Chapter Forty-Six: The Azure Sect

“Little Mink, is someone hunting demon beasts?” Long Yun asked in a low voice, feeling a surge of unease in his heart. Anyone bold enough to set up a formation to slay an innate demon beast must belong to a formidable sect.

If it truly was another righteous sect, intervening would bring unnecessary trouble. At this moment, Long Yun felt rather vexed.

Little Mink nodded, his gaze growing ever more anxious.

“We’ll get closer and see what’s happening first,” Long Yun said to Chu Xuan and Little Mink.

At once, the two men and one beast cautiously approached the center of the battle. The nearer they drew, the more Long Yun sensed the formidable power of the formation.

Such commotion, yet none of the other innate demon beasts in the area had come to help, remaining unmoved outside. Long Yun pondered this and realized the reason: demon beasts possessed intelligence but were not as attuned to honor as humans, caring more for their own well-being. While this served them well, it ignored human greed.

Lost in thought, the trio stopped atop a large tree. Long Yun carefully suppressed his aura, releasing his sword intent to envelop Chu Xuan and Little Mink, then fixed his gaze ahead.

Directly in front lay a small lake, several hundred yards across. Its waters drew special attention; pitch-black like ink, they added a sense of mystery.

At this moment, a vast pale-blue net of light covered the entire lake. At the top of the net hovered a millstone-sized Taiji diagram, spinning rapidly and shedding rays of light that merged into the net.

Around the net stood eight figures. Long Yun stared intently; among them was one cultivator at the Returning Origin realm, five at the Bone Transformation realm, and two at the Embryonic realm.

“They’re from Azure Sect!” Long Yun silently deduced. Azure Sect was the most powerful among the hundred or so sects of the Green Mountain range.

They considered themselves the masters of Green Mountain. In fact, many smaller sects sent their talented disciples to Azure Sect, and entering Azure Sect was regarded as an honor.

Jade Sword Sect, though a mid-sized sect, was still inferior to Azure Sect. If not for Jade Sword’s ancient heritage and deep foundation, Azure Sect would hardly allow it to freely develop.

In less than three months, Azure Sect would host its Hunting Tournament. It seemed they were hunting an innate demon beast to once again outshine the other sects and claim first place.

Long Yun noticed that among the five Bone Transformation cultivators, one had not yet undergone the spirit bone replacement. Apparently, this hunt was meant for him.

Ordinarily, an innate demon beast would be more than a match for these eight. But they had the advantage of a formation, and the Taiji diagram above them was clearly a treasured artifact.

Given all this, it was no wonder Little Mink had sought Chu Xuan for help.

Beneath the net of light, a massive demon beast, over ten yards long, lay prone on the water’s surface. Its body was pitch-black, covered in scales that looked terrifying.

Its eyes, like bronze bells, blazed with furious anger, making it impossible to meet its gaze. Its huge maw issued endless, enraged roars, sending waves splashing across the lake.

“A Black Flood Dragon?” Long Yun frowned at the black beast. Black Flood Dragons were a type of dragon, bearing some divine dragon blood in their veins.

Yet its blood was not pure, a distant branch of the divine dragon line. Judging by its state, it had cultivated for many years.

Two round protrusions on its head were signs it might soon grow dragon horns. If it succeeded, it could break through the shackles of the innate realm and ascend as a true dragon.

“Great Spirit!” Chu Xuan could not help but cry out at the sight of the Black Flood Dragon.

Luckily, Long Yun had already isolated Chu Xuan and Little Mink from the outside world with his sword intent; otherwise, that cry would have given them away.

Long Yun marveled silently—this boy Chu Xuan was just an ordinary person with no cultivation. How could he know both the Black Flood Dragon and Little Mink?

The Black Flood Dragon, called Great Spirit by Chu Xuan, was currently bound by the formation, its body suspended over the water, another net below it, constantly tightening.

Once the net fully constricted, the Black Flood Dragon would be captured.

The beast was intelligent and knew its situation well. It had endured countless hardships in its cultivation, and soon it would grow dragon horns and become a true member of the dragon race.

But the Azure Sect cultivators clearly would not give it that chance. The formation pressed relentlessly, the net emitting waves of binding force, gradually lifting its enormous body.

With a roar, the Black Flood Dragon lashed its massive tail, shaking the net violently and relaxing its body, dropping back into the water.

“Senior Brother Cui, this beast’s cultivation is so strong. If this stalemate continues, it’ll be bad for us!” one Azure Sect disciple said urgently to the leader, Senior Brother Cui.

Senior Brother Cui frowned, pressing his hands down as his Returning Origin true energy poured ceaselessly into the Taiji diagram, sustaining the formation.

“We have no other choice. This beast is the strongest in the region. If we obtain its spirit bone, Junior Brother Ling Quan will become one of the elite among Bone Transformation cultivators,” Senior Brother Cui replied solemnly.

“Senior Brother Cui, perhaps we should give up. If other demon beasts are drawn here, we’ll be in danger. Ling Quan doesn’t want his senior brothers to get hurt for his sake!” said the Bone Transformation cultivator who had yet to undergo spirit bone replacement.

His name was Ling Quan, a genius disciple of Azure Sect and the hope of Senior Brother Cui’s lineage. With a six-aperture Condensing Qi cultivation, he was notable even among the major Central State sects.

This time, as he entered the Bone Transformation realm, Senior Brother Cui, acting on their master’s orders, brought him here to find a suitable spirit bone to replace his own.

Senior Brother Cui understood Ling Quan’s importance to their lineage, so he brought their master’s famous “Yin-Yang Diagram,” set up the formation, and sought to slay the innate Black Flood Dragon.

Yet the beast’s strength had exceeded his expectations. They had trapped it for a full hour, but despite repeated struggles, the Black Flood Dragon’s power had not waned.

This left them secretly anxious; their own consumption was considerable. If they failed to subdue the beast before their true energy was exhausted, when the formation dissipated, they would all become its prey.

Thinking of this, Senior Brother Cui gritted his teeth and said, “Brothers, we can’t stop now. We must subdue this beast, or else we will be the ones to die!”

The seven others nodded, gritting their teeth and pouring their true energy into the Yin-Yang Diagram. The net of light surged stronger, suppressing the Black Flood Dragon’s struggles.

The beast roared endlessly, its massive form writhing and contorting.

Senior Brother Cui frowned, spitting a mouthful of blood. The flying sword at his back shot forth, and once stained with blood, it glowed with a demonic light.

“Beast, let’s see how much longer you can last! Flying Sword Technique—go!” The sword sliced through the air, its sharp aura mingling with the net, slashing at the Black Flood Dragon.

The sword’s edge was unmatched; the beast’s huge body, trapped by the net, could not shrink, and was now plunged into crisis.

The dragon’s body was cut open by the flying sword, leaving a gaping wound three feet long. The scales curled back in terror, and black blood spurted out in torrents.

Little Mink squeaked frantically, its emotions clearly unstable.

“Brother, please, save Great Spirit!” Chu Xuan pleaded, worry written all over his face.

Long Yun spoke gravely, “It’s not that I don’t want to save your friend, but these people are all powerful—each stronger than I am. I’m alone and cannot match them.”

Hearing this, Chu Xuan’s gaze dimmed, deep disappointment welling in his eyes.

Long Yun could not bear it. He sighed, “But you needn’t worry. I may not be able to save Great Spirit right now, but I can find a way to help it escape the net’s restraints, at least for the moment.”