Chapter 52: Fierce Beast Escaped

"Alright, I understand what you mean, but the Bai Ningmei you're looking for truly isn't here with me. There's no point in asking me."

"Also, I have a way to subdue the Demonic Sky Mad Dragon. You no longer need to kill those with Pure Yang bloodlines," Xu Yang said calmly.

Since these people had already arrived, Xu Yang decided it was a good opportunity to discuss his plans with them.

"Sir, what method do you have?" Zhao Tianyu asked respectfully, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"It's no use explaining it to you. How about this: tell me what organization you belong to, and I'll speak with your person in charge," Xu Yang said.

"I am from the Tianwu Commandery branch of the Spirit Treasure Association," Zhao Tianyu replied.

Xu Yang's expression became somewhat strange upon hearing this. He was a cultivator from the Spirit Treasure Auction House.

He had seemingly just annihilated the Qizhou branch of the Spirit Treasure Auction House, killing many of its members. If nothing else, he was now their primary enemy.

"So, it's the Spirit Treasure Auction House," Xu Yang nodded, his smile gradually fading as he looked at them, lost in thought.

Zhao Tianyu felt a chill run down his spine under Xu Yang's gaze. As if fearing a misunderstanding, he quickly said:

"Sir Xu, although we are from the Spirit Treasure Auction House, we haven't received any orders from above. Furthermore, according to our investigations, the destruction of the Qizhou branch was entirely their own doing and has no relation to you, Sir."

Xu Yang smiled, observing Zhao Tianyu's nervous demeanor.

Zhao Tianyu's hurried explanation was naturally because he feared Xu Yang might suddenly target him.

"Alright, how about we put the Qizhou branch incident behind us?"

"Yes, yes, absolutely!" Zhao Tianyu hastily replied. Whether the Spirit Treasure Auction House chose to overlook this matter or not was irrelevant to him; as long as he didn't have to fight Xu Yang, it was fine.

"Alright, let's not discuss other matters for now. Take me to Tianyang Mountain. I'll speak with the people there; I know how to subdue the Demonic Sky Mad Dragon," Xu Yang said calmly.

Though extremely reluctant, Zhao Tianyu could only comply with Xu Yang's request.

Although his original target was someone from the Bai family, he figured taking Xu Yang to Tianyang Central Sect would likely suffice for his mission.

"Alright, come with me," Zhao Tianyu said after a moment's thought, letting out a sigh. Suddenly, he pulled out a palm-sized, long, narrow boat from his storage pouch.

The small boat rapidly expanded from the size of a palm to that of a house.

"A spirit ship?"

Xu Yang murmured, somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected Zhao Tianyu to possess a spirit ship.

Spirit ships are a mode of transportation. Zhao Tianyu's was only a small-scale one.

Larger spirit ships could even transport an entire mountain, or there were spatial spirit ships that, despite their modest exterior, contained a whole world within them. However, such spirit ships were beyond the knowledge of a cultivator at Zhao Tianyu's level.

However, the Spirit Treasure Auction House possessing a spirit ship still surprised Xu Yang.

This suggested that the Spirit Treasure Auction House had considerable financial resources to own such items.

***

Not long after, Xu Yang arrived at the Tianyang Sect. Had he traveled on foot, it would have taken him several times longer.

"Stop! Who are you?" As the spirit ship landed before the Tianyang Sect's mountain gate, several sect disciples immediately approached to investigate.

Zhao Tianyu took out a gleaming golden token from his robe.

The token was intricately engraved with the characters "Spirit Treasure Auction House, Tianwu Commandery Branch Elder."

The Tianyang Sect disciples who had come to investigate immediately became respectful.

Xu Yang glanced at Zhao Tianyu, surprised that he was an elder.

"Sir Xu, we have now arrived at the Tianyang Sect. What do you intend to do next?" Zhao Tianyu asked.

Xu Yang sensed the surrounding environment. Indeed, the Yang energy here was dozens of times stronger than elsewhere, making it an ideal place to imprison malevolent beings.

"But why don't I feel even a trace of malevolent energy in this place?" Xu Yang murmured to himself, frowning.

"First, let's find the Tianyang Sect Master," Xu Yang said, shaking his head and not dwelling on the thought.

Thanks to the Spirit Treasure Association's connection, Xu Yang easily entered the Tianyang Sect and located its master.

The Tianyang Sect Master, Xu Long, was a cultivator in the late Nascent Soul stage. His most striking feature was his long, white beard that trailed on the ground.

After observing him for a while, Xu Yang suddenly asked, "When you sleep at night, where do you put your beard?"

Xu Long froze instantly, turning to stone. After a long moment of stunned silence, he slowly said:

"Ever since someone asked me that question a hundred years ago, I haven't been able to sleep. I was just about to forget, and now you've reminded this old man once more."

A corner of Xu Yang's mouth twitched.

"If that's the case, why don't you just cut your beard short? Why keep it so long?"

Xu Long smiled faintly and said, "I know you've come because of the Demonic Sky Mad Dragon. Since that's the case, I'll be direct."

"My beard is a material used to seal the Demonic Sky Mad Dragon. This old man has grown it for hundreds of years to reach this length."

Xu Yang nodded, then suddenly said, "But the Demonic Sky Mad Dragon is no longer here."

Xu Long paused for a few seconds, then burst into laughter, saying, "Young friend, you truly are humorous! Although the seal of my Tianyang Sect has indeed shown signs of loosening over the years, it's impossible for that fierce beast to escape."

"However, I haven't detected any aura characteristic of a malevolent beast here," Xu Yang said with a faint smile.

Seeing Xu Yang's certainty, Xu Long began to feel less sure himself.

Suddenly, he recalled that if the seal were loosening, the fierce beast should be frantically attacking the sealing formation. Yet, the formation remained quiet, with no disturbances whatsoever.

"But that shouldn't be right. If it had escaped, it should be causing chaos. Yet, nothing has happened in Tianwu Commandery," Xu Long added, shaking his head.

"You're underestimating the intelligence of a fierce beast," Xu Yang countered. "It just escaped, its strength diminished and cultivation far from its peak. After finally breaking free, would it cause disturbances everywhere instead of recuperating, just waiting for you to seal it away again?"

Xu Long could no longer remain composed. He suddenly stood up and said, "Whether the fierce beast has escaped or not, we'll know by checking the seal."

"Alright," Xu Yang nodded. He was only guessing; he was actually quite clueless about the specifics, so checking would be beneficial.