Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

"Hah!"

After the Bow-holding Nascent Soul’s attack missed, the One-armed Nascent Soul showed no signs of frustration. In fact, a look of delight appeared on his face. He took a half-step forward, thrusting his arm out, his fingers held together like a blade.

The One-armed Nascent Soul Cultivator’s physique was so powerful that when he struck, the sheer force of his body scraped against Chu Hongshang’s Protective Gang Qi, actually creating sparks.

But the deadliest part wasn’t the ferocity of his close-quarters combat. It was the ultimate impact generated in a fleeting instant by his physique, a product of his Body Refining, channeled through a Secret Technique.

This was the exact moment—a brief half-breath of time—when Chu Hongshang, having just used her Innate Divine Technique, lacked the opportunity to use it a second time.

And this was all part of the One-armed Nascent Soul’s calculations.

The impact was like a heavy hammer. A terrifying shockwave oscillated continuously in the space within a ten-foot radius around Chu Hongshang. The affected area didn’t expand despite the violent turmoil; it remained confined within that ten-foot range, the waves piling up, each stronger than the last, demonstrating astonishing control.

The waves gathered, cresting higher and higher. In the blink of an eye, a hundred layers of impact had built up. The momentum required had reached a jaw-dropping level.

"Break!"

With a thunderous roar, Chu Hongshang’s Body-Protecting Spirit Shield shattered, revealing her delicate figure within.

But a flame flickered again. The One-armed Nascent Soul had only struck an illusory fire clone. Chu Hongshang’s true self had already shifted a thousand feet away.

Clearly, Chu Hongshang had once again dodged the attack.

However, after reappearing, Chu Hongshang’s once-rosy face had turned slightly pale.

"Of all the techniques in the world, Escape Techniques are supreme. But with your power, how many more times can you use it?"

Having suddenly lost his target, the One-armed Nascent Soul wasn’t discouraged. He turned to face Chu Hongshang, looking as if everything was under his control.

.....

From a distance, Fang Qingyuan watched this unfold. In just a few breaths, the situation had changed so drastically it was beyond their imagination.

’At this point,’ he thought, ’any talk of seriously injuring the Cloud-Clawed Lizard and helping Lechuan with his Nascent Soul Transformation is just a fantasy. The only plan now is to prioritize survival.’

’That One-armed Nascent Soul dared to attack Chu Hongshang; he clearly has no respect for the Great Zhou Academy. If a powerhouse like him gets carried away with killing, there’s no telling if he’ll slaughter me, Lechuan, and Situ Jingyu on a whim.’

A wise man doesn’t stand by a crumbling wall. Fang Qingyuan made a decisive call.

"Master, take Senior Sister Situ and retreat toward the Military Array Great Stronghold. With the grand array there, you can even hold off a Nascent Soul Cultivator."

Lechuan was also decisive. He shot a regretful glance at the heavily injured, fallen Cloud-Clawed Lizard, then said:

"I know you have a trump card, but if things look bad, focus on saving your own skin. Don’t try to be a hero."

After saying this, Lechuan flicked his sleeve, catching Situ Jingyu’s body, and executed a refined Body Technique to carefully retreat.

With Lechuan’s Late-stage Golden Core cultivation, he could survive a few exchanges even against a Nascent Soul Cultivator. As long as the two besieging Chu Hongshang couldn’t spare the effort to stop him, no one could prevent his escape.

Lechuan didn’t ask why Fang Qingyuan was staying. He had enough faith in the judgment of his Closed-door Disciple and understood his personality well.

If Fang Qingyuan didn’t have a trump card, he would have run faster than his own master. The fact that he wasn’t leaving meant he was confident.

Situ Jingyu, however, gave Fang Qingyuan a worried look. At this moment, this Golden Core Sect Master with her Body Refining Technique could only be a burden here.

After Lechuan and Situ Jingyu had retreated, Fang Qingyuan took a deep breath and slowed his heartbeat. His mind raced, trying to deduce the likely course of events.

’Chu Hongshang is now the target of a siege. I don’t know who her enemies are yet, but judging by their methods and lineup, it looks a lot like the work of the Black Hand.’

’Rumor has it that the Black Hand can even kill Nascent Soul Cultivators. I didn’t expect to witness the legend myself today. I’m speechless.’

’But this ruins my grand plan. The Cloud-Clawed Lizard cannot be allowed to live, or at least it can’t remain here.’

’Whether it’s driven deep into the Barbaric Wilderness behind us or killed off by that One-armed Nascent Soul, it doesn’t matter. It just can’t continue to be a local tyrant here.’

’Conquering the Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s territory and seizing the Fourth-rank Spiritual Land in Moyun Valley is the ultimate goal of this battle. Lechuan’s Nascent Soul Transformation was just icing on the cake.’

’If we can’t win this battle, how much real effort will Yuan Duo be willing to put in later? As for Chu Hongshang... she’s at a complete disadvantage now. I don’t even know if she can escape with her life.’

So, Fang Qingyuan decided to stay and observe the situation. He didn’t believe Chu Hongshang would just die here and now. He had an inexplicable confidence in this prodigious talent from the Qi Yun Chu Family.

But if things truly went south, Fang Qingyuan wouldn’t stick around to die. Once his Five-Colored Divine Light was unleashed, neither the One-armed Nascent Soul nor Bear Wind could stop him.

This was his trump card: an Innate Divine Technique that was also an Escape Technique. Chu Hongshang had just used her Fire Escape twice to evade two fatal attacks. His own Five-Colored Divine Light Escape Technique, while perhaps less powerful than the Escape Light used by a Nascent Soul Cultivator, was in no way inferior in terms of its level. In fact, it was even more refined.

’It originates from the Innate Divine Technique of that great being who traverses the void, the Five-Colored Peacock Divine Beast whose body was tens of thousands of feet tall. Even though I’ve only scratched the surface and can’t unleash even a ten-thousandth of its power, with the endless supply of vital energy from the Immortal Mansion, I can definitely use this Escape Technique with far more ease and grace than Chu Hongshang.’

In less than a breath, Fang Qingyuan had considered all of this. Meanwhile, in the heart of the battlefield over six miles away, a new round of combat had begun.

It turned out that Yuan Duo had finally broken free from the mutual energy lock with the Cloud-Clawed Lizard, that Ancient Beast of the Wilderness. She then unleashed her heavy hammer Magical Artifact, bringing it crashing down on the One-armed Nascent Soul.

Yuan Duo and Chu Hongshang were not on good terms, but at this moment, their personal relationship was no longer the main factor. They now shared a common enemy: Du Bu’s Nascent Soul, who wielded the Demon Artifact, the Blood Transformation Saber.

In any case, the Beast Taming Sect and Qi Yun were both renowned major sects. They had a duty and responsibility to deal with these Demonic Cultivators, and Yuan Duo was no exception. By comparison, the Cloud-Clawed Lizard had to be set aside for now.

That was what Yuan Duo thought, and that was what she did. But as her heavy hammer fell, kicking up a thousand layers of light, the One-armed Nascent Soul’s footwork was exquisite. With a mere sway of his body, he easily dodged her Magical Artifact.

Compared to the clumsy, massive body of the Cloud-Clawed Lizard, the One-armed Nascent Soul moved with incredible ease. No matter how earth-shattering the power of Yuan Duo’s hammer was, it couldn’t touch a single hair on his head.

Besides the advantage of his smaller size, the main reason for this was the difference in their realms and cultivation levels. The One-armed Nascent Soul’s cultivation was top-tier even among Mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivators. When he released his domain, Yuan Duo felt herself surrounded by a bloody light, making it exceedingly difficult to locate his true body.

Occasionally, her Magical Artifact would lock onto an aura, but a heavy strike would only reveal it to be an illusion—a feint deliberately thrown out by her opponent.

’It’s a good thing this One-armed Nascent Soul’s target has been Chu Hongshang from the very beginning,’ Yuan Duo thought. ’Otherwise, in a one-on-one fight, I’m not sure how long I could last against him.’

A sense of defeat welled up in Yuan Duo’s heart. ’Is this the first time I’m truly feeling it?’ she wondered. ’Has the gap between me and Chu Hongshang really grown this large?’

"CREAK!"

The sound of a bowstring being drawn suddenly cut through the air. Yuan Duo glanced over distractedly and saw the Bow-holding Nascent Soul Cultivator, now nearly ten miles away, had taken his stance. He drew his bow like a full moon, aiming it in their direction.

Instantly, the energy at both ends of the bow’s limbs surged like a tide. All the Spiritual Qi within a three-mile radius converged on the bow, seemingly without end. Even from many miles away, the sight sent a chill down one’s spine.

And the target of this arrow was not her, but Chu Hongshang, who was biting her lip, her face pale.

’That bow and arrow can accumulate such immense power. It must be an extremely powerful Magical Artifact, perhaps even a fully refined Celestial Spirit Secret Treasure,’ Yuan Duo mused. ’With so much power being gathered, how will Chu Hongshang dodge it this time?’

Just then, in the Celestial Domain of the west, the stars all swayed in unison. Each released a beam of starlight that descended, converged, and took shape. A gigantic tiger with upturned eyes and a white forehead appeared, striding unhurriedly toward the Bow-holding Nascent Soul.