A Secret Maneuver

A loud "bang" shattered the tranquility of the airship, as if a heavy object had crashed into it, causing the entire airship to shake violently.

The cultivators of Ten Thousand Daos Born were all diligent and hardworking. Even after nightfall, they would not rest, but would sit cross-legged on their beds early in the morning to meditate and cultivate.

The commotion woke them up immediately.

Sang Ying lived close to Dong Fuzhu. As soon as she pushed open the door, she bumped into Dong Fuzhu, who had also been startled awake.

"Senior sister, what's that noise?" The female cultivator was uneasy, worried that the Spirit Vein sealed in the jade box might have attracted the attention of others.

Sang Ying also looked very serious. If someone really came to steal the Spirit Vein, the entire flying boat would probably be destroyed.

As the two spoke, the doors inside the cabin were pushed open one by one. After exchanging glances, Sang Ying took the lead and led them onto the deck.

The group moved with extreme caution, fully prepared to fight the intruders to the death.

But their worries were unnecessary. When Sang Ying led everyone out of the cabin, the two familiar figures on the deck instantly put their minds at ease.

"Master, Elder Gu, what happened? Why is there such a commotion?" Sang Ying rushed over to greet Jiulian and the other person, wanting to find out what was going on.

Jiulian made no attempt to conceal herself, stepping back to reveal the two white figures to them.

"This is..." Jiang Qi paused abruptly, not daring to finish his sentence.

Even if he didn't say it, everyone could guess what he meant.

The two figures, one large and one small, covered in blood and seemingly near death, on the deck were clearly the Twin-Winged Snow Lion, the current Beast Taming Sect!

The golden beastly eyes seemed to possess a human quality. Upon seeing Sang Ying, the fully grown Snow Lion lowered its head, bit the cub by the scruff of its neck, and carried it out of its embrace, pushing it towards Sang Ying.

Its eyes were full of pleading; such obvious emotion could be clearly felt even though the two sides couldn't understand each other.

"Interesting. Is this the first demon Demon Beast entrusted to someone for cultivation?" Elder Gu turned to ask his junior brother.

Jiulian did not answer, but his smiling eyes conveyed his affirmation.

However— Jiulian secretly glanced in Sang Ying's direction—his senior brother's eyes were still not sharp enough; he couldn't tell who this Snow Lion wanted to entrust with its mission.

"Master, this is a demon Demon Beast from the Beast Taming Sect. It might not be right for us to just take it in like this." The adult Snow Lion was bleeding profusely, and it seemed there was no way to save it.

Although Sang Ying also felt it was a pity, taking in the Snow Lion was related to the entire Ten Thousand Daos Born, and she couldn't casually involve the sect.

Elder Gu, however, was not as hesitant as she was. He flicked his sleeve and said, "What's there to be afraid of? It's just a Beast Taming Sect. We can keep this Snow Lion if we want. We can even take it back as a guardian spirit beast!"

The Beast Taming Sect rose to prominence in its early years thanks to its former sect leader who understood the language of Demon Beast.

However, his lifespan is nearing its end and he has yet to break through, and no one has inherited his ability to understand animal languages.

When he stepped down as sect leader and his disciple took over, the Beast Taming Sect completely lost its moral character.

That place has long since become a hell for Demon Beast. No powerful high-level Demon Beast are willing to form a contract with the people of that sect anymore. Even this Snow Lion was subdued by brute force.

Now that the most powerful Snow Lion has escaped despite the backlash, the Beast Taming Sect has completely lost its last support.

The day of their downfall is probably not too late.

"It's quite a coincidence that they managed to escape onto Ten Thousand Daos Born's flying boat. Let's keep them here!" Once Elder Gu spoke, everyone naturally agreed.

After all, Ten Thousand Daos Born believed most in the concept of "fate," and entrusting his son to someone on his deathbed—how could that not be considered fate?

As if realizing that its child finally had someone to rely on, the adult Snow Lion bowed to the crowd, then turned to the cub, which was no longer than its forearm, and growled softly.

Amidst the whimpering cries of the Snow Lion, it leaped off the flying boat without looking back and ran into the vast darkness behind it.

With its last breath, it would sever all ties with the Beast Taming Sect for its child!

The night remained desolate, the starlight dim and lifeless. In a place unknown to anyone, a spaceship was gradually consumed by flames and reduced to ashes.

None of the cultivators on the flying boat survived, and most of the Demon Beast were killed or wounded.

In the end, only a few bird-like Demon Beast, taking advantage of their ability to fly, escaped from Shengtian and also from the Snow Lion's control.

Meanwhile, in Yao Zhou, an unprecedented Demon Beast riot broke out in the Beast Taming Sect.

The Demon Beast, their crimson eyes blazing, charged out of the Beast Taming Sect's gates and quickly fled into the vast darkness of the night.

No one knew that this turmoil was caused by a seventh-tier Snow Lion.

The whimpering Snow Lion cub was held in Bai Kejin's hands. He seemed to be frozen in place, as if his pressure points had been struck, and he dared not move at all.

Sang Ying silently took in the silly looks of her junior brothers and sisters, then turned to Jiulian and said, "What do Master and Elder Gu plan to do with this Demon Beast? That adult Snow Lion suddenly asked us for help for no reason; something seems off."

"You're quite clever." Jiulian tapped her disciple's head. "Although the Snow Lion is only at the seventh rank, it has the ability to control low-ranking Demon Beast. Demonic Demon Beast of lower rank often lose control and obey the Snow Lion's commands. It's quite reasonable to keep such Demon Beast in the sect as a guardian beast."

"As for why it came to us, that's a question for you to answer."

"Ask me?" Sang Ying asked, puzzled.

Jiulian: "What treasure do you possess that made the Snow Lion entrust its cub to Ten Thousand Daos Born?"

After being reminded by him, Sang Ying suddenly remembered that the adult Snow Lion's actions earlier were clearly an attempt to push the cub toward her.

As for the benefits... the only one Sang Ying could think of was the Ice Lotus growing in the Mirror Pearl.

That makes sense. The Snow Lion is an ice-attribute Demon Beast, and spiritual items that can be effective against it are extremely rare, with the Ice Lotus being the most precious of them all. However, Sang Ying never expected that the Snow Lion would discover the treasure she had hidden in her Storage Bag.

Now that the Snow Lion cub is considered one of her own Demon Beast, Sang Ying will not be stingy with it.

When the Snow Lion grows to the point where it can withstand the Spiritual Qi of the Ice Lotus, Sang Ying doesn't mind sharing one with it.

After all, the more trump cards Ten Thousand Daos Born has, the more secure Sang Ying will be in this Immortal Spirit Realm.

"Oh, by the way, judging from your aura, you're only one step away from the Nascent Soul stage. You don't need to come back to the sect with us this time; you should go out and gain some experience." With that, Jiulian took out a glass bead and tossed it to Sang Ying.

He said, "This item is called the Thousand Faces, a rare concealment Spirit Artifact. If you use this, even Rong Ji wouldn't be able to see through your true face."

Jiulian wasn't stupid; she naturally knew Rong Ji's vengeful nature. He only had Sang Ying as his disciple, and she couldn't keep him from leaving the sect for the rest of his life, nor could she follow him around protecting him every day.

After much deliberation, Jiulian decided to have Sang Ying secretly change her identity and leave by flying boat before returning to the sect.

"The path of cultivation is fraught with difficulties. I cannot accompany you for a lifetime. No matter how tough the road ahead may be, there will always be a time when you must walk it alone. Remember, just keep walking where your eyes can see, and don't look back."

Sang Ying instantly understood his meaning. She clutched the bead tightly, her heart filled with mixed emotions. "Disciple will remember."

So, when Ten Thousand Daos Born's flying boat entered Qing Zhou territory, amidst cheers, a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator with an ordinary appearance quietly disembarked from the flying boat, unnoticed by the crowd, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.

Watching this scene from afar, Jiulian smiled slightly. When everyone returned to the sect, a female cultivator in a blue dress followed behind Jiulian and stepped into Ten Thousand Daos Born's gate.

Everyone watching realized that the person was Sang Ying, who was famous in the sect competition.

Little did they know that the real Sang Ying had long since disappeared.

A note from the author:

It's time, it's time to bring the male lead out for a spin!

Jiang Zhuoxue: Ha, if you don't let me out, I'll give you back all the bribes I gave you!

Sang Ying: Male lead? What male lead? Aren't I the only main character?

Jiang Zhuoxue: Look, look! She's completely forgotten about me, look!