Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

Chapter 580: Chapter 580: Blood Lion Patriarch

Perhaps sensing the subtle changes on Yang Yu’s face, Grandpa Tong He led them across the vast grassland while explaining the current situation of the Blood Lion Clan.

The Blood Lions were a race dedicated to protecting the Royal Family. To ensure that the army defending the capital had sufficiently high levels of martial prowess, it was only after approval that they established this vast training ground—something that happened more than two hundred years ago.

But since the birth of Wansheng Country and years of peaceful coexistence with humans, this wilderness lost its original purpose and became a place where the Blood Lion Clan occasionally trained their disciples.

Because it was so large, in a bid to further enhance Wansheng Country’s martial strength, the Blood Lions didn’t confine themselves to training disciples within their own clan. Instead, they opened the area to all Subhumans, as long as they were qualified, anyone could come and seek instruction.

And before officially starting their duty, members of the Imperial Guard were also sent here to face various trials.

For various reasons, this place became well-known, attracting many who sought fame here.

After the outbreak of war between Wansheng Country and the Luo Ze Empire, this area once again became a training ground for some soldiers. Wansheng Country would select some of the recruits with decent qualifications, train them here for a month or two, and then send them to the front lines to make up for the lack of high-end combat power.

People like Yang Yu who came here to learn were now few and far between.

Those who wanted to receive guidance had long since volunteered to enlist and participate in the qualification selection.

In the beginning, the place was bustling. At that time, nearly a thousand people trained together in the wilderness, and the sight was magnificent; the wooden poles that Yang Yu and the others saw were erected back then.

At that time, everyone’s enthusiasm for serving the country was high, and in response to their desires, the Blood Lion Patriarch provided guidance even at night.

Unfortunately, the war has lasted far too long. Wansheng Country could only mobilize residents living deeper within its territory, and the number of qualified individuals they could find dwindled.

So, the place gradually reverted to its former martial arts hall model.

Compared with the mass production of martial arts talent of the past, the Blood Lion Martial Arts Hall now prefers to finely craft each raw stone, letting them make a stunning debut and become the central force against the Luo Ze Empire’s invasion.

“That is to say, as long as you have the qualifications, you should be able to receive instruction from my family’s Family Head.”

Grandpa Tong He said this and led them into a cluster of buildings at the center of the wilderness.

How should one describe the scene Yang Yu saw? The layout of these buildings resembled an ancient courtyard compound, while the style of the buildings leaned more towards ancient Japanese-style buildings that one would only see in anime.

From a distance, Yang Yu originally thought such buildings were only three or four stories tall, but when he got closer and counted from the top down, he realized each building was at least eight stories high. Standing at the foot of the buildings, Yang Yu felt small.

The giant white gate of the “courtyard” swung open wide for Yang Yu, revealing the full vista of the courtyard, which was spacious.

“The Royal Family provided these buildings for us, the Blood Lion Clan, to live in,” Grandpa Tong He said. “Our Blood Lion Clan has as many as a thousand members and is counted among the few Beastman races that, even after mixing with other races, still maintain the purity of our bloodline.”

“As a price for keeping our bloodline pure, Blood Lions couldn’t possibly enjoy the freedom of love, right?”

Grandpa Tong He smiled helplessly, “That’s one way to say it. The Blood Lions almost never intermarry with outsiders. Otherwise, Miss Xin Mang here might have become a member of the Blood Lions. Or perhaps, her offspring would become one of us.”

“Grandpa Tong He.” Xin Mang coughed softly, “We should be going to find the Patriarch now, not the time to discuss this matter.”

Grandpa Tong He smiled and continued to explain, “However, this strict system also has its benefits. Thanks to it, the Blood Lions can continue. Otherwise, they would become ordinary Beastmen, just like the Royal Family ruling this country.

Or, they would be like the Multi-tailed Fox Clan Xin Mang originally belonged to, gradually becoming ordinary Fox Beastmen.

If Xin Mang or her mother possessed a purer Multi-tailed Fox bloodline, Xin Mang would have been stronger, becoming an S-level adventurer sooner.

Unfortunately, the Multi-tailed Fox bloodline has been diluted far too much.

When I was young, it was considered lucky for the multi-tailed fox clan to have as many as six tails.

Now, even three tails are hard to come by.”

While he sighed about the past, Grandpa Tong He led Yang Yu and his companions, step by step up the stairs directly in front of the arch, toward the brightly lit training hall.

As night fell, the sounds of combat from inside the training room continued unabated.

Grandpa Tong He gently knocked on the door, and a man and a woman opened the large gates of the training ground for him, one on each side.

What caught their eyes first was the smooth floor, followed by beastmen in brown hemp training outfits. There were not only lion beastmen, but also goat beastmen with horns and fox monkey beastmen with their tails held high, along with a notable number of canine beastmen.

In the training ground, a lion beastman with a huge reddish-brown mane stood before a massive calligraphy painting, hands clasped behind his back. His hands were not like those of regular beastmen, which resembled human hands, but rather shaped like lion’s paws, and Yang Yu could even make out the distinct pads on them.

“Family Head, I have brought the person as you requested. I shall take my leave now.”

After speaking, Grandpa Tong He silently left the training ground where Yang Yu and the others were.

The Family Head of the Blood Lion Clan slowly opened his eyes and faced Yang Yu. His face was not human at all but a complete lion’s visage, with a long snout embedded with sharp fangs.

At this very moment, the aura he exuded made Lotcar shrink back a little, his instincts telling him that the other’s strength was not just a star or two stronger than his own, but many times over.

Through the status panel, Yang Yu once again recalled the despair he had felt when he first saw Tico.

[Blood Lion Patriarch

Wan Huawen

Level: LV 142

HP: 22410/22410 MP: 13020/14502

Attributes: Strength 6821, Defense 4210, Intelligence 320, Special Defense 2741, Agility 924, Charm 547

Special: [Bleeding Lion LV.MAX]Every 10% loss of maximum health results in a 10% increase in damage.

Resistance: Physical Resistance +15%, Magic Resistance +15%, Flame Resistance -10%]

Is this the old monster of this world? Nearly seven thousand in Strength and more than four thousand in Defense.

Could this person be said to be the real boss of Wansheng Country?

What on earth is [Bleeding Lion LV.MAX]? This passive ability is simply too overpowering, Yang Yu is nearly drooling with envy.

Yang Yu has seen even more bug-like existences—Misha from the Magic Hall who could stand toe-to-toe with the Demon King, a legendary figure.

But Yang Yu had never seen a living legend like Blood Lion Patriarch Wan Huawen.

Yang Yu simply couldn’t imagine how he might defeat this man before him.

Are two short years enough?