It lay on the ground with its head resting on its forelegs. Its black eyes glanced at Chen Siyao, then closed again.
It showed no aggression. It barely even seemed alert.
"A mount," Chen Siyao said.
Yang Wanqing squeezed in beside her to look. "It's so docile. Why isn't it moving?"
"Not enough spiritual power." Chen Siyao observed the speed of the swirling currents across its body... they were very slow.
Much slower than those of the crane they had seen along the way. "The Thirty-Three Heavens' spiritual power supply has been cut off for so long that it's probably in a semi-dormant state. Barely maintaining its form is already its limit."
A similar spirit beast lay in each of the other two stalls.
Their forms differed slightly. One resembled a crane but was three times larger than the one they had seen along the way. The other resembled a tiger, but its fur consisted of flowing silver currents.
All three spirit beasts were equally listless.
"Poor things." Yang Wanqing leaned against the railing. "They look like they've been starving for ages."
"Their 'food' is spiritual energy. With the supply cut off, it's impressive that they're still alive."
Yang Wanqing suddenly turned to her. "Yaoyao... can I feed them? Would Flame Spirit Stones work?"
Chen Siyao considered it. "In theory, Flame Spirit Stones and spiritual energy are two different things. I'm not sure they can absorb energy from external Flame Spirit Stones."
Yang Wanqing had already taken a Flame Spirit Stone out of her Qiankun Bag. A low-grade one. She pushed the stone through a gap in the railing, right in front of the "deer's" nose.
The instant the spirit beast's breath touched the Flame Spirit Stone...
The swirling currents accelerated.
The sheen on the Flame Spirit Stone rapidly faded