Chapter 2012
2012 Elder Liao“s Reques
“Ah…”
It was beyond Zhang Xuan’s imagination that the Dongxu Gourd would actually be so powerful. At this moment, he was rooted to the spot as his mind struggled to make sense out of what had just happened.
He had really intended to fight a battle with the Nine-headed Fiery Phoenix, but each time he drove his Gods’ Sword Intent, the battle would be interrupted somehow… Before he could even test his strength, his opponent was already lying on the ground fearfully.
“Hehehe!”
Having defeated the Nine-headed Fiery Phoenix, the Dongxu Gourd slit an opening on its body, causing its blood to spurt out like a fountain. Then, it devoured the blood happily.
“What are you doing?”
Feeling that it was growing weaker and weaker as blood seeped out of its body, the Nine-headed Fiery Phoenix’s fear intensified. It tried to rise, but the Dongxu Gourd sitting above it was like a mountain pinning it to the ground. It was not able to move at all.
“Be good and stay still. I’ll just drink for a bit.” The Dongxu Gourd shook its bottom as it drank large gulps of the Nineheaded Fiery Phoenix’s blood.
Blood swiftly drained from the Nine-headed Fiery Phoenix’s body, such that it felt as if it would die from excessive blood loss at any moment. Unable to take it anymore, it turned to Zhang Xuan and exclaimed, “I’ll acknowledge you as my master!”
It had no other choice.
It was a haughty existence, but it had never met such a bizarre gourd before. This was more frightening that anything it had ever gone through.
Not only was the gourd able to devour its flames, it was even gulping down its blood.
If it did not submit to the middle-aged man at this point, it would likely end up as a withered bird carcass on the ground.
Under any other circumstances, it might have adamantly stood its ground in view of its pride. However, thinking about how the strongest of their group, the Serpentine Dragon, had already submitted to the middle-aged man, it felt like it would not be that big a deal if it acknowledged the other party as its master.
“You wish to acknowledge me as your master?” Zhang Xuan scratched his head awkwardly.
It had planned on using the Beast Pummeling Taming Method to force it to submit to him within thirty breaths, but now, it felt like everything had simply happened without him lifting a finger at all.
“Dongxu Gourd, stop what you’re doing.” Zhang Xuan walked up and ordered the Dongxu Gourd.
“Burp!” The Dongxu Gourd suddenly belched. “Master, I’ll go and digest it.”
After saying those words, the Dongxu Gourd vanished from sight. The next moment, it was already in Zhang Xuan’s dantian, snoring loudly as it slept.
Seeing how this fellow was still as unreliable as always, Zhang Xuan shook his head. With a tap of his finger, he sealed the Soul Contract with the Nine-headed Fiery Phoenix.
After dealing with two beasts in quick succession, Zhang Xuan turned to the Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger in the sky and asked, “What about you?”
The Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
It was only ranked third on the Ascendant Cloud Mountain. In terms of fighting prowess, it could not even begin to compare to the powerful Serpentine Dragon and Nine-headed Fiery Phoenix. Yet, those two did not even last a minute before they were tamed. What was it supposed to do in a situation like that?
Should it submit to the middle-aged man? Should it not submit?
If it did not submit, it was likely that it might end up getting floored like those two. After witnessing how the Nineheaded Fiery Phoenix had been pinned to the ground and drained of its blood, it had no wish to see it happening to itself too. If there was a choice, it would not want to be embarrassed in front of all of its subordinates in such a manner!
The Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger eventually made up its mind and said, “You used the Eight Notes of the Heavenly Dragon to tame the Serpentine Dragon, and you subdued the Nine-headed Fiery Phoenix through an artifact… I would like to have a proper battle with you using our true strength. If you can defeat me in a proper battle, I’ll submit to you.”
You wish to have a proper battle with me? That’s fine by me!”
Relieved that he was finally getting some action, Zhang Xuan leaped into the sky. With a slash of his sword, the Gods’ Sword Intent that had been bottling up in his body for quite a while was released like a raging current.
There was no sword afterimage or blur. The Tongshang Sword simply appeared right before the Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger.
Puhe!
Before it knew it, the two fangs that protruded from the Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger’s mouth were sliced apart, and fresh blood spurted from its nose.
“I surrender! I’ll acknowledge you as my master!”
Facing such a frightening sight, the Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger felt cold sweat drenching its fur coat. It immediately lowered itself subserviently.
It had thought that the young man was someone who relied only on unorthodox means, but who could have known that his swordsmanship would actually be so formidable?
If it had not surrendered quick enough, putting aside its teeth, it might have lost its head.
The Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger was not the only one surprised by the situation. Even the Serpentine Dragon and the Nine-tailed Fiery Phoenix gulped in fright.
Honestly, they had felt a little indignant at having to submit to Zhang Xuan just like that. After all, the other party had only subdued them through the Eight Notes of the Heavenly Dragon and a particularly powerful gourd, so they did not think that the other party would really be powerful.
However, after watching this sight, they realized that even if the other party did not rely on anything else, they would still not be a match for him in terms of sheer strength!
That earlier sword was simply too powerful and profound, so they could not fathom themselves withstanding its might. Hu!
The Isolation Formation finally dissipated.
Thirty breaths were up!
“He has tamed all three of the immortal beasts?”
“How long did he take in total?”
Seeing how even the Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger had submitted to him too, Elder Liao and the others became frenzied.
They were the top elders of the Myriad Beasts Hall, grandmasters of beast taming…
And those that had gone there with them were candidates in line for the position of hall master.
Yet, one team had ended up getting completely obliterated, and Elder Yuan had been lured away by the White-eared Fox, completely unaware that he was the one who was being played like a fool.
On the other hand, the middle-aged man had actually tamed the three immortal beasts in quick succession just like that.
It was as if he was the one from the Myriad Beasts Hall instead! They felt like they were still utterly lacking on the path of beast taming compared to the other party.
At that moment, all the beast tamers felt a suffocating sensation in their chests as they simply stared at the situation before them with mouths agape.
It was a while before Elder Liao could speak again. “The hall master once said that regardless of whether it’s Elder Yuan or Elder Liu, whoever manages to tame one of the four immortal beasts first will be qualified to inherit his position. However, now that one has been killed and the other one is still getting toyed with by the White-eared Fox, how do we report this matter to the hall master?”
“The main reason the hall master came up with this problem was to test their proficiency in beast taming and their strength. Those two factors are necessary if they wish to earn the support of the others in the sect. It’s clear that Elder Yuan and Elder Liu have already failed the trial. If anything, it’s this middle-aged man who has cleared the trial,” another elder replied in a hushed voice.
“What do you mean by that?”
Elder Liao and the others quickly turned their gazes over.
“What I’m thinking is that if this middle-aged man doesn’t have a sect yet, we can recruit him into the Myriad Beasts Hall. As long as he becomes one of our elders, given his superior beast taming skills and fighting prowess that can subdue a Heavenly High Immortal beast despite only being at the Heavenly True Immortal realm himself… I believe that no one will dare question his credentials to become our hall master!” the elder said.
“This…”
The crowd fell silent.
It was unprecedented for an outsider to be nominated to become their next hall master, but after witnessing everything, they had no choice but to earnestly consider such a course of action.
The Myriad Beasts Hall was known for its superiority in beast taming, but this middle-aged man was easily able to outdo all of them. Even their hall master would pale in comparison to him!
If such a figure did not join their Myriad Beasts Hall, it would be a huge threat to them. If this middle-aged man simply joined any other sect or even established a sect of his own, the Myriad Beasts Hall could very well lose its standing on the Forsaken Continent.
You’re right. We have to bring him into our Myriad Beasts Hall.” Elder Liao nodded.
The others replied in agreement.
Having made such a judgement, Elder Liao was just about to approach the middle-aged man and propose something when the latter suddenly turned to them and said, “I have already tamed these beasts. They won’t make a move on you anymore, so you are free to leave… But before you leave, there’s something that I would have to trouble you for.”
You have saved our lives, so feel free to make any request of us. As long as it’s within our means, we won’t turn you down!” Elder Liao bowed deeply.
Putting everything aside, it was a fact that this middle-aged man was their savior. If not for him, they would have ended up getting tortured to death by those three immortal beasts.
It was only right for them to repay the favor.
“I am a humble and low-profile person, so I don’t wish to cause a huge fuss. Thus, I hope that you’ll keep whatever has happened here a secret after you leave,” Zhang Xuan said.
He had used the Gods’ Sword Intent earlier and tamed the Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger within a single move. Of course, he had made sure to conceal the aura of the Gods’ Sword Intent, such that it was impossible to see through it easily. However, if rumors started spreading, it would not take long for the masses to draw the link.
Once the Hall of Gods caught wind of the news, danger would swiftly strike him once more. He knew that he was not fully prepared to deal with the Hall of Gods just yet.
Thus, he could only hope for those people not to spread the word around.
“This…”
The crowd had been wondering what the request would be when they heard those words, and they immediately nodded in approval.
If anyone else had tamed one of the four immortal beasts of Ascendant Cloud Mountain, they probably would have bragged about the matter for years, as if they would not rest till the whole world learned about the feat.
In contrast, this middle-aged man had tamed three of them, but he did not show the slightest complacency at all.
This low profile and steady personality was truly worthy of respect!
“May I know how I should address you?” Elder Liao asked curiously.
“I am Zh…” Zhang Xuan was just about to reveal his name when he realized that there was a good chance that the Hall of Gods had already learned of his true identity. Thus, he quickly changed his words and said,”… Zheng Yang.”
This was the first name that popped into his mind.
“So, it’s Brother Zheng Yang!”
Elder Liao’s mind swiftly churned as he tried to recall if he had heard this name anywhere else, but nothing came to mind. Unable to suppress his curiosity, he asked, “Brother Zheng, may I know which sect you are studying under at the moment?”
The first thing they should do was understand the other party’s background before proposing anything.
Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I am an unaffiliated cultivator.”
He was a core elder of the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion, but due to his unique identity, it would not be convenient for him to reveal that. Not to mention, it would be meaningless if he assumed a traceable identity.
If the Myriad Beasts Hall started looking into the matter, he would only draw their suspicion more instead. Since that was the case, he might as well introduce himself as an unaffiliated cultivator.
In any case, there were many sword practitioners in the Azure. Even the experts of the Hall of Gods were equipped with swords. Besides, there were plenty of unaffiliated cultivators out there who were exceptionally proficient in the Way of the Sword, so his story was not completely impossible.
“Unaffiliated cultivator?”
On the other hand, the eyes of Elder Liao and the others lit up upon hearing those words.
If the middle-aged man had been from some other sect, it would have been inappropriate for them to try recruiting him. However, since he was an unaffiliated cultivator, there was no such issue.
This was an opportunity to join the Myriad Beasts Hall and even become their hall master. They believed that the middle-aged man would not turn down such an invaluable opportunity.
“Indeed.” Zhang Xuan nodded. “So, regarding the matter I requested earlier…”
“Brother Zheng, you need not worry. Since you have asked us not to talk about it, there’s no way we’ll expose the matter. It’s just that…” Elder Liao paused a little at this point.
“Just what?”
“Even if we don’t talk about this matter, it’s impossible to conceal the fact that three of the four immortal beasts of the Ascendant Cloud Mountain have been tamed. Once news starts spreading, people might learn that it was an outsider instead of the elders of the Myriad Beasts Hall who succeeded, and that could cause quite the uproar,” Elder Liao replied awkwardly.
“What do you propose then?” Zhang Xuan frowned.
What the other party said made sense.
The Myriad Beasts Hall was the number one beast tamer sect in the world. Despite many years of preparation and dispatching so many elders, they had ended up returning in defeat. Instead, an outsider was the one who had tamed the immortal beasts.
How were they to explain this matter to their sect?
“Brother Zheng, would you be interested in following us to the Myriad Beasts Hall for a while? We’ll introduce you as one of our elders and show the three immortal beasts before everyone else. I know that it sounds a little counterintuitive, but this is the best way to avoid an uproar,” Elder Liao explained.