Feng Qingran’s almond-shaped eyes swept across the area, her gaze settling on two winged dragons, one yellow and one black.
She walked up to the two of them, a bright smile on her face. “Could I ask you two for a favor?”
“At your service,” Old Huang said eagerly.
Feng Qingran retrieved a porcelain bottle from her sleeve.
Instantly, countless pairs of eyes fixed intently upon it.
Taotie was so exaggerated that drool began to drip from its mouth.
It scurried over to Feng Qingran. “Sluuurp… What can those two weaklings do?! Let me handle it!”
Feng Qingran shook her head firmly. “This task isn’t suitable for you.”
Remembering the fragrance it had once caught a whiff of, Taotie pleaded persistently, “Just give it to me, and I’ll form a master-servant contract with you. Wouldn’t that put your mind at ease?”
The other fierce beasts thought: Truly, Taotie lives up to its name—selling itself for just a single bottle of pills!
“Alright, as long as you don’t regret it,” Feng Qingran replied cheerfully, her eyes sparkling.
Taotie immediately offered a drop of its essence blood.
The drop flew toward Feng Qingran and hovered above her open palm.
Gulp!—
All around, swallowing sounds rose and fell in waves.
This drop of essence blood was the core of Taotie’s power. If one could swallow it, Taotie would become completely obedient…
Many fierce beasts grew restless, their desires stirring.
“Hurry up! If they pounce, we’ll all be done for,” Taotie urged, seeing Feng Qingran remain motionless.
“I’m giving you a chance to reconsider,” Feng Qingran said calmly, completely unfazed by the fierce beasts’ burning stares.
Taotie grew even more anxious. “I won’t regret it!”
It was just pledging allegiance. Once it got the bottle, it would have plenty of ways to make Feng Qingran dissolve the contract herself.
While the human and the beast were talking, Qiongqi and Hundun could no longer stay put.
Exchanging a glance, the two beasts charged toward Feng Qingran, one after the other, targeting the drop of Taotie’s essence blood in her hand.
Feng Qingran’s beautiful eyes shifted slightly, but she showed no intention of dodging.
Just as Qiongqi and Hundun were about to pounce on her—
“Get out of the way!” Taotie shouted. Those two troublemakers were always trying to pull a sneak attack.
Bang!—
Bang!—
The moment Qiongqi and Hundun were about to reach Feng Qingran, a powerful force blasted them away, sending them crashing heavily to the ground.
Panic spread among the fierce beasts—they had sensed Qi’s aura!
So that was why Feng Qingran had been so fearless all along. The one backing her was Qi.
But why would Qi suddenly help Feng Qingran?
Yet, no beast dared to voice the question. They felt relieved they hadn’t attacked Feng Qingran.
At the same time, a sense of foreboding washed over them…
If Qi had been nearby the whole time, then hadn’t he heard all their earlier curses about him being poisoned?
“Everyone, don’t worry. Qi is only here to ensure I don’t get hurt. He won’t harm you,” Feng Qingran reassured the agitated beasts.
Only then did Feng Qingran offer a drop of her own blood.
The two drops of blood merged in her palm.
Instantly, a strange formation materialized on the ground, enveloping both Feng Qingran and Taotie.
The formation was inscribed with various complex runes, and an ancient aura began to spread.
“Holy—! That’s an Ancient Contract Formation! How does Feng Qingran know this?!” Great Phoenix exclaimed. The Ancient Contract Formation was created by the goddess Nüwa specifically to deal with fierce beasts.
“An Ancient Formation? How is that possible? Weren’t all ancient formations destroyed in that great battle…”
“Ah! Taotie is done for now. It’ll be under Feng Qingran’s control forever…”
“Impossible! How could an ant like Feng Qingran wield an Ancient Contract Formation?” Skeptical voices were quickly drowned out.
“Good thing I was smart and didn’t agree to form a contract with Feng Qingran…”
…
Suddenly, Taowu thought of that scroll.
It glanced at the shrewd Yingzhao. Both beasts’ eyes darkened with the same ominous premonition!
They might have been tricked by Feng Qingran!
Beasts born of heaven and earth feared no heavenly laws, which was why they dared to wreak havoc, act without restraint, and ignore karma.
The Ancient Formations, however, were created by sages and emperors before ancient times specifically to restrain them.
But everything related to Ancient Formations should have been destroyed during the War of the Gods…
It was also around that time that the cultivation world suffered a discontinuity.
With the destruction of various cultivation techniques and resources, it became nearly impossible for cultivators across the three thousand realms to ascend…
Pill refining, artifact forging, formations, talismans… Nearly all paths of cultivation had vanished.
One could say that the techniques, spells, and artifacts used by cultivators today were all garbage in their eyes.
Taowu whispered, “Yingzhao, do you think the thing Feng Qingran has was given to her by Qi?”
Yingzhao’s eyes were deep and thoughtful. “If Qi truly possessed such a thing, why would he willingly remain trapped in the Ten Directions Domain?”
“There’s another strange point: How can Feng Qingran activate an Ancient Formation? At most, a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s sea of consciousness is only as vast as a city, right?”
“Remember the formation she used in the Mountain of Blades and Sea of Flames? I’ve been suspicious ever since then. There’s definitely something odd about Feng Qingran,” Yingzhao said gravely.
After a moment of recollection, Taowu’s eyes widened in shock. “Yingzhao, that green lotus Feng Qingran conjured… It reminds me of the Primordial Green Lotus that those mysterious ones have been searching for…”
“That can’t be! The Primordial Green Lotus split into five parts long ago, scattered across the three thousand realms. Besides, Feng Qingran’s lotus looked very ordinary…” Yingzhao’s pupils contracted slightly, a look of astonishment crossing its face.
Yingzhao knew of the mysterious ones Taowu mentioned.
Before entering the Ten Directions Domain, it had encountered them.
They were incredibly powerful—even Yingzhao itself didn’t dare let its guard down against them.
No one knew which faction these mysterious individuals belonged to.
But anyone who had crossed paths with them knew they were searching for a mystical green lotus.
