North of the Stone Country's borders lay a continuous range of large mountains known as Salt Mountain. The trees within were tall, the paths winding, and thick vines wrapped around wantonly.
At first glance, it resembled a primeval forest.
Deep within Salt Mountain lived many powerful ferocious beasts. Consequently, few people ventured there on ordinary days, and the footprints of woodcutters and hunters were even rarer.
But in the past few days, the traffic to and from Salt Mountain was endless, for one reason: "Spiritual Beast."
Half a month ago, a cultivator who had entered Salt Mountain to train saw a Spiritual Beast absorbing the essence of the sun and moon. He was stunned.
How many years had it been since Stone Country last witnessed a Spiritual Beast?
When he tried to subdue the Spiritual Beast, it vanished with a SWOOSH. The thrilled cultivator quickly returned, hoping to find some helpers.
As a result, the news inadvertently spread, attracting a large number of cultivators.
Yu Chang'an was very frustrated. "I don't know which bastard let the news slip, sigh!"
"Did you see what the Spiritual Beast looked like?" a young woman beside him asked softly.
"It was huge, covered in flames..." he recalled.
"And then what?"
"The flames obscured my vision; I couldn't see clearly." Yu Chang'an felt helpless. Glancing back at the group behind him, he couldn't help but ask, "Senior Sister, are you sure the few of us can subdue that Spiritual Beast?"
"Why not?" The young woman was very calm, her dark eyes revealing a powerful confidence.
Because she possessed a Divine Body.
Suddenly, Yu Chang'an lowered his voice. "Senior Sister, actually, when I saw that Spiritual Beast, I also encountered a terrifyingly powerful being."
When the Spiritual Beast fled, he chased it for a long time, venturing deeper until he saw a man slay a ferocious beast with a single motion of his hand. He was dumbfounded.
The ferocious beast was mountainous in size, immense, and radiated an especially fierce malevolence. It must have been a fourth-order ferocious beast, approaching a King Tao-level existence.
It was for this precise reason he decided to return, not daring to act recklessly.
Chen Shixian stopped, her brows knitted tightly. "No matter what, I must obtain this Spiritual Beast."
「Deep within Salt Mountain.」
Chen Pingping didn't know how many powerful ferocious beasts he had killed while chasing it, but the Spiritual Beast was too fast and very vigilant. Every time it heard a noise, it would flee immediately, leaving him no time.
WOOF WOOF WOOF!
The little black dog beside him suddenly raised its head and barked towards the front. Chen Pingping's brow furrowed.
An Earth Chicken appeared in their sight. Outwardly, it seemed no different from ordinary livestock, except for its eyes, which brimmed with intelligence.
At this moment, however, the chicken's eyes were anxious. It kept running and looking back as if something was chasing it.
HEH! Chen Pingping chuckled.
A Descendant of the Ancient Phoenix?
The damn thing is just a chicken, an Earth Chicken.
Soon it noticed Chen Pingping and the dog, freezing on the spot... but with the powerful ferocious beasts chasing it from behind, it had no time to think.
CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK!
The chicken clucked a few times and then dived into Chen Pingping's arms.
Chen Pingping was speechless.
The little black dog wagged its tail and circled around it, very cheerfully.
"Get up!" Chen Pingping said indifferently.
The chicken didn't move. You want me to get up? Just like that? As if!
The next moment, Chen Pingping picked it up directly. "In this past half month," he said seriously, "you've led me deeper and deeper. If I hadn't been somewhat capable, I might have been eaten by a ferocious beast by now. Heh... excellent. The Descendant of the Ancient Phoenix is indeed outstanding. Now you're being chased by a ferocious beast and want me to stop it for you? So you can take the chance to escape?"
This Human Clan cultivator... he's not quite right! It had been running for half a month, deliberately choosing the territories of powerful ferocious beasts, yet... it still couldn't shake him off. Not only that, but he also recognized "my" identity and origin at a glance, seeing through this "conspiracy." The Earth Chicken was a bit panicked.
BANG!
Chen Pingping casually threw it away.
He certainly wouldn't coddle it just because it was a Spiritual Beast or due to a system task, nor would he fend off its enemies for it.
Impossible.
I, Chen, have my dignity too.
WOOF WOOF WOOF!
Hei, the little black dog, looked puzzled, as if to say, 'If you save it, won't it follow you? Others would kill for such an opportunity!'
SWOOSH! Several figures sped over from the distance and, in the blink of an eye, arrived before Chen Pingping.
The arrivals were Chen Shixian from Yuan Martial Academy, Yu Chang'an, and several other academy disciples.
"Greetings, fellow Daoist!" Yu Chang'an approached. "May I ask if you have seen a ferocious beast, all aflame?"
Chen Pingping smiled. "I've seen it." He glanced at Chen Shixian unintentionally, thinking to himself, This young woman is pretty.
Oh? Yu Chang'an's expression lit up. "Where?" he asked quickly.
"It was here just now but must have gone far." Chen Pingping pointed in the direction the Earth Chicken had fled.
"Thank you!" Yu Chang'an nodded.
The group hurriedly left.
Before long, a thunderous roar came from the direction of the Earth Chicken. A powerful ferocious beast had awakened. Sensing the Spiritual Beast's aura, it charged forward rapidly.
CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK!
The Earth Chicken was frantic, retreating continuously and flapping its tiny wings. Its speed was like lightning, and in no time, it was back with Chen Pingping.
It had no choice. In its perception, among all the Human Clan cultivators who had stepped into Salt Mountain, only the man in front of it was the strongest and could help it fend off the ferocious beast.
A smile touched the corners of Chen Pingping's lips.
But the system gave no prompt, which meant he hadn't truly tamed this "Descendant of the Ancient Phoenix" yet. It had most likely returned to seek asylum.
Chen Pingping stood up. Holding Hei in one arm and grabbing the Earth Chicken by its wing with the other, he dashed swiftly towards the outskirts of Salt Mountain.
His speed, although not matching the Earth Chicken's, was still formidable. However, the chicken couldn't break free. Chen Pingping's hand, filled with immense power, held it fast. The Earth Chicken shrieked incessantly, but he ignored it.
Undeniably, it had offended many powerful ferocious beasts, some of whom even wanted to devour it. But it was even less willing to go to the Human Clan's inhabited areas.
In those places, there were far too many terrifying Human Clan powerhouses. The slightest carelessness could lead to being eaten—and not just in one way.
Thus, compared to Salt Mountain, the Human Clan's territory was even more dangerous.
An hour later, having left Salt Mountain, the man, dog, and chicken stepped into an ancient town.
Chen Pingping lifted the chicken. "There are countless powerhouses in Human Clan territories," he said with a smile. "Any random one could suppress you. If you don't want to be eaten, don't even think about escaping. You'll likely expose yourself, even with your speed. Understand?"
The Earth Chicken cursed profusely, "CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK!" It felt like it was going to vomit blood. Wasn't I in these dire straits because of you? How infuriating!
But as a Descendant of the Ancient Phoenix, it wouldn't submit so easily.
The Earth Chicken's big eyes bulged as it began to size up the Human Clan area... It had assumed that no matter how many Human Clan powerhouses there were, they couldn't be everywhere, could they? But to its shock, as soon as it sensed its surroundings, it was terrified. In this small ancient town, there were a whole bunch of Supreme Mystery Realm powerhouses...