016: The Artifact

A large summoning circle appeared below his feet, covering the entire floor of the tavern.

Soon enough, a huge white serpent emerged from the shadow below him. Not too slow nor too fast, but enough to inspire their mind with the horror that's about to happen.

"N-no way! You summoned a High-rank beast?! You must be a demon!"

Arthur was confused, he recalled that Xiaoqing was just an Uncommon Rank beast when he tamed her. There was nothing special about it at all.

"Huh? High-rank beast? Is there a gap of knowledge that I have compared to theirs? Wait a minute, my 'Knowledge' is based on the warring era of this land which is a few decades ahead. It makes sense that humans in this current era don't have a proper knowledge regarding the beasts' power level since most of the stronger beasts dwell deep in the wilderness."

After contemplating for a while, he decided to spare Tiger Shen for some information. "Xiaoqing don't kill him y-"

It's too late, the serpent beast already snatched Tiger Shen's head in an instant.

Everything happened in a flash, even Hui Ying having a hard time processing the horrific scene in front of her.

Not only her, those bandits were petrified in place and some of them were pissing themselves wet.

"Well shit…"

The bandits tried to flee but the beast serpent was too much for them to handle.

With its huge single fang, Xiaoqing went into full killing mode and left no man alive.

The brown oak floor soon flooded by liters of blood.

Every single one of them were dead without a head attached to their neck.

[One Fanged Viper absorbed 20 Uncommon Beast Core!]

[One Fanged Viper received 20 Beast Points!]

Arthur was very satisfied with the result, "Yep… just as expected from beautiful Xiaoqing. Hahaha!"

"Master! Is this the familiar you were talking about earlier?! One Fanged Viper is a very rare species! I thought it went extinct a hundred years ago!" Hui Ying was also astonished.

"Well… Maybe she is the last of her kinds. Anyway! Let's meet with Ming and Yin. They might have been waiting for us by now."

"But how are we going to cover this mess?" Hui Ying said.  She was a little concerned about what might come after the massacre.

"Why bother? The authorities within this town must be so happy knowing that their nuisance was handled for free."

"I couldn't agree more… You are right, they are just trash in the form of humans after all."

"Then let's go! Xiaoqing, are you done yet? Come on, get back to my shadow."

The serpent beast slithered around and dove into his shadow as if everything had never happened.

***

As they canter their horses towards the Magic Portal site, Hui Ying was still in shock a bit, it's been years since the last she saw such a carnage.

"Hui Ying, are you okay?"

"Yes, Master. I'm just a bit surprised. I know that you are a strong individual even though your Cultivation stage is still low at this point. But, I would've never guessed that you are a literal Beast Master."

"Is Beast Master such a rare sight even in this region."

"It is very rare, even in the entire Argoth Continent. A Beast Master is like Saint for the Beastkin as well as for us, Demons. Legend has it, only few Beast Master ever recorded in history. However, I heard that the Beast Master ability originated from the Dragon Rider from the ancient era."

Arthur listened to her lore and tales very closely. "What happened to this Dragon Rider?"

"No one knows for certain. Some say that they were wiped out during the Great War. Some say that they are hiding somewhere."

"What intriguing legends. But too bad we have to call it off. Seems like there is a problem at the Magic Portal site."

There was a huge commotion in front of the site as they approached. Dozens of travelers raised their hands and yelled to guards.

"Come on! Let us pass the portal!"

"My child is sick! I need to get a special herb that only grows in the Northern Wilderness!"

Bunch of people started to plead and rushed their way. However, the guards were undaunted. They were guards from the Holy Church itself, which had individual strength equivalent to a 4 Star Realm Warrior.

Meanwhile, Ming and Yin appeared from the crowd after their attempts to pass were futile.

"Arthur! Where the hell have you been? Look, the portal is out of order because you took so long!"

"Sorry… I was getting robbed by bandits but I managed to defeat them."

"Bandits?"

"It's not your concern. What happened here?" Arthur asked as he slid down from the back of his horse.

"Holy Church's Knights. They said, there is a beast stampede on the other side. We can't pass the portal since it will attract the beasts upon its activation and charge the portal instead." Ming replied with such agitation on his face.

"Well… A beast outbreak surely will wipe out this entire town anyway. So… is there any other way?"

Yin answered for her lover, "Yes… there is one. But… It will take quite some time to get there. We can take an airship at the West Coast, sailing through the sky and landing at Thorz City. Just outside the Northern Wilderness."

Ming glanced at her because she was blabbering too much.

Of course, Arthur caught that one and made him intrigued by the item that they lost during their journey.

"There she is…" Arthur smirked on one side of his lips as he realized that he was onto something.

"But before we continue, I would like to ask both of you regarding the item. Why did the timberwolves take it from you? I know that timberwolves are one of the smartest beast species, but they rarely attack humans, let alone steal human's goods. What is it, exactly?"

Ming's face changed drastically, his gaze was so vicious as his Qi surging out.

"It's not your concern, you peasant!"

"Bingo!" Arthur was so excited when he hit the mark.

Arthur raised both of his hands, he couldn't help but shake his head. "Well… Actually, my only interest is about the Timberwolves. However, the item is mine if I'm able to retrieve it myself."

"Come Hui Ying… We have work to do!" He says while mounting his horse.

Before the two galloping away, Yin stood in front of them with open hands.

"W-wait! We can talk about this. In fact, we might need your help to retrieve it back. This item is a very precious thing. This is our clan's heirloom, the Crystal of Thousands Years Cicadas that is able to rejuvenate oneself."

"YIN! Why you-" Ming was snapped and about to slap her really hard, however, he was able to control his rage and lower his hand at the last moment.

"I am sorry…" she apologized.

"It seems like I have some information regarding that ancient-crystalized insect from the knowledge that she gave me." Arthur dove deep into his mind to search it. He opened his eyes once he found what he needed.

'The true nature of the Crystal Of Thousands Years Cicadas wasn't just that. But it is actually a Heavenly Artifact that could reverse the time of oneself!'

"Bloody hell… This one is a hell of an Artifact innit? No wonder they are really eager to retrieve it back!" Arthur muttered inwardly.

"Alright! Since this is a very precious item for your family. I will help you, but not for free of course."

Ming let out a long sigh before agreeing to his terms and conditions. For him, as the young master of respected clan, thousands of gold coins was nothing compared to the priceless artifact. "Alright… Our family will reward you handsomely, is ten thousand coins would suffice you well?"

"Hmm..." Arthur rub his chin, calculating his gain and lost for a moment. "Most likely, yes. That's not a bad number. Alright, I'll take it!"

"Deal?" Arthur offered a handshake to Ming which quite an uncommon gesture to use in eastaros.

Henceforth, Ming responded with a cupped fist and bowed his head at Arthur. "Yes. I swear upon my family's name to reward you decently upon retrieving our heirloom."

"Good... let's get going."