Chapter 684

Chapter 684: Reunion with Hall Master Han

“You… can fly?”

Seeing as the man and the beast fell through the sky, creating large mushroom-shaped clouds upon impact, Yu Fei-er turned to look at the young man beside her with widened eyes as if she had seen a ghost.

Wasn’t flight an ability exclusive to Saints?

As a Consonant Spirit realm cultivator, how was he doing this?

Recalling Luo Qiqi’s fearless demeanor previously, Yu Fei-er suddenly realized something and asked, “Qiqi, you knew of this in advance?”

“Back in the underground chamber, Zhang laoshi used this technique to save me once,” Luo Qiqi said. With a curious gaze, she turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, “Speaking of which, teacher, why are you able to fly?”

Actually, she had been wanting to ask this question all along, but there wasn’t a suitable opportunity before.

If it were to be known that someone beneath Sainthood was capable of flight, it would surely leave the blood of many running wild in agitation. But at the same time, it could possibly spell trouble for Zhang Xuan.

“It is an artifact that my teacher gave me. Actually, rather than flight, calling it a temporary tool for gliding would be more exact. Furthermore, it has its flaws as well. For one, it has a high zhenqi consumption, so I can’t sustain it for too long!”

Since there was no way Zhang Xuan could explain this well either, he decided to dump everything on to ‘Yang Xuan’, as per usual.

“Artifact? Yang shi is indeed amazing!”

Hearing that it was another one of Yang shi’s doing, the duo’s eyes immediately lit up in excitement.

Considering how many valuable artifacts Yang shi had given Zhang Xuan, it seemed like he truly valued the latter a lot.

Seeing that he had managed to get the duo off his hook after bringing his ‘teacher’ into the picture, Zhang Xuan smiled in relief.

“This artifact is rather rare, so I ask you two not to tell others about it so as to avoid unnecessary trouble!”

Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er nodded in response.

“Don’t worry!”

It was an unspoken rule for one to not speak of the affairs of a high ranked master teacher unless a compelling situation warranted it.

Besides, they also didn’t wish to bring trouble to Zhang shi either.

As the trio spoke, they gradually landed on the ground.

Zhang Xuan exhaled a large mouthful of turbid air.

With his current cultivation, he could easily maintain flight for over an hour. However, holding onto two people with his zhenqi in the midst of his flight was still rather tough on him.

It was fortunate that he only had to bring them down and not proceed forward, or else he might just end up plummeting to the ground just like Qin Zhong.

“Is that fellow… dead?” Luo Qiqi asked.

Not too far away from the trio, there was a huge pit with a man and a spirit beast lying inside. The beast was still able to retain its consciousness, but the man, as he was already inflicted with grievous wounds even before the fall, was unable to endure the impact and fainted immediately.

“No matter what, Qin Zhong is a Cosmos Bridge realm expert. It’s just a distance of a thousand meters; he won’t die that easily!” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Back then, Feng shi and his team also fell from an altitude of a thousand meters but they still survived the fall. Even if this fellow was severely injured by one of the puppets earlier on, considering the defensive artifacts he had in his possession as the young master of the Beast Hall, it was impossible for him to die from this.

At worst, he would only be bed bound for a few months.

After explaining the matter to the others, Zhang Xuan turned to the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast and commanded, “What are you waiting for? Hurry up and bring us to the Beast Hall!”

Even though this huge fellow was wounded as well, it was still conscious. Upon meeting Zhang Xuan’s gaze, it began to tremble in fear.

Roar!

Hearing those words, it immediately struggled to its feet and stepped forward.

Possessing the Dragon Bloodline, it possessed an innate fear toward those capable of uttering the Dragon Language. Naturally, it could only obey Zhang Xuan’s commands obediently.

Hu hu hu!

The trio leaped onto the back of the aerial spirit beast, and leaving the unconscious Qin Zhong behind, they advanced toward the Beast Hall.

This lesson should serve well to teach that arrogant Qin Zhong to remain humble for the rest of his life.

After flying for some time, the group finally arrived at the Beast Hall.

The Huanyu Beast Hall was larger and more majestic than the Beast Halls Zhang Xuan had seen in the past. Countless spirit beasts filled both the sky and the land, creating an extremely boisterous atmosphere that could be felt even from a distance away.

Several hundred meters away from Beast Hall, Zhang Xuan and Luo Qiqi alighted from the back of the spirit beast.

This fellow was the tamed beast of the young master of the Beast Hall. If they were to arrive there on it, it could potentially cause a lot of trouble, and it would be troublesome to explain the matter.

As for why they chose to ride the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast to the Beast Hall instead of Hongyuan Master Teacher Academy directly, the answer was simple.

Hongyuan Empire was more than a million kilometers away from Huanyu Empire, and while the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast was at the Consonant Spirit realm, it would take at least one and a half months for it to cover that distance.

It was less than a month until the start of the school term, so Zhang Xuan would be late for the entrance examination if he were to ride on its back.

On the other hand, there should be higher ranked spirit beasts in the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall for them to ride on. Thus, they decided to stop by here first.

Upon stepping into the lounge of the Beast Hall, the trio was immediately stunned by the huge crowd.

The territory of Huanyu Empire stretched across the horizon, and there were countless who visited the Beast Hall every day to travel around on the spirit beasts.

There were around a dozen queues, and every queue had several hundred people lining up. Judging from the sight, some of them might have even been lining up since a month or two ago!

“The number of aerial spirit beasts, savage beasts, and beast tamers in the Beast Hall is limited. As such, it is normal to have to queue for days before getting a ride.”

Looking at the huge queue before her, Luo Qiqi smiled bitterly.

Due to the limited number of beast tamers, aerial spirit beasts, and savage beasts, it was impossible to fulfill everyone’s demands. As such, the Beast Hall would allocate queue numbers each day, and those whose numbers weren’t called would have to wait till the second day, the third day, or even beyond that.

“In the Hongyuan Beast Hall, there are even a few who fail to get a ride after queuing for two months straight. Even though there are fewer people here, I fear that it will still take around ten days or so before we can get a ride.”

Yu Fei-er nodded.

The number of experts and esteemed personnel far exceeded the number of spirit beasts and beast tamers available in the Beast Halls. Traveling had always been and was likely to remain a huge problem on the Master Teacher Continent.

“If only Ye Qian were here. He is well-acquainted with the people here, so he may have been able to allow us to bypass the queue,” Luo Qiqi said bitterly.

“If he were here, there would be no need for us to come all the way here. The royal family should have some spirit beasts as well, so we could have just asked him to bring some over,” replied Yu Fei-er.

While most of the aerial spirit beasts were centered in the Beast Hall, the royal family of most empires and kingdoms would rear a few themselves. Back then, the flying ship that Hong shi and the others left on was powered by the aerial spirit beasts of the empire.

If Ye Qian was here, given his identity as a crown prince, he could easily have brought a few aerial spirit beasts out for them. They wouldn’t have had to come all the way here to the Beast Hall just to find a ride.

Given the huge number of people here, it would be difficult for them to find a suitable aerial spirit beast.

“Forget it, borrowing a spirit beast from the empire is an extremely troublesome procedure, and one will also incur a debt to the empire. It will be much better to use the spirit beasts from the Beast Hall instead!” Luo Qiqi said.

Logically speaking, given Yu Fei-er’s identity, even if Ye Qian wasn’t around, it wouldn’t be too difficult for her to borrow a few spirit beasts from Ye Wentian.

But her unique identity complicated the matter. As the princess of Hongyuan Empire and a master teacher, if she were to ask for a favor, she would incur a debt which she would have to repay in the future. Since that was the case, it would be better for them to rent a ride from the Beast Hall instead.

Not to mention, master teachers possessed a privilege on this aspect—they had a priority queue just for them!

On top of that, Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er were 5-star master teachers. They were qualified to find the hall master or the elders of the Beast Hall straight to request for a better spirit beast and beast tamer.

“Let’s go!”

Thus, the group proceeded forward. At that moment, Luo Qiqi suddenly thought of something, and she turned to the young man beside her and asked, “Zhang shi, since you are a beast tamer, do you have any acquaintances here?”

“This is my first time here, so how could I possibly have any acquaintances here?” Zhang Xuan shook his head.

It was his first time in Huanyu Capital, so how could he know anyone here?

“That’s true…”

Recalling how Zhang shi had arrived later them, it was indeed unlikely for him to have any acquaintances here.

“Alright then.”

Nodding, Luo Qiqi surveyed the surroundings to find a member of the Beast Hall whom she could ask to show them to an elder or the hall master when a delighted voice suddenly called out.

“Zhang shi… why are you here?”

Turning around, Zhang Xuan saw an elder walking to him with an excited smile on his face.

“Hall Master Han?”

Upon seeing the elder, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The person was none other than the hall master whom he met at Coax Ridge when he tamed the Demon Cinque Beast back then, Han Chong!

Why was he here?

“Thanks to Zhang shi’s help, I managed to triumph over Luo Ming in the competition and gained the opportunity to study at Huanyu Empire…’

Han Chong smiled.

He had once suffered a trauma which resulted in a sharp fall in his fighting prowess. Thus, he turned his attention to the Demon Cinque in the hope of taming it to defeat Luo Ming. However, while he was doing so, he met Zhang Xuan. Not only did Zhang Xuan save him when Demon Cinque Beast went on a rampage, the latter even treated his trauma, allowing him to regain his former strength. Due to that, he gained the opportunity to enter a higher ranked Beast Hall to further his knowledge of beast taming.

It could be said that Zhang Xuan was his benefactor!

If not for Zhang shi, he would already be dead by now!

He’d thought that it would be hard for him to meet this incredible genius again, but who knew that he would actually reunite with him here?

Hearing the explanation, Zhang Xuan immediately understood what was going on.

“It is through your own capability that you obtained this opportunity; I only did what I should.”

He recalled how much Han Chong valued this opportunity. For it, he spent three entire years trying to tame Demon Cinque Beast.

“Zhang shi is too polite!”

After trading a few pleasantries, Han Chong asked, “Is Zhang shi here to take the 5-star beast tamer examination or…”

“Actually, we are intending to head to Hongyuan Empire, so we would like to rent a fast spirit beast with good stamina.”

Zhang Xuan chuckled. “May I ask for Hall Master Han’s help with this matter?”

“This isn’t a problem at all. I’ll show you to the Beast Lodge!”

Hearing that it was just a small matter, Han Chong hurriedly nodded.

Even though he came from the branch in Myriad Kingdom Alliance, as an ex-hall master, his standing was still higher than ordinary beast tamers. It wasn’t a problem for him to find a spirit beast for Zhang Xuan.

“I’ll be thanking you then, Hall Master Han!”

Zhang Xuan smiled in delight.

Han Chong shook his head.

“There’s no need to stand on ceremony. Also, there’s no need to call me Hall Master Han. I am only an ordinary 4-star beast tamer here, so you can just address me as Beast Tamer Han.”

While he was a hall master in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance branch, he was nothing more than an ordinary beast tamer here except for his slightly higher standing.

It would be inappropriate for him to be addressed as ‘hall master’ here, and it could even be taken as insubordination.

“Alright.”

Zhang Xuan nodded. Following behind Han Chong, the group headed for the Beast Lodge.

On the other hand, seeing how Zhang Xuan walked away with a 4-star beast tamer right after claiming that he knew no one in the Beast Hall, Yu Fei-er and Luo Qiqi glanced at one another, and their eyelids twitched frenziedly.

‘You call this knowing no one here?

‘Who are you trying to fool?’

Why did this Zhang shi feel so upright and dependable at times, and yet so unreliable and eccentric at others?

Chapter 685: You Know the Beast Language?

The Huanyu Empire Beast Hall’s Beast Lodge was established in the midst of the mountain forest. Countless spirit beasts lived leisurely in the area. Even though many of them were natural enemies of one another, they were still able to live harmoniously with one another after being tamed.

While walking to their destination, Han Chong asked, “Hongyuan Empire is more than a million kilometers away from here. How much time do you have for your journey?”

Zhang Xuan calculated for a moment before replying.

“Of course, the faster the better. It would be best if we can arrive within twenty days.”

It had been nine days since Hong shi and the others had departed. If they wanted to catch up, they would have to shorten the month’s journey to about twenty days.

“Twenty days?” Han Chong suddenly stopped and frowned. “If you wish to arrive at Hongyuan Empire within twenty days, you will require a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast at the very least!”

Long journeys were very different from short journeys. Even if a spirit beast could cover a hundred thousand kilometers in a day at maximum, the journey could still easily stretch on for a month. After all, it would be impossible for the spirit beast to maintain its full speed throughout the entire journey, and it would also need to rest and recuperate as well.

Also, cultivation realm didn’t necessary translate to speed either. Different aerial spirit beasts had different strengths, and there were plenty of powerful spirit beasts who had a slow flight speed.

Nevertheless, the minimum requirement for any aerial spirit beast to reach Hongyuan Empire in twenty days was for it to be a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

He was a beast tamer as well, and he had a deep understanding of spirit beasts. He could also roughly gauge the traveling times of different aerial spirit beasts.

“Only 5-star pinnacle beast tamers are able to tame such a spirit beast. Alright, I’ll bring you to the Elder Hall to take a look then…”

Han Chong frowned.

If it was just a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan spirit beast, Han Chong would surely be able to rent it for Zhang Xuan easily. However, as Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beasts were extremely hard to tame, even for a 5-star beast tamer, their quantity was severely limited. As such, this matter would necessitate the approval of the Elder Hall.

“The Elder Hall? Will this be too troublesome?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“It’s fine. My teacher happens to be a 5-star pinnacle beast tamer… If he learns that you are a 4-star beast tamer and a grandmaster physician at such a young age, he will surely be delighted to help you!”

Han Chong smiled.

While they were speaking, they circled around the mountain forest and arrived at a log house.

The entire residence was extremely simplistic in design, constructed using only wood and mud. It contrasted starkly to the extravagant infrastructures around the Beast Hall.

Pushing open the door of the log house, they saw cages of all sizes placed all around the vast living room. Savages beast and spirit beasts were housed in those cages, and they varied in terms of size and species. Making a quick estimation, there were around eighty cages in here.

“These are…”

Upon seeing all of these cages, Zhang Xuan was bewildered.

This should be the living quarters of the teacher whom Han Chong spoke of. However, most of the beasts in the cages possessed low cultivation, and there were even a few beneath Zongshi realm.

A 5-star pinnacle beast tamer, a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert, could easily flick a savage beast of that tier to death, so there should be no reason for him to rear them.

“Oh, my teacher is…”

Realizing the doubts Zhang Xuan was harboring, Han Chong was just about to explain when ‘jiya!’, a spirited old man suddenly walked into the room.

The old man’s hair and beard were both white, and he carried a book in his hands. Seemingly oblivious to the crowd in his log house, he continued walking forward while muttering something under his breath. His face slowly lit up with excitement along with his mutterings, as if he had deciphered a mystery.

“Teacher…”

Han Chong stepped forward and addressed him.

“Don’t interrupt me. We’ll talk after I’m done!”

Not even sparing a glance to Han Chong, the old man waved his hands and walked up to a cage.

Inside the cage were eight Zhizun realm Scarlet Coated Hamsters.

These hamsters were small in size, but their ability to burrow was astonishing. There were even some who specially groomed them to have them dig out some space underground to construct an underground chamber.

But of course, considering how the old man had them locked in a cage, that probably wasn’t his motive.

Seeing his teacher pay little regard to him, Han Chong turned to the trio in embarrassment.

“Teacher has always been like this. As long as he is in the midst of his research, he will ignore everything in his surroundings…”

“No worries!”

Zhang Xuan smiled.

Even though he had to get to Hongyuan Empire as soon as possible, he had this bit of time to spare. On top of that, he was also curious about what the old man was up to.

Ignoring the crowd, the old man flipped a few pages on the book, and on a certain page, he suddenly stopped. As though he had finally found what he was looking for, his eyes lit up in agitation. He immediately turned his sight to the Scarlet Coated Hamsters, took in a deep breath, and shouted, “Boreohu lomesen…”

Along with the chanting of the old man, the Scarlet Coated Hamsters widened their eyes and began to puke, as if they had heard something extremely disgusting.

“They are vomiting? This isn’t right!”

The old man scratched his head as he flipped the pages of the book once more. “My pronunciation must be off. I should try again!

“Boreohu lomesen…”

Hu hu hu!

The eyes of the Scarlet Coated Hamsters suddenly rolled upward, and their legs began to spasm. Two of them tried to get away, but they ended up knocking against the bars of the cage and fainted.

“This…”

Everyone widened their eyes in shock.

Even Zhang Xuan was astonished by the sight.

What did the old man say to disgust the Scarlet Coated Hamsters so much that they would rather knock themselves out than to listen to it for a moment longer?

Suddenly realizing something, Luo Qiqi turned to Han Chong and asked, “Is this… Beast Language?”

Even though she wasn’t a beast tamer, her occupation as a master teacher required her to have a degree of understanding of all occupations, and she did once read about the Ancient Beast Language before.

It was said to have been compiled by Kong shi himself, but with the passing of time, it gradually disappeared from the world. Even though the heritage was still existent, it was grasped in the hands of a small minority, and it was never passed down to outsiders.

Could it be that Han Chong’s teacher had already learned the language, and was currently experimenting with it?

Just that, why would his words cause such an extreme reaction in the Scarlet Coated Hamsters to make them vomit like that?

“My teacher is in the midst of studying the Beast Language, and there has been some success in his research already…”

Han Chong nodded.

“Success?” Zhang Xuan and the others were speechless.

Making a savage beast puke, and you call that success?

One punch can easily do the same!

“Cough cough!” Hearing the conversation and seeing the reaction of the crowd, the old man was a little embarrassed. Closing his book and tidying his appearance, he turned around and said, “Han Chong, didn’t I instruct you to study yourself? Do you have something for me?”

“Reporting to teacher, Zhang shi over here is my benefactor, and he wishes to rent a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast to travel to Hongyuan Empire!” Han Chong quickly replied.

“Transcendent Mortal 8-dan?”

The old man frowned. “There are only three aerial spirit beasts of this caliber in the entire Beast Hall. Two of them were rented by the Huanyu royal family while the last one has just returned from a long journey and is exhausted. I’m afraid that there aren’t any available at the moment! Besides, even though I am an elder, I don’t have the absolute say in such matters. Dispatching a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan aerial spirit beast requires the approval of the Elder Conference and the hall master!”

“This…”

Han Chong’s face reddened in embarrassment.

The management of the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall was much stricter than the Myriad Kingdom Alliance branch. Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beasts were the strongest beings throughout the entire empire, so they wouldn’t be given any work unless truly required. Furthermore, the approval of the Elder Conference was required to dispatch them.

Back then, when Han Chong was the hall master of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance Beast Hall, he could move any spirit beasts with just a single word. He thought that his teacher, as one of the top leaders of the Beast Hall, would possess such authority here, but from the looks of it, the matter wasn’t as simple as it seemed.

“Then… are there any Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beasts available?”

Even though Transcendent Mortal 7-dan aerial spirit beasts were slightly slower, it was still within an acceptable range for Zhang Xuan.

“There is a total of fourteen Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beasts in our guild, but they are all the tamed beasts of elders, and only five of them are capable of flight. If you wish to rent one, you will need an elder to drive it personally, so it won’t be easy either.”

The old man shook his head. “Furthermore, most of the Transcendent Mortal 7-dan aerial spirit beasts aren’t suited for traveling long distances, so I fear that they won’t be much faster than most of the Transcendent Mortal 6-dan spirit beasts!”

Most of the spirit beasts in the Beast Hall were tamed by the beast tamers collectively or groomed by an apprentice of a low ranked beast tamer. These spirit beasts were often up for rent to the public.

On the other hand, there were also private spirit beasts, which were the tamed beasts that accompanied their tamers’ side. Most of them were more suited than battle, so while they could cover short distances swiftly, it was difficult for them to persevere for long distances.

On top of that, most of the Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beasts in the Beast Hall were land-bound, and those capable of flight could only do it in short spurts. There were simply too few aerial spirit beasts who were capable of covering long distances such as that between Huanyu Empire and Hongyuan Empire.

“Is there no other solution?” Han Chong asked anxiously.

Zhang shi had helped him a lot, and it wasn’t easy for him to obtain a chance to repay the debt. He felt embarrassed that he had boasted earlier that it wouldn’t be a problem only to let the other party down a few moments later.

“There is no other way around it…”

The old man shook his head firmly. At that moment, he suddenly recalled something and said, “Unless… you manage to convince that spirit beast to help! If you can do it, you can probably reach Hongyuan Empire in less than ten days!”

“That spirit beast?”

Han Chong seemed to understand which spirit beast the old man was referring to, and he shook his head with a bitter smile. But at this moment, he suddenly recalled the various miraculous feats the young man had achieved with the Demon Cinque Beast, and his eyes suddenly lit up. “That’s right! Teacher, even though we might have been unable to persuade it, perhaps Zhang shi… might be able to succeed!”

Seeing his student getting so agitated, the old man frowned. He glanced at Zhang Xuan doubtfully and asked, “Him?”

He didn’t mean to look down on Zhang Xuan, but the latter seemed to only be in his early twenties. At this age, even if he was talented, he could only be a 2-star beast tamer at best. With such limited capability, what could he possibly achieve?

After all, not even the hall master had been able to deal with that fellow.

“Even though Zhang shi is young, he is a true 4-star beast tamer. He was the one who tamed the Demon Cinque Beast, which I failed to do even after three years of effort!” Han Chong quickly explained. “Furthermore… it seems that Zhang shi knows a bit of Beast Language as well, and… it seems to be more effective than teacher’s…”

“Beast Language? You are well-versed in the Ancient Beast Language?”

The old man was taken aback, and the doubt in his eyes deepened.

The heritage of the Ancient Beast Language had disappeared many millenniums before, and those who managed to lay their hands on it were all the top beast tamers on the continent. However, all of them viewed what they knew as their greatest treasure and were unwilling to share it with the public, so how could such a young fellow possibly know the Ancient Beast Language?”

“I… studied it for a while.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Studied it for a while? I have been researching it for more than fifty years, and I barely managed to scratch the surface. What is the use in studying it for a while?”

Hearing the other party’s words, disappointment flashed across the old man’s face. Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly saw the young man before him inhale deeply before opening his mouth.

“Moo!”

Huala!

All of the spirit beasts and savage beasts in the room immediately crouched on the floor, trembling in fear. On the other hand, the old man also felt his entire body jolt upon hearing that sound. His vision went dark, and he fell onto the floor, convulsing ceaselessly.

Chapter 686: Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragons

Even though Zhang Xuan’s Dragon Language was the most effective on those possessing the Dragon Bloodline, due to the low cultivation realm of the savage beasts and spirit beasts in the room, it was able to instill fear into them as well.

Against the abrupt roar, it was already amazing that some of them were still able to retain their consciousness.

Zhang Xuan could understand why the spirit beasts and savage beasts would react like that to his roar, but…

Turning to the old man, he asked with a perplexed expression, “Elder, are you… fine?”

The reason why the spirit beasts and savage beasts lay down was due to their inborn instincts which instilled the fear of dragons into them.

‘Why is a human like you behaving the same way as them?

‘Not to mention, to be convulsing as if you have lost your soul, and that white foam flowing out from your mouth…

‘Did my Dragon Language somehow disgust you?’

“Teacher…” Han Chong was also astonished. He hurriedly rushed forward to grab the other party’s renzhong acupoint and infused zhenqi into his body. Only then did the old man finally regain his consciousness.

“The language you just spoke… Could it be the True Voice of Dragons?”

As soon as the old man came to, he hurriedly stood up and turned to look at Zhang Xuan in agitation and disbelief.

“I’m not too sure either. Those are just a few notes that I learned on a whim,” Zhang Xuan replied.

In truth, he was not too sure what this language was, and all along, he’d thought that it was a part of the Ancient Beast Language as well. Of the three notes he had learned back at the Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall, this one was the most useful. Thus, he always utilized this note whenever he needed to deal with spirit beasts.

Somehow, it seemed to have a restraining effect on all those that possessed traces of the Dragon Bloodline.

“Learned on a whim? A human… actually learned the True Voice of Dragons as well?” The old man stared at Zhang Xuan in disbelief. At that moment, he suddenly exclaimed, “Wait here for a moment!”

Following which, he ran out of the room. A moment later, he returned with an ancient book in his hands, and he flipped it open. “Take a look!”

Lowering his head, Zhang Xuan realized that the note which he had just vocalized was written in the book as well.

Grabbing the book, Zhang Xuan casually flipped through a few pages and took a look at the cover as well. Noticing some similarities in the content of the ancient book he found in the Library of Heaven’s Path back then, he couldn’t help but ask, “This is called the True Voice of Dragons?”

“Un. An ancient beast tamer compiled the knowledge known of the subject and wrote this book. According to it, the language you have just spoken is known as the ‘True Voice of Dragons’!”

“True Voice of Dragons?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

The old man nodded. “Legend has it that due to the overwhelming strength of the Dragon Tribe, they were bound by the natural laws of heaven, preventing them from vocalizing most tones. As such, they were limited to utilizing only eight tones to express their joy, anger, sorrow, reminiscence, and frustration. Nevertheless, you mustn’t underestimate these eight tones! Even with just eight tones, the content of the Dragon Language is still far richer than human speech.”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

As a beast tamer, he had read innumerable records regarding beasts, and it was theorized that the heavens would take something away from beings that were too strong to maintain equity. Voice was one of them.

Nevertheless, even with just eight tones, the Dragon Tribe could easily express many different terms through a unique combination of tones. Under the long heritage of the dragons, their language had grown to be far richer than even the humans’.

The simplest things can sometimes prove to be the most powerful tools.

“There are simply too many combinations to the Dragon Language, so without interacting with a real dragon, it’s impossible for anyone to fully understand the language! More importantly…”

At which, the old man’s eyes widened in disbelief and he uttered, “The Eight Tones of Heavenly Dragons require one to possess a Pureblooded Dragon Bloodline to vocalize. The body of a human can’t possibly endure the pressure of such notes. So… h-how did you do it? Do you… possess the Pureblooded Dragon Body?”

“Pureblooded Dragon Body?” Zhang Xuan questioned in bewilderment.

“Yes. The Pureblooded Dragon Body is a unique constitution that is even more powerful than the Pure Yang Body and Pure Yin Body. Once the constitution is awakened, the Dragon Bloodline in one’s body will become incomparably close to a Pureblooded Dragon, and one’s cultivation and fighting prowess will be boosted significantly… and the concept of cultivation bottlenecks will become non-existent…”

The more the old man spoke, the more his face flushed in agitation.

Pureblooded Dragon Body, this was one of the strongest unique constitution in the world. Given that the man before him was able to vocalize the Dragon Language that all humans should be incapable of, could he really possess such a constitution?

If that was true, then it would truly be fearsome!

“Teacher, do you really possess the Pureblooded Dragon Body?”

Hearing the words of the old man, Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er glanced at one another momentarily before turning their curious gazes to Zhang Xuan.

Based on Zhang shi’s legendary record, his cultivation did improve at a monstrous pace.

All along, they had attributed it to Yang shi, but could the Pureblooded Dragon Body have played an important part as well?

If that was the case, many things that had bewildered them previously could be explained.

“I…”

Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

How could he possibly possess the Pureblooded Dragon Body? The only reason he was able to vocalize the Dragon Language was due to the Heaven’s Path zhenqi and Heaven’s Path Golden Body.

But of course, he couldn’t explain any of this either, so he could only change the subject. “Does this book record all eight of the tones?”

“Record all eight tones? Of course not!”

Seeing that the other party was unwilling to divulge much, the old man also chose to put the matter aside. Shaking his head, he continued, “The Eight Tones of Heavenly Dragons is the language of the Dragon Tribe, humans aren’t qualified to learn and utilize it. In truth, this book only records the deductions on how those sounds came to be. The meaning of those words and the method to vocalizing them are unclear in it!”

“I see.” Zhang Xuan casually flipped through the book while he immersed his consciousness in into the Library of Heaven’s Path.

He could read much faster in the Library of Heaven’s Path, and its innate function also allowed him to discern the truth from the false.

Hu!

Soon, Zhang Xuan swept through the entire book, and came to a realization.

Just as the other party had said, the book mainly recorded the origin of the Eight Tones of Heavenly Dragons and its relationship to the Dragon Tribe. As for the rest, it was extremely unclear.

Of the eight tones, the ‘Moo’ which he often used was also recorded in it. However, even though there were more than thirty pages depicting its vocalization, none of them were correct.

As for the other two tones that he had learned previously, they weren’t among the eight tones, so they were probably not a part of the Dragon Language.

This explained why those two notes were ineffective against the spirit beasts when he tried them out.

It was also stated in the book that due to physiological differences, even if humans were to learn the proper way of vocalizing the sound, they would still be unable to imitate the dragons.

As such, the thirty-page depiction of its vocalization were just deductions on the author’s part, and there was no evidence to back up his findings.

“Hmm? One of the tones seems to be correct?”

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to finish reading the book, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Nearing the end, there was actually a correct depiction of one of the eight tones.

The second tone of the Eight Tones of Heavenly Dragons, ‘Mou!’

Memorizing the way to vocalize it, Zhang Xuan made a mental note to try it when he got the chance. At this moment, he suddenly recalled the peculiarity that happened just a while ago, and his eyes fell upon the old man before him.

“It’s written in the book that the Eight Tones of Heavenly Dragons only has the effect of restraining lifeforms possessing the Dragon Bloodline, and this is known as the Majesty of the Pureblooded Dragon… But if that is the case, why did you fall to the ground previously as well?”

Zhang Xuan wasn’t the only one curious about this matter. Luo Qiqi, Han Chong, and Yu Fei-er also turned their gazes over as well.

Even though Zhang shi’s voice was loud, that was all it was to them. They weren’t influenced by the Eight Tones of Heavenly Dragons, and they didn’t feel any pressure from it either. So why would a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan pinnacle elder fall to the ground? Not to mention, the latter even convulsed ceaselessly and leak white foam…

“This…”

The old man didn’t seem to be surprised by the question at all. After a long moment of silence, he finally sighed and said, “Follow me.”

After which, he walked to the backyard of the log house.

“Teacher…”

Seeing his teacher beckoning them to the backyard, Han Chong was bewildered.

It had been some time since he had come under his teacher’s tutelage, but the latter had strictly warned him never to go to the backyard. There was one time that he sneaked in out of curiosity, but before he could get a good look, he was caught. He ended up being reprimanded and was given a stern warning against it.

However, all of that only heightened his curiosity. Nevertheless, for fear of angering his teacher, he didn’t dare to sneak in anymore. He didn’t expect his teacher to actually bring them in of his own accord.

Not knowing the history behind the backyard, Zhang Xuan and the others followed the old man casually around the log house and to the backyard.

There was a small mound in the backyard, and a tombstone was erected in front of the mound.

Glancing at the tombstone, six words were written on it: ‘The Grave of Draconic Granite Beast!’

“The Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast that rules over all land-bound lifeforms… Draconic Granite Beast?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

“That’s right!” The old man nodded. Gazing at the tombstone with complex emotions, he said, “He… is my tamed beast!”

“Teacher’s tamed beast?” Han Chong was stunned. His eyes slowly widened as he asked, “Teacher’s tamed beast… is dead?”

In truth, in the days he had been in the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall, he had never seen his teacher’s tamed beast before. He thought that it might have been dispatched on a mission or something, but never had he imagined that it would actually be dead.

Beast tamers could have more than one tamed beast, but they would have to do a lot to win their trust.

Most beast tamers would choose to view their tamed beast as their closest friend or even their kin.

As such, the death of a tamed beast could be a heavy blow to a beast tamer. There were quite a few who never recovered from the emotional trauma.

Was the death of his tamed beast the reason why his teacher chose to live in such a remote location?

“Un. My tamed beast is dead. Because of me.”

The old man shook his head.

“Because of you?”

“I tamed this Draconic Granite Beast when I was in the midst of my 5-star beast tamer examination…” The old man sighed as he recounted the story.

After taming the Draconic Granite Beast and successfully advancing to become a 5-star beast tamer, he grew complacent and fearless. Eventually, when he was fighting against an enemy one day, he sustained a fatal injury.

Back then, his severe injuries were threatening to claim his life at any moment. It was the Draconic Granite Beast who infused its blood essence into him to save him. Not too long later, it died.

He had always felt guilty about this matter, so he buried the other party here, erected a tombstone, and swore to accompany the other party until his death.

“Due to the presence of the blood essence of the Draconic Granite Beast in me, I am also subjected to the pressure from the Voice of True Dragons,” the elder said.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

It was no wonder.

Even though the Draconic Granite Beast had a huge stature, its blood essence was limited. Furthermore, in order to save him, the blood essence had to be of a certain purity. As such, even though the old man didn’t exactly possess the Dragon Bloodline, it was still affected by it.

“Is this related to the reason why you studied the Ancient Beast Language and the Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragons?” Zhang Xuan asked.

Considering how the other party had put everything aside to immerse himself in the research of the Ancient Beast Language, it was likely related to the experiences he had.

“Yes… Back then, when I was severely injured, it was Draconic Granite Beast who saved me. However, there was another spirit beast present there then… It was the spirit beast which I said that could reach Hongyuan Empire within just ten days—Great Violetwing Beast!”

The old man clenched his fists tightly together. “Before the Draconic Granite Beast passed away, it said many words to me. However, as it was extremely weak then, it was unable to communicate telepathically to me, so I was unable to understand what it had said. All these years, I have been trying my best to study the Ancient Beast Language so as to learn what it said with its dying breath… and what kind of regrets it had that it wanted me to fulfill…”

At this point, the old man’s eyes turned red.

Chapter 687: I Am Done Studying It

 

A typical beast tamer would have to spend several years of selfless giving and intimate conversations to win the trust and loyalty of a savage beast. Not everyone was like Zhang Xuan, where a single beating would suffice.

As such, the relationships between beast tamers and their tamed beasts tended to be extremely strong. Furthermore, this tie was further strengthened when they engaged in collaborative cultivation and fused their bloodlines together.

This Draconic Granite Beast had spent many years accompanying this elder, and in the latter’s heart, it had already become his closest kin. On top of that, it had even given up its life for him. Thus, no matter how much trouble it would take, he wanted to fulfill the latter’s dying will.

“Has the Beast Hall tried taming the Great Violetwing Beast yet?”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

Even if a beast tamer couldn’t comprehend the Ancient Beast Language, they were still able to communicate with one another telepathically. The only reason the elder wasn’t able to interpret the Draconic Granite Beast’s last words and ended up immersing himself in the research of the Ancient Beast Language was because the latter was too weak to communicate telepathically then.

However, considering how the Great Violentwing Beast was present at that moment, it should have heard the words of the Draconic Granite Beast. If someone tamed it, they would be able to learn of the Draconic Granite Beast’s dying message, and the elder wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble.

The elder shook his head.

“Even though a mature Great Violetwing Beast tends to be at Transcendent Mortal 8-dan, this one has reached the level of half 9-dan. There’s no one in the Beast Hall who is sufficiently capable to tame it…”

“Half 9-dan?”

“Yes. Even though it hasn’t exactly reached 9-dan yet, the advantages it derives from its superior physique and bloodline allows it to defeat most 9-dan cultivators. Furthermore, the death of the Draconic Granite Beast has made it hostile to humans, thus making it impossible to tame it…” the elder said.

“The Great Violetwing Beast was a good friend of the Draconic Granite Beast?” Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

The elder hesitated for a moment before replying.

“They were… lovers!”

“Lovers?” Zhang Xuan was stunned.

There were plenty of powerful spirit beast species that were extremely limited in terms of their numbers. As such, it would be difficult for them to find a companion from the same species. Under such circumstances, they would choose to find another powerful spirit beast to mate with. But of course, it was uncertain whether they would be able to procreate together or not.

More often than not, they would regard the latter as their spiritual partner, a companion to fight and spend their days with.

In fact, there were some human couples who had such platonic relationships as well.

Upon reaching a certain level of cultivation, cultivators would begin to crave for spiritual intimacy rather than physical relationships. Procreation and physical pleasure would take the backseat instead.

Since the Great Violetwing Beast and Draconic Granite Beast were a couple, it was natural that they shared an intimate relationship.

As such, it viewed the elder, who took the Draconic Granite Beast away from it, in hostility. As such, how could it possibly be willing to inform the latter of the Draconic Granite Beast’s dying will?

Thus, the elder was determined to study the Ancient Beast Language so as to communicate and make peace with it.

Upon hearing his teacher’s words, Han Chong couldn’t help but ask, “But teacher, since the Great Violetwing Beast was the companion of teacher’s tamed beast, why does it still wreak havoc in the Beast Hall once every few days?”

“Wreak havoc?” Luo Qiqi turned her gaze over curiously.

“Indeed. That fellow comes over several times a month to attack the Beast Hall and devour a few spirit beasts, resulting in immense fury among the beast tamers. The Beast Hall has gone to great lengths to capture it, but it was simply too strong and too fast, thus resulting in a failure each time…” Han Chong explained.

Even though he hadn’t been in Huanyu Empire for too long, he was still able to learn of quite a few things.

In the past month, the Great Violetwing Beast had already attacked the Beast Hall several times and devoured several spirit beasts. This had left many people furious, but due to the Great Violetwing Beast’s overwhelming strength, there was nothing that they could do.

All along, he had thought that the Great Violetwing Beast was just provoked by the spirit beasts becoming subservient to humans—there were plenty of spirit beasts who felt that humans weren’t qualified to tame them—but from the looks of it now, it seemed like it was exacting vengeance for its companion.

“It is intentionally wreaking havoc in the Beast Hall because it is furious at the Draconic Granite Beast’s death. The other reason I have been studying the Ancient Beast Language over the past few decades is to ask it exactly what it wants!”

The elder shook his head in disappointment. After which, it turned its eyes to Zhang Xuan and asked, “Since you are able to vocalize even the True Voice of Dragons, are you by any chance knowledgeable in the Ancient Beast Language as well?”

Even if he possessed the Pureblooded Dragon Body, there was no way he could learn the True Voice of Dragons by himself. Thus, someone must have tutored him. Given that the certain someone was able to impart even the True Voice of Dragons, there was a chance that the person might just have imparted the Ancient Beast Language along with it.

While the other party said that he had only learned it for a while, he could just be saying so out of humility.

Scratching his head, Zhang Xuan said, “I am not too knowledgeable about the Ancient Beast Language.”

He did learn a few words back then, but it had only managed to enrage the spirit beasts he had attempted to speak with. Given how he didn’t even know the meaning of those words, it was no different from not knowing the language at all.

“Not too knowledgeable?” Hearing those words, the elder’s expectant eyes sank. “Then… what about the Eight Notes of Heavenly Dragons?”

Even though the Great Violetwing Beast didn’t possess the Dragon Bloodline, if the other party could talk to it via the Dragon Language, he might just be able to convince it to reveal the truth regarding the matter back then.

While verbal communication would be impossible, there were still various other ways for a human to communicate with a spirit beast.

“I… only know a single note!” Zhang Xuan felt even more embarrassed.

The other party thought that he was well-versed in the Dragon Language, but in truth, Zhang Xuan only knew a single note.

He could still scare a few spirit beasts possessing Dragon Bloodline with it, but communicating with just that single note was clearly impossible.

“A single note?” The elder staggered speechlessly.

When the young man used the Dragon Language, he thought that he had found a solution to this problem. But in the end, nothing had changed at all!

“Forget it then…”

The elder shook his head helplessly.

He had gather many books on the Ancient Beast Language in the past few hopes in the hope that he could piece it together slowly. However, this language was simply far too difficult. Without anyone to guide him along, he couldn’t even differentiate the true words from the false, so he wasn’t able to make much progress in his research.

Considering how highly Han Chong thought of the young man, he thought that he could learn a thing or two from the latter. Who knew that the latter would be as ignorant as him?

Zhang Xuan gazed at the elder and asked, “It’s still too early to give up. Given that you have been studying the Ancient Beast Language for decades, you must have gathered quite a number of books. May I borrow them to read? Perhaps I might be able to make a breakthrough in your research.”

“Borrow? Breakthrough?” The elder smiled bitterly. “You mean that you want to start studying now?”

“Un.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“Do you know how difficult the Ancient Beast Language is?”

Seeing that the other party had such an intention, the elder couldn’t help but shake his head. “The Ancient Beast Language has lost most of its heritage, and the records that remain are all unclear and mixed with falsehood. Putting aside whether the vocalization method for the words in them are true or not, even if they are, are the meanings listed in the book even accurate? I have already spent fifty years studying the topic, but I haven’t been able to make any advancement at all, so…”

The elder didn’t finish his words, but his meaning couldn’t have been clearer. He thought that Zhang Xuan was treating the entire matter too lightly.

He had spent his entire life studying the topic, only to find himself as ignorant as he was at the very start. If the Ancient Beast Language could be grasped that easily, it wouldn’t have lost most of its heritage in the first place, and innumerable beast tamers wouldn’t have failed in their attempts to restore it either.

“I am just very interested in the Ancient Beast Language, so I wish to take a look at those books. If I can comprehend something from them, that would of course be for the best. But if I can’t, there’s no harm in it either…” said Zhang Xuan, knowing the thoughts going through the other party’s mind.

“Alright then. All of the books I have on the Ancient Beast Language are in my log house. Over the years, I have collected everything related to the Ancient Beast Language that has appeared in Huanyu Empire…”

The elder waved his hands in disinterest.

Even though it did take him a lot of trouble to gather his collection of books, it wasn’t of particular importance to him. It mattered not to him whether the other party read them or not.

“You have my gratitude.”

Zhang Xuan clasped his fist before walking out.

As his figure disappeared into the log house, the elder couldn’t help but shake his head in disappointment. “Even with someone imparting the Ancient Beast Language, it’s impossible to learn it without several years of practice. If it could be learned that easily, wouldn’t I have wasted the past fifty years of my life for nothing?”

He thought that the other party should possess incredible composure given that he was able to utter the True Voice of Dragons. In the end, the other party was still so impetuous.

The Ancient Beast Language was tied to a huge secret of the Beast Hall. If it could be learned that easily, beast tamers like them wouldn’t face so much difficulty trying to tame beasts.

Hearing the doubt in the elder’s voice, Luo Qiqi couldn’t help but speak up for Zhang Xuan.

“Teacher… has always been a reliable person. Since he’s going to read the books, he must have an idea in mind. Perhaps, he really might just succeed.”

Hearing the young lady’s address for the young man, the elder was stunned. He immediately turned his gaze over to her.

“Teacher? You are his student?”

The young lady’s cultivation and disposition were both exceptional among her peers. Why would she acknowledge a person who was even younger than her as her teacher?

“That’s right.” Luo Qiqi nodded.

“If I recall correctly, you addressed him as Zhang shi previously. Could the young man be a master teacher?” Hearing Luo Qiqi’s reply, the elder suddenly recalled how Han Chong addressed the young man as well.

Han Chong pondered for a moment before replying. “Zhang shi is a 4-star master teacher, as well as the champion of the Master Teacher Tournament. The reason he’s heading for Hongyuan Empire is probably to study at the Master Teacher Academy!”

Han Chong had left the Myriad Kingdom Alliance even before the Master Teacher Tournament had begun, so there were many things that he was oblivious of. Nevertheless, he did hear some news regarding the matter.

“The champion of the Master Teacher Tournament?”

The elder was taken aback.

“Not only so, Zhang shi is also a 4-star beast tamer and 4-star physician!” Han Chong quickly mentioned.

“4-star beast tamer?” The elder frowned. “Since he’s a 4-star beast tamer, he should understand how difficult it is to learn the Ancient Beast Language. It is unlikely for him to act so impulsively on the matter…”

If the young man was only a master teacher and was ignorant of beast taming, the elder could still understand the other party’s actions.

But a 4-star beast tamer should have already accrued considerable knowledge of the field, so how could he possibly not understand the difficulty involved in learning the Ancient Beast Language?

On the other hand, if he knew, how could he possibly utter such amateurish words?

Shaking his head, the elder decided to put this matter behind him for now.

“Inform me when he’s done reading the books. I’ll take you to meet the hall master!”

“Meet the hall master? Is teacher going to help them find an aerial spirit beast?” Han Chong’s eyes lit up.

“Un. Since he’s a 4-star master teacher and a beast tamer, there’s no reason for us not to help him. I recall that the hall master has a Transcendent Mortal 7-dan spirit beast. Even though he never lends it anyone, he might be willing to compromise if I request it of him personally,” the elder said.

“Thank you, teacher…”

Hearing that his teacher was willing to help, Han Chong hurriedly bowed in gratitude. At that moment, ‘jiya!’, the door opened, and the young man walked out.

“Ah?”

Everyone was taken aback. Even the elder couldn’t help but frown at the sight before him.

‘I thought you were going in to read the books in order to learn the Ancient Beast Language? Why are you out when it has barely been ten minutes?’

The elder couldn’t help but ask, “Is the Ancient Beast Language too hard to comprehend so you lost your interest?”

There was no doubt about it, this fellow must have faltered at the sight of the immense collection before him. Otherwise, how could he possibly finish in such a short period of time?

“It’s indeed very difficult, but the reason I am out is not because I have lost my interest. It’s because…”

At this point, Zhang Xuan looked a little hesitant, but eventually, he still spoke decisively.

“… I am done studying it!”

Chapter 688: Hall Master Qin

“You’re done studying?”

Everyone was dumbfounded.

This was especially so for the elder. His face turned livid in rage.

He had gone to great lengths to collect the books inside the log house, and he knew how huge his collection was.

Over the past fifty years, through tapping into the connections of the guild, he had gathered as many ancient texts and scrolls regarding the Ancient Beast Language as he could, and they numbered at least in the hundred thousand. Even he had to spend an entire ten years to go through the whole collection. Yet, in just ten minutes, the other party actually claimed that… he was done!

‘Even if you want to lie, you should come up with something better than that!’

“What do you mean by you are done?” The elder couldn’t hold himself back anymore and harrumphed.

“Oh, it means that… I have roughly grasped the language, and basic communication shouldn’t be a problem…” Zhang Xuan said.

He had immediately started sprinting around to collect the books as soon as he’d entered the room. In just a few minutes, the massive collection of a hundred thousand works was duplicated in the Library of Heaven’s Path. Then, through the Library of Heaven’s Path, he’d sieved out the truth from the falsehood.

Astonishingly, he’d managed to find quite a few correct words.

Even though many of these records were just speculation, and some of them were even utter rubbish that the authors had made up, there were simply too many of them in terms of numbers. As the saying goes, pile up a bed of sand and you will build a castle. By compiling all of them together, Zhang Xuan was still able to derive quite a few correct words.

The book which he had compiled contained the common phrases of the Ancient Beast Language, as well as their vocalization methods. While it would still be difficult to hold a proper conversation, basic communication shouldn’t be a problem.

“Basic communication… shouldn’t be a problem?” Hearing the other party’s words, the elder’s face darkened. “What arrogance!”

Even after fifty years of diligence, he hadn’t even managed to grasp the tail of the language. Just take the experiment he did just a moment for example, his words had caused the Scarlet Coated Hamsters to puke in disgust. And yet, the young man before him actually claimed that he had mastered the basics of the language just moments after beginning to study?

‘If that is the case, I must be worse than a pig for achieving nothing at all after so many years of research!

‘Even if you wish to lie, at least say something more credible than this!’

“I…”

Knowing that he would be doubted if he spoke the truth, Zhang Xuan was just about to find another logical explanation for this matter when a young man suddenly barged into the room.

“Elder, something bad has happened! The Great Violetwing Beast is back again!”

“It’s back again?”

The elder’s face darkened. “Take me there!”

“Yes!” The young man hurriedly rushed in the direction where the destruction was ongoing, and the elder followed him closely.

“Let’s go take a look as well.” Seeing the elder leave hurriedly, Zhang Xuan glanced at Luo Qiqi and the others and followed behind.

Their primary intention here was to find an aerial spirit beast. Given that the Great Violetwing Beast was at half 9-dan, if Zhang Xuan were to tame it, it would save them a lot of trouble.

“Okay.” Knowing the severity of the matter, Han Chong nodded and followed the group.

Along the way, Zhang Xuan learned from Han Chong that the latter’s teacher went by the surname of Qian, and he was one of the more qualified and respected elders in the Beast Hall.

As the harassment of the Great Violetwing Beast was linked to Elder Qian, he would rush over to deal with the matter each time. While it hadn’t been long since Han Chong arrived at the Beast Hall, he had already encountered this situation numerous times already.

As such, he had a deep impression of that huge fellow.

“Every time that fellow arrives, it will either cause devastating destruction or kill the other spirit beasts, causing many complaints from the customers!”

Speaking of the Great Violetwing Beast, even Han Chong couldn’t help but feel a little frustrated.

It was one thing for it to hurt the beast tamers in anger, but the main problem was that it also bared it fangs against the spirit beasts as well. There were a few customers who, after queuing for numerous days, finally got to the end of the line, but due to the spirit beasts getting injured, their ride was delayed significantly. This had caused the credibility of the Beast Hall to plummet.

The Beast Hall did attempt to set several traps for the Great Violetwing Beast, but the latter seemed to always know of them in advance. Furthermore, its overwhelming strength also allowed it to break out of any encirclement easily and exact its wrathful vengeance once it returned.

The Beast Hall even reported this matter to the headquarters, and the Hongyuan Empire Beast Hall specially sent a 6-star beast tamer over to deal with it. However, seemingly having realized the lurking danger, it kept clear of the Beast Hall for several months straight. And as soon as the 6-star beast tamer left, it immediately rushed back to wreak havoc once more.

After so many tries, the personnel of the Beast Hall found themselves incapable of dealing with it at all. Helpless, they could only invite Elder Qian over each time to deal with it.

However, there was indeed something very bizarre about the matter. Every time Elder Qian arrived on the scene, no matter how ferocious the Great Violetwing Beast had been a moment before, it would immediately turn away and leave, unwilling to harm him at all.

All along, Han Chong had been perplexed about this matter. He thought that it was due to his teacher’s formidable beast taming capability that made the Great Violetwing Beast hesitant to face the latter. But from the looks of it now, it was probably related to the Draconic Granite Beast.

Chances were that the Great Violetwing Beast had made a promise to the Draconic Granite Beast. Thus, no matter how displeased the Great Violetwing Beast was with Elder Qian, it was unwilling to do anything that would hurt him.

“It’s right in front!”

At that moment, Han Chong’s eyebrow suddenly shot up, and he abruptly rushed forward. Zhang Xuan and the others also swiftly followed suit. Soon, a massive, violet spirit beast appeared before their eyes. With a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan spirit beast in its talons, it circled the sky majestically.

On the other hand, Elder Qian was standing beneath it with an anxious look.

Not too far away from Elder Qian stood eight white-bearded elders. Of them, the one standing in the middle bore striking resemblance with Qin Zhong. Most likely, he was the famed Hall Master Qin.

“To think that fellow would be back so soon…”

Behind those white-bearded elders, Zhang Xuan saw a familiar face.

It was that fellow ‘incapable of flight’, Qin Zhong.

Zhang Xuan thought that he would take some time to return to the Beast Hall considering how his spirit beast had left him.

“It seems the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast returned to fetch him…” Luo Qiqi whispered to Zhang Xuan.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

They had let the Greenleaf Winged Dragon Beast go right after they had arrived at the Beast Hall. Knowing that its master was still lying unconscious in a ditch, it immediately rushed off to save him as soon as it was released.

The Beast Hall wasn’t too far away from where they fell earlier, so it didn’t take too long for it to return with Qin Zhong.

At this moment, Qin Zhong’s body was completely wrapped up like a mummy. Even though he was severely injured, he wasn’t in a critical condition.

His eyes were fixated on the Great Violetwing Beast above, unaware that his nemesis was nearby…

…

Gazing at the Great Violetwing Beast above, Elder Qian clenched his fists tightly and said, “Let the spirit beast go! I hope you won’t involve the Beast Hall in our grudge. Otherwise, our Draconic Granite Beast would surely be unable to rest in peace if he were to see this sight…”

Roar!

Upon hearing Elder Qian mention the Draconic Granite Beast, the fellow above gritted its teeth in anger. Not only did it not release the spirit beast, it even tightened its grip. Under the humongous pressure, the spirit beast in its claws seemed to be on the verge of being crushed to death.

“Elder Qian and Hall Master Qin, please save my spirit beast…”

Looking at the sight in the sky, a 4-star beast tamer pleaded anxiously.

Clearly, the spirit beast held hostage in the Great Violetwing Beast’s claws was his tamed beast.

It had taken him a lot of effort to tame the spirit beast, and throughout the long taming process, he had also come to bear feelings for the latter.

“Beast Tamer Li, don’t worry. I’ll surely save your tamed beast…” Elder Qian assured.

He understood very well the pain of having one’s tamed beast killed. He didn’t want anyone to go through the same pain he did.

After consoling Beast Tamer Li, Elder Qian turned to the sky and bellowed, “Great Violetwing Beast! As long as you free it, I’ll give you anything as long as it is within my means, be it blood essence or spirit stones!”

Hearing those words, Hall Master Qin frowned.

“Elder Qian, you mustn’t promise it that. Throughout the years, you have already given away nearly your entire wealth. Your cultivation will really stagnate if you continue giving in to the Great Violetwing Beast like that…”

Considering Elder Qian’s talent, he should have already long reached Transcendent Mortal 9-dan. However, as he gave away nearly the entirety of his savings to the Great Violetwing Beast, he was deprived of his cultivation resources, resulting in a significant reduction in his cultivation speed.

On the contrary, through frequent blackmailing, the Great Violetwing Beast had managed to use those resources to reach half 9-dan first.

If this were to continue on, the Great Violetwing Beast would only grow stronger and stronger, thus making it a greater threat to the Beast Hall.

“This is what I owe to Draconic Granite Beast…”

Elder Qian shook his head.

“But…” Hall Master Qin’s face turned livid.

“There are no buts. If not for the Draconic Granite Beast, I would have long been dead. It is already a huge mercy from the heavens that I’ve been able to live for so long. Putting aside my savings, if my death can bring Great Violetwing Beast solace, I’m willing to give my life up!”

With a resolute gaze, Elder Qian flicked his wrist and whipped out an entire bunch of beast essence, middle-tier spirit stones, and a few precious medicinal herbs.

However, the amount wasn’t large. It seemed like Elder Qian’s wealth had really been swiped clean over the years.

Just as Elder Qian was about to throw his remaining wealth over to the huge fellow in the sky, a nonchalant voice suddenly echoed through the surroundings.

“You owe a debt to your Draconic Granite Beast, not to Great Violetwing Beast. Elder Qian, you really don’t have to do so!”

Upon hearing the voice, everyone immediately turned their attention to the source, and they saw a young man walking over toward him.

“Father, he’s the one who left me in such a tragic state! You mustn’t let him off easily!”

Not expecting the fellow to actually stride up to them without fear, Qin Zhong’s eyes immediately reddened in wrath.

“Him?” Hall Master Qin’s face darkened. Turning to Elder Qian, he asked, “Elder Qian, do you recognize this young man?”

“He’s Han Chong’s benefactor, a 4-star master teacher and beast tamer…”

Following which, he turned to the young man with a frown and waved his hands. “This is none of your business, don’t get involved in it. If you wish to borrow a spirit beast from the Beast Hall, I’ll have to ask you to step aside!”

Of course, the young man who was walking over was none other than Zhang Xuan.

Unable to tolerate how Elder Qian kept giving in to the Great Violetwing Beast, he decided to step forward and intervene.

However, the other party didn’t seem to welcome his interference at all.

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to reply to the other party’s words, a young lady behind him abruptly spoke up.

“What if we refuse?”

“Refuse? Then don’t even dream about renting a spirit beast from the Beast Hall…”

Elder Qian flung his sleeves angrily and harrumphed. However, at that moment, he suddenly noticed Hall Master Qin’s face turning pale, and his lips were quivering uncontrollably as well.

At the same time, the latter also kept shooting him some looks, seemingly trying to hint something to him, “Cough cough, Elder Qian. Calm down, that’s not how we should treat our guests…”

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing the bizarre attitude from the hall master, Elder Qian was perplexed. However, before he received a respond, the young lady standing behind Zhang shi suddenly stepped forward. She glanced at Hall Master Qin and smiled with a face devoid of any warmth.

“If my memory doesn’t fail me, you’re Qin Zhao, right? You’re the hall master here?”

With a pale face, Hall Master Qin hurriedly clasped his fist.

“Qin Zhao pays respect to Princess Fei-er!”

“So, you recognize me?” With her hands behind her back, Yu Fei-er exuded a powerful, authoritative aura befitting that of a princess from a Tier-1 Empire.

“I once accompanied my teacher to the royal palace, and I had the pleasure of meeting Your Highness…”

Qin Zhao quickly bowed deeply. However, before he could finish his words, his severely wounded son suddenly howled furiously.

“Father, that woman is an accomplice as well! Together with that fellow over there, those scum manipulated my spirit beast and made it plummet from the sky. You must redress my grievances…”

With his vision blocked by the crowd, Qin Zhong didn’t notice his father’s peculiar attitude. Thinking that his father was going to get even for him, his eyes reddened with excitement.

On the other hand, upon hearing those words, Hall Master Qin staggered weakly, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

‘Don’t you call me…

‘I’ll let you be my father, but please don’t call me Father…

‘Other people’s sons practice filial piety, but why does mine seem so intent on dragging me down to the depths of hell?’

Chapter 689: Still Alive?

“Princess?”

Seeing the hall master’s face twisting in frustration, Elder Qian couldn’t help but assess the young lady before him.

Ye Wentian did have a few daughters, but none of their appearances or ages seemed to coincide with this young lady here.

Besides, so what if the other party was a princess? As the esteemed hall master of the Beast Hall, a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan pinnacle expert, not even Ye Wentian would dare to do anything to him. Was there really a need for him to be so fearful of a mere princess?

“She’s not Ye Wentian’s daughter; she’s the Sixth Princess of Hongyuan Empire, Princess Yu Fei-er!”

Noticing Elder Qian’s confusion, Hall Master Qin immediately sent a telepathic message over for fear that he might say something rude.

“Hongyuan Empire?” Hearing those words, Elder Qian’s body suddenly trembled intensely, and he nearly fainted on the spot.

The reticent lady who followed behind Zhang shi like a maid was actually the princess of Hongyuan Empire?

Hongyuan Empire was a Tier-1 Empire, and it had many experts in its ranks. Furthermore, the great Master Teacher Academy was located there as well. As a result, the royal family which ruled over the region wielded great prestige and authority.

Not even Ye Wentian would dare to utter a word of complaint when berated by a princess from such an empire…

‘Are you sure you are not mistaken?

‘If this young lady over here is really a princess, then considering how she was following behind Zhang shi subserviently, what in the world is Zhang shi’s background?’

Seeing Yu Fei-er bringing out her identity as a princess, Luo Qiqi stepped forward and asked, “Fei-er, you know him?”

“On my birthday a few years ago, Elder Bai from the Beast School gave me a White-tailed Green Wolf, and this Hall Master Qin happened to be behind him then,” Yu Fei-er replied nonchalantly.

“Oh.” Luo Qiqi nodded. “Now that you mention it, I seem to recall it as well… I thought that the person then was just an ordinary disciple under Elder Bai. To think that he would be the hall master of the Huanyu Empire Beast Hall!”

As a close friend of Yu Fei-er, there was no way Luo Qiqi would miss Yu Fei-er’s birthday. She could still remember how envious she was when she saw Elder Bai gifting Yu Fei-er a White-tailed Green Wolf as a present back then. Taking a closer look now, she also realized that Hall Master Qin looked extremely familiar.

“You are… Luo shi?”

Recognizing the close friend of Yu Fei-er, Hall Master Qin’s lips twitched.

“Yes, you are indeed sharp. I am 5-star Master Teacher Luo Qiqi!” Luo Qiqi nodded.

“5-star master teacher?” Elder Qian’s body shook.

‘If you are a 5-star master teacher, you should have said so earlier! If I knew earlier, I wouldn’t have put on such airs and immediately rushed off to find the best spirit beast in the Beast Hall for you…’

Thus, Elder Qian turned to stare at Han Chong in anger… ‘Didn’t you say that Zhang shi is a 4-star master teacher from the Myriad Kingdom Alliance? If that is really true, how can a 5-star master teacher possibly be his student…’

Han Chong also stared at Zhang Xuan indignantly.

‘Didn’t you just pass your 4-star master teacher examination a few months ago?

‘When in the world did you turn the princess of the Hongyuan Empire royal family and a 5-star master teacher into your follower and your student?’

They weren’t the only ones who were feeling frenzied by the turn of events. At this moment, Qin Zhong also realized what was wrong, and he nearly burst into tears.

He actually… teased the princess from Hongyuan Empire and a 5-star master teacher… In fact, he even tried to get his father to teach the other party a lesson!

It was fortunate that the other party didn’t follow up on the matter. Otherwise, not even his father would be able to save him if the other party were to behead him on the spot out of anger…

Seeing how they were getting sidetracked, Zhang Xuan shook his head and said, “Alright, now is not the time to be talking about such unimportant matters. We should deal with the Great Violetwing Beast first.”

The Transcendent Mortal 3-dan spirit beast was already on the verge of being crushed to death, and yet they were still chatting at this moment.

“Deal? How do we deal with it? Does Zhang shi have any idea in mind?” Judging by how Princess Yu Fei-er and Luo Qiqi seemed to hold the young man as the de facto leader of their group, Hall Master Qin could tell that the young man was not as simple as he seemed.

After a moment of contemplation, Zhang Xuan replied with a frown, “I’ll negotiate with it to see what it wants!”

If the other party possessed the Dragon Bloodline, he could easily stop it with a ‘Moo’ or the newly-learned ‘Mou’. However, that didn’t seem to be the case, and it was likely that he was just going to waste his efforts. Since that was the case, he might as well ask the other party what its goal was.

“Negotiate?”

Hall Master Qin and Elder Qian frowned.

It was precisely due to the communication barrier before them that made it difficult to negotiate with the vengeful Great Violetwing Beast. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be so helpless before it either.

Just as they were wondering what the young man was up to, the young man stepped forward and spoke.

“$*%@￥#3…”

The Great Violetwing Beast in the sky was visibly stunned for a moment, but a moment later, it began roaring.

“Roaroaroaroar!”

The young man, “#￥%￥…%”

The Great Violetwing Beast, “Roaroaroaroar!”

…

“This is… the Ancient Beast Language?”

Seeing the man and the beast conversing with one another, Hall Master Qin’s eyes nearly popped out from their sockets.

Any beast tamer, regardless of their capability, would be able to qualify as a 6-star beast tamer at the very least just by knowing how to speak the Ancient Beast Language once their cultivation reached the required level… Thus, it was unimaginable for him that this young man was actually able to speak the Ancient Beast Language.

“Elder Qian, aren’t you trying to learn the Ancient Beast Language? You can study under Zhang shi…”

The excited Hall Master Qin turned to look at Elder Qian, only to freeze in astonishment at the very next moment.

The composed Elder Qian was currently clawing at his hair frenziedly, as though he was going insane.

But it was no wonder he was reacting like that! It was just a moment ago that the young man was completely ignorant of the Ancient Beast Language. Yet, ten minutes after entering his log house to browse through his collection of records, Zhang shi returned and claimed that he had learned the basics of the language… All this while, Elder Qian thought that the latter was just boasting, but to think that it was actually true!

When did the Ancient Beast Language… become so easy to learn?

Could he have really wasted the last fifty years of his life for nothing?

Otherwise, how could the results from his fifty years be unable to match up to ten minutes of the other party’s efforts?

Just as he was on the verge of a breakdown, he saw the young man and the Great Violetwing Beast in the sky wrapping up their negotiation. Following which, the young man returned with a peculiar expression on his face.

“How did it go?”

Putting everything aside, Elder Qian quickly turned to look at Zhang Xuan and asked anxiously, “What did it say to you?”

Throughout these years, he had been dying to know what the Draconic Granite Beast had said before his death, as well as to understand why the Great Violetwing Beast had kept pestering the Beast Hall over the years.

This was the reason why he was able to persevere in his study of the Ancient Beast Language for fifty years.

“The Great Violetwing Beast says that…”

At which, Zhang Xuan scratched his head. “… it wants you to die!”

“I knew it. After all, I was the one who caused the death of our Draconic Granite Beast. As the culprit who resulted in the death of its lover, it is natural that it would harbor such deep hatred for me…”

Elder Qian suddenly looked as though he had aged ten years.

If not for his obstinacy and complacency back then, he wouldn’t have been severely injured, and the Draconic Granite Beast wouldn’t have sacrificed itself for him either. As the Draconic Granite Beast’s companion, it was no wonder the Great Violetwing Beast wanted him dead!

“Cough cough! That’s not it…”

Seeing Elder Qian falling into an endless spiral of self-reproach, Zhang Xuan hurriedly pulled him back.

“That’s not it? Then what is the reason?” Elder Qian was taken aback.

“It’s because of what the Draconic Granite Beast said before his death!” Zhang Xuan replied.

“What the Draconic Granite Beast said before his death? The Great Violetwing Beast… told you his dying message?”

Elder Qian was so agitated that his entire body began trembling.

Over the past few decades, he had been dying to know the dying will of the Draconic Granite Beast, but it was a pity that the Great Violetwing Beast refused to say anything at all. Or perhaps, he was simply unable to comprehend the latter’s words, and that only amplified his guilt.

Seeing how Zhang shi uttered these words after conversing with the Great Violetwing Beast… could it be that the Great Violetwing Beast had revealed the Draconic Granite Beast’s dying message?

“That’s right…”

The peculiar expression on Zhang Xuan’s face intensified.

“What did he say? Did he tell me to live well in his stead?”

Recalling the bits and pieces that he and his loyal tamed beast had gone through together, Elder Qian’s eyes turned red. Tears began flowing uncontrollably from his eyes.

“The Draconic Granite Beast said…” Conflicted, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a long moment before finally spitting it out. “He said that… ‘I am not dead!’”

“Not dead?”

Elder Qian’s body swayed weakly, and he spurted a mouthful of fresh blood. “B-b-but I buried him!”

Elder Qian had always thought the last words of the Draconic Granite Beast were entrusting its hopes and wishes to him. Who would have thought that its words would be… ‘I am not dead’?

‘The heck!

‘I have even felt his body! Stiff and frigid, how could he possibly still be alive?’

Furthermore, even if he wasn’t dead then, having been buried underground for fifty years, he couldn’t still be alive now!

Not only was Elder Qian frenzied, even Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er also widened their eyes, and they nearly fainted from shock.

They had shed a tear earlier on after hearing the touching story of how the loyal Draconic Granite Beast died for its master. Who could have known that… it would actually be a horror story instead!

To be buried alive…

After fifty years, it should have long suffocated to death!

Hall Master Qin and the elders also found their bodies trembling in shock at the revelation.

‘For you, your tamed beast went to the extent of even offering its own blood essence, and yet you buried it alive… Given your doings, it would be a wonder if its companion was willing to let you off!’

Honestly speaking, it was already being very magnanimous by only wreaking havoc in the Beast Hall all these years!

Zhang Xuan and the others also shared the same thoughts as well.

But in the end, Elder Qian was also an innocent party too. How could he have known that the Draconic Granite Beast was still alive then? Furthermore, he had also been tortured with guilt throughout these years as well.

Thus, Zhang Xuan turned to him and asked, “Did you… cremate the Draconic Granite Beast?”

“That… I didn’t!” Elder Qian shook his head.

In truth, he did intend to cremate it back then, but the Great Violetwing Beast came to wreak havoc. Thinking that the Great Violetwing Beast was unwilling to see its companion being reduced to ash, he decided to simply bury it in the mountain forest and accompany it for life.

“It’s good that you didn’t. Based on what the Great Violetwing Beast said, the Draconic Granite Beast is just in a state of pseudo-death. After a period of rest and nourishment, he should be able to be revived. Even though you’ve buried him, it’s fortunate that you didn’t cremate him… There might still be a chance!” Zhang Xuan said.

The Great Violetwing Beast had explained the matter thoroughly to him just now. The Draconic Granite Beast possessed the Dragon Bloodline and a tough exterior reminiscent of granite, thus the origin of the name.

After losing its blood essence, its body would become cold and rigid like a rock, similar to a corpse. Its breathing and heartbeat would also come to a temporary halt. However, this wasn’t death in the truest sense. As long as it was well-nourished in the time to come, it should be possible to awaken it very quickly.

As the Draconic Granite Beasts had always been a rare species, and there had never been a case where one voluntarily gave away a huge amount of its blood essence, such a phenomenon wasn’t recorded in the books. As such, not even a 5-star beast tamer like Elder Qian was aware of this ability of the Draconic Granite Beast.

Considering how the Draconic Granite Beast had stopped its breathing and heartbeat, even if it was buried… as long as it wasn’t cremated and hadn’t decomposed yet, there should still be a chance of survival.

No matter what, that was a powerful Transcendent Mortal 8-dan spirit beast harnessing the Dragon Bloodline within it! There was no way it could die that easily.

“There is still a chance?”

Elder Qian’s eyes lit up for a moment before dimming again in sorrow. “But… he has been buried for fifty years already…”

If it had just been a few months or even a year, there might still be a chance. But fifty years had passed, and there wasn’t the slightest sign of recovery for the Draconic Granite Beast. This period of time was more than sufficient for a pseudo-death to become real!

“Calm down, let’s go over and take a look first. It’ll be best if we can save him, but otherwise… it is still worth a shot.”

Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.

‘Who asked you to bury your tamed beast alive? The only thing we can do now is to quickly bring him out and diagnose his condition. Even if it were to end up futile in the end, at least this matter can be put to an end.’

“Un!” Elder Qian quickly nodded and led the group to the backyard of the log house. At that moment, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled something and turned to the Great Violetwing Beast with a frown on his face. “What are you waiting for? Put that spirit beast down!”

Roar!

The Great Violetwing Beast released its claws indignantly.

Boom!

Falling onto the ground, the spirit beast fainted.

Chapter 690: Saving the Draconic Granite Beast

After saving that innocent spirit beast, everyone rushed over to the log house.

Soon, they saw a tombstone with a mound behind it.

Knowing that this matter was extremely urgent, Zhang Xuan firmly instructed, “Open it!”

Nodding, Elder Qian gathered his strength and grabbed at the soil.

Hong long long!

A dense layer of zhenqi surged from his hands, and a powerful might swept through the mound, pushing away the soil. Soon, a massive tomb came into appearance.

“You built a tomb? It seems like there’s still hope…”

Seeing that Elder Qian didn’t simply bury the Draconic Granite Beast in the ground, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Even in a state of pseudo-death, the organs of the Draconic Granite Beast were still functioning, albeit very slowly, to keep it away from death’s door. As such, it would still require oxygen to survive.

At the very least, with this massive tomb, the Draconic Granite Beast could be spared from the fate of asphyxiation.

In a sense, this was a blessing amidst a field of misfortune.

Opening the gates to the tomb, the crowd immediately rushed in. Soon, they arrived at a vast hall where the massive Draconic Granite Beast laid.

That huge fellow seemed to be made entirely of stones. Despite the passing of fifty years, there was no signs of decomposition on it.

“As expected of the Draconic Granite Beast…”

After taking a glance, Zhang Xuan nodded in awe.

Fifty years was more than enough time to decompose the entirety of an average spirit beast’s body.

And yet, perhaps it was due to the possession the Dragon Bloodline and a tough granite exterior, the Draconic Granite Beast’s physical body still seemed to be in a good condition.

Seeing that the ‘corpse’ was still completely intact, Elder Qian’s hands immediately started trembling in agitation. He hurriedly turned to Han Chong and instructed, “Hurry up and call a physician…”

“Teacher, Zhang shi is a very formidable physician himself!” Han Chong quickly replied.

Hearing Han Chong’s words, Elder Qian immediately kneeled down before Zhang Xuan and pleaded.

“Zhang shi, I beg you, save my Draconic Granite Beast…”

The Draconic Granite Beast was his closest companion, and ever since its passing, he had spent every single day living in self-reproach. He thought that he would never get a chance to see it again, but to think that the other party was still alive!

Even if he had to give up his life to resuscitate the Draconic Granite Beast, he would definitely offer it without any hesitation.

On top of that, he also felt deep guilt.

The other party had put himself in a state of pseudo-death to save him, and yet due to his inability to comprehend the other party’s words, he actually buried his tamed beast alive for fifty long years…

If the Draconic Granite Beast couldn’t be saved, then he would have no face to continue living in this world. Most likely, he would commit suicide out of guilt.

“Elder Qian, there’s no need to stand on ceremony. If there’s still a chance, I’ll surely try my best to save your Draconic Granite Beast.”

Understanding Elder Qian’s sentiments, Zhang Xuan stepped forward and touched the Draconic Granite Beast.

After which, he circled around the latter and fell into deep thought.

A few moments later, he walked back with a stern face. Seeing the look on Zhang Xuan’s face, Elder Qian’s body stiffened in anxiety. “Can he… still be saved?”

“He is indeed still alive, but…” At which, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before continuing. “After being buried for fifty years, the vitality in his body has been completely depleted. To resuscitate him, I will require pills that can stimulate one’s vitality, as well as spirit stones!”

“Pills to stimulate vitality? I have three ‘Void Treading Creation Pills’ over here. It’s highly effective even on Transcendent Mortal 8-dan Void Treading realm experts!”

Hall Master Qin stepped forward and passed jade bottle over.

“I also have two ‘Spirit Nurturing Pills’ here. It’s the ideal medicine to stimulate one’s vitality!” another elder offered.

“I don’t have any pills, but I do have quite a few spirit stones. Here are 500 middle-tier spirit stones…”

They were all old friends with Elder Qian, and they knew that the revival of the Draconic Granite Beast would surely be a huge relief to him. On top of that, this was also beneficial to the Beast Hall as a whole.

“Good!”

Seeing the huge collection of items before him, Zhang Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

“I still need a Five Elements Formation Flag, Purpleink Bamboo, three big buckets of beast blood—for that, the Great Violetwing Beast outside will suffice—as well as Faint Verdant Incense, Purplecrystal Smoke…”

After seeing the pills and spirit stones that Hall Master Qin and the other elders had contributed, Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but be impressed by the wealth of the Beast Hall. Following which, Zhang Xuan also named a few dozen more items.

“These…”

Hearing the names of the items Zhang Xuan listed, everyone frowned in confusion.

They could understand why the treatment of the Draconic Granite Beast would require vitality pills and spirit stones. After all, those could help nourish one’s body. But what use would the Faint Verdant Incense and Purplecrystal Smoke be to the treatment?

An elder suddenly recalled something and spoke.

“I’ve heard of Faint Verdant Incense, it has the ability of stabilizing one’s soul. It is said that it was often used by the soul oracles in the past…”

Everyone was taken aback.

“Soul oracles?”

The occupation had already disappeared in the river of history several dozen millenniums ago… but could the young man before them be a soul oracle?

“It is just some unique method I know of, it doesn’t have much of a relation to the soul oracles.” Zhang Xuan waved his hands casually. “Right, prepare 108 three chi long silver needles and a cup of the Emerald-tailed Viper’s saliva!”

Despite their extinction, soul oracles were still viewed in revile by the populace due to their betrayal back then. Thus, there was no way Zhang Xuan could reveal that he was adept in the arts of the soul oracles.

“The saliva of the Emerald-tailed Viper? But that’s lethal venom…” Hall Master Qin exclaimed.

He might not have known the uses of the Faint Verdant Incense and Purplecrystal Smoke, but he knew of the properties of the Emerald-tailed Viper well.

Just a single drop was sufficient to kill a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan expert. Why would Zhang Xuan want such a dangerous thing?

“Poison doesn’t just kill, it can heal as well,” replied Zhang Xuan.

“Healing another through poison? But… that’s an ability only poison masters are capable of…”

Everyone’s lips twitched in frenzy.

Even though poison was indeed capable of healing, poison was still poison in the end. Use it incorrectly and it could cost someone’s life. Thus, only poison masters would dare to use poison to concoct remedies to heal someone.

Wasn’t the young man before them a physician? Why was he able to utilize the means of a soul oracle? Why was he able to concoct poison like a poison master?

Not to mention, he was also a master teacher and a beast tamer capable of speaking the Ancient Beast Language…

Was he incapable of anything?

“Alright, I’ll need this stuff. Hurry up and prepare it all!” After listing down the items he required, Zhang Xuan gestured for them to hurry.

“Alright, I’ll have my men prepare it now!”

Elder Qian nodded and hurriedly left.

The Beast Hall’s financial power and connections were truly astonishing. Not only were the items which Zhang Xuan listed extremely rare, they were also diverse in terms of type and properties. If it had been an average occupational guild, it would have surely taken a long time for them to gather those items together. However, in less than six hours, the Beast Hall actually managed to obtain all of the required items.

In fact, they even prepared spares in case of emergencies.

“Now that all of the items are here, I’ll have to ask everyone to leave. I need absolute silence during my treatment, so I hope that you can help me by standing guard outside so as to prevent anyone from interrupting the treatment!”

Zhang Xuan had thought that even with the Beast Hall’s connections, it would still take three to four days to gather all of the items. Yet, within a mere six hours, they had already succeeded. He couldn’t help but be impressed by the Beast Hall’s logistical ability.

The reason he asked them to leave was due to the nature of his treatment. He would need to utilize various means that could possibly sully his name as a master teacher, and on top of that, he would also have to continuously employ the Library of Heaven’s Path. If outsiders were to be around, that could probably spell trouble.

“Alright!”

Hall Master Qian, Elder Qin, and the others nodded before backing out of the tomb. Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er exchanged momentary glances before leaving as well. Soon, Zhang Xuan was the only one remaining inside the tomb.

Looking at the pile of valuable items before him, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and placed them all inside his storage ring.

Then, with another flick of his wrist, he threw the formation plate of the Spirit Gathering Formation out.

He didn’t ask for these items for his own use—he truly needed them to treat the Draconic Granite Beast.

Back then, when the Draconic Granite Beast depleted his blood essence to save Elder Qian, as long as Elder Qian had replenished the other party’s blood essence, fed it nourishing herbs to stimulate its recovery, or nurtured it using spiritual energy, it would have been able to make a full recovery within a few years.

However, not only did Elder Qian fail to do any of the three above, he even buried it…

On top of that, the spiritual energy contained within the tomb was extremely limited, making it difficult for the Draconic Granite Beast to sustain its life. Placed in such conditions for fifty years, even though it still managed to hold on to its last breath, its life was hanging by a thread as though a candle flame before a raging wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.

Even if an 8-star or even 9-star physician were here, there would surely be nothing they could have done under such circumstances. However, Zhang Xuan was different.

He possessed the absolutely pure Heaven’s Path zhenqi. As long as there was still a breath left in his patient, he would be able to sustain the latter’s life.

However, just Heaven’s Path zhenqi wouldn’t suffice. The Draconic Granite Beast had suffered a severe loss of blood essence, and it was buried for several decades in such a weak state. It desperately needed an overwhelming amount of spiritual energy to nourish its feeble body, as well as medicinal herbs to boost its vitality.

And more importantly… its soul had to be summoned back to its body!

Just like what the elder before had said, the Faint Verdant Incense and Purplecrystal Smoke were mainly items that only soul oracles would use. Given that the Draconic Granite Beast had been unconscious for more than fifty years, it wasn’t too far off from Lu Chong’s situation back then.

Thus, such items were required to summon back its soul before it could be resuscitated.

As for the saliva of the Emerald-tailed Viper, Hall Master Qin was right in the sense that it was indeed a lethal venom. However, Zhang Xuan intended on using it to stimulate the other party’s acupoint so as to trigger the other party’s awakening.

It could be said that this treatment involved the means of a beast tamer, soul oracle, physician, poison master, and master teacher.

It would truly be difficult for anyone else to accomplish this feat. Only a monster like Zhang Xuan could possibly do so.

As soon as the formation plate landed, Zhang Xuan immediately threw in the spirit stones which the elders had just contributed, and a thick layer of spiritual energy immediately filled the area, shrouding the ‘corpse’ of the Draconic Granite Beast.

With a snap of his fingers, the silver needles which he had prepared beforehand appeared in his hands, and he dabbed them in the cup of Emerald-tailed Viper’s saliva. With movements as swift as lightning, the 108 needles flew out and sealed the 108 acupoints throughout the Draconic Granite Beast’s body in the blink of an eye.

The Draconic Granite Beast was an extremely rare spirit beast. For the past several dozen millenniums, the beast tamers who had managed to tame it didn’t even number more than ten. As such, no one knew about the matter of its pseudo-death, and the knowledge concerning it wasn’t passed down either.

Since even its abilities were unrecorded, naturally, the same applied to its physical structure as well. It was only through the book formed by the Library of Heaven’s Path that Zhang Xuan knew where its various acupoints were.

After sealing the acupoints, Zhang Xuan took out the Faint Verdant Incense and Purplecrystal Smoke and positioned them in a unique formation before lighting them. Following which, he sat down on the floor and closed his eyes.

Hong long!

His soul was drawn out from his body.

Activating the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan surveyed the surroundings before beckoning in a specific direction.

His movements were light and gentle, as though a gesture to call upon one’s lover.

Weng!

Seemingly sensing his beckoning, the silver needle at the specific location began ringing like a wind chime.

The unique ability of a soul oracle—Soul Beckoning!

Zhang Xuan had inherited the complete heritage of the soul oracles from Mo Hunsheng, and Soul Beckoning was one of the techniques included in it. Once executed, it could draw even the most deeply hidden souls out.

In fact, it could even draw out the souls of living beings.

Considering how the Draconic Granite Beast had been in a coma for fifty years, it would be exceedingly difficult to wake it using normal means. Thus, Zhang Xuan had no choice but to resort to such extreme methods.

He had to move very carefully or else this could end in a catastrophe!

Gugugugu!

The silver needle shook for an instant, and the Draconic Granite Beast suddenly began shaking. It slowly lifted its body up, seemingly coming to life.

“No, this shouldn’t be…” But upon seeing this sight, Zhang Xuan’s face darkened.

Chapter 691: Great Violetwing Beast Submits!

Under normal circumstances, Soul Beckoning should only draw out one’s soul. The movement of the ‘corpse’ could only mean one thing—the soul was glued to the physical body.

Under such circumstances, it would be even more difficult to wake the Draconic Granite Beast up!

“Humph!”

With a light harrumph, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger, and the Five Elements Formation Flags which he’d had the others prepare beforehand were immediately lodged into the ground.

The gathering of the Five Elements to complement Yin-Yang!

This was yet another technique of the soul oracles, Soul Cleave!

A human soul comprises three hun and seven po, and the same applies to beasts as well. Due to the long dormant state of the Draconic Granite Beast, a portion of his hun and po had been fully integrated into his body over time, making it difficult to extract his soul.

Zhang Xuan was intending to use Soul Cleave to tear off the integrated hun and po from the entire soul so as to augment the extraction process.

But of course, altering the course of nature was no easy feat. Thus, he required assistance from the might of the Five Elements.

As the Five Elements amalgamate into one, Yin-Yang would be formed, creating a clear demarcation between clarity and turbidity.

Hong long long!

As the Five Element Formation Flags began to whir into action, the flora and fauna around the tomb started to turn yellow as the Energy of Wood was been sapped from them; the soil gradually turned white as the Energy of Earth was been drained from it; metallic objects began to rust as the Energy of Metal was robbed from them… The same applied to the Energy of Water and Energy of Flame as well.

The retrieved energy was gathered and fused into the glabella of the Draconic Granite Beast.

Along with the infusion of the Five Element energies, the yin and yang aura within the other party grew significantly stronger, and a tinge of redness began surfacing on the cold and rigid rock-like corpse.

Hu!

Knowing that his primary preparations were effective, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.

Zi la!

The soul of the massive Draconic Granite Beast was drawn from the massive Draconic Granite Beast, and it floated silently in the air.

However, its eyes were tightly shut, a sign that it was still deeply asleep.

Usually, when a soul was torn off from its body, it would swiftly weaken and eventually dissipate in the surroundings. However, the lit Faint Verdant Incense stabilized the Draconic Granite Beast’s soul, allowing it to remain impervious before the chaotic energies lingering in the tomb.

“Go!”

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger, and the vitality pills which the other elders had given him were converted into a thick layer of mist that gathered within the concentrated spiritual energy in the region. The overwhelming vitality in the air made Zhang Xuan feel revitalized and comfortable.

Since these pills were highly useful even for Transcendent Mortal 8-dan experts, naturally, it would be effective on him as well.

Just that, as his body had been nourished by the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, vitality wasn’t something that he would lack. Thus, using these valuable pills on him would be a huge waste.

“Now, the final step!”

Holding his breath, Zhang Xuan stepped against the ground and soared into the air.

“Withdraw!”

108 faint surges of zhenqi shot out from Zhang Xuan’s hands, each grabbing hold of the end of a silver needle and pulling on them simultaneously!

Tzz la!

The silver needles immediately flew out. The acupoints, which had been sealed by the venom a moment ago, immediately opened up as though a humongous flood gate. With a rumbling reminiscent of thunder, the spiritual energy and the mist were swiftly pulled into the Draconic Granite Beast’s body as though a whirlpool had been formed on the spot.

Due to the overwhelming strength of the absorption, even the soul which had stabilized itself in the air was dragged in as well.

Hu la!

As the vitality medicine, spiritual energy, and soul were dragged into the Draconic Granite Beast’s body, Zhang Xuan flicked his hand, and three pails of beast blood immediately appeared above the Draconic Granite Beast. It flowed down in a steady stream, seeping into the latter’s body.

Slowly, the rock-like body of the Draconic Granite Beast began to turn crimson, and several mystical inscriptions abruptly appeared on it.

Eventually, the sounds of breathing and a heart beating gradually returned; it seemed the unconscious fellow would wake up at any moment.

“I have succeeded…”

Zhang Xuan’s body suddenly staggered, and he fell from the sky, crashing onto the ground. Fortunately, the altitude wasn’t too high, so he was unharmed. But even so, his face was pale with exhaustion.

Even though the duration of the treatment wasn’t too long, Zhang Xuan had utilized nearly all of the ability at his disposal during it. This had resulted in significant depletion in his zhenqi, psyche, soul energy, and stamina.

Sitting on the ground, Zhang Xuan flicked his wrist and took out a spirit stone.

It was only after absorbing around twenty middle-tier spirit stones did Zhang Xuan finally recover fully from his depletion.

“I have made a loss…”

Looking at the powdery fragments of the middle-tier spirit stones before him, Zhang Xuan frowned in frustration.

He thought that it wouldn’t be too difficult to save the Draconic Granite Beast, and he might even have some leftovers remaining that he could claim for his own use. But contrary to his expectations, not only were there no leftovers, he even had to use more than twenty of his own middle-tier spirit stones to recuperate from his exhaustion.

But at the very least, he didn’t let down the expectations of those standing outside and soil his own name.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan pushed open the gates of the tomb and stepped out. As soon as he walked out, the anxious gazes of Elder Qian and the others immediately gathered on him.

“How is the Draconic Granite Beast?”

Perhaps due to excessive worry and anxiety, Elder Qian’s face was extremely pale.

“The operation was a success. However, due to the prolonged period of its coma, he has yet to wake up yet. It might take a few days before he can regain consciousness,” Zhang Xuan said calmly. The other party’s soul had been dormant for more than fifty years. Even with Zhang Xuan’s means, it would still take a while for the latter to regain its strength and awaken.

“Great… I’ll go in and take a look!”

Hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, Elder Qian’s eyes immediately lit up, and he immediately rushed toward the tomb. However, before he could enter it, he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his body. A huge talon had grabbed him and threw him to the side.

The Great Violetwing Beast!

This fellow had just lost three huge pails of blood, and its body was still a little weak at the moment. Nevertheless, its eyes were brimming with spirit, and the aggressive aura it emanated earlier on had disappeared without a trace. Scrunching its body together, it entered the tomb.

Seeing how the Great Violetwing Beast seemed to be even more excited than him, a bitter smile flashed across Elder Qian’s face before hurriedly following behind it. When he finally came out a moment later, he immediately walked up to Zhang Xuan and kneeled down in agitation.

“Elder Qian, this…”

Not expecting that Han Chong’s teacher, an esteemed 5-star pinnacle beast tamer, would actually kneel before him so abruptly, Zhang Xuan was astonished. He hurriedly stepped forward to help the other party up.

Kowtowing heavily several times, Elder Qian raised his palm and made a vow.

“Zhang shi, please do not stop me. You have saved his life, and I am extremely grateful to you. I owe you a debt of life. Regardless of whatever request you have of me in the future, feel free to speak, and I’ll surely accomplish it for you no matter the cost!”

Ever since the death of the Draconic Granite Beast, he had become nothing more than a living corpse. For the past fifty years, the only faith that was keeping him alive was his determination to learn the Ancient Beast Language so as to learn of the dying will of his closest companion.

Who could have known that not only would the young man be able to decipher the words of the Great Violetwing Beast, he would even undo the mistake he had made and bring his tamed beast back? The gratitude he was feeling at the moment was indescribable through words.

Even if Zhang Xuan were to order him to march off to his death now, he would do so without any hesitation.

“This…”

Seeing the determination in the Elder Qian’s eyes, Zhang Xuan knew that there was nothing he could do that could sway his decision. Thus, he shook his head and said, “Alright, I don’t need your life. It’ll suffice as long as you find me a Transcendent Mortal 8-dan aerial spirit beast so that I can get to Hongyuan Empire…”

The main reason he came to the Beast Hall was so that he could find an aerial spirit beast to ride on. With Elder Qian’s help, he should have no trouble finding one.

“Leave this to me…” Elder Qian nodded. But halfway through his words, ‘jiya!’, the gates to the tomb opened once more, and the Great Violetwing Beast walked out. Just like Elder Qian, it immediately walked up to Zhang Xuan and bowed down, and it began nudging Zhang Xuan with its head.

“This is… a gesture of submission?”

Seeing the Great Violetwing Beast’s response, everyone was astonished. Even Hall Master Qin was dumbfounded.

The Beast Hall had suffered greatly under the tyranny of the Great Violetwing Beast. Nothing they did and no one they sought help from could stop it, and they were completely helpless before it. They thought that considering its obstinate and domineering personality, it would be impossible for anyone to tame it. But who could have guessed that it would actually voluntarily submit to Zhang shi, whom it had only met eight hours ago?

“This fellow is even more sentimental than humans. It is out of gratitude to Zhang shi saving Draconic Granite Beast that it chose to voluntarily submit to him!” Luo Qiqi exclaimed.

Yu Fei-er nodded. “Indeed. Sometimes, beasts can turn out to be even more sentimental than humans.”

Despite the fact that it had been fifty years since the Draconic Granite Beast had been buried, the Great Violetwing Beast had still been unable to let the matter go. The only way it could alleviate its raging emotions was to ‘exact vengeance’ for its companion. Through this, it could be shown how deep its feelings for the latter were.

Upon seeing its lover come to life, an overwhelming feeling of indebtedness compelled it to acknowledge Zhang Xuan as its master and serve as his tamed beast. Such deep sentiments weren’t necessarily seen in all humans.

Zhang Xuan also came to realize what was going on. He turned to face the Great Violetwing Beast and asked the latter seriously, “Do you wish to become my tamed beast?”

It just happened that he needed a spirit beast to travel to Hongyuan Empire, and it would be for the best if the Great Violetwing Beast was willing to become his tamed beast.

“Roar!” The Great Violetwing Beast nodded its massive head.

“Good!”

With a flick of Zhang Xuan’s finger, a droplet of his blood flew to the Great Violetwing Beast, thus sealing the contract.

“Alright. You should get some rest and recover. Once the Draconic Granite Beast comes to, we’ll immediately set off for Hongyuan Empire!” Zhang Xuan said.

To save the Draconic Granite Beast, the Great Violetwing Beast had lost three huge pails of fresh blood, and it was currently in an extremely weak state. Even if it was still capable of flight in its current condition, it would surely be unable to maintain it for too long. Since that was the case, it would be much better for it to get a good rest and recover from its frailty first.

Furthermore, there were many nourishing medicines in the Beast Hall that could hasten the Great Violetwing Beast’s recovery. With Elder Qian taking care of it, it wouldn’t take too long for it to recover.

And most importantly of all, the Great Violetwing Beast had been waiting for the Draconic Granite Beast for an entire fifty years now. It would be cruel to separate them before the Draconic Granite Beast awakened.

In any case, the Great Violetwing Beast was a half 9-dan spirit beast, so Zhang Xuan had a few days to spare.

Learning that Zhang Xuan and the others would be staying there for some time, Elder Qian immediately had someone prepare some rooms for them.

In the first three days of his stay, Zhang Xuan traveled all around the Beast Hall and collected all of the books contained within it.

After which, he spent another day thoroughly mastering the Heaven’s Path Beast Taming Art compiled from those books.

In just four days, Zhang Xuan’s understanding of beast taming had already surpassed Elder Qian and even Hall Master Qin, reaching 5-star pinnacle or even beyond that.

Even though Zhang Xuan had successfully tamed the Great Violetwing Beast, due to his limited cultivation as a Transcendent Mortal 5-dan Consonant Spirit realm pinnacle, he only received a half 5-star beast tamer emblem.

Nevertheless, as long as he could achieve a breakthrough in his cultivation, he would be able to immediately apply for a 5-star beast tamer emblem.

On the eighth day, the Draconic Granite Beast woke up, and the Great Violetwing Beast and Elder Qian were delighted. At the same time, their awe for Zhang Xuan’s capability also deepened.

Even Hall Master Qin and the others were also impressed by Zhang Xuan’s skill.

To save a spirit beast who had been in a state of pseudo-death for fifty years… this was already on the level of a miracle!

On the tenth day, the Great Violetwing Beast finally made a full recovery. Thus, Zhang Xuan, Luo Qiqi, and Yu Fei-er bade the Beast Hall goodbye and set off toward Hongyuan Empire.

“Zhang shi will surely become the brightest star of the Master Teacher Academy!”

Watching the trio leave, Elder Qian recalled the various incredible feats the young man had achieved and sighed.

Han Chong’s lips couldn’t help but twitch upon hearing those words.

“Brightest star? I only fear that… the Master Teacher Academy will find itself in the abyss of misfortune…”