Chapter 494: Snatching by Force

"So this young brother is also a beast tamer. To have reached two stars at such a young age, truly a hero in his youth!"

Though puzzled inwardly, he did not show it on his face. He clasped his hands and laughed a few words, then fell silent.

A two-star beast tamer under twenty, though talented, could still be found in droves in their Beast Hall; it was nothing special.

Hearing the perfunctory tone in his voice, Zhang Xuan couldn't be bothered to explain.

He had come this time for the Witch Soul Tomb; whether the other recognized him or valued him had little to do with him, as long as it didn't delay the main business.

"Hall Master Han, Zhang..."

Seeing his old friend's attitude, he knew the man must be unaware of the young man's identity. Just as he was about to explain and make him take notice, the ground before them shook, and a violent sound rang out.

Roar!

It came from the cave, carrying a thunderous quality like rolling thunder. Under the shockwaves of the sound, the leaves of the withered trees around fell in a flurry.

"Impressive!"

Zhang Xuan's eyes narrowed.

Setting aside everything else, just this sound alone, if one were caught in its path, would likely kill any cultivator below the Master Teacher realm on the spot, leaving them no power to resist.

Such was the might of a single roar; no wonder it was a fearsome beast renowned throughout the entire Ten-Nation Alliance.

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

Hall Master Han's eyes lit up. With no time to heed the Pavilion Master Sai's words, he turned and gave orders.

The several elders beside him nodded at the command, stepped forward in unison, and the foremost one flipped his wrist.

Boom!

A huge spirit beast corpse appeared before them.

"A corpse of a Mortal Transformation Second Layer [Deer Herd Beast]? They managed to catch and kill something like this?"

Seeing this, Zhao Feiwu among the crowd raised an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Is this spirit beast very powerful?" Sun Qiang looked over in confusion.

"The Deer Herd Beast is a Mortal Transformation Second Layer spirit beast. Its cultivation isn't high, but it's extremely fast, and its flesh is delicious. It's a favorite prey of both spirit beasts and cultivators. It's rare; even the entire Nine Bends Mountain might not have one. To catch and kill one must have taken a lot of time and cost!"

Having suffered from a strange illness since childhood, unable to move, he could only pass the time by reading books. The Deer Herd Beast was a curious creature, and Zhao Feiwu remembered it clearly.

"It seems you know quite a bit. This Deer Herd Beast was pursued by seventeen beast tamers from our Beast Hall simultaneously, spending half a year and setting up an inescapable net to catch it! It's safe to say that this is the only one in the entire Ten-Nation Alliance. Finding another is impossible; it's priceless!"

Hearing their conversation, the gray-robed youth smiled slightly, a look of pride on his face.

The Deer Herd Beast, though not of a very high level, was naturally wary and cunning as a fox. If not for so many beast tamers acting together, they wouldn't have been able to catch it.

"Hmm!" Though the other spoke conceitedly, Zhao Feiwu nodded in agreement.

This thing was indeed not easy to catch. Back then, the royal family of the Alliance (i.e., the Alliance Lord's Mansion) had a prince who fell ill and needed the heart of this spirit beast for medicine. They offered a high reward for five years but never obtained it.

In the end, that prince died of illness because the medicine couldn't be prepared, becoming a great regret.

It was after hearing this story that he looked up books and learned about the Deer Herd Beast.

"Not only is the Deer Herd Beast's flesh delicious, but most importantly, this spirit beast feeds on spirit herbs. Though its strength isn't high, its spiritual energy is abundant, like a great tonic. If eaten by another spirit beast, it can easily break through to a higher realm!"

Pavilion Master Sai interjected: "In other words... it's a mobile breakthrough pill!"

"So that's it. They're planning to use this corpse to curry favor with the Yaochen Beast."

Sun Qiang finally understood and couldn't help but click his tongue.

To bring such a difficult-to-catch spirit beast, it seemed the Beast Hall Master had really spared no expense for this Yaochen Beast.

While they were murmuring, Hall Master Han up ahead took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Brother Yaochen, the thing I mentioned last time is ready. It's right here. Come out and take a look!"

His voice carried into the cave. There was silence inside. Just as everyone was tense, a whoosh sounded, and a massive figure flew out.

It was a huge savage beast, seven or eight meters tall, with wings spanning over thirty meters. Its eyes were blood-red, ferocious and terrifying, and its body was covered in scales, showing its formidable defense.

Mortal Transformation Fourth Layer peak, a super flying spirit beast feared by everyone in the entire Ten-Nation Alliance... Yaochen!

Roar!

As if understanding his words, the huge spirit beast looked at the Deer Herd Beast corpse on the ground with burning desire.

Spirit beasts could already absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, cultivate and advance on their own, and possessed intelligence no less than humans.

This Deer Herd Beast corpse emitted a rich medicinal fragrance and intense spiritual energy fluctuations. It knew that eating it would surely greatly increase its cultivation; even if it didn't reach Mortal Transformation Fifth Layer, its power would certainly surge. How could it not be excited?

"Brother Yaochen, if you agree to my conditions, this Deer Herd Beast corpse is yours!"

Seeing it tempted, Hall Master Han smiled lightly.

Roar!

The Yaochen Beast turned its head, as if wanting to hear what conditions he had.

"In these three years, Brother Yaochen and I have spent time together day and night. You must have come to understand my character. My request is simple... I hope you will 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!

Hearing that it was to become a beast pet, the Yaochen Beast roared ferociously, waves of aura emanating from its body, sending chills down everyone's spine.

Judging by its demeanor, if Hall Master Han dared to continue, it would definitely attack and kill.

This was understandable. It possessed the bloodline of the spirit race, noble and supreme; how could it submit to a mere human and be a watchdog?

"Don't rush to a decision!"

Seeing its resolute attitude without any hesitation, Hall Master Han's face also darkened a bit, but he still managed a smile: "You must know my status in the human world. I am the Hall Master of the Beast Hall, highly esteemed. Brother Yaochen, if you stay with me, I will treat you as my best friend. For cultivation resources, just say the word, and even if it's difficult, I'll find a way to get them for you! Although spirit beasts have long lifespans, how long would it take to advance by merely absorbing spiritual energy? Wouldn't it be much better by my side than here?"

After speaking, 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 like a small hill, several thousand in number. Intense spiritual energy rose straight up, making anyone who sniffed feel their pores open wide, indescribably comfortable.

Spirit stones were needed not only by humans for cultivation but also by spirit beasts.

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

"This totals over eight thousand spirit stones. If you agree, they can be yours right now..."

Hall Master Han said.

He could produce so many at once, while Pavilion Master Sai couldn't even produce five thousand. It wasn't that the latter was poorer; rather, Pavilion Master Sai had spent his spirit stones on treasured collections, so he had fewer liquid spirit stones. In terms of total wealth, the latter was certainly richer.

It was like the antique collectors in Zhang Xuan's previous life: if they sold all their collections, each would have a very high net worth, but if asked to produce cash to buy things, they might not match some well-funded merchants.

"If these spirit stones don't catch your eye, this item will surely be of great benefit to you!"

Seeing that the Yaochen Beast remained unmoved even after showing the spirit stones, Hall Master Han hesitated, gritted his teeth, and flipped his wrist. A jade box appeared in his palm.

He opened it gently, revealing a spirit stone set inside.

Boom!

As soon as the spirit stone appeared, the surrounding spiritual energy instantly became denser, forming a mist. If one held this spirit stone, even without actively absorbing, the rich spiritual energy would autonomously enter the body, improving muscles and physique.

Simply put, with such a spirit stone placed on an infant, even if the infant couldn't cultivate, the nourishment from its spiritual energy would make the body strong, free from all diseases, and within two months, the physical strength would be no less than that of a Skin and Bone Realm expert.

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

Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up, and his fists tightened.

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

The spirit stones he currently had were all the lowest grade, the so-called low-grade.

This grade of spirit stone was perfectly fine for cultivators below Mortal Transformation Fourth Layer, but using its spiritual energy to break through to higher realms was difficult.

Not to mention others, take himself for example. Because his Heavenly Dao true energy was too pure, though he was only at the peak of the Mortal Transformation First Layer Life Extension Realm, low-grade spirit stones were already of little use. To reach the Origin Energy Realm, he not only needed the Heavenly Dao secret manual but, more importantly, this kind of medium-grade spirit stone!

Setting aside everything else, just one such stone would be more than enough to let him break through from the peak of the Life Extension Realm to the peak of the Origin Energy Realm.

Although quantitative change could lead to qualitative change, if the essential difference was too great, no amount of quantity would help.

For example, a sufficient quantity of straw might be used to buy diamonds, but it could never replace the function of diamonds.

Therefore, even if ten thousand low-grade spirit stones could be exchanged for one medium-grade, they could never replace the effect of a medium-grade spirit stone.

"Indeed, it is a medium-grade spirit stone!"

Unexpectedly, his old friend had brought out such an item. Pavilion Master Sai's eyes also went wide.

Medium-grade spirit stones were extremely precious. Even the Ten-Nation Alliance had only a few in stock. For his old friend to produce one, the cost must have been at least as great as that of the Deer Herd Beast, if not more!

Roar!

Seeing the medium-grade spirit stone, not only the crowd but also the Yaochen Beast's eyes turned even redder.

Bringing out his trump card, Hall Master Han was also full of reluctance, but he knew that one must risk a child to catch a wolf. He gritted his teeth: "As long as Brother Yaochen agrees to be my beast pet, this medium-grade spirit stone is yours to use... Hmm? Brother Yaochen, what are you doing..."

Before he could finish, the Yaochen Beast suddenly flapped its blade-like wings, its massive body charging straight forward. Its claws reached out through the air, and with a whoosh, it grabbed at the spirit stone in Hall Master Han's hand.

"Snatching by force? Damn!"