Chapter 463 - 341: Yuan Duo and Red Robe
As one of the only two Golden Core Cultivators present, Fang Qingyuan naturally caught Yuan Duo’s attention. She looked at him and nodded slightly. Evidently, his appearance wasn’t displeasing to her.
"This is my closed-door disciple, Fang Qingyuan. He is currently the Sect Leader of the Qingyuan Sect, and he has been involved in this matter."
’More than just involved—he’s practically the mastermind behind it all.’ But since Fang Qingyuan was no longer a member of the Beast Taming Sect, there was no need to inform this Nascent Soul female cultivator, Yuan Duo, of the full story.
"Senior Brother Hu was busy, so he asked me to come. Besides, I could use some merit points. Taking down the Cloud-Clawed Lizard will also look good to the sect."
Yuan Duo walked in front, with Lechuan and Fang Qingyuan following close behind. The remaining Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, even a person of actual authority like Ling Ziqing, couldn’t get close at this moment.
Their cultivation realms dictated the hierarchy. Yuan Duo could tolerate Golden Core Cultivators in her presence, but if a Foundation Establishment Cultivator was tactless enough to try, she wouldn’t hesitate to give them a swift kick and leave them seriously injured.
"May I ask what business Master Hu was sent on? When I sent a letter before, he was still at Zongshan. How could he have been sent out in just a month?"
Lechuan was quite thick-skinned. By bringing up the Hu Family’s ancestor in his conversation with Yuan Duo, he was, on one hand, genuinely curious about the ancestor’s whereabouts. On the other hand, he was showing off his connection to the Hu Family, hoping to earn Yuan Duo’s favor.
It was unclear whether Yuan Duo saw through his little ploy. She simply said:
"He was sent to the Outer Sea. There are rumors in the sect that the next pioneering campaign will be targeted at the Outer Sea Little Demon Abyss. Heh, I doubt it. The Little Demon Abyss has been around for ages. Do they really think they can just wipe it out on a whim?"
Hearing Yuan Duo’s skeptical remarks, Fang Qingyuan’s interest was piqued. Recalling the scale of the Little Demon Abyss, he also thought it was unlikely. Compared to the brainless Divinity Transformation Ancient Beasts of the Barbaric Wilderness, the Little Demon Abyss was a power established by human cultivators.
Furthermore, most of the cultivators in the Little Demon Abyss practiced demonic arts, making them far more vicious and cunning. If the next pioneering campaign was truly set for the Little Demon Abyss, he had no intention of letting his Qingyuan Sect get involved.
Joining a pioneering war offered many benefits, but one had to be alive to enjoy them. Fang Qingyuan was happy to let the young disciples of his Qingyuan Sect gain some experience fighting brainless demon beasts, but he had not the slightest interest in facing the cultivators of the Little Demon Abyss.
These thoughts flashed through his mind in just a few breaths. It was only then that Fang Qingyuan noticed that this Senior, Yuan Duo, was completely barefoot.
In fact, once a cultivator reached the Third-Layer Qi Cultivation, their magical power was abundant enough to protect the soles of their feet even without shoes.
But the power of social convention was immense, and most cultivators were still accustomed to wearing shoes, both for social reasons and for the added protection.
Yet this Senior, Yuan Duo, walked around barefoot. In terms of personality, she was clearly an incredibly strong-willed and independent person.
’Speaking of which,’ he thought, ’this Senior Yuan Duo’s feet... they’re not that different from Chu Hongshang’s, just a little plumper...’
For a moment, Fang Qingyuan found himself comparing Yuan Duo and Chu Hongshang. In terms of facial beauty, this Beast Taming Nascent Soul couldn’t match Chu Hongshang. However, she possessed a wildness that Chu Hongshang lacked—a kind of frank and natural charm.
After all, Chu Hongshang came from the Qi Yun Daoist School. The education she received from a young age, though it embraced the Daoist ideal of tranquility and inaction, still left her more restrained than Yuan Duo.
’Ugh, what am I thinking?’ Fang Qingyuan realized he had been staring at Yuan Duo’s lovely feet for far too long. He quickly averted his gaze, only to see Lechuan beside him, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Clearly, he admired Fang Qingyuan’s audacity.
Fang Qingyuan felt that ever since becoming a Golden Core Cultivator, his temperament hadn’t been as steady as before. ’Could it be that my power has grown too quickly for my mental fortitude to keep up?’
Pushing the thought aside, Fang Qingyuan began to ponder the difference in combat strength between Yuan Duo and the Hu Family’s ancestor.
To deal with the Cloud-Clawed Lizard, a mid-stage Nascent Soul Ancient Beast of the Wilderness, Fang Qingyuan hoped the assisting Nascent Soul Cultivator would be as strong as possible. Master Hu was a mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator. Could the present Yuan Duo handle the task?
"Sect Leader Le, how much outside help have you secured this time?"
Yuan Duo was asking about Lechuan’s plans. To conquer the Cloud-Clawed Lizard’s territory and clear out the Golden Core and Foundation Establishment demon beasts inside was no easy feat.
Moreover, simply eliminating the demon beasts wasn’t the primary goal. The Beast Taming Sect’s approach was different from that of the Great Zhou Academy. The pioneering campaigns led by the Great Zhou Academy would, within a few short years, eradicate any forces that refused to surrender, rolling over them like a war chariot. Death to all who stand in the way.
The remaining territory would then be divided up. As for how it recovered or developed afterward, that was no longer the Great Zhou Academy’s concern.
The Beast Taming Sect’s pioneering, however, was a slower, more methodical process. Their goal was not just territory and resources, but also to tame a large number of beasts for their own use. Therefore, they couldn’t simply carve a path with slaughter, which naturally meant the process took much longer.
Typically, this could take thirty to forty years. Of course, that was the timeline for pioneering the territory of a Divinity Transformation Ancient Beast. Conquering the territory of a Nascent Soul Ancient Beast could be declared complete in about five or six years.
That was, assuming everything went smoothly. Otherwise, every additional year of delay meant a massive expenditure of Spirit Stones.
As the saying goes, an army doesn’t move before its provisions. To attack the territory of a Nascent Soul Ancient Beast, the Spirit Stones consumed would be in the tens of thousands—and of high grade, naturally.
Leaving other matters aside, when Yuan Duo asked Lechuan how much outside help he had secured, she wanted to know what other trump cards and methods he had, apart from the support provided by Zongshan Yue’e’s faction.