Chapter 491 - 355: A Strange Gaze
Hearing Lechuan’s pointed remark, Fang Qingyuan gave a sheepish grin and said nothing. ’Are you kidding? How could I possibly hand over something that’s already in my possession?
’I put in a ton of effort, so it’s only right that I take some of the spoils. If I had to give it up just because Ji Yulang said so, wouldn’t all my vitality have been wasted for nothing?’
After broaching the subject, Lechuan didn’t press the matter. He began to discuss the next steps with Fang Qingyuan regarding the disposition of the Military Array Great Stronghold.
With the Old Lion around, they could no longer enter the Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s territory with such a large force. If they ran into the Old Lion’s divine sense incarnation again, their ten thousand men wouldn’t be enough for it to wipe out in a single breath.
"It’s strange, though. Why would the Yuanhou Lion Dance come all the way here? The Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s domain is thousands upon thousands of miles from where the Old Lion was slumbering."
Lechuan took out a Barbaric Map and spread it on the table, studying it intently. The markings showed the route from Nine Stars Square to the Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s territory, then through Bear Wind’s domain, and finally to the Wind Breath Returning Soil Beast’s Land of Heavy Earth. That alone was a journey of several thousand miles.
Then came Awakening Lion Valley itself. But the Sixth Rank Spiritual Land where the Yuanhou Lion Dance resided was still several thousand miles from the valley entrance.
’Is the Old Lion’s territorial instinct really that strong?’
During the last military expedition, the Old Lion hadn’t shown such a strong territorial drive. On the contrary, if those Divinity Transformation Cultivators hadn’t gone and disturbed it, the Old Lion would still be deep in its slumber.
Fang Qingyuan followed Lechuan’s gaze to the map. Within the area marked as Awakening Lion Valley, there were ethereal illustrations of several Nascent Soul Ancient Beasts.
Among them were markings for the Human-faced Patterned Serpent, the Burst-toothed Terror Beast, and the Black Death Hard-Backed Pig. Furthermore, compared to the domains of Bear Wind and the Cloud-Clawed Lizard, the territories of these Nascent Soul Ancient Beasts inside the valley were quite small—only double or triple the size of a Golden Core Demon Beast’s territory in the outside world.
"We have to find out the reason for the Old Lion’s unusual activity. Otherwise, the pioneering plan will have to be put on hold. I cannot gamble with the lives of tens of thousands of Cultivators."
With those words, Lechuan made his stance clear. Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan understood his master’s implication.
"Master, you want to ask Yue’e Ancestor to come and investigate, don’t you? I’m sure she’ll have a way to figure this out. After all, it takes a Divinity Transformation to deal with a Divinity Transformation."
Lechuan laughed heartily, looking at Fang Qingyuan with gratification.
"I’m starting to regret letting you go off on your own. The Qingyuan Sect is peaceful, but in the grand scheme of things to come, it’s a bit too on the fringes. With your talent, you could flourish even more within the Beast Taming Sect."
Fang Qingyuan just laughed noncommittally. ’The Qingyuan Sect is just fine,’ he thought. ’Why would I want to be on the front lines fighting for someone else when I could be building my own legacy?’
After a moment of reflection, Lechuan continued his analysis:
"The Cloud-Clawed Lizard fled with heavy injuries. I don’t know if Bear Wind managed to intercept it. If not, that could be troublesome. But in any case, the original plan is already mostly a success. For now, let’s send small squads of Cultivators into the Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s territory to clear out the demon beasts and train our troops at the same time."
Fang Qingyuan nodded. Training in small squads was necessary; they had to maintain an offensive posture. It was just a shame that his master’s plan for Nascent Soul Transformation had come to such an abrupt end.
But then he remembered all the Nascent Soul Ancient Beasts on the map, and a fierce resolve took root in his heart. ’I *will* find a way to help Master reach the Nascent Soul stage.’ He looked at Lechuan. ’Master, can you feel this fervent wish of mine for you to become a dragon?’
Lechuan suddenly shivered for no reason. He found Fang Qingyuan’s gaze a little strange. ’Why does this feeling,’ he wondered, ’remind me of the way I used to look at my own unpromising disciples?’