Beasts and Immortals

Deep within the Yunluo Mountain Range.

One man and one beast leaped between the mountains. The deeper they went, the more alarmed they became.

"Fourth-rank demonic beasts—there are even fifth-rank demonic beasts over there!"

Shen Yi nearly cried out in shock. In the valley before him alone, no fewer than a hundred demonic beasts lay entrenched.

The weakest among them were fourth-rank demonic beasts, already comparable to human cultivators at the late stages of Qi Refining. Yet this was merely a drop in the ocean; as far as the eye could see, demonic beasts packed the land in dense swarms.

"So many demonic beasts gathered here—something major must be happening."

Shen Yi hid in the shadows, making his guesses inwardly.

He wanted to turn back at once and report what he had seen to the Immortal Academy, but the unending tide of demonic beasts flooding in had already cut off his retreat.

"Since I can't go back, I might as well keep going deeper."

With that thought, he concealed himself among the grass and trees once more, vanishing without a trace.

"Sixth-rank demonic beasts!"

Shen Yi was stunned yet again. Sixth-rank demonic beasts possessed strength capable of rivaling Golden Core Cultivators.

As far as he knew, even in the vast Yunluo Mountain Range, there were only a dozen or twenty sixth-rank demonic beasts. Yet five stood before him now.

Each radiated a dangerous, violent aura as it occupied the center of the valley, as though guarding something.

"Yiya!"

Just as Shen Yi fell into thought, Little Black babbled and charged out, slipping into the midst of the beast pack.

Shen Yi was both anxious and furious. Though panic filled his heart, he did not dare make a move, afraid of drawing the attention of those sixth-rank demonic beasts.

He could only watch Little Black spring and scramble through the beasts, stepping on one head one moment and standing on another's back the next. Shen Yi watched with his heart in his throat, while Little Black was brimming with excitement, as if something had drawn it onward. Babbling all the way, it rushed toward where the sixth-rank demonic beasts were gathered.

"Come back!"

Shen Yi was frantic and nearly shouted aloud. In the blink of an eye, Little Black had already reached the midst of those demonic beasts, yet they behaved as though they had never noticed it.

After a long while, Little Black finally staggered back to Shen Yi.

"Yiya! Hic!"

Shen Yi grabbed it by the neck, leaving its four limbs flailing as it let out one whimper after another.

"What? You're saying there's an egg there, and you even took two bites out of it?"

Shen Yi was speechless. Little Black truly had the guts of a leopard, but he was also curious about what exactly was inside that egg.

With enemies blocking both the way ahead and the road behind, Shen Yi found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. He could only find a cave, cultivate in peace, and wait for the outcome.

Little Black, on the other hand, had been acting differently ever since arriving here. It left early and returned late every day, appearing beside that beast egg from time to time, and each time it came back looking thoroughly satisfied, its vital essence overflowing.

This continued for several days, until a beastly roar shattered the silence.

That roar alone knocked countless demonic beasts unconscious. Many low-rank demonic beasts were shattered on the spot, turning into blood and flesh scattered across the ground, and waves of bloody stench soon filled the valley.

"Seventh-rank demonic beast!"

Shen Yi trembled with fear and held Little Black tightly in his arms, terrified that it would run off recklessly at such a time.

"Zhu Yan! You've crossed the line!"

Suddenly, a great bird descended from the sky. It actually spoke human words, warning a massive white-headed ape atop the mountain peak.

"Gui Che, the Sacred Beast Egg is not something you can control either!"

The ape and bird faced each other like needle against wheat, unleashing peerless auras. Neither was willing to yield even half a step, while the beast pack beneath them all knelt upon the ground, shivering violently.

"Qiu Niu! Since you're here, why not show yourself?"

Zhu Yan pulled a long metallic staff from the void and pointed it directly toward the depths of the clouds. At those words, Gui Che shot a true feather toward that spot.

Boom!

The clouds shattered, and an enormous figure appeared—a human body with a bull's head, pinching between its fingers the true feather Gui Che had just fired.

"Another exotic beast!"

Shen Yi was even more horrified. What kind of Sacred Beast could make three exotic beasts appear at once?

"Hmph!" Qiu Niu snorted coldly and shot the true feather back. A streak of fire flashed through the air. "When a Sacred Beast is born, everyone who sees it gets a share!"

The three exotic beasts each released their pressure. Chaotic energy filled the air, mountains broke apart, the earth trembled, and even the sky seemed to burn.

The poor demonic beasts below could not withstand that pressure. One after another, they were ground out of existence alive.

Shen Yi circulated the Indestructible Scripture and actually began cultivating beneath the crushing pressure. Even so, blood continued to spill from his mouth.

Fortunately, that majesty capable of destroying heaven and earth did not last long. A divine radiance appeared in the sky, and a giant hand instantly seized the three exotic beasts, leaving them unable to move.

Along with the Sacred Beast Egg, they vanished into the void.

"Immortal!"

Though it had lasted only an instant, Shen Yi had clearly sensed that aura. It did not belong to this heaven and earth, containing the Great Dao of heaven and earth itself—an irresistible supreme will. Unfortunately, it existed for only a fleeting moment, leaving him unable to grasp its mysteries.

At that moment, another upheaval arose within the valley. Without the suppression of the seventh-rank exotic beasts, the several sixth-rank demonic beasts actually began fighting among themselves, attacking one another as each sought to become the new king of this place.

For a time, beast roars and bird cries rang without end. Blood splashed across the earth, and no one knew how many demonic beasts died to pave the way for the birth of a new king.

Enormous ferocious birds and savage beasts unleashed precious arts. Their demonic might blanketed the world—terrifying true feathers like iron chains, towering bodies that pierced heaven and earth, and weapons capable of destroying the world. The entire sky darkened, the earth split into pieces, and wild winds howled.

Shen Yi watched in a trance, his mind drawn into the battle before him. He seemed to have gained an insight, yet he was always one thread short of true enlightenment.

Suddenly, a mournful wail rose as though from the Nine Netherworlds. A true feather carrying the force to throw heaven and earth into chaos shot toward him.

Shen Yi had no time to think. Spirit Wings burst forth, and he shot straight into the clouds.

When those demonic beasts saw Shen Yi suddenly appear, their gazes froze for a moment. Then they each unleashed an attack, all shooting toward him at once.

Cold sweat poured down Shen Yi's back. The attacks of those five sixth-rank demonic beasts were no weaker than a Golden Core Cultivator's full-force strike.

Since he could not block them, he could only flee for his life, trying to throw the attacks off behind him.

"Whew—too close!"

Shen Yi stopped atop a mountain peak and looked toward the distance. The mountaintop there had been blasted apart by sheer force, rocks flying in every direction, and lingering fear rose in his heart.

"The depths of the Yunluo Mountain Range are perilous everywhere. Ferocious beasts and exotic beasts can be found at every turn. It seems I need to raise my strength as quickly as possible."

He looked at the ferocious beasts wandering below the mountain and made up his mind.

After flying for several more days and evading danger all the way, Shen Yi finally brought Little Black to a place rich in spiritual energy. To his surprise, there was even a thatched hut there, filled with dust and seemingly abandoned for a very long time.

Thus, Shen Yi settled down there. He cultivated every day without fail, and in the blink of an eye, two or three months passed.

His cultivation finally rose to the seventh level of Qi Refining. What surprised him even more was Little Black: the little fellow vanished every day during daylight and did not return until deep into the night. The aura it now released was no weaker than Shen Yi's own.

Only when Shen Yi questioned it did Little Black finally pull him along with a mysterious look on its face and leap into the pool beside the thatched hut.