Chapter 1784: Chapter 1783 - Bond of the Pack

Hurath had finally found them! They had sent out her grandson to face the trial of their clan to prove he would be worthy to lead the pack one day. She was supposed to leave on her Immortal Sojourn yet, he had never returned.

It happened. Death was the ultimate outcome of failure in their world. Still, she had simply wanted to investigate. They found a place full of the scent of her grandson but also of a snow dragon!

She cursed the instincts to seek strong prey in her grandson. He had not the intelligence to fight them but that he had them at all was due to her own son’s influence.

The Sky Realm intelligence did not really allow the thought of consequences to sink in and the ambitions rose too much as well sometimes. It was how he had died foolishly challenging the current packleader.

Both had died too as her son had refused to simply accept death when it was clear he was inferior.

Now, both her descendants were gone. The others had formed their own packs or died long ago.

She sighed but then the indignity came. A strange scent she did not know but shared her blood!

They had stolen his essence?! How dare they?!

Killing a wolf and consuming them in battle was perfectly acceptable. No one hunting can do so without accepting they may become prey. Even humans or demons could kill them for their materials. It was the way of the world.

She would, of course, hunt them in return in the case of humans or demons, but an aether child or Elemental would be exempt. They too were hunted by humans and demons. In a way, they shared that fate with beasts.

Hurath, however, would discard such a principle in the face of a beast that stole the essence of another! It was the most sacred thing to any beast race. Even the most vile creatures would not do so as it was against Heaven and Earth!

For the next 5 years, they had hunted. At first, it had been impossible to find. She knew something had found the perpetrator and were protecting them for some reason. Had the snow dragons lost all sanity?

She found the leader and he refused to speak to her, yet there was no scent on him. If he knew of the creature, he did not interact with them much.

He also seemed very angry with her but dragons were always unreasonable. They are free to hunt others but if the prey fought back, they got all irritable. Still, she was as strong as him and he knew better than to fight her after all that time.

The hunt continued until finally one of the scouts found something. The remains of a carcass with the scent! She now clearly smelled the mix of Thorian Wolf and snow dragon! Their bloodline was far from anything special but they were of the forest!

They were part and parcel of the cycle of life and death!

They fought openly against their opponents and, aside from some disappointments like her son, they never disrespected them in death!

After that was confirmed, it became much easier but an unease filled her. It was like the scent would vanish at times and move impossible distances.

A World Realm beast should not be able to do that unless they had inherent space skills. Snow dragons could slip through ice storms with ease, true, but not space.

The other odd thing was the prey. They started so weak at the Soul Realm and moved up to the World Realm fairly quickly. The finesse of the attacks also changed.

If she did not know any better, she could have sworn it was a child. The essence was of her grandson no doubt but she noted the details.

Could there be some kind of guardian with the beast? Had someone forced it to absorb her grandson’s essence blood?

If so, she had 2 to kill, not just one. Forced or not, such an abomination must die. The creator must be made to suffer and then die.

If it was a very young beast, she would be mercifully quick, that was all she could assure it.

It was only when the tribulation of a Gold Tier beast arrived that the thrill of finding her prey filled her. She tapped the dark bronze bracelet on her left wrist and her spear appeared.

The pack rushed across the forest until they saw the black clouds in the sky. They stopped because even a Divine Realm could not interfere without risking death.

[Once it is over, surround them. Do not let them escape but do not dare kill them yet!] The wolves around her were mostly in the Iron or Gold Tiers of the World Realm but they understood her.

One aspect of their race was an intrinsic understanding of even higher realm instructions despite a lack of the intelligence usually needed. They were of the pack and thus they were one.

Her son’s actions were more abhorrent as it was obvious he had tapped into something from the race memory to try and take a shortcut. It showed he was clever but not wise.

The tribulation was powerful. She felt something stir in her blood faintly. It shocked her! The Heavens acknowledge the vile creature?!

After 9 rounds of lighting, 3 more bolts came. One was clearly a snow dragon related one. The feel of ice and darkness was clear. The next made her anger tremble. It was the call of the pack!

It meant the bloodline of the wolf had possibly reached a new threshold and should be acknowledged by the rest as superior! It was an insult! Were the Heavens mad?!

The final one, however, gave her true pause. It was not a bestial bloodline at all. It was something else and it was powerful.

It stirred her bloodline even more. It was not the Thorian Wolf bloodline! It was superior!

"Interesting. I did not expect that at the Gold Tier tribulation." A voice suddenly came from her left. She had felt no one approach and even the other wolves were unaware of the person until then.

He was a man with emerald hair and eyes. His simple gray robes felt profound even to her limited experience. Yet, that was not what made her jaw drop.

She knew the person! He was beyond reproach as he slowly turned to her with a smile that did not reach his reptilian eyes.

"I think you have a bad streak in your pack if you always attack someone at their weakest moment. Once could be an individual, but all of you?" His words struck a chord in her.

"D–D–Divine Lord Lind Frey! I am not here to bully but to avenge my grandson! His essence was stolen!" She barely finished. She was shaking just being near the legendary being that ended the Fiend Race.

"Stolen?" He paused and the grim aura faded around him before he shook his head. "Not stolen at all, it was an accident to Ryl. They were not even born yet. Will you really hold an innocent accountable for a life and death struggle that had blood fall on their egg?"

His words made no sense. Why would any blood affect a dragon–?!

Her mind reeled. There was one instance that could happen! A mother or father dragon refined their blood to infuse to their child. It would refine the child’s blood beyond the parent before birth!

It would also leave the parent dragon very weak for a brief time!

Yet, how could such a fragile thing survive the clash of 2 bloodlines inside it?! She only had to glance at the Divine Lord to know the answer. He was well known for his benevolence. If he saw an innocent egg struggling to live, he would act to save it.

"I did not–I could not–" Words failed her but he held up his hand to stop her.

"It is actually more normal for you to assume that than the truth. Ryl was only aided by me to survive. The rest has been up to them. They are a quick study and powerful. Their requirements, however, will only grow harder in the future." His words made Hurath understand instantly.

Heaven and Earth were fair. A chance at life did not mean a chance at everything life had to offer. In exchange for surviving the ordeal, Ryl had no sex!

It was not unheard of! Mixing bloodlines intentionally or not sometimes lead to such beasts. Still, such power was damned rare. Even her race memory could count on 1 hand such examples.

The tribulation ended and as the sky cleared, a decently sized beast covered in azure and gray fur howled at the rising moons. The howl made all the World Realm pack bow.

Even she felt a compulsion! Just what kind of beast were they?!

Lind arched an eyebrow but said nothing. He simply stood by them until the beast came running over. It was covered in blood but healing far faster than any wolf could. It was only then Hurath saw the shimmering scales and realized it was all true.

Part Thorian Wolf and Part Snow Dragon but also neither as well. Something new and it was superior to her bloodline!

The beast only came up to his waist yet that was plenty big enough. Lind’s words however, made her jump.

"So, your growth is stunted by your foundation. Yet another thing to consider. I will have to figure that out later." The beast had grown during the tribulation?! Nothing matched that in her race memory.

She also noted the beast suddenly deflated. It was like all the energy had gone out of it. Lind caught them and looked at her meaningfully.

She bowed and gave new instructions.

[Guard Ryl. We will let no one harm them!] The pack howled in unison as they followed Lind Fry to a cave.

"They are ready. It is time for them to stand on their own." Hurath understood his words but became concerned. She then meekly raised her hand and he looked at her. There was no irritation but it was clear he was on a journey.

She hated to contradict him but he needed to understand.

"You were at their birth?" He nodded as that was evident from the story. She sighed and then pointed at the pack around her. "Why do you think I am still here?"

Her words gave him pause. He realized an Immortal should have long left a lower realm pack to its own device and new leaders. He was able to quickly process it when his eyes went wide.

She nodded at him and then smiled.

"Fellow pack leader, I welcome you to Thorian Forest and Ice Fields." It was strange seeing a Divine Realm look defeated. It was as if he knew something was coming but had almost escaped. He sighed and nodded before he floated up and began to cultivate.

Ryl was his pack and he could not abdicate until a new pack leader was chosen or Ryl made her own pack.