Chapter 294 : Never a Slave

Chapter 294: Never a Slave

At the stroke of midnight, a full moon hung in the vast sky.

The originally bright jade disc suddenly bled a line of crimson along its edge, spreading rapidly toward the center of the moon at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Soon, a quarter of an hour passed, and the bright moon high in the heavens transformed into a blood-red moon.

Crimson moonlight like a gauzy veil cascaded across the sky, blanketing the entire Five-Elements Miasma Abyss.

“Buzz!”

As the red moonlight shone down, five streaks of spiritual light in different hues slowly rose from the depths of the abyss.

Drawn by the moonlight, these lights gradually wove together, solidifying into a five-colored rainbow bridge stretching across the miasma.

And the moment the bridge took shape, a faint tremor spread beneath Chen Beiwu’s feet.

‘Finally couldn’t hold back, huh!’

Chen Beiwu swept his divine sense toward the five-colored rainbow bridge.

There, the Five Qi Vine had already coiled itself at the center of the bridge without anyone noticing.

Its vine body arched like a sky-reaching dragon, topped with a small flower blooming in five-colored brilliance. It began to inhale and refine the majestic Daoist rhythm of heaven and earth that could only be gathered on the night of the full moon—transforming it into the profundities of the five elements: the metal path’s severity, wood path’s vitality, water path’s softness, fire path’s truth-forging, and earth path’s load-bearing might.

“Boom!”

Just then, three waves of vicious and baleful auras suddenly erupted near the Five-Elements Miasma Abyss, striking directly toward the Five Qi Vine.

“Hmph!”

Chen Beiwu’s eyes sharpened. His Spirit Platform Divine Sense surged forth, forming an invisible, formless Tai Xiao Silent-Light God-Piercing Thorn.

Where divine sense moved, the heavens shifted.

Yet what made the Tai Xiao Silent-Light God-Piercing Thorn so terrifying was its lack of form and shape—even a Golden Core True Person could be slain in an instant without ever realizing it.

“Hiss!”

Sensing an indescribable threat approaching, the Earthfire Scorpion trembled. A wisp of transparent flame ignited on the seven-segmented tail behind it.

The flame appeared unremarkable, but it was in fact the Earthfire Scorpion’s innate mystic power: Karmic Mirror Flame.

Karmic Mirror Flame burned the Three Treasures. Its heat could backflow into the dantian and shatter essence; its flame could seep into the Scarlet Palace, scorch spirit apertures and corrode qi, and even destroy a cultivator’s nascent soul. It was notoriously difficult to deal with.

But before Chen Beiwu’s God-Piercing Thorn, the Karmic Mirror Flame was hardly worth mentioning.

Crack.

The two forces collided—and the Karmic Mirror Flame was utterly extinguished.

Seizing the opportunity, the Earthfire Scorpion rapidly retreated, exposing its cracked carapace. Its gaze toward Chen Beiwu was filled with wariness.

“This was just a warning,” Chen Beiwu said calmly.

Though the Earthfire Scorpion was a Fourth-Tier Mystic Beast, it had not yet reached the Heavenly-Gang level, and its cultivation was only around five hundred years—equivalent to an early Golden Core cultivator.

Had Chen Beiwu harbored killing intent, that previous strike alone would have been enough to claim its life.

At the same time, Golden Egg soared into the air, invoking Three Aspects Undying, and directly clashed with a jade-green Mystic Armored Beast.

“Bang!”

Seeing the Three-Aspects Mystic Flood Dragon take its innate attack head-on without a scratch, the Mystic Armored Beast’s eyes widened. Instinctively, it curled up into a ball and rolled away in a flash of golden light.

Iron Egg, cloaked in concealment with the Waving Heaven Cloak, activated Star-Shattering Moon-Bite, and sank his teeth into the leg of the Three-Eyed Mystic Monkey.

Among the three baleful beasts, the Three-Eyed Mystic Monkey was the weakest, with only four hundred years of cultivation—not even a Third-Realm Beast General. Unsurprisingly, it was also the first to beg for mercy.

“Chichi chichi!”

The moment it was struck, the Three-Eyed Mystic Monkey immediately surrendered.

Iron Egg didn’t loosen his bite and instead glanced at Chen Beiwu.

Only when Chen Beiwu nodded did Iron Egg release the monkey.

“Whoosh!”

In the very next moment, the Three-Eyed Mystic Monkey vanished into the earth, leaving the Earthfire Scorpion and Mystic Armored Beast to stare at each other.

‘Good grief! Before we came, you swore we wouldn’t rest until we avenged ourselves—yet the first sign of trouble, and you run?’

“Attacking while others are in a vulnerable state—such karma won’t be easily washed away,” Chen Beiwu glanced at the two beasts. “If you hold a grudge against the Five Qi Vine, you could have settled it directly. Why ambush it during its refinement of heaven and earth Dao rhythm?”

“Hiss.”

“Urgh.”

The Earthfire Scorpion and Mystic Armored Beast both wore bitter expressions.

Did they truly want to strike the vine while it was down?

In truth, it was the Five Qi Vine that refused to behave like a proper beast—splitting into countless puppet clones, leaving no trace to track. It had tormented them to no end.

With their elders unable to interfere, the two beasts had pulled strings and exhausted countless resources to finally locate a trace of the Five Qi Vine—only to catch a few puppet clones in the end. How could their anger be sated?

Clang!

A flash of sword light, and Mo Qingshuang appeared with hands behind his back.

He ignored the two beasts, glanced at Chen Beiwu, then looked toward the Five Qi Vine atop the five-colored rainbow bridge. His brows furrowed slightly.

Every time they met, Chen Beiwu brought him a new surprise.

If it weren’t for the critical nature of the Companion Beast contract with the Five Qi Vine, he would’ve long succumbed to his battle lust and tested his sword against Chen Beiwu.

“Yuxu Demon-Sealing Sword Formation—activate!”

With a flip of his wrist, Mo Qingshuang’s storage ring flickered. Nine sword shadows flew into the void, each pinning down a direction, releasing a majestic sword chant that completely sealed off the surrounding space.

In the next instant, Yu Zhaohua also burst out from the depths of the Five-Elements Miasma Abyss.

‘Thank goodness I made it in time.’

She glanced at the Five Qi Vine, still focused on absorbing Dao rhythm, and let out a breath of relief.

Then, she flicked her finger, sending her mystic talisman into the void. Immediately, eight sky-reaching pillars rose around the abyss, locking down the domain.

“Hiss.”

“Urgh.”

Seeing this, the Earthfire Scorpion and Mystic Armored Beast exchanged looks and grinned.

Heh, who cares if they didn’t get revenge?

As long as one of these Immortal Sect prodigies managed to contract that sneaky thief of a Five Qi Vine and take it far away—that alone would be worth celebrating.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

Over a dozen prodigies from the Immortal Sects, deep within the abyss, had also sensed the Five Qi Vine’s presence.

They didn’t hesitate, soaring into the sky and unleashing their clan-granted techniques—giving the Five Qi Vine no chance to escape.

In an instant, the five-colored bridge was filled with top-tier cultivators, and the atmosphere turned tense.

Though the Five Qi Vine was a Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast, in the eyes of Yuqing Immortal Sect’s upper echelon, its value rivaled or even surpassed a Fortune-Origin Beast.

Now that it had appeared, whoever earned its recognition first would gain the sect’s favor—and possibly secure the position of chief disciple.

In such a scenario, no prodigy was willing to back down and miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance. All of them wished to be the first to try taming the Five Qi Vine.

Mo Qingshuang stepped forward and swept his gaze across the gathered cultivators. “Continuing like this gets us nowhere. How about we go by cultivation level? Those with higher realms go first.”

“Cultivation is important, but contracting a Companion Beast relies more on fate,” Yu Zhaohua said with a light smile. “I’ve practiced the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon, which aligns well with the Five Qi Vine. I should be first to try.”

“Why not let the Five Qi Vine choose on its own?” another prodigy interjected.

At the center of the bridge, the Five Qi Vine continued absorbing the Dao rhythm, vines swaying gently. It observed the contention coldly—but its divine sense kept sneaking glances at Chen Beiwu.

Was it just an illusion?

The closer it got to Chen Beiwu, the more its bloodline seemed to stir.

The kind of unprecedented ease and cultivation surge it felt around him nearly made it lose control.

‘This guy is dangerous!’

The vine quickly shielded its senses, no longer daring to peek—unaware that its divine sense had never escaped Chen Beiwu’s awareness.

‘As expected, the Yuanshi Pill Canon greatly attracts the Five Qi Vine.’

With this thought, Chen Beiwu took a step forward and proposed, “Since no one can agree, why not settle it by the sect’s usual practice—through a Duel of Techniques?”

He didn’t know why the Five Qi Vine remained so guarded, unwilling to form a Companion Contract.

But one thing was clear to Chen Beiwu—

Strength reigns supreme.

In this world, power speaks louder than anything else.

As long as he displayed enough strength and potential, the Five Qi Vine would likely change its mind.

Upon hearing this, all the prodigies looked toward Chen Beiwu, their expressions subtly shifting.

Mo Qingshuang was at mid-Golden Core stage, and had already comprehended the fourth realm of swordsmanship—One Sword Breaks Ten Thousand Arts, capable of leaping two minor realms to contend with peak Golden Core cultivators.

If it came down to a Duel of Techniques, nearly no one present had the confidence to face him in battle.

In their eyes, Chen Beiwu openly proposing this method was no different from declaring his allegiance, fully siding with Mo Qingshuang.

"That won't do."

One after another, the prodigy cultivators stood up in opposition, their eyes fixed on the Seven-Tailed Violet Fox perched on Chen Beiwu’s shoulder.

"This junior has already earned the recognition of the Seven-Tailed Violet Fox. Why wade into these muddy waters again?" someone advised.

Only Mo Qingshuang and Yu Zhaohua narrowed their eyes, their gazes on Chen Beiwu subtly shifting.

"Are you certain you want to determine order by Duel of Techniques?" Mo Qingshuang’s gaze lifted slightly as he scrutinized Chen Beiwu.

In terms of cultivation aura, Chen Beiwu was only at the early Golden Core stage—did he truly think he could leap realms and defeat him, dominating other beasts?

"Of course," Chen Beiwu nodded slightly and looked toward Yu Zhaohua.

The victor became king, the loser a mere thief.

If the three of them joined forces to push for a Duel of Techniques, the Immortal Sect prodigies present wouldn't be able to stir up much trouble.

Just as Yu Zhaohua was contemplating, the celestial red moon anomaly ended. The Five Qi Vine turned into wisps of clear smoke and vanished—clearly attempting to escape this storm of contention.

“Buzz.”

But the techniques laid down by the many Immortal Sect prodigies were far from ordinary.

Even though the Five Qi Vine was inherently of five elements and adept at Five Qi Transformation Escape Arts, it still failed to flee beyond the Five-Elements Miasma Abyss.

"Forget the Duel of Techniques—let everyone rely on their own means."

As she finished speaking, Yu Zhaohua’s figure flickered, instantly appearing before the Five Qi Vine and operating the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon at full force.

"Would you be willing to become my Companion Beast?" Yu Zhaohua decisively extended her invitation.

"Nope."

The Five Qi Vine cast a glance at her and rejected her without the slightest hesitation.

Yuanshi was the foundation of the Dao, the ultimate of the Golden Core.

Although Yu Zhaohua used her five internal organs as a furnace, harmonized the five elements, and successfully grasped the foundational level of the Yuanshi Pill Canon—refining a trace of Innate Ancestral Qi—compared to Chen Beiwu, she was still countless miles behind.

What did it mean to have achieved Great Mastery of Yuanshi?

It meant taking Primordial Chaos and Limitless Origin as root, seeking nothing external, generating all heavens from within, illuminating the Three Realms. Such was the Heavenly Root, able to leap beyond the Three Realms, transcending the five elements.

If the Five Qi Vine’s perception was not mistaken, Chen Beiwu should have already stepped into the great mastery stage of the Yuanshi Pill Canon, and could form the Yuanshi Golden Core at any moment—a once-in-a-millennium prodigy of the Yuqing Immortal Sect.

Otherwise, the Seven-Tailed Violet Fox, born of the earth element, would not have set aside her pride and stayed by Chen Beiwu’s side—drawing on his Yuanshi aura to cultivate and attempt awakening her bloodline’s latent might.

But in truth, the Five Qi Vine had guessed wrong!

Chen Beiwu had only cultivated the Yuqing Nine Revolutions Yuanshi Pill Canon to the minor mastery stage, not yet reaching the Nine Returns and Seven Reversions, nor the Ninefold Golden Core Formation.

What had actually reached near great mastery—perhaps even nearing perfection—was the Taiyi Pill Forging Method of the Five Great Emperors of the Five Directions, which harmonized exceptionally with the Yuanshi Pill Canon.

Hearing the rejection, Yu Zhaohua’s eyes held no surprise.

She possessed a fire-attribute Innate Dao Body, while the Five Qi Vine encompassed all five elements, leaning toward the wood element.

In the cycle of elements, wood nourished fire, but fire could not give birth to wood.

Even if she had entered the Yuanshi Pill Canon, it was still extremely difficult to earn the Five Qi Vine’s recognition.

After all, no Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beast would willingly abandon its cultivation path to become a mere subordinate to an Immortal Sect prodigy.

But it didn’t matter. In order to successfully forge a contract, she had specially prepared a gift too tempting to refuse.

"Don’t be so quick to say no," Yu Zhaohua’s storage ring shimmered, and a jade box appeared in her hand. "Take a look at this gift before you decide."

The Five Qi Vine’s curiosity was piqued. It looked up.

“Buzz!”

As the jade box slowly opened, the discontented expressions of the surrounding Immortal Sect prodigies suddenly stilled.

The reason? The treasure within wasn’t just any ordinary Fourth-Tier Mystic Herb—but a nearly transparent five-colored leaf.

The Five Qi Vine’s eye twitched. The stir of longing from deep within its bloodline made it want to snatch the jade box from Yu Zhaohua’s hands.

“Leaf veins like star rivers, containing Innate Five-Element Ancestral Qi, leaf flesh clear as glass, reflecting the illusion of hidden mountains and rivers, sun and moon’s rise and fall—this is the Fifth-Tier Fortune-Origin Medicine: ‘Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Leaf’!”

Mo Qingshuang’s declaration sent shock through the crowd.

All present were prodigies of the Yuqing Immortal Sect—how could they not recognize the name of the sect’s guardian Dao Tree, the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Tree?

The Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Tree held such high status that it could rival Primordial Dao Beasts. A single leaf shed from its branches was an incomparably precious Fortune-Origin Medicine—enough to tempt even a Divine Transformation True Venerable.

‘To win over the Five Qi Vine, Yu Zhaohua actually offered such a supreme treasure!’ The expressions of many prodigies changed.

Those from less privileged backgrounds couldn’t help but swallow hard—this was the moment they realized the disparity between people.

No wonder the Immortal Alliance Official Website sometimes called the sons and daughters of Dao Venerable Immortal Families the "Heavenly Immortals."

Cultivation may allow one to defy fate, but in front of the Heavenly Immortals of the Dao Venerable Families, most cultivators were but fleeting mayflies.

"With this leaf as the medium, it can help you break through the shackles of your bloodline—how about it?" Yu Zhaohua said with confidence.

The Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Leaf could awaken the Five Qi Vine’s bloodline, allowing it to evolve into a Fifth-Tier Fortune-Origin Beast, in turn empowering its contracted cultivator.

Using such a treasure on the Five Qi Vine was far from a loss—for Yu Zhaohua, it was a win on both fronts.

"Nope."

The Five Qi Vine stared intently at the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Leaf, then slowly closed its eyes and shook its head.

The Five Qi Vine—would never be a slave!

Since it had dared to speak those words, it would never go back on them.

Even if the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Leaf was dangled in front of it, the answer was the same.

Yu Zhaohua was stunned.

‘That’s not right!’

The current chief of Yuqing Immortal Sect had succeeded in contracting the Five Qi Vine using this exact same leaf—why did it fail for her?

Seeing this, Chen Beiwu and Mo Qingshuang both let out a breath of relief.

Yu Zhaohua had tried to cheat, sneaking in ahead—but luckily, she didn’t succeed.

“Hiss.”

“Urgh.”

The Earthfire Scorpion and Mystic Armored Beast were also left dumbfounded, their minds blank.

Wait a minute—if the Five Qi Vine could reject even the Primordial Five-Elements Ancestral Leaf, then why had it secretly targeted their Third-Tier Treasure Herbs?

Wasn’t that just bullying beasts?