Wings Of Deception
Chapter 27 Court Of Three Fangs King

Chapter 27: Chapter 27 Court Of Three Fangs King

In the eastern region of the zoo, twin limestone mountains loomed over the dense wilderness. Between them lay a maze of caves, their entrances jagged like the mouths of ancient beasts. Most were ordinary—formed by time and erosion—but one was different.

Nestled between the rocky outcrops, a peculiar cave lay hidden beneath a thick veil of green moss. Unlike the surrounding formations of weathered boulders and sharp stone, this cave exuded an eerie vitality, as if it were alive.

Inside, its crude exterior gave way to a vast and surprisingly well-lit chamber. The architecture was primitive yet imposing—wooden beams and stone slabs arranged with a deliberate, almost ritualistic precision. At the far end of the cavern sat a throne, not of gold or jewels, but of bone and hide. A massive tiger’s pelt stretched across the floor, its faded stripes serving as a grim reminder of past conquests.

Upon this throne lounged a giant white lion, his piercing gaze surveying the beasts assembled before him. Crocodiles basked lazily in the dim glow, their eyes half-lidded but ever watchful. A monstrous python coiled around a thick wooden pillar, its glistening scales reflecting the flickering firelight. Apes, leopards, and other formidable creatures stood in disciplined silence. This was the Triple Fang Palace—where only the strong ruled.

And atop its throne sat the Triple Fang King.

Flanking him were two lions—one with a mane of ashen gray, the other a deep crimson. They were not mere subordinates but his equals in power, the other two fangs of their infamous name. Together, they were the Triple Fangs, rulers of this dominion. Intelligence gleamed in their eyes, each movement calculated, each glance filled with unspoken authority.

The silence of the chamber was broken by a slow, deliberate hiss.

"I have received bad news, Your Highness."

The voice came from the massive python coiled around one of the chamber’s wooden pillars. Its forked tongue flicked out, tasting the tension in the air.

The red-maned lion let out a low growl, his golden eyes rolling lazily. "Speak."

"The scouts we sent to that mountain—the one where that wretched immortal resides—they haven’t returned," the python continued, its tone laced with unease. "I believe they’ve all perished. Our tests confirm that she’s still there, carrying on with her twisted experiments."

The chamber fell into a tense silence before the serpent coiled tighter around the pillar, its sleek scales gleaming under the dim torchlight. "Sire, I advise we do not interfere any further. Let us declare them rogue and wash our hands of this matter. The Triple Fangs need not entangle themselves in that monster’s affairs."

"Ridiculous!" A deep, rumbling laughter echoed through the hall. The massive red gorilla leaned forward, baring his sharp fangs in amusement. "As expected from a snake, you only know how to spew venom. In your past life, you were probably some scrawny little strategist who made a habit of stabbing others in the back. Guess karma had its way—now you’re slithering around in that cursed skin."

The python’s eyes narrowed, its forked tongue flicking out in agitation. "Oh? Speaking of karma, tell me, Kelvin—why do you wear such an ugly ape’s skin in this life?" She let the question hang for a moment before hissing, "Perhaps you were nothing more than a brawler with no brains, and now fate has given you the form that suits you best. Fitting, don’t you think?"

Kelvin’s grin vanished, his muscles tensing. "You want a beating, Karin? I’d be more than happy to test that treacherous nature of yours."

"Really?" Karin coiled up, her golden eyes gleaming. "Come then, ape. I’d love to see if I can squeeze that arrogance out of you."

"Enough, both of you." The red lion’s deep growl cut through the rising tension like a blade. Instantly, silence fell over the chamber. His golden eyes swept over them with cold authority. "Stop squabbling like children. If you wish to be of use, then contribute something meaningful."

Before anyone could respond, a wolf stepped forward, his sharp eyes narrowing.

"Your Highness, we still don’t know the exact situation." His gaze flicked toward the python as if she were an eyesore. "And remember, three of our juniors were among the scouts. It’s too soon to jump to conclusions."

At that moment, the only herbivore among the carnivores—a sleek deer—stepped forward. His voice was urgent as he cried, "I’m telling the truth, Your Highness! In my past life, I was a master of sensory skills, and in this life, I’ve honed them even further. I don’t sense her presence anymore—not inside the zoo at least. But..." His large, wary eyes flickered. "I do sense another aura."

The court murmured in unease.

Their scouting mission had been carefully planned from the moment the deer detected the absence of Mad Max’s clone—right after she had been killed by John. Even so, none of them had dared to approach the mountain, fearing the immortal’s wrath. The recent commotion from the tree only reinforced the deer’s claim.

Sensing an opportunity, the court had sent a horde of beasts under the command of their three juniors—who, at that moment, were being punished.

Yet, in truth, the real culprit behind their punishment was the black gorilla, Mario. He had been the one caught stealing something of great importance. The white lion, Anu, and the wolf had been punished simply for witnessing the crime and choosing to ignore it.

Still, neither Anu nor the wolf felt any guilt. It wasn’t their problem.

But one thing remained certain—they despised Mario with every fiber of their being.

A deep voice broke the silence. "Prince Anu is still out there. He has great potential. The horde? They don’t matter much, but he and the others... they are our future." An ape stepped forward, his sharp eyes scanning the chamber.

A fox smirked, his gaze landing on the python. "Then how about this? This time, let’s send the snake scouts to investigate. See what really happened out there."

The red lion let out a low, rumbling roar. "Agreed. Karin, arrange for the best among your snake clan and send them to retrieve Prince Anu."

Just then, Aarya, the deer, trembled. Her ears twitched, her entire body shaking as if sensing something dreadful.

Karin narrowed her golden eyes. "What is it, Aarya? Do you sense something wrong with the young master?"

"No... it’s not about them." Aarya’s voice wavered with fear. "Something serious is happening, Your Highness." She hesitated before adding, "I see countless humans... breaking the seals of the zoo."

The ever-lazy white lion, who had been lounging idly, suddenly tensed. His golden eyes snapped open as he let out a low growl. "How many?"

Aarya closed her eyes, concentrating. "Five... no, twelve doors now."

A hush fell over the chamber.

The fox, often regarded as the court’s strategist, licked his lips, his voice dropping into a grave tone. "Usually, during the harvesting season, those cultivators only open one door. But today, they’re opening twelve. Your Highness, this isn’t about collecting slaves."

The white lion’s gaze sharpened. "How many of them are entering?"

"Many, Sire. I can sense thousands of auras pouring through each entrance." Aarya’s voice shook. Then her eyes widened in alarm. "Wait... they’re sealing the doors from the inside."

The white lion scanned the faces of his court, then smirked. "Something like this has never happened before. This zoo is about to become... very interesting. What do you all think?"

"This is bad news." A cat, the oldest among them, meowed solemnly. "Those cultivators aren’t leaving. That means we can’t remain hidden anymore."

"Elder Cat is right," the python hissed, her golden eyes glinting with amusement. "We need to stay alert. Something is happening outside—something big. Why else would they choose to stay here, in this cursed place? Perhaps... this is their last refuge."

"Whatever it is, it’s not good for us," the fox muttered, tail twitching.

But then, the gray-maned lion let out a booming roar, silencing them all. "Have you all forgotten how long we’ve been hiding here? How long we’ve honed our strength in these beast bodies we were reborn into? A century? More? The oldest of us, Elder Cat, nears her five-hundredth year."

He bared his fangs, his deep voice filled with conviction. "There is nothing to fear. This time, we fight back. My brothers and I are ready to leave. We’ve been planning our escape during this month’s harvesting season. But who knew they would send such a large force? Now, we can exploit them to earn our freedom."

The chamber fell into stunned silence. Every beast wore a different expression—shock, doubt, contemplation.

The white lion, seated on the throne, finally spoke again. "Regardless, this could be an opportunity... or a disaster." His golden eyes locked onto Aarya. "Tell me—the strongest among them. What is their cultivation level?"

Aarya chanted a spell and shut her eyes. The court fell silent.

Moments later, she opened them and spoke in a grave tone. "Sire, each of the twelve groups has strong individuals. Their power levels are nearly equal. The strongest among them have reached five stars in the Mana Core Realm. In total, there are twelve such individuals."

The white lion’s gaze sharpened. "With our current strength, we can match about a quarter of them in battle."

The gray lion scoffed, his spirit unshaken. "Brother, there’s no need to be overly cautious. Don’t forget, we are not alone. The Blazing Crow Clan of the west, the Iron Bulls Clan of the southeast, and the secretive Illuminati Clan of the central valley—all of them stand as our equals. Together, we hold a status quo with the humans."

"That may be true," the white lion mused, "but until now, each of us has remained confined to our own territories, bound by a silent pact. They are as stubborn as we are. They are neither friends nor foes. The question is—how do we convince them to join hands against the humans?"

The wise old cat, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke, his perpetually drowsy eyes glinting with rare sharpness. "No need to overthink it, Sires. If we sensed the humans today, the other three clans surely did as well. They are either already preparing for battle or facing imminent ruin. An alliance is only a matter of time. We should send an envoy to negotiate."

"What about the Immortal Lady?" An elder from the ape clan, Syro, interjected. "If she joins us, she alone could tip the scales in our favor against the human cultivators."

Karin the python sneered. "Elder Syro, have you been sleeping all this time? The Immortal Lady is no more. Her cavern has been taken over by a nameless bird."

A tense silence followed.

Another elder muttered darkly, "Then she is likely dead." His voice was grim. "And yet, we just sent our three juniors toward that very place—on mere suspicion, no less. A reckless decision... or perhaps a calculated one?"

The wolf clan elder turned, his piercing gaze locking onto Karin. "Tell me, Python, are you truly that careless... or did you have other motives?"

Karin hissed in irritation, shaking her head. "The decision was made collectively," she said firmly. "I merely voiced the obvious choice."

Yet, the court was not convinced. They all knew she had been the driving force behind it.

The white lion exhaled heavily, his golden eyes filled with unease. "Aarya, try again. Tell me—how strong are those birds?"

Despite his composed demeanor, his words carried a deep sense of wariness. He, along with his three brothers and the entire court, had always feared the Immortal Lady who resided atop the mountain. Even though her domain lay within his territory, they had long chosen to ignore her existence.

But now... a mere flock of garden birds had taken over her cavern the moment her aura disappeared. That was beyond strange.

Aarya shut her eyes, focusing all her energy. This was already her seventh attempt. Beads of sweat formed on her brow as she pushed her sensory abilities to their limit.

After a long, tense silence, she sighed. "I still can’t sense their aura, Sires. There are sixteen of them, all just... garden birds. But their strength?" She shook her head. "Something is blocking my senses. However..." Her voice grew tense. "I feel an overwhelming sense of danger from all of them—especially the mockingbird."

A stunned silence fell over the court.

The wise fox suddenly shot up, his tail flicking in agitation. "What?! And you didn’t say this earlier? Our three juniors are in grave danger! And here we are, debating whether to excommunicate them. We must act—now—before it’s too late!"

The court quickly descended into murmurs and debates before finally reaching a decision.

Envoys were dispatched to the three major beast clans, extending the call for an alliance. As for the birds... the white lion turned to his brother, the gray lion.

"Go. Find out what is happening."

With that, the court was adjourned.

Just as the gray lion was about to leave, the white lion’s voice turned stern.

"Listen well. Do not provoke an unnecessary fight with those birds. Approach them with respect." His golden eyes narrowed. "They may not seem dangerous, but this is the ancient land of cultivation—anything is possible. Looks can be deceiving."