Celestial Beast Taming

One was cautious, the other reckless, but both were very obedient to him.

Liao Zhou had previously explained the benefits of surrendering to Starlight City’s authorities, and both Liao Min and Liao Peng had taken his words to heart.

Unlike the Evil Blood Sect, which was actively thriving and expanding amidst the turmoil, Qin Ruyue had been burning with anxiety for the past two days.

This was because she had detected eight Mythical Tier Deceit Beasts guarding the city gates.

Deceit Beasts possessed a keen Perception Power for others of the same Tier.

These eight Mythical Tier Peak Deceit Beasts, controlled by Deceit Holders, were even more hostile toward foreign Deceit Beasts like them than ordinary Guardian Beast Masters were.

Having broken free from the Purifying Moon Mother Gu’s control, Shi Mi was eager to force a breakout and escape Starlight City.

But Qin Ruyue had to restrain him.

Given the Night-Cutting Spider’s current injuries, Qin Ruyue had no confidence she could successfully break through the siege of eight Mythical Tier Deceit Beasts.

Just now, Wen Tao’s Biluo Spring Dragon had sensed that the Yellow Springs Source Water was about to surge out of the Night-Cutting Spider’s body.

As the Night-Cutting Spider’s Contractor, Qin Ruyue could naturally feel it as well.

"Qin Ruyue, what in the world are you after in Starlight City? The two of us could clearly break out if we worked together. Why are you so insistent on staying here?"

"When I agreed to cooperate with you, the deal was to find a path to survival under the noses of Starlight City’s Celestial Destiny Seekers, not to help you achieve some personal goal here."

"If you’re not willing to break out with me, I say we terminate our partnership."

Shi Mi’s words were firm. ’I can’t beat Qin Ruyue in a fight, but she wouldn’t dare to attack me inside Starlight City.’

’The moment we fight, our position will be exposed, and neither of us will meet a good end.’

Over the past two days, Shi Mi found Qin Ruyue’s actions increasingly strange. She seemed uncharacteristically timid.

From what Shi Mi knew of her, Qin Ruyue was not someone who hesitated to act.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the Night-Cutting Spider birth millions of spiderlings to recklessly search for him throughout the Upper and Lower City Districts.

Hearing this, Qin Ruyue looked at Shi Mi and laughed, her anger peaking.

"If you want to try breaking out, I won’t stop you."

"Do you think you can defeat those eight Mythical Tier Deceit Beasts guarding the city?"

"Those Mythical Tier Deceit Beasts, raised by Starlight City’s officials, are no weaker than the elites of the Purifying Moon Sect."

"If you try to break out, believe me, the moment you engage them, you will immediately attract more of Starlight City’s Mythical Tier experts."

"The reason we haven’t been caught yet isn’t because we’re so good at hiding."

"It’s because Starlight City’s officials are wary of the treaty signed between the Xin Xia Alliance and the Purifying Moon Sect."

"You betrayed the Purifying Moon Sect. You’re no longer one of its Shadow Purifiers."

"Tell me, if I were to leak this information, and an expert from Starlight City above the Mythical Tier came for you..."

"...even if you did manage to break out and escape Starlight City, would you still have any chance of survival?"

Qin Ruyue’s nonchalantly delivered threat immediately silenced Shi Mi.

Having ended up in such a sorry state, Shi Mi had been secretly nursing a deep hatred for Qin Ruyue.

Now, being threatened by her again, he grew angrier the more he thought about it.

Just as the thought ’To hell with it all!’ crossed Shi Mi’s mind, he saw Qin Ruyue take something that looked like a bottle from her Soul Base.

The bottle, however, was covered in many tiny holes.

The moment he saw this bottle-like object, Shi Mi’s expression changed dramatically.

It was because he could feel an immense Power of Rules emanating from the ink-black bottle.

’Qin Ruyue’s Deceit Beast’s Rule Authority actually has a matching Emperor’s Tool.’

’Don’t tell me you directly devoured an Order Beast?’

After advancing to the Mythical Tier, a Celestial Destiny Seeker can nurture an Emperor’s Tool together with their Order Beast.

An Emperor’s Tool allows a Celestial Destiny Seeker to better utilize the Power of Rules.

At the Mythical Tier, the appearance of an Emperor’s Tool widens the gap between a Celestial Destiny Seeker and an ordinary Guardian Beast Master even further.

An Emperor’s Tool is an artifact, and it can be plundered after killing the Celestial Destiny Seeker who owns it.

However, an Emperor’s Tool must be constantly nourished by the same Power of Rules that created it. Otherwise, it will gradually lose its effectiveness and eventually crumble on its own.

It wasn’t just the Xin Xia Federation that protected newly emerged Celestial Destiny Seekers; other federations did the same.

Killing a newborn Celestial Destiny Seeker under such heavy protection was likely even harder than killing one who had already reached the Mythical Tier.

Under normal circumstances, most Celestial Destiny Seekers who died had already reached the Mythical Tier.

After all, with a massive influx of resources, it wasn’t difficult for a Celestial Destiny Seeker to raise their Order Beast’s Tier and Quality.

But when a Deceit Beast plundered a Celestial Destiny Seeker’s Rule Authority by devouring an Order Beast or a Rule Deceit Embryo...

...it was extremely rare for the Emperor’s Tool to be preserved!

Rule Deceit Embryos were passed down through generations. Even if the Deceit Beasts that devoured them possessed Emperor’s Tools, those tools were treated as life-saving treasures.

If they were killed in battle, they would most likely have already consumed their Emperor’s Tool before death.

Many Celestial Destiny Seekers at the Mythical Tier and above, unless they were suddenly immobilized and killed in battle...

...would often choose to sacrifice their Emperor’s Tool in a life-or-death struggle.

If faced with certain death, they would typically destroy the Emperor’s Tool themselves before they died, refusing to let it fall into the hands of a Deceit Beast.

It was incredibly difficult to find a matching set of a Rule Deceit Embryo and an Emperor’s Tool that was compatible with one’s own Deceit Beast.

One could say that all the gains from the first half of Qin Ruyue’s life had been poured into this compatible set for her Night-Cutting Spider.

Qin Ruyue, as if not noticing the greed flashing in Shi Mi’s eyes, said to him.

"There is a Celestial Destiny Seeker in Starlight City whose Imperial Decree, channeled through an Emperor’s Tool, is an extreme counter to my Night-Cutting Spider."

"However, the three hundred Spider Slaves I laid in ambush have brought me plenty of useful information."

"There’s no need for the two of us to lie in wait at the entrance to that Ice Cave Secret Realm anymore."

At these words, Shi Mi’s brow furrowed sharply.

"Didn’t you say we were going to take the newborn Celestial Destiny Seeker hostage and force Starlight City to let us go?"

"Why aren’t we going now?"

"The Upper City District and most of the Lower City District have already been thoroughly searched. There are Hidden Guards from the Ghost Suppression Bureau lurking everywhere."

"If we don’t take the newborn Celestial Destiny Seeker hostage, our only option is to force a breakout."

"Since we’re not going, why weren’t you willing to break out with me just now?"

Qin Ruyue snorted coldly.

"I don’t have a clear picture of the Celestial Destiny Seekers inside Starlight City, but according to the information my Spider Slaves reported..."

"...there’s a Celestial Destiny Seeker above the Mythical Tier waiting at the entrance to that Ice Cave Secret Realm. Are we supposed to go and walk right into a trap?"

"If we make a move on Starlight City’s newborn Celestial Destiny Seeker right under her nose, do you think she’ll still choose to honor the treaty with the Purifying Moon Sect?"

"A new Heaven’s Chosen Mansion has been activated in the Central District. I had a few Spider Slaves make contact with it."

"Unlike you, I don’t act without thinking of the consequences."

With that said, Qin Ruyue brought the black, perforated bottle to her lips.

She began to play it, murmuring softly.

"Silent Night Enigma, Imperial Decree: Mysterious Night Shadow-Piercing Corridor."

As Qin Ruyue played softly, the night air before her suddenly began to churn.

From the depths of the darkness, a colossal form was faintly about to emerge.

A long corridor that seemed to merge with the night itself was continuously constructing and manifesting.

Shi Mi could already sense several Mythical Tier auras speeding toward his and Qin Ruyue’s location.

Just as Shi Mi was about to react, he heard Qin Ruyue say quickly.

"Follow me!"

Before her voice had even faded, Qin Ruyue stepped into the corridor, which seemed to have been built from thin air in the depths of the darkness, as if it didn’t belong to this space.

Four Mythical Tier Deceit Beasts and two Mythical Tier Guardian Beast Masters were standing right where the corridor had appeared.

Their bodies were bizarrely overlapping with the corridor, yet they couldn’t perceive its existence at all.

"What’s going on?"

"There was clearly a high-intensity energy fluctuation coming from here just now. My Lifebound Guardian Beast’s senses are never wrong."