Evolving by devouring from a young dragon

Duin's gaze fell on the rock fragments cracked in the Lion King's chest.

The fragments were deeply embedded in the Lion King's petrified body, shimmering with a gray-red light, like a beating heart sustaining the Lion King's life.

"He's almost there." The Lion King looked up at the crack in the dome.

"Once he arrives, the ceremony can begin."

"What ceremony?" Auduin asked in a deep voice.

"The four emblems are united." The Lion King's voice was calm and unwavering.

"The four emblems, namely, the Crack Rock, the Rock, the Crystal Rock, and the Barren Mound, were originally one. By fusing them together, the primal power deep within the earth can be awakened. At that time, whoever holds the fused emblem will be able to control the power of the Four Symbols Rock."

"Four Symbols Rock Force?"

Auduin narrowed his vertical pupils slightly; he had never heard of this word before.

The Lion King did not answer immediately.

He lowered his head, lost in memories.

"In ancient times, there once existed an ancient spirit from the deep earth. It was neither a magical beast, nor a dragon, nor any known race in the world. It was born from the deepest part of the earth and was the will of the earth itself. Its power was not in the sky, nor in the ocean, but beneath your feet, in that unseen abyss."

The Lion King raised his right arm, his petrified fingertips pointing directly at the ground.

"It has lived for countless ages. It has existed since the first mountain range rose and has not disappeared until the first river dried up. It never interferes in the conflicts on the ground, and only does one thing: it stabilizes the earth."

Without it, the ley lines of the North would have long since collapsed, the ice fields would have melted, the mountains would have crumbled, and the seas would have overflowed. You are able to stand here today only because it has supported you from below for countless millennia.

The wolf king's pupils contracted slightly: "I've never heard of the ancient spirits you speak of from the deep earth."

"Of course you wouldn't have heard of it."

The Lion King gave a bitter smile. "Because it died long ago. Its body disintegrated and sank into the earth's core 30,000 years ago, but its power did not dissipate. These four emblems are what it left behind. Cracked rocks are its bones, boulders its flesh, crystal rocks its blood, and desolate mounds its soul."

The magic array suddenly shone brightly, and the four stone pillars trembled simultaneously, emitting a deep hum.

Alduin looked down at the array patterns beneath his feet; the patterns flowed and exuded an ancient aura.

He understood.

The Lion Clan merely built an altar on these ruins, enclosing the relics of the ancient spirits deep within the earth.

"Thirty thousand years ago, someone discovered these symbols," the Lion King continued. "At that time, there were no races in the North, only a group of exiles who fled from the south. They found the Rockbreaker Symbol and discovered that its power could suppress the ley lines, making the land habitable. They used it to build their first city, multiplied and thrived, and eventually became the Lion Clan we know today."

He paused, and the light in his right eye dimmed for a moment.

"But they didn't know that the Rock Rift Emblem was only a quarter of the original. With just one, it was simply not enough to suppress the residual power of the ancient spirits of the deep earth. Three hundred years later, the ley lines began to backfire, and stone patterns appeared on the bodies of newborn lion cubs. That was the will of the ancient spirits of the deep earth warning them to find the other three and return the power."

"Return them?" Alduin's voice was icy. "Aren't the Ancients of the Deep already dead?"

"The physical body has perished, but the will remains." The Lion King looked up at the crack in the dome. "In the deepest part of the earth, in a place beyond your sight, it has been waiting, waiting for the four emblems to reunite, waiting for the power to return to its rightful place, waiting for the earth to return to peace."

Or perhaps... some audacious individual will seize the merged emblem for themselves, thereby gaining control of the Four Symbols Rock Force.

The Lion King's gaze first fell on Alduin, then turned to the Wolf King, and finally looked toward the entrance to the altar.

"Leon desperately wanted these four badges. He thought that by collecting all four, he could break through to the legendary realm and control the entire Northern Territory."

But he had no idea that the power of the Four Symbols Rock was not something just anyone could withstand. The will of the ancient spirits of the deep earth was hidden in the emblem, and it would choose its own successor.

Those chosen by it will slowly become part of the earth; those not chosen, who insist on merging with the emblem, will be devoured by its power and turned to stone, just like I am now.

The wolf king's lips curled slightly. "So, for three hundred years you haven't been protecting the lion clan at all, you've been protecting this altar."

"And they are also protecting our lion clan." The Lion King did not deny it.

"The Lion Clan's strength depends entirely on the Rock Rift Emblem, which in turn needs the altar to sustain it. If the altar is destroyed, the Lion Clan will cease to exist, and my mission will come to an end."

Alduin looked at the Lion King, a complex expression appearing in his vertical pupils.

This old lion is neither a puppet as Leon described, nor a pawn to be manipulated.

Instead, he had his own plans and his own purposes. He deliberately let Leon take the rock fragments and allowed Leon to steal the crystal emblem and snatch the rock emblem. All of this was to lure Leon back to the altar.

"You're using Leon," Alduin said.

"I'm using everyone," the Lion King frankly admitted.

"Including you, including the Wolf King, you are all pawns, but being a pawn also has its advantages. After the ceremony, you will all get what you want. The Wolf King will get back the Crystal Rock Emblem, you will get back the Rock Emblem, and Leon will get the Four Symbols Rock Power that he coveted."

"And what about you?" the wolf king asked.

"I will die." The Lion King's tone was relaxed. "The Rockbreaker Emblem is bound to my life. After the four emblems merge, the emblems no longer need a host, and my mission will be complete."

The square fell silent instantly.

Snow and wind poured in through the cracks in the dome, swirling in the light of the magic array. The humming of the four stone pillars grew louder and louder, like the call of ancient spirits from the depths of the earth.

Just then, Alduin's senses suddenly detected fluctuations in spatial magic, and the fluctuations were extremely strong, indicating that someone was forcibly breaking through space.

A thought struck him: Leon had arrived.

Leon emerged from the rift in space, his steps steady, a disgusting smile playing on his lips.

His right wrist was wrapped in ice crystal bandages, his left shoulder armor bore a hole from Alduin's dragon claws, and the scar on his throat glowed a dark red in the gray-white light of the magic circle.

But he paid no attention to these wounds, his gaze fixed on the four stone pillars in the center of the altar.

"They're all here." Leon glanced at the Lion King, Wolf King, Dragon, and Blue crouching in the corner of the square, his tone casual, "So I don't have to look for them one by one."

Upon seeing the Lion King, Leon's tone remained unchanged, as if he had no surprise at its presence.

No one spoke. Alduin glanced at the Wolf King and saw that he was just watching coldly, showing no intention of making a move. He couldn't help but frown.

"Hand over the stone emblem." The Lion King's voice was calm, yet carried a sense of oppression.

Leon did not move.

His gaze moved from the Lion King's petrified body to the rock fragments on his chest, then to the stone pillars at the four corners of the magic circle, and finally to Alduin's waist, where the Wilderness Emblem was hidden.

"Hand it over?" Leon laughed, his smile cold and his voice mocking. "Hand it over to whom? To you? What can a dying old man like you use to fuse the four emblems?"