Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

It was a moonless night in late autumn. The world was plunged into gloom, and the banks of the great river were shrouded in darkness. The waves of the Nu River were like a bolt of black satin, rustling as they swept across the sandy shore.

The only exception was a rocky beach on the south bank, where a bright light cast a myriad of intersecting shadows. The edge of the illumination looked like a ghostly domain.

Three figures stood within the illuminated area. In the center, a pale-faced man was recounting his recent ordeal:

"After I followed him into the Barbaric Wilderness, I was suddenly attacked by a Gudiao, a Golden Core Demon Beast. I suspect that man was controlling it. While I fought the beast, I could sense his position. He didn’t move the entire time."

"Brother Guan, how are your injuries? It’s not surprising that someone from the Beast Taming Sect would have ways to control demon beasts. What is surprising is that he could detect you from thirty li away. Either his Divine Sense is astonishingly powerful, or he has some unique technique. That’s something we need to watch out for."

The burly man’s name was Guan Zheng, a disciple of the Four Lights Sect. Hearing Ji Yuanjian’s question, he shook his head and said,

"The injury is manageable, but the Gu poison is difficult to deal with. I’m using my magical treasure to suppress it for now, but I’ll have to draw on the water-intent of the Nu River to slowly purge it later."

"I thought he’d be easy to handle, having just entered the Golden Core Realm, but now it seems he’s quite a handful. Furthermore, he’s a Divine Sect Leader now, and a Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Beast Taming Sect arrived recently, so it’s not a good time to make another move. For now, we’ll have to shift most of our attention to Huo Bai. He was also one of the participants back then."

Ji Yuanjian’s face was lost in the shadows, his expression unreadable. As far as he was concerned, Guan Zheng’s failure was a common occurrence. He had plenty of patience for his investigations.

Some time ago, Huo Hu had suddenly appeared deep in the Barbaric Wilderness, killing numerous Cultivators. Survivors later described him as having hauntingly red eyes, but he hadn’t lost his sanity. On the contrary, he was exceptionally calm. Most critically, Huo Hu had already stepped into the Golden Core Realm, and his Lifebound Magical Treasure was a fiery red spike.

Most Cultivators who strayed onto the demonic path didn’t live for long. A case like Huo Hu’s, where not only had his cultivation soared, but his mind had also remained clear, was exceptionally rare. It was only natural that he drew the attention of many interested parties.

"Brother Ji, Brother Guan, my Elder has given his instructions. He only wants that fiery red spike and has no other requests."

The speaker was a young man with a ruddy complexion, but his eyes were sunken and his lips had a purplish tint, hinting at a possible essence deficiency.

A small, quaintly shaped oil lamp with a distinctive air was tucked into the young man’s sash.

"Brother Guan wants revenge, you want the spike, and I just want to investigate the case. We can all work together. Brother Guan, you can stay here and recuperate for now. I will look into Huo Bai’s whereabouts. As for you, Brother Lang, please continue to provide support. After all, this is more or less your territory."

"Easy enough. It’s just a pity Fang Qingyuan reached the Golden Core Realm. A few years earlier, we could have crushed him with ease. Why would we need to go to all this trouble now?"

The Cultivator who had spoken was Lang Yong’an, from the Li Huo Alliance. His words weren’t an empty boast. Compared to the Qingyuan Sect, the Li Huo Alliance was an undisputed behemoth.

"Fang Qingyuan is no great threat. I sounded him out before, and my Secret Technique perceived no lies. He truly hasn’t seen Huo Hu in many years. However, he can’t escape responsibility for what’s happened to Huo Hu. And there’s also the matter of him befriending an ancient beast. I will settle these scores with him, one by one."

After Ji Yuanjian finished speaking, the group fell silent. The other two men didn’t understand why Ji Yuanjian was so fixated on Fang Qingyuan, but how could they? The grudge between the two had been forged decades ago.

Back then, Ji Yuanjian had intended to deal with Fang Qingyuan, but who could have known that Fang Qingyuan would sense the danger and slip away, causing all of Ji Yuanjian’s plans to fall through. The matter should have ended there, but Huo Hu’s reappearance was another slap in the face to Ji Yuanjian, as it was the very case he had been working on all those years ago.

Now, with this new grievance added to the old grudge, it was no wonder Ji Yuanjian couldn’t get Fang Qingyuan out of his mind.

After a long silence, once Ji Yuanjian and Lang Yong’an had left, Guan Zheng gazed at the churning surface of the river and let out a silent sigh. He took a single step and walked into the river’s depths. The water surged, and then all was calm again.

...

On the way back, Lechuan’s face was beaming with joy, but Fang Qingyuan was somewhat uneasy. In his view, Chu Hongshang had agreed far too readily.

The purpose of their trip had been to persuade Chu Hongshang to lend them a hand. But now that she had agreed so quickly, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t help but have his doubts. Such is human nature.

Lechuan noticed Fang Qingyuan’s concern and said with a laugh,

"What are you worried about? That Chu Hongshang won’t actually put in the effort? Or that her combat prowess is lacking?"

Fang Qingyuan stared straight ahead and said gravely,

"The Chu Family Elder used a Demon Artifact to forcibly kill Gao Guangsheng. That violated a major taboo. The Chu Family’s subsequent isolation within Qi Yun was a fitting consequence. If we go asking Chu Hongshang for help at a time like this, won’t we also attract the ire of the powers that are hostile to the Chu Family?"

Lechuan was taken aback to see Fang Qingyuan considering all this. He narrowed his eyes in thought and said,

"I doubt it will come to that. Back then, Chu Zhen allied with a dozen or so Nascent Soul Powers to take down Gao Guangsheng. Far too many people were involved. Those powers won’t allow the Gao Family to take revenge on the Chu Family. If they were to allow that precedent, everyone involved would have to face retaliation."

"But what if the Gao Family says they’ll only pursue the main culprit and leave the others alone? Chu Hongshang is an appointed Sect Leader. She has stayed within the Nanchu Sect all these years, protected by her legitimate status and the sect’s Array, so the Gao Family members haven’t been able to find an opportunity. But this time, if the Gao Family finds out she’s going to the Barbaric Wilderness, will they really let such an opportunity go?"

Fang Qingyuan’s words made Lechuan frown. In the battle to surround and kill Gao Guangsheng back then, Chu Zhen may have been the main force, but Chu Hongshang was the second most powerful combatant on the field. Her Fire Destruction Path and her Nine Heavens Undying Rainbow Robe Lifebound had drawn the vast majority of Gao Guangsheng’s attention, laying the foundation for their victory.

At that time, Chu Shentong had only just reached the Nascent Soul Realm and had not participated in the battle. Although Chu Shentong is the current head of the Chu Family, in the eyes of outsiders, with Chu Zhen dead, Chu Hongshang is the family’s true backbone.

If Chu Hongshang were eliminated, the Chu Family would surely fall.

"Hmph. That’s an internal matter between the Chu and Gao Families. What does it have to do with our Beast Taming Sect? Would the Gao Family really dare to provoke us? We are only asking Chu Hongshang for help subduing the Cloud-Clawed Lizard. Anything else is none of our concern."

"The factions within the Beast Taming General Mountain may scheme against one another, but things have never escalated to the level of the Chu and Gao Families—openly using a Demon Artifact to kill a member of the same alliance, in full view of everyone. Looking back, it seems Elder Weiming was actually too conservative."

Fang Qingyuan’s taunt made Lechuan furious. He glared and shouted,

"You little brat, you think things aren’t bad enough for us? What, are you hoping for a few more Nascent Soul Uncles to die before you’ll finally be satisfied?"

"Master, that’s not what I meant! Hey, don’t start anything! I’m going to fight back! I really am!"

And so, two streaks of Escape Light shot off toward the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, one in hot pursuit of the other.

...

「In the Barbaric Wilderness」

Inside a mountain valley, the Cloud-Clawed Lizard slowly opened its millstone-sized eyes. It let out a contented groan, as if just waking up. After a long while, it lazily ambled out of the valley, climbed to a high peak, and began to strike the rocks below with its tail.

Half a day later, seven Golden Core Demon Beasts had arrived one after another. The Cloud-Clawed Lizard surveyed them and realized one was missing.

’Where is that foolish bird, the Gudiao?’

A wave of Divine Soul Consciousness blasted into the minds of the seven Golden Core Demon Beasts. They instantly looked at one another, completely bewildered.

The relationship among these Golden Core Demon Beasts was the kind where they would fight on sight. Although they all served the Cloud-Clawed Lizard, none of them had the self-awareness to consider themselves colleagues.

They simply all submitted to the same powerful master. Without the Cloud-Clawed Lizard, they would have long since fought to the death over the position of leader.

’A bunch of useless trash. If I didn’t need you to stand guard, I’d have eaten all of you long ago.’

The thought flashed through the Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s mind, and its gaze on the seven Golden Core Demon Beasts grew more malevolent. It ground its teeth, producing a low hiss.

The seven Golden Core Demon Beasts immediately prostrated themselves. The Cloud-Clawed Lizard moved, snatching a nearby late-stage Foundation Establishment Demon Beast in its jaws and beginning to chew voraciously.

Blood splattered everywhere, a taste the Cloud-Clawed Lizard found quite delectable. After devouring the Foundation Establishment Demon Beast, the lizard no longer bothered with the Gudiao’s disappearance. It was time to begin its feast.

The seven Golden Core Demon Beasts then began presenting all sorts of delicious Spirit Fruits and tributes of fresh meat, all in an effort to please the Cloud-Clawed Lizard.

While the Cloud-Clawed Lizard feasted, a large encampment was rapidly taking shape at the edge of the Barbaric Wilderness. Several thousand Qi Cultivation Cultivators, along with tens of thousands of beasts, had turned the area into a hive of frenzied activity.

Meanwhile, Fang Qingyuan had taken a group of people outside the Nine-star Marketplace to welcome the reinforcements arriving from afar. As a Spiritual Boat descended and its cabin door opened, a tall Golden Core Female Cultivator emerged at the head of the group. Her face lit up with pleasant surprise the moment she saw Fang Qingyuan.