Chapter 445: That Wasnt One of Your Old Flames, Was It?
Since taking over as the Wind Clan’s young patriarch, Feng Jiu Si had long grown accustomed to scheming from the shadows, holding everything within his grasp. Yet after suffering a heavy setback at Yu Zhao’s hands this time, his mood was complicated.
Tu Xiao slanted him a look and suddenly suggested: “The Land of Divine Remains is far too dangerous; we should return as soon as possible.”
The Earth Clan’s protective magical treasure he carried could be used only three times. He had already expended it once when he was in danger in the past, and the second time to save Feng Jiu Si; now only one charge remained. Tu Xiao had no wish to waste it here in the Land of Divine Remains.
Feng Jiu Si actually did not want to leave. In his heart, retreat felt like cowardice. Yet reason told him that leaving was indeed the wisest choice. After a brief pause for thought, he gave a slight nod, agreeing to Tu Xiao’s proposal.
Tu Xiao was overjoyed and said with relief: “Then rest two more days; once you are mostly recovered, we will set out.”
Three days later, Tu Xiao and Feng Jiu Si emerged from the underground cave, preparing to find an exit from the Land of Divine Remains. They had barely set off when, on the road, they spotted an Exotic Beast with a fox-like face and deer-like antlers sprinting headlong in the opposite direction. Several Cultivators were chasing closely after it. The two sides brushed past each other.
Feng Jiu Si halted abruptly, turned back to watch their direction, and light flashed in his eyes as he said: “Among the Exotic Beasts of the Land of Divine Remains, there are three kinds; one is known as the Auspicious Beast, which bears a pair of horns.”
Tu Xiao was startled and asked: “The one that just ran past was an Auspicious Beast?”
Feng Jiu Si answered: “Nine times out of ten.”
Tu Xiao’s expression lit with excitement as he said: “I have heard Auspicious Beasts dwell only in blessed paradises and appear when a treasure is about to emerge.” Feng Jiu Si replied: “Exactly; it is rare to encounter an Auspicious Beast—missing it would be a real pity.”
Tu Xiao wheeled about at once and said: “What are we waiting for, let’s chase them too.”
The two immediately abandoned the plan to leave and joined the crowd pursuing the Auspicious Beasts.
“Hahaha, Old Black Daoist, guess who I ran into in the Land of Divine Remains? You’ll never guess, hahaha!” Ancestor Sui Bian, cheeks ruddy, gripped a glowing Voice Transmission Talisman; as he spoke he gestured animatedly.
From the other end came a voice full of bewildered surprise: “Ancestor Sui Bian, who did you see? That wasn’t one of your old flames, was it?”
“Roll, roll, roll, what old flame would I have; don’t you malign me,” snapped Ancestor Sui Bian. He immediately clenched the Voice Transmission Talisman, sneaking a guilty glance at Yu Zhao, before scolding the Old Black Daoist with righteous vigor.
“Something’s off, Ancestor Sui Bian, you are acting strange; who did you run into exactly?” pressed the Old Black Daoist.
Ancestor Sui Bian was just about to boast when his eyes suddenly widened; ignoring the Old Black Daoist, he shouted to Yu Zhao: “Little Yu Zhao, look, over there!”
Yu Zhao had been resting to the side. Hearing his voice, she immediately stood and gazed into the distance. A mass of yellow cloud was racing toward them at extreme speed. As it drew nearer, she realized it was no cloud at all but a cluster of Exotic Beasts covered in yellow fur, each with antler-like growths on its back. A spark flashed through Yu Zhao’s mind as she and Ancestor Sui Bian spoke in unison: “Auspicious Beasts.”
They exchanged a look and saw the same flame of excitement in each other’s eyes. When Auspicious Beasts appear, a strange treasure emerges. This was a heaven-sent opportunity. The two quietly waited for the Auspicious Beasts to sweep past them, then slipped in after them.
Ancestor Sui Bian’s attention had been completely hooked by the Auspicious Beasts, so he naturally had no mind to keep answering the Old Black Daoist on the talisman. The Old Black Daoist’s anxious questions tumbled out one after another from the Voice Transmission Talisman: “Who is this Little Yu Zhao; how have I never heard of her; Auspicious Beasts—did you encounter Auspicious Beasts in the Land of Divine Remains; Ancestor Sui Bian, hey, where did you go, answer me.”
Irritated by the noise, Ancestor Sui Bian grabbed the talisman and barked: “Old Black Daoist, I have urgent business; I won’t talk to you now—let’s connect again when I have time.” With that he severed the link and tucked the talisman into his sleeve.
Yu Zhao could well imagine the Old Black Daoist tearing his hair on the other end. But this was no time for catching up with a friend. In less than the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, several more figures had joined the pursuit behind them.
Another half hour passed, and Yu Zhao began to feel the strain. After such a long-distance chase, the Auspicious Beasts were not slowing down but instead moving ever faster. Seeing this, Ancestor Sui Bian split off a strand of Spiritual Power to support Yu Zhao from below.
She said: “Thank you, Ancestor.”
He waved it off, then suddenly clicked his tongue and muttered: “And look, there are the Nangong Clan people again.”
Following his voice, Yu Zhao looked over. On the somber, desolate plain, a bright splash of red ahead was shockingly conspicuous: the same four they had met in the Death Rift not long ago. At that moment, Xi Men Wuji, Bei Ming Yan, and the other two also noticed the mighty procession in the distance.
“So many people, what are they chasing,” exclaimed Xi Men Wuji.
Thinking of a possibility, Bei Ming Yan said in delight: “Auspicious Beasts, it must be Auspicious Beasts.”
They had planned to search first for the Azure Beast’s trail; unexpectedly, fortune smiled and they encountered the rare Auspicious Beasts instead. Nangong Jie and Dong Fang Yue’s eyes brightened as they said: “Does that not mean a great treasure is about to appear?”
The last time Auspicious Beasts stirred, the life-bound magical treasure of a Grand Ascension Cultivator who had fallen in the Land of Divine Remains surfaced. Everyone fought till the sky dimmed and the earth darkened; in the end, a Tribulation Cultivator seized the magical treasure and, not long after, successfully broke through to become a Grand Ascension Cultivator. That tale had sent even more people treasure-hunting in the Land of Divine Remains and was still on everyone’s lips.
Thinking of it, the four of them birthed the same thought: if they could snatch the supreme treasure by luck, they would not need to seek beast cores, and passing the Great Thousand Alliance selection would be guaranteed. Their hearts blazed hot; the way they looked at the Auspicious Beasts was like gazing at a peerless rarity.
Two days later, the line of pursuers had swelled. By then the Auspicious Beasts had reached the edge of the continental fragment. Ahead yawned the Death Rift that made Cultivators blanch.
“Why have the Auspicious Beasts stopped; is the treasure in the Death Rift this time,” someone murmured.
“No, they should be waiting for the astral winds to die down,” said another.
“Could the treasure be on the neighboring land shard,” suggested a third.
“Auspicious Beasts are the omen of auspiciousness,” someone warned, “but whenever they appear a bloody storm follows.”
Voices buzzed.
A dozen or so Auspicious Beasts halted at the edge. The Cultivators who had chased them dared only to stop at a cautious distance and whisper among themselves.
Ancestor Sui Bian glanced left and right and quietly cautioned Yu Zhao: “Crowds breed chaos; in a moment, stand right by me and do not go anywhere.”
Just then, a polite voice sounded: “Senior, we meet again.”