Chapter 114: Grudges Do Not Last Overnight

Kong Qing's forehead lifted slightly, seemingly quite pleased.

"My Bishi Ferret has a trace of the bloodline of an ancient exotic beast, which makes it exceptionally sensitive to auras. It's not surprising that it detected the killing intent."

Lu An showed an enlightened expression and asked, "Ancient exotic beasts? That's impressive. Does your Bishi Ferret possess a natal divine ability?"

Kong Qing looked at him with surprise and then laughed.

"Brother Lu, you're asking as if you don't know much. All beasts with a bloodline have a natal divine ability."

"It's just that the strength of the bloodline determines the nature of the divine ability."

"For example, my Bishi Ferret can…"

At this point, the elder leading the group cleared his throat.

Realizing he had misspoken, Kong Qing stopped.

Lu An's mind stirred. So, as long as a beast has an ancient bloodline, it naturally possesses a natal divine ability. It seems Little Black might also have some sort of bloodline, and its power is not weak.

He pondered for a moment and continued, "Natal divine ability? Daoist Kong, could you elaborate?"

"That's simple. Take the well-known True Dragon as an example. Its divine ability is to control the elements of heaven and earth, and it can master it from birth."

"Further categorized, there are Water Dragons, Fire Dragons, Wind Dragons, etc. Each True Dragon is different, but they all have the ability to control the elements."

Lu An's eyes widened with understanding and excitement. "These ancient exotic beasts truly seem to possess the essence of heaven and earth to develop such powerful divine abilities."

"I've heard that some special exotic beasts can control space, traversing through various realms at will. That's truly enviable."

As someone from a Beast Tamer family, Kong Qing's lifelong wish was to tame an ancient exotic beast as his own spirit beast. Hearing Lu An speak of this, he became quite animated.

"Space divine ability? You must be referring to Zhu Jiuyin."

"Indeed, it is also called the Candle Dragon by many. This dragon is different from the True Dragon; it is born without claws and excels in the path of space. It resides deep in the spatial realm and is virtually undetectable by ordinary people."

Lu An was shaken internally and asked nonchalantly, "Do such exotic beasts also need to cultivate from the Qi Refining stage like us?"

Kong Qing seemed to find this amusing and shook his head.

"Not at all. Such ancient exotic beasts, right from birth, are at least at the Nascent Soul or even higher cultivation level. They are not comparable to us."

"But they also have their flaws. The stronger their bloodline, the harder it is for them to take form."

"Some ancient exotic beasts spend billions of years and still cannot successfully take form before dying."

Lu An dismissed his previous guess. "It seems Little Black is not Zhu Jiuyin but may only have a trace of its bloodline."

He cupped his hands in a gesture of thanks and smiled, "Daoist Kong, your insights have truly broadened my horizons."

Kong Qing's forehead involuntarily lifted as he slowly spoke, "I only learned so much from the records of my clan. It's nothing special."

However, his expression clearly showed great pride.

Lu An's thoughts raced, and he cupped his hands again, saying, "Daoist Kong, after hearing your explanation, I've developed a strong interest in the path of beast taming. Do you have any techniques on beast taming that you could trade? I would be willing to exchange equally."

Kong Qing looked at him with surprise, then shook his head vigorously.

"No, no. My methods are family secrets and cannot be exchanged with Brother Lu."

Then, scratching his head awkwardly, he added, "However, I do have some general knowledge about beast taming. If you're interested, I can give it to you."

Lu An was delighted and thanked him repeatedly.

Kong Qing was also pleased. The knowledge of beast taming was easy to obtain and wasn't a significant secret. Moreover, he got along well with Lu An and thought it would be good to make a friend this way.

He took out a jade slip from his storage bag and handed it to Lu An.

Lu An glanced over briefly and felt that it was just what he needed. He cupped his fists and asked Kong Qing about beast taming.

As they chatted, they had unknowingly arrived at the location of the teleportation array. The Hall Master stepped forward and addressed everyone:

"The exit of the teleportation array is set on the outskirts of the capital. At our speed, it will only take one day to reach."

"Once we reach the capital, all actions must be in accordance with orders. Do not cause trouble. Do you all understand?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, paid the teleportation fee, and then stepped into the array.

Lu Jinqiu was a bit impatient; he had decided to part ways with the group as soon as they exited the array to avoid giving Lu An an opportunity to strike.

Lu An, on the other hand, had a blank expression as he stood next to him, seemingly lost in thought.

Then, with a flash of light, everyone in the array disappeared.

Unnoticed by anyone, a small snake on Lu An's wrist sensed the teleportation wave and suddenly emitted an invisible light membrane, enveloping him within.

On the outskirts of the capital, at the teleportation array.

Several figures appeared suddenly. The long-distance teleportation had a significant impact on everyone, leaving them disoriented and still in a daze.

After a moment, the Hall Master and the elderly member of the Beast Taming Clan were the first to regain their senses.

They turned to look at the others and were shocked.

Lu Jinqiu lay in a pool of blood, his eyes wide open, and there was a massive hole in his dantian, which had pierced through his body.

At this moment, everyone also regained their senses and, upon seeing this, were stunned.

"Who did this?"

"What happened? Was it an enemy attack?"

The Hall Master and the elderly man exchanged glances, then focused on Lu An. Seeing that he also seemed to have just recovered from the daze, they said nothing.

The two approached Lu Jinqiu's corpse, inspected it, and then shook their heads.

With Lu Jinqiu's dantian destroyed, he had already lost all life.

There were no signs of anyone else having been there, meaning the culprit must be among them.

The primary suspect was Lu An. He had had a conflict with Lu Jinqiu earlier, and it hadn't been long before Lu Jinqiu had met his end.

However, what puzzled them was that with Lu An's cultivation, he should not have recovered from the long-distance teleportation before them. How could he have acted?

While they pondered, a soldier approached from the distance.

"Who dares to commit such a crime here? Seize them at once!"

The surrounding soldiers quickly surrounded them, brandishing their weapons.

The Hall Master snorted coldly, and his late-stage Core Formation power erupted suddenly.

"We are here to participate in the His Majesty's Shui Tian Fa Conference. If our schedule is delayed, can you take responsibility?"

The soldiers' breaths momentarily caught. It wasn't until one of them stepped forward to block the Core Formation pressure that they relaxed.

"Late-stage Core Formation, quite a display of power."

The soldier, holding a silver spear, raised his hand to point at the crowd, clearly showing his own Core Formation level.

Although his cultivation was only at the early stage, he was not afraid.

"Daring to commit such acts before me, regardless of who you are, capture them!"

The Hall Master and the elderly man looked anxious. If they truly had to fight these soldiers, they wouldn't dare to do so.

These were the royal guards, directly under the Emperor of Da Qi. Though their official ranks were low, their influence was considerable.

As the soldiers prepared to take action, the middle-aged man holding the silver spear suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

He then approached Lu An, examined him closely, and asked uncertainly:

"Are you Lu An from Yongning County?"