CHAPTER 523: CHAPTER 313: IT’S FEMALE

Whoosh——

Accompanied by a sharp whistle, a terrifying aura descended from the sky!

He felt a sudden shock in his heart, but upon sensing the sharp Sword Qi around his senior sister, he immediately understood that this must be her doing.

After saying goodbye to Ying Ling, he saw his senior sister already standing at the edge of a steep cliff, her whole being emanating Sword Qi as if she was summoning something.

Sure enough, in just half a moment, a blue flame appeared from afar like a meteoric fall, advancing at an extremely fast speed. Upon closer inspection, it was actually a Spiritual Beast!

"Senior Sister, you still have this trick up your sleeve?"

His expression was somewhat surprised.

The Spiritual Beast looked handsome yet strange, with wings and four legs, its whole body aflame, in a dark blue, dim fire. This was a creature he had never seen before.

It seemed neither like a dog nor a fox, nor a lion, with wings on its back, whose feathers were thick and sturdy, at least two feet in depth, and its body was as large as an elephant, over two meters in height, with wingspan as big as a two-story building.

In the blink of an eye, the Spiritual Beast arrived in front of the two, its four feet landing heavily, each wide and powerful paw black and blue, seemingly still burning fiercely, reminiscent of stepping on snow.

An elegant slow step brought it to a halt.

"Surprised, aren’t you."

Liu Tangxi extended her hand.

The giant head of the beast acted like a pet pleasing its owner, continuously rubbing against the woman’s palm, occasionally gazing at Jiang Feng curiously, sizing him up. Liu Tangxi’s hand passed straight through the invisible layer of dark blue flames; only then did Jiang Feng realize what the flame was.

"Is that Spiritual Energy?"

His eyes were filled with astonishment.

As the Spiritual Beast approached, it only took a slight observation to know it wasn’t an ordinary creature. The nearly boiling Spiritual Energy on its body was so dense that its physical form could barely contain it, hence why it constantly flowed out in this form.

In terms of sensing heaven and man, Unity of Heaven and Man, few can achieve this realm, but on the contrary, there are many Spiritual Beasts capable of reaching this realm.

Humans need to cultivate, to breathe and transform Spiritual Energy, but animals don’t need this; their bodies are innately suitable for such energy, like fish comfortably enduring immense pressure in the sea.

Jiang Feng has rarely interacted with Spiritual Beasts; the last formidable one he encountered was Yu Ying’s Amethyst Mandarin, roughly at the Nascent Soul Stage, but this one in front...

He doubted whether that madwoman could fight his senior sister’s Spiritual Beast.

"Its name is Ao Qing."

The palm continuously stroked the beast’s chin. It willingly lowered its head, letting Liu Tangxi stroke its chin, displaying a comfortable expression as cute as a cat.

"Decades ago, I ventured into the mundane world with my sword and met it within the Demon Race territory."

"Back then, it was still young, only as big as a lean horse. At that time, I had some insights into the Sword Dao and stayed at a cave mansion for a few days. Subsequently, I found it hiding inside, covered in wounds, likely having escaped from its clan."

"Ao Qing possesses the bloodline of the ancient exotic beast, the Zhenshan E’, as well as ancestry from the Seven-tailed Spirit Fox. It seemed to be the descendant of the two clans."

"While residing in its Cave Mansion, I naturally took care to protect it. Since the clan couldn’t accept it, I did."

"After its injuries healed, it chose to journey with me, improving its strength swiftly. Its talent was decent, so I brought it back to the sect."

"Strictly speaking, it joined Swordmaster Peak earlier than you."

He wasn’t too surprised.

This situation wasn’t uncommon. Many cultivators knew their Spiritual Beasts from a young age, and their relationships weren’t of master-servant, but rather akin to allies, friends, or brothers.

There are certainly many who share life-and-death camaraderie.

When humans encounter invincible opponents, Spiritual Beasts choose to act. Conversely, when something happens to the beasts, humans need to help resolve it, which constitutes a cooperative relationship.

The Spiritual Beast named "Ao Qing" before him clearly belonged to the type Liu Tangxi raised from youth, resembling more of a familial bond.

"Then why did I not see it before? I’ve been in the mountains for three years, haven’t I?"

"Because it was advancing in its realm, previously always training with the ancestor in the Purple Cloud Mountain Forbidden Land."

His eyes widened.

But he immediately realized that the ancestor his senior sister referred to wasn’t a person, but another Exotic Beast.

The sect badge of the Purple Cloud Palace features cloud patterns and a beast’s head, which belonged to the childhood playmate of the founding ancestor, the old ox that accompanied them everywhere!

No, it’s now referred to as "Ancestor Kui Ox."

The expression showed some astonishment, worthy of his senior sister and Swordmaster Peak, even the Spiritual Beast was so exceptional. Liu Tangxi didn’t linger much, directly leaping onto the back of her Spiritual Beast.

Then she nodded.

"Can I go up?"

Pointing to himself with a face full of surprise.

Usually, whenever the senior sister left, she vanished immediately. He had always traveled by foot, never expecting his senior sister to suddenly be so generous today!?

"Why not."

"You are my junior brother, it considers you a fellow disciple, taking you along for a ride is no harm, unless you’re worried Xiao Qing might be unhappy."

"Rest assured, although Xiao Qing’s Spiritual Energy is wild and unrestrained, extremely dominant, its temperament is gentle and harmonious, quite generous, occasionally playful but never crosses the line."

"Moreover, previously, having you travel was to train your foundation. Your cultivation time is too short; though you’ve touched the threshold of Unity of Heaven and Man, ultimately it’s expedited, hence why I have you mobilize Spiritual Energy at all times, to fully adapt."