The Demon Beasts' Lament
Ten Thousand Daos Born and the Beast Taming Sect set off late. Not long after the flying boat had floated into the clouds, the surroundings darkened.
Sang Ying looked at the flying boat that wasn't far from her home and calculated how long it would take before she could separate from it.
However, the Beast Taming Sect's grand gesture of using Demon Beast to pull the flying boat caught Dong Fuzhu's attention.
"Senior sister, don't you think the Beast Taming Sect is so cruel to demonic Demon Beast? Aren't they afraid it will turn against them in the future?" Dong Fuzhu wasn't a particularly kind-hearted girl, and she never hesitated to kill Demon Beast.
But even seeing the ruthless methods of the Beast Taming Sect, she still felt a sense of disgust.
Upon hearing this, Sang Ying looked across the deck and back at the iron cage over there.
For some reason, she always felt that the thing inside was looking towards Ten Thousand Daos Born's flying boat.
"For the Beast Taming Sect, Demon Beast are merely tools for profit, not even as valuable as their natal magic Law Artifact. There are sword cultivators in this world who don't cherish their own swords, let alone beast tamers who mistreat Demon Beast." Sang Ying's tone was tinged with emotion as she spoke.
"However, you're not wrong either." She paused, "It's the natural order for us human cultivators to fight against Demon Beast, but torturing and killing them leaves us with a karmic debt. Just watch, the Beast Taming Sect's actions have helped the Mara Gate commit many wrongdoings. This sect's fate is probably sealed."
Upon hearing this, Dong Fuzhu nodded in agreement.
This wasn't entirely Sang Ying's guess. When they left Hidden Sparrow City during the day, the Buddhist monk from Buddha Sound Temple specifically sought out Sang Ying to discuss something.
After the two of them found a quiet place, Jingshui told Sang Ying everything she had seen in Su Fuyun.
He stated, "This humble monk suspects that Fellow Sang Ying may know many secrets of the Mara Gate, but this is something you probably haven't discovered yet."
"This humble monk has no other intention than to remind you of Ten Thousand Daos Born's help to my Buddha Sound Temple before I leave. The Mara Gate is rife with evil, and that Holy Maiden Su has even stolen the fortune of others. If you have nothing to do, it would be best if you did not go to the Mara Gate."
After much deliberation, Jingshui finally confided the matter to the elder of Buddha Sound Temple. The elder also subtly reminded the other sects, but whether they believed him or not was another matter.
"Once we return to Buddha Sound Temple, we will close the doors to cultivate, and will not reopen the temple gates until ten years later. Before then, fellow Daoist, please do not quarrel with the Mara Gate, for karmic obstacles are difficult to diminish." Before leaving, Jingshui sighed to Sang Ying.
The terrifying nature of the Mara Gate Buddha Sound Temple is now all too clear to them; with their current strength, they are unable to eliminate that thick layer of karmic obstacles.
They could only return and devote themselves to studying Buddhism in hopes of finding a solution. Therefore, before this, Jingshui did not agree with Sang Ying and the others breaking ties with the Mara Gate.
If this sect, rife with evil spirits, were to do something rash in a moment of panic, the Buddha Sound Temple, currently in seclusion, would likely be powerless to stop it!
Having received his advice, Sang Ying memorized all their conversations but dared not reveal them to anyone.
Dong Fuzhu had been clinging to the deck railing, finally went back to the cabin and turned to greet Sang Ying a few times.
Sang Ying had no choice but to shake off her jumbled thoughts and follow Dong Fuzhu back to her room.
Just before leaving, she inexplicably glanced at the Beast Taming Sect's flying boat again—did something flash in that iron cage just now?
Following Sang Ying's gaze, they found themselves in a small iron cage filled with a mixture of blood and putrid stench.
The creature inside the cage gently raised its paw, and the clanging of the chains echoed incessantly.
But this seemed to be some kind of signal, stirring up a storm on the Beast Taming Sect's flying ship.
The patrolling disciple on the airship was the first to notice something was wrong, because while he was patrolling at night, he suddenly discovered that the iron cage on the deck had vanished in the blink of an eye!
The patrolling disciple panicked instantly. He hadn't forgotten that the sect's high-level white lion was kept in check by its cubs. If the white lion's cubs were gone, would the beast still be able to be driven around at their beck and call?
The patrolling disciple dared not think any further. Suppressing his fear, he turned to report to the young sect leader.
However, when he turned around, he was met with a pair of cold, beastly eyes...
The wails echoed throughout the airship, and the young sect master Mu Ren, who was still asleep, woke up immediately.
He hurriedly put on his clothes and went out, but as soon as he opened the door, a Demon Beast suddenly attacked him!
The Beast Taming Sect's long-standing rule is that Demon Beast that has injured its master cannot be allowed to live.
Seeing that the Demon Beast was ready to fight him to the death, Mu Ren naturally showed no mercy and immediately took out his Law Artifact to kill the canine-shaped Demon Beast on the spot!
The stench of blood immediately filled the entire cabin.
After resolving the immediate crisis, Mu Ren realized that something was amiss. The wailing sounds were coming from multiple sources, and the lingering smell of blood could not have come from the Demon Beast he had killed.
Something's happened! Mu Ren's heart skipped a beat.
Without thinking twice, Mu Ren hurriedly went out of the cabin and ran towards the place where the noise was loudest.
Dark clouds slowly obscured the moon, and all the stars in the sky hid their light at that moment.
In the pitch black, only the fluorite scattered on the deck emitted a faint light, and unsurprisingly, those fluorite stones were stained with blood.
The vast deck now seemed to have transformed into a battlefield of Demon Beast.
The cultivators stood together with their contracted Demon Beast, each attack seemingly aimed at taking the other's life!
Regardless of Demon Beast level, all the Demon Beast on this flying boat now revealed a pair of blood-red eyes.
The poor thing who was so obedient and well-behaved just the day before, controlled by the master-servant contract and subjected to beatings and scoldings, has revealed its ferocity tonight, determined to drag everyone on the flying boat into the abyss!
Mu Ren casually saved a disciple, then swiftly killed the disciple's contracted Demon Beast. The master-servant contract only binds the Demon Beast; even if the Demon Beast dies, it has no effect on the cultivator.
The young sect leader of the Beast Taming Sect is quite capable. Even though Mu Ren was somewhat humble in front of Su Fuyun, he was an absolute ruthless villain when facing Demon Beast!
Almost none of the low-level Demon Beast that pounced on him managed to escape alive.
Mu Ren's terrifying presence was quickly witnessed by many eyes. When the young sect leader came to his senses, he suddenly realized that there was not a single cultivator around him. He turned around sharply and saw only a pair of wings flitting past his eyes.
Strange cries came from all directions. The Demon Beast with enormous wings had long since abandoned their task of pulling the flying boat and surrounded Mu Ren.
At this moment, Mu Ren finally realized that the Beast Taming Sect's flying boat was trapped in the air by the demonic Demon Beast, and even Ten Thousand Daos Born, whom he loathed, had long since distanced himself from them.
This is the revenge of Demon Beast!
"Screech!" Strange cries erupted from the mouths of the bird-like Demon Beast as they opened their sharp, long beaks, declaring war on Mu Ren.
That's it, that was Mu Ren's last thought.
The enormous white wings left a trail in the air, and the golden beastly eyes coldly watched the terrifying scene below.
Soon, it stopped looking and headed towards the flying boat emitting soft lights in the distance.