"Hey, I almost forgot about you."
Xie Fang said, "As they say, you have to Root Out the weeds..."
Before he could finish, the Ink Kirin's eyes flew wide open, and he timidly took several steps back.
After all, the strength Xie Fang had just displayed was enough to leave him trembling with fear. To put it bluntly, a master of this caliber could make his soul scatter with nothing more than a casual breath!
However, Xie Fang had no intention of attacking a Little Qilin this weak.
"I'm just teasing you. Go on and do whatever you were doing."
Xie Fang waved a hand. He had no wish to linger here and couldn't be bothered to pay the Ink Kirin any further attention.
But just as Xie Fang turned to leave, the Ink Kirin hesitated for a moment, then summoned his courage and called out, "Senior! Please let me follow you. I want to leave here with you. I'm begging you..."
He knew that if he didn't make his intentions clear now, this senior would probably leave at once.
And he would lose his chance to leave the Kirin Clan forever!
Hearing the urgency in the Little Qilin's voice, Xie Fang pondered for a moment, then turned his head. "I killed one of your clansmen right in front of you, yet instead of going back to report it, you want to come with me?"
The Little Qilin dropped to his knees with a thump, his forelegs on the ground, and pleaded, "Senior, I've been alone and miserable since childhood. My parents died at the hands of ferocious beasts. Because my bloodline is impure and my cultivation is weak, I've suffered constant bullying in the clan. I might lose my life at any moment. If you don't mind, I'm willing to take you as my master. If you don't want me as a disciple, you can take me as a mount instead, to carry you on your travels..."
Xie Fang looked calmly at the Ink Kirin. The Kirin Clan was proud by nature, and most of its members had pure bloodlines and powerful cultivation.
Those Kirin with a single elemental attribute were all exceptional talents.
But this Little Qilin had an impure bloodline and all five elements, so it was no wonder the other Kirin bullied him.
Just as the Little Qilin had said, rather than stay in the Kirin Clan and endure their abuse, he would be far freer by following Xie Fang.
"Very well. Since I've encountered you, perhaps it was Heaven's will... Since you're so determined, and we're fated to meet, you'll be my mount from now on. I'll also teach you cultivation techniques. Come travel the Primordial World with me."
After thinking it over, Xie Fang decided to take the Little Qilin in.
Whether or not he needed a mount, once he established a dojo on the Three Immortal Islands, he would need a few auspicious beasts and rare birds to lend the place some prestige, wouldn't he?
The Little Qilin's cultivation was low for now, but he could train him later. Besides, his eyes were clear, and he didn't seem wicked, so there was no harm in taking him in.
"Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master!"
The Little Qilin was overjoyed. He repeatedly bowed to Xie Fang. "Thank you, Master, for giving me a new life! I'll serve you wholeheartedly from now on. I'll go through fire and water for you without hesitation. If I break this oath, may Heaven strike me down!"
An oath to the Heavenly Dao was not something to swear lightly!
This showed that the Little Qilin truly intended to serve Xie Fang as his master.
"What's your name?"
Xie Fang was very pleased with the Little Qilin's attitude and asked him.
The Little Qilin's expression suddenly darkened. "Master, I... I don't have a name. After my parents died, I've just been scraping by in the clan..."
"Since you've now taken me as your master, I'll give you a name."
Xie Fang pondered for a moment, then said, "You're covered in ink-black fur and possess all five elements. From now on, I'll call you Mo Wu."
"Mo Wu? Thank you for giving me a name, Master! Thank you!"
Mo Wu repeated his name to himself over and over, unable to hide his joy. Then he bowed to Xie Fang again.
Xie Fang nodded. "Although you possess all five elements and your bloodline is impure, if you're willing to work hard, you can make up for your innate shortcomings. Success depends on your own efforts. You may yet cultivate great divine powers!"
"Yes! Thank you for your guidance, Master. I understand."
Mo Wu immediately got to his feet and gestured for Xie Fang to climb onto his back.
Xie Fang swung himself up. Mo Wu's cultivation was low, but the Kirin Clan had a natural advantage when it came to speed. Besides, Xie Fang didn't want to waste his own magical power, so riding Mo Wu was only fitting.
"Are there any immortal mountains, blessed lands, or heavenly treasures near Buzhou Mountain?"
Xie Fang asked casually.
He was eager to search for treasures, but aside from Buzhou Mountain, he wasn't very familiar with the other regions.
Besides, Mo Wu had lived at the foot of Buzhou Mountain since childhood, so he was sure to know something about the surrounding area.
"Immortal mountains and blessed lands?"
Sure enough, after pondering for a moment, Mo Wu said, "I've heard that there's a West Kunlun Mountain to the west of Buzhou Mountain. It's rich in Spiritual Qi. The clan elders mentioned that there are many heavenly treasures on West Kunlun Mountain."
At this point, Mo Wu looked a little embarrassed. "But my cultivation is weak, so I've never gone there myself."
"In that case, I'll take you there to have a look!"
Xie Fang thought it over, then patted Mo Wu on the back. "Come on, let's go to West Kunlun!"
With his strength as a late-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal, the world was vast. Where could he not go?
Xie Fang had spent tens of thousands of years climbing Buzhou Mountain!
Now, as he left Buzhou Mountain and headed toward West Kunlun, he found that the whole world seemed to have undergone a dramatic transformation.
The ferocious beasts that had once roamed unchecked across the world had somehow become orderly.
It was as if someone were secretly controlling them.
Once these ferocious beasts joined forces, the pressure on the hundred clans of the Primordial World would surely increase. They would band together and fight the beasts. The Ferocious Beast Tribulation was probably nearing its end!
Although Mo Wu had said West Kunlun wasn't far from Buzhou Mountain, it still took him a full hundred years to fly there.
During those hundred years, Xie Fang sat cross-legged on Mo Wu's back and continually absorbed Spiritual Qi into his body. Even a tiny morsel was still meat, after all.
Mo Wu couldn't help but admire him. "Master has an extraordinary origin and immense strength, yet he never forgets to cultivate. No wonder he has such heaven-defying abilities!"
Inspired by Xie Fang, Mo Wu flew with even greater effort.
At last, a mountain range came into view, ethereal and misty, stretching for hundreds of millions of miles and wreathed in Immortal Mist.
"Master, we've reached West Kunlun. Should we go up?"
Mo Wu stopped and turned to ask.
Xie Fang nodded and looked up at West Kunlun.
West Kunlun towered impossibly high. With the cultivation of a late-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal, Xie Fang quickly located a Divine Pool atop the mountain with his divine sense.
Water from the Celestial River above the Ninth Heaven flowed into the pool. In its center grew a towering Flat Peach Tree!
Ren Water Flat Peach!
One of the Ten Great Spiritual Roots of the world!
Before you continue