Chapter 726 - 476: Beast Taming and the Awakened Lion (Part 2)

"I will leave, but before I do, I must prove just who is the true master of what you call Awakening Lion Valley. I declare to you all that one day, I will return! When that day comes, I will not only take back my valley, but I will also become the sole ruler of all the lands beneath the white and black peaks! The wind and clouds, the rain and snow, the seasons and the blooming flowers—every plant, every living being, will be my subjects. They will trade reverence for mercy, and humility for protection... my protection."

"The white peak? White Mountain? What is the black peak?" the One-armed Nascent Soul asked in confusion.

This time, he received no answer. The Old Lion’s humanoid phantom had already vanished.

Inside the lion’s den, the Yuanhou Lion Dance peered through the thick rock walls. Its gaze fell upon the human Cultivators in the valley, and by following the faint stirrings of their auras, it locked onto two figures at the Divinity Transformation realm: Yue’e and Jade Rabbit.

The next moment, the Yuanhou Lion Dance kicked off with its hind legs and leaped forward.

......

In a spacious clearing within the Beast Taming Sect’s joint forces’ camp in Awakening Lion Valley, Ling Ziqing, Zha Shaoyang, and Zou Yu were taking inventory of various supplies. Beside them, a stream of flying shuttles continuously unloaded cargo.

The shuttles varied in size. Beneath the largest of them stood rows of small wooden cabins. Every so often, Loose Cultivators recruited by the Beast Taming Sect from around the world would enter, only to emerge a good while later with looks of blissful satisfaction.

Catching a whiff of the various foul odors, Zha Shaoyang couldn’t help but frown at the sight. In his opinion, this sort of business was a disgrace to the Beast Taming Sect.

But seeing his expression, Ling Ziqing reassured him.

"The Music Master went to great trouble to get this cushy logistics assignment from Elder Di, pulling us off the front lines. Now is the time to keep our heads down and work quietly. As for these old, sordid traditions, they can’t be changed overnight. Just give it some time."

Zou Yu, on the other hand, was more pragmatic about it. He only lamented that Lechuan hadn’t kept the bottle of Profound Celestial Pill Liquid that Fang Qingyuan had gifted him. Instead, he’d given it directly to Di Yuanpu to get the elder to finally agree.

Now, Di Yuanpu had sent Lechuan to liaise with the major merchant houses. He was currently visiting a sect on the Qi Yun Mainland to inspect their goods for procurement.

’What a waste,’ Zou Yu thought. ’A Spiritual Object that can extend a Golden Core Cultivator’s lifespan... if only I could have had a few drops, I could have lived for another decade or so.’

Zou Yu looked at the two men before him, at their graying hair and clouded eyes, and sighed inwardly. ’In the blink of an eye, more than a hundred years have passed, and I’m reaching the end of my life as well. I just can’t accept it. If I had gone with Fang Qingyuan back then, wouldn’t my life be better now?’

"When is the Music Master coming back?" Zou Yu complained. "Without him, these arrogant commanders around here don’t give us the time of day. It’s infuriating."

Zou Yu was referring to the Cultivators who had been transferred from the Beast Taming General Mountain. They looked down on the disciples from the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect and naturally acted high and mighty.

This was the pecking order within the Beast Taming Sect: the General Mountain looked down on the branch sects, branch sect disciples looked down on the various outpost academies, and the academy disciples could only look down on the local Cultivators.

"It will be a few more days. Fulfilling the needs of tens of thousands of Cultivators, even for a single minor item, isn’t something that can be arranged so easily."

Lechuan wasn’t the only Operation Manager. An assignment this cushy couldn’t possibly be given to him alone. That bottle of Profound Celestial Pill Liquid wasn’t valuable enough for that; he was only responsible for one segment of the army’s supply needs.

"Alright, this batch of supplies is fully inventoried, so I should go report it," Ling Ziqing said. "You two head back and move the supplies from Ding No. 3 Warehouse. We’re working so hard, we ought to secure some benefits for our sect, shouldn’t we?"

Ling Ziqing said this with a chuckle. At his words, the faces of Zha Shaoyang and Zou Yu lit up with delight, but they quickly composed themselves.

The White Mountain Beast Taming Sect had fallen on hard times these past few years, and their luck had only turned in the last six months. Now that the war had ground to a halt, it seemed the good days for their sect were far from over.

Ling Ziqing bid the other two farewell. Carrying the inventory ledgers, he walked from the camp’s periphery toward its center. Along the way, many unfamiliar Beast Taming Sect disciples bustled about their own business, paying no mind to the elderly-looking Ling Ziqing.

After walking for two or three miles, Ling Ziqing finally arrived before a grand hall that covered several acres. Beneath it, a gigantic camel-turtle was sleeping peacefully.

After announcing his presence, Ling Ziqing went inside. Within the main hall, several other Cultivators just like him were waiting to give their reports.

After a long wait, it was finally his turn. Ling Ziqing’s superior was a Golden Core Cultivator who appeared to be in his forties. Lounging beside the man was a plump tiger with a sleek, glossy coat.

"Greetings, Uncle Huo."

This man was Huo Cheng. He was also participating in this campaign of expansion and, thanks to his skills in both civil and martial affairs, was highly regarded by Xiong Youde. He had been given a position in the main camp similar to that of a Chief Clerk.

Ling Ziqing bowed respectfully, and the other man cheerfully gestured for him to sit.

"Zi Qing, has your master not yet returned?"

"Not yet."

"That’s a shame. I was hoping to discuss something with your master, but since he’s not here... you must inform me the moment he returns."

Ling Ziqing nodded, then asked with curiosity.

"May I ask what it’s about? That way I can mention it to the Music Master."

Huo Cheng chuckled. "It’s good news. He’ll find out when he returns. I can’t say too much before then."

Ling Ziqing felt a strange sense of unease. ’What kind of good news can’t even be mentioned to me?’ he wondered. He was about to speak, but in the next instant, he felt his body go weightless, floating uncontrollably up into the air.

’Strange... what’s happening to me?’

It was Ling Ziqing’s last thought in the mortal realm. An aged soul was brutally torn from his body, shooting rapidly toward the sky.

Huo Cheng suffered the same fate. A smile still lingered on his lips, as if he were lost in a pleasant daydream. His soul was considerably more substantial than Ling Ziqing’s, but like him, he showed no sign of resistance.

The Golden Core Spirit Tiger at Huo Cheng’s feet met the same end.

In an instant, a deathly silence fell over the camp of tens of thousands of Cultivators and their beasts. The world, which had been teeming with voices and vitality just a moment before, came to a complete standstill.

High in the sky, the face of a giant lion materialized. Myriad Soul Spirits, a dense and endless stream, all poured into its mouth.

Each Soul Spirit was different. Some shone as brilliantly as diamonds, while others were dull and lackluster. But to the Old Lion, it now made no difference.

However, among the thousands upon thousands of Soul Spirits, three souls were as solid as living people.

Inside the central hall, Di Yuanpu was frozen mid-sip. Beside him, Xiong Youde was soothing a newly acquired Nascent Soul Demon Beast, his face beaming with joy.

A Nascent Soul Female Cultivator sat quietly to one side, reading a book, but she too was now utterly soundless.

Only Di Yuanpu’s Nascent Soul Companion Beast, a giant crocodile, was staring with its huge eyes, watching everything in terror.

......

Outside the Barbaric Wilderness, the sudden death of so many creatures could not possibly escape the notice of the two Divinity Transformation experts, Yue’e and Jade Rabbit, who had kept their senses locked on the area.

At this moment, Jade Rabbit’s face was pale with shock. She had no idea how to respond to the Old Lion’s ferocious attack.

"What should we do, Mistress? We have to notify the Guardian Envoy immediately!"

Yue’e’s mind was also in turmoil. Her heart filled with grief and indignation. ’After all these years of inaction, why did the Old Lion have to strike now, of all times, when the Guardian Envoy is away?’

’I had already ordered the army to halt their large-scale expansion, hoping to wait out this critical period. How could it still end up like this?’

’All those who died... they trusted me, revered me. They were the disciples I watched grow up. They were the foundation of my future, and now, they’re all gone.’

"My Celestial Tribulation will be severe; I’m not long for this world anyway. You go find the Guardian Envoy. I’ll hold him off. Hurry!"

Seeing the Old Lion’s presence rushing toward them, Yue’e had no time for sorrow. She pushed Jade Rabbit aside and went forward alone.

But to her surprise, Jade Rabbit shook her head. Tears streamed down her face as she knelt before the old woman. "No!" she cried. "If we’re going to die, we’ll die together!"