novelden Chapter 168 - 144: Beast Taming Methods (Part 2)
Chapter 168 - 144: Beast Taming Methods (Part 2)
Liu Yi found the offer quite tempting. He wasn’t particularly worried about Fang Qingyuan acting against him; the Beast Taming Sect’s reputation was involved, and they had at least that much credibility.
Besides, something felt off to Liu Yi. Why would Fang Qingyuan bring so many people just to capture the three Wen Brothers? This group wasn’t strong enough to attack Jiuye Square, yet he couldn’t immediately fathom their true objective. Now that Fang Qingyuan had invited him to watch, Liu Yi considered it for a moment before readily agreeing.
And so, Liu Yi returned to the men he had brought with him. After giving a few orders, he sent them hurrying back to Jiuye Square with instructions to activate the Protective Array at full power. He also told them to spread the news to the various clans so they could prepare accordingly.
Once he had taken care of these matters, Liu Yi walked over to Fang Qingyuan’s side, found a spot, and stood there, making it clear he intended to watch silently without interfering.
Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan gave a light chuckle. At his command, the dozen or so Flying Manta Rays carved a gentle arc through the air, bypassing Jiuye Square and heading for the area behind it.
The three Wen Brothers were hiding in the dense forest behind Jiuye Square. The spot had been chosen for them by two Foundation Establishment Clans they were in league with. After every raid, the Wen Brothers would hand the stolen goods over to these two partner clans to sell. In return, they received Spirit Stones and cultivation resources.
They had assumed that robbing Yuanling Mountain’s cargo would have no serious consequences. They never imagined Fang Qingyuan himself would come hunting for them with so many men.
However, with the kind of commotion Fang Qingyuan was making, the Wen Brothers—who were no fools—had surely sensed trouble long ago and fled deeper into the Barbaric Wilderness. As expected, when Fang Qingyuan and his men arrived at the brothers’ original hiding spot, the place was deserted. Only a few traces remained, proving people had recently been living there.
Fang Qingyuan wasn’t disappointed by this scene, as he had anticipated this very outcome before arriving.
Unhurried, Fang Qingyuan spoke softly to a Late-stage Qi Refining Cultivator beside him:
"These people can’t have been gone for long. The depths of the Barbaric Wilderness are fraught with danger, so they wouldn’t dare venture too far in. I imagine they are still lingering within a few dozen miles of the edge. That being the case, we’ll have to rely on Senior Brother Zhao."
This Senior Brother Zhao was none other than Zhao Xiangchen. He replied, "It’s no trouble," and with a wave of his hand, the covering was whipped off an object on the back of one of the Flying Manta Rays, revealing what lay hidden beneath.
They were large, man-sized cages. Inside were numerous Spirit Beasts—hawks, hounds, and some other creatures whose names were unknown.
"Release the hawks and the hounds! Let out the Armor-Piercing Beasts as well. Have my little darlings conduct a thorough search for me."
At Zhao Xiangchen’s command, several Beast Taming Disciples opened the cages. The next moment, with the screeching of hawks and the barking of hounds, eight magnificent hawks soared a thousand meters into the sky, their sharp eyes scanning the ground below for any sign of movement.
The number of Spirit Dogs was even greater. After more than twenty were released, they all lowered themselves to the ground and began sniffing everywhere for the scent left behind by the Wen Brothers.
The Armor-Piercing Beasts Zhao Xiangchen had mentioned were creatures resembling pangolins. Once released, they dove headfirst into the earth and disappeared from sight.
A moment later, the Cultivator handling the hawks came to report that they had spotted something suspicious about three miles ahead. It appeared to be a Cultivator.
Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan pointed, and a team of twenty Cultivators rushed over. In less than ten minutes, they returned with a haggard-looking Qi Refining Cultivator.
Someone studied the man’s face, then took out a stack of portraits to compare. Fang Qingyuan had commissioned these portraits from an artist known as Miao Shou Danqing. They were sketched based on eyewitness descriptions of the three Wen Brothers and were more than ninety percent accurate.
After comparing seven or eight portraits, they found a match. Liao Wenlamp’s lips curled into a chilling smile. Without a word, he subjected the man to a round of brutal torture and then asked:
"Xiao Sibao, if you don’t want any more of this, then tell me everything you know. Otherwise, I’ll make you regret the day you were born."
Unable to bear the torture, Xiao Sibao began to plead:
"I was only ordered to observe your movements! I thought I’d be safe from three miles away, but I must have left a trail. I’m just an insignificant nobody! Your Excellency is a man of great magnanimity! Please, just ask your questions and spare my life!"
Hearing that Xiao Sibao still had the strength to beg for mercy, Liao Wenlamp scowled and moved to continue the torture, but Fang Qingyuan stopped him.
"That’s enough. He’s just a pawn; he won’t know much. Since we can’t get anything useful, just kill him."
At these words, Xiao Sibao cried out in a frenzy:
"I’ll talk! I’ll talk! The three Wen Brothers don’t trust anyone, so they sent the rest of us far away! The three of them went deeper into the forest! As for where the others are, I can lead you to them!"
Just then, Zhao Xiangchen whispered something in Fang Qingyuan’s ear. Fang Qingyuan chuckled.
"You’ve spoken a little too late. Your companions aren’t very skilled at hiding. Now, you can rest in peace."
In the time it took to interrogate him, the hawks in the sky had already spotted several more people, and the Spirit Dogs were already leading the other Cultivators to them.
These hawks were Spirit Beasts specially trained by the Beast Taming Sect, and they possessed the Eye of Illusion-Breaking. Ordinary Arrays, Illusion Arrays, toxic fogs, and venomous miasmas were completely ineffective at hiding anything from their sight. Xiao Sibao had hidden himself within an Array, assuming he was safe at a distance and under its protection, and had boldly spied on their group. He never imagined that the Beast Taming Sect’s hawks would see through his concealment in a single glance.
As for the Spirit Dogs, they could track the scent of a Cultivator’s Spiritual Power. A Cultivator could alter their body, appearance, personal scent, and even their gender, but the unique "scent" of their Spiritual Power was something that could not be easily changed.
Whenever a Cultivator used their Spiritual Power, they would inadvertently leave traces of its scent in the environment. Thus, once these Spirit Dogs locked onto a target, escape was impossible, no matter what transformations they underwent.
After he finished speaking, Fang Qingyuan ignored Xiao Sibao’s pleas and gave Liao Wenlamp a meaningful look. With a savage grin, Liao Wenlamp lopped off the man’s head, splattering blood across the ground.
Fang Qingyuan frowned at the sight. ’This Liao Wenlamp still can’t shake his White Mountain habits,’ he thought. ’Always making such a bloody scene.’
So, Fang Qingyuan said:
"Just shattering his heart meridian would have sufficed. Why make such a gruesome display? You are a part of Yuanling Mountain now. You need to restrain those old habits."
The savage grin on Liao Wenlamp’s face froze. He quickly lowered his head, not daring to utter a word.
"All right, secure the body. We’ll need it for identification later. The next ones we catch can’t be treated this way."
After giving his orders, Fang Qingyuan left Liao Wenlamp to clean up. He and Jinbao leaped down from the back of Yinbao, and he took the lead, striding forward.
Seeing this, the rest of his followers dismounted their Flying Manta Rays and closely followed Fang Qingyuan’s steps.