possesses formidable combat strength.
Leo thought to himself, “I didn’t expect there to be another Silverwing Thunderhawk in the Martial Dynasty besides the Sea Serpent King.”
Unlike the Sea Serpent King with its divine dragon bloodline, the Silverwing Thunderhawk has two bloodlines, making its potential no less than that of the Sea Serpent King.
“Lord Leo, to be honest, that Silverwing Thunderhawk killed Starstream Hollow’s previous overlord decades ago. After becoming the new overlord, it repeatedly led beast attacks on nearby towns, plundering Spirit Stones, elixirs, and spiritual weapons from human cultivators.”
“Moreover, the Silverwing Thunderhawk once led beasts from the Demon Sect to attack the palace,” said the Martial Dynasty Emperor gravely.
“Oh? Is that so?” Leo raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Yes, that battle destroyed much of the palace. Fortunately, with the ancestral formations left behind, we managed to injure the Silverwing Thunderhawk.”
“However, I was forced to make a pact with it. Every year, court alchemists must refine over a hundred fourth-grade elixirs for its cultivation and provide it with one million Low-Quality Spirit Stones.”
The Martial Dynasty Emperor’s words made Holden and others exchange glances. They hadn’t expected that even the mighty Martial Dynasty royal family was threatened by beasts behind the scenes.
After hearing the Martial Dynasty Emperor’s account, Leo’s eyes flickered as he thoughtfully looked at him.
Seeing Leo’s gaze, the Martial Dynasty Emperor quickly explained, “Lord Leo, please don’t misunderstand. I have no intention of using you to eliminate the Silverwing Thunderhawk. Although over a hundred fourth-grade elixirs and a million Spirit Stones are substantial, they are manageable. Our royal family has fallen and still relies on Lord Leo; we harbor no ulterior motives.”
Leo nodded.
He had indeed suspected that the Martial Dynasty Emperor might want to use him to eliminate the Silverwing Thunderhawk or see him fight it to mutual destruction.
But seeing the Emperor’s sincere tone and expression made him realize he might have overthought it.
Without his protection, whether the Martial Dynasty royal family could even suppress the major families in the capital was uncertain.
“Apart from Starstream Hollow, there are other places with abundant spiritual energy like Flower Valley, Moonfall Mountains, and Ghost Spring Forest. However, these places have less spiritual energy compared to Starstream Hollow,” added the Martial Dynasty Emperor after some thought.
Leo had already made up his mind and said directly, “Let’s go with Starstream Hollow. I am quite interested in meeting that Silverwing Thunderhawk.”
With his current strength at half-step Spirit God realm and wielding two Celestial Artifacts, Leo was stronger than most at his level and should be able to handle the Silverwing Thunderhawk.
“Let’s go and take a look at Starstream Hollow together,” Leo continued.
With that decision made, they all left Lord’s Manor together.
Outside Lord’s Manor stood the golden chariot of the Martial Dynasty Emperor. It was pulled by eight majestic golden lions and surrounded by dozens of Golden Lion Guards for protection.
“Lord Leo, please board the chariot,” invited the Martial Dynasty Emperor with a gesture.
“Your Majesty can ride; I have my own mount,” Leo said as he released his Spirit Pouch. The Thunder Wing Beast shot out like lightning and quickly expanded in size.
In a flash, Leo landed on its back.
Holden, Violet, Alondra, and others summoned their Scarlet Flame Lion Hawks as well.
Accompanied by sharp eagle cries, this group of nearly a hundred people flew towards the northwest direction of Clearwind Town.
Half an hour later, they arrived at a vast mountain gorge area visible in their sights.
The outskirts of the gorge were covered with lush forests and featured a large lake with crystal-clear waters.
Above the gorge hung a light mist due to extremely abundant spiritual energy causing partial liquefaction.
Sunlight filtered through creating halos in this ethereal mist making it appear like an earthly paradise at first glance.
Leo took in a breath of fresh air filled with natural essence while his eyes shone brightly.
“This scenery is beautiful!” Violet couldn’t help but praise it aloud.
“That Silverwing Thunderhawk certainly knows how to choose its territory,” Leo remarked with a smile.