Chapter 1354: The Strength of the Azure Dragon Beast!

A profound silence fell.

Everyone stared blankly into the air.

“Hell Azure Dragon Beast… why is it listening to Master Zhang?”

His mouth twitching, Luo Xuanqing snapped out of his daze.

This huge creature—he had seen it from afar on his first visit, ferocious beyond measure, such that even some Saint Domain Eighth Layer experts might not be able to contend with it…

Originally, he had planned to use the Soul-Capturing Golden Pearl to sedate it, then sneak into the cave to find the Hollow Gourd. But then Zhang Chun appeared.

So, following the original plan, he tried to divert the trouble…

Before he could finish, the Azure Dragon Beast had flown over, and it seemed to obey Zhang Xuan’s every word without resistance!

He quickly turned to look at Yuan Xiao, only to find the others also staring back, equally baffled.

“Don’t look at me—I have no idea what happened either!”

Under the scrutiny of all eyes, Yuan Xiao looked on the verge of tears, spreading his hands as the flesh on his face quivered. “I went into the cave to find this thing and provoke it, but I found nothing. When I came out, I saw it licking Master Zhang’s pant leg… I didn’t see what actually happened!”

“Licking his pant leg?”

Luo Xuanqing’s brow twitched. “Could it be… Master Zhang has already tamed the Azure Dragon Beast?”

“Do you even need to ask? It’s obvious!”

Yuan Xiao nodded.

“But…”

Luo Xuanqing still couldn’t believe it. “It’s only been about twenty minutes. With his peak Soul Separation strength, he tamed a Cave Heaven realm sacred beast?”

Setting up formations can be fast, alchemy can be fast, detoxification can be fast… but taming a beast requires building an emotional bond and making the sacred beast submit completely… To succeed in such a short time—are you sure you’re not joking?

Even a nine-star beast tamer couldn’t do that!

“Before meeting this man, would you have believed that an eight-star formation could be set up more easily than activating a formation plate?”

Knowing he was unconvinced, Yuan Xiao countered.

“This…” Luo Xuanqing shook his head.

As a genius of the Luo family, he had seen countless powerful formation masters, even more than one nine-star master. None of them set up formations that fast!

Even his incomparably talented sister was far slower at setting up formations.

“Would you believe that someone bitten by a Red-Tailed Queen Bee would be fine, while the bee itself died from the poison?”

Yuan Xiao pressed on. “Would you believe that someone undergoing a thunder tribulation could scare the lightning away, never to return?”

Luo Xuanqing was speechless.

He had always considered himself a super genius no less than his sister, looking down on all heroes under heaven. But after meeting this fellow, he realized he still had a long way to go.

They were not on the same level.

“Azure Dragon Beast, we had an agreement just now—what are you doing?”

As they spoke in hushed tones, Zhang Chun, who had smashed a crater into the cliff, flew out again, his face full of fury.

Clearly, he hadn’t expected the beast to suddenly turn on him.

“Our agreement is void. My master told me to beat you up… Be good, don’t resist!”

The Azure Dragon Beast rolled its eyes and lashed out again with its tail.

This fellow had just promised it extremely precious treasures, but now that it had acknowledged a master, it naturally wouldn’t do anything to betray him.

Crack!

The Cave Heaven realm expert channeled his full power, freezing the surrounding space. Zhang Chun retreated a few steps, was struck again, and once more plunged headfirst into the cliff.

This time was even worse than before. His internal organs were displaced, several bones were broken, and before he could crawl out, he spat blood, his face pale.

“You… acknowledged this fellow as your master?”

After taking a pill to recover somewhat, he crawled out of the hole, grinding his teeth nearly to powder.

He had prepared so many things to tame this huge creature, expecting success with ease. He never dreamed that in just a few dozen minutes, the sacred beast would be tamed by someone else and would beat him mercilessly!

“How dare you insult my master—you’re asking for death!”

The Hell Azure Dragon Beast narrowed its eyes and swept its tail again.

This strike was more powerful than the previous two. As it appeared, the space within the valley nearly shattered, and a pitch-black rift materialized before Zhang Chun, as if to tear him to shreds.

Seeing the attack coming and knowing he couldn’t withstand it with his current strength, Zhang Chun gritted his teeth, produced a jade talisman from his palm, and crushed it.

Hum!

A ripple appeared in the air, flowing like water to block in front of him. The Hell Azure Dragon Beast’s attack landed on it and vanished without a trace.

“A Great Universe Protective Talisman! What a generous move!”

Yuan Xiao’s eyes flickered.

“Great Universe Protective Talisman?” Zhang Xuan asked, puzzled.

“It’s a protective talisman that only a nine-star master can refine. Once activated, as long as the attacker’s cultivation doesn’t exceed Saint Domain Ninth Layer, it can easily block the attack without causing any harm!”

Yuan Xiao explained. “As expected of a genius from the Zhang family—even having something like this!”

Zhang Xuan was astonished.

Just from the fact that it could block attacks not exceeding Saint Domain Ninth Layer, one could guess its immense value. But he hadn’t expected it to be refined by a nine-star master!

“Azure Dragon Beast, don’t think I’m afraid of you… Though you’re very strong, killing me won’t be that easy!”

Seeing the talisman block the attack, Zhang Chun breathed a sigh of relief, though his heart ached.

This talisman, obtained at great cost, was the most precious treasure on his person, meant for life-saving emergencies. He never dreamed he would use it here.

Ignoring his fury, the Azure Dragon Beast continued lashing with its tail, battering the ripple until it shook violently.

“You won’t break this talisman by brute force!”

Seeing the Azure Dragon Beast relentlessly attacking with raw power, Zhang Xuan shook his head. “Attack as I say: concentrate your strength in your tail and strike the intersection three feet from the lower left of the ripple…”

“Yes!”

Hearing its master’s command, the Hell Azure Dragon Beast nodded, gathered all its power into its tail, aimed precisely, and struck sharply.

Crack!

A sound like tearing silk rang out. The ripple in the air, like a balloon pricked by a needle, instantly developed a huge fissure that split apart.

Pfft!

The talisman torn, Zhang Chun could no longer withstand the force. His chest caved in, and he flew backward again, spitting blood midair.

“This…”

This time, not only Luo Xuanqing and the others were stunned speechless, but even the few who had come with Zhang Chun stared wide-eyed, as if seeing a ghost.

They had been invited to tame this Azure Dragon Beast and knew how difficult success was. This young man had tamed it in less than twenty minutes, and on top of that, he could spot the flaw in the Great Universe Protective Talisman at a glance…

Although the talisman could block attacks, it wasn’t one hundred percent invulnerable. After all, no matter how powerful, it was still an external force, not the actual hand of a nine-star master…

But such a high-level master’s refinement would have concealed the flaws so well that even peers couldn’t see them. How did he spot them at a glance?

“Who exactly are you? This is a grudge between me and Luo Xuanqing. Do you know what price you’ll pay for standing up for him?”

Rocks flying, Zhang Chun flew out of the cliff again, bloodstains at the corners of his mouth, roaring in fury.

Coming to tame the Azure Dragon Beast was originally a competition between him and Luo Xuanqing. This fellow was merely someone the latter had hired to help. Why go so far as to offend him, offend the Zhang family, and make things difficult for himself in the Saint Son Hall?

“The price? Of course I understand!”

Nodding, Zhang Xuan snapped his fingers again. “Keep beating him! Beat him until he can’t talk nonsense anymore!”

“Yes!”

The huge head nodded, and the Azure Dragon Beast flickered before Zhang Chun, its sharp claws swiping through the air.

Earlier, it had only used its tail, not its claws. Now that it deployed them, its power surged again.

“You…”

Not expecting this stubborn fellow to still attack after all that, Zhang Chun was so angry he nearly spat blood. With a flick of his wrist, a long sword appeared in his palm, and he thrust it through the air.

His swordsmanship was completely different from the true interpretation Zhang Xuan had comprehended. Simple, without any flashiness, yet it gave a sense of weight, as if the heavens were falling or a meteor was striking—unstoppable.

“Nice sword, nice swordsmanship!”

Zhang Xuan nodded.

The sword in the other’s hand was likely a weapon no weaker than the Spirit Void Sword, at least at the top-grade saint artifact level. Moreover, this fellow’s understanding of the sword was far deeper than Shui Qianrou’s, at least reaching the level of half-step true interpretation.

No wonder he could tie with his brother-in-law Luo Xuanqing—he was indeed not to be underestimated.

However, despite being impressive, such strength was still insufficient before a Saint Domain Eighth Layer Azure Dragon Beast.

The claws continued forward, ignoring the漫天 sword energy, and closed gently.

Bang!

The sword energy dissipated, and the long sword hummed as it flew backward, embedding itself in the cliff. Zhang Chun spat blood again, with seven or eight ribs broken and blood streaming from his body.

“Join forces—help me hold it off…”

Knowing that if this continued, he might very well be beaten to death here, Zhang Chun roared.

“Alright!”

The four young men who had come with him flew up simultaneously.

These four were all around Yuan Xiao’s level, at Saint Domain Seventh Layer. United, they could even fight the Azure Dragon Beast before them.

Whoosh!

The five experts combined their strength, and the surging power instantly condensed into a rope-like beam of light, shooting straight down at the Azure Dragon Beast’s head.

“True Qi Rope? They came prepared indeed!”

Seeing the true qi form a rope, Bi Hongyin snorted coldly.

“What is a True Qi Rope?” Zhang Xuan looked over.

“It’s a method commonly used by high-level beast tamers. They gather the power of many people, condense true qi into a rope, and once caught, even a Saint Domain Eighth Layer sacred beast can hardly escape!”

Bi Hongyin explained. “Many advanced beast tamers use this method to capture sacred beasts, then alternate kindness with severity before trying to tame them!”

Whoosh!

As she spoke, the True Qi Rope formed by the five experts landed on the Azure Dragon Beast’s head.

With a furious roar, the beast raised its claws and tore outward.

Bang!

The True Qi Rope exploded. The five experts simultaneously felt their chests tighten, as if struck by a giant hammer, and all fell from the air.

Even the five of them together were no match for the Hell Azure Dragon Beast!