One year later.
"Shiliu, hurry, faster!"
At Xu Yi's urgent prompt, the Four-Winged Blood Horse not only galloped with its four hooves, leaving only afterimages, but its paired wings also vibrated incessantly, pushing its speed to the absolute limit.
Only when the monkey demon behind them was completely out of sight did Xu Yi look down at the spiritual fruit she held, and she let out a laugh.
So thrilling.
"Phew, you're still laughing. You've tired little me out."
A rough male voice came from the mouth of the Four-Winged Blood Horse, accompanied by rapid panting.
Xu Yi's smile froze.
Even after hearing it many times, she still found it hard to accept that her beautiful little horse's voice was so hoarse.
She often regretted shoving the pill that Xiong Zhuangzhuang had given her into Shiliu's mouth that day.
"Shiliu, can you not talk?"
"If you give little me a different name, perhaps I'll consider it."
"Then never mind."
Shiliu sounded so nice.
Xu Yi felt the Four-Winged Blood Horse lacked appreciation.
She turned her head and asked, "Muduan, what do you think of your name?"
The snow leopard, addressed as Muduan, disdainfully turned its head away, ignoring her question.
Muduan, what an ugly name!
Xu Yi looked at Lu Zaiye, who was sitting cross-legged on the snow leopard's back, with a huff. "Lu Zaiye, what do you think?"
Lu Zaiye hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly nodded.
Xu Yi was satisfied.
As expected, demonic beasts and humans had different aesthetic tastes. Little Lu understood her intentions.
Great vulgarity is great elegance.
It was a shame the two demonic beasts didn't understand.
This snow leopard was caught by Lu Zaiye after they parted ways with Xiong Zhuangzhuang and he had suddenly disappeared for a while. He said it looked spirited and could be taken as a mount.
Xu Yi found the snow leopard beautiful and docile, and she was very happy. On a whim, she insisted on naming the two demonic beasts.
Lu Zaiye saw Xu Yi pondering for a long time and thought she was referencing classical texts to come up with two elegant and catchy names.
Who knew Xu Yi's face turned red, and she finally came up with Shiliu and Muduan.
Lu Zaiye still remembered the expressions of the two demonic beasts when they heard their new names, as if struck by lightning.
Lost in thought, two green spiritual fruits suddenly fell into his embrace.
These were Jade Green Fruits, delicious and juicy, capable of enhancing spiritual power. They were the spiritual fruits guarded by the monkey demon that had pursued them.
That monkey demon was only one step away from ascension. It had a steel body, and upon discovering they had stolen its spiritual fruits, it became enraged and unleashed its full strength.
When they realized they couldn't fight it head-on, they could only flee. It took them three days to finally shake it off.
They had obtained four Jade Green Fruits. After Xu Yi gave Lu Zaiye two, she popped one into her mouth and offered the other to Shiliu.
Shiliu swallowed it without hesitation, crunching and chewing.
Lu Zaiye, like Xu Yi, ate one himself and gave the other to Muduan.
Muduan jumped up lightly, swallowed it in one gulp, and then contentedly stretched out its scarlet tongue to lick its mouth, as if savoring the taste.
Neither of them felt that giving the precious spiritual fruits to the two demonic beasts was a waste; instead, they found it perfectly normal.
After digesting the spiritual fruits, Xu Yi was pondering whether to visit the lair of the Venomous King Bee or to seek trouble with the Willow King that had whipped them with vines last time, when a sudden change occurred.
A pounding sound came from underground, rocks tumbled down, and a blinding beam of light rose from the south, dyeing a large portion of the sky red.
Shiliu and Muduan also became restless, looking towards the south and making rumbling sounds.
Their subconscious minds told them that something very important to them was being born there.
At this moment, a chorus of beast roars echoed throughout the Ten Thousand Monster Ridge.
Xu Yi looked towards the south with only one thought in her mind.
A rare treasure was being born!
"Shall we go take a look?" Xu Yi was eager.
Lu Zaiye reminded her in a deep voice, "That direction is towards Shenzhou."
This also meant that the phenomenon they were witnessing could also be seen by the demonic race.
Xu Yi fell silent.
"Xu Yi, I want to go."
Shiliu spoke, and for the first time, it didn't refer to itself as "little me," its tone being extremely serious.
Muduan, although unable to speak, also nodded in agreement.
That place held immense temptation for demonic beasts.
They could not resist the pull of their bloodline.
"Alright! Then let's go." Xu Yi didn't want to miss this opportunity either. She said to Lu Zaiye, "When we get there, let's not approach immediately. Let's first observe the situation from the outside and then decide."
Since Shiliu and Muduan both felt something was there, they would go and see, perhaps with unexpected gains.
"Alright."
Since Xu Yi had spoken, Lu Zaiye said no more.
Shiliu and Muduan immediately carried the two of them and galloped towards the south.
Elsewhere in the Ten Thousand Monster Ridge.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang and others from the Beast Taming Sect also noticed the anomaly in the south.
Xiong Zhuangzhuang was extremely excited, his tiger-like eyes emitting a startling gleam.
"Elder..."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang looked expectantly at True Person Chi Yu.
They had gained nothing in the past year, which had increased Xiong Zhuangzhuang's anxiety.
This anomaly was likely his chance to find the Soul Returning Jade Fruit.
True Person Chi Yu frowned, somewhat hesitant. "The immense demonic energy reaching the sky is an ominous sign."
Upon hearing this, Xiong Zhuangzhuang's face turned pale, showing a struggle.
Just as he was about to request to go alone, the spiritual beast pouch on True Person Chi Yu's waist suddenly opened, and a high-pitched bird cry rang out.
The group's vision blurred as a massive bird beast appeared behind Elder Chi Yu. The beast was covered in red feathers, emitting a brilliant glow under the sunlight.
"True Person Hong Luan."
Xiong Zhuangzhuang and the other two bowed in unison.
This bird beast was True Person Chi Yu's contracted demonic beast, Hong Luan.
Elder Chi Yu looked helplessly at the bird beast behind him and asked, "Why have you come out?"
Hong Luan lowered its head and gently rubbed against True Person Chi Yu's body, making cooing sounds as if acting spoiled.
Yin Li, however, guessed something, and a hint of joy flashed in her narrow phoenix eyes.
As expected, True Person Chi Yu changed his mind.
"It's a mix of people and beasts there. You must not act rashly. Follow orders."
"Yes, your disciples obey." Xiong Zhuangzhuang and Yin Li quickly replied loudly.
Zhou Cheng was a step behind, his voice considerably more dejected compared to the other two.
In this past year, not only had he failed to win Yin Li's favor, but he had also inadvertently messed things up, and now Yin Li rarely spoke to him.
What made him even more miserable was that he constantly had to fight for his life within the Ten Thousand Monster Ridge, having already been in peril of falling into the mouths of demonic beasts several times.
He did not like this life of dancing on the edge of a knife.
But he dared not show it.
He felt he was on the verge of breaking.
Knowing how dangerous it would be there, why still risk it? Was the life of an animal more important than their own lives?
He roared and bellowed inwardly, even harboring resentment towards everyone present.
Just wait, one day I will become the sect leader of the Beast Taming Sect, and then none of you will have an easy time.
Deep within Zhou Cheng's eyes was a twisted sense of pleasure.