Chapter 547 - 381: A Brief Clash
After all, Fang Qingyuan was human and a former disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. In Bear Wind’s eyes, he probably didn’t inspire much kinship.
Upon seeing Fang Qingyuan arrive, Nanli the Little Firebird strode forward on its two long legs and buried its head in his chest.
Fang Qingyuan patted Nanli’s head and sighed softly as he looked at the dead Great White Bear.
Humans hunted demon beasts for their cores, harvested their pelts, and ate their flesh. From a human perspective, this was the natural order of things. But for those being hunted—for Nanli, for the Great White Bear, for Bear Wind—it was simply raw, unadulterated hatred.
"Let me investigate this matter. Afterward, I’ll ask Uncle Xiong to decide what to do. But no matter what, I will personally take the life of the bald man who did this to avenge the Great White Bear."
Facing the silent Bear Wind, Fang Qingyuan finally took the initiative to offer these words of comfort. To prevent the Mid-stage Nascent Soul Ancient Beast from growing distant, Fang Qingyuan had no choice but to make a promise.
It was a simple matter of a life for a life. That was fair. Besides, as far as Fang Qingyuan was concerned, the Cultivator who stole the core deserved to die.
The Great White Bear had been his friend, and Fang Qingyuan felt a pang of sorrow over his death.
Now he was furious with this group of troublemaking disciples from the Beast Taming Sect. Instead of staying comfortable in the main sect, they’d come to remote White Mountain to stir up trouble, and once things blew up, they would just pack up and leave him with the mess.
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s promise, Bear Wind gave him a serious look and nodded. After a few moments, Bear Wind spoke again.
"If you can’t beat them, call me."
Fang Qingyuan’s heart leaped with joy. ’This is the first time Bear Wind has ever offered to help me.’ It was true that shared hardship was the only way to bridge the distance between them.
Unfortunately, the price had been the Great White Bear’s life. Unlike the Cloud-Clawed Lizard, which exploited the Golden Core Demon Beasts in its territory, Bear Wind treated his Golden Core Bear Beasts as family.
’Hmm, maybe these Bear Beasts really are his descendants from some forgotten generation.’ In any case, Bear Wind’s temperament was unlike that of other ancient beasts. Compared to the brutality of other Nascent Soul Ancient Beasts, Bear Wind was gentler and placed great importance on kinship.
This was also the primary reason Fang Qingyuan had been able to persuade Bear Wind and grow closer to him.
With Bear Wind’s promise secured, Fang Qingyuan felt a sense of resolve. After gently comforting Nanli, he turned back to Bear Wind.
"This is all rather strange. This group of Beast Taming Sect Members started making trouble the moment they arrived. I suspect there’s a conspiracy afoot. You should heighten your guard for now. Once I get to the bottom of this, Uncle can take his revenge."
Bear Wind didn’t respond. He swept up the other small Foundation Establishment Demon Beasts—all except for Nanli—and flew toward his cave, carrying the remains of the Great White Bear.
After the demon beasts left, Fang Qingyuan looked out at the battlefield of churned black earth and sighed internally. ’What a mess.’
.....
In the mountains of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, the five Beast Taming Sect Members who had just been fleeing for their lives were now arguing with Lechuan.
It turned out that upon arriving at White Mountain, the group had asked Lechuan for information on Bear Wind, hoping to perform some great deeds. But there was no way Lechuan would give them detailed, accurate intelligence. Naturally, he redacted it, providing information that was highly misleading.
Of course, this group from the Beast Taming Sect’s Main Mountain wasn’t stupid. In addition to what they got from Lechuan, the "local landlord," they also paid a hefty price to gather intelligence from other powers. What they couldn’t have anticipated was that over the past decade or so, Lechuan had been intentionally or unintentionally altering all sorts of information regarding Bear Wind.
For intelligence on the forces in the Barbaric Wilderness, the other powers in White Mountain naturally considered the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect the authority. Information on Low-level Demon Beasts was reliable, but when it came to the Golden Core realm and above, who knew more than the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect?
So, they collected whatever intelligence the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect was selling. Were they really expected to dispatch their own precious Golden Core experts just to verify if the information was true?
It’s worth noting that the official excuse for this group from the Beast Taming Sect’s Main Mountain coming to White Mountain was not to openly replace Lechuan. Chu Hongshang had revealed their true intentions to Fang Qingyuan, who then passed the information to Lechuan. The visitors from the main sect had no idea their primary objective had already been exposed.
Now, watching their performance, Lechuan wanted to laugh, but his own excellent acting skills allowed him to begin his counter-performance.
Lechuan feigned great shock and asked doubtfully,
"That can’t be right. This information was painstakingly gathered from the Barbaric Wilderness by hundreds of Cultivators from our White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, who spared no effort and feared no danger. For you to so casually claim the intelligence is inaccurate... it’s truly heartbreaking for every Cultivator in our sect."
"You!"
The one arguing with Lechuan was a Female Cultivator standing behind the young master. She also had a Golden Core Cultivation, but her aura was faint and unstable, lacking the solid, well-rounded feeling of a proper Golden Core.
However, her stunning figure and wild beauty made every member of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, from Lechuan on down, unable to resist sneaking a few extra glances.
"Young Master Hua, what are your thoughts on this matter?"
The Cultivator Lechuan called Young Master Hua was the same young man who had been hiding behind Elder Ya earlier. He was the scion of a Divinity Transformation expert, sent here to replace Lechuan.
His father was a Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Wuzhiqi lineage of the Beast Taming Sect’s Main Mountain, and his ancestor was a veteran Divinity Transformation expert from the main mountain. Just as the Moon Rabbit was to Yue’e and the Peacock Great Wheel King was to Kaelv Ming, the Wuzhiqi water ape was to Chunyu Sizhe—each forming a powerful faction within the Beast Taming Sect’s Main Mountain.
Young Master Hua’s full name was Chunyu Hua, and he was currently at the Fifth-Layer Golden Core. Hao Shi was at the Eighth-Layer Golden Core, comparable to Lechuan, while the other two Golden Core Female Cultivators were only at the early stage.
The only one of real note was Elder Ya, a Mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator. He was a Nascent Soul Cultivator directly affiliated with the Wuzhiqi lineage and held no specific title. He had followed Chunyu Hua’s father, Chunyu Zhengxiong, in his early years and had been dispatched this time to protect Chunyu Hua while he established his credentials in White Mountain.
The lineup was undeniably impressive. But as the "local snake," Lechuan had plenty of ways to make things difficult for them. This, right now, was just the first jab.
Of course, Lechuan hadn’t expected that Chunyu Hua’s group would dare venture deep into the Barbaric Wilderness to hunt Golden Core Demon Beasts in Bear Wind’s territory the moment they got the intelligence. Perhaps having a Mid-stage Nascent Soul like Elder Ya as backup made them so bold. Or maybe they were just used to acting arrogant in the main sect and looked down on the poor, remote backwater that was White Mountain.
In response to Lechuan’s question, Chunyu Hua showed little reaction. His attitude remained gentle, showing none of the loss of composure he’d displayed in the Barbaric Wilderness. His noble aura was still as captivating as ever.
"Sect Leader Le makes a fair point. We were in the wrong. Yu Ran, apologize to Sect Leader Le at once."
At Chunyu Hua’s command, the beautiful Golden Core Female Cultivator obediently stepped forward and apologized. Lechuan repeatedly said it wasn’t necessary, and the two sides, who had been on the verge of a full-blown argument, immediately returned to a state of cordiality.
After a brief conversation, Lechuan arranged for someone to escort Chunyu Hua and his group to their quarters to rest. He then returned to his duties as usual. Although he appeared unfazed on the surface, those familiar with him could see their Sect Leader was deeply unsettled.
This state of mind persisted until Fang Qingyuan arrived.
「That night.」
Fang Qingyuan and Lechuan met in the Sect Leader’s Quiet Chamber. Protected by a grand formation, it was the most secure location in the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect. They had no fear of their conversation being overheard by Chunyu Hua’s group.
Still, to be cautious, Lechuan summoned a bell-shaped Magical Artifact that enveloped them both.
"What was Bear Wind’s response?"
Lechuan immediately asked the question that concerned him most. More than half of his strategy hinged on Bear Wind. If Bear Wind refused to cooperate, Lechuan would truly start to panic.
But after Fang Qingyuan explained Bear Wind’s stance, Lechuan grew excited.
"This is a blessing in disguise! Chunyu Hua’s provocation has done us a huge favor. Bear Wind has always been reluctant to get involved, but this time, I’m confident."
Hearing Lechuan’s words, Fang Qingyuan felt a pang of sadness. An image of the Great White Bear’s simple, honest face flashed through his mind before he suppressed it.
"Yes. Now it’s our turn to make a move. First, let’s kill that Hao Shi at Chunyu Hua’s side and cut off one of his arms."