Chapter 709: Heavenly Hero Beast Submits

Zhang Xuan was using a soul-summoning technique. Normally, this would bring forth the soul. However, the "corpse" was moving, which indicated that the soul had not only failed to awaken but had instead solidified with the physical body.

With the soul and body fused, not only was summoning impossible, but awakening it would be even more challenging!

"Hmph!"

With a soft cry, he flicked his finger again. The Five Elements formation flags, previously prepared, separated into five directions and plunged into the ground.

Gathering the Five Elements, balancing Yin and Yang!

This was a shamanic soul technique: the Living Soul Art!

Humans have three souls and seven spirits, and so do beasts. Even if souls and spirits fuse extensively with a corpse, there will always be one soul and one spirit that remain incompatible, like oil and water.

The Living Soul Art leverages this incompatible soul and spirit to forcefully separate the other souls and spirits from them.

Of course, this required the assistance of the Five Elements' power.

Only when the Five Elements circulate can Yin and Yang manifest; only when Yin and Yang emerge can the turbid and clear be distinguished.

Rumble!

As the Five Elements formation flags activated, the surrounding plants and trees in the underground palace instantly withered and turned yellow, their wood energy stripped away. The soil turned white as its earth energy was depleted, and metal objects rusted as their metal energy was extracted... then came the water and fire energies...

In the blink of an eye, the Five Elements converged and merged into the forehead of the Dragon Rock Beast.

As the Five Elements grew stronger, the creature's Yin and Yang energy indeed became much richer. Its corpse, which had been as dry as rock, gradually began to flush with color.

Knowing his preparatory steps were effective, Zhang Xuan sighed in relief. He moved his hands again, summoning forward.

Whoosh!

A massive Dragon Rock Beast soul was summoned forth, floating quietly and serenely in the air.

However, its eyes remained closed, showing no signs of awakening.

Under normal circumstances, a soul, once separated from the body, would quickly weaken and eventually dissipate into the air. But faint green incense had been lit around them, stabilizing the soul. Despite the chaotic aura in the underground palace, this had no adverse effect.

"Go!"

He took a deep breath and flicked his finger again. The vitality pills given by the elders earlier transformed into mist, directly merging with the surrounding spiritual energy, causing all pores on one's body to open wide.

These pills were effective even for cultivators at the eighth level of Transcendent Mortal, and greatly beneficial to him as well.

However, his body, nourished by the Heaven's Path zhenqi, was already vibrant. Using these precious medicines would be a waste; in fact, absorbing too much could be counterproductive.

"This is the final step!"

Holding his breath, he stopped overthinking. Gritting his teeth, he pushed off the ground with his feet and shot into the air.

"Come out!"

One hundred and eight beams of zhenqi shot from his palm, connecting to the tails of the silver needles, and he pulled them up simultaneously!

Whoosh!

The silver needles instantly flew backward. The acupoints, previously blocked by poison, burst open like floodgates, emitting a thunderous roar as they rapidly absorbed the surrounding spiritual energy.

The suction was immense, and the soul, which had been stable in the air moments before, was immediately drawn inside.

Whoosh!

The medicines, spiritual energy, and soul instantly entered the body. Zhang Xuan flicked his finger again, and beast blood appeared, forming a trickling stream that poured into the creature's body. Immediately, the Dragon Rock Beast's rocky shell slowly began to change, turning vibrant red and developing patterns.

The large creature, which had been in a coma, also began to breathe and its heart started beating, seeming as if it could awaken at any moment.

"It's a success..."

His body swayed, and he fell from the sky, Zhang Xuan's face pale.

The time spent treating it wasn't long, but he had utilized almost all his available skills, greatly depleting his zhenqi, mental energy, soul power, and even his physical strength.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he flipped his wrist, revealing a spirit stone in his palm.

After continuously absorbing over twenty mid-grade spirit stones, he finally recovered, his zhenqi fully restored.

"I've taken a loss..."

Looking at the scattered remnants on the ground, Zhang Xuan's face showed helplessness.

He had thought that treating the creature wouldn't be too difficult, and that there might even be leftovers from the required materials. He never expected not only to have nothing left, but also to have spent over twenty mid-grade spirit stones just to replenish his own energy!

To be so drained from saving a beast... it was almost ridiculous.

Still, at least it was a success, and he hadn't tarnished his reputation.

Shaking his head, he pushed open the door and stepped out. As soon as he reached the entrance, he saw Elder Qian and the others looking at him with worried expressions.

"How is it?"

Elder Qian's face was pale with worry.

"Oh, it's fine now," Zhang Xuan said indifferently. "However, the damage was sustained for too long, so it hasn't fully woken up yet. It might need a few more days to recover..." The beast's soul had been dormant for fifty years; even with his various methods restoring it, it wouldn't fully awaken without several days of recovery.

"That's wonderful... I'll go take a look!"

Hearing his confirmation, Elder Qian's eyes lit up, and he eagerly rushed forward. However, before he could reach the entrance, he felt a pain in his side as a large hoof pushed him aside.

It was the Violetwing Heavenly Gliding Beast!

This creature had lost three barrels of blood and was somewhat weak, yet its eyes were bright and spirited, devoid of their former frenzy. With a twist of its massive body, it dashed straight into the underground palace.

Seeing the beast even more eager than himself, Elder Qian gave a wry smile and followed closely. A moment later, he emerged, looking at the young man before him with profound gratitude. His knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground.

"Elder Qian, why are you..."

Zhang Xuan was startled, never expecting Han Chong's teacher, this five-star pinnacle beast tamer, to kneel without a moment's hesitation, leaving him no time to react. He quickly reached out to help him up.

"Master Zhang, please do not stop me. You saved its life, which means I owe you a life. If you ever have a command for me in the future, I will not hesitate to sacrifice my life!"

After knocking his head heavily several times, Elder Qian raised his palm and swore an oath.

With the Dragon Rock Beast's death, his own life felt no different from death. For fifty years, he had continuously studied ancient beast language, hoping to understand what the former had said before its demise. This belief was the sole reason he had lived until now.

He had thought his life would continue this way forever, never dreaming that this young man before him would not only interpret the Heavenly Gliding Beast's words but also revive his beloved beast companion, which had died due to his own mistake. The gratitude in his heart was immense, almost beyond imagination.

It could be said that if Zhang Xuan were to ask him to die at that very moment, he would do so without hesitation.

"This..."

Seeing the firmness in his eyes, Zhang Xuan knew that such a person's decisions were unchangeable. He shook his head with a wry smile, "Alright, I don't need your life. Just help me find a flying spirit beast at the eighth level of Transcendent Mortal. I need to go to Hongyuan Empire..."

His purpose in coming to the Beast Hall this time was to find a spirit beast. Since this elder was willing to offer his full assistance, finding one shouldn't be an issue.

"Leave that to me..." Elder Qian nodded, and just as he was about to speak further, the underground palace door behind them creaked open again. The Heavenly Gliding Beast, which had entered earlier, also emerged. It came before Zhang Xuan and, like Elder Qian, prostrated itself on the ground, simultaneously rubbing its enormous head against him.

"This is... submission?"

Seeing the Violetwing Heavenly Gliding Beast's behavior, everyone was in an uproar. Even Hall Master Qin stood frozen.

The Beast Hall had suffered greatly because of this creature. No matter who they brought in, they had been utterly helpless. They had believed it was inherently stubborn and could never be tamed by humans. They never dreamed that after less than four hours with Master Zhang, it would willingly submit.

"This creature values affection even more than humans do. It submitted willingly out of gratitude because Master Zhang saved the Dragon Rock Beast!"

Luo Qiqi remarked with emotion.

"Indeed," Yu Feier nodded, "sometimes beasts are truly more reliable and value affection far more than humans!"

The Dragon Rock Beast had been "dead" for fifty years, yet the Violetwing Heavenly Gliding Beast had not only stayed but had also continuously "vented its anger" on its behalf, demonstrating their profound bond.

Now, seeing its "partner" revived, it was even more grateful and willing to become someone else's beast companion. This unwavering devotion to affection was something even some humans could not achieve.

"You want to be my beast companion?"

Zhang Xuan also reacted, looking at the creature with satisfaction.

He just happened to need a spirit beast capable of traveling to Hongyuan Empire, so if this creature was willing, it couldn't be better.

"Roar!" The Violetwing Heavenly Gliding Beast nodded its massive head.

"Very well!"

With a flick of his finger, a drop of fresh blood emerged and entered the creature's forehead. In the blink of an eye, the master-recognition ritual was complete.

"Alright, recover as quickly as you can. Once the Dragon Rock Beast awakens, we'll depart for Hongyuan Empire!"

This large creature had lost three large barrels of blood and was weak. Even if it managed to fly, it certainly wouldn't go far. It was better to wait until it had fully recovered.

This was the Beast Hall, where there were countless treasures for nourishing spirit beasts. With Elder Qian overseeing its recovery, it shouldn't be difficult to replenish its lost vitality!

Besides, it was the Dragon Rock Beast's partner, having waited for fifty full years. It would truly be unreasonable not to let them meet once the Dragon Rock Beast awoke.

Anyway, as a half-step ninth-level spirit beast, its speed was unmatched, so waiting three or five days wouldn't matter.

Seeing the large creature submit, Elder Qian knew that Zhang Xuan no longer needed a spirit beast, so he proactively arranged accommodations for Zhang Xuan, Luo Qiqi, and the others.

Since they couldn't leave immediately, Zhang Xuan wasn't in a hurry. He spent three days absorbing all the books from this branch into his mind.

He then spent an entire day studying all the Heaven's Path Beast Taming techniques he had compiled.

In just four days, his understanding of beast taming had already surpassed Elder Qian and even Hall Master Qin, reaching the true pinnacle of five-star mastery, and perhaps even higher.

Because he had tamed the Violetwing Heavenly Gliding Beast and could speak ancient beast language, he also received the badge of a quasi-five-star beast tamer.

He was currently only at the peak of the fifth level of the Harmonious Spirit realm; once his cultivation broke through, he would automatically become a true five-star beast tamer.

Once all preparations were complete, on the eighth day, the Dragon Rock Beast indeed awoke. This made the Heavenly Gliding Beast and Elder Qian even happier, and they were utterly impressed by Zhang Xuan's methods.

Even Hall Master Qin and the others clicked their tongues in wonder, filled with admiration.

Reviving a spirit beast that had been dead for fifty years... this was no longer ordinary medical skill, but the true mastery of a Grandmaster of Medicine!

On the tenth day, the Violetwing Heavenly Gliding Beast's depletion had also fully recovered. Only then did Zhang Xuan, Luo Qiqi, and Yu Feier bid farewell to the Beast Hall and fly directly towards the Hongyuan Empire.

"This Master Zhang... once he reaches the Master Teacher Academy, he will undoubtedly become the brightest star!"

Watching the three depart, Elder Qian couldn't help but sigh with emotion, recalling the young man's various miraculous feats.

"Star? I fear... the Master Teacher Academy is about to have some bad luck..."

Han Chong, standing nearby, couldn't help but twitch his lips.