Inside the Forest

The forest was large, impenetrable, and flowery. Its canopy was filled with hundreds of colorful leaves that momentarily seemed to provide enough light for a variety of herbs to take advantage of the moist, fertile soil below.

Thick vines clung to the occasional tree, reaching even higher height. Between the wods, a discord of sounds echoed through the air and was accompanied by the flurry of noise coming from a river flowing in the distance.

The source of the noise was a large fortress standing tall in the middle of the jungle. Its fifteen-meter-high walls, constructed from a pristine white stone, served as a formidable barrier, enclosing an area equivalent to ten football fields. Within these walls, paved streets wound their way through structures resembling rustic houses, creating a semblance of a village within the fortress.

Although the castle appeared to be man-made, no human could be seen walking around. The streets, however, were far from empty. 

Hundreds of thousands of figures filled the streets and the houses alike. Upon closer inspection, one would notice that these figures resembled animals from Earth, yet they were far from ordinary.

Enormous frogs, each as large as an adult human, with vibrant colors and scales, leaped through the streets. Giant ants, their razor-sharp pincers glinting menacingly, moved in disciplined lines. Elephants, resembling mammoths with their thick fur and massive tusks, roamed alongside bulls and other quadrupeds, each sporting three menacing horns.

The fortress buzzed with an extraordinary variety of creatures, each more astonishing than the last. Amid the chaos, there were serpents as thick as tree trunks, their iridescent scales shimmering in the dim light. These massive snakes slithered effortlessly through the crowds, their eyes glowing with an eerie intelligence.

Winged creatures also filled the skies above the fortress. Gigantic eagles with wingspans as wide as small aircraft soared overhead, their keen eyes surveying the activity below. Beside them, fluttering almost gracefully, were colossal butterflies with wings that sparkled like gemstones, their delicate patterns mesmerizing anyone who glanced up.

Predators and prey alike traversed the streets in an uneasy harmony, creating a surreal and chaotic tableau of nature's fiercest and most bizarre creatures.

Anyone would be shocked by that sight, how could so many different creatures exist? What force kept them from tearing each other apart? How did they maintain such orderly behavior amid such chaos?

Even more memorable were the density of plants and fruits growing in the place. Many exquisite flowers and trees filled the stronghold, they sprouted and bloomed. The fragrance was sweetish and, in fact, spread even more Qi in the air. Because of that the speed at which the animals were evolving in such a place was alarming!

In the foremost east, a castle stood tall. Built with a mixture of the same white stone and wood, it resembled some elfish castles. In front of it, a huge garden adorned the castle with bright, living plants. Inside the castle, a gorgeous hall could be seen. Red carpets and purple curtains decorated it. 

In the middle of the hall, a beautiful armchair with golden ornaments showed the mightiness of the ruler: A middle-aged man was sitting comfortably in the armchair, he had long red hair that matched the place.

[This human's armchair is really comfortable!] He yawned cozily. [Stupid were the kings in my world, they thought they had the best living… who in their right mind would build a throne of swords!?]

 Leo smiled lightly, thinking how cozy his butt felt.

 [Oh right, I just forgot to listen to the report!] He gazed at the kowtowed beast in front of him. A six-legged panther looked at him scared while a small line of blood fell from its head.

"Could you please re-tell me what happened?" Leo asked, smiling.

"Graw.. graaaw, graww, graw!" The animal growled multiple times in explanation.

He nodded and resumed what was said.

"A human cultivator hit you with his Qi? I know you could have killed them all, don't feel sad about it. You did just as you were told to. . ." Leo waved his hands ignoring the beast's complaints. "As promised, the reward for your bravery is that fruit, you can eat it now."

"Graaaw! Graw?" the beast became instantly cheerful.

"Yes, yes… You don't need to guard that place anymore, dismissed." The man waved his hand once more and the black panther ran out as quickly as it could. It was so terrified that it didn't dare to look Leo in the eye the entire time.

After the beast left, Leo then looked at the red-maned lion beside him. It was his first disciple, Chiyo-Saja, who now showed a silly smile on his face - or at least something that resembled one.

"What are you laughing at!?" He rebuked his disciple. "From now on, you're forbidden to play with humans too... I'm warning you that they'll evolve very quickly, you'd better train a lot or you'll die!"

Leo said in a serious tone to which the lion growled slowly, as if complaining, not believing what its master was saying. However, it slowly got up and headed towards the training ground that was behind the castle.

"Tsch!" Leo clicked his tongue. In fact, he knew that his first disciple was being spoiled and it was all his fault. Chiyo had a great talent for cultivation and was getting stronger every day, now there wasn't any animal or person that was a match for him, even more so inside the forest with the restrictions imposed by Leo. 

[Maybe I can accept one more disciple, or think of another kind of incentive to make him change that attitude…] In the end he shrugged. [Well, that's an issue for another time.]

There were more important things at hand, and so Leo kept those thoughts in the back of his mind and started thinking about the next steps in his plans.

[I can sense that Master has bigger plans for this world, he even dared to lose most of his God Cultivation!] While this wasn't unheard of, not many people would go so far as to restart cultivation and waste millions of dedicated years, if not more. That's because there were many ways to achieve Godhood, and the path that Angareus had chosen first was the complete opposite of being a World God that he had just become.

[But at the same time, I can't say he's wrong: I also want to see how much potential these people have in the cultivation world! Well… that's my mission and I better not let Angareus down!]

Even with the few words of Angareus a few days ago, his mind raced restlessly on the subject. He was in charge of introducing cultivation into this world, but the path of cultivation was endless and had many paths, and here, it had barely started.

[What an interesting cultivation world must have?] Leo scratched his head thinking, this was not an easy question. Suddenly, an idea came to mind: 

"That's it!" Leo exclaimed, hitting the armchair with his left hand and smiling maliciously. "Let me incite them a bit more…"

His train of thought was simple: humans needed to grow stronger and for that they needed more techniques and resources. This could not be free, and therefore the forest was an ideal place to start! At the same time, he could use humans to make some of the beasts stronger as well, killing two birds with one stone. 

He got up from his armchair-like-throne and smiled. It was time to make an announcement.

"Hear me out, my servants!" His voice boomed for miles away, covering each part of the forest. Not only that, but this time all the animals on Earth heard him!

"I have scattered treasures all over our sacred forest and some places around the world. You are free to take them. However, there is only one rule: the strongest takes all!" It might sound harsh, but that's how the world of cultivation worked, even more so for the beasts. "But beware, humans will soon be competing for these places too! For now, this castle is a forbidden place, you can only enter here once you are able to speak human language!"

Following his announcement thousands of growls, roars, snarls, howls, and tweaks could be heard all over the stronghold. The beasts trampled at each other to exit the castle as fast as possible: They were eager to become stronger!

"The first one to speak the human language will be my next disciple!" He exclaimed with a smile, adding even more fuel to the fire.

As he watched the whole Earth with his Divine Sense, something caught his attention.

[Oh…. how haven't I noticed this seedling before!?] Alarmed, Leo raised his eyebrows and immediately disappeared like smoke from the throne room.

*******

Cold.

Snow fell slowly across the horizon. As moonlight bathed the landscape, the ground glowed red instead of the expected white.

Large puddles of brazen blood melted the snow, staining it crimson.

A battle was raging in the wild, witnessed only by the solitary southern mountains. No gunshots were heard, no knives were drawn. Instead, the fight was waged with claws and teeth.

Two packs of wolves were locked in a savage struggle. One pack, clearly outnumbered, was gaining the upper hand. The attack was fierce, and many wolves died as the smaller pack tried to protect a young wolf with a shiny silver pelt. Unfortunately, the young wolf was already wounded, struggling to survive the attacks of an older gray wolf. It was an impressive feat in itself, as the older wolf was twice its size.

The battle had begun minutes earlier, with the larger pack ambushing the smaller one, aiming to kill the silver wolf. They felt threatened by this special wolf that was dominating the region just after its birth.

*Splash*

Blood stained the snow again.

The young one suffered a blow on his right side and the enemy pack howled in cheers. The animal was in a miserable state and soon collapsed, defeated. Yet, his eyes glowed with anger.

The older wolf walked slowly towards his enemy, enjoying the feeling of victory. Suddenly, a huge, fierce pressure descended on the battlefield. Unable to withstand such a force, all the wolves, including the older one, prostrated themselves.

Above them, a red-haired man now hovered in the air.His image was imposing, with his white robe fluttering in the wind. Leo's face darkened as he took in the scene.

"Damn! Almost got here late!" Leo angrily said.

He walked closer to the silver wolf who showed fear in its eyes. Leo waved his hand and transferred a bit of his energy to the cub. Instantly, the wound started to heal and the cut closed.

"Well… it isn't that bad. You are a strong fellow indeed. Would you like to be my disciple?" Without waiting for an answer, Leo scooped the animal into his arms. "Of course you would like to; why do I even bother asking?"

 He smiled and disappeared once again.

The pack couldn't help but shiver at the man's presence. Even in his absence, they dared not move for some time, as if the mere memory of his power was enough to keep them paralyzed.

The remaining wolves looked around in confusion and fear, their instincts overridden by the unnatural turn of events. The older gray wolf, who had just moments ago been victorious, now lay prostrate, too terrified to rise.

After a moment, the club's pack went on a frenzy, their leader had been taken!. They began to pace and snarl, snapping at each other in their distress. The hierarchy had been shattered, and chaos reigned.

Throughout the night, their mournful howls broke the wilderness' silence.