Chapter 515: Chapter 504: Sword Cultivator Father
With the death of Elder Shigu, his other two spiritual pets, the Poisonous Crocodile and Poison Bee, also sustained great damage. Not only did their cultivation regress, but they were also unable to gather spiritual power for a while. This is the downside of the master-servant contract; once signed, spiritual beasts are forever subject to their master. With the master’s death, they also meet a dire fate.
Devoid of combat ability, the Poisonous Crocodile and Poison Bee were instantly devoured by swarms of Blazing Fire Ants.
The Mutant Blazing Fire Ants crawled over to the trembling men in green and grey robes, exuding a murderous aura.
"Don’t kill me, don’t kill me..." The men begged without dignity, but the Blazing Fire Ants showed no mercy. Human cultivators often treat spiritual beasts as prey, and why wouldn’t the beasts detest human cultivators? Some beasts that live in dark realms specifically prey on human cultivators, and these two men were eventually devoured, leaving no remains.
"Sect Leader, the soul lamps of Elder Shigu and his two disciples have been extinguished," reported a voice from the Beast Taming Sect miles away, which received this news instantly.
With a cold laugh, the Sect Leader said: "Those who commit evil must be slain. Elder Shigu has been doing evil for many years and thought he could do whatever he wanted in the Xuanyuan Realm. It was inevitable that he’d face a dead end. Remove their soul lamps and announce to the public that he had long betrayed our Beast Taming Sect."
"Yes."
After dealing with Elder Shigu and his group, Ye Qiu began to gather his spoils. The Shariputra had already been placed in his space, and the cushion was no ordinary item. The ancient Buddha had transcended upon it, yet the grass-rope cushion remained intact, and he also stored it in his space.
Lastly, there was the seemingly ordinary Buddha Lamp. It felt light in his hands but emanated an ancient and profound aura.
Ye Qiu could not figure out how to use it at the moment, so he simply stored it away for the time being.
Another opportunity in Lin Shen had now been found by himself, which was truly a delightful surprise.
After Ye Qiu took those items, the ancient temple, nothing but ruins now, instantly turned into flying ash, as if it had never existed.
"You’ve worked hard. Take Elder Shigu’s storage ring; there should be many good things inside," he said to the Mutant Blazing Fire Ant.
The Mutant Blazing Fire Ant was actually more curious about the three items Ye Qiu took, but knowing that it was no match for Ye Qiu, it subdued its curiosity. The moment its divine sense entered Elder Shigu’s ring, it let out a sound of surprise.
Ye Qiu knew why it was surprised. Elder Shigu had been plotting to seize power within the Beast Taming Sect for many years. How could he undertake big actions without holding substantial resources? Moreover, he was ruthless and surely would not miss any chance to snatch resources, so there had to be many items inside that storage ring.
However, the items Ye Qiu had acquired were far more precious, so naturally, he was not concerned with Elder Shigu’s modest collection.
Having obtained what he wanted, Ye Qiu then left the Endless Desert. But before departing, Little Golden Crow unleashed its pressure, warning the mutant fire ants not to speak out.
The pressure from its bloodline rendered the fire ants immobile, and they swore an oath on the spot.
"Qiuqiu, where do we go now?" Coming out of the Endless Desert, Little Golden Crow was still exhilarated.
"Back to the Tianyan Sect, to introduce you to your nephew in this world."
By this time, Ye Qiu had been away from Tianyan Sect for nearly two years. Ye Sheng had now grown into a twelve-year-old boy, immersing himself in sword practice and artifact refining daily without any slack.
Inside the sect, comparisons were still made daily between him and Lin Shen—a sect genius, a Metal Spirit Root who switched to Artifact Refining midway, and a Waste with Five Spirit Roots brought back by Master Wu’an. Both similar in age, their cultivation speed was not far off from each other. More precisely, Lin Shen was slightly ahead as he joined later, achieving Qi Refining Fourth Level in just over two years, while Ye Sheng was only at the Sixth Level of Qi Cultivation.
Inner sect disciples often say that one day Lin Shen will surpass Ye Sheng, while others claim that although Lin Shen may initially find it easy, cultivation becomes a different matter later on, needing more Spiritual Energy as one’s Spirit Roots increase, making advancement more difficult. Thus, many believe Ye Sheng has a slight edge.
Betting pools have even been established within the sect on whether Lin Shen will manage to catch up in three years, with the majority wagering against him.
Upon hearing this, Lin Shen simply snorted and continued his daily unwavering cultivation routine, despite others’ peculiar looks. Recently, the Arrays Master Wu’an had him practicing have become much more challenging, but fortunately, with the Black and White Yin Yang Bead in his Dantian, his Spiritual Power swiftly replenishes every time it’s depleted, and even purer than before.
Ye Sheng, huh?
Lin Shen opened his eyes from his cultivation, dismissive of someone who was merely a Metal Spirit Root with a good father and a good Master. So what? He would certainly not lose. The truth would be proven three years later during the grand sect competition.
If Ye Qiu knew what he thought, he would sincerely tell him that having a good father is indeed significant.
"Dad, you’re back!" Aware of Ye Qiu’s return, Ye Sheng excitedly ran over from Artifact Refining Peak.
He stood there, awkward yet excited, then adoringly said to Ye Qiu, "Dad, you relax, I’ll make you some tea."
"Chirp chirp..." Little Golden Crow perched on Ye Qiu’s shoulder, curiously watching Ye Sheng.
Ye Sheng looked very much like Ye Qiu, mainly because he was simple-minded and transparent, and held great respect for his father Ye Qiu. It didn’t take long for Little Golden Crow to take a liking to this nephew at first sight.
"Chirp chirp..." It jumped onto Ye Sheng’s shoulder, then spat out a shiny object.
"Is this for me?" Ye Sheng blinked, curious about the small spiritual beast his father brought back.
When he first saw the little red bird, Ye Sheng was genuinely surprised; he never imagined his father, who was so stern and serious, would keep a Spiritual Pet! What an interesting oddity!
"Yes," answered Little Golden Crow in its childish voice.
"You can talk?" Ye Sheng’s eyes widened.
Ye Qiu couldn’t help but smile, gently telling his son, "This is a gift for you upon meeting you. Keep it carefully, the items it brings out are never ordinary."
"Thank you," Ye Sheng earnestly thanked.
"No need; after all, you’re my nephew!" Speaking affectionately in a babyish tone, Ye Sheng found it somewhat amusing, but he didn’t argue.
He knew, since his father approved, then this little red bird wouldn’t deceive him. Moreover, it wasn’t using Mind Transmission, but speaking directly, which meant it likely had the talent to learn language like parrots do, or it was a high-grade little red bird.
Ye Sheng felt that anything that caught his father’s eye surely wasn’t ordinary, so being called a nephew by a bird wasn’t a big deal after all.
"Wait a bit to ask your Master for leave; I need to talk to you about something."
Seeing Ye Qiu’s serious expression, Ye Sheng nodded earnestly: "Okay!" He didn’t realize the surprise his father was about to bring him soon.