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墨書 Inktalez
"What if the beasts are hunted by humans?" Yunxi asked.
The elder skilled in beast taming among the crowd replied, "Though humans are born weak, they are the most intelligent of all beings. Unless enslaved by their own kind, no race can dominate humanity. This is the privilege granted to humans by the Dao. Therefore, even if Qiongqi is an Ancient Fierce Beast, it cannot surpass the bloodline of humanity. The death of a beast does not endanger its master. However, beasts live much longer than humans. Humans experience aging and death, while those who possess beasts can only sever their contracts through old age or by voluntarily giving up the contract. For the master of a spirit beast, there is no downside to this contract."
"I see," Douding scratched his head and said, "Maybe I won't form a contract after all. If something happens to me and Big Cat dies without having done anything wrong, that would be so unfair!"
"That's not an option," the elder said kindly. "Forming a contract with a beast prevents backlash. Humans have emotions—joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness—so do beasts. Once a beast goes wild, it may turn against its own master and kill indiscriminately. The master may be powerless to stop it and can only watch helplessly as the beast wreaks havoc. However, with a contract in place, the master can command the beast. If the beast refuses to obey, the power of the contract will restrict it; its life force will be turned against it, making it suffer immensely. Moreover, even if a beast goes mad, its master can calm it through the contract and make it listen. It's not just about giving it freedom; such kindness can harm both parties!"
"Alright then," Douding said. "That old man makes a good point; let's get this done."
Douding turned to Yunxi behind him. She smiled, understanding his intent, and pinched his finger to draw a drop of blood which she placed on Qiongqi's inner core.
Qiongqi's innate runes lit up as its core trembled and slowly returned to its body. In that moment, Douding felt something new within his mind—a resonance with Qiongqi.
Douding gently stroked Qiongqi's face and said, "You need to behave from now on."
Qiongqi nodded and lay down. Douding chuckled as he climbed onto Qiongqi's back while Qiongqi slowly rose and walked towards the crowd at Leiyin Temple.
Among the crowd, Rain Master Luo silently turned to leave. Miao Shengnan called out, "Yushi Luo!"
"Senior Sister, come back!" Bai Xiaoxiang also shouted as a group of Emei Disciples tried to persuade her to stay.
Rain Master Luo did not pause her steps. The crowd turned to look at her; under the setting sun, her silhouette appeared somewhat lonely as she faded into the distance, becoming indistinct until she vanished from view.
Several elders from Arched Eyebrows sighed and shook their heads before turning away as well.
After the Emei Sect members departed, various sects followed suit until only some reluctant wandering cultivators remained, searching for Buddhist scriptures that had drifted down from the Scripture Repository.
The disciples of Leiyin Temple were overjoyed because Douding had tamed an Ancient Fierce Beast. Everyone praised him while Douding grinned widely.
"Sister Yunxi?" Douding called out cheerfully but soon realized that Yunxi had left without him noticing, leaving him feeling a bit disappointed.
Douding looked at Wusanjin and then said to Haikong, "Master, Brother Five is my friend; can we invite them to our temple as guests?"
"Of course," Haikong replied.
Douding waved at Wusanjin, signaling them to ride along. The three of them hurried over, and Qiongqi turned around, revealing a fierce expression and letting out a low growl as a warning.
Douding quickly reassured them, while Wu snorted dismissively, "Scary beast. I wouldn't ride even if you let me."
The monks burst into laughter as the three followed the group toward Leiyin Temple. Wu stopped and looked back at the sand pit behind him, then glanced at the tower in his hand. Suddenly, he twisted the tower, seemingly reaching the last mechanism. The tower shattered, revealing a more exquisite jade Pagoda inside.
A beam of light shot out from the Pagoda, causing Wu's thumb to sting. He saw a small bead of blood form on his thumb as the Pagoda absorbed his blood essence, which quickly vanished.
In the distance, a thunderous roar erupted from the sand pit, causing the entire desert to collapse. Everyone turned to look, and yellow sand billowed up.
At that moment, in a remote forest, Song Qianqiu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, covered in blood with holes punctured all over his body from Ice Spikes.
Despite enduring pain and fatigue, Song Qianqiu gazed at the ancient book wrapped in stone skin in his hands.
In the Dunhuang Caves' Scripture Repository, Song Qianqiu had nearly been killed by Yunxi. Filled with grief and anger yet feeling helpless, he had long desired to obtain the top Ultimate Technique from the Daoist Sect. However, whether at Azure Cloud Mountain or outside it, he realized that relying solely on himself to acquire such an unparalleled Cultivation Method was exceedingly difficult, even though he had made extensive preparations in advance.
What he found even harder to accept was that Yunxi, who should have been dead, was still alive and had almost killed him. If it weren't for the Stone Skin Book he managed to touch at a critical moment, he would likely have been dead by now.
"How many times have I narrowly escaped? I, Song Qianqiu, have walked a perilous path. Some are born into wealth and privilege; some are born with endless resources for Cultivation; others are born as chosen ones. Do noble lords possess any special lineage? I refuse to believe this nonsense! I refuse!" Song Qianqiu shouted as he leaned against a large tree to stand up.
The sky had darkened by now. After resting for a moment, Song Qianqiu began to ascend along the winding mountain path. His mind was hazy when he noticed flickering flames ahead. Exhausted and hungry, he approached and saw a fierce-looking man surrounded by others drinking and feasting on half a wild beast roasting over the fire.
Upon seeing the bloodied Song Qianqiu, one of the men picked up a nearby knife with an unfriendly glare and asked, "Who are you?"
Song Qianqiu replied, "Just someone fleeing here. Do you have any water?"
One of the burly men responded mockingly, "Got urine; will you drink it?"
The others burst into laughter. Feeling utterly weak and unable to summon any Dao Qi after his battle with Yunxi—who had severely injured him and sealed his Acupoints with icy energy—Song Qianqiu found it difficult to muster even a trace of Dao Qi. He turned to leave, saying, "Sorry to disturb you."
"Trying to leave?" one of the men snorted and swung his knife toward Song Qianqiu's head.
Hearing the wind from the swing, Song Qianqiu dodged aside just in time for the blade to strike his shoulder instead. Blood flowed down his arm and dripped onto the Stone Skin Book.
In pain, Song Qianqiu was grabbed by one of the men and violently thrown toward the fire pit. One of them remarked, "Look at how he's dressed—long hair down to his waist and delicate skin. That old creep always told us human flesh is delicious; why don't we give it a try?"
The remaining individuals exchanged glances, and one person spoke up, prompting the others to share the same thought. A burly man thrust a knife into Song Qianqiu's abdomen. Song Qianqiu grasped the blade, trying to resist, but his strength was frozen, his Qi Sea solidified. He realized that he lacked even the energy to self-destruct and take these people down with him.
"What do you have in your hand?" The burly man suddenly snatched the Stone Skin Book from Song Qianqiu's grip. He struck it a few times with the hilt of his knife, but when it wouldn't break open, he tossed it into the fire.
Flames engulfed the book, the stone skin peeling away as blood seeped in. Several men brandished their knives, preparing to gut Song Qianqiu, but their movements suddenly slowed. After just a few steps, they froze in place. Song Qianqiu groggily opened his eyes and saw the flickering firelight around him also frozen in time. Even the sparks flying from the firewood were suspended. He had no idea what was happening and fainted again, his consciousness fading.
When he awoke once more, Song Qianqiu felt a splitting headache, but the acupoints within him that had been frozen were now loosening. His Qi Sea was no longer solidified; everything around him remained unchanged from the previous night, as if time itself had stopped.
Song Qianqiu suppressed his excitement as a certain technique came to mind—a forbidden technique of the Daoist Sect.
He looked at the Stone Skin Book in the fire and retrieved it. The stone skin shattered, revealing an ancient scripture inside, with three large characters inscribed on it: Great Wilderness Scripture.
"The rise and fall of the Great Wilderness, history turned to dust, the power of Taiyin comes and goes." Song Qianqiu opened the first page of the Great Wilderness Scripture and murmured. "What does this mean? Taiyin refers to time; could it be that my suspicion is correct? This Great Wilderness Scripture is about forbidden techniques related to time? That day at Dunhuang Caves..."
On that day at Dunhuang Caves, Wang Taoist's body showed no signs of decay despite having been decapitated; his blood was still warm. Song Qianqiu had initially thought Wang Taoist had consumed some elixir or used some treasure. But now it seemed clear that he hadn't died at all; instead, he had been immobilized by the Sutra of the Great Wilderness Scripture.
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