"Elder Yangh, if I complete the bounty specified in this jade scroll, will you be able to help my Cloud Winged Tiger King advance?" Upon hearing Yangh Yiguan’s words, Ye Zhen felt stirred and promptly asked.
"Young Hero Ye, if you truly can complete the bounty in this old man’s jade scroll, then I will do everything in my power to help your Cloud Winged Tiger King advance. I am a man of my word, and I can even make a Divine Soul Oath,"
however, all I can promise is to try my best. I cannot guarantee whether your Cloud Winged Tiger King will be able to advance."
Having said this, Yangh Yiguan paused thoughtfully and then added, "Since Young Hero Ye is so determined, I might as well tell you, although the Sect Guardian Beast Pill Five Elements Blood Melt Pill of the Beast Taming Sect has been lost, after nearly a hundred years of effort, I have found some clues.
If Young Hero Ye can truly fulfill this old man’s bounty, then perhaps this old man must risk his old life. Of course, that is if Young Hero Ye can complete this bounty.
However, I must point out to Young Hero Ye that finding this bounty is like looking for a needle in the sea; it has been sporadically offered over several decades with no success!" Yangh Yiguan sighed profoundly, his voice filled with loss.
Everyone was silent, the burden of an entire sect being annihilated is a heavy one for anyone to bear.
"Farewell!"
After they had all stood up to take their leave, Ye Zhen and Hu Qingtong left the Moon-viewing Tower one after the other. Just as they stepped out of the first floor’s main hall, both Ye Zhen and Hu Qingtong’s expressions changed.
Ye Zhen’s expression suddenly became a bit awkward, while Hu Qingtong’s displayed a hint of shyness.
It was because, in just over an hour, Ye Zhen’s Cloud Winged Tiger King and Hu Qingtong’s Silver-horned Profound Ice Tiger had gotten together.
The two Demon Beasts had seized the night to snuggle up together; Hu Qingtong’s Silver-horned Profound Ice Tiger was even half-lying on the ground, looking like it was ready to be plucked. The two differently-headed tigers were nuzzling close, with the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten half-lying atop the Silver-horned Profound Ice Tiger. Ye Zhen figured if they had come out any later, it’s possible these two would have been caught in a merged battle.
"Kitten!" Ye Zhen called out in a low voice.
"Meow!"
The Cloud Winged Tiger King let out a pitiful meow, full of pleading. The meaning was clear; it wanted to snuggle a bit longer. The sorrowful expression was simply unparalleled.
This scene drew a sidelong glance from Hu Qingtong, her sparkling eyes filled with amusement, "Brother Ye, I hadn’t realized your little fellow had such spirit nature. It’s absolutely endearing! In terms of spirit nature, my Heavenly Level Middle Grade Silver-horned Profound Ice Tiger couldn’t even come close to your Cloud Winged Tiger King."
As she spoke, Hu Qingtong stepped forward, intending to pet the Cloud Winged Tiger King.
"Be careful..."
The words had barely left his mouth before Ye Zhen realized they were redundant. Hu Qingtong’s cultivation was so profound that even he couldn’t discern its depth; at the very least, she was likely a powerhouse at the Third Stage of the Vein Forging Realm, so of course she wouldn’t fear the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten.
"Young Hero Ye, could you allow your Cloud Winged Tiger King to transform its Dharma Body once more, to enlighten this young lady?"
"No problem!"
At the thought, the shape of the Cloud Winged Tiger King abruptly shrank from a hundred meters to thirty meters in size. As Hu Qingtong’s eyes blazed with a burst of azure light, she couldn’t help but step forward and gently stroke the tail of the Cloud Winged Tiger King.
"This ability is so impressive. If it could shrink a few more times, down to half a meter in size, this little fellow would be absolutely adorable!" While saying this, Hu Qingtong continued to stroke the soft hairs of the Cloud Winged Tiger King.
Strangely enough, the usually unapproachable Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten was extremely well-behaved today in front of Hu Qingtong; it didn’t even bristle, let alone bare its teeth.
"Heh, who knows? At the moment, it still isn’t possible," Ye Zhen said, lying smoothly.
"Perhaps after your Cloud Winged Tiger King advances, it will be able to," Hu Qingtong remarked. Then she shifted sideways, just blocking the hand that was still stroking. Almost simultaneously, the slender fingers that were caressing the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten’s fur trembled slightly, and a very fine azure brilliance silently penetrated into the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten’s tail.
Perhaps it was Hu Qingtong’s masterful control, or perhaps there was simply no power fluctuation, so this scene went unnoticed by the stroked Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten, let alone by Ye Zhen, who detected nothing.
After successfully infusing an azure light and realizing Ye Zhen remained unaware, Hu Qingtong cast a quick glance at Ye Zhen and then left the Cloud Winged Tiger King Kitten’s side.
"Young Master Ye, this young lady has some matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first." As she spoke, Hu Qingtong waved her hand, and the lazily reclining Silver-horned Profound Ice Tiger rose and lay next to her. In an instant, it rose into the air, leaving only a faint fragrance lingering beside Ye Zhen’s nostrils.
"This Hu Qingtong is truly mysterious, asking about unheard matters of the Demon Race. Furthermore, those eyes, the more I see them, the more familiar they seem. Where have I seen them before?" Ye Zhen was puzzled.
On the way back, Ye Zhen opened the Reward Jade Scroll given to him by Elder Yangh Yiguan of the Beast Taming Sect.
The content of the Reward Jade Scroll was straightforward, a drawing and a section of bounty text.
The drawing depicted a basin-sized, finger-thick purple scale with natural and simple patterns all over it, clearly from some powerful Demon Beast.
The bounty text was even simpler: if anyone could find a purple scale identical to the one in the picture, they could propose any request within the power of Elder Yangh of the Beast Taming Sect to fulfill.
"If there is a martial artist who has seen these purple scales and can inform Yangh Yiguan, he will be rewarded with one million mid-grade Spirit Crystals on the spot."
"One million mid-grade Spirit Crystals for just a piece of information, that shows how important this purple scale is."
Thinking back on Yangh Yiguan’s reactions before and considering many things he said at the banquet tonight, anyone could see that Yangh Yiguan had never given up on finding the truth behind the destruction of the Beast Taming Sect.
Moreover, tonight Yangh Yiguan openly claimed that the Beast Taming Sect was destroyed by the Demon Race, so Ye Zhen boldly speculated that this purple scale must be related to the annihilation of the Beast Taming Sect, perhaps even dropped by a powerful Demon who had destroyed the sect back then.
Ye Zhen merely noted this reward in his mind and left it to luck.
As Yangh Yiguan said, this reward is not easy to obtain; it all depends on luck and opportunity.
Since he was going to attend the Spirit Returning Assembly tomorrow, Ye Zhen did not wander around anymore but directly returned to the Sun and Moon Divine Sect. Although Ye Zhen said he was not afraid of an assault by the Longevity Sect and the Stars Tower, with the Spirit Returning Assembly occurring soon, he did not want any accidents to happen.
To Ye Zhen’s surprise, when he got back to the Spirit Academy, there stood a figure upright inside.
"Vice Sect Master Tian?"
"Back now? Did you see Yangh Yiguan, and did you gain anything?" With the power of the Sun and Moon Divine Sect, tracking Ye Zhen’s movements while he was out was not difficult.
"A bit, at least I have a direction to strive in now, not completely in the dark like before! Vice Sect Master Tian, what brings you here so late?"
"Come in and talk!" Tian Guizhang directly entered the Silent Chamber where Ye Zhen cultivated.
"There’s bad news that I must tell you. You should be prepared," said Tian Guizhang with a very serious expression.
"Bad news? Let’s hear it!" Ye Zhen felt somewhat heavy-hearted, as it must be something serious for Tian Guizhang to be so solemn.
"Three hours ago, one of the Qinglan Three Young Masters, White Bone Young Master, came out of seclusion, and according to intelligence, he will represent the Longevity Sect at the Spirit Returning Assembly," Tian Guizhang explained.
"White Bone Young Master? Is he that formidable?" Ye Zhen frowned.
Upon hearing this, Tian Guizhang was momentarily stunned and then realized, "It’s not just about being formidable. You haven’t been in Qinglan Martial City for long, less than a year, so you are not familiar with the Qinglan Three Young Masters. Actually, you’ve already met one of them."
"Who?"
"Thunderbolt Sword Qin Hu, who is also known as Thunder Sword Young Master, but in recent years he has become increasingly fierce and ruthless, gradually becoming known as Thunderbolt Sword."
"What’s the deal with this White Bone Young Master? How powerful is he?" Ye Zhen inquired.
"Three years ago, to comprehend the final level of the White Bone Divine Art, the White Bone Young Master chose to go into closed-door cultivation! There has been little news of him over these three years. If it were not for today’s scouts reporting back, even I would not have noticed his emergence.
According to the scouts, the Longevity Sect held a grand welcoming ceremony for the White Bone Young Master’s emergence, and even the Longevity Sect Master personally appeared, likely indicating a successful breakthrough!"
"A successful breakthrough, so he is quite formidable then? How powerful can he be exactly?" Ye Zhen raised his eyebrows.
"This, I do not know. But three years ago, with only the Third Stage of Vein Forging Realm cultivation, the White Bone Young Master could split a Sun and Moon Divine Guard of the Second Stage of Vein Forging Realm with one palm.
That person was one of Chen Changxing’s subordinates. Enraged, Chen Changxing raised an army to seek justice, confronted White Bone Young Master, and left him severely injured and victorious," Tian Guizhang said, pausing suddenly with a change in his expression.
"Triumphant and victorious, sounds positive. So, what’s the twist?"
"Yes, although triumphant, Chen Changxing was afflicted by the White Bone Young Master’s White Bone Poison Palm. Afterwards, despite consuming countless spiritual medicines, it took him half a year to completely purge the residual poison.
And the White Bone Young Master? He fully recovered within just a few days!" said Tian Guizhang with a wry smile.
"Moreover, that was just the White Bone Young Master’s strength three years ago, but that’s not the most important part. The most crucial point is that this White Bone Young Master’s surname... is Duan!" Tian Guizhang added.
"Surname Duan?" Ye Zhen’s eyebrows lifted, immediately grasping the critical information from Tian Guizhang’s visit, "Any relation to Duan Yingnian?"
"Nephew and uncle, and they are very close! Thus, you must be careful at tomorrow’s Spirit Returning Assembly! White Bone Young Master is ruthlessly fierce and acts crazily, never conforming to common sense!"
Suddenly, Ye Zhen’s stern expression melted into a bold smile, "Very good, so many strong opponents, very good, truly excellent!"
In an instant, Ye Zhen’s anticipation for tomorrow’s Spirit Returning Assembly soared dramatically!
Beside him, Tian Guizhang looked on, utterly astonished! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at QiDian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Comments

Loading...