Chapter 157: Manic Fire Spirit Rabbit

With the noble intention of saving the common people, Qing Xi lowered his voice and said to the old grand elder Xia Yan, "Senior, the current mountain-guarding spirit beast must be in an unowned state, right?"

"You... how do you know?"

Xia Yan widened his eyes and glared discontentedly at Xia Dang, assuming he must have leaked the information.

"Never mind how I know for now. I have a solution. Whether you want to try it or not depends entirely on your decision."

Qing Xi rolled his eyes, thinking to himself what time it was to still be fussing over such trivial matters.

Since the founding of the Herb Sect, at least a thousand years must have passed.

The mountain-guarding spirit beast belonged to the founding patriarch, and that patriarch had been dead for over a millennium, yet the spirit beast was still alive and well. This indicated that before the patriarch passed away, he must have dissolved the master-servant contract with the mountain-guarding spirit beast.

Otherwise, upon the death of the Herb Sect's patriarch, the spirit beast would surely have suffered a severe backlash. Even if it survived, its cultivation would have regressed.

Yet right now, not only had the mountain-guarding spirit beast's cultivation not regressed, but it was also on the verge of a bloodline metamorphosis, which naturally proved the point.

In Qing Xi's view, anyone with even a sliver of experience could guess that the mountain-guarding spirit beast was currently unowned. The only reason it continued to guard the Herb Sect must have been out of gratitude or a similar sentiment.

"Little friend Qing Xi, this is no time for joking. Are you certain your method will actually work?" Although Xia Yan was filled with anticipation, for the sake of the spirit beast's safety, he had to remain cautious.

"There is absolutely no problem."

Determination and sincerity were written all over Qing Xi's face.

This was the optimal solution derived after using the scanning function and spending several thousand points of Five Elements Origin Essence. Even Pipi Zhu had assured him of success.

Qing Xi believed that if even this method failed, it would be utterly impossible for anyone else to save the mountain-guarding spirit beast.

"What method?"

Seeing him so resolute, Xia Yan chose to trust him.

"Spirit beast master-subjugation!"

Without wasting words, Qing Xi stated the best method the system could currently deduce.

Upon hearing this, not only was Xia Yan stunned, but even Ye Wuyou and the others were taken aback.

This was a spirit beast that had lived for thousands of years, possessing terrifying strength. Across the entire Yunchuan Prefecture, it easily ranked among the top ten on the surface.

To make it submit and take it as a master—how difficult would that be?

Besides, among everyone present, who was even qualified to become the master of the mountain-guarding spirit beast?

"Little friend, even if this old man is willing, the mountain-guarding spirit beast is currently surrounded by violent fire-attribute spiritual Qi. Who dares to approach it?" Xia Yan faltered a little.

Although he was in the same realm as the mountain-guarding spirit beast, he had been bullied by it quite a few times since childhood. The others had it even worse; normally, they weren't even qualified to approach the Spirit Beast Hall.

Only Xia Huanyan was occasionally summoned by the mountain-guarding spirit beast, which had always been a marvel to behold.

"You may not be able to approach it, but among those present, Alchemist Xia Huanyan possesses the rare Superior Fire Spirit Physique. With the wholehearted support of everyone here, she can get close to the mountain-guarding spirit beast and complete the master-subjugation."

"In fact, within the current Herb Sect, she is the only one qualified to win the recognition of the mountain-guarding spirit beast," Qing Xi hurriedly added.

The system's deduction result indicated that it required someone with a Fire Spirit Physique, and the grade had to reach at least the superior tier, just to barely withstand the immense pressure.

At present, the only person with a Superior Fire Spirit Physique was Xia Huanyan.

Although the process might be agonizing, once successful, the benefits she would reap would be immense.

Hearing Qing Xi's words, the others were still hesitating, but the Elder Matriarch Xia suddenly spoke out: "It's settled then. Huanyan is the most talented alchemist of our Herb Sect's younger generation. If she can gain the recognition of the mountain-guarding spirit beast, her future achievements will surely not fall short of the founding patriarch's."

Boom!

Right at that moment, the mountain-guarding spirit beast erupted with violent flames, crushing the entire hall into fine powder.

Xia Yan instantly panicked. Slapping his thigh, he declared, "Let's do it! Everyone, please lend your full cooperation. Once this is accomplished, my Herb Sect will definitely not treat you unfairly."

Hearing this, the sect leaders of the various major factions became as excited as if they had been injected with chicken blood.

Supporting the Herb Sect was initially done under the orders of the Purple Firmament Gate, but to a greater extent, it was for the sake of the rewards promised by the Herb Sect.

"What should we do?"

"Suppress the blazing flames first and protect Alchemist Xia Huanyan so she can get within three zhang of the mountain-guarding spirit beast." Qing Xi originally wanted to say ten meters, but the cultivation world lacked this unit of measurement, so he immediately corrected himself.

"Alright, I ask everyone to make your move together!"

Xia Yan took the lead, executing exquisite fire-control techniques to suppress the raging flames. Ye Wuyou also flicked his silver sword, suspending it in mid-air to guard against any accidents.

"Attack!"

The leaders of the major factions, along with the alchemists of the Herb Sect above the Spirit Gang Realm, all exerted their strength. The combined force surpassed that of a half-step Heavenly Mystery realm expert.

Although it still fell short of a true Heavenly Mystery king, it was remarkably close.

The flames were parted to both sides. Qing Xi nodded at Xia Huanyan, and together they withstood the pressure, walking close to the slumbering mountain-guarding spirit beast.

Looking at the figure lying in the deep crater, Qing Xi immediately activated his reading function.

[Category: Spirit Beast]
[Name: Fire Spirit Rabbit]
[Status: Slumbering, Frantic]
[Note: The spirit beast contract state has been dissolved. Its bloodline is about to undergo a metamorphosis, but an imbalance has occurred. The optimal solution is to have a Qi cultivator with a Superior Fire Spirit Physique or higher take it as a master, sharing the pressure and maintaining balance.]

*What the hell, it's actually a rabbit? Am I being played with here?*

Qing Xi was dumbfounded.

When he had previously used the scanning function, he knew the mountain-guarding spirit beast resembled a rabbit, but he hadn't entertained the thought in that direction.

In his mind, how could a dignified spirit beast possibly be a rabbit!

Yet now, looking at the detailed information, he finally believed the saying: the cultivation world is so vast that anything can happen!

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that this sturdy rabbit, as tall as an adult human, was actually the Herb Sect's renowned mountain-guarding spirit beast.

"Fellow Daoist Qing Xi, what should we do?"

Xia Huanyan was pushing her Fire Spirit Physique to the limit just to barely resist the residual heatwaves. Her delicate brows were furrowed, and her red dress fluttered violently in the scorching wind, snapping loudly.

"First, I need a drop of blood..."

Qing Xi explained everything smoothly, leaving out no details during the process.

As a genius alchemist, Xia Huanyan was exceptionally clever. She understood as soon as she heard it, and cautiously followed the instructions.

"Such majestic fire-attribute primordial Qi! This old man can't hold on much longer!"

The leader of the Crimson Flame Sect trembled all over, his internal Gang Qi continuously gushing out to suppress the frantic aura.

Qiu Mingzi had beads of hot sweat seeping from his forehead as he roared.

"Even if you can't hold on, you must hold on!"

Over a hundred meters away, Qi cultivators whose cultivation was below the Spirit Gang Realm were looking on as spectators.

Xia Dang wore a nervous expression, pacing back and forth in place.

The Dragon Horse and the Little Vajra Ape blinked their large eyes with expressions of pure curiosity.

Mu Yue looked at this scene, always feeling as though she had seen it somewhere before. Yet the more she tried to recall, the more her head ached as if it were about to split open, a pained expression appearing on her pretty face.

"Junior Sister, are you alright?"

Wang Shuiling supported her, asking with concern.

"I... I'm fine."

Mu Yue shook her head.

As her cultivation improved, she discovered that some of her memories were slowly surfacing.

Somewhere in the distant unknown, it seemed as though something ethereal was calling out to her.