Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Chapter 259 - 203: Mind Map

’Damn it, they almost found a weak spot. If Shangguan You hadn’t stepped up, we would have suffered devastating losses if that unknown Golden Core creature had managed to attack us from both inside and out.’

"Elder, a fight’s broken out over there. Should we go support them?"

Hearing the suggestion from the Foundation Establishment Cultivator beside him, Fang Qingyuan flatly refused. He said,

"I have faith in Senior Brother Shangguan. He can handle it. Even if the enemy’s trump card can erupt with Golden Core combat power for a short time, it’s no match for his Companion Beast. A true Golden Core isn’t so easily made. This thing only has the power, but no Divine Techniques. It’s just for show."

Seeing Fang Qingyuan speak with such conviction, the others immediately pushed their worries aside. After finishing his bluff, Fang Qingyuan immediately declared,

"Follow me! If we can hold out through tonight, it will be a great victory! I’ve already sent word to Yuanling Mountain, telling them to report this matter to the Sect Leader. He will be here with reinforcements soon."

His words were met with a wave of cheers. Everyone then quickly followed Fang Qingyuan to the most intense part of the battlefield to lend their support.

The array the Beast Taming Sect had deployed this time was the high-grade second-rank Ten Directions Beast Spirit Array. Once activated, it could conjure all sorts of Spirit Beasts, both real and illusory, to attack the enemy.

When Fang Qingyuan and his group reached the front line, they saw Spirit Beasts tearing each other apart. However, the beasts conjured by the Ten Directions Beast Spirit Array were generally weaker than the real, red-eyed Spirit Beasts.

After just a few rounds of fighting, the conjured beast spirits would often dissolve into a wisp of Spiritual Qi and dissipate.

But these beast spirits were a product of the array, formed by consuming the Spiritual Power of Spirit Stones. As long as the array wasn’t broken, the supply of beast spirits was endless. As one dissipated, another would materialize, allowing them to hold the line for the time being.

The one commanding the battle here was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator named Shi Tong. He was a local from the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect who had achieved Foundation Establishment a few years before Fang Qingyuan, making him an old acquaintance.

But fates differ. Shi Tong had never awakened a destined companion, so he was relegated to the lowest ranks among the Foundation Establishment Cultivators of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect. To the Qi Refining Disciples, he was a success story who had leaped the Dragon Gate, but in reality, his circumstances had only improved marginally.

For instance, the Foundation Establishment Cultivators currently following Fang Qingyuan had all been transferred from Zongshan, while Shi Tong was stuck holding the front lines, unable to secure a position in Fang Qingyuan’s retinue.

"Elder Fang, none of our disciples have been killed. We have three seriously injured, five with minor injuries, and seven suffering from exhaustion. The rest are in good condition. The Talismans we’ve consumed..."

Seeing Fang Qingyuan arrive with his men, Shi Tong began to report. Despite the protection of the array, the attacking demon beasts possessed some bizarre techniques; it would be a catastrophe to assume they were safe just by relying on it.

Just as Shi Tong was making his report, a loud BANG exploded near Fang Qingyuan’s ear. He pointed a finger, and the small Dragon Spirit beside him flashed. A giant, venomous python conjured from vines appeared out of thin air, chomping down on an incoming silvery-white spike.

Only then did everyone notice a finger-sized hole on the Array Spirit Shield rapidly healing itself, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Fang Qingyuan waved his hand, and the python brought the spike over. Its mouth had been pierced straight through, and the silvery-white spike was now firmly embedded in its head.

Fang Qingyuan glanced at a nearby Qi Refining Disciple, who was still casting techniques outward, completely oblivious that he had just taken a stroll past the Ghost Gate.

Seeing the silvery-white spike, Shi Tong’s face darkened. He said with hatred,

"That’s the thing! It’s injured several of our disciples. The Array Spirit Shield can’t even stop it. Luckily, it takes them a long time to fire another one after the first, or else many more of our people would have been hurt."

Fang Qingyuan used his power to pull the spike into his hand and examined it closely. He found that the spike was silvery-white and perfectly smooth, except for its incomparably sharp tip.

The object felt quite heavy. It didn’t seem to be made of biological material; it was more like solid silver. Moreover, based on the demonic qi clinging to it, Fang Qingyuan determined that its owner must be a late-stage Foundation Establishment Hedgehog Demon.

After storing the spike in his Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan said reassuringly,

"Don’t worry. Now that we’re here, this spike is no longer a threat. Out in the open, we might have reason to fear it, but with the array in the way, its power is greatly diminished by the time it pierces the Spirit Shield. We just need to be careful. See? The attacker understands this as well and is only targeting the Qi Refining Disciples."

As Fang Qingyuan finished speaking, a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught his eye. He glimpsed the figure of a beautiful woman in red outside the Spirit Shield. He was startled, but when he tried to get a better look, she had vanished.

’What was that? A human, a beast, or a ghost?’

Before Fang Qingyuan could ponder it further, the eyes of a Qi Refining Disciple went dull. He lowered the Magical Artifact in his hands and began to walk dazedly toward the edge of the array.

The Purifying Heart and Brightening Spirit artifact the disciple was wearing showed no reaction whatsoever.

Just as the disciple was about to step out from under the Spirit Shield, a hand shot out and yanked him back inside.

Fang Qingyuan slapped him across the face, and the disciple snapped out of it as if waking from a dream. Covered in a cold sweat, he thanked Fang Qingyuan profusely.

"Go and rest. You’re not fit to continue fighting right now."

After sending the disciple away to recover, Fang Qingyuan gazed into the dark, dense forest ahead. There was no telling how many dangers lurked within. He had already spotted two Foundation Establishment-level enemies.

One was a late-stage Foundation Establishment Hedgehog Demon, and the other was a mysterious being disguised as a beautiful woman. Both would be difficult to deal with.

’If I can capture one of them, I might be able to discover the true mastermind behind this attack.’

’Qi Refining Demon Beasts can be driven to their deaths, but late-stage Foundation Establishment demon beasts possess intelligence and can only be coerced. Forcing them into a mindless suicide charge is something that not even an early-stage Nascent Soul demon beast could necessarily accomplish.’

At this thought, Fang Qingyuan glanced behind him, where Shangguan You and his Golden Core Companion Beast were still locked in battle. They were the key to breaking this stalemate.

’But I can’t just rely on Shangguan You. I have to do something myself.’

With this in mind, Fang Qingyuan unfurled his long banner and shook out several hundred Scorpion-tailed Poison Bees. He directed them to fly through the Array Spirit Shield and into the darkness ahead.

Meanwhile, inside the Immortal Mansion, Fang Ruoxi had just painstakingly wriggled her way into her little nest and let out a sigh of contentment. In the blink of an eye, she found herself in a strange new place.

Compared to the familiar surroundings of the Immortal Mansion, this place was dark and oppressive, making her very uncomfortable. ’Master, help me! I’ve been kidnapped!’

The thought flashed through Fang Ruoxi’s mind. Just as she was about to activate the dozen or so illusionary eyes on her body to create a phantom, Fang Qingyuan’s voice echoed in her head.

"Don’t panic, it’s me. I need you to use these bees to try and connect with the demon beasts outside. See if you can enter their minds and communicate with them."

Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s voice, Fang Ruoxi calmed down a bit. But then she thought of the cozy little nest she had worked so hard to get to, and a wave of dejection washed over her.

’But Master’s business is most important.’ Fang Ruoxi suppressed her dejection and nodded vigorously. She closed her eyes, focused on the swarm of bees flying ahead, and attempted to use her innate Divine Technique: the Voice of All Things.

Shortly after flying out of the array, many of the hundreds of poison bees were shot down by various attacks. Some even ended up in the mouths of their natural demon beast predators. Despite this, over a hundred of them broke through the blockade and reached the area a few miles behind the enemy line.

According to Fang Qingyuan’s earlier senses, this was the direction where the late-stage Foundation Establishment Hedgehog Demon was hiding.

From within the Ten Thousand Beasts Qiankun Banner, Fang Ruoxi could clearly perceive the presence of all living things around her poison bees.

Compared to Fang Qingyuan’s control, her connection to the poison bees as their matriarch was far more intimate. Each bee acted like a signal amplifier, allowing Fang Ruoxi’s divine sense to follow them to this distant location.

The voices of the plants and trees were too monotonous, and the voices of the insects were too faint. Only the voices of the demon beasts were loud and coherent.

However, when Fang Ruoxi tried to contact a few of them, the thoughts they sent back were filled with savagery and killing intent, making communication impossible.

From Fang Ruoxi’s perspective, most of the living beings around the swarm appeared as red dots. But amidst this sea of red, there were a few voices of different colors. After a moment’s thought, Fang Ruoxi focused her consciousness on one of the yellowish points of light.

"Hello, what’s your name?"

"Fen Shui Yi... hey, wait a second. Who are you?"