Fen Shui Yi was starting to panic. The voice that had suddenly appeared in its mind sounded rather cute, but upon reflection, it terrified the beast.
It had been hiding at the edge of the battlefield, slacking off, because Fen Shui Yi was different from the other brainless demon beasts. Ten years ago, it had witnessed the might of the Beast Taming Sect firsthand.
Unfortunately, its patron, that Golden Core Demon Turtle, was nowhere to be found. Otherwise, Fen Shui Yi wouldnât be suffering such abuse under its new Golden Core Demon Beast master.
Ten years ago, Fen Shui Yi had discovered human Cultivators at the edge of the Barbaric Wilderness, mining the food of Lord of Returning Soil. It had reported this news to its leader.
It had expected its leader to easily drive off those detestable humans, but in the end, its own lair was destroyed.
Fen Shui Yi was reasonably intelligent. Seeing that the situation was dire, it had retreated with its leader. But its leader was too conspicuous and was eventually hunted down with nowhere to run. After breaking through the encirclement, the leader vanished without a trace.
And so, having lost its patron, it had no choice but to seek refuge with a new Golden Core Demon Beast. But compared to its former leader, this new one was even more of a blockhead.
Today, this new leader had actually driven a horde of demon beasts to attack the Beast Taming Disciples before them. Recalling the scene from ten years ago, Fen Shui Yi naturally put in minimal effort, choosing to slack off at the fringes.
Fang Ruoxi had just now broken right through its Spiritual Power Shield and sent her voice resounding in its mind. Such a technique naturally left Fen Shui Yi both shocked and terrified, but Fang Ruoxi had no way of guessing the beastâs inner thoughts.
Hearing Fen Shui Yiâs reply, Fang Ruoxi continued in a natural tone:
"My name is Fang Ruoxi. My master asked me to have a word with you."
âMaster? Sheâs a Companion Beast from the Beast Taming Sect?â
The thought surfaced in Fen Shui Yiâs mind, but before it could think things through, it heard Fang Ruoxi speak again.
"I canât really explain it. Iâll let my master speak with you."
The next moment, a gentle, smooth male voice echoed in Fen Shui Yiâs mind:
"Hello there, fellow Daoist Fen Shui Yi."
...
A moment later, Fang Qingyuan opened his eyes, his expression calm. He spoke in a clear, loud voice.
"Fellow sect members, listen to my command! In a moment, I will open a corner of the array and lead a charge. Who among you is willing to join me?"
On this intense front line, Fang Qingyuanâs words were met with a moment of stunned silence from the surrounding Cultivators. The one leading them, a Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator, looked at Fang Qingyuan and said:
"Elder Fang, why should we charge out? Without the protection of the array, facing these demon beasts directly will only lead to greater casualties."
Fang Qingyuan glanced at the Mid-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had spokenâTan Yunguang. This man was a high-level Foundation Establishment member of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect. While his status couldnât compare to Fang Qingyuanâs, who had been personally appointed by Lechuan, his seniority was considerable. In his eyes, this newly appointed Elder of the Miscellaneous Affairs Peak probably carried very little authority.
"Senior Brother Tan, in a war between two armies, a purely defensive strategy wonât work. Take that Hedgehog Demon, for instance. Itâs lurking in the shadows, waiting to launch a sneak attack. If we donât go out, weâll just be sitting ducks. Itâs worth launching a surprise attack to show them what weâre made of."
"I object. As long as we defend the array, weâre in an unbeatable position. Why must we charge out? You canât gamble with the lives of our disciples."
"Look at these frenzied demon beasts. They are all being controlled from behind by the Foundation Establishment Demon Beasts. If we donât take down those Foundation Establishment beasts, these Qi Refining ones will keep charging at us endlessly. The Ten Directions Beast Spirit Array will break sooner or later, and weâll be in an even more passive position then."
Fang Qingyuan remained calm as he explained his reasoning to Tan Yunguang. He had just reached an agreement with the demon beast Fen Shui Yi, offering various resources for cultivation and advancement in exchange for the information it possessed.
When faced with personal gain, demon beasts have little loyalty to speak of. Their world is ruled by might and oppressionâthey obey whoever is strongest. Since Fen Shui Yi was already being oppressed, it agreed to Fang Qingyuanâs offer of resources for intelligence without a momentâs hesitation.
After receiving the information from Fen Shui Yi and combining it with the distribution of light dots on Bee Queen Fang Ruoxiâs Mind Map, the fog of war that had previously shrouded everything in darkness now held few secrets for Fang Qingyuan.
Even if Fen Shui Yiâs intelligence was false, Fang Ruoxiâs Mind Map was real. With this as a safeguard, Fang Qingyuan wasnât afraid that Fen Shui Yi was deliberately trying to lure him into a trap.
In the darkness ahead, a total of seven Foundation Establishment Demon Beasts lay hidden, not to mention the slacker, Fen Shui Yi. Although the charging demon beasts before them were being driven by a Golden Core Demon King, without the command of these nearby Foundation Establishment beasts, they were nothing more than mindless animals.
Now, the enemyâs position was known while his was hidden. Fang Qingyuan decided to lead a strike team. Even if they failed to kill any targets, they could still disrupt the enemyâs rhythm.
Since reaching Foundation Establishment, Fang Qingyuan hadnât fought much against Cultivators of the same stage. However, his Cultivation Technique, his powerful soul, and his two Innate Divine Techniques were all far superior to those of his peers. If he didnât dare to shoulder this responsibility now, how could he ever command their respect in the future?
"Senior Brother Tan, if you donât wish to go, then feel free to stay here and hold the line. But remember this: in our Beast Taming Sect, there are no Cultivators who fear demon beasts."
At Fang Qingyuanâs words, Tan Yunguangâs face flushed red, and he retorted angrily:
"If a mere First-Layer Foundation Establishment Cultivator like you dares to go, what do I have to fear? Just donât think youâve goaded me into this. I just canât bear to see these juniors throw their lives away."
Fang Qingyuan let out a laugh and nodded at Tan Yunguang. He then scanned the surroundings, and after a few breaths, four more people stepped forward.
Including Tan Yunguang and himself, that made for six Foundation Establishment Cultivators. When their Companion Beasts were added to the count, their total strength exceeded that of ten Foundation Establishment battle powers.
With a lineup like this, it would be laughable if they couldnât handle the enemyâs six Foundation Establishment Demon Beasts.
After once more instructing the remaining disciples to hold their ground and not venture out rashly, Fang Qingyuan and the other five Foundation Establishment Cultivators concealed themselves within a body-shrouding Magical Artifact, opened a corner of the array, and slipped out.
...
Outside the array, the chilly air was thick with the heavy stench of blood. Fang Qingyuan held the Ten Thousand Beasts Qiankun Banner firmly in his hand. As he advanced, bees flew out from the banner, scattering in every direction.
There had originally been over ten thousand venomous bees in the Immortal Mansion. Back at the encampment, Fang Qingyuan had released more than two thousand of them to get a grasp on the overall situation. Now, there were still around seven thousand left.
Now, with these swarms scattered all around him, serving as relay points for the images sent back by the Bee Queen, Fang Ruoxi, the path ahead was completely unobscured in Fang Qingyuanâs mind.
As if he had a clear objective, Fang Qingyuan led the group to a remote location ten li away.
A dozen or so Scorpion-tailed Bees lay hidden quietly amongst the dead leaves and branches, their auras completely concealed. The Foundation Establishment Demon Beast lurking here likely never imagined that a group of Cultivators had already crept right up to its position.
âDo we need to take it alive?â
Tan Yunguangâs question reached Fang Qingyuanâs ears via a secret voice transmission. After hearing it, Fang Qingyuan slowly shook his head.
âWith Fen Shui Yi as our turncoat, the other demon beasts are expendable. We need to make this quick. Best to strike ruthlessly and take out a few before the other Foundation Establishment beasts are alerted.â
With that thought, Fang Qingyuan retrieved a set of array flags from his storage bag. He made a hand sign, and in the next instant, seven or eight shockingly powerful techniques blasted toward a single corner.
Simultaneously, a dozen small flags scattered, completely shrouding all sound within an area of a few hundred yards. Not a single trace of it could escape.