#996 - Be my beast

Deep in the valley, Jun Wuxie's expression was solemn as he scanned the surroundings. His divine sense finally detected the location of the Ning Royal Mansion's experts.

For days, these individuals had concealed themselves exceptionally well, to the extent that even his Great Saint Extreme Heaven Realm peak soul couldn't perceive their position.

Evidently, they had been suppressing their aura and employing concealment techniques, making them difficult to detect unless one's soul realm was significantly higher.

"I didn't underestimate Ning Wang's determination, but I did underestimate the true strength of the Ning Royal Mansion. There are experts on all sides, and quite a few of them—a full ten. What are their realms?"

Jun Wuxie realized the situation was far more serious than he had anticipated, with the numbers far exceeding his predictions.

"You must leave quickly! I don't know if I can survive this ordeal! According to your predictions, they have a second wave of experts."

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast's voice was low and heavy as it gently nudged Jun Wuxie with its head, signaling him to leave immediately.

"What are their realms?" Jun Wuxie repeated the question.

"Four Great Saint Extreme Heaven Realm, six Great Saint Great Heaven Realm!" The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King was extremely grave, its current condition being quite poor, its body far from fully recovered.

Not only had its strength not returned to its peak, but any excessively intense battle would exacerbate the cracks in its life source, making sustained combat impossible and causing it to weaken continuously with each fight.

"We'll break through! As long as we're not trapped by them, there's still hope!"

Jun Wuxie glanced at the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King, then flipped onto its back. "Don't mind, do you?"

"You helped me heal my wounds and now risk your life to stay. If you don't mind, why should I?"

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King felt a momentary resistance to being ridden, but quickly accepted it.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready, but with you on my back, if the aftershocks of the battle are too intense, you might not be able to withstand them."

"You don't need to worry about that. Based on your current condition, it's not that you can't kill enemies, just that you can't fight for long. Each attack will worsen your injuries, so we'll choose the direction of the Great Saint Extreme Heaven Realm to break through! With one less Great Saint Extreme Heaven Realm, we'll be safer running away!"

"Then hold on tight!" The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King warned, then soared into the sky, charging towards the north.

"Trying to escape!" The Ning Royal Mansion's experts, who had already reached the edge of the valley, hadn't expected the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast to suddenly rush into the sky, attempting to flee.

"Today, you will stay here!"

"Your beast core and essence blood are destined for our Ning Royal Mansion!"

"There's even a human!"

As they spoke, boundless true energy flooded the heavens and the earth like a tsunami. The light of secret techniques bloomed, illuminating the mountain forest at nightfall.

In an instant, the ten great experts launched a fierce attack almost simultaneously.

Sword qi pierced the sky, and secret techniques covered the valley, raining down in a devastating barrage.

"Kill!" Jun Wuxie roared from the back of the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King. At the same moment, a mysterious barrier instantly formed, enveloping him and the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King.

"Awoo!" The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King's body was like a burning blood-colored flame, charging with astonishing speed towards the Ning Royal Mansion's expert who had launched the attack from the north.

Clang!

Boom!

As the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King's claws swiped at that expert, several sword qi strikes landed on the barrier surrounding it and Jun Wuxie, unleashing ear-splitting metallic tremors.

Secret techniques bombarded the barrier, the booming sound shaking the mountains and rivers for miles around. The energy fluctuations instantly swept across the entire valley, shattering and snapping all the trees within a radius of hundreds of miles, with even the space itself trembling violently.

At the same time, its claws reached the Great Saint Extreme Heaven Realm expert.

The blood-light-wreathed claws were incomparably sharp.

The expert deployed defensive techniques to resist, but they were easily torn apart. In an instant, he summoned a shield.

Crack!

The Great Saint-level high-grade Saint artifact sparked and cracked, causing the expert's pupils to constrict violently. He retreated swiftly, trying to avoid the brunt of the attack.

However, his speed was far inferior to that of the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast. Just as he retreated a short distance, with a '噗' sound, blood splattered across the sky, accompanied by a miserable cry as his entire body was nearly torn in half.

"Even on your deathbed, you dare to act fierce!"

The other nine experts shot over, launching a violent storm of attacks.

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast was about to dodge when Jun Wuxie said urgently, "Ignore them! Kill this person quickly! I have absolute defense!"

It paused, then immediately understood that the barrier had blocked all the attacks earlier.

It had no time to ponder how this human youth possessed such a heaven-defying defensive barrier. Its body surged forward, like a blood-colored flame tearing through the sky, catching up to the heavily injured expert.

"Awoo!" The roar shook the eight desolations, and the sound waves swept out.

It opened its maw, and amidst the expert's terrified screams filled with unwillingness, it bit down on him.

The expert's body was instantly chewed to pieces, and his head was pierced and crushed by the sharp teeth.

Clang!

Boom!

Sword qi and secret techniques rained down, but still failed to break through the barrier.

At the same time, those experts tried to rebuild the encirclement, but the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King was faster than them. After killing a Great Saint Extreme Heaven Realm expert, it withstood the bombardment from behind and the sides without any hesitation, charging towards the north and disappearing in an instant.

"Damn it, chase!"

"We can't let it escape, or we won't be able to bear the responsibility when Ning Wang blames us!"

"Don't worry, it can't escape. I left a tracking mark on it during the attack just now. With the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast's current state, it can't erase this special method!"

"It's outrageous! Everything was supposed to be under control, yet such a flaw appeared!"

"Who is that kid? How could he be sitting on the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast's back!"

"Kill the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast and capture that kid, and then we'll know who he is!"

"Immediately report this news to Ning Wang!"

…

The nine great experts gave chase, nine streams of light following the retreating blood-colored flame.

"Roar!" As soon as those experts left, the Beast Kings who had slaughtered the three sects' foundations roared, shaking the heavens and the earth.

"What do we do? Humans of the Great Saint Realm have joined in!"

"Now, the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King's injuries must be worsening. It won't dare return to the Hengduan Mountains and can only hide in the Flowing Cloud Forest! We just need to avoid those Great Saint Realm humans and see who finds it first. I've already memorized its scent!"

"Its essence blood and energy are enough for all of us to break through to the Great Saint level. We can't miss this opportunity! Rather than let those human cultivators benefit, it's better to give it to us!"

"Well said! Then we'll each lead our clansmen to search. Whoever finds it first, remember to notify the others. Don't think about taking it all for yourself. Even if the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King's injuries worsen, it won't be so easy to kill. We need to join forces!"

…

The Beast Kings and Bird Kings left with their powerful ancient beasts and fierce birds, disappearing into the mountains in an instant.

"What do we do?" In the middle of the canyon, the Qingyun's foundation experts hid in the shadows, witnessing the entire scene.

Their voices trembled as they spoke.

"We'll follow those Beast Kings. The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast's condition must be very bad, or it would have already started a massacre and wouldn't need to run. If the Beast Kings find it, then Wuxie will be in danger!"

"Yes, I don't know how Wuxie ended up with the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast. It's too unbelievable. But because of this, he has become the target of everyone's attention!"

"Once his identity is exposed, our Qingyun will suffer a devastating blow from Ning Wang!"

"Alright, now that things have come to this, there's no use saying anything!" The leading foundation expert said with a solemn expression, "We must choose to believe that he has a reason for doing this. He must have considered the consequences we're worried about. Surviving under Ning Wang's tyranny is already very difficult. Any struggle is like walking on the tip of a knife. Even if he didn't do this today, we'll still have to face it in the future!"

"Senior Brother Qingmu is right! But what should we do now? Please, Senior Brother Qingmu, make a decision!"

The foundation experts all looked at the leading Qingmu Zhenren.

"Wuxie told us to return to the sect quickly, so let's return to the sect quickly. If his identity is exposed and Ning Wang attacks our Qingyun, we'll need to control the sect's sword formation. Besides, those Beast Kings are extremely strong and have brought many subordinates. It's useless for us to go, and we might even cause trouble for Wuxie!"

After thinking, Qingmu made this decision.

"It seems that's all we can do. I hope he can come back alive, and I hope his identity isn't exposed so quickly."

"Wuxie changed his appearance. The people of Ning Wang's Mansion haven't seen him, so it won't be easy for them to see through his identity. If we hadn't recognized him by his hair, figure, and clothes, we probably wouldn't have recognized him either."

"Alright, we should leave here now. Let's also go to the mouth of the canyon to check the corpses of the three sects' experts to see if their storage rings are damaged. If there are any intact ones, take them with us. There should be a lot of resources inside."

As Qingmu spoke, he quickly headed towards the mouth of the canyon.

…

The Flowing Cloud Forest was vast, over two hundred thousand miles long from north to south and over one hundred thousand miles deep from east to west.

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King carried Jun Wuxie, rushing towards the north.

They didn't fly in the sky above the forest but instead plunged into the vast mountains and forests, like a blood-colored firelight shuttling through the dense woods.

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King's speed was very fast. At this time, it was unknown how far they were from that valley.

"Stop," Jun Wuxie told it, but it didn't respond and continued to run madly.

It knew it couldn't stop. Once it let out this breath, it would be difficult to run in this state again.

The previous battle, coupled with the long-distance high-speed running, required the rapid circulation of true energy and blood energy within its body, leading to the spread of cracks in its life source.

"You'll die if you keep running,"

Jun Wuxie patted its mane.

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King stopped in a low-lying area between two mountains, panting, "You should go, leave the Flowing Cloud Forest quickly. If they catch up, I will lead them in the opposite direction to ensure your safety."

As it spoke, it lowered itself to the ground, its aura rapidly weakening. Its body, which had recovered some flesh, became emaciated again, and its eyes lost their luster.

"Why haven't you left yet?" The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King asked, panting, seeing that he wasn't moving, "They planted a tracking mark on us. It's hard to escape their detection within ten thousand miles. You should leave as quickly as possible now, and I'll draw their attention to you. Try to run as far as you can!"

Jun Wuxie shook his head and said, "I said, I will never let Ning Wang obtain your beast core and essence blood, so I cannot leave."

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King looked at him weakly and said, "Then you should dissect my body now, take the beast core and essence blood, and leave. If you can survive, please take care of my daughter and grandson..."

"If there is hope to survive, would you be willing to try?"

"How can there be hope? I didn't expect them to have unique tracking secret techniques. If we can't eliminate the mark, we will be hunted down continuously. I am very weak now, and I can only unleash a few attacks before I die. After that, I will die, and if you don't leave, you will be killed by them..."

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King said with a sigh.

This human youth had saved it, as well as its daughter and grandson.

He had heaven-defying growth potential and unparalleled talent, and he shouldn't wait for death with it, ruining his future.

"Sign a soul contract."

Jun Wuxie looked calmly at the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King. His face was slightly tired, as he had consumed a lot of energy and spirit earlier when using the World Domain.

"Sign a soul contract..." The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King looked puzzled. "In this situation, what's the use of signing a soul contract? In that valley, I actually thought about signing a soul contract with you, but I didn't know your intentions at the time, so I didn't mention it. Now, we have entered a true desperate situation, but at this moment, you want to sign a soul contract with me..."

"Come on, be my battle beast, and perhaps there is hope to escape this calamity."

As Jun Wuxie spoke, a soul light gradually bloomed between his eyebrows, condensing into a contract mark.

The contract mark detached from him and flew towards the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King.

There was a hint of complexity in the eyes of the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King.

As the king of a clan, with a noble status and powerful strength, it had never imagined that one day it would become a human's battle beast.

Watching the mark getting closer and closer, it sighed weakly and closed its eyes.

The mark entered its brow and penetrated into its sea of consciousness, planting a contract mark deep in its soul.

At the same time, there was also an identical mark in Jun Wuxie's sea of consciousness.

However, his mark was the main mark, while the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King's mark was the servant mark.

From then on, with just a thought, he could decide its life and death through the main mark.

"Blood荒 greets its master!"

It prostrated itself, its head touching the ground, and made a weak sound.

"Now, you can come into my body's space."

Jun Wuxie instantly took it into the special space within his body, a dedicated habitat for soul contract beasts.

"I'll give you some divine beast essence blood. Seize the time to repair your life source."

As his voice fell, several jars of divine beast blood appeared in that space, a total of six types.

These were the blood of the five ancient divine beasts that he had killed in the Extraterrestrial Ruins and the blood of the divine beast that he and Ling Qingyu had jointly killed under the abyss.

"So much divine beast blood..."

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast was stunned. The extremely weak creature revealed a shocked and excited expression.

"There's nothing to be surprised about. Follow me, and your bloodline will surely evolve to a level far beyond your imagination. Now, don't think about anything, and focus on healing. There are many experts in the Ning Wang Mansion. I can only try to avoid their pursuit as much as possible. In the end, we still have to rely on you to kill them one by one, otherwise, we can only hide in this Flowing Cloud Forest forever."

"Blood荒 understands!"

The Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King immediately began to heal, abandoning the distracting thoughts in its heart.

Jun Wuxie looked into the distance, he could faintly feel danger approaching.

This was not a situation sensed by divine thoughts, but a subconscious premonition of danger.

"The experts in the Great Saint Realm are much faster than me, and with the previous attacks, they left a tracking mark on me and Blood荒. It won't be easy to get rid of them..."

He pondered, mysterious runes lit up on his body, and his body quickly sank into the earth.

Without the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast, he could hide better alone under the earth.

He kept sinking down, sinking hundreds of thousands of meters, and then immediately遁ed to the west.

Not long after he 遁ed into the ground, a stream of light landed at the location where he and the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast King had previously stayed.

It was the Great Saint Extreme Heaven Realm expert from the Ning Wang Mansion.

"The aura here is so strong, it seems they stayed here for quite some time, but how could the aura suddenly become so weak? No wonder the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast eliminated some of the tracking mark?"

The Ning Wang Mansion expert was surprised and uncertain. Given the state of the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast, it seemed impossible to do such a thing.

Soon, several streams of light landed here, they were other experts from the Ning Wang Mansion.

"What's going on? Here, the aura of the tracking mark has become blurred..."

These people also had the same doubts, their faces gloomy.

"Don't worry, they can't escape, this Flowing Cloud Forest is destined not to be their hiding place!"

"That's right, the exits of the Flowing Cloud Forest are guarded by our people, and they dare not go to the Hengduan Mountains. The eastern end of the forest is the East Sea, which is extremely dangerous, they also dare not go there, so they can only hide within this forest."

"The mark has weakened, perhaps they used some means of interference. Although we can't determine their exact location, the general direction shouldn't be a problem!"

"They went this way, to the west. We will track separately to the west. When the second batch of experts sent by Ning Wang arrives, we will lock the direction and continue to track them. Even if they drill into the depths of the earth, we can still drag them out!"

"Go!"

...

The experts from the Ning Wang Mansion quickly headed west, separating from each other, locking the direction, and using secret techniques to track the location of Jun Wuxie and the Blood鬃 Lion-Dog Beast.

At this time, Jun Wuxie was traveling deep in the earth, and that sense of danger, with the passage of time, not only did not weaken, but became stronger and stronger.

In this process, he kept changing direction, from west to south, and then to east.

But that sense of danger was still approaching.

He knew that the experts from the Ning Wang Mansion were always locking his direction.

"If this continues, they will soon block me. I must find a way. Otherwise, once discovered, there will be no escape..."

Jun Wuxie was 遁ing deep in the earth while thinking about countermeasures.

"If Lan Lan wakes up, I can fight for a glimmer of hope in a desperate situation. The little fellow has been sleeping until now, I wonder if I can wake it up."

After thinking about it, if he didn't use the God-Slaying Sword or call for Mu Ciyin, the only way to alleviate the crisis at present was Lan Lan.