Beast King Han Tong, Elder of Exotic Beast Valley

After leaving the Mysterious Mountain Village, Jiang Liu spent several more days on the back of the Frostwing Dragon.

That day, Jiang Liu saw a ninth-rank iron-beaked eagle flying straight from the horizon. When it got closer, it saw the Frostwing Dragon and was immediately startled.

Just as the Ironbeak Eagle was about to turn and fly away, the Frostwing Dragon unleashed a breath attack, instantly freezing the Ironbeak Eagle into a block of ice. With a single inhale, the Frostwing Dragon sucked the Ironbeak Eagle into its mouth.

Just then, another Three-Eyed Flying Tiger with the strength of a Lesser Beast King flew over from a distance. The Frostwing Dragon was about to unleash its breath again when Jiang Liu quickly stopped it, because Jiang Liu saw someone on the back of the Three-Eyed Flying Tiger.

Jiang Liu immediately understood that the people from the Exotic Beast Valley were chasing the Iron-Beaked Eagle from earlier. Sure enough, not long after, the Three-Eyed Flying Tiger flew up to Jiang Liu and stopped.

The man from the Exotic Beast Valley sized up Jiang Liu. He thought Jiang Liu was only Rank 9 Martial Practitioner, so how could he control a Beast King- level Frostwing Dragon? He immediately cupped his hands and asked Jiang Liu, "May I ask who you are?"

Jiang Liu looked at the middle-aged man from the Exotic Beast Valley who exuded the aura of Minor Grandmaster and cupped his hands, saying, "I am Jiang Liu. May I ask who you are?"

"I am Han Tong, an elder of the Exotic Beast Valley. May I ask how you obtained the Beast Mastery Art?" Han Tong asked curiously.

"I purchased the Beast Mastery Art at the Ascension Tower auction in Wind City, Yunzhou. May I ask, senior, is there a problem with it? It seems that this Beast Taming Technique was put up for auction by a disciple of your Exotic Beast Valley."

"Young Brother Jiang, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean to blame you; I just wanted to understand," Han Tong quickly waved his hand.

"Yunzhou Wind City? So, Brother Jiang, it's only been a little over two years since you acquired the Beast Mastery Art?" Han Tong's eyes lit up as he looked intently at Jiang Liu.

Jiang Liu was puzzled, but nodded and said, "Yes!"

Han Tong looked Jiang Liu up and down again, then burst into laughter, laughing until tears streamed down his face.

Jiang Liu was even more confused and at a loss. He could only wait silently in place because he wanted to know how to get to the Exotic Beast Valley and, more importantly, he wanted to obtain the complete manual of beast taming.

After Han Tong calmed down, Jiang Liu cupped his hands and asked, "Senior, could you tell me what happened?"

Han Tong immediately looked at Jiang Liu with a friendly expression and said, "Young Brother Jiang, I would like to invite you to the Exotic Beast Valley. Would that be alright?" After saying that, he glanced at Jiang Liu cautiously, as if afraid that Jiang Liu would not agree.

Jiang Liu pondered for a moment, considering the way things were done in the Exotic Beast Valley along the way. He figured he wouldn't be in any danger going Exotic Beast Valley. Besides, he had the Frostwing Dragon, so he should be able to escape even if he did. So he simply nodded and agreed.

Seeing that Jiang Liu Han Tong happily led the way, flying directly towards the Exotic Beast Valley.

On the way, Jiang Liu asked Han Tong, "Senior, how long does it take to get from here to the Qi City Exotic Beast Valley?"

"If we fly at full speed, it will take at most five days, and seven days if we fly slowly," Han Tong replied.

The two flew for a short while before they saw a city. Han Tong looked at Jiang Liu and said, "Brother Jiang, would you like to rest for a bit?"

Jiang Liu thought to himself, it's only May 20th, there's still plenty of time, no rush to get to Qi City, so he replied, "Then let's rest for a bit!"

The two landed towards the city. As soon as they reached the city gates, a middle-aged man exuding the aura of Rank 9 Martial Practitioner flew out. Upon seeing Han Tong, the man immediately cupped his hands and said, "Senior Han, are you going into the city?"

Han Tong clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Yes! Let's go into the city and rest for a while."

The newcomer gestured for them to enter, but Han Tong waved his hand and flew towards the Exotic Beast Plaza, leaving the Three-Eyed Flying Tiger on a separate side.

Seeing this, Jiang Liu also parked the Frostwing Dragon on the other side. Not long after, a man who looked like a manager flew out, cupped his hands towards Han Tong, and said, "Senior Han, as usual?"

Han Tong nodded and then said, "Remember to take good care of this young man's mount."

The manager quickly agreed.

Jiang Liu then dismounted the Frostwing Dragon and ordered Frostwing Dragon to stay there, since having someone to take care of Frostwing Dragon would allow it to rest better.

Han Tong carried Jiang Liu and flew towards the city. When they arrived at the city gate, they saw the words "Moonfall" written on it. Han Tong and Jiang Liu flew directly over the city wall, because Grandmasters could fly directly over the city wall.

After entering the city, Han Tong led Jiang Liu to a three-story pavilion with the words "Exotic Beast Valley" written on it. Jiang Liu immediately knew that this was the Exotic Beast Valley's stronghold in Tongyue City.

Sure enough, as soon as Han Tong stepped into the pavilion, a steward with the strength of an eighth rank immediately came forward, bowed to Han Tong, and said, "Elder Han, you've arrived!"

Han Tong nodded slightly and said, "Arrange two guest rooms! This young man and I will rest here for a while."

"Yes, please follow me." The steward nodded in agreement.

The manager led the way inside, and Han Tong and Jiang Liu followed.

Before long, the three of them arrived at a row of houses in the backyard. The steward opened a door, and Han Tong said to Jiang Liu, "Young Brother Jiang, would you like to rest here for a while?"

Jiang Liu nodded, agreed, and then walked into the room.

Han Tong then followed the steward to the next room.

After entering the room, Jiang Liu casually glanced around. He noticed that the room's furnishings were no different from those of a regular guest room in an inn, so he didn't pay much attention and simply sat down on the bed to rest and meditate.

"Elder, who is this person?" the steward asked, gesturing towards the next room.

"Alright, stop asking. Has anything happened in Moonfall City lately?" Han Tong asked.

"Nothing much happened, except that the young master was chased by the girls from Rouge Pavilion again," the steward said helplessly.

Han Tong laughed and said, "That 'Mo Yi." He then shook his head, not knowing what to say.

"However, something strange has happened in Izumo Prefecture below," the steward continued.

"Izumo County? What happened?" Han Tong asked, frowning.

"Recently, martial artists have been going missing quite a bit. A while ago, the Martial Prohibition Hall here was notified. The Martial Prohibition Hall sent people to investigate, but they didn't find any clues," the manager continued.

"A martial artist has gone missing?" Han Tong muttered to himself, suddenly recalling the news he had received from Yunzhou. He quickly asked, "Besides the missing martial artist, has anything else happened? Or has anything strange occurred?"

The manager then recalled for a moment, shook his head, and said, "Then we haven't found anything else strange. However, there have been a few cases of missing corpses in Izumo Prefecture before. I wonder if that counts as strange?"

"What? Are you sure?" Han Tong asked anxiously.

The steward nodded in confirmation and said, "Yes, that's right. The family of the missing body had reported it to the Martial Prohibition Hall, because the missing bodies were all those of Ranked Martial Practitioner. That's why they reported it."

Upon hearing this, Han Tong immediately became anxious, "Have you reported this matter?"

"Report it? Isn't this just a regular case of a martial artist going missing? Does it really need to be reported?" the manager asked, puzzled.

"No, this is not an ordinary case of a martial artist disappearing; it's the people of Corpse Valley committing evil here!" Han Tong said viciously.