Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Chapter 279 - 223: Mad Tiger Unleashed

When Fang Qingyuan shouted, the large Beast Taming Sect’s Camel Ray Beast Team immediately halted its advance. One after another, they released scouting Spirit Birds and flying insects, trying to find the "Fellow Daoist Jia" Fang Qingyuan had mentioned.

The three Foundation Establishment Cultivators responsible for protecting Fang Qingyuan sprang into action, each with a specific task. One vanished into the shadows, one moved to stand before Fang Qingyuan, and the last went to the very front of the team to command the disciples in their search.

These maneuvers were completed within a few short breaths, a clear sign that the discipline within the Beast Taming Sect was not as lax as it appeared to outsiders.

But Fang Qingyuan didn’t hold out much hope for these countermeasures.

That Jia Changqing’s apparent cultivation was only Mid-stage Foundation Establishment, but in reality, he had concealed his true cultivation level. His methods were so brilliant that he had even deceived Yuan Chujun.

Jia Changqing was at Foundation Establishment Perfection. And the bidder from the second floor who had chimed in earlier, the one who had feigned impartiality, was a Late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and he was here now as well.

Although these two were skilled at concealing their presence, to the Bee Queen Fang Ruoxi’s Innate Divine Technique, the Voice of All Things, they were as conspicuous as fireflies in the dead of night.

The scouting ability of the Bee Queen Fang Ruoxi’s Voice of All Things wasn’t invasive like a Divine Sense probe. It was more like a reflection of all creation, passively imprinting everything in the vicinity onto Fang Qingyuan’s mind like a reflection on water.

Now, through this Talent of the Bee Queen inside his Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan could easily detect any living being within a radius of over thirty li. As long as they possessed a conscious soul and intelligent thought, they would be incorporated into Fang Qingyuan’s surveillance system.

Of course, keeping this map of life-forms constantly active required a shocking amount of Soul Power. Fang Qingyuan only ever fully activated it when traveling or in battle. At other times, he just maintained a simple early warning system within a ten-li radius.

Currently, with the strength of his soul, Foundation Establishment Cultivators could not hide from him at all. Fang Qingyuan had previously tried to observe Lechuan and Huo Bai to see how Golden Core Cultivators would appear within his mental senses.

But from his observation, Lechuan appeared in his mental senses as a massive, radiating source. The area where Lechuan was became a shrouded mass of fog.

Huo Bai, on the other hand, was different. He was an image of a giant White Tiger. When he was brought into Fang Qingyuan’s mind-sensing system, he seemed to notice something and turned his tiger head in confusion.

When Fang Qingyuan tried to observe him in more detail, the White Tiger representing Huo Bai became alert. Only when Fang Qingyuan stopped actively observing and returned to passive monitoring did the White Tiger calm down.

With these two test subjects, Fang Qingyuan was finally able to determine the current limits of the Bee Queen’s Innate Divine Technique: it could passively detect the presence of Golden Core Cultivators, but it could not actively observe them.

As for Foundation Establishment Cultivators, he could watch them with impunity.

Jia Changqing, hiding in the shadows, coldly appreciating the laughable efforts of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect to find him. He probably never imagined that at this very moment, another pair of eyes was observing the turmoil in his own mind.

The Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had been directing the disciples in the search now returned to Fang Qingyuan’s side. He shook his head slightly, indicating that he had found no trace of the enemy.

At this point, Fang Qingyuan no longer wanted to beat around the bush. Besides, in the time that had passed, he had already figured out their trump card: a third, hidden Perfect Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

’Three cultivators in the late stages of Foundation Establishment... No wonder they dared to surround my team. The strength I’m showing is only four Foundation Establishment cultivators, and only one of them is Mid-stage.’

"So, Fellow Daoist Jia, did your business deal go south?"

Fang Qingyuan’s voice was light and mocking. He could guess why Jia Changqing had come looking for him—it was definitely for that Transparent Seven Orifice Spirit Turtle Shell.

’The Spiritual Object I spent eighty Top-grade Spirit Stones to forcibly buy from Jia Changqing is the real Transparent Seven Orifice Spirit Turtle Shell. The one Yuan Chujun got was just an elaborate fake crafted by Jia Changqing.’

’Without this real Transparent Seven Orifice Spirit Turtle Shell, Jia Changqing probably won’t have such an easy time scamming people anymore.’

’It’s just that as soon as I got the Transparent Seven Orifice Spirit Turtle Shell, I threw it to the Black Tortoise Divine Statue in the Immortal Mansion. It has already been completely devoured, so I can’t produce it even if I wanted to.’

"Fellow Daoist Fang, we were in the wrong before. But we must have the Transparent Seven Orifice Spirit Turtle Shell. We hope you can do us a kindness and return it. We are willing to pay one hundred Top-grade Spirit Stones as a reward."

Jia Changqing’s voice drifted around Fang Qingyuan, making it impossible to pinpoint his exact location.

Clearly, the man didn’t want to face Fang Qingyuan directly. After all, they didn’t want to provoke the disciples of the Beast Taming Sect.

"The item is gone. You should just give up on it. I advise you to leave now. If you wait any longer, you won’t be able to get away."

Fang Qingyuan’s tone turned cold. They were currently in the territory of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect. If he allowed himself to be successfully threatened by this person, he would lose all face.

"Fellow Daoist Fang, why must you be so uncompromising? You may be the esteemed Vice Master of the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect, but we brothers have not earned our reputations for nothing. If a real conflict breaks out, you might not like the outcome. Worst comes to worst, we’ll just run off to the Outer Sea and make a living there for a few decades. The Beast Taming Sect may be powerful, but even they have places they can’t reach."

Jia Changqing was still thinking about his Transparent Seven Orifice Spirit Turtle Shell, but Fang Qingyuan truly couldn’t produce it. The only option now was to settle things with force.

Jia Changqing and his two companions were originally a group of Loose Cultivators from the Outer Sea who lived dangerously. They came together by a twist of fate after a big score and began calling each other brothers. Later, when a Demon Tide erupted in the Outer Sea, the three of them decided they couldn’t stay and fled to the inland regions to start a "no-cost" business.

The Transparent Seven Orifice Spirit Turtle Shell was something Jia Changqing had found in the Outer Sea. He was an expert forger and came up with the idea to use a fake to swindle some rich fool. If they encountered a small Marketplace without a powerful backer, they would resort to extortion and strong-arm tactics to demand a huge sum of Spirit Stones.

They only pulled off this kind of scheme once every ten years. Firstly, acting too frequently would easily lead to trouble. Secondly, it also took Jia Changqing a very long time to create a counterfeit that was indistinguishable from the real thing.

But this time, when they came to Jiuye Square, ready to make a meal out of Yuan Chujun and his small, unprotected Marketplace, they ran into Fang Qingyuan, a wrench in their plans.

"Then let’s do this. I’m just waiting for my backup. As for you three... what are you waiting for?"

As Fang Qingyuan spoke, he clearly felt the emotions of Jia Changqing’s trio jolt violently in his Mind Sensing Map.

And Fang Qingyuan wasn’t just spouting empty threats to scare them. He really was waiting for backup, and that backup had already arrived.

An unfamiliar Cultivator wearing a black mask was rushing over from a distance at a speed that rivaled a Golden Core Cultivator’s.

Moreover, the aura on this person was astonishing. Even from a great distance, everyone could feel the battle intent radiating from him.

’Black Tiger Breaking the Void!’

A gigantic, ferocious claw suddenly appeared in the sky and swiped at a patch of empty space.

The next moment, a wretched figure was forced out of hiding. It was none other than Jia Changqing.

Jia Changqing’s face was a mask of disbelief. He had clearly sensed that although the newcomer’s aura was astonishing, he was also a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Yet, when they actually fought, it felt like he was facing a Golden Core Cultivator.

Fang Qingyuan was just watching the show from the sidelines. Seeing the expression on Jia Changqing’s face, he thought with great satisfaction:

’Long time no see, Senior Brother Huo Hu.’