Chapter 511: Hard Snatching

"So, young brother, you are also a beast tamer. To have reached two-star at such a tender age, you are truly a young hero!"

Though he felt surprised inwardly, he showed no emotion on his face. He cupped his hands, smiled, and said nothing more.

While a two-star beast tamer under twenty was indeed a genius, such individuals were not uncommon in their Beast Hall; they had plenty of them.

Noticing the perfunctory tone in his voice, Zhang Xuan didn't bother to explain.

He had come this time for the Tomb of the Witches' Soul. Whether the other party recognized him or valued him was of little consequence, as long as it didn't delay the main objective.

"Hall Master Han, Zhang..."

Seeing his old friend's attitude and knowing he must be unaware of the young man's identity, he was about to explain and urge him to pay attention when the ground directly in front vibrated, and a violent sound erupted.

It came from the cave, sounding like a clap of thunder. Under the impact of the sound waves, the leaves on the surrounding dry trees fluttered down.

"Impressive!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.

Leaving aside everything else, just by this sound alone, if one were to bear its full brunt, cultivators below the Grandmaster realm would likely be instantly killed, utterly defenseless.

The power of a single roar was so immense. It was indeed worthy of its reputation as a notorious fierce beast throughout the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance, truly terrifying.

"It's awake. Let's begin!"

Hall Master Han's eyes lit up. He no longer had time to listen to Pavilion Master Sai's words; he turned and gave an instruction.

Several elders beside him, hearing the command, nodded simultaneously. They all stepped forward in unison, and the leading one flipped his wrist.

Boom!

The corpse of a massive spirit beast appeared before them.

"The corpse of a Mortal Transcension Second-level Herd Deer Beast? They could even hunt and capture this thing?"

Upon seeing this creature, Zhao Feiwu in the crowd raised his eyebrows, looking incredulous.

"Is this spirit beast very powerful?" Sun Qiang asked, looking over with confusion.

"The Herd Deer Beast is a Mortal Transcension Second-level spirit beast. Its cultivation isn't high, but its speed is extremely fast, and its meat is delicious. It's a favored prey for spirit beasts and cultivators alike, but its numbers are scarce; there might not even be one in the entire Nine Bends Mountain. To catch and kill one would certainly require a significant amount of time and effort!"

Having suffered from a strange illness since childhood that left him unable to move his body, he had spent his days reading. The Herd Deer Beast was naturally a curiosity, and Zhao Feiwu remembered it very clearly.

"It seems you know quite a lot. This Herd Deer Beast was captured only after seventeen beast tamers from our Beast Hall set out together, spent half a year, and laid down an inescapable net to track it down! It's safe to say that this is the only one in the entire Myriad Kingdoms Alliance. Trying to find another would be impossible; it's truly priceless!"

Hearing their conversation, the grey-robed young man smiled faintly, a proud expression appearing on his face.

Although the Herd Deer Beast's cultivation level wasn't particularly high, it was inherently vigilant and cunning like a fox. Without so many beast tamers acting simultaneously, capturing it would have been impossible.

"Indeed!" Although the other party's words were self-congratulatory, Zhao Feiwu still nodded in agreement.

This creature was indeed not easy to catch. Back then, a prince from the Alliance's royal family (also known as the Alliance Leader's Estate) fell ill and needed the heart of this spirit beast for medicine. A high bounty was offered for five years, but it was never obtained.

In the end, that prince died because the necessary medicine couldn't be fully acquired, becoming a great regret.

It was precisely after hearing about this incident that he consulted books and learned about the Herd Deer Beast.

"Not only is the Herd Deer Beast's meat delicious, but more importantly, this spirit beast feeds on spiritual herbs. Though its own power isn't high, its spiritual energy is abundant. Like a powerful tonic, if consumed by other spirit beasts, it can easily help them break through their realms and achieve higher power!"

Pavilion Master Sai interjected: "One could say... it's a mobile advancement pill!"

"So that's it. It seems they want to use this creature's corpse to curry favor with the Demonic Star Beast!"

Only then did Sun Qiang understand, and he couldn't help but click his tongue in awe.

To bring such a difficult-to-capture spirit beast here, it seemed that for the sake of the Demonic Star Beast, the Hall Master of the Beast Hall had truly gone all out.

While they were discussing in low voices, Hall Master Han, at the front, took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Brother Yaochen, the item I mentioned to you last time is ready. It's right here, come out and take a look!"

The sound echoed into the cave, and silence ensued within. Just as everyone grew tense, a roar echoed, and a massive figure flew out.

It was a gigantic savage beast, seven to eight meters tall. Its wings, when spread, spanned over thirty meters. Its eyes were blood-red, and its appearance was hideous and terrifying. Its entire body was covered in scales, demonstrating its powerful defense.

A peak Mortal Transcension Fourth-level beast, the super flying spirit beast feared by everyone in the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance... the Demonic Star Beast!

Seemingly understanding his words, the massive spirit beast looked at the Herd Deer Beast's corpse on the ground with ardent desire.

Spirit beasts could already absorb spiritual energy from heaven and earth, cultivating themselves to advance. They also possessed intelligence not inferior to humans.

The corpse of the Herd Deer Beast exuded a rich medicinal fragrance and intense spiritual energy fluctuations. It knew that if it consumed it, its cultivation would definitely greatly advance. Even if it couldn't reach Mortal Transcension Fifth-level, its strength would undoubtedly surge. How could it not be excited?

"Brother Yaochen, as long as you agree to my terms, this Herd Deer Beast's corpse will be yours!"

Seeing its eagerness, Hall Master Han smiled faintly.

"Roar!"

Turning its head, the Demonic Star Beast seemed to want to hear what his conditions were.

"For the past three years, Brother Yaochen and I have spent every day together. You must have come to understand my character. My request is simple... I hope you can become my beast pet!" Hall Master Han said. "Don't worry, we can sign a fair contract. Before doing anything, if you're unwilling, you can refuse!"

"Roar!"

Upon hearing the proposal of becoming a beast pet, the Demonic Star Beast roared furiously, its expression ferocious. Waves of air emanated from its body, giving off a chilling sensation.

From its appearance, if Hall Master Han dared to continue speaking, it would certainly attack and kill him.

This was hardly surprising. It possessed the bloodline of the Spirit Race, which was exceptionally noble. How could it possibly submit to a mere human and become a mere guard dog?

"Don't rush to a decision!"

Seeing its resolute stance, without the slightest hesitation, Hall Master Han's expression also turned somewhat grim. However, he still smiled and said: "You must already know my status in the human world; I am the Hall Master of the Beast Hall, a position of great prestige. Brother Yaochen, if you stay with me, I will treat you as my best friend. As for cultivation resources, just speak the word, and no matter how difficult, I will find a way to help you acquire them! While spirit beasts have long lifespans, how long would it take to improve simply by absorbing spiritual energy? Wouldn't being with me be much better than staying here?"

Having said that, Hall Master Han waved his hand.

Several elders stepped forward again, and a pile of spirit stones appeared on the ground.

They were all low-grade spirit stones, piled up into a small mountain, totaling several thousand. Intense spiritual energy surged upwards from them. Just taking a sniff made one's pores open wide, bringing an indescribable comfort.

Spirit stones were not only needed by humans for cultivation, but by spirit beasts as well.

Absorbing spiritual energy from spirit stones was clearly much faster than absorbing it from the air.

"This is a total of over eight thousand spirit stones. As long as you agree, you can have them right now..."

The fact that he could produce so many at once, while Pavilion Master Sai couldn't even produce five thousand, didn't mean the latter was less wealthy. Rather, Pavilion Master Sai's spirit stones had all been used to purchase valuable treasures for his collection, leaving him with few readily available. In terms of true net worth, the latter was certainly superior.

It was like those antique collectors in Zhang Xuan's previous life. If all the treasures they collected at home were sold, each of them would be extremely wealthy. However, if they were asked to produce cash to purchase items, they might not compare to some well-funded merchants.

"If these spirit stones aren't enough for you, then this item will certainly be of great benefit!"

Seeing that the Demonic Star Beast still showed no reaction after the spirit stones were presented, Hall Master Han hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth. With a flip of his wrist, a jade box appeared in his palm.

He gently opened it, revealing a spirit stone embedded within.

Boom!

The moment the spirit stone appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy immediately became much denser, as if forming a mist. Just holding this spirit stone, even without actively absorbing, the dense spiritual energy would automatically enter one's body, improving muscles and physique.

Simply put, if such a spirit stone were placed on an infant, even if the infant couldn't cultivate, receiving the nourishment of its spiritual energy, their body would become strong and free from illness. In less than two months, their physical strength would be no less than that of a Pigu realm expert.

"Could it be... a mid-grade spirit stone?"

His eyes lit up, and Zhang Xuan clenched his fists.

Having read countless books, he knew something about the grading of spirit stones.

The spirit stones he currently possessed were all the lowest grade, also known as low-grade.

Spirit stones of this grade were perfectly fine for cultivation below the Mortal Transcension Fourth-level. However, attempting to break through to higher realms using their spiritual energy would be very difficult.

Leaving aside others, for him, because his Heaven's Path zhenqi was too pure, even though he was only at the peak of Mortal Transcension First-level, Longevity realm, low-grade spirit stones were no longer very effective. To reach the Yuanqi realm, he not only needed Heaven's Path secret manuals, but more importantly, he needed this kind of mid-grade spirit stone!

Leaving aside everything else, just one such stone would absolutely be more than enough to allow him to break through from the peak of the Longevity realm to the peak of the Yuanqi realm.

While quantitative change could lead to qualitative change, if the fundamental difference was too great, no amount of quantity would suffice.

It was like how a sufficiently large amount of straw might be able to buy a diamond, but it certainly couldn't replace the function of a diamond.

Therefore, even if ten thousand low-grade spirit stones could be exchanged for one mid-grade one, it would still be impossible to replicate the effect of a mid-grade spirit stone.

"Indeed, it's a mid-grade spirit stone!"

He hadn't expected his old friend to take out such an item. Pavilion Master Sai's eyes widened in surprise as well.

Mid-grade spirit stones were incomparably precious. Even the Myriad Kingdoms Alliance itself didn't have many in stock. For his old friend to be able to produce one, the cost must have been significantly greater than even that of the Herd Deer Beast!

Upon seeing the mid-grade spirit stone, not only were the crowd astonished, but the Demonic Star Beast's eyes grew even redder.

Having brought out such a treasured item, Hall Master Han's face was full of reluctance. However, he also knew that one must part with something to gain something greater. He gritted his teeth and said: "Brother Yaochen, as long as you agree to be my beast pet, this mid-grade spirit stone will be yours for your use... Hmm? Brother Yaochen, what are you doing..."

Before he could finish his words, the Demonic Star Beast suddenly flapped its blade-like wings. Its massive body charged straight forward, its hooves clawing at the air with a whistling sound, and it lunged for the spirit stone in Hall Master Han's hand.

"Trying to snatch it? What the—!"