Chapter 866: Waiting for You to Challenge

The second stage of this grand hunt was destined to be bloody and different from previous ones in its scope. For instance, domain fluctuations had never occurred before. Even though the Three Gods' Shrine had descended and suppressed the Jiuli core, the previous fluctuations of the Spider God still caused the ferocious beasts within the Mountains and Seas Grand Domain to undergo multiple bloodline stimulations. Consequently, the already ferocious beasts throughout the Mountains and Seas Grand Domain grew even more brutal, with small-scale beast tides even emerging in some areas.

The danger this posed to the cultivators participating in this stage increased dramatically. If not every moment, then almost daily, many cultivators from various Yan Yue clans participating in the grand hunt died tragically in this domain, their flesh and blood nourishing the land. Amidst this chaos, some individuals profited, achieving what was previously impossible and acquiring valuable mounts. Overall, the Mountains and Seas Grand Domain showed signs of unrest.

Xu Qing felt this increasingly acutely as he sped through the sky after leaving his seclusion. He saw raging herds of beasts stampeding across the land. They were ferocious creatures resembling horses but with six legs and snake heads. They were called "Tayan." They earned this name because as they galloped, green flames erupted beneath their hooves, spreading green light across the sky wherever they passed, capable of burning souls. As they galloped, within the flames surrounding their bodies, the souls of numerous ferocious beasts and cultivators could be seen, bound and screaming. The moment Xu Qing passed overhead, this herd of Tayan beasts exhaled green smoke and was about to roar at him.

He then encountered a Si'e clan cultivator. This cultivator was middle-aged and evidently possessed some skills. Under the pursuit of several mountain sparrows, he was actually able to escape, seemingly about to make a complete getaway. But the next instant, a calm voice echoed beside him, piercing his mind like a thunderclap.

"Seal." A single word dispersed through the heavens and earth. This was a seal empowered by Jiuli, not an ordinary manifestation. It formed ripples centered on the Si'e cultivator, sealing all directions. In a blink, the Si'e cultivator's entire body shuddered. His mortal body abruptly froze, unable to move even slightly. His physical body, his soul, and even the void he occupied were instantly solidified. As for the mountain sparrows pursuing him, they all trembled, then as if receiving a command or startled, they swiftly turned and flew away instantly.

Only the Si'e clan member remained, frozen alone in mid-air. The terror in his heart was overwhelming until he saw a figure emerge from the distant void, walking step by step, black flames spreading across the heavens and earth in its wake. The moment he clearly saw the face, a storm erupted in the Si'e cultivator's mind: he recognized Xu Qing! But according to the information he knew, Xu Qing should have been killed by Jizhongzi! Yet now he appeared before him. This scene pushed the storm in the Si'e cultivator's mind to its extreme. His body instinctively wanted to tremble, but the seal was too strong, preventing him from even trembling. Thus, all his horror and fear could only be conveyed through his eyes, intensely so. Especially as Xu Qing approached, flames enveloped the Si'e cultivator's body, causing searing pain in his flesh. But what terrified him most was the oppressive aura emanating from Xu Qing. This pressure caused cracks to appear on his body, giving him the sensation of facing a Divine Concealment cultivator.

"Do you know where Jidongzi is?" Xu Qing looked at the Si'e clan cultivator before him and asked indifferently. As his words echoed, the Si'e cultivator's restraints loosened slightly. Rapid breaths suddenly escaped the cultivator's mouth. The intense feeling of life and death in his heart finally allowed his body to tremble. However, no matter what, he still couldn't dispel the despair in his heart. So he quickly shook his head; he truly did not know where Jidongzi was.

"You don't know?" Xu Qing's expression remained calm; everything about the other party was clear in his eyes. At this moment, he waved his hand casually, and a soul thread instantly flew out, coiling around the Si'e clan cultivator, tightening fiercely, and binding him behind Xu Qing. He only restrained the cultivator's cultivation but did not restrict his ability to transmit messages. Furthermore, with the seal's precision, the other party's storage bag could also be opened, though only message-transmitting jade slips could be retrieved.

Xu Qing was not planning to kill this person immediately, because instead of searching aimlessly for Jidongzi, he believed it was better to let Jidongzi come to him. However, this required the Si'e cultivator's cooperation. So the Vajra Sect Ancestor whistled forth, circling the Si'e clan cultivator, its sharp points tracing shallow marks along his skin. The coldness and sense of impending death it emitted made the Si'e clan cultivator tremble even more.

"Will you call for help yourself, or shall this Ancestor help you?" The Vajra Sect Ancestor's phantom figure gently asked as it sat on an iron skewer, its gaze sweeping over the Si'e cultivator. "Where should I poke a hole through you? You'd better hope you have enough connections, otherwise, hehe."

Under the Vajra Sect Ancestor's gaze, the Si'e clan cultivator didn't hesitate at all. He immediately began transmitting messages to his clansmen for help, as requested. And so, under the Vajra Ancestor's urging, as Xu Qing continued his journey through the heavens, the Si'e cultivator, bound by a soul thread behind him, constantly sent out messages for help. Xu Qing paid no attention to any hidden intentions in the cultivator's distress calls; he hoped more people would come. However, whether it was because Xu Qing's notorious reputation was too widespread, or because the Si'e cultivator had poor connections, or perhaps he was simply unreliable, several hours passed without any of his clansmen appearing to rescue him. Xu Qing grew a little impatient waiting, so he simply sped up.

In this manner, several days passed. During this time, the Si'e cultivator's cries for help grew weaker and weaker. No matter how fierce the Vajra Sect Ancestor was, the cultivator could only wail helplessly. Fortunately, the many companions he called for helped to divert the Vajra Sect Ancestor's relentless torment. Over the past few days, whenever Xu Qing encountered cultivators from the Bai Ze or Si'e clans, he would directly act, binding them and tossing them behind him. Now, there were dozens of cultivators, each filled with despair. Under the torture and threats of the Vajra Sect Ancestor, they continuously sent out calls for help, their screams growing increasingly hoarse. As he watched more and more companions being added, the first Si'e cultivator Xu Qing had captured felt his body tremble and his heart fill with increasingly intense fear.

Because in these past few days, he had witnessed more than just Xu Qing's ruthlessness. He had also witnessed the anomalies among the ferocious beasts of the Mountains and Seas Grand Domain! Along the way, he saw many ferocious beasts he would ordinarily try to evade, yet the moment they saw Xu Qing, they voluntarily prostrated themselves, whether solitary or in groups. It was as if subjects were bowing to their king! This scene was utterly shocking, so much so that he felt bewildered several times. He had never heard of such a thing before, nor had he seen any records of it in historical texts. In his understanding, the ferocious beasts of the Mountains and Seas Grand Domain were brutal and untamed; to tame them required power and luck. And often, after taming one, the difficulty of taming a second would increase infinitely. Yet now, recalling the entire journey, all the ferocious beasts that had prostrated themselves before Xu Qing—some of them were even high-ranked, coveted by many cultivators. But now, they clearly looked as if they would immediately run over and willingly follow if Xu Qing merely nodded. "This... this..." Such an unbelievable sight made the Si'e cultivator's heart tremble even more intensely.

But the next instant, a wisp of Jiuli's aura diffused from Xu Qing. With just that wisp, the originally raging Tayan beasts on the ground all trembled, halting in their groups, and then prostrated themselves towards the sky, wailing. Their wails were not from physical harm, but from spiritual pain and sorrow. It was an instinct within their bloodline. Jiuli, the Ancestral Shaman of Xuantian, possessed an aura and bloodline supreme over this land. The origin of all ferocious beasts in the Mountains and Seas Grand Domain lay with Jiuli's grand shamans from ancient times. So upon sensing Jiuli's aura once more, these ferocious beasts, formed from the deaths of those ancient grand shamans, had a wisp of bloodline memory awakened within them.

Xu Qing paused, looking at the prostrate Tayan beasts. After a moment, he whistled away into the sky. As he sped along, scenes like these were commonplace. Even in the sky, it was the same. Swarms of soaring birds, wantonly stirring up storms, quieted down the moment Xu Qing approached, trembling and prostrating themselves, wailing. This made Xu Qing deeply feel the sorrow of these ferocious beasts and the supreme status of Jiuli here. He even gradually felt as if he were walking in his own territory. However, this feeling was accompanied by Jiuli's bitter emotions, accumulating in Xu Qing's heart. Xu Qing disliked being influenced, so he erased the Jiuli emotions that arose in his heart. His steps grew faster, and after several hours, a dark gleam flashed in Xu Qing's eyes: he had found the clue he sought.

Six days passed. When the number of Si'e and Bai Ze cultivators bound behind Xu Qing reached over a hundred, the dense crowd was a shocking sight. They continuously sent out distress calls, finally stirring up a tremendous storm within the Mountains and Seas Grand Domain. News that Xu Qing was not dead spread rapidly, and information about his inquiry into Jidongzi's whereabouts proliferated amidst this storm. The shocking and brutal sight of a hundred bound cultivators hurtling through the sky, witnessed by cultivators from other Yan Yue clans and even his own clan, naturally intensified the storm. Thus, Xu Qing's name reappeared in the hearts of all participants, more deeply imprinted than ever before. Xu Qing was using his actions to tell Jidongzi: I am waiting for you!