Reigning Supreme in countless worlds With Beast taming - Chapter 475 - 472: Gain an Inch, Want a Mile - Taiyi's Secret Plan
This palm-sized piece of white jade-like bone is the bone of the Divine Beast Kui Ox; the text engraved upon the bone texture is an Ancient Innate Daoist Text: Thunder!
While the number of Kui Oxen is not extensive, they were one of the many divine beasts born in the Primordial World.
They were naturally powerful beings that brought wind and rain wherever they went, with eyes like the sun and the moon, and voices like thunder, commanding lightning and manipulating clouds and rain with formidable might.
It is said that during the ancient era when the Human Emperor was battling for supremacy, the Nine Heavens Mysterious Woman slaughtered numerous Kui Oxen for the reigning Emperor, using their hides as drums and their bones for hammers, crafting eighty Kui Niu Drums in a row. When the drums were sounded during battle, their roar shook the Nine Heavens, deterring mighty enemies with overwhelming dominance!
Though this piece of bone wasn’t large, its ability to bear Daoist Texts indicates its extraordinariness.
Such a treasure would typically not fall into the hands of Fang Chengqian, even if the Spring and Autumn Academy had a long inheritance. Objects like this, from which later generations could glean insights, were usually preserved for reference and learning, especially since this bone fragment was a relic left behind by a Great Saint who perished during the Ancient Great Tribulation. Usually it was enshrined in the Ancestor Hall.
However, at this critical moment, all of Biluo was preparing for a comprehensive expedition. All the True Disciples of various sects were about to participate in trials, striving to seize places in order to receive the blessings of the Heavenly Dao, which would lead to rapid progression in their cultivation and potentially another Golden Immortal Great Power in the future.
Even for a Dominator-level power like the Spring and Autumn Academy, Golden Immortals were capable of presiding over a territory, so gaining one more was always beneficial. That’s why they were particularly generous to this generation’s True Disciples, especially to the Chief Disciples of the various divisions, granting them precious treasures for protection.
Because of this, Fang Chengqian obtained the Kui Ox bone and the powerful Innate Dao Text!
At this moment, Fang Chengqian, whose face was covered in dust from Qin Feng’s consecutive blows and who was in a pitiful state of disarray, though unharmed, was really feeling humiliated. It was this intolerable provocation that led him to bring out the Kui Ox bone, attempting to rely on the Thunder Principle within it to defeat Qin Feng!
The Ancient Daoist Text inscribed on the Kui Ox bone was completely different from those self-formed by him.
Whether it was him or Tang Sanyuan, none of these disciples, who had yet to attest to the Immortal Dao, could possibly condense complete Ancient Daoist Texts on their own.
However, the Thunder Daoist Text on this piece of Kui Ox bone was a complete representation of a Thunder Principle, with strong and vigorous power, to such an extent that it could be used like an Immortal Artifact.
Even if unable to unleash all of its power, Fang Chengqian had the confidence that he could use this treasure to defeat Qin Feng and thus redeem his honor.
Although it wasn’t by his own Cultivation Dao that he defeated Qin Feng, for cultivators like them, winning was winning. When the strengths of both sides were almost equal, it came down to Magical Treasures and secret techniques!
The moment he raised the Kui Ox bone, Qin Feng’s expression changed dramatically as he sensed an immense danger from deep within his heart; he quickly retreated, spanning a hundred yards in an instant, putting a considerable distance between him and Fang Chengqian.
Boom…
The wild thunder blasted the spot where Qin Feng had just been, shattering the Prohibition on the ground and scattering limestone debris everywhere.
Such formidable power startled the nearby Purple Mansion Cultivators, who couldn’t dare to imagine how long they could withstand such an attack.
And even after Qin Feng retreated and the thunder subsided, there were still fine cracks of arm-thick snaking lightning crackling down sporadically.
The sight of such a display caused the expressions of the surrounding cultivators to change yet again, as they quickly moved back.
This was just the unintentionally falling thunder due to the excessively strong Thunder Power; if it were to be fully controlled and unleashed by Fang Chengqian himself, the power would be a hundredfold more terrifying. With such a display, it wasn’t surprising that it would shock the spectating crowd!
“The Spring and Autumn Academy truly lives up to its reputation as the number one academy in the Central Region, to so casually grant such treasures,” whispered a cultivator watching from the sidelines, his tone filled with envy.
All of them were True Disciples, but very few sects were as generous as the Spring and Autumn Academy, granting even treasures comparable to Immortal Artifacts for their True Disciples to protect themselves. Such extravagant generosity was indeed enviable!
“Now, the Beast Taming Sect’s Daoist Fellow Qin seems unlikely to be a match!”
A few scholars looked at the vast expanse of thunder in the sky and the Kui Ox bone enveloped in it, murmuring softly: “For the Beast Taming Sect to have produced top talents like Daoist Fellow Li and Daoist Fellow Qin one after another, is already a sign of flourishing fortune.
But after all, the Spring and Autumn Academy has a heritage far surpassing ordinary Major Sects, and especially since the Beast Taming Sect is not adept at crafting Magical Treasures, it’s unlikely that the Supreme Elders could bestow too many Immortal Artifacts to their True Disciples for protection. I’m afraid Daoist Fellow Qin is at a disadvantage!”
“Yeah, the Beast Taming Sect’s Supreme Elders can’t possibly bestow a Lifebound Spirit Beast capable of Becoming an Immortal to their True Disciples for protection, can they? If not, Daoist Fellow Qin is certainly no match for Brother Fang.”
“Even so, Daoist Fellow Qin has already proven to be incredibly formidable,” another scholar remarked. “To be so powerful even without his Lifebound Spiritual Beast, and to push Fang Chengqian to this extent upon using it—Daoist Fellow Qin’s combat power has reached the very top of his peer group. He is probably only slightly inferior to the Heavenly Prides of the Ancient Great Tribulation!”
“The Beast Taming Technique of the Beast Taming Sect is truly extraordinary, allowing one to merge with a spiritual beast and directly enhance one’s combat power.”
Another cultivator spoke out in praise, “It’s almost equivalent to doubling one’s strength immediately. Only chief disciples like Fang Chengqian can withstand such a measure; otherwise, ordinary cultivators would have been defeated by Daoist Fellow Qin already.”
As the cultivators debated amongst themselves, Fang Chengqian’s somewhat disheveled figure slowly flew out of the large pit that Qin Feng had smashed him into, his annoyance fixed upon Qin Feng.
At this moment, his Confucian robe was in disarray, and his hair bun was askew, a stark contrast to the genteel and refined image he had maintained before.
“Brother Qin is truly formidable, to have pushed me to such a state when I was caught off guard!”
With a gloomy face, Fang Chengqian took a deep breath before continuing, “However, this is where it stops. Brother Qin, if you willingly concede defeat now, I can spare you the agony of the thunder. Otherwise, no matter how formidable your body refining technique is, you won’t be able to withstand my thunder!”
“Oh?”
Qin Feng looked up.
He had to admit, the thunder raging in the sky was indeed terrifying. Even though it hadn’t landed yet, the dull roaring sound was enough to intimidate a cultivator’s spirit.
However, expecting him to admit defeat with just these measures was impossible!
It might have been different somewhere else, but this was the Beast Taming Sect’s territory. It would be quite shameful to concede defeat out of fear on his own turf.
Even though the innate Dao text on the Kui Niu bone was indeed powerful, and Fang Chengqian was also the chief disciple specially cultivated by the Spring and Autumn Academy’s Scripture Interpretation Division, it was normal for ordinary cultivators of the same level to lose to him.
But Qin Feng was different.
As the most top-level talent of his generation in the Beast Taming Sect and one of the true disciples with the greatest potential in the eyes of many elders, if he lost his fighting spirit and admitted defeat just because of the powerful methodology of his opponent, not to mention what the elders would think, he wouldn’t even be able to get past the barrier within his own heart.
Thus, he said to Fang Chengqian, “Brother Fang, our bout is just a friendly competition. Why take things too seriously? How about we call this fight a draw? What do you say, Brother Fang?”
“You…”
Fang Chengqian was nearly choked by these words.
This guy, he didn’t suggest stopping when he had the upper hand, and now, seeing that Fang had revealed the Kui Niu bone and unleashed such formidable thunder power, he actually wanted to settle for a draw. The thickness of his skin was comparable to a city wall!
“What, Brother Fang, you’re not interested?”
Qin Feng laughed, “Don’t think I’m scared of you, Brother Fang. I simply don’t want to continue fighting you. No matter who gets hurt, it won’t be good for our trials ahead!”
“Hmph!”
Fang Chengqian was somewhat frustrated, “You, just admit you’re scared of my thunder and stop trying to weasel out without even leaving me any face?”
“Eh? When have I ever been afraid of you?”
Qin Feng grinned, “Well, since Brother Fang is unwilling to concede, I will show some of my ability so as not to be looked down upon by you!”
With those words, he extended a finger, and suddenly, a red lotus appeared in front of him!
The lotus was as red as fire, its petals closed as if it were about to bloom, exquisitely beautiful, easily astonishing anyone with its beauty.
However, the moment the red lotus appeared, Fang Chengqian’s spirit trembled, his pupils constricted, and he stared intently at it without turning away.
The surrounding spectators were also alarmed when they saw the red lotus, “The Beast Taming Sect is really willing to give out such treasures. They must have made quite the investment for this trial. Aren’t they afraid of any mishaps?”
Nearby, Ma Xingkong flipped open his folded fan with a swish, fanning himself elegantly, he smiled and said, “You are not aware, my friends. That treasure wasn’t bestowed by the Supreme Elder of our sect, but it’s a fortune encountered by Junior Brother Qin himself!”
“Oh? What do you mean by that, Daoist Fellow Ma? Could it be that Daoist Fellow Qin found the cave mansion of a senior expert and obtained this treasure from there?”
Several scholars nearby turned their gaze toward Ma Xingkong, including Tang Qiyun, who had been persistently clinging to his side, her eyes reflecting a hint of curiosity.
“That’s not the case.”
Ma Xingkong, seeing the beauty’s gaze also resting on him, immediately felt quite pleased with himself, his heart swelling with pride. He shook his head and waved his folded fan, saying, “A few years ago, our sect had just won the inter-realm war, and Junior Brother Qin was among the first batch of cultivators to return from the otherworld.
At that time, he was visiting his family elders when he unexpectedly suffered an assassination attempt by Red Lotus Sword Master Chu Youhong and his disciple from Taiyi Mountain. Even more surprising was that Junior Brother Qin actually managed to kill both Chu Youhong and his disciple in succession and seized the Red Lotus Immortal Sword!”
“Red Lotus Immortal Sword? So it’s the treasure left by the Red Lotus Sword Immortal of Taiyi Mountain. No wonder I felt such sharp Sword Qi emanating from this red lotus!”
“Eh? That’s not right!”
Tang Qiyun’s gaze flickered as she stared at the Red Lotus Sword, voicing her doubts, “The aura of this Red Lotus Immortal Sword seems off; it appears to lack the might of an Immortal Artifact?”
“Ha-ha, Sister Qiyun has spoken truly; there indeed was a problem with the Red Lotus Immortal Sword!”
Ma Xingkong seized the moment and immediately found a topic to engage in conversation with Tang Qiyun.
But his calling her ‘Sister Qiyun’ caused Tang Sanyuan beside him to smoke with rage, wishing he could punch out all of Ma Xingkong’s teeth.
This shameless guy had only been referring to her as ‘Miss Tang’ before, and now he had the gall to push the envelope even further, dropping her surname and calling her by her given name, showing such familiarity as though he was her dear brother. It truly infuriated him as her actual older brother!
Unfortunately, he had just had a fight with Li Miaozhen and had been put at a disadvantage, pushed out of the arena by Li Miaozhen’s blade, and it wasn’t proper for him to challenge anyone again so soon.
Tang Sanyuan inwardly regretted; he should have directly challenged Ma Xingkong earlier—a good beating would surely make his face swell and might convince his sister to stay away from this shameless man.
“Oh? What seems to be the problem?”
Tang Qiyun didn’t mind Ma Xingkong’s form of address and looked puzzled, “Red Lotus Sword Immortal was once a dominant force, suppressing his peers, and even when fighting above his level, he never showed any weakness to his opponents. Had he not been besieged and killed by several Demon Immortals of the Demon Path, he might very well still be alive today and possibly have achieved the level of a Profound Immortal.”
Young Master Ma was delighted to find Tang Qiyun responding to him. He eagerly conveyed all he knew: “This matter is widely known in the Southern Domain. Among the previous generations of Sword Masters of the Red Lotus Lineage, there was an exceptional individual who attempted to refine the Sword Spirit, to draw out all of the Red Lotus Sword Immortal’s inheritance within the sword to perfect his own Sword Dao, in preparation to become a Sword Immortal.
However, the refining ended in failure, resulting in backlash that caused his death, and the Sword Spirit was also directly extinguished. That’s why the Red Lotus Immortal Sword lost its grade.
But the internal prohibitive laws of the Immortal Sword were not much damaged, and the inheritance of the Red Lotus Sword Immortal still exists, so it can still be considered a Half-Step Immortal Artifact. As long as one can rejuvenate its spiritual nature and cultivate that essence into an Artifact Spirit, this Immortal Sword can still be restored to its former glory.
Even now, this Red Lotus Sword’s power is probably not weaker than the bone fragment Daoist Fellow Fang carries, which bears the Innate Dao Text. So I think the outcome of this battle is still uncertain. What do you think, Sister Qiyun?”
“Indeed, that’s not bad.”
Tang Qiyun nodded, “Brother Qin is indeed one of your sect’s top True Disciples. Not only is his cultivation combat power so formidable, but he also has such a sharp treasure for protection. Senior Brother Fang might not necessarily win.”
Ma Xingkong, seeing her agree with his view, was thrilled, but looking again at where Tang Qiyun’s gaze always lingered on Qin Feng, he felt a twinge of discouragement.
It seemed he still fell just a bit short compared to Junior Brother Qin!
However, he quickly rallied his spirits.
It was just that Qin Feng had mastered the laws a step earlier than he had; he didn’t think he was much less capable than Qin Feng. Besides, he had his trump cards as well. As long as he elevated his cultivation swiftly, he was certain that Tang Qiyun would look at him differently.
As for other things, like physical appearance, he didn’t even take them into consideration.
“So it seems there’s still some fight left in these two!”
“Ha-ha, what an eye-opener we’ve had today—I never imagined witnessing such an exciting fighting scene. This trip has been worthwhile indeed!”
While everyone was engaged in discussion, in a palace not too far from the Beast Taming Sect’s location, several highly advanced cultivators turned their heads to look over at where Qin Feng was battling.
“Red Lotus Sword?!”
“Hmph!”
“Is that Junior from the Beast Taming Sect flaunting the Red Lotus Sword here, attempting to humiliate us all?”
Several Supreme Elders from Taiyi Mountain were quite enraged.
Since the Red Lotus Sword was taken by Qin Feng, the reputation of Taiyi Mountain had slipped somewhat.
In the past, being discussed by many cultivators in the Southern Domain was bearable, but now that Qin Feng had arrived in the Central Region to participate in the Five Domains Alliance and revealed the Red Lotus Sword here, was he trying to slap Taiyi Mountain in the face in the Central Region?
At this moment, cultivators from all the major sects of the Five Domains were congregated in Lingxiao City. If word of this got out, it would indeed greatly damage Taiyi Mountain’s image in the eyes of other sects!
However, apart from their annoyance, these Supreme Elders had no other solution.
Although years of nurturing had produced several disciples comparable to top-level geniuses among the True Disciples, none were assured victories over Qin Feng.
After all, besides his own Dao cultivation, Qin Feng also had the aid of spiritual beasts. While the disciples of Taiyi Mountain could only fight alone, Qin Feng could summon spiritual beasts and choose to gang up.
And according to the intelligence they had gathered, Qin Feng commanded more than just one or two Purple Mansion spiritual beasts. How could their disciples from Taiyi Mountain win under such circumstances?
They certainly couldn’t ask these old geezers to take action themselves, could they?
Not only would that result in an even greater loss of face, but it would also provide a pretext. If the Beast Taming Sect sought revenge, they would have no grounds to argue!
“Go, call Zhuo Feifan and the others here!”
One of the Supreme Elders of Taiyi Mountain, with a grim face, gave the order.
He was a Supreme Elder from the Heart Sword Lineage of Taiyi Mountain and had become an immortal long ago, with profound Dao cultivation. He not only held a lofty status within the sect but was also renowned in the cultivation world.
“Yes!”
An Inner Sect Elder promptly responded and summoned several of the most outstanding True Disciples into the palace.
“Greetings to Elder Xin Jian!”
The young sword cultivators bowed one after another.
“Hmm!”
Elder Xin Jian, looking down at these disciples with rich Sword Intent emanating from them, felt slightly better.
After all, these disciples were some of the strongest True Disciples to emerge in recent times, even stronger than he had been back in his day. Therefore, he naturally held them in high regard.
But the thought that even such formidable True Disciples were not certain to defeat Qin Feng made him feel even more stifled in his heart!
Although he wasn’t a direct descendant of the Red Lotus Lineage, the branches of Taiyi Mountain were interconnected and supportive of one another. They couldn’t possibly ignore the other lineages just because the Red Lotus Lineage was weak!
“Just now, that junior from the Beast Taming Sect had the audacity to use the Red Lotus Sword right under our noses!”
Elder Xin Jian, unable to hide his anger, continued, “To wield the heirloom of our Taiyi Mountain so blatantly, truly shows no regard for our sect.
This place is Lingxiao City in the Central Region, the site of the Five Domains Alliance. With so many major sects of the Five Domains gathered, he specifically chose to disgrace our Taiyi Mountain here. This person, must be punished!”
The faces of the several True Disciples below showed a slight change, both angry and worried.
They were enraged that Qin Feng would dare to humiliate Taiyi Mountain so blatantly and concerned about their lack of certainty in victory.
“Rest assured, I will not ask you to challenge Qin Feng right now.”
Elder Xin Jian’s voice was cold, “However, I will prepare some treasures for you. If you encounter this person during the trial, use every possible means to kill him and retrieve the treasured heirloom of the Red Lotus Lineage!”
“Yes!”
“We will certainly do our utmost, vow to slay the thief Qin Feng!”
Zhuo Feifan, too, was full of determination, “Elder, rest assured. Even at the cost of everything, I shall take that dog’s life and regain the Red Lotus Immortal Sword!”
