The approaching snow leopards glared at the duo with apprehension, but their ranks were firm and their steps were without pause. Their strength was uniformly at the mid-levels of 3rd class.
At the front of the pack was a single snow leopard that was cut above the rest. Its fur and eyes blended with the color of the snow beneath their feet so well that it was almost difficult to tell them apart. As for its level, from what Damien could see it was at the peak of 3rd class.
His eyes hardened at this thought. If things were as he guessed them to be, this pack was full of genuine 3rd class beings unlike those trashes on the ground level. And with the amount of mana that was expended when he and Ruyue were escaping the avalanche, it would be laughable to say they'd win in a fight.
The snow leopards soon approached the two of them and slowly surrounded them, creating a formation that made it impossible to escape. But neither Damien nor Ruyue was panicked by this revelation.
When they were completely encircled, the encirclement slightly parted and the snow leopard at the head of the pack approached them.
"Are you the ones who disturbed the sleep of the Heaven Swallowing Beasts?" A crisp female voice was transmitted into their ears.
The duo's eyes narrowed. As they expected, things on the mountain weren't so simple.
"Heaven Swallowing Beasts?" Damien responded innocently.
"Yes, the Ancient Beasts that slumber beneath this mountain. They are the Protector Kings of our Endless Snow Mountain. There is no need to play dumb with me."
"And if we were the ones to disturb them?" This time it was Ruyue who spoke.
The eyes of that snow leopard sharpened. "If so, then you must come with us. The rules of the mountain declare anyone who provoked the Ancient Ones to be sentenced to death with no mercy."
"Say, isn't that a bit too harsh? It isn't that hard to tell that we are new here, so it's not as if we understood the rules."
"Ignorance doesn't excuse your crimes. There is only one ending to this situation, however, I do not mind taking the more difficult route to reach that ending."
The auras of those snow leopards flared, painting the surroundings in a haze of icy blue colors.
The narrowed eyes of Damien and Ruyue sharpened as well, their auras being released with an equal amount of ferocity.
Killing intent brewed in the atmosphere as both groups faced off against each other. Damien and Ruyue glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes.
'We don't have the ability to fight them head-on.'
'It's not a problem. We just need to stall long enough for me to regain a bit of mana and then I can teleport us away. The main problem is the space suppression.'
An exchange of mana transmissions flashed between them in an instant before their eyes hardened. Either way, they never planned to make their way up the mountain peacefully.
The snow leopard stared at their auras with a tinge of shock. "Humans?"
"What difference does it make?"
"Perhaps you are right, but it is truly rare for us to see humans. The few that have shown up…their fates do not need to be mentioned."
"Well, human or beast it's not like there's much of a difference. Either way, you aren't planning to let us off easy, right."
"Mm, at least you have some sense. Therefore, obediently come with us to meet the chief. Perhaps you'll be able to keep your lives if you pledge yourselves as slaves."
"Hahaha, you truly know how to joke."
Slaves? Since when had Damien ever lowered himself in front of anyone? Even when he accepted a teacher or a master in Douglas and Tian Yang, he never lowered himself in front of them. Even calling Tian Yang as master somewhat revolted him.
Damien's bestial aura surged forth. There was an inherent pride he developed within the dungeon. A pride that was built on the corpses of thousands of beasts.
He would never kneel to anyone other than his mother. Even if the heavens themselves forced him to kneel, he'd stand true.
The bestial aura became more and more pronounced as Damien became slightly infuriated. The mere thought of him becoming a slave to these beasts repulsed him.
After Damien devoured the sea dragon, his bloodline had already begun to lean more towards dragons, and his aura and demeanor were also partially influenced.
Even if it was slight, the sliver of draconic aura that escaped Damien caused the expressions of those snow leopards to shift.
"Human, what relationship do you have to the dragon tribes?"
A grin slowly crept up Damien's face. "Dragons? Oh, we have a very deep relationship. They attack me, and I devour them."
"Devour?"
The snow leopard secretly let out a sigh of relief. "If that's the case, then there's no more need for talk. Attack!"
The encirclement of leopards pounced forward, razor-sharp teeth and claw phantoms were aimed at Damien and Ruyue. From the edges of their ranks, tens of ice projectiles pierced towards them.
But Damien and Ruyue simply grinned at the incoming attacks.
"You done yet?"
"Ah, more than just done. I think I can even get us to the other side of the mountain if I felt like it."
A black fog seeped out of the earth below their feet and gathered around Damien. Throughout the entire conversation, he had been devouring the mana of the land in order to satiate himself.
"Then, shall we go?"
Grinning, Damien grabbed Ruyue's waist and responded. "We shall."
And then, the flurry of attacks landed on their position, causing massive clouds of snow to burst into the air.
"Did they die just like that?" The snow leopard leader watched their position with doubt clouding her expression. Wasn't this too simple? Weren't they planning on fighting back?
But when the snow finally cleared, there wasn't even a trace of them left in the area.
The snow leopard's face turned black at the sight. She wasn't stupid enough to think they were blown apart without even leaving a trace of their existence.
"Dammit! Spread out! The chief took interest in those humans, so we must bring them back!"
The snow leopards roared in affirmation before speeding into the surroundings, their eyes blazing with fervor. If the chief wanted something, he would get it. There was no other course of action.
***
Far from the location Damien and Ruyue met the snow leopards, there was a massive citadel overlooking a large portion of the mountain. The massive structure that one would believe to be heavily populated actually lacked the liveliness that was present within densely packed areas.
Instead, only the quiet footsteps of a few servants could be heard walking back and forth through the hallways.
In the main square of this citadel, a man sat in meditation, unmoving like an old monk.
The mana around him churned and rotated, forming a vortex above his head that compressed upon itself continuously until small drops of blue liquid fell into his body and were absorbed.
Suddenly, his eyes flashed open, his gaze piercing through the walls of the structure and even the mountain itself.
"Was I mistaken?"
