I Tame Beasts by Feeding

"If you spare my life, I’ll serve you all as my masters. I’ll be your dog, your slave for the rest of my life."

Wang Yungang’s voice trembled, but he still shouted the words. In his heart, he was wracked with regret.

"Oh? How interesting," Li Minghan said, raising an eyebrow. But then he shook his head. "I’m not in need of another dog. And you... you don’t qualify."

As he spoke the last few words, his voice turned frigid. With a wave of his sleeve, a massive shadow fell over Wang Yungang.

Wang Yungang’s body trembled as he looked up. The next instant, a massive, bloody maw engulfed him.

"No—"

Before he could even finish the word, flames surged from the Red Mountain Sub-Dragon’s mouth. After incinerating him completely, it spat out a cloud of ash. Wang Yungang was utterly annihilated.

Once it was done, Li Minghan patted the Red Mountain Sub-Dragon’s head in satisfaction and grinned at Yu Changsheng. "So? Pretty clean and decisive, wouldn’t you say?"

"Not bad," Yu Changsheng nodded. His gaze fell upon the dumbfounded Luo Meng as he stepped forward and said coolly, "The problem is solved. Now, where is the Golden Cauldron Yin Iron?"

"Hm?"

Luo Meng froze for a moment. When he came to his senses, he nodded quickly. His body was trembling, but his face was a mask of reverence as he bowed his head, retrieved an item from his Storage Pouch, and offered it to Yu Changsheng.

"Thank you for saving me, Senior. I will never forget this immense kindness."

"No need for thanks. We both got what we wanted."

Yu Changsheng accepted the Storage Pouch. After a quick glance inside to confirm it contained the Golden Cauldron Yin Iron, he spoke coolly.

"However..."

Yu Changsheng’s tone shifted. He watched Luo Meng in silence, a faint smile playing on his lips, saying nothing more.

"This..."

Luo Meng’s heart sank. A cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he looked at Yu Changsheng. Gritting his teeth, he adopted an even more reverent expression and shot a look at his two companions. They immediately understood, took out their own Storage Pouches, and respectfully offered them to Yu Changsheng.

Yu Changsheng nodded, his expression softening slightly. Without checking their contents, he took the pouches, then gave Luo Meng a meaningful glance and said coolly:

"Alright. The crisis is over, and now we’re even. Next time, keep your little schemes to yourself."

With that, Yu Changsheng turned and walked away. He had no intention of pursuing the matter with Luo Meng further. Of course, he was perfectly aware of the little scheme the man had just pulled.

’Seeing me pass by when he had no other way out, he deliberately revealed Wang Yungang’s identity. His goal was clearly to drag me into this and force Wang Yungang to attack me, wasn’t it?’

’Although Wang Yungang was no threat to me, and I can understand why Luo Meng did it, I still didn’t like it. That’s why I demanded their Storage Pouches after taking the Golden Cauldron Yin Iron.’

’Consider it compensation.’

"Whew..."

Watching Yu Changsheng’s departing figure, Luo Meng let out a sharp breath, the tension in his mind finally easing. He respectfully cupped his fist and bowed in Yu Changsheng’s direction.

"Thank you, Senior! I am from Ling Feng’s Medicine Gathering Team! If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to ask!"

Yu Changsheng’s pace faltered for a fraction of a second at his words, but then he continued his rapid descent.

"Alright, we have the Golden Cauldron Yin Iron. Now we need to pick up the pace and get off this mountain."

Yu Changsheng said to Zhang Tianwen with a slight smile.

"Right," Zhang Tianwen nodded, letting out a breath of his own.

The incident with Luo Meng was just a minor interlude; none of them gave it much thought.

Huishui Mountain was vast, but the dangers in its outer regions posed little threat to the group. With Yu Changsheng’s map to guide them, they made good time. After another half-day of travel, the base of the mountain was finally in sight.

"Just a bit further. We should be off the mountain in about half a day."

Zhang Tianwen spoke in a low voice, gazing into the distance at the lush green mountain forests. "Once we’re clear, we’ll find a spot to summon the Spirit Ship, push it to maximum power, and head straight for the sect."

So why not summon the Spirit Ship and fly from here? For one, the mist on Huishui Mountain was dense, and the spiritual energy was chaotic. In such a unique environment, the Spirit Ship’s flight would be negatively affected.

Secondly, the Spirit Ship was too large a target. It would easily attract the attention of ferocious Sky Spirit Beasts in Huishui Mountain, not to mention the Golden Core cultivators who were hunting them.

"Right." Yu Changsheng and Li Minghan nodded and quickened their pace down the mountain.

’I hope everything goes smoothly...’

Yu Changsheng murmured to himself. A faint sense of danger had been lingering in his mind, and as time went on, it didn’t fade. Instead, it grew stronger.

It was like an impenetrable gloom hanging over his consciousness.

WHOOSH...

The wind howled, whipping up the thick mist and causing it to converge around them. The trees of the surrounding forest were ghostly shapes in the fog, their green color appearing deeper and darker. Everything was eerily quiet. Apart from the howling wind, not another sound could be heard.

"Hn?!"

Yu Changsheng stopped in his tracks and whipped his head around. The sense of crisis in his heart peaked at that very moment. Behind them, a terrifying crimson light, like a roaring thunderbolt, came screaming toward the group.

A deep, sinister voice boomed at the same time, echoing throughout the forest.

"Found you, you little brats. You’re faster than I thought."

Before the voice had even finished echoing, the surging crimson light coalesced into the figure of Juelingzi. His face was grim as he stared at them, then he broke into a grin, blocking their path.

’He’s this fast...?’

Yu Changsheng’s expression darkened. Zhang Tianwen pursed his lips, his brow furrowed as he stared intently at Juelingzi.

Juelingzi chuckled and shook his head, not rushing to attack. With a wave of his hand, a magnificent beam of crimson light shot into the sky, dyeing the heavens above them red.

"He’s sending a signal! We have to finish this quickly!"

Yu Changsheng roared, his eyes turning ice-cold as killing intent exploded from him. His body flickered, and a radiant, blazing sun materialized behind him, illuminating the heavens and earth. At the same time, a dazzling golden light erupted from his form, coating his entire body in a divine, golden sheen. He looked like a god descending to the mortal realm, his presence magnificent.

RUMBLE!

The surrounding rocks shattered, and massive boulders flew into the air. They were pulverized and then reforged mid-flight, drawn by an unseen force to envelop Yu Changsheng, forming a suit of gray-black Earth and Stone Armor. With these three layers of enhancement, Yu Changsheng’s vitality surged. His Physical Strength peaked, nearing the level of a Golden Core cultivator.

"Rising Sun Dawn Fist!"

’What terrifying Physical Strength. He truly is a prodigy,’ Juelingzi thought, his figure blasting backward. A grave look flickered in his eyes, and not daring to be careless, he waved his sleeve. A thick cloud of blood mist materialized before him.

RUMBLE!

The next instant, the blood mist exploded. The Rising Sun Dawn Fist radiated a boundless light that incinerated the mist, blasting a clear path as it charged unstoppably toward Juelingzi.

Juelingzi retreated, and with a clench of his fist, a Blood Saber materialized in his hand. He slashed, sending a thirty-foot-high crescent of bloody light surging toward Yu Changsheng.

Yu Changsheng narrowed his eyes, ignoring the incoming attack completely. The radiant sun manifested around his fist as he continued his ferocious strike toward Juelingzi.

"Pfft—"

The crescent shattered. A trickle of blood escaped the corner of Yu Changsheng’s mouth, but Juelingzi was no better off. He stumbled back three steps, and a smear of blood appeared on his lips as well.

At full power, Yu Changsheng’s physical might had momentarily reached the level of a Golden Core, enough to pose a threat to Juelingzi. This was especially true for a cultivator like him, who had relied solely on elixirs to reach the Golden Core realm and was thus weaker than his peers.

But of course, Yu Changsheng’s killing blow wasn’t over yet. He licked the blood from his lips, and a frigid light exploded in his eyes. Seeing Juelingzi’s unstable aura, Yu Changsheng grunted. He unleashed his Divine Sense like a bolt of lightning and threw another punch at the same time!

"Thousand Mountains Flame Fist!"

Flames coiled around this fist. The phantom image of a thousand mountains appeared behind him, carrying the immense weight of the landscape. Yu Changsheng stomped the ground, causing it to collapse as his body shot forward like a lightning bolt, his momentum breathtaking!

"Thousand Thoughts Slash! God Shocking Needle!"

"Ngh?!"

A look of astonishment appeared on Juelingzi’s face. Before he could speak, a thunderbolt roared in his mind. From within the thunder, a Geng Metal Sword brimming with Evil Qi shot forth, tearing through the void!