Chương 1027: Chapter 1025: The Primal Hunt

A jagged rift in the fabric of space tore open the thick grey clouds above a wide plateau of crushed rock within the Primal Howl Realm. Zhan Tielan stepped out from the dark void and onto the solid earth while rolling her shoulders to loosen her muscles. The spatial distortion snapped shut behind her as the humid air of the savage world rushed forward. It carried the heavy scent of rotting wood mixed with the vibrant energy of untamed wilderness.

Li Yu stepped out of the void right beside her while wearing his robe. He rested a dark metal glaive casually over his right shoulder and looked out at the towering ancient trees that pierced the skyline.

"We are not rushing today," Tielan instructed as she led the way off the elevated rock formation and down toward the tree line.

"This is not a military sweep or a training drill. We are here to enjoy the wilderness and find the best tasting ingredients this realm has to offer. Keep your senses open for beasts with rich Qi and tender muscles." Li Yu nodded and walked beside his mother into the dense forest. The canopy above was so thick it cast the forest floor into a permanent twilight while patches of glowing moss provided a faint green illumination along the sprawling roots.

They moved quietly through the underbrush as they let their divine senses expand outward to scan the surrounding area for potential targets. They encountered their first prey after walking through the humid woods for about half an hour. A deep and vibrating growl rumbled from a cluster of giant ferns before a heavily armored beast emerged into the clearing. It was an Ironhide Bristlebear resting at the Soul Formation level.

The creature stood twice as tall as a normal man and possessed thick grey plates of bone covering its chest and shoulders. The bear roared and charged forward while tearing up chunks of earth with its heavy claws. Li Yu stepped in front of his mother and gripped the dark shaft of his glaive with both hands. He did not bother summoning his sword formation or his flying arsenal for such a simple encounter. He favored the satisfying impact of physical force when fighting head on against armored targets.

He planted his feet in the damp soil and swung the glaive in a brutal horizontal arc just as the bear lunged. The curved blade connected cleanly with the side of the creature. The impact generated a loud crack that echoed through the quiet woods as the thick bone plates shattered and split under the force of the deep slash. The bear tumbled sideways and crashed into a thick tree trunk before falling still. Tielan walked over and inspected the carcass with a critical eye.

She nudged the thick hide with her armored boot and sighed in disappointment.

"Your strike was good but this meat is poor," Tielan judged while shaking her head and gesturing to the rigid limbs of the beast.

"Bristlebears are too tense. Their muscles are tied in tight knots to support all that heavy bone armor so the meat ends up tasting like old leather. You could boil it for a week and it would still ruin your teeth. Leave it for the scavengers to clean up." Li Yu chuckled and harvested the core before leaving the rest for the other beasts. He trusted her culinary judgment when it came to wild game since she had hunted on this realm countless times.

They left the bear behind and continued their trek deeper into the primal woods. The environment grew noticeably wetter as they traveled further north. The solid ground slowly gave way to a sprawling marshland filled with stagnant pools of water. Thick vines hung from the branches like twisted snakes while the ambient water Qi in the air grew remarkably dense and carried a faint acidic tang. Tielan suddenly stopped and raised a hand to signal for silence.

She pointed toward a deep pool of murky water resting near the base of a rotting cypress tree.

"Look over there," Tielan whispered with a sharp grin forming on her face.

"A Venomous Black Boar. They bathe in the toxic mud to harden their outer tusks but their inner flanks are incredibly tender and packed with rich earth Qi. It is a delicacy if you harvest it correctly without piercing the venom sacs hidden in the neck." Li Yu focused his vision and spotted the dark shape resting in the bubbling mud. The boar was resting at the Domain King level and radiated a foul aura that withered the nearby ferns.

"I will secure the head and pin the body so you can carve the flank," Li Yu offered as he formulated a quick plan to preserve the quality of the meat. He activated his Nexus Mind technique and his eyes glowed with a cold and calculating light. His consciousness split smoothly to command Pale Extinction and Duty. The grey bone sword and the dense azure blade materialized in the humid air beside him before the two weapons shot across the marsh like streaks of lightning.

The boar sensed the incoming danger and tried to stand up but it was far too slow to react to the strike. Pale Extinction acted like a ghost as it bypassed the thick mud armor and pierced directly through the right shoulder joint of the beast. The boar squealed in pain just as Duty arrived a fraction of a second later. The azure sword carried a heavy and unshakeable presence as it slammed into the left shoulder, pinning the struggling creature firmly to the wet earth.

Tielan blurred into motion the moment the boar was immobilized. She crossed the distance over the swamp in the blink of an eye and drew a short hunting knife from her belt. She bypassed the dangerous tusks and made a precise sweeping cut along the ribs. She harvested the premium flank meat in one smooth motion while intentionally avoiding the toxic glands located near the upper spine. Li Yu recalled his swords and the boar finally died in the mud.

"Excellent teamwork," Tielan praised as she stored the rich cuts of meat into her spatial ring. They spent the rest of the afternoon hunting across the diverse landscape of the Primal Howl Realm. They fought a flock of Emerald Razorbeaks that tried to ambush them from the high canopy above a rocky gorge. Li Yu utilized his domain to apply temporal whiplash to the aggressive birds.

He slowed their right wings using his time laws while leaving their left wings moving at normal speed, causing the flock to spiral out of control and crash into the dirt. Tielan moved through the fallen birds and harvested the tender breast meat with practiced efficiency. This hunting trip was a good chance for Li Yu to further refine his techniques. Even though the danger wasn't extremely high, he was still able to get some additional experience using them.

Later in the day they encountered a huge Stone Drake resting near a rushing waterfall. The drake was a Paragon realm threat. Tielan saw the beast and her eyes lit up with excitement as she cracked her knuckles and flashed a wide grin. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"I have not had a good wrestling match in a while," Tielan declared.

"Stand back and watch. I want to stretch my arms." Li Yu laughed and stepped back onto the dry riverbank as he watched his mother charge forward without drawing her war hammer. The drake roared and unleashed a cascade of rocks towards her but Tielan simply pushed through with her bare hands. Her body refining arts made her skin tough so the rocks harmlessly bounced against her skin. She grabbed the beast by the thick horns and physically hoisted the enormous creature into the air.

The drake thrashed and whipped its heavy tail around in a panic but it was all useless, the gap was simply too large. Tielan laughed brightly as she wrestled the beast into the shallow river and slammed it down against the rocks. She snapped its neck with a sharp twist of her arms and stood up victorious while wiping some mud from her cheek.

"Now that is a good workout!" Tielan cheered as she beckoned Li Yu over.

"Come help me carve this. Drake tail meat is renowned for its rich flavor and dense nutritional value." Li Yu walked over and used Pale Extinction to cleanly sever the tail from the carcass. They harvested a large quantity of the premium meat from the rest of the body as well and stored it safely away. As the daylight of the realm began to fade into a deep and starry night, they decided to set up camp. The two of them found a dry and elevated rocky outcropping that overlooked the rushing waterfall.

It provided a clear view of the surrounding forest and a comfortable place to rest. Most of all though, the scenery was stunning and could be admired for a long time. Li Yu took charge of the cooking preparations since he enjoyed the task and wanted to cook a nice meal for his mom. He cleared a circle of stones and summoned a spark of his orange natal fire to ignite a pile of dry wood he had gathered.

It was then that he realized he had used his natal flame for cooking more than he had ever used it for fighting since obtaining it.

'Should I name my natal fire "Camp Fire?" Or perhaps "Taste Flame?" Maybe "Nourishing Blaze?"' Li Yu jokingly thought to himself as he continued to work. The flames crackled warmly and pushed the damp chill of the jungle away from their resting spot. He pulled out his cooking tools and a collection of spices.

Li Yu skewered several thick cuts of the boar flank and the drake tail and seasoned the meat with crushed fire root, dried salt weed and other spices before placing the skewers over the steady heat of the orange flames. The rendering fat dripped into the fire and sent a mouthwatering aroma drifting through the quiet campsite. Tielan sat on a flat boulder nearby and watched her son work with a fond expression.

She appreciated the quiet moments they shared away from the relentless demands of their respective military duties and pressure of just existing within the cultivation world. This wasn't the first time he has cooked for her, he has done it often when she was around but she still cherished each moment.

"You have a real talent for this," Tielan noted as she accepted a roasted skewer from him. She took a bite and closed her eyes in appreciation.

"The spice balance is great and the meat melts on the tongue without losing its hearty texture."

"I enjoy the process and like to cook for others to enjoy. Perhaps I should open up a food stall one day. Grill my fish there for others to enjoy." Li Yu replied with a smile while sitting on a smaller rock across the fire. He took a bite of his own food and nodded in satisfaction.

"Cooking requires patience and careful control. It is a good way to steady the mind after a long day of cultivation." They ate their meal in comfortable silence for a while as they listened to the distant roars of the wild beasts echoing through the dark trees. The ambient water Qi from the nearby falls kept the air feeling fresh and clean despite the humidity of the surrounding jungle.

Tielan finished her skewer and wiped her mouth with a cloth as she looked across the fire and a playful glint appeared in her eyes as she studied her son.

"You have built a very nice life for yourself at those lakes," Tielan observed with a casual tone.

"You have loyal staff, a quiet pavilion and you seem to find ways to earn money. It is a home built for a family to thrive in. I imagine a certain Black Lotus is waiting patiently for the day she moves in there." Li Yu felt his cheeks grow slightly warm at the sudden mention of Gongsun Lian. He cleared his throat and focused his attention on turning the remaining meat over the fire to avoid burning it.

"Lian and I have an agreement," Li Yu answered carefully.

"We have a hundred years to understand each other and let things develop naturally. I am not rushing anything right now. We both have our own paths to walk."

"You are a very patient young man," Tielan chuckled as she leaned back against a rocky wall.

"But you should also know that you might not be limited to just one wife when the time comes to build your family and she might not be limited to just one man either. The Myriad Realms are vast and our clan has many allies who would love to secure a marriage with you." Li Yu paused his cooking and looked at his mother in surprise. His parents only married once and so did his grandfather. He had never really considered the thought of having more than one wife but it was something he has seen before with others.

"I never thought about that," Li Yu admitted openly.

"I always assumed one partner was what I was going to go with."

"It depends on the people involved and the culture they walk in," Tielan explained while gesturing to the starry sky above them.

"Sometimes powerful women take many husbands to ensure their lineage thrives across different territories. Sometimes powerful men take many wives to build sprawling political dynasties and secure military alliances. Your father and I chose to walk our path together, just the two of us. We preferred the simplicity of a single bond but it does not mean we view the other ways as wrong or unusual. It is just a matter of personal choice and mutual respect."

Li Yu absorbed the information and thought about the complex political landscape of the cosmos. He understood the strategic value of multiple alliances but his heart was not wired for that kind of sprawling complexity at this stage of his life.

"I think I will just let fate decide how all of that unfolds later," Li Yu chuckled as he pulled a finished piece of drake meat from the fire.

"My thoughts right now are focused on getting strong enough to properly stand beside my first wife. Lian is a general and I need to be a giant before I feel I can be worthy of her." Tielan threw her head back and laughed a rich booming laugh that echoed over the rushing waterfall. She loved his focused mindset and honesty.

"That is a very wise strategy," Tielan smiled while wiping a tear of mirth from her eye.

"Secure the vanguard before you try to expand your flanks. Just keep an open mind as you grow. The universe has a funny way of shifting our plans when we least expect it." She reached for another skewer of meat and looked at him with a softer expression reflecting in the firelight.

"You know, your grandfather on the Li side had three wives during his life," Tielan revealed casually.

"He did?" Li Yu asked with peaked interest. He knew almost nothing about his grandparents from his father's side of the family. He only knew his grandfather and his grandmother were currently deemed missing. Seeing the sadness in his father's eyes when he first brought them up when asked, Li Yu didn't probe too much. Waiting for them to come back and getting to know them then.

"He did," Tielan confirmed as she took a slow bite of her food.

"They were all formidable cultivators who stood by him through his life and wars. Unfortunately, only one of them is still alive today. She is a fascinating woman with a sharp sword intent and a very warm heart. Despite being incredibly sharp with a sword, she treated his other two wives as sisters. I really hope you get a chance to meet her one day. They are great people and she would adore you." Li Yu looked into the crackling orange flames and felt a sense of connection to a history he had never known.

The Li Clan was full of strict rules and political maneuvering but it also held family members who had lived rich and complex lives.

"I hope so as well," Li Yu said softly.

"I have never met anyone from that generation of the family before. It would be nice to know where that side of my blood comes from and hear their stories."

"Fate will provide the opportunity when the time is right," Tielan promised with a smile. They spent the rest of the night talking under the stars and enjoying the hearty meal they had hunted together. The dangerous environment of the Primal Howl Realm felt strangely peaceful to them both as Li Yu valued these quiet moments with his mother. They grounded him and gave him a clear perspective on the long martial road stretching out ahead of him.