491-495

Chapter 491: Coax Ridge

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

A spirit beast soared in the boundless skies.

It was the third day since Zhang Xuan left Honghai City.

The direction which the soul oracle tomb was located at a direction opposite of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance.

The geographical terrain consisted of winding mountains reminiscent of a massive dragon lying the ground, ready to rise into the heavens at any moment.

Within the room on the back of the spirit beast, Zhang Xuan stood in front of the window with his eyes closed.

In the past three days, he had reinforced his cultivation as a Transcendent Mortal 1-dan pinnacle cultivator. At this moment, he was currently reorganizing the information he had collected on soul oracles in his mind.

Back then, in order to accurately determine the identity of the Soulless Metal Humanoid, Hall Master Sai had collected quite a few books on soul oracles. After duplicating those books from the Appraiser Hall, Zhang Xuan hadn't been able to find time to browse through them. Since he had some free time now, he decided to make use of this opportunity look through them.

"Compile!"

Muttering softly, the correct information recorded in the dozens of books in the Library of Heaven's Path gathered together to form a new book.

All of the soul oracle-related books collected shared a common description on the occupation—Mysterious and fearsome.

Their deep knowledge concerning the subject of souls made them a fearsome existence.

It didn't take long for Zhang Xuan to read through the entire book, and he shook his head.

The heritage of the occupation had been severed and there weren't many records left on it. The books remaining were uncomprehensive and useful information was terribly limited.

After browsing through the books, Zhang Xuan was left with more doubts than he'd started with.

"Forget it, I'll just deal with whatever that comes my way!"

Knowing that there wasn't any useful information to be derived from the books, Zhang Xuan sighed. Opening his eyes, he turned to Sun Qiang, Zhao Ya and the others and said, "All of you come here!"

"Teacher!"

"Young master!"

The group gathered around Zhang Xuan.

Seeing the grave expression on Zhang Xuan's face, Zhao Feiwu asked, "Since Zhang Xuan has some matters to delegate, should we step aside for a moment?"

There were many secrets within a teacher-student lineage that outsiders shouldn't know of.

Zhang Xuan waved his hands. "There's no need for it, it isn't something major. I just want to remind them of some things that they have to take note of when we're at the soul oracle tomb."

"Oh? Things to take note of? Then... can we listen in too?" Zhao Feiwu, Hall Master Sai, and the others' eyes lit up, and they hurriedly turned their attention over.

Who was the young man before him?

He was the master teacher who could even expel a soul oracle from a person's body! Not to mention, he was a 5-star appraiser and quasi 4-star formation master. How could the advice from such a person be anything ordinary?

If they were to listen to his words, they would definitely have a much better chance at survival in the soul oracle tomb.

"Of course, feel free!"

Ignoring the excited crowd, Zhang Xuan turned to his students and subordinate and spoke gravely.

"Take note of this. When we're at the soul oracle tomb, if anyone gets possessed... make sure not to devour the other party's soul carelessly. There are questions I would like to ask!"

If the soul that possessed Luo Zhu was still alive, Zhang Xuan would surely be able to derive useful information from him. If so, there might be no need for him to take the risk and venture into the soul oracle tomb.

The more he thought about it, the more regretful he felt about the matter. Thus, he made sure to instruct the others properly this time around.

Otherwise, if this bunch of kids and Sun Qiang were to rush to devour the soul oracles later on, it would be too late.

"Yes!"

Zhao Ya and the others hurriedly nodded their heads.

In order to protect them, their teacher had left a surge of zhenqi within each of them. Even if some soul oracle were to charge up to them, they would at least be able to avoid being possessed.

"Un, that's more like it! Alright, that's all. You all should continue cultivating!"

After finishing his instructions, Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

Nodding, Zhao Ya and the others nodded and dispersed.

"Just like that?"

The others thought that Zhang Xuan was going to conduct a detailed briefing so they were filled with expectations. However, after hearing those words, the mouths of Zhao Feiwu, Hall Master Sai, and the others twitched; their nearly fainted on the spot.

There was no one who wouldn't be filled with trepidation when heading toward a soul oracle tomb, fearful that something might catch them off-guard... Yet, this fellow made it seem as though he and his students were just going on a picnic!

What in the world was with that official 'allow me to have a bite first before you all devour your food' announcement...

"Cough cough!"

Luo Zhu even choked on his saliva.

For this trip to the soul oracle tomb, he had prepared many things. In fact, he had even written his will... And yet, the other party seemed to treat it like a leisure walk, and there wasn't the slightest worry in his attitude.

Humans were truly born different...

Suppressing his frustration, Luo Zhu glanced downward at the geographical terrain, did a rough calculation on their current location, and walked up to Zhang Xuan.

"Zhang shi, we're about to arrive at the soul oracle tomb!"

Zhang Xuan looked around and asked, "About to arrive? Where are we now?"

"We're currently at the Myriad Kingdom Alliance's Nine Folds Mountain."

"Thousand li of Nine Folds Mountain, ten thousand li of Red Ripple Sea. This is where the border with Mingxia Empire is located?" Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

There was a map on the Myriad Kingdom Alliance in the Appraiser Hall, and Zhang Xuan had browsed through it. As such, he had a rough idea on the various landmarks across the empire. He had thought that the soul oracle tomb would be located in the middle of the alliance so he was surprised to learn that they were at the border.

Mingxia Empire was another empire of equivalent standing to the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. They were also one of the twenty-seven powers participating in the Master Teacher Tournament.

The Nine Folds Mountain was the boundary between the two powers, and battles broke out here often. As such, it was considered as one of the danger zones.

"It isn't at the border yet, it is located at the third fold, Coax Ridge!" Luo Zhu said.

The Nine Folds Mountain consisted of a total of nine folds. There was a more specific name for each fold, and Coax Ridge was located at the third fold.

Legend had it that a powerful expert was once assaulted by a spirit beast stampede passing through the region. Thus, he calmly coaxed them and eventually, the spirit beasts decided to back off, thus came the name of the Coax Ridge.

Spiritual energy was concentrated in this region, thus resulting in many spirit beasts and savage beasts roaming the area. Thus, even though it wasn't the border of the two empires, it was considered as one of the more dangerous locations. Most people would avoid coming here if possible.

"There are many spirit beasts on the Coax Ridge so we can't fly over. Otherwise, there's a chance that we might be assaulted by aerial spirit beasts!"

Upon hearing the name of the location where they were headed to, Jin Conghai frowned.

A Transcendent Mortal expert was still incapable of flight yet. As such, it could prove to be dangerous if they came under the assault of other aerial spirit beasts. After all, if they were to fall from the sky, at such a high altitude, they would most probably die immediately upon contact with the ground.

Thus, very few people would dare to ride a flying mount through where aerial spirit beasts were numerous.

"Elder Jin is right. However, there's no need to worry. Since Gongzi's spirit beast has reached Transcendent Mortal 3-dan pinnacle, most spirit beasts wouldn't dare trifle with it. We should be able to fly straight to our destination.

"But of course, we can't land directly at the location itself. There's a formidable aerial spirit beast living in the vicinity of the soul oracle tomb. I'm afraid that we might incur its wrath if we were to approach carelessly!"

"You mean that [Demon Cinque Beast]?" Jin Conghai asked.

"Elder, you also know about this beast?" Luo Zhu was taken aback.

"Of course I do! On top of its ability of flight, it has reached Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle, thus making it a fearsome existence. It has terrorized some of the neighboring villages and killed on numerous occasions. In order to deal with it, the alliance has tried sending many experts to kill it several times, only to end in failure!"

With a grim expression, Jin Conghai continued, "Furthermore, on top of its speed and strength, it is said to possess a Dragon Bloodline, thus granting it nearly invincible defense. As such, it's a troublesome adversary to deal with. Even the Beast Hall isn't able to do anything about it. You said that the soul oracle is near to its nest, may I know how far away it is?"

"It is only several hundred meters away from its nest. The last time I came, I studied its habits and sneaked in while it was busy looking for food. There are more of us this time around so it will be easier for us to get caught. Thus, I think we should proceed carefully," Luo Zhu said.

"Several hundred meters? That's a little too close..."

Jin Conghai frowned.

At Transcendent Mortal 4-dan Clarifying Turbidity realm, one's soul would gain a certain level of autonomy from one's body. Under such a state, just by one's senses, one could easily perceive the happenings within a radius of several hundred meters around one.

At such a distance, it was almost impossible for them to alarm the other party even if they were to proceed carefully.

Even though Jin Conghai was a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert as well, he was only at primary stage. On top of that, the Demon Cinque Beast was an aerial spirit beast possessing a Dragon Bloodline. He wasn't a match for the other party at all.

Even though he could resort to poison, he needed the other party to be unguarded first. Putting aside how the Demon Cinque Beast was wary of humans, the Dragon Bloodline also provided it with an extremely high immunity to poison. If he were to fail to kill it in a single shot, he might incur the other party's fury and cause everyone's death.

The soul oracle tomb was already dangerous by itself, to think that there would be such a ferocious fellow camping in the surroundings on top of that.

After hesitating for a moment, Luo Zhu said, "It is an extremely short distance, but after hiding in this region for three months, I managed to find some patterns in its behavior. As long as we proceed carefully, we shouldn't get noticed."

"Since you managed to find some patterns in its behavior, why don't we do it this way?" After contemplating for a moment, Jin Conghai turned to Zhang Xuan and asked, "Zhang shi, shall we stop two kilometers away from the Demon Cinque's nest and slowly walk over?"

Unknowingly, Zhang Xuan had become the de facto leader of the group.

It had become a habit for them to look to him for answers.

"Alright." Zhang Xuan nodded.

He had never been here before, and he didn't know about the Demon Cinque Beast or how strong it was. Since the duo had already discussed it, he thought that it should be fine to go along with their decision.

Two kilometers wasn't much of a distance to cultivators of their capability.

"Alright. Tell me when we're nearing the location. I'll have the tamed beast make a landing," Jin Conghai said.

"Un!" Luo Zhu nodded.

While the others were discussing, Sun Qiang, upon seeing Hall Master Sai's face turn pale after hearing about the Demon Cinque Beast, couldn't hold himself back and asked, "Have you heard of that Demon Cinque Beast as well?"

"Of course I've heard of it!" Hall Master Sai smiled bitterly. "That fellow is incomparably strong. It's said that the head of the Beast Hall has once led twelve elders to encircle and subdue it, but the operation eventually ended in failure!"

"Twelve elders?"

"That's right. Those who are qualified to become elders in the Beast Hall possess cultivation at least that of my level. Much can be said about the strength of the Demon Cinque Beast given how they failed despite mobilizing so many experts!"

Hall Master Sai shook his head, "Not only is that fellow capable of flight, due to its Dragon Bloodline, it possesses incredible defense as well. Even Spirit intermediate-tier weapons could do no harm to it.

"On top of that, it has a violent temper and it is extremely territorial... If it is really guarding that area, it won't be easy for us to approach..."

"Are you afraid?"

Interrupting the other party's words, Sun Qiang uttered in disdain. "If you are scared, you might as well leave right now. To think that you're still the head of the Appraiser Hall..."

"Me... afraid?" Seeing the other party's expression, Hall Master Sai nearly fainted.

To think that a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert like him would be looked down on and mocked by an insignificant butler...

Infuriated, he was just about to lash out when Luo Zhu's voice echoed.

"We're here..."

After which, the aerial spirit beast began on its descend, headed straight for the winding mountain range.

.

.

.

Chapter 492: Someone Is Here

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Jumping off the back of the spirit beast, Zhang Xuan took in a deep breath and immediately felt the dense spiritual energy in the surroundings. The concentration of spiritual energy here was indeed much higher than anywhere else.

"It's nearly twofold!" Zhang Xuan evaluated.

It was no wonder why Jin Conghai and Luo Zhu said that there were many spirit beasts here. With such dense spiritual energy, one's rate of cultivation would definitely be fast. Under such circumstances, it wasn't surprising for spirit beasts to be attracted to the region.

Regardless of whether it was a spirit beast or savage beast, just like humans, they preferred areas with high concentration of spiritual energy.

Activating the Eye of Insight, Zhang Xuan surveyed the surroundings.

As expected, he saw the traces of many savage beasts and spirit beasts.

"Hmm? Why are there so many footprints?"

Suddenly, Zhang Xuan's eyes fell on a particular spot.

No too far away, on top of the claw prints of spirit beasts, he noticed some human footprints as well. There were nearly ten of such trails, and judging from the moisture of the surrounding ground, those footprints seemed to be freshly made.

"Someone has just walked by here. Could they know about the soul oracle tomb as well?"

Seeing those footprints, Jin Conghai's eyebrows knitted together.

A radius of two kilometers was about the limit of the Demon Cinque Beast's perception. Before such danger, one should be eager to escape as far as possible. Why would anyone walk in to court their deaths?

Unless there was a greater profit driving them... In other words, there was a good chance that someone knew about the existence of the soul oracle tomb as well.

This ancient occupation might be mysterious and feared, but it was still a trove of knowledge and power. Many experts would definitely rush in if they were to learn of the location of the tomb.

It was just like how the auction of the Soulless Metal Humanoid managed to attract the attention of so many powers.

"Impossible! The location of the soul oracle tomb is deeply hidden. Even I had to spend a very long time searching before finding it despite possessing some hints on its location. Besides, when I left the tomb, I sealed tightly and concealed it..."

Luo Zhu shook his head.

The inheritance of the soul oracles had been severed since ancient times. The only reason why he could find the soul oracle tomb was due to some information he retrieved from another ancient tomb.

The seniors of the ancient tomb's owner had participated in the building of the soul oracle tomb, and they had left behind some hints on its location inside. It took him great effort to decipher the clues to pinpoint the soul oracle tomb to this area.

He didn't think that there would be another person who would be as lucky as him.

"Then those footprints..." Jin Conghai questioned doubtfully.

"I have no idea either..." Even though he was certain that the location of the soul oracle tomb wouldn't be exposed, he couldn't help but feel slightly worried by those fresh footprints.

"Are these footprints pointed toward the direction of the soul oracle tomb?" Zhang Xuan asked.

After calculating the direction for a moment, Luo Zhu replied, "... That's right."

"There's no point thinking about it here. Let's go up and take a look!" Zhang Xuan waved his hands.

There was no point getting distressed over the matter here. If someone had really beaten them to it, they might as well just go forward to take a look. It would be best if they could share some information regarding the soul oracle tomb, and if not, he would find some way to deal with it then.

Besides, these footprints did not necessarily mean that those people were headed for the soul oracle tomb.

"Un!"

Everyone nodded, and the group proceeded forward.

"The number of footprints are increasing..."

The further they advanced, the more footprints that appeared. It seemed like quite a substantial group was gathered here.

Analyzing the footprints, Jin Conghai said, "These footprints are extremely light, and the distance between every single footprint is almost identical... This means that those people possess a powerful control over the environment. From this, we can conclude the ones who left the footsteps behind were mostly Transcendent Mortal 2-dan or 3-dan experts!"

As a poison master, he was often pursued by his enemies. Thus, in order to protect himself, he had specially studied tracking skills, granting him exceptional acuity in his assessment toward such matters.

"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Zhang Xuan had never studied books regarding tracking, but based on the feedback from the Eye of Insight, he came to the same conclusion as well.

Knowing that the other party was a large group of experts, Jin Conghai's face turned grim. As he advanced forward, he sent a telepathic message to Zhao Feiwu.

"Gongzi, if there is any danger, summon the tamed beast immediately and leave along with the rest!"

Zhao Feiwu turned to him and asked, "What about you?"

"Even though my fighting prowess isn't top-notch in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, I still do possess some life-preserving skills. If I have to take care of the rest of you while in danger, none of us will survive!" Jin Conghai said.

As a poison master, it wouldn't be easy to kill him.

The one thing that poison masters didn't fear at all was encirclement.

"Alright!" Seeing that the other party had already made up his mind, Zhao Feiwu nodded.

Even though plundering was rare under the influence of the Master Teacher Pavilion, it didn't mean that it didn't happen at all.

If they were to come under attack in the wilderness, there would be no one to redress their grievances.

Even if she was the princess of the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, considering how difficult it would be to trace down the culprits, it was unlikely that the enemies would give them any slack.

"You all be careful as well!"

Zhang Xuan turned to instruct Zhao Ya and the others as well before walking in front of them.

Even if he were to meet with danger, with the Eye of Insight, Library of Heaven's Path, and Heaven's Path Movement Art, he was still able to take care of himself. However, his students had just achieved a breakthrough not too long ago, and they had yet to reach Transcendent Mortal realm as well. Thus, they might be unable to cope.

"Yes!"

Seeing their teacher's back in front of them, Zhao Ya and the others found their anxiety disappearing.

Their teacher's silhouette felt like a reliable mountain to them. Regardless of where they were, as long as their teacher was with them, they felt as though there was nothing that they couldn't overcome.

After carefully advancing forward for around a kilometer, the group passed a ridge and saw a valley before them.

The valley was extremely deep, and they couldn't see the end at a single glance. It was filled with all kinds of trees and plants, and due to the high concentration of spiritual energy, they were exceptionally lush. At this point, the footprints from before disappeared as well.

Luo Zhu walked forward and said, "Zhang shi, the soul oracle tomb is within the valley..."

"Un!" Zhang Xuan nodded his head. He was just about to instruct the group to be careful when 'huala!', a few figures appeared from the bushes and blocked the advance of the group.

"Identify yourselves!"

Hostility could be heard the other party's deep voice.

Zhang Xuan glanced at the few figures before him.

There was a total of six men, and all of them were in their thirties. Vaguely, one could sense an aura no weaker than a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan from them. The strongest of them, a gray-robed man, had even reached Transcendent Mortal 3-dan, Yin-Yang realm.

With this kind of strength, he was on par even with that 4-star master teacher Zhang Xuan met before, Song Chao.

"Who are you all?"

Stepping forward, Jin Conghai revealed his cultivation. "What do you all intend to do by hiding here?"

"Transcendent Mortal 4-dan?"

Upon feeling the immense strength Jin Conghai was exerting, the faces of the men paled. They glanced at one another, and eventually, the gray-robed man said, "Elder, our elders are currently doing something inside and they mustn't be interrupted now. I beseech you all to take a detour instead!"

"Detour?"

Frowning, Jin Conghai's face darkened. "We have matters to attend inside as well, I ask of you to give way!"

"Elder, do you intend to barge through?"

Seeing that the other party had no intention to give in, the men's complexion turned awful.

Hualala!

Crisp sounds echoed in the air as they drew their swords.

Even though they were only Transcendent Mortal 2-dan and 3-dan cultivators, they had no intention of stepping back either.

"Hah! Even if I do intend to barge through, do you all think you can stop me?"

With a powerful and authoritative disposition, Jin Conghai stepped forward.

.

.

.

Chapter 493: Hall Master of the Beast Hall

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"I have to try even if I can't!"

The gray-robed man didn't retreat. Instead, he stepped forward and beckoned for the others. Then, all of a sudden, with a light metallic buzz, the few men charged forward simultaneously, and their weapons formed a net of swords headed straight toward Jin Conghai.

Their cultivation was far inferior to Jin Conghai but the powerful sword qi they were emitting felt indomitable.

"A collaborative formation?"

Jin Conghai frowned.

The movements of these men were complementing one another via the usage of a battle formation. Furthermore, from the looks of it, the formation didn't seem to be weak at all. Even with Jin Conghai's superior cultivation realm, he would probably be in for a difficult fight.

The main function of this kind of collaborative formation was to amplify the strength of a group to match up to a cultivator far stronger than them.

It was just like how Zhao Ya, Yuan Tao, and the others were not a match for Lu Xun individually back then, but through the use of a collaborative formation, they still managed to subdue the latter.

Of the six men, the strongest person, the gray-robed man, was only a Transcendent Mortal 3-dan and the rest were all Transcendent Mortal 2-dan. However, through the use of a formation, they could display strength several folds higher.

A wave of sword qi gushed straight at Jin Conghai.

Even when their opponent was a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert, they were still able to stand their ground.

"Hmph!"

Without the slightest fluster, Jin Conghai stomped his feet on the ground and charged forward.

Zhenqi gushed into his fingers as he compressed the surrounding air, deflecting the sword qi that were rushing at him.

This was the first time Zhang Xuan had seen a Transcendent Mortal 4-dan expert fighting at his full strength, and the battle was way beyond his expectations.

Every single one of Jin Conghai's move seemed to carry a unique order. His blows were heavy at a moment, light in the next, and the air in the surroundings seemed to move to complement his movements. Even though the other party's formation was profound and formidable, it wouldn't be easy for them to hurt him.

However, he was restricted by the six swords. It would be difficult for him to break out of it within a short period of time.

Admittedly, if he were to resort to his poison, he could subdue the other party immediately.

However, there wasn't an irreconcilable grudge between him and those men. Also, they weren't worthy of having him reveal his hand as well.

Peng peng peng!

Both sides clashed furiously with one another, but the shock wave was only confined to an area of several dozen meters. This revealed the precise control they had over their strength.

"Let me help you!"

Seeing that it would be impossible for the fight to end in the short run, Hall Master Sai was fearful that if they were to be stalled here for too long, the Demon Cinque Beast might be alarmed. Thus, bellowing deeply, he stepped into the battle as well.

His fighting prowess wasn't inferior to Jin Conghai in the least. With his entry, the collaborative sword formation immediately fell apart, and the six young men were jolted backward.

After several collisions, their swords were knocked away and they fell into a weak state.

Given their cultivation realm, it was impossible for them to face two 4-dan experts simultaneously.

"Alright!"

Seeing that the six men were on the verge of defeat, Hall Master Sai and Jin Conghai prepared to advance forward to deal the final blow when Zhang Xuan suddenly shook his hands. "That's enough, we're all on the same side!"

Hearing those words, everyone was taken aback.

Could it be that Zhang shi knew the other party?

"On the same side?" The gray-robed man was perplexed, and he looked at Zhang Xuan with a bewildered glance.

"I am Beast Tamer Zhang Xuan!"

Ignoring the other party's attitude, Zhang Xuan stepped forward, flicked his wrist, and took out a beast tamer emblem. "If I'm not wrong, all of you are beast tamers as well, right?"

Upon seeing the emblem, the few men immediately heaved a sigh of relief. Flicking their wrists as well, they took out their emblems.

Just as Zhang Xuan had said, they were all beast tamers.

Frowning, Hall Master Sai asked, "You're all from the Beast Hall?"

Probably only the Beast Hall had the capability to dispatch six beast tamers of such strength simultaneously.

"Yes!" The gray-robed man nodded.

"I am Sai Xiaoyu from the Appraiser Hall. May I know if your hall master is Han Chong or Luo Ming?" Hall Master Sai asked.

"It's Hall Master Han Chong! Sai Xiaoyu... Ah, it's Hall Master Sai! Pardon me for my discourtesy..."

Hearing the name, the gray-robed man was taken aback for a moment before a figure appeared in his head and he immediately jolted in fear. He hurriedly clasped his fist and apologized.

There were two Beast Hall branches in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance, and their hall masters were Han Chong and Luo Ming respectively. On the other hand, there was only one Appraiser Hall, and it was located in Honghai City. Even though the cultivation of this Hall Master Sai might be inferior to their hall master, due to the vast connections of the Appraiser Hall, they were both of equal standing.

Given that the other party was of equivalent standing to their hall master, it wasn't a big deal to lose to him.

"Un, so you're Old Han's men. I am old buddies with your Hall Master Han."

Upon knowing the background of the few men before him, Hall Master Sai nodded his head. Then, with slight doubt in his eyes, he asked, "Your Beast Hall branch should be in the vicinity of the Myriad Kingdom City, what are you all doing here?"

The Beast Hall branch which Han Chong was the hall master of was located in the mountains near Myriad Kingdom City. The Nine Fold Mountains were several hundred thousand kilometers away from their base, what could they be doing here?

"Reporting to Hall Master Sai, our hall master is currently in the midst of taming the Demon Cinque Beast..." Knowing that the other party was an old buddy of their hall master, the gray-robed man decided not to hide the matter.

"Taming the Demon Cinque Beast? Didn't your hall master attempt it three years ago but it ended in failure?" Hall Master Sai was perplexed.

The one who led the twelve elders to surround the Demon Cinque three years ago but ended in failure was exactly this Hall Master Han Chong. Could it be that the other party was unwilling to give up and came here to attempt it once more?

"Ever since the failure three years ago, our hall master has been coming here whenever he finds time to interact with the Demon Cinque Beast... After such a long period of time of companionship, their relationship has grown rather intimate... Thus, he intends to give it his all to tame it today. In order to prevent anyone who interrupting him, he ordered us to guard this area and prevent any savage beasts or strangers in!" the gray-robed man replied.

Hall Master Sai nodded his head.

Zhang Xuan also finally understood the situation.

Unlike Zhang Xuan, ordinary beast tamers didn't possess Heaven's Path zhenqi, and they couldn't use it as a bait to convince a savage beast to submit to them. Thus, they could only rely on the fellowship built over a long period of time and win its goodwill to tame it.

Back then, when Mo Yu tamed the Viridescent Eagle, she also used all kinds of treasure to attract it before winning its goodwill.

Given Hall Master Han Chong's ability, three years was probably more than sufficient for him to earn great intimacy with the Demon Cinque Beast. Thus, gauging that it was about time, he decided to tame it in a single go.

Hearing that his old buddy was currently trying to tame spirit beast whose notoriety was known in the entirety of the alliance, Hall Master Sai hesitated for a moment before asking, "Can we go over to take a look? If he were to meet with trouble, we may be able to offer some assistance."

Beast taming was by no means an easy task. It wasn't too much if one could tame it, but failure could potentially unleash the wrath of the spirit beast onto one.

It was said that in the battle three years ago, Hall Master Chong was so severely injured that he had to recuperate on the bed for more than a month.

"Ah... Alright!" After a moment of contemplation, the gray-robed man finally nodded his head. "However, you all must be careful as well. The Demon Cinque Beast is arrogant and violent, make sure not to incur its ire!"

Given Hall Master Sai's esteemed standing, they were clearly not in the position to stop the other party. In any case, the beast taming hadn't started yet and the hall master and the other elders were still in the midst of the preparatory phase. Thus, the latter probably wouldn't blame him if he were to bring some men in.

"Rest assured, I am an old buddy of your hall master. I won't interfere in his affairs!" Hall Master Sai smiled.

It was beneath the dignity of an expert of Hall Master Sai's caliber to lie. Thus, the gray-robed nodded his head before turning to the other men and instructing, "The rest of you shall remain guard here. Don't allow any savage beasts or strangers to pass through!"

After which, he gestured forward and said, "Hall Master Sai, this way please."

The group followed along.

A short distance later, the lush mountain forest suddenly opened up. A waterfall flowed down from the mountain cliff, forming a lake of several hundred meters wide.

Not too far from the lake, an immense cavern could be seen. Outside the cavern stood a few elder, and they seemed to be waiting for something.

Upon hearing the footsteps, they turned around, and the elder standing at the direct center was just about to lash out when he caught sight of Hall Master Sai within the crowd and his eyes lit up, "Hall Master Sai, why are you here?"

"I just happened to be passing by. I was looking for some items when I was stopped by your men. From them, I learned that you intend to attempt taming the Demon Cinque Beast once more. Thus, I decided to come over to take a look," Hall Master Sai said.

The other party was the hall master of the Myriad Kingdom City Beast Hall, Han Chong!

"You also know of my condition. The competition between the two Beast Halls in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance is intense, and only one of the hall masters will obtain the opportunity to study at Huanyu Empire. If I don't tame a spirit beast that towered over the others, there's no guarantee I will get the slot..."

Hall Master Han Chong smiled bitterly.

The two Beast Halls in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance had always been competing with one another. For the opportunity to study at a higher tiered Beast Hall, the two hall masters had been clashing with one another both in the shadows and in the open for several years already.

There was nothing that could prove a beast tamer's capability more than taming a powerful spirit beast.

Thus, for the past three years, Hall Master Han had been trying to tame this Demon Cinque Beast to take the lead.

"That's true... I heard that you've been trying to get close with it for the past three years, how is the progress?" Hall Master Sai asked.

"There isn't much of a difference from before. The Demon Cinque Beast possesses the Dragon Bloodline, thus giving rise to its arrogant and solitary personality. If it could be tamed that easily, I wouldn't have to go through so much trouble! If not for Huanyu Empire's envoy coming in a few days' time, I wouldn't be in such a rush as to thrash it out today!"

Hall Master Han shook his head.

For a spirit beast of this tier, three years was still a little too short. However, Hall Master Han had no other choice. The envoy was about to arrive soon, and if he couldn't tame this fellow before then, he would be at a disadvantageous position as compared to Hall Master Han Ming.

And if he were to fail the selections, it would be impossible for him to become a 5-star beast tamer in his lifetime.

"Then the reason why you all are waiting here is..."

Since they had decided they were going to tame the Demon Cinque Beast, then where was the star of the show? Why would they be gathering here instead of looking for the Demon Cinque Beast?

"It's inside the cavern now. That fellow usually only heads out to hunt during noon. It's still a little too early so it's still sleeping!" Hall Master Han gestured to the cavern.

"Ah!"

Hall Master Sai nodded his head.

"These are your juniors?"

After which, Hall Master Han turned to Zhang Xuan and the others and asked doubtfully.

"Cough cough!"

Upon hearing the other party ask if Zhang shi was his junior, Hall Master Sai immediately jolted in fear. He quickly tried to clarify the matter but Zhang Xuan beat him to it. "I am Zhang Xuan, Hall Master Sai's friend!"

"Friend?"

Hall Master Han was taken aback.

As a 4-star appraiser, Hall Master Sai's standing wasn't beneath his in any way. Why would he become a friend with a lad who wasn't even twenty yet?

Perplexed, Hall Master Han asked, "May I know... what Brother Zhang's occupation is?"

"Reporting to the hall master, he's a 2-star beast tamer. I saw his emblem just a moment ago!"

Before Zhang Xuan could reply, the gray-robed man by the side interjected.

"2-star beast tamer?"

Hall Master Han's bizarre expression deepened.

There were many of beast tamers of such level in the Beast Hall. When did Hall Master Sai fall so low as to become friends with such a person?

.

.

.

Chapter 494: Snatching

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

"So, Little Brother is a beast tamer as well. To be able to reach 2-star at such a young age, the younger generation sure is impressive!"

Even though Hall Master Han was perplexed, he didn't allow his true thoughts to slip through. Clasping his hands, he spoke politely before turning his attention away.

A 2-star beast tamer under twenty was impressive, but in their Beast Hall, it wasn't a particularly rare sight.

Hearing the other party's perfunctory words, Zhang Xuan couldn't be bothered to explain himself.

His aim here was the soul oracle tomb. It didn't matter to him whether the other party viewed him highly or not. It would suffice as long as the other party didn't interfere in his affairs.

"Hall Master Han, Zhang..."

Seeing the attitude of his old buddy, Hall Master Sai immediately realized that the other party might be misunderstanding something. He immediately spoke up to explain the matter when the ground before them suddenly tremored and a loud voice echoed.

Roar!

A loud howl reminiscent of thunder boomed, and the leaves from the nearby withered trees immediately fell to the ground.

"Impressive!"

Zhang Xuan's eyebrows shot up.

Just the voice in itself was sufficient jolt a cultivator beneath Zongshi realm to death.

For a single roar to be so incredible, as expected of a famous spirit beast in the Myriad Kingdom Alliance. It was indeed a fearsome existence.

"It's awake, let's begin!"

Hall Master Han's eyes lit up. He immediately turned around to instruct the elders.

Upon hearing the instructions, the elders nodded and stepped forward. One of them flicked their wrist.

Boom!

The massive corpse of a spirit beast appeared on the ground.

"The corpse of a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan [Deerhorde Beast]? You all even managed to hunt down one of those?"

Upon seeing the corpse, Zhao Feiwu's eyebrows leaped and a look of disbelief surfaced on her face.

"This spirit beast is incredible?" Sun Qiang asked doubtfully.

"The Deerhorde Beast is only a Transcendent Mortal 2-dan spirit beast and it isn't particularly strong. However, it possesses extraordinary speed. Its meat is fresh and juicy, making it a favored prey among spirit beasts and cultivators. Unfortunately, their numbers are severely limited and there might not be a single one across the entire Nine Folds Mountain. It must have surely cost a lot of time and effort to capture one!"

Due to her illness, Zhao Feiwu wasn't able to move around freely. Thus, she devoted her time to books. Given the unique nature of the Deerhorde Beast, she remembered it clearly.

Hearing the conversation of the two, the gray-robed man proudly explained, "Looks like you know quite a bit. This Deerhorde Beast took seventeen beast tamers over a course of half a year to hunt! It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that this is the only hunted Deerhorde Beast within the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance at the moment. It'll be impossible to find a second one on the market!"

Even though the cultivation of Deerhorde Beast wasn't too high, it possessed high wariness and it was exceptionally cunning. If not for so many beast tamers being dispatched for it, it would surely be impossible to capture it.

"Un!" Even though the other party was being narcissistic, Zhao Feiwu knew that there wasn't any mistake in saying so.

It was indeed extremely difficult to capture this beast. Back then, a prince of the alliance (the household of the Alliance Head) was ill and required the heart of the Deerhorde Beast for treatment. Thus, the Alliance Head Residence offered a high monetary reward for the acquirement of this spirit beast but there was no result for five whole years.

Eventually, due to the lack of medicine, the prince's physical condition deteriorated and he eventually died.

It was also because of this that she flipped through the books and learned of the Deerhorde Beast.

"Not only is the flesh of the Deerhorse Beast fresh and juicy, more importantly, this spirit beast feeds on spirit herbs. Despite its weak cultivation, it is overflowing with spiritual energy, making it no different from a tonic. If a spirit beast were to consume it, they would be able to easily overcome their current bottleneck and reach higher realms!"

Hall Master Sai interjected. "In other words, it's a mobile Realm Breakthrough Pill!"

"I see. So, they are intending to use the corpse of this fellow to please the Demon Cinque Beast!"

Coming to an understanding, Sun Qiang was astonished.

To think that they would even procure such a rare and difficult to hunt spirit beast to tame this Demon Cinque Beast. The hall master of the Beast Hall had truly gone all out this time.

While they were discussing this matter, Hall Master Han took in a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Brother Demon Cinque, I've prepared the items I told you about already. They are right here, come out and take a look!"

The voice echoed into the cave. There was a moment of silence, and the atmosphere grew tenser by the moment. Just as everyone was about to reach their limit, a loud gust of the wind blew out from within and a gigantic figure flew out.

It was a massive spirit beast possessing a height of around seven to eight meters. When its wings were spread apart, its length reached more than thirty meters long. Its eyes were scarlet as though fresh blood, giving it a fearsome appearance. At the same time, its body is filled with resilient-looking scales, reflecting its outstanding defensive capability.

The Transcendent Mortal 4-dan pinnacle aerial spirit beast that everyone within the Myriad Kingdom Alliance feared... the Demon Cinque!

Roarrr!

As though having comprehended the words of Hall Master Han, the massive savage beast looked at the Deerhorde Beast corpse placed in front of him with fiery eyes.

Spirit beasts were already capable of absorbing spiritual energy to cultivate, and they possessed intelligence not beneath that of a human.

The corpse of this Deerhorde Beast was producing the deep fragrance of herbs and an intense spiritual energy disturbance. At this moment, its instincts were telling it that if it were to consume it, its cultivation would surely soar. Even if it wasn't able to reach Transcendent Mrotal 5-dan, it wouldn't be too far from it then. Under such circumstances, how could it not feel agitated?

"Brother Demon Cinque, as long as you promise to a condition of mine, this Deerhorde Beast will be yours!"

Seeing that its interest was piqued, Hall Master Han chuckled lightly.

Roarrr!

The Demon Cinque Beast turned its head to Hall Master Han, as though indicating its willingness to listen to the conditions of the latter.

"For the past three years, Brother Demon Cinque and I have been spending much time together, and I believe you should know have a clear understanding of what kind of person I am. My condition is simple... I hope that you can become my tamed beast!" Hall Master Han said. "Don't worry, we can sign an equal contract. This way, I won't be able to force you to do anything you are reluctant to!"

Roarrrrrr!

Hearing that it had to become a tamed beast, the Demon Cinque Beast's face immediately warped in savagery and it roared in displeasure. It emanated a deep aura of hostility that left one's hair standing on ends.

It seemed to be saying that if Hall Master Han dared to continue talking about the matter, it would surely make a move.

As a bearer of the Dragon Bloodline, it was of esteemed standing. How could it possibly be willing to submit to a mere human and serve as its lackey?

"You shouldn't be in such a hurry to make your decision!"

Seeing how the other party refused him without the slightest hesitation, Hall Master Han's complexion turned awful. However, he quickly veiled it and chuckled, "I believe you should know of my standing among the humans. I am the head of the Beast Hall, a figure respected by many. Brother Demon Cinque, as long as you follow me, I will treat you as my peer and fulfill anything you ask of to the best of my ability! The lifespan of spirit beasts might be long, but how long does it take for you to raise your cultivation by absorbing spiritual energy from the surroundings? You will be entitled to much better resources if you were to follow me!"

After finishing those words, Hall Master Han beckoned to the elders behind.

A few elders stepped forward and a bunch of spirit stones appeared on the floor.

They were all low-tier spirit stones but they stacked up into a mini mountain. There was at least several thousand of them, and their appearance immediately caused the spiritual energy in the surroundings to surge. Just by taking a whiff, one could feel their pores opening up and an indescribable feeling of comfort would envelop one.

Humans weren't the only one who could utilize spirit stones for their cultivation; spirit beasts were the same as well.

Cultivating through absorbing spiritual energy from spirit stones would surely be much faster than simply absorbing spiritual energy from the surroundings.

"There's a total of 8000 spirit stones here. As long as you agree to the condition, I can give them all to you right now," Hall Master Han said.

The reason why he could take out so many spirit stones while Hall Master Sai wasn't able to was not because the latter was poor. Rather, Hall Master Sai had spent the bulk of his money on collectibles, resulting in the amount of spirit stones he could take out at a moment to be severely limited. In terms of total assets, the latter would surely be far superior.

It was just like those antique collectors in the world Zhang Xuan lived in prior to his transcension. If those collectors were to sell their entire collection, they would surely be drowning in cash. However, as finding a suitable buyer for these items were difficult, the amount of cash they could take out at a given time might not compare up to some of the wealthier merchants.

"If you aren't interested in these spirit stones, you might be interested in this!"

Seeing the lack of response from the Demon Cinque Beast after taking out the bunch of spirit stones, Hall Master Han hesitated for a moment before gritting his teeth. Flicking his wrist, he took out a jade box.

Slowly opening it, a spirit stone came into sight.

Boom!

The moment the box was opened, the spiritual energy in the surroundings immediately grew so dense that it was nearly tangible. It felt as though as long as one was holding onto the spirit stone, even if one didn't attempt to absorb it, the spiritual energy would still seep into one's body, enhancing one's body.

To put it simply, if one were to place this spirit stone by the side of an infant, even if the latter didn't cultivate, nourished by the spiritual energy contained within it, his body would become incredibly powerful and it would be immune to common illnesses. In less than two months, its physical body would become no weaker than that of a Pigu realm cultivator.

"Could this be a... middle-tier spirit stone?"

Zhang Xuan clenched his fists tightly in agitation.

Having read innumerable books, he knew a thing about two on the various tiers of spirit stones.

The spirit stones in his possession at the moment were of the most inferior grade, low-tier spirit stones.

Low-tier spirit stones were sufficient to support the cultivation of a cultivator of Transcendent Mortal 4-dan and below. Any higher than that would require spirit stones of higher grade.

Taking Zhang Xuan for example, due to the incredible purity of Heaven's Path zhenqi, even though he was only at Transcendent Mortal 1-dan Prolonged Longevity realm pinnacle, low-tier spirit stones were already nearly ineffective on his cultivation. If he wanted to reach Origin Energy realm, on top of completing the Heaven's Path Divine Art of that level, more importantly, he needed a middle-tier spirit stone!

That spirit stone in Hall Master Han's hand was more than sufficient for his cultivation to rise from Prolonged Longevity realm pinnacle to Origin Energy realm pinnacle.

While quantity could make up for the disparity in quality, this logic only applied if the disparity in quality wasn't too great in the first place.

With sufficient straw, one might be able to buy a diamond. However, the properties of a straw could never achieve the properties of a diamond.

Thus, even though ten thousand low-tier spirit stones could be exchanged for a middle-tier spirit stone, it couldn't replace the effectiveness of a single middle-tier spirit stone.

"That's right, it is a middle-tier spirit stone!"

Not expecting his old buddy to take out such an invaluable object, Hall Master Sai's eyes widened in shock.

Middle-tier spirit stones were incomparably expensive. There wasn't more than a handful of it throughout the entire Myriad Kingdom Alliance. The value of it could only be greater than the Deerhorde Beast!

Roarrr!

Seeing the middle-tier spirit stone, the eyes of the Demon Cinque Beast grew even redder.

In truth, Hall Master Han's heart was also bleeding from taking out his greatest treasure. However, he knew that it would be impossible to hook in the Demon Cinque Beast without this much. Thus, clenching his jaws, he continued, "As long as Brother Demon Cinque agrees to becoming my tamed beast, this middle-tier spirit stone will be yours... Hm? Brother Demon Cinque, what are you intending to do..."

Before he could finish his words, the Demon Cinque Beast flapped in massive wings and charged forward. Its talons swooped forward swiftly amidst raging winds to grab the spirit stone in Hall Master Han's hand.

"Snatching? The heck!"

.

.

.

Chapter 495: Fearmongering

Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97

Hall Master Han felt dismal.

Over the past three years, regardless of what the other party wished for, he had definitely given his all to procuring it just to please the other party. All he wished was to earn the other party's gratitude so that the other party would consider their relationship when he tried to tame it...

Yet, this fellow forgot about their relationship as soon as a treasure appeared, and even went to the extent of snatching it...

The heck! Could he be any greedier than this?

If only he knew that the other party was so ungrateful, he would have never gone through so much trouble!

"Activate the formation!"

Judging from how the other party was ferociously charging at him, it probably didn't have any intention of stopping until it laid its claws on the middle-tier spirit stone. Knowing that this wasn't the time to get depressed, Hall Master Han bellowed.

Since the carrot didn't work... He could only utilize his final resort!

Forcing the other party to submit through violence!

This was the least preferable method due to the overwhelming strength of the Demon Cinque Beast. Even though the Beast Hall had the numerical advantage, capturing it alive was a terribly difficult task.

If not for such, Hall Master Han wouldn't have wasted his three years pleasing the other party.

While he was confident that he could convince the other party to submit through three years of relationship and the allure of profits, he still made preparations for the worst possible scenario... He had set up a formation here in advance in case something went wrong!

To think that he would really end up using it!

"Yes!"

Nodding their heads, the elders dashed off in four different directions, and driving the zhenqi in their body to the maximum, they grabbed at the air before them.

Boom!

At a distance several hundred meters in front of the crowd, a mist slowly drifted into appearance, catching the Demon Cinque Beast off guard. In its short moment of hesitation, the mist completely surrounded it.

"It's a Confinement Formation!"

Having learned the Heaven's Path Formation Art, even without utilizing the Library of Heaven's Path, Zhang Xuan's comprehension of formations was comparable to a 4-star pinnacle formation master.

"Iron Chain Confinement Formation!"

Recognizing it, Jin Conghai's eyes narrowed.

"That's right!" Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

Iron Chain Confinement Formation was a formation created by a 4-star pinnacle formation master more than a thousand year ago. It made use of the violent spiritual energy in the natural surroundings to form overlapping iron chains that bound lifeforms trapped within its area of effect. Even struggling free of the chains was a huge hurdle, needless to say, escaping from the formation.

A grade-4 pinnacle Confinement Formation!

Staring at the impressive formation before him, Zhang Xuan remarked, "It seems like Hall Master Han is truly determined to capture this fellow!"

A formation of this level couldn't be set up on a whim. A formation master had to study the geographical terrain in advance to determine the various hiding spots for the formation flag. Afterward, he had to hide the formation flags underground without leaving the slightest trace so as to not incur the suspicion of the Demon Cinque Beast...

Even for a 4-star pinnacle formation master, it was impossible to achieve this without several months of preparation.

"Indeed. If I'm not mistaken, in the past three years, on top of pleasing this large fellow, he has made a lot of various preparations beneath the surface as well."

Hall Master Sai smiled bitterly.

Given the duration of time required to set up the formation and that the assistance of a 4-star pinnacle formation master was required, it seemed like his old buddy was determined to make this operation a success.

It was probably after he suffered a setback three years ago that he thought of this idea. On the surface, he did his best to please the Demon Cinque Beast, but in the shadows, he secretly hired others to set up this formation in case things didn't go as planned.

Zhang Xuan shrugged.

"It's perfectly normal for him to do this. A beast tamer must always consider the possibility of failure. If he couldn't do this much, he couldn't have possibly become a 4-star beast tamer!"

Not even high-rank beast tamers could guarantee their taming to be successful every single time, especially when dealing with a ferocious and proud spirit beast.

Hall Master Han had already failed once. If he were to confront the Demon Cinque Beast without sufficient preparation in hopes of taming it, he wouldn't be worthy of his position as the head of the Beast Hall, a 4-star pinnacle beast tamer.

Roar!

While the group was chatting, the trapped Demon Cinque Beast realized that he had fallen for the other party's ploy and it howled furiously. It went on a rampage and destructive force shook the surroundings.

"It's futile!"

Hall Master Han harrumphed as he walked forward. With a flick of his wrist, a screen appeared in front of his crowd, reflecting the current circumstance of the Demon Cinque Beast.

At Transcendent Mortal 4-dan, its zhenqi had already evolved into Origin Energy, allowing it to utilize unimaginable means.

This screen was similar to the wall in the corridor housing the Sea of Formations in the Formation Master Guild, allowing one to clearly view the situation within the formation, as well as serving as a platform to communicate with the prisoner inside.

The thick chains created through immense quantity of spiritual energy locked the Demon Cinque Beast firmly in place. The feared Demon Cinque Beast thrashed around violently, trying to free itself from its confines, but to no avail.

"I've already told you, it's futile! I advise you not to waste your strength!"

Hearing its frenzied howl, Hall Master Han chuckled lightly.

Roarrrr!

Hearing those words, the rage of the Demon Cinque Beast crescendoed.

Three years of fellowship had made it lower its wariness toward the other party. Otherwise, how could it possibly overlook a formation that was set up at the entrance of its nest?

It didn't expect this to put it into a perilous situation. Resentment gushed through its mind like a huge torrent, and if looks could kill, Hall Master Han would have been torn into countless shreds by now.

"This is a grade-4 pinnacle formation. You might be powerful but it'll be impossible for you to escape without knowing the correct method. Why don't we continue our previous conversation? As long as you promise to become my tamed beast, everything I've promised you before still holds. If not... I believe you should be more than aware of your current circumstances. It might be a pity to kill you, but you're no use to me otherwise," Hall Master Han said.

In truth, he didn't want to come to this step. Even if he were to successfully tame the Demon Cinque Beast after this, it would be impossible for him to win the heart of the latter. That would be equivalent to a potential threat hanging over his neck.

But the other party simply refused to submit to him, even going to the extent of snatching his item. Left with no choice, he could only resort to this.

Roarrr!

Seething with anger, the Demon Cinque Beast glared at Hall Master Han with its massive eyes.

"You need not give me your answer so quickly. I have the time to wait for you!" Seeing its attitude, Hall Master Han shook his head. Even so, he wasn't anxious in the least.

Since the other party was already trapped, at the very most, he just had to expend more spirit stones to sustain the formation. No matter what, Hall Master Han was determined to tame the other party. Even though he had threatened to kill the other party, that was more of a mean to coerce the other party into submission. After all, once the other party was killed, his three years of effort would have gone in vain.

Infuriated, the Demon Cinque Beast struggled. However, it wasn't able to struggle free of the iron chains which bound it tightly. Eventually, realizing that it couldn't free itself of its confines like that, it lay down and slowly closed his eyes.

"Hall master, what do we do?"

Seeing that the huge fellow had calmed down instead, the other elders stared at one another in confusion before walking up to Hall Master Han.

"What else can we do other than wait? Elder Hu, take out the Deerhorse Beast and roast it. Make sure that the aroma reaches the Demon Cinque Beast. I don't believe that gluttonous fellow can hold himself back when such delicacy is placed before him!" Hall Master Han said.

Even when raw, the Deerhorde Beast carried the deep aroma of herbs. Roasting it would surely whet one's appetite.

As an embodiment of gluttony, it would be a wonder if the Demon Cinque Beast could hold itself back.

Honestly speaking, Hall Master Han's mastery in the art of beast taming was truly formidable. The aroma of the Deerhorde Beast was a clear contrast of the Demon Cinque Beast's current plight and the other possibility if it were to give in. This would surely gnaw at the other party's determination, luring it into submission...

An ordinary spirit beast would have surely given in at this point.

"Yes!" Elder Hu nodded. Just as he was about to start the fire to roast the Deerhorde Beast, the 2-star beast tamer from before shook his head with a helpless look and said impassively, "I advise you not to roast the Deerhorde Beast!"

Elder Hu frowned, "Why?"

Not expecting that a mere 2-star beast tamer would interfere in their affairs, Hall Master Han and the other elders stared at one another as displeasure appeared on their faces.

Even the least capable of them was a 4-star primary beast tamer, and it was common consensus that roasting the Deerhorde Beast was the best course of action at the moment. Otherwise, there would be nothing they could do... Yet, a 2-star beast tamer was dared to refute their decision?

"Nothing much, I just fear that the situation might evolve beyond your control if you were to roast it!"

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan decided to say no more.

Even though he was a master teacher, he wasn't a Samaritan. There was no need for him to interfere in everything.

Besides, the other party seemed to be looking down on him.

"It's just the roasting of a Deerhorde Beast, what kind of situation could happen from it?" Seeing how the young lad wasn't able to back up his claim, Elder Hu harrumphed coldly.

Did he really take all of them 4-star beast tamers as fools? If catastrophe could really come from this, they would have long noticed it already before a mere 2-star beast tamer could.

"Forget it if you aren't willing to listen!" Zhang Xuan sighed.

He had done his part already. Since the other party was reluctant to listen, he wasn't willing to speak any further as well.

"Humph, seems like you're just a fearmongering, arrogant brat!"

Elder Hu flung his sleeves.

The others also didn't seem too pleased by Zhang Xuan's comment.

This was especially so for Hall Master Han. If not in consideration that the other party was Hall Master Sai's friend, he would have surely lashed out already.

What did a mere 2-star beast tamer know to dare to speak up on their affairs? How boorish!

"Enough, go and roast the Deerhorde Beast!"

With a cold expression, Hall Master Han waved his hands.

Initially, he still held some considerations over the other party given how Hall Master Sai addressed the other party as his friend. However, from the looks of it now, he was just a rude liar.

The situation might evolve beyond control? It was just the roasting of a Deerhorde Beast, what could happen? Other than testing a person's tolerance, what else could possibly happen?

"Yes!"

Nodding his head, Elder Hu, along with some of elders, stacked up some firewood and started roasting the Deerhorde Beast.

As beast tamers, they often had to camp in the wilderness for many days to lay in wait for a savage beast. Thus, it was inevitable that they would pick up such basic survival skills.

Hu hu hu!

Soon, the campfire was lit and the Deerhorde Beast was placed on top. Tzzzzzz, sizzling sound echoed as a deep aroma began wafting in the area.

Roasting the Deerhorde Beast, which had lived by feeding off spirit herbs, further brought out the fragrance hidden in its body. The roasting had just barely begun, but the crowd was already salivating.

"Let's retreat!"

Catching a whiff of the fragrance, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"Retreat?" Hall Master Sai and the others were taken aback.

"Un. We should be at least several hundred meters away or else we might be implicated as well!"

Saying so nonchalantly, Zhang Xuan took the lead and retreated away from the Deerhorde Beast.

As soon as he walked away, Zhao Ya, Zhao Feiwu, and the others hurriedly followed along.

Hall Master Sai was put in a position, but after hesitating for a moment, he chose to tag along as well.

"These fellows..."

Seeing how the group turned around and left, saying that they might be implicated, bulging veins appeared on Hall Master Han's forehead, and he nearly erupted.

Failing to tame that huge fellow had already filled him with rage, and the depressing words of this fellow were threatening to ignite his rage.

You are just a 2-star beast tamer! To act as though an unfathomable expert with that deep expression of yours... Why don't you just become an actor?!