But the Nine-tailed Fox seemed to pay him no mind at all, speaking nonchalantly. "Golden Eagle Ancestor, do you have any Spirit Fruits left in your Cloud Cliff? Or perhaps other Heaven and Earth Spirit Plants?"
"You want my Spirit Fruits?"
Rage flared in the Golden Eagle Ancestor’s heart. He had snatched all of those from Tai Lake, cultivated them with great difficulty, and risked his life in the process. Now some upstart, once far weaker than him, was demanding to take them away?
How could he not be angry!
Tai Lake was an incredibly dangerous place, and the Tai Python was a terrifying existence. To get the Spirit Fruits back then, he had vied with countless Great Demons, only managing to bring them back after suffering untold hardships.
He had used them to achieve his Transformation, then gave eight types of Spirit Fruit Seeds to the Eight Great Dominators, keeping only the very best one for himself.
And now, the Nine-tailed Fox wanted to snatch his Spirit Fruit away?
"If you don’t hand them over yourself, I’ll bring my master to retrieve them. And you will die."
As she spoke of life and death so casually, the Golden Eagle Ancestor actually overlooked her mention of a "master." His soul trembled and his heart pounded wildly. "You’re going to kill me?"
He hadn’t been threatened like this in a very long time. Ever since becoming a True Dominator, he had been a renowned Ancestor in the outskirts of the Primitive Ancient Forest, his power immense. Only the few nearby True Dominators could even hope to contend with him.
Indeed, even among the other True Dominators, his strength ranked near the very top. It was natural that he had never faced such a direct threat to his life.
Of course, this wasn’t to say nothing in the world could threaten him. For example, the Chaos Bloodline within the Primitive Ancient Forest was an existence that must not be offended. There were also the experts in the outer Demon City, and even a Little Demon King was capable of fighting him.
Even so, he knew there were always bigger fish in the sea. But in his own territory, at least, he was powerful enough to do as he pleased. He had just never anticipated the appearance of a monstrous talent like the Nine-tailed Fox!
Unfortunately, the Nine-tailed Fox had no intention of giving him more time to think. With a flick of her finger—SWISH! A tearing sound—RIIIP!—and the Golden Eagle Ancestor’s limbs were torn from his body. The blood-red thread around his neck tightened, a scarlet line seeping from the pressure. In another instant, his head would be cleanly sliced off. "Then die."
"Don’t... don’t!"
The Golden Eagle Ancestor was utterly horrified and screamed for her to stop. He desperately mobilized his Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, trying to concentrate it on his wounds to protect his body from ruin. But it was no use. The thread of blood was like a blade held to his neck, utterly unstoppable. "I’ll give them to you! I’ll give them to you!"
Only after blurting out those words did he feel the pressure on his neck ease slightly. His severed limbs, which had been suspended in mid-air, finally dropped. His torso fell to the ground with them, leaving him looking like a limbless log. The excruciating pain drained all the color from his face, leaving his lips bloodless.
In his human form, the Golden Eagle Ancestor was an utterly wretched sight. His body was immobile, his aura was steadily decaying, and he was barely clinging to life. "HUFF... HAH..."
He gasped for breath, beads of sweat as large as peas rolling down his forehead. He had never imagined his life could be snuffed out in an instant. He had been completely defenseless, utterly at the mercy of the Nine-tailed Fox.
’How many years has it been? This is the first time I’ve stared death so directly in the face.’ The Nine-tailed Fox’s control over the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm was simply unheard of. He had no idea how she could possibly manipulate that thread of blood.
’Can Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm be that sharp when condensed into a thread?’
’And more importantly, the Nine-tailed Fox can manipulate it with such skill? It’s simply astounding!’
As he considered all this, the Golden Eagle Ancestor’s awe for the Nine-tailed Fox reached its zenith.
"Since you’re willing to give up the Spirit Fruits, have your kinsmen bring them in exchange for your life. If they do, you live. If they don’t, you die."
The Nine-tailed Fox wasted no more words and got straight to the point. The purpose of this trip was, after all, to collect various Spirit Fruits. They were a supreme resource, the most precious treasures for the Demon Race at present.
’Even Master Jiang Qiu needs Spirit Fruits to grow stronger. As long as Master grows stronger, I will grow stronger. And as I grow stronger, Master will grow even stronger.’
’Thus, obtaining Spirit Fruits is the core mission.’
The Golden Eagle Ancestor didn’t know her specific line of thinking, but he was crystal clear on one thing: if he refused to give up the Spirit Fruits, he would die. Thus, he immediately used his bloodline to issue a command, sending his descendants to Cloud Cliff to retrieve the Spirit Fruits.
Of course, time was of the essence. He sent back only the Golden Eagles at the Grand Dominator Level, as they were the fastest. During this exchange, the other Golden Eagles were stunned. "What’s going on? Why is the Golden Eagle Ancestor in this state?"
In truth, most of them were unable to perceive the Golden Eagle Ancestor’s current condition. Their own lack of strength was one factor, but another was that Jiang Qiu had concealed the space-time of this entire area.
It wasn’t anything too extravagant; he had simply hidden the scene here. Unless their detection methods could surpass Jiang Qiu’s, they would see nothing.
This also made it more convenient to retrieve the Spirit Fruits.
’What if they discover their Ancestor is this heavily injured and get some funny ideas? That would be a hassle.’
Jiang Qiu didn’t like trouble. He just wanted to get the Spirit Fruits quickly, head to the other Great Dominators to harvest theirs, and after a period of Cultivation, make his way to Tai Lake.
That’s right, he planned to take all the Spirit Fruits to a hidden location for Refinement with the Nine-tailed Fox. After cultivating to a certain Realm, he would then head north to Tai Lake.
He didn’t know the precise location of Tai Lake, but the general direction was already quite clear—it was to the north.
That was the origin point of all Spirit Fruits, a place countless Great Demons both feared and yearned for. The forests near Tai Lake were filled with Spirit Fruit Seeds.
It could be said that most members of the Demon Race achieved Transformation because they had been to Tai Lake, snatched some spoils, and finally broke through their shackles, enabling them to cultivate further.
The Golden Eagle Ancestor was a prime example. Back in the day, he had used his advantage in flight to snatch Spirit Fruit Seeds from other Great Demons. He then flew back to the outskirts of the Primitive Ancient Forest, began to build his power base, cultivated to the Transformation Realm, and became a True Dominator.
This part of the Golden Eagle Ancestor’s history was a valuable reference for Jiang Qiu. He learned that the resources at Tai Lake were incredibly abundant, and the number of demons there was immense.
As for the so-called Tai Python, its power was even more unfathomable!
Indeed, to this day, it remained unclear what level of Super Great Demon the Tai Python was. It was a supreme existence on par with the Chaos Bloodline in the depths of the Primitive Ancient Forest—a powerhouse capable of making even the Demon Emperor hesitate.
The main reason was that the python itself was actually quite tolerant and didn’t care much about the so-called Spirit Fruit Seeds. Other Great Demons were free to take them, as long as they didn’t treat them like snacks.
Therefore, taking a gamble there could yield massive resources, and it was much safer than the core of the Primitive Ancient Forest.
Indeed, the core of the Primitive Ancient Forest also held countless resources. However, due to the presence of the Chaos Bloodline, the difficulty of venturing there was exceptionally high. It had long been a forbidden zone for countless members of the Demon Race.
Only Tai Lake was relatively forgiving. Lucky members of the Demon Race could achieve a true metamorphosis, but the unlucky ones would be eaten as food by the Tai Python.
But that was precisely why Jiang Qiu wanted to go. All that mattered was that he could get stronger there quickly. He needed to raise his Realm, reach the Peak of the First Celestial Realm as soon as possible, and advance to the Second Celestial Realm!
As he was thinking this, the Spirit Fruit resources sent by the Golden Eagle clan arrived. The bounty was incredibly rich, like the Spirit Fruits offered up by the Eight Great Dominators, totaling over one hundred fruits!
Keep in mind, one of the most powerful Great Dominators, the Nine-tailed Fox, had previously only possessed three such fruits. Yet even that small number had given Jiang Qiu a significant boost!
It was hard to imagine what Realm he could cultivate to with a hundred of them!