Chapter 218 - Arc 13: Wild Beast Plains | Chapter 218: Solo
Translator: Lynn
In an instant, the white fox cub darted over, yelping incessantly.
Observing this, Xu Ziqing realized that Yun Lie had picked up the fox by the back of its neck, and it wriggled its limbs while casting a sorrowful gaze at its stern master—quite pitiful.
Yun Lie, unfazed, merely pinched its fur with two fingers and uttered, “Don’t be unruly.”
Xu Ziqing grinned, turning to Yun Lie, inquiring, “What do you think of Xue’er?”
Yun Lie promptly responded, “Given that it’s a Spiritual Beast, its qualifications are naturally exceptional.”
Satisfied, Xu Ziqing affirmed, “I’ve decided to keep it and bring it to Xiaolu Peak.” Pausing, he added, “However, I’m not well-versed in the ways of cultivating monsters, and foxes can be cunning. I may need my brother’s assistance in teaching it.”
Yun Lie nodded in agreement.
With this settled, Xu Ziqing was about to retrieve the young fox, but upon closer inspection, he couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
However, the young fox felt uneasy and squirmed, attempting not to be moved. It raised its tail and wrapped it around Yun Lie’s wrist, then abruptly flipped over, trying to hug Yun Lie’s fingers with its short legs. Unfortunately, its legs were too short, and Yun Lie’s grip was too firm, leading to more whimpers.
The adorable and naive display only endeared the fox to Xu Ziqing even more.
With a flick of his wrist, Yun Lie tossed the white furball back, and Xu Ziqing caught it.
Unexpectedly, the young fox landed in Xu Ziqing’s palm but resumed its struggles. Xu Ziqing, feeling a mix of helplessness and curiosity, placed it on the ground. As predicted, the young fox leaped up to Yun Lie’s feet, raised its head, and unexpectedly embraced Yun Lie’s ankle with its front legs.
In this stance, it seemed unafraid of Yun Lie’s intimidating aura.
Observing this, Xu Ziqing became even more convinced of Hu Xueer’s spirituality and remarked, “Shixiong, it seems that Xue’er really likes you.”
Yun Lie glanced down at his feet, lightly lifted his toes, and gently transferred the young fox to his junior brother’s lap.
Yet, the young fox persisted; even as Xu Ziqing hugged it tightly, it continued kicking its front paws wildly, as if it genuinely wanted to leap at Yun Lie.
Yun Lie remarked, “Spiritual Beast is perceptive and can discern good from evil intentions.”
Puzzled at first, Xu Ziqing then smiled, hugging the young fox even tighter.
As his Shixiong stated, there was no malice in Yun Lie toward Xue’er. The young fox, in turn, displayed typical fox behavior, attaching itself to the strong. Even though Xu Ziqing was Xueer’s master, it seemed the fox wanted to show respect to his Shixiong, indicating a growing ability to preserve its own life. Realizing this, Xu Ziqing decided not to dwell on the matter, gently stroking the young fox’s back to soothe it. It no longer exerted maximum effort to “win over” Yun Lie.
Afterwards, Xu Ziqing placed Xue’er in the Beast Card and followed Yun Lie deeper into the Wild Beast Plain.
The two walked in single file, their garments fluttering as they moved for a considerable distance, encountering numerous beasts along the way. Most were one or two-horned wild beasts that they passed without lingering.
If Xu Ziqing were alone, he might have fed these beasts to Rongjin, but with his Shixiong leading the way, he followed closely, not daring to pause.
As they delved deeper, the air seemed to thicken with mist, no longer the milky white color seen outside but tinged with a foreboding scarlet hue.
An ominous sensation permeated the surroundings.
The landscape featured numerous peculiar rocks, and the weeds were denser compared to the outer region. Clusters covered vast areas, ranging from seven or eight feet to over ten feet in height. They were extraordinarily thick and hard, some as thick as a child’s arm.
These grasses and stones concealed an unknown number of potent auras. Anyone who approached risked being swallowed by the towering weeds.
In comparison to what Xu Ziqing had witnessed before, the situation here was several times more challenging.
Nearly all the three-horned and even four-horned beasts inhabited this area.
Although the harsh environment made it challenging to spot the traces of many wild beasts, a pervasive sense of beastly oppression filled the surroundings.
Inhaling slowly, Xu Ziqing felt a heightened sense of tension.
It seemed as though myriad beastly eyes were fixated on him, ready to pounce and devour him at the slightest opportunity.
At this moment, Xu Ziqing turned his gaze towards his Shixiong.
However, Yun Lie maintained an expressionless demeanor, seemingly accustomed to this atmosphere, unfazed by any perceived anomaly.
A realization dawned on Xu Ziqing that this must be the place where his Shixiong dedicatedly practiced before.
Before he could dwell on this thought, a surge of danger suddenly enveloped him!
Within three or four feet to the right, a fierce gust of wind erupted!
Instantly, a ravenous beast roared, and a brownish beast shadow swiftly advanced with the fetid wind.
Xu Ziqing perceived a flash of golden light before his eyes, recognizing it as a beast with three golden horns!
Fortunately, after months of cultivation on this plain, he had developed a keen sense of vigilance and reacted the moment it lunged.
Promptly pointing at the center of his eyebrows, Xu Ziqing summoned a thin needle. Radiant light streamed from the needle, surging with powerful force!
This blue light beam surged forward, striking the head of the triangular golden-horned beast. In an instant, the head transformed into a wooden carving, rapidly decaying into ashes carried away by the wind.
Although the beast’s head turned to ashes, its body retained a normal form. It thudded to the ground with a muffled sound, and the blood at the neck, where the head connected to the body, flowed more vigorously than a typical beheading, as if intending to drain every drop of blood. The blood seemed to dry up, but soon gurgled and gathered, forming a pool until there was no more blood.
Such a bizarre scene was genuinely chilling!
Exhaling a sigh of relief, Xu Ziqing raised his hand and recalled the Qingyun needle.
This was the result of his dedicated practice over many days. The Qingyun needle, in addition to its inherent sharpness and vitality, possessed an understanding of transforming everything into wood and an artistic conception of fallen vegetation. The fusion of these elements allowed him to grasp a sense of reincarnation between life and death, intertwined with the four seasons.
Yun Lie did not intervene. Observing Xu Ziqing effortlessly dispatch the three-horned beast, comparable to a late Golden Core Formation period cultivator, he nodded in approval.
Turning to his Shixiong with anticipation in his eyes, Xu Ziqing said, “Shixiong.”
Yun Lie’s gaze was somewhat slow, and he remarked, “You have mastered the power now, and the effect is impressive.”
Xu Ziqing chuckled, “I will refine the Qingyun Needle further. However, it has not yet met my expectations, and I believe we will have to wait until the Dao Seed is condensed before going further.”
Yun Lie nodded slightly, “Practice is crucial, and refining is the most important. Don’t rush.”
Xu Ziqing spoke earnestly, “I understand. Please remind me if needed.”
Yun Lie expressed no objection.
Having tested the waters, Xu Ziqing encountered no further provocations from wild beasts. He surmised that the wildlife here was more cunning than those outside, likely due to facing stronger adversaries.
Having dealt with the previous three golden-horned beast, which was stronger than others he had encountered, Xu Ziqing expended a considerable amount of true energy.
At this point, Yun Lie took action.
A spirit sword materialized in his palm, slashing out.
The frigid sword aura condensed endless killing energy, transforming into a dense white light that severed all the wild grasses within a hundred miles!
The residual force of the sword aura lingered, extending even farther, causing numerous weeds to frost and abruptly wither before coming to a halt.
Consequently, grass powder scattered in the wind, unveiling a vast, open, and well-lit plain.
Only then did Xu Ziqing discern clearly that there were at least hundreds of three-horned beasts crouching in the weeds!
Moreover, the leading beast in the group of wild beasts possessed five horns, setting it apart.
This revelation left him astounded.
A congregation of beasts of this magnitude equated to hundreds of Foundation Building, Golden Core Formation cultivators, and Golden Core Daoists. If faced with a group assault from them…
Yun Lie’s countenance remained unchanged.
Xu Ziqing comprehended well that the herd of beasts, which had instilled fear in him, was a mere ordinary adversary for his senior. Confronting them was merely a routine experience.
The herd of beasts sensed the resounding roar of the formidable sword aura, immediately standing upright. All were exceptionally fierce, nearly ten feet in length and one person’s height.
Their horns were exceptionally sharp, gleaming with a cold light. Each horn measured two feet long. A stab from one of these horns could instantly create a bloody hole, and numerous barbs adorned their bodies. A touch could lead to being shredded!
When amassed in a group, such ferocious beasts appeared particularly formidable.
Holding the spirit sword, Yun Lie instructed, “Stand back.”
As Xu Ziqing complied, he felt a slight weightiness in his body, as if he had entered a peculiar realm. In this realm, the sword energy was extremely chilling, yet it did not hinder his movements. In an instant, he realized that this was a “domain” crafted by his Shixiong. Although unsure of its origin, it was evident that his Shixiong possessed more supernatural abilities than before.
Xu Ziqing speculated that he should be able to witness the conflict between his Shixiong and the wild beasts here, concurrently experiencing the oppressive sensation of being surrounded by numerous beasts of comparable strength!
At this moment, he felt as if he had returned to Ruyi Xianzhuang, where countless demons stood before him, but now they had transformed into numerous beasts.
The constant factor was that his Shixiong stood steadfastly in front, wielding a sword to cut through thorns and brambles. Though following behind had been futile in the past, the situation had changed significantly—now he could aid his Shixiong!
Yun Lie finally swung his sword again, eliciting a surge of emotion in Xu Ziqing.
The icy sword light shot into the sky, decapitating several beast heads with a single stroke. Yun Lie, without any hesitation, strode forward, and wherever the sword pointed, all the beasts met their demise.
Xu Ziqing did not linger in place; he closely followed behind, never wavering.
Despite Yun Lie’s overpowering and tyrannical strikes, crushing all in his path, Xu Ziqing remained fearless. Instead, he intermittently unleashed Qingyun needles, guarding the rear for his Shixiong.
In this manner, Xu Ziqing dispatched one beast with each needle, while Yun Lie decapitated ten heads with each step. Before long, the surroundings were littered with corpses.
By now, a bloody tempest had engulfed the area, generating a substantial storm of sword energy.
Then Yun Lie commanded, “Ziqing, release Rongjin.”
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