Xiankong City and the Sulphur Island Master

"Ancient texts recorded that the Longxiang was a Divine Seed, bearing the bloodlines of the dragon, the Heavenly Horse, and the Tiger-Howl. The dragon, Heavenly Horse, and Tiger-Howl were all ancient divine races."

Four Water Tribe Qi Practitioners rapidly pursued Zhong Yue's direction of departure. At the front was Shui Anshan, who said quickly, "The Longxiang is exceedingly rare. I never expected one to appear in my Great Wilderness—and it's still a cub! If we capture it and raise it within the Shuitu Clan, our standing among the Great Wilderness's ten great clans will surely rise by two or three places, putting the Lei Lake and other clans beneath us!"

One Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioner asked in confusion, "That Longxiang just now was nearly two zhang long. It's still a cub?"

"Not only is it a cub, it probably hasn't been born for long."

Shui Anshan laughed. "An adult Longxiang is divine and sacred, with a physique as huge as a mountain. It can cross mountains and seas in a single charge. Fortunately, it's still a cub. If it had grown a little more, the elders probably wouldn't have let us come subdue it—they would have acted personally!"

The other three Qi Practitioners all sighed in relief and laughed. "A cub that was born not long ago will certainly be ours for the taking. It won't take the slightest effort."

The instant Zhong Yue leaped out of the Beast God Seal, he also noticed the Shuitu Clan's great ship descending. However, he had now been assimilated by the Beast God Essence and transformed into a Longxiang. To the Human race, he was a Demonic Beast, so it would be unwise to encounter them. Moreover, he had little goodwill toward the Shuitu Clan, so he immediately fled.

"I have to find a secluded, uninhabited place as soon as possible and cultivate in peace for a few days. I need to refine the Beast God Essence that changed my physique and turn back into a human, or if the Qi Practitioners of my Great Wilderness mistake me for a Demonic Beast and kill me, I'll die an utterly unjust death."

It had to be said that the Longxiang form was truly powerful. Its speed alone was astonishing, several points faster than Zhong Yue's lightning-riding flight—and that was while he was advancing at an ordinary walking pace, without exerting himself at all.

"Those Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioners from before have caught up!"

Zhong Yue looked back, his heart turning cold. Are they planning to subdue the demon and eliminate the devil? It made sense. In his current form, he was no different from a Demonic Beast. If he tried to speak, they might even mistake him for the Demonic Race and be all the more determined to eradicate him.

"Hehe, little Longxiang, come here obediently."

A Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioner stood in midair, looking down at Zhong Yue as he raced through the mountain forests. He chuckled, and behind him a majestic Water God, the River Earl, suddenly appeared. Vast waters coiled around the River Earl as he reached out toward Zhong Yue!

The River Earl manifested by a Qi Practitioner had an entirely different effect from the one manifested by Shui Qinghe. Shui Qinghe's visualization of the River Earl was extraordinarily exquisite, possessing skin, bones, flesh, and blood. But the River Earl visualized by this Qi Practitioner was far more than that. He had not merely visualized the River Earl—he also possessed a divine and sacred aura, as though he truly carried the aura of a god or demon!

The River Earl was divine and sacred, the god who controlled the currents!

Moreover, water dragons coiled around this River Earl, and a sword hung at his waist. Whether in majesty or divinity, he far surpassed Shui Qinghe's River Earl!

As that hand reached out, the River Earl's arm stretched longer and longer, crossing several li, even more than ten li, as it reached toward Zhong Yue from afar!

"Senior Brother Anshan, now that we have this strange beast, do you think the clan will record a great merit for us?"

The Qi Practitioner who had visualized the River Earl laughed. "Offering such an auspicious beast to the Shuitu Clan must surely be a great achievement, right?"

"Naturally. Wei River Whip, go!"

Shui Anshan laughed heartily and pointed. Great waves surged into the heavens, and a mighty Wei River roared and galloped forth, flying straight toward Zhong Yue, who had dodged the River Earl's strike. He laughed. "This beast actually dodged your grab. It truly is a strange Demonic Beast, with divine blood in its veins. It could evade a Qi Practitioner's capture the moment it was born."

The mighty Wei River grew thinner and thinner, like a long whip, or a flying python. It raced behind Zhong Yue, rapidly closing in!

Zhong Yue gritted his teeth, suddenly exerted force through his feet, and dashed forward with all his might. The mountain forests on either side blurred past in a flicker of light and shadow!

The four Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioners stood dumbfounded in midair. The Longxiang had actually risen like a human, spread its two hind legs, and bolted away at a speed frightening enough to scare the wits out of them!

A Demonic Beast that was half dragon, half horse, and half tiger, dragging a long dragon tail, had actually sprinted like a human. Such a thing was surely the strangest sight they had ever encountered in their lives!

"Is there some mistake? Do Longxiangs all stand up and run on their two hind legs?"

One Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioner asked blankly, "Shouldn't it run like a horse?"

The other Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioners were equally bewildered. No one could answer his question.

"He stood up... Mm, standing up to run, he still can't beat us in flight. Catch up at once and capture this Longxiang. Don't let it escape!"

Zhong Yue raced like the wind, his speed astonishing. With a leap, he crossed a mountain stream and great river. Although the four Qi Practitioners flew through the sky, they still could not close the distance. The four exchanged horrified looks.

"Dragons follow the clouds, tigers follow the wind, and the Heavenly Horse was born with wings. The Longxiang was already famed for its speed, but I never expected this one to run on two legs and still be so fast!"

The four were shocked beyond measure and became even more certain that this Longxiang was a rare breed found nowhere else in the world, even surpassing Sword Gate Mountain's Four-Clarity Beast. Thus, no matter what, they had to obtain it.

"Work together to activate the Water-Walking Boat. Turn our mental power into the Wei River and raise the Water-Walking Boat's speed to its limit!"

Shui Anshan shouted, "I refuse to believe that we can't catch a newborn Longxiang!"

One Qi Practitioner hurriedly said, "Senior Brother, if the four of us manifest the Wei River with our mental power, the boat will move faster on the water, but the consumption of mental power will also be tremendous."

"As long as we catch that Longxiang, it won't be able to escape. Even if our cultivation is severely damaged, it still won't escape our grasp!"

The four Qi Practitioners immediately activated the Water-Walking Boat. Their mental power transformed into a long river in midair, carrying the boat in hot pursuit of Zhong Yue.

Zhong Yue sprinted wildly. Along the way, countless Demonic Beasts on Beast God Ridge raised their heads in astonishment, watching this Longxiang gallop on two legs and sending their muddled minds into upheaval.

"The Shuitu Clan disciples have caught up! They're so fast!"

In the midst of his haste, Zhong Yue looked back. Great waters stretched across the sky, and the four Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioners stood at the bow, riding the winds and breaking the waves. They were even a few points faster than him!

Suddenly, one of the Qi Practitioners leaped from the boat. While still in midair, waves suddenly sprang up and lifted him. The Qi Practitioner spread his five fingers and slammed his palm downward. "Ice Soul Sword Qi, Sword Style Twenty-Three!"

Clang, clang, clang! The water vapor in midair condensed into one Ice Soul Sword after another. They spun in a great circle overhead before suddenly descending upon Zhong Yue, who was still running!

Zhong Yue was trapped within the Ice Soul Sword Qi. Sword Qi revolved around him, and flashes of sword light repeatedly stabbed toward him. He immediately struck left and right with his dragon claws and swept out his dragon tail, smashing the Ice Soul Sword Qi apart one sword after another.

"It hurts..."

Several strands of sword qi still broke through his defenses, leaving several bloody holes in his body. The icy chill of the Ice Soul Sword Qi immediately invaded him, freezing cold as if it would stiffen him into ice.

However, in the sea of consciousness between his brows, the Beast God inner core turned slightly. Heat like a wave of fire surged out, and the icy chill instantly melted like snow beneath the sun, becoming completely useless against him.

The Qi Practitioner was greatly alarmed and cried out, "How is this possible? Is this Longxiang really a young beast? Why can't even my Ice Soul chill freeze him?"

"Junior Brother, come up here. I'll capture him alive!"

Another Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioner leaped from the bow. While in midair, he suddenly manifested the River Earl's body, stepped upon great waves, and pounced toward Zhong Yue.

The mountain forests were filled with churning waves. Their crests hung high in the air and surged over the mountaintops, but Zhong Yue had already charged down the mountain. The Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioner transformed into the River Earl and drove the great waves downhill, only to see the Longxiang ahead running faster and faster. Suddenly, lightning burst beneath its feet, raising its speed by another great margin. With a booming crash, the Longxiang broke through the sound barrier, a huge white ring of air appearing around its body as it ran off on its two legs.

In less than the time of a breath, the Longxiang had covered more than ten li. The Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioner could not catch up at all and could only stand there dumbly, at a loss.

"That Longxiang rode the lightning away."

Shui Anshan and the other two Qi Practitioners caught up, all somewhat bewildered. They muttered, "This fellow was only just born, yet it can already control thunder?"

An aged voice rang out loudly. "Dragons follow the clouds, tigers follow the wind. Wind and clouds give birth to thunder. It is not strange for a Longxiang to control thunder."

The four Qi Practitioners hurriedly bowed. "Elder!"

"Behind that cliff is the Beast God Seal. It is exceedingly intricate, and one cannot easily set foot within it. I observed it from outside for a while, but was truly unable to break the seal and could only give up. Anshan, go to Xiankong City now and sell this information to the Demonic Race."

Shui Zi'an walked over with his hands behind his back and shook his head. "That Longxiang is still young, and it cannot control thunder for long. It will soon exhaust its strength, and catching up to it will not be difficult. Jian Ping, Jian Shu, go pursue that Longxiang. I'll return to the mountain and wait for the Demonic Race's leaders to arrive!"

The two Shuitu Clan Qi Practitioners bowed and acknowledged the order before immediately speeding away. Shui Anshan also set off at once, heading beyond the Great Wilderness toward Xiankong City.

Beast God Ridge returned to peace, but this peace lasted only half a month.

Half a month later, the Demonic Race's giant of Xiankong City, one of its three great leaders—the Sulphur Island Master, Yan Yunsheng—led a mighty force of a hundred Demonic Race Qi Practitioners to Sword Gate!

Everyone in Sword Gate was shaken. The Sulphur Island Master's aura was wild and boundless. The moment Yan Yunsheng arrived at Sword Gate, he released his incomparably vigorous aura, suppressing every Qi Practitioner in Sword Gate. Demonic clouds enveloped Sword Gate Mountain, giving all of Sword Gate Mountain's Qi Practitioners a show of force!

Suddenly, sword qi surged into the heavens from Sword Gate's Golden Summit, stirring the winds and clouds and sweeping away the demonic haze filling the sky. An incomparably aged voice rang out. "The Sulphur Island Master has come from afar and is our guest. I hope that, as a guest, you will follow the host's customs and abide by Sword Gate's rules."

Yan Yunsheng revealed a wary look, then laughed heartily. "Old Ghost Feng, you're still alive after all. I thought you had already died! Now that a Holy Land of my Demonic Race has appeared in the Great Wilderness, and our Beast God is buried in Beast God Ridge of the Great Wilderness, Old Ghost Feng, Beast God Ridge will belong to my Demonic Race from now on!"

The aged voice vanished and did not appear again. Elder Shui Zi'an came forward with a beaming smile. "Island Master Yan, regarding Beast God Ridge, allow this old man to discuss it with you."

Before long, Yan Yunsheng and Shui Zi'an reached an agreement. The Demonic Race could enter the Great Wilderness and explore the Beast God Seal within Beast God Ridge, but they could not set foot anywhere else in the Great Wilderness.

Several days later, huge white-bone ships sailed in from beyond the Great Wilderness and flew toward Beast God Ridge. On board were none other than the Demonic Race's Qi Practitioners.

Of the three great island masters of Xiankong City, the Demonic Race's Holy Land, two had arrived!

Deep in the mountain forests of the Great Wilderness, a strong Longxiang raised its head and stared blankly at the enormous white-bone ships flying overhead. It could not help shivering as it muttered, "Xin Huo, do you think today is going to be a day of bloodshed..."

A little flame drilled out from the Longxiang's mane, its face full of anticipation. "At last, we can see the three formations unleashed together!"