The woman was robust and well-built, quite plump and fair-skinned, with faint tiger stripes on her face. She exuded an aura of authority and power without even needing to speak.
She merely glanced at everyone present, and no one dared to meet her gaze. They all felt intimidated.
"Esteemed Mu Yao, half a divine hide is acceptable. The entire hide is yours, and you can pick anything else you desire first."
Feng Kun, his wrinkled old face creased with a smile, tried his best to appease the woman. He knew that the good items would certainly not fall to him, so he might as well be generous and try to build a good relationship with this female Immortal Emperor.
Mu Yao hailed from the Tyrannosaurus clan, possessing a mid-stage Emperor Immortal realm cultivation, a small realm higher than the other Immortal Emperors. Furthermore, the Tyrannosaurus clan was notoriously fierce and brutal, especially their females, who were incredibly formidable. It was best not to provoke them lightly, lest one face dire consequences.
Mu Yao spoke, "Half a piece of Ao E Jiao is enough. My appetite is small; I can't eat that much."
The people present couldn't help but steal glances at Mu Yao's physique, wanting to retort: With your build, your arms are thicker than our waists, and you claim to have a small appetite? It was utterly unconvincing.
Feng Kun's good impression of Mu Yao grew significantly. The other Immortal Emperors were all greedy, wanting everything, while Mu Yao was not avaricious nor did she snatch anything, demonstrating a virtue that was more than a billion times superior.
The several Immortal Emperors exchanged glances, all showing smiles. This was great; if Mu Yao took less, they could have more.
Subsequently, they deliberated seriously and ultimately decided not to alert their target. They needed to first confirm the whereabouts of the mythical beast, the Four Unlike, before making a move together.
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor present, who had achieved sentience and form from a seven-striped Golden Azure Immortal Stone, was skilled in earth遁 (earth evasion) and concealment techniques, making him most suitable for reconnaissance.
"Fellow Daoists, await my good news. Within three hours, I will ascertain the exact location of the Four Unlike."
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor was full of confidence, believing that tracking down a Four Unlike with severely damaged origins would not be a significant challenge. With this merit, he would surely receive a larger share of the divine beast materials.
"Act with caution and care. Do not startle the Four Unlike, or it might escape, and we may not be able to stop it," Mu Yao cautioned, after all, it was a divine beast.
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor dismissed her words, full of self-assurance. His form transformed into a streak of golden azure light and disappeared into the ground.
In a forest within the Void Sword Sect.
A round, chubby, black and white figure was making its way through the woods. The Iron-Eating Beast, Xiao Tuantuan, was foraging everywhere, searching for traces of wild game.
Lately, Ji Mo had been making it eat bamboo shoots from the Purple Bamboo Forest in the City of the Sky, claiming that proper pandas must eat bamboo shoots. Xiao Tuantuan didn't understand what a panda was, but it felt that that brat Ji Mo was truly malicious. It was meant to eat meat, or at the very least, rare ores. Who eats bamboo shoots every day? Therefore, it decided to search for prey in the forest to have a change of diet.
However, it was unaware that the Void Sword Sect was so poor that it couldn't even make ends meet, and the animals in the nearby mountains had long been depleted. After searching for a long time, it hadn't found a single trace of an animal.
Suddenly, its nostrils twitched, and its dark, lustrous eyes lit up with excitement.
Meanwhile, the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor, who had been secretly searching for the Four Unlike, also became incredibly excited. He sensed a divine aura.
"The aura of a divine beast. I didn't expect to find the Four Unlike's trace so quickly."
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor traveled underground, rapidly approaching Xiao Tuantuan. Upon clearly sensing Xiao Tuantuan's aura, his heart pounded with excitement, almost leaping out of his chest.
"It's not the divine beast Four Unlike, but a divine beast cub."
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor was beside himself with excitement. A divine beast cub, in general, was more precious than an adult divine beast. After all, cubs had incomplete minds and were easier to deceive. If it could be bonded as a divine pet, it would be an incredibly profitable venture.
"My great fortune has arrived. Bonding a divine pet, I will reach the pinnacle of life."
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor emerged from the ground, staring intently at Xiao Tuantuan, his face filled with greed.
At the same time, Xiao Tuantuan, drooling, also looked at the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor and trotted towards him with its short legs.
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor was overjoyed, believing his luck was exceptional today. This divine beast cub was running towards him on its own, and its gaze was incredibly fervent.
"Could it be that it's willingly submitting to a master?"
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor was so excited he felt like he was about to faint, already envisioning the glorious future of commanding a divine beast and sweeping across the Immortal Spirit Realm.
Under his fervent gaze, Xiao Tuantuan rushed over, showing no timidity. It immediately hugged one of his legs and affectionately licked it with its tongue.
Then, a terrifying event occurred. The Iron-Eating Beast revealed its pearly white teeth and took a "crunch" bite. One of the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor's legs was severed without warning, and then, under his horrified gaze, Xiao Tuantuan gobbled it down with smacking sounds.
"So delicious!"
Xiao Tuantuan mumbled, its face beaming with excitement. What could be happier than being hungry and having delicious food delivered right to its doorstep? It was still unsatisfied. With another leg-hug attack, it removed the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor's remaining leg and began to chew on it again.
"Ah... Divine Beast Iron Eater!"
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor fell to the ground, screaming, finally recognizing Xiao Tuantuan's origin. Only such special divine beasts that fed on immortal stones and divine iron could inflict such damage on his body with ease.
"Didn't they say the Void Sword Sect only had one Four Unlike? Why has an Iron Eater appeared?"
"Could it be that Feng Kun, that damned old fellow, deliberately set me up?"
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor instantly cursed Feng Kun's entire ancestry and then his body erupted with golden azure light, intending to flee.
Xiao Tuantuan raised its chubby little paw, Yin and Yang energies flowing, directly pinning the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor. Simultaneously, a stream of runes entered his body. It possessed innate bloodline suppression over these sentient stones and had unique methods for dealing with them, managing to subdue the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor without much effort. Primarily, the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor had been too complacent initially, lacking any guard. Having both legs eaten without warning made his current plight inevitable.
"My luck is truly good today. I encountered a stone spirit with a dim mind. I'll take it back for Master to try. Perhaps he'll reward me with some roasted meat."
Xiao Tuantuan didn't hoard its prize. It picked up the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor and headed towards the sect.
"Master? Could it be that the Void Sword Sect harbors an expert capable of taming an Iron Eater!"
The Golden Azure Immortal Emperor was terrified beyond measure. Divine beasts were proud; even if one could form a bond, it was merely an equal relationship. Yet, an Iron Eater was willingly submitting to someone as its master. How powerful must that person be! He had thought the Void Sword Sect had long since declined, but unexpectedly, it harbored a mysterious powerhouse. He regretted coming here immensely.
The more the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor thought about it, the angrier he became, and he cursed Feng Kun's entire ancestry a hundred times over.
"Could something have happened?"
Feng Kun, waiting on the mountaintop, inexplicably kept sneezing. According to their agreement, the Golden Azure Immortal Emperor was supposed to send back news every hour. However, it had been nearly three hours since he left, and there was no news whatsoever. He tried to contact him but received no response, leading to his suspicion.
"Men, indeed, are unreliable. That Golden Azure fellow is spineless and doesn't get things done properly. It seems I have to take action myself."
Mu Yao, impatient, was unwilling to wait. After uttering this, she transformed into a gentle breeze and drifted towards the Void Sword Sect.