Chapter 1705: Qiongmu Azure Flood Dragon

“Hurry up and catch it…”

Unable to hold back any longer, Wu Changping’s true qi surged wildly, the surrounding fire net growing hotter and contracting rapidly.

As a supreme elder of the Beast Tamer Guild, he knew a great deal about sacred beasts. The other’s cry was sharp and powerful, clearly summoning companions. This one alone was already pushing them to their limits; if another came, they would surely die!

The others also sensed the danger. Faces filled with anxiety, they said nothing more and accelerated their true qi circulation.

“Ha ha, the esteemed Cloud Tiger, one of the five kings of the jungle, caught by a bunch like this—how embarrassing if word gets out!”

A mocking voice rang out, and then a slender figure flew out from the cave, hovering in the air.

It resembled Zhang Xuan’s Hell Azure Dragon Beast, but was larger, with purer bloodline and strength on par with the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger—a Great Sage Immortality Realm Great Perfection powerhouse!

“Qiongmu Azure Flood Dragon!”

Wu Changping’s face turned pale, and he made a snap decision: “Retreat!”

With that, he abandoned even the flame treasure enveloping the Cloud Tiger, pushed off the ground, and shot into the distance.

As expected of a seasoned veteran—the moment he saw trouble, he gave up even the most precious things.

One Cloud Tiger had already pushed them to their limits; with another of the same level, the Qiongmu Azure Flood Dragon, they simply couldn’t fight back.

“Ah?”

He fled quickly, but the others were slower to react. After a moment’s hesitation, they hurriedly followed.

From their reactions alone, it was clear that aside from Wu Changping, none of them were true beast tamers!

Beast tamers, with their beast companions, were formidable in battle, but taming was no simple task. A single misstep could provoke a counterattack from the beast. For this reason, knowing how to escape when danger arose was crucial for a beast tamer.

In the Beast Tamer Guild, there was a saying: “Before learning to tame, learn to flee!”

If one couldn’t even flee, how could they wage guerrilla warfare against sacred beasts and wear down their patience?

“Using sedatives to try and catch us—leaving just like that… isn’t quite appropriate!”

Whoosh!

Before the group could get far, the ground churned like rolling river water, and then a massive sacred beast emerged from underground, its power surging as it hovered in the air. It had a lion’s head, deer antlers, tiger eyes, elk body, dragon scales, and an ox tail…

It was actually a Qilin Beast!

However, unlike Zhang Xuan’s, this one was of the earth element. With a light lift of its hoof, an earthen-yellow cage formed around them, trapping everyone inside.

Another sacred beast had appeared. Only then did they understand why Wu Changping had fled so quickly. Their faces turned grim.

“Break!”

An old man at the Immortality Realm intermediate stage was the first to act, his long sword slashing downward.

Whoosh!

The earthen-yellow wall was split open by the sword strike, but as fast as he broke it, the wall regenerated even faster. In no time, they were trapped and unable to escape.

“If only I hadn’t listened to Wu Changping and insisted on catching this sacred beast…”

Their hearts sank.

Like the others, they were part of a temporary team.

Wu Changping had gathered them, saying that to find the Confucian Temple, this was the only path, and that he had a Great Sage treasure to make the capture a sure thing… After calculating, they thought it was fine and agreed readily.

Never in their dreams did they expect three beasts of the same level to appear, nor that this Wu Changping would be the fastest to flee!

“He won’t escape either…”

Unlike the others who were dejected, Zhang Xuan couldn't help shaking his head as he looked in the direction Wu Changping had fled.

This fellow fled as soon as he sensed danger, decisive in action and fast enough, but... he simply couldn't escape!

Sure enough, before the words faded, another bird-like cry came from within the cave.

Whoosh!

Immediately after, a flame-covered flying sacred beast rushed out, as if breaking through spatial constraints, and in the blink of an eye arrived before Wu Changping, grabbing at him from midair.

Raging flames!

Before the claws arrived, the flames came first, forming a wall of fire in the air that blocked the escape route.

"Heavenly Cang Fire Phoenix?" Wu Changping's face turned pale as he trembled incessantly.

He had thought this cave only contained a single Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger, and that with sufficient preparation he could capture it. He never dreamed that in the blink of an eye, four beasts would appear: the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger, the Qiongmu Azure Dragon, the Houtu Qilin, and the Heavenly Cang Fire Phoenix—legendary peak sacred beasts!

Each one was more powerful than he...

How could he still fight?

Whoosh!

The weapon in his hand shot out desperately, but the Heavenly Cang Fire Phoenix was too fast, its flames too strong, and its techniques too numerous for him to withstand. Before long, he was pressed to the ground by a mass of flames, unable to move.

With Wu Changping captured, the Houtu Qilin also completely trapped the remaining seven, leaving them no escape.

Seeing his captors all trapped, the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger looked angrily at the Qiongmu Azure Dragon, who was laughing nearby, and gritted its teeth: "If you want to mock me, do it later. Hurry up and help me break free!"

"Alright, I'll help you break free!"

Stopping its laughter, the Qiongmu Azure Dragon turned its head: "Brother Mingyou, it's up to you..."

"Mm, wait, I'll be out soon..."

Another voice came from within the cave. Everyone looked sharply and saw another massive figure slowly walking out.

It moved extremely slowly, taking a full seven or eight minutes from the moment it appeared to fully emerge.

It was a giant turtle.

"Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger, Qiongmu Azure Dragon, Mingyou Black Tortoise, Heavenly Cang Fire Phoenix, Houtu Qilin... These are the Five Element Sacred Beasts?"

Wu Changping's body swayed, his face turning pale: "I should have thought of this earlier..."

Legend has it that when Confucius left the Confucian Temple, fearing the ruins might become unstable, he specially captured the Five Element Sacred Beasts to suppress the five directions—the so-called Five Great Kings mentioned by the other sacred beasts...

He had thought they were scattered across the four poles, but never expected them all to appear in this cave, hiding in the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger's lair.

Slowly approaching the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger, the Mingyou Black Tortoise opened its mouth wide.

Splash!

A burst of water vapor gushed out, landing on the fire net. The flames extinguished, and the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger's body suddenly swelled, with countless sword qi shooting out from the acupoints on its surface.

The Fine Thread Great Sage Treasure, under the assault of these sharp energies, shattered inch by inch, scattering all over the ground.

Although this treasure was powerful, after being scorched by flames and then invaded by water vapor, its foundation had been damaged, and it could no longer withstand the sharp sword qi emanating from the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger's body.

"These people came to kill you. How should we deal with them?"

The Qiongmu Azure Dragon looked over.

"These people must be dealt with, but... there's still one hidden nearby. Let's catch him first!"

Lowering its massive head, the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger sniffed the ground twice: "Friend, your technique for sealing space is not bad, but trying to hide from me is still a bit immature!"

With that, it looked toward Zhang Xuan's hiding spot, its killing intent boiling.