Qiongqi.
A true ferocious beast powerhouse under Beast Emperor Shen Ni.
His fearsome reputation was renowned throughout the Northern Land.
Several days earlier.
Qiongqi had received a message.
A giant beast of unknown origin had suddenly appeared on the outskirts of the Northern Land.
Its body was tens of thousands of miles long, it fed on Fierce Sha Qi, and its fleshly body was unimaginably powerful.
At first, Qiongqi hadn't taken it seriously at all.
The Northern Land had always been home to many kinds of ferocious beasts.
All manner of strange bloodlines appeared one after another.
Ferocious beasts of enormous size weren't particularly rare either.
Tens of thousands of miles was a little exaggerated, but to a true Daluo Golden Immortal, it still wasn't enough to judge strength by.
Besides, the original message had come from a few low-level ferocious beasts.
Those dim-witted things could boast that a ten-thousand-zhang mountain was a giant pillar holding up the heavens.
Naturally, Qiongqi hadn't believed them entirely.
Not until word came that Heaven-Splitting Hou had been sent flying by a sweep of its tail.
Qiongqi was finally interested.
Heaven-Splitting Hou, at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, wasn't among the true elite of the Ferocious Beast Clan, but he was still a ferocious beast king in his own right.
To send him flying tens of thousands of miles with one sweep of a tail.
How powerful would a fleshly body have to be to accomplish that alone?
Qiongqi wanted to see for himself.
More importantly.
Beast Emperor Shen Ni had already given an order.
Bring that giant beast back.
Qiongqi flew faster and faster.
Before long, he entered the territory Heaven-Splitting Hou had originally ruled.
As soon as he entered the area, a trace of puzzlement appeared in Qiongqi's eyes.
"Why has the Sha Qi thinned out so much?"
He was extremely familiar with the Northern Land's environment.
The Sha Qi in the world around him was noticeably thinner than in other regions.
The farther he went.
The more noticeable the change became.
In some places, the clear sky had even reappeared.
Qiongqi's brow gradually furrowed.
Clearly, no ordinary cultivator could have caused such a change.
He continued onward.
Soon, he saw the traces left by the earlier battle.
Shattered mountains and rivers.
Collapsed earth.
The enormous crater tens of thousands of miles away was especially conspicuous.
Qiongqi landed at the edge of the crater and looked down.
His Daluo Golden Immortal-level Divine Sense swiftly probed into it.
Soon.
The disdain in Qiongqi's eyes diminished considerably.
The crater hadn't been blasted out by a Divine Ability.
It had been created purely by the impact of Heaven-Splitting Hou's body when he crashed into the ground.
"He really does have some strength."
Qiongqi spoke in a low voice.
The next moment, he raised his head again.
His gaze turned toward the distance.
After that one look, Qiongqi fell silent.
On the distant earth.
A dark-gold mountain range lay across the world.
Head, back, giant fins, and tail formed an unbroken whole, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Qiongqi possessed Great Luo cultivation, and his Divine Sense covered a far greater range than that of an ordinary ferocious beast.
Even so.
It still took him some time to see Lu Yuan's full outline clearly.
More than eighty thousand miles.
Nearly ninety thousand miles!
For the first time, Qiongqi's expression visibly changed.
He had thought those low-level ferocious beasts were exaggerating.
Only now did he realize.
Those stupid things had actually been conservative in their description.
What concerned Qiongqi even more was the presence emanating from Lu Yuan.
Very young.
His life essence was extraordinarily vigorous.
It even gave the impression that he had yet to fully mature.
Qiongqi's gaze gradually grew grave.
"Not an adult yet?"
Such an enormous body.
Such vigorous life.
And yet he was still a juvenile?
He narrowed his eyes instinctively.
Such a bloodline and origin were exceedingly rare in all the Primordial World.
Qiongqi finally understood why the Beast Emperor had personally ordered him to bring Lu Yuan back.
Once such a being was brought into the Ferocious Beast Imperial Court.
With a little nurturing.
He would definitely become a terrifying combat force in the future.
Qiongqi slowly beat his wings.
And flew toward Lu Yuan.
He didn't land directly.
Instead, he planned to observe from high above first.
But as he flew.
Qiongqi's expression gradually grew a little strange.
Starting at Lu Yuan's tail, he flew forward along his back.
He flew one thousand miles.
Three thousand miles.
Ten thousand miles.
Twenty thousand miles...
The scenery below seemed to have barely changed.
Dark-gold scales were covered in rocks and dust, and sparse Spirit Plants had even grown in some places.
Seen from high above, he really did look like an endless stretch of land.
After flying more than thirty thousand miles, Qiongqi finally couldn't resist looking back.
He could no longer see where he had come from.
"This guy..."
A trace of shock surfaced in Qiongqi's eyes despite himself.
He was a ferocious beast himself.
He was more sensitive than ordinary cultivators to the pressure brought on by sheer size.
Lu Yuan's body merely had to lie there to make ordinary living beings feel an immense pressure.
If he truly began to move.
That sight was indeed difficult to imagine.
Qiongqi flew for a long while longer.
At last, he arrived near Lu Yuan's head.
By now, Lu Yuan had already noticed him.
Qiongqi hadn't concealed his Daluo Golden Immortal presence in the slightest.
It was difficult to ignore even if he wanted to.
Lu Yuan opened his eyes.
His golden gaze illuminated a vast stretch of the world.
Qiongqi looked at the eye before him, larger than many lakes, and for some reason paused before delivering the opening words he had prepared.
This perspective...
It really is a little strange.
He was a dignified Daluo Golden Immortal, a powerhouse of the Ferocious Beast Clan.
Which living being didn't normally have to look up at him?
Today, it was his turn to look up.
And holding his head up was quite tiring.
Qiongqi quickly suppressed the strange feeling in his heart.
He represented Beast Emperor Shen Ni.
Naturally, he couldn't let his bearing appear weak.
"Are you Lu Yuan?"
Qiongqi's voice was deep.
Lu Yuan had already heard quite a bit about the Northern Land from Heaven-Splitting Hou.
The ferocious beast before him had a presence far greater than Heaven-Splitting Hou's.
He was probably one of the true powerhouses under Shen Ni.
"I am."
Lu Yuan's gaze fell on Qiongqi.
"Are you looking for me?"
Qiongqi raised his head slightly.
"I am Qiongqi. I have come on the orders of his majesty, the Beast Emperor."
Hearing the name Qiongqi, Lu Yuan understood everything.
He was indeed one of Shen Ni's people.
Qiongqi continued, "His majesty heard that a powerful living being had recently appeared in the Northern Land and holds you in high regard. He ordered me to invite you to the Beast Emperor Palace."
Lu Yuan didn't answer immediately after listening.
"What for?"
Qiongqi was prepared for this question.
"The Primordial World is now in turmoil, with the myriad races occupying their own territories. His majesty rules the Northern Land and is preparing to lead our Ferocious Beast Clan in sweeping across the world. With your origins and fleshly body, if you are willing to join the Imperial Court, you can naturally join us in pursuing this great undertaking."
As Qiongqi said this, a clear note of pride entered his voice.
"Once the Ferocious Beast Clan truly rules the Primordial World, you too can enjoy boundless fortune and resources. This is a fortuitous opportunity ordinary beings couldn't obtain no matter how they begged."
Lu Yuan listened attentively to the end.
He understood the gist of it.
Shen Ni was recruiting employees.
The position sounded pretty good.
The prospects for development...
Considering the future he knew about, Lu Yuan felt the prospects were rather mediocre.
Still, Shen Ni's forces were indeed powerful at present.
Most of the Northern Land's Sha Qi resources were in his hands.
Thinking of this, Lu Yuan looked at Qiongqi.
"After I join you, can I eat as much of the Northern Land's Sha Qi as I want?"
Qiongqi had just been about to continue describing the Beast Emperor's might.
Hearing this, he visibly paused.
"What did you say?"
"Sha Qi."
Lu Yuan answered earnestly. "I need a large amount of Sha Qi to cultivate. If I join, how will those resources be divided?"
Qiongqi finally understood.
The giant beast before him really was asking about the terms.
He recalled the clear skies he had seen along the way and understood where the Sha Qi had gone.
The corner of Qiongqi's mouth twitched.
That cultivation method really was unusual.
But since Lu Yuan had started asking about the terms, there was hope of recruiting him.
A smile returned to Qiongqi's face.
"That's simple."
"His Majesty rules the Northern Land. All the world's lands of baleful Sha are under the Imperial Court's control."
"As long as you're willing to join, with your strength and origins, you naturally won't lack cultivation resources."
Lu Yuan's eyes visibly brightened.
Qiongqi caught the change and grew even more certain.
Just as he thought.
Even the mightiest beings had needs.
As long as they had needs, there was room to negotiate.
So Qiongqi raised the stakes.
"If you truly can serve His Majesty, what harm would there be in letting you devour all the Fierce Sha Qi in the north?"
His words fell.
Lu Yuan fell silent.
The entire north?
Those terms sounded...
Pretty tempting, actually.