Nine-Eared Dog

After leaving the Fierce Ghost Cave and returning to the outside world, Yang Tianshi reduced the range of the Heavenly Net Illusory Spirit Formation to cover an area of one hundred feet in radius, then turned around and returned to the Fierce Ghost Cave.

Yang Tianwang summoned Giant Mountain, and everyone rode on it, disappearing into the earth.

The group quietly returned to Purple Moon Mountain.

Old Ancestor Yang Haoyu couldn't wait to go into seclusion with the Yin-Soul Liquid, while the other elders dispersed.

Yang Tianyou, carrying the Moonlight Cold Crystal, rode Flying Shuttle to Crouching Ox Pass.

Yunhua was in seclusion, Yang Tianyou did not disturb him. With the jade pendant given to him by Yunhua, he could freely enter and exit any area within the City Lord's Manor.

Arriving under the Red Maple Tree, Yang Tianyou leaned against the trunk and released several Spirit Beasts with a wave of his sleeve.

With nothing else to do, he picked up the chubby little black dog and began to examine it.

This little guy is actually a Demon Beast, but only First-Tier Low-Grade. Its attribute seems to be yin, carrying a trace of Ghost Qi, which is quite peculiar.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Yang Tianyou noticed a certain detail.

Behind this little black dog's two ears, there were actually three pairs of ears growing side by side.

He had never seen a black dog with eight pairs of ears before.

"Could this be another mutant species?" Yang Tianyou muttered to himself, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards Ruoqing.

But he quickly dismissed his guess.

If it's a mutated species, how could this little guy only be First-Tier Low-Grade? And judging from the situation, its combat power is probably even weaker than that of an ordinary Wild Beasts.

After studying it for a while, Yang Tianyou still couldn't figure it out. He just thought the little guy was pleasing to the eye, so he decided to raise it for a while and see if its potential was good. If it was, he might as well take it as his Bonded Spirit Beast.

As he pondered this, he took out a classic book and began to read it carefully.

A gentle breeze rustled through the Red Maple Trees, creating a peculiar contrast with the man quietly reading a book beneath them.

That evening, Yunhua emerged from seclusion, and Yang Tianyou prepared a sumptuous meal.

At the dinner table, he handed her the Moonlight Cold Crystal.

"Moonlight Cold Crystal?"

Yunhua was overjoyed; she had been searching for this material for a long time but had never been able to obtain it.

"Do you like it?" Yang Tianyou asked with a smile.

"I love it!" A stunning smile bloomed on Yunhua's beautiful face.

"The Old Ancestor said this is the Betrothal Gifts given to you in advance!" Yang Tianyou winked and spoke in a mischievous tone.

Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman blushed. This woman, who was usually so magnanimous in other matters, always appeared shy in this aspect, her delicate and charming appearance making her all the more endearing.

After chatting for a while, Fengling suddenly returned from outside, carrying the little black dog she had taken in as her follower in her mouth.

Seeing this, Yang Tianyou seemed to remember something, and beckoned Fengling to place the little black dog in his hands.

Then he asked Yunhua, "Take a look at this little guy and see what breed he is. This is the first time I've ever seen a dog with eight ears; it's not mentioned in any books."

Eight ears?

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed in Yunhua's clear, bright eyes.

A delicate, white hand reached out and took the little black dog from Yang Tianyou's hands. Yunhua pried open the dog's ears, her expression shifting slightly.

"What, you recognize this little guy's race?"

Yang Tianyou had only intended to try it out, but seeing Yunhua's expression, he actually recognized the little black dog.

"... If I'm not mistaken, this should be Nine-Eared Dog."

"Nine-Eared Dog?"

"Hmm! It's an extremely rare breed of spirit dog, born with nine ears, eight of which are visible, while the last one, the Heart Ear, is elusive."

This beast is extremely adept at listening to the sounds of heaven and earth. Legend has it that they possess the bloodline of the Underworld's Divine Beast, Diting, but whether that's true or not, no one knows!

"So, doesn't that mean I've made a huge profit?"

Yang Tianyou was taken aback, then turned to look at Fengling. This guy really has good taste; the first time he brought back Ruoqing, the second time he brought back the Nine-Eared Dog.

Unexpectedly, this thought was ruthlessly crushed by Yunhua as soon as it arose.

"It's not that simple. I'm talking about the Nine-Eared Dog whose bloodline power has been fully awakened."

Yunhua shook her head.

"The Nine-Eared Dog has a very special requirement for growth: it needs to gather all nine types of energy in order to fully awaken the power of its bloodline."

"Nine types of qi, what Nine Qi?"

"These are Divine Qi, Bone Qi, Wealth Qi, Fortune Qi, Spiritual Qi, Earth Qi, Yang Qi, Yin Qi, and Pure Qi. Gathering these nine energies will fully unlock the power of your bloodline."

"It doesn't sound too difficult. At least Spiritual Qi and Yin Qi are easy to obtain." Yang Tianyou smiled.

"You're wrong. The Spiritual Qi here isn't the kind of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi we usually talk about, but rather a kind of Spirit Communication energy. It's similar to the Spirit-Awakening Spring Water of the Luochuan Sect, but its effects are much stronger," Yunhua rolled her eyes at him and explained.

"And what about this Yin Qi?"

"Yin Qi is not ordinary cold and yin energy. It can only be collected through special Secret Methods when the Yin Qi in the world is at its strongest in Yin Year, Yin Month, Yin Day, Yin Hour, and yin hour. Of course, if one has Yin Vein of the Fourth Tier or above, one can also collect this kind of Yin Qi."

"That difficult?" Yang Tianyou's eyes widened.

"However... if it's Yin Qi, you don't need to worry. Don't forget I have Six-Yin Spirit Body, and my Extreme Yin Qi is absolutely sufficient to meet this little guy's needs."

Seeing his expression, Yunhua smiled gently, her crescent-shaped eyes looking very beautiful.

"There are still eight other types of energy. I can manage the Wealth Qi, but even so, we're still missing seven!"

Yang Tianyou tossed the chubby little black dog in his hand and instantly realized that this was another money-devouring beast.

"There's no need to worry. The Nine Qi I mentioned are used to fully activate its bloodline. If it's just the early stages of cultivation, two or three types of energies are enough to open its bloodline. Before reaching the Golden Core realm, you won't need to worry about bloodline limitations anymore."

"Oh, that's good!"

Yang Tianyou breathed a sigh of relief; as long as he could cultivate to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, that would be fine.

Once I cultivate my Houtian Spirit Body, I will surely achieve the Golden Core, and then I will have plenty of time to slowly search for other types of energy.

"This is an Extreme Yin Qi; let this little guy absorb it now!"

Yunhua raised her hand, and an Extreme Yin Qi appeared in her palm.

Upon seeing this Extreme Yin Qi, the little black dog immediately perked up, its large, watery eyes filled with intense longing.

"Remember this: once you've absorbed this Extreme Yin Qi, you're my dog from this day forward, understand?"

Yang Tianyou tapped the little black dog's forehead and said in an annoyed tone.

"Woof..." The little black dog seemed to understand and barked at him.

With a gentle toss from Yunhua, the Extreme Yin Qi flew into the little black dog's brow.

Instantly, a dense black light swirled around.

In the dim light, Yang Tianyou seemed to see a phantom of a Divine Beast appearing behind the little black dog.

This Divine Beast has a tiger's head, a single horn, dog's ears, a dragon's body, a lion's tail, and qilin's feet, and carries an indescribable auspicious aura.

The phantom image flashed and disappeared in an instant. When the black light dissipated, the little black dog fell into a deep sleep.

However, its cultivation level rose to the First-Tier Middle-Grade in a short period of time.

This rate of improvement is simply astonishing.