The giant bull, which had been in a state of blind rage, suddenly stopped the moment it reached Chi Ming.
Its knees buckled, and it knelt right there in front of Chi Ming.
Blue Ling’er was stunned by this turn of events, and Chi Ming’s blade did not descend further.
“Second Senior Sister, what is this…” Chi Ming had never encountered a situation like this, and she looked at Blue Ling’er in a moment of confusion.
Blue Ling’er approached the giant bull cautiously and examined the state of the massive creature.
There was no doubt that the Rot Qi permeating the air was emanating from its body. It still possessed plenty of power within it, yet by kneeling before Chi Ming, it had truly discarded all its defenses.
Blue Ling’er looked into its eyes.
In those clouded orbs, it seemed as if a final glimmer of consciousness remained. It was looking at Chi Ming with a pleading gaze, as if it were hoping to be killed by her.
“I understand now.” Blue Ling’er said after a moment of thought, “It must have been tortured by this Rot Qi for a long time and is hoping for release.”
“But… why choose me?” Chi Ming asked, perplexed. “If it wanted to seek release, why did it attack the humans who came to subjugate it?”
“Perhaps… it was your Fire Phoenix Bloodline, Little Junior Sister, that allowed it to regain a final shred of sanity,” Blue Ling’er said. “It kneeling before you, submitting to you, and requesting release is the best proof of that.”
Upon hearing this, Chi Ming looked at the giant bull and realized it was indeed looking at her with an expectant gaze.
“I understand.” Chi Ming nodded, and with a complex expression, she raised her blade.
In the next instant, she struck, ending the giant bull’s life.
Once the corrupted giant bull received its release, the Rot Qi in the air gradually dissipated, but the surrounding environment had already become ruined and would never return to its original state.
Blue Ling’er walked up to the giant bull and saw a soul essence drop from its remains, though it was already filthy and corrupted.
Seeing this, Chi Ming walked forward and asked curiously, “Second Senior Sister, what is this?”
“This is the soul essence of a monster beast,” Blue Ling’er explained.
“Monster beasts can cultivate by absorbing the Sky and Earth Spiritual Qi to take on human form.”
“The soul essence they drop upon death is an extremely pure concentration of Spiritual Qi that human cultivators can absorb to increase their cultivation. It is a pity that this one’s soul essence has been completely corrupted.”
“So this is what a soul essence is.”
Chi Ming remarked with emotion, “I heard that a hundred years ago, it was because human cultivators frequently invaded the lands of foreign tribes, hunting monster beasts to extract their soul essence, that the relationship between humans and foreign tribes deteriorated, eventually leading to a great war.”
“It is true that humans hunted monster beasts wantonly, and it is also true that foreign tribes attacked humans; the escalation of their conflict was inevitable.”
Blue Ling’er crossed her arms and said with some confusion, “I heard that before the leader of the foreign tribes led the clans away from the Sixteen States, they announced that there were still many monster beasts inhabiting secret realms that could not be taken along.”
“But a secret realm is called a secret realm precisely because it is a place humans cannot easily reach. As long as humans did not go to the secret realms to disturb those monster beasts, both sides could live in peace.”
“If that is the case… then how did this big guy appear in the depths of such an ordinary forest? And… why was it eroded by that strange Rot Qi?” Chi Ming looked at the carcass of the giant bull at her feet, her heart filled with doubt.
“That is not something we need to worry about,” Blue Ling’er shook her head. “Little Junior Sister, let’s head back.”
The two then left the forest and notified the members of the Qingyun Alliance and the Xingyue Alliance that the monster beast had been dealt with and that its soul essence had been contaminated.
“The monster beast has been suppressed. Thank you both for your assistance; we will handle the follow-up investigation.”
Tang Qingwei cupped his hands and bowed to Blue Ling’er and Chi Ming. “This is truly a mystery… I understand, thank you both.”
Blue Ling’er and Chi Ming did not stay any longer. They went to the Xingyue Alliance to bid farewell to Fang Xiaoyu, then boarded a high-quality carriage prepared for them by Fang Xiaoyu and set off on their journey back to Among the Colorful Clouds.
The Wind Spirit carriage flew over Mingyue City. When the citizens saw it, they waved to the sky, greeting Yu Yi. The city remained in a state of peace and harmony.
Upon returning to Among the Colorful Clouds, Huang Doudou rushed to the foot of the mountain without stopping to welcome them.
“This disciple welcomes Master back,” Huang Doudou performed a formal bow.
Yu Yi glanced at the little one, thinking that she was likely planning to report her task completion before asking for a reward.
“I arranged for you to collect intelligence; did you have any findings?” Yu Yi asked.
“Although I haven’t received any news regarding the Demon Sect recently, I have gathered some more important information,” Huang Doudou said excitedly.
“I heard that recently there have been strange phenomena between the Sky and Earth, and news of monster beasts appearing and rioting has spread across all states. This is a rare opportunity!”
“A rare opportunity?”
“Yes, Master! As long as we get there before everyone else and successfully subjugate the monster beasts to take the soul essence they drop, absorbing just one is equivalent to a week of cultivation!”
Hearing this, some memories surfaced in Yu Yi’s mind.
Absorbing the soul essence of monster beasts could help a cultivator increase their cultivation and improve their physical constitution. It was not just an “experience book,” but also a “potent supplement.”
Yu Yi understood why Huang Doudou was so excited.
She crossed her arms, glared at Huang Doudou, and said softly, “Doudou, are you trying to get me to fetch you some soul essence to help you improve your cultivation, so you can be lazier during your daily practice?”
Huang Doudou put her hands behind her back, her gaze darting around as she whistled and said, “H-how could that be? This disciple absolutely does not have such opportunistic thoughts…”
As she spoke, a drop of sweat rolled down her face.
“The reward I prepared for you is canceled!”
“Eh!? No! Don’t do that, Master, wuu wuu wuu—”
Yu Yi ignored Huang Doudou’s wailing for now as she began planning in her heart.
There was one thing that had been bothering her for a long time.
The Slanted Sword Immortal, the third disciple of the Sword Pavilion she had met in Cangzhou, was at the Grandmaster level; among the seven saint apostles of the Demon Sect she had eliminated in Yuanzhou, several had cultivation equivalent to that of a Grandmaster.
She, the honorable master of Among the Colorful Clouds and a Demoness who made the world tremble, had disciples who were all solely at the Wang level, with not a single Grandmaster among them—save for that mysterious eldest one!
Although her disciples all possessed Heavenly Rank treasures and were not ordinary Wangs, a Wang was still not a Grandmaster.
This made Yu Yi feel slightly embarrassed.
‘I really need to cultivate a Grandmaster…’ Yu Yi thought silently, beginning to weigh the suitable candidates.
Just as she was thinking, a familiar voice came from behind her.
“Is Master just returning?”
“Master, we have returned.”
Turning around, she saw that it was Blue Ling’er and Chi Ming.
Yu Yi’s gaze immediately fell upon Blue Ling’er, a flash of inspiration hit her, and she blurted out, “Ling’er, it’s decided that it will be you!”
Blue Ling’er was stunned for a moment: “Hm?”
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