Chapter 707: Not Dead?

“Princess?”

Elder Qian couldn't help but look over, seeing the Hall Master's twisted, almost twitching face. "Ye Wentian does have several princesses, but none of them, neither in age nor appearance, match the person in front of us! And even if she is a princess, what of it? As the Hall Master of the Beast Hall and a peak expert at the eighth level of the Mortal Transcendence Realm, even Ye Wentian wouldn't dare do anything to you. Is there really a need to be this afraid of a princess?"

“Yes, it's Her Royal Highness Yu Fei-er, the Sixth Princess of Hongyuan Empire!”Seeing his bewildered expression, Hall Master Qin couldn't help but transmit his voice.“Hongyuan Empire?” Elder Qian's body stiffened, and he almost fainted. "This person, who followed behind Master Zhang, barely spoke, and seemed like a maid, is actually a princess of the Hongyuan Empire? The Hongyuan Empire is a first-tier empire, with experts as numerous as trees in a forest, and a renowned Master Teacher Academy known throughout the world. A princess from such a country holds an esteemed status. Even if she were to scold Ye Wentian, he wouldn't dare retaliate... Are you sure you're not mistaken? If she truly is a princess, then what kind of identity does this Master Zhang possess to make her so willingly follow behind him?"

“Fei-er, you know him?” Seeing Yu Fei-er's serious expression and princely demeanor, Luo Qiqi walked over.“It was at my birthday celebration when Elder Bai of the Beast Hall presented me with a White-tailed Azure Fox. He happened to be following behind, and the memory is vivid, so I remember him,” Yu Fei-er said calmly.“Oh!” Luo Qiqi nodded. “Now that you mention it, I remember too... I thought he was just an ordinary disciple of Elder Bai, but I never imagined he'd be the Hall Master of the Beast Hall here!”As Yu Fei-er's best friend, Luo Qiqi naturally attended her birthday. At the time, Elder Bai's gift of a White-tailed Azure Fox made even her feel a little envious. Hearing it now, Hall Master Qin suddenly seemed very familiar.

“And this is... Master Luo?”Hall Master Qin also recognized her, his mouth twitching even more.“Yes, your eyesight is good. I am Luo Qiqi, a Five-star Master Teacher!” Luo Qiqi nodded.“A Five-star Master Teacher?” Elder Qian, standing nearby, swayed slightly. "If you had told me you were a Five-star Master Teacher earlier, I wouldn't have been so pretentious! I would have helped you find spirit beasts long ago..." he thought, casting a resentful glance at Han Chong nearby. "...Didn't you say Master Zhang was a Four-star Master Teacher from Myriad Kingdoms City? How is it that a Five-star Master Teacher is now his student?"Han Chong, looking utterly innocent, turned his gaze to Zhang Xuan. "Weren't you only tested as a Four-star Master Teacher a few months ago? When did a princess of the Hongyuan Empire's imperial family and a Five-star Master Teacher become your students, following you around?"

It wasn't just these few people who were stunned; Qin Zhong, standing in the back of the crowd, finally realized the gravity of the situation. After listening to the entire conversation, he almost burst into tears. He had actually... flirted with a princess of the Hongyuan Empire and a Five-star Master Teacher... and even asked his father to teach them a lesson just now! Fortunately, they hadn't taken offense. If they had, and decided to kill him on the spot, his father wouldn't have been able to utter a single word in his defense.

“Alright, this is not the time for pleasantries. Let's deal with this Violetwing Heavenly Roc first!” Seeing the conversation drag on, Zhang Xuan shook his head. The level three Mortal Transcendence spirit beast in the sky was almost strangled to death. "If you keep chatting, its meat will probably be eaten by the Roc," he thought.

“Deal with it... how? Does Master Zhang have a plan?” Convinced that both Princess Yu Fei-er and Luo Qiqi deferred to Master Zhang, Hall Master Qin knew he was no ordinary person and quickly looked to him.“I'll discuss it with it and see what it truly wants!”Zhang Xuan frowned, thought for a moment, and then spoke. He considered that if the beast had dragon bloodline, he could try the 'Hum' sound or even the 'Moo' sound he had just learned. But if not, those sounds would be useless. Instead of wasting effort, it would be better to simply ask the beast what it needed and what it wanted to do.

“Discuss?”Hall Master Qin and Elder Qian looked bewildered. Given the language barrier, they wondered why they had been so passive if discussion was an option.Just as they were pondering what the young man would do, they saw him step forward and utter a series of unintelligible sounds.The Violetwing Heavenly Roc in the sky paused, then couldn't help but roar in response.The young man responded with more unintelligible sounds.The Heavenly Roc roared again.“Is this... beast speech?”Watching the man and beast conversing nearby, Hall Master Qin's eyes nearly popped out. A beast tamer who could speak beast speech, no matter how average, could easily pass the six-star or seven-star exams as long as their cultivation level was sufficient. The presence of such a person here was beyond their wildest dreams.

“Elder Qian, didn't you want to learn beast speech? You can learn from Master Zhang...”Filled with excitement, Hall Master Qin quickly turned to look at Elder Qian nearby. What he saw made him freeze. The elder, who moments ago had appeared so upright, now had his mouth agape, his face contorted with exasperation, looking almost insane.It was no wonder he was going mad. This man had just claimed he knew nothing about ancient beast speech, then said he learned it in ten minutes after entering the room. What was thought to be casual nonsense turned out to be true! "Ancient beast speech... when did it become so easy to learn? Could it be... that my fifty years of research were all for naught? Otherwise, how could his ten minutes be more effective than my decades?"

As Elder Qian was on the verge of a breakdown, the young man finished his discussion with the Heavenly Roc in the sky and walked over, his expression peculiar.“Well?”Dismissing his tumultuous thoughts, Elder Qian eagerly looked over. “It... what did it tell you?”For years, he had wanted to know what the Heavenly Roc was saying, and even more, what the Dragon Rock Beast had said before it died. His fifty years of diligent study of beast speech had also been for this very purpose.

“The Heavenly Roc said...”Zhang Xuan scratched his head. “...it wants you dead!”“I knew it wanted me dead. I caused the death of the Dragon Rock Beast and its mate; it must hate me to death...”Elder Qian's face turned pale. The Dragon Rock Beast and the Roc were a pair. If it weren't for his willfulness, the Dragon Rock Beast wouldn't have died. He had forcibly separated them, so it was only natural for the Roc to hate him!

“Ahem! That's not the reason...”Hearing Elder Qian's self-reproach, Zhang Xuan had to interrupt.“It's not? Then what is it?” Elder Qian was stunned.“It's because of... what the Dragon Rock Beast said before it died!” Zhang Xuan explained.“What it said before it died? It... told you?”Elder Qian trembled with excitement. For years, he had wanted to know if the Dragon Rock Beast had any last words. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Roc either wouldn't say, or if it did, he couldn't understand, leaving him with a heavy heart all these years. Now that Master Zhang had conversed with the Heavenly Roc for so long and brought up this topic, could it be... that the Heavenly Roc had revealed the Dragon Rock Beast's dying words?“Yes...”Zhang Xuan's expression became even stranger.“What did it say? Did it ask me to live well and continue its legacy?”Recalling the loyal beast companion and all their moments together, Elder Qian's eyes reddened, and tears flowed uncontrollably.“The Dragon Rock Beast said...” Zhang Xuan hesitated for a long time, then finally stated, “The Dragon Rock Beast said... 'I'm not dead yet!'"

“Not dead?”Elder Qian swayed, spitting out a mouthful of blood, nearly fainting on the spot. “But... I buried it!”He had always thought its last words were instructions for his future, telling him to live well. Instead, it said... "I'm not dead yet!""What the hell! I touched it; it was cold all over, its body stiff. How could it not be dead? And even if it really wasn't dead, it's been buried underground for fifty years. It should be dead by now!"Not only was Elder Qian frantic, but Luo Qiqi and Yu Fei-er, standing nearby, also widened their eyes, almost spitting out what they were holding back. They had just heard him say that his beast companion died for him, fiercely loyal, expecting a tragic yet beautiful story. They never imagined... this was a horror story! Burying it alive when it wasn't dead... Even if the Dragon Rock Beast wasn't dead initially, it was probably buried alive and suffocated to death!Hall Master Qin and the other elders, not far away, also staggered, almost coughing up blood. "Your beast companion sacrificed its vital essence for you, and then you buried it alive when it wasn't dead... It's no wonder its mate didn't let you off the hook! The fact that it only came to cause trouble all these years and didn't kill you outright is honestly quite merciful."

Upon suddenly hearing this news, Zhang Xuan had the same thoughts as everyone else. However, knowing that Elder Qian truly hadn't known and had suffered enough torment over the years, he couldn't help but ask, “You buried it... you didn't cremate it, did you?”“That... no!” Elder Qian shook his head.He had prepared for cremation at the time, but the Heavenly Roc had desperately interfered, preventing the cremation. So, he had buried it in the mountain forest, building a hermitage nearby as a companion.“It's good that you didn't. According to the Heavenly Roc, the Dragon Rock Beast was only temporarily stiff, in a state of suspended animation. With proper care and nourishment, it should be able to revive. Even though you buried it, since you didn't cremate it, there should still be a chance!” Zhang Xuan said after a moment of hesitation.The Violetwing Heavenly Roc had explained in detail earlier: the Dragon Rock Beast had a dragon bloodline and a body like rock, hence its name. After losing its vital essence, its body would become like rock, appearing dead, with breathing and heartbeat ceasing. However, it wouldn't actually be dead. With certain medicinal nourishment, it should quickly awaken again. Dragon Rock Beasts were rare, and since they never actively lost large amounts of vital essence, many books didn't record this fact. Even Elder Qian, a Five-star Beast Tamer, was unaware.Since it didn't need to breathe or have a heartbeat while unconscious, even if it was buried... as long as it wasn't cremated and hadn't decomposed, it should still be able to revive, right? No matter what, this was a super spirit beast at the eighth level of the Mortal Transcendence Realm with a dragon bloodline! It couldn't die so easily.

“A chance?”Elder Qian's face was on the verge of tears. “But... it's been buried for fifty years...”If it had only been buried for two, three months, half a year, or even a year, he might have believed there was a chance. But fifty years with no signs of life? Even if it was suspended animation before, it must be truly dead now!“Don't worry. Let's go take a look. If we can revive it, that's best. If not... there's nothing we can do.”Zhang Xuan could only shake his head. "It's your fault for burying it alive. If we can save it, great; if not, well, that's just how it is."“Yes!” Elder Qian quickly nodded, and the group hurried towards the thatched hut. Before they had gone far, Zhang Xuan remembered something. He looked up at the Violetwing Heavenly Roc in the sky, raising an eyebrow. “Now, quickly put that spirit beast down!”“Roar!”The Heavenly Roc responded, then reluctantly loosened its claws.The spirit beast plummeted to the ground, its tongue lolling out, and immediately passed out.