In actuality, that Elder Moye had successfully broken into the Foundation Stage in the first place was largely due to luck. Not only had his base been unstable, but he broke through purely by chance; his foundation wasn’t just blue, it was considered low quality even for a blue foundation. Fang Xing, on the other hand, had formed a foundation that was nearly purple, and its intrinsic quality was many times greater than Moye’s—even with the demon spirit’s contamination, the difference between the two was like heaven and earth.

　　Furthermore, Elder Moye’s belief that Fang Xing was still in in Spirit Stage played a large part as well, causing him to use only fifty percent of his battle prowess. Considering how careless his approach was, it wasn’t all too surprising for him to be sent flying by Fang Xing’s slap.

　　Just as Fang Xing was working through his confusion, he heard a loud growl settle over him. “Boy, you’re finally out. I have been waiting for you….” Those words belonged to Ying Shihou, who was coming towards him lightning fast to send a palm strike his way. The image of the Nine-Headed Lion manifested over Ying Shihou’s head, and the strength contained in his mighty palm was powerful enough to cover a thirty-foot radius in its force.

　　Fang Xing was startled by such a thng. “F*ck, Foundation Stage tier five. Gotta run….” He was still rather fearful towards this mid-Foundation Stage sect master from the Myriad Beasts Sect, and when he saw this palm strike moving closer, Fang Xing immediately shook his head before a pair of golden wings appeared and he flew off into the distance.

　　Ying Shihou’s attack struck only air, causing him some surprise at how fast the boy was. He still desired to uncover the secrets the boy had learned from the Qingqiu Tomb, however, so he didn’t intend to let the boy go so easily. He released a loud roar and began chasing after Fang Xing, taking advantage of his incredible speed from being in the mid-Foundation Stage as well as mounted on a cloud.

　　Although Fang Xing himself hadn’t studied the technique of using clouds to fly and could only use his golden wings, his speed was still not slow. The Hundred and Eight Thousand Swords had originated from a secret skill of the Peng clan to be used for flying, and the results were rather obvious.

　　One fleeing, one chasing, it didn’t take long before this pair had flown over three thousand miles. Although Ying Shihou began to close in on Fang Xing, he still hadn’t managed to catch him.

　　Fang Xing was feeling rather miserable. Just as he lamented how he wasn’t going to be able to escape from this, a strange voice rose up from the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits Fang Xing had wrapped around him, “It’s a mere mid-Foundation Stage; what the hell are you running for?”

　　“But I can’t beat him…” Fang Xing responded, dumbstruck.

　　Initially speechless, the Peng King replied, “You think this Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits is only just for show?”

　　Fang Xing hesitated, but he stopped when he realized how much sense it made. “Not gonna run away anymore. Let’s get him!”

　　Fang Xing had only just recently formed his foundation; he hadn’t fought with anyone yet, and he also couldn’t estimate the battle prowess of his current opponent. He was being overly cautious, and when he saw this mid-Foundation Stage Ying Shihou come after him, his subconscious had urged him to run. It wasn’t until the Peng King’s reminder that he realized there was no need for him to be scared of Ying Shihou. Although he’d only recently formed his foundation, it didn’t necessarily mean he didn’t have a chance for victory if he had the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits in hand.

　　When Ying Shihou saw Fang Xing had stopped, he flourished his sleeves and solemnly declared, “Boy, it is best you give up now. I have questions to ask of you; I do not wish to take your life!”

　　“Haha…” Fang Xing laughed without answering before waving the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits. “Bite him, Old Peng…” he commanded.

　　With a wave of the flag, black clouds began to appear and blot out half the sky. A countless number of beasts could be seen hidden amongst these smog-like clouds as they poured towards Ying Shihou.

　　A ten-foot-tall golden Peng bird was on prominent display as it floated within this pack of black clouds. It swam amidst the waves as vicious and powerful as a hungry shark, giving off a chilling sensation. This Peng bird was formed by the Peng King’s True Spirit, with a power so impressive it could even startle the heavens.

　　Despite his current viciousness towards the enemy, the Peng King didn’t forget to loudly yell back at Fang Xing, “Little bastard, I am still a proud beast king. Be careful what you say….”

　　Fang Xing chuckled. “I will remember it for next time…. Old Peng, get him!”

　　Although Fang Xing was speaking in a relaxed manner, Ying Shihou’s expression fell as the black clouds came sprawling towards him; the clouds were so strange and mysterious that even he felt a chill down his spine. With a loud roar, he activated his beast spirit and the manifestation of a nine-headed lion appeared above his head, as large as a small mountain. All nine heads opened their mouths in unison before releasing a roar filled with power towards that black cloud.

　　The Nine-Headed Lion’s ability: Lion Roar of the Devoured Heaven!

　　The sound waves crashed forward, pushing the clouds out of the way. The roar traveled over the sky, causing gusts of hurricane wind to sweep across in its wake.

　　The Peng King showed a cold smile from within the black clouds. “Hehe, using the techniques of the beast spirits of our beast tribes for your cultivation—this discipline of yours is very interesting!” Its body suddenly grew three times larger until it wasn’t much smaller than the Nine-Headed Lion, and he suddenly spread open his wings before thrusting his sword-like feathers forward. When the lion’s roar and the feathered swords collided, both actually canceled each other out in an instant, and the area of collision was filled with black smoke that flew in all directions. The smoke disrupted the wind and clouds as it covered up the sky, filling it with chaos.

　　The Peng King’s voice rose up from the darkness, his words exceptionally potent and awe-inspiring. “To overlap your body with the beast spirit and borrow its powers to use their abilities is rather ingenious. If someone ordinary met you, they’d probably be at a great disadvantage; in front of me, however, you just so happen to be restrained. This beast spirit, I’ll take it instead….”

　　Fang Xing was overjoyed to hear so much confidence in the Peng King’s voice, and he contemplated on how this Peng King must have been a rather vile person in the past. Those words—”I’ll take it instead”—had been spoken so naturally and casually, it was clear the Peng King had definitely done the same many times before.

　　After colliding head-on with the Peng King, Ying Shihou was left extremely surprised—the Nine-Headed Lion that had never failed him before had actually been ineffective. He started to pour Qi without restraint and madly activated the Nine-Headed Lion spirit once more to fight against the black smoke, no longer caring about Fang Xing whatsoever by now. Even a mid-Foundation Stage cultivator would begin to feel less capable than he’d wish once he was surrounded by hundreds of beast spirits in a dangerous situation.

　　Most terrifying of all was the large Peng bird inside the black cloud, whose battle prowess was so great as to inspire awe.

　　Logically speaking, Ying Shihou had studied the beast spirit of the Nine-Headed Lion for nearly a hundred years, and the battle prowess he was able to display was indeed much greater than the recently crafted Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits, which hadn’t received even a drop of blood in sacrifice yet. Since the flag had the monstrous Peng King as its central control, however, its total battle prowess was multiplied, and Ying Shihou even vaguely sensed he wasn’t able to contend against it—all he could do was pour everything he had just to resist.

　　During Ying Shihou’s moment of panic, The Peng King quietly sent Fang Xing a message: “Kid, this person’s battle prowess isn’t bad at all. We haven’t received a blood sacrifice and so have limited power; truthfully, we’re not strong enough to be his opponent right now. Fortunate for us, he’s studied the techniques of the beast spirits, putting him at a disadvantage against the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits. We’re able to ward him off for now, but if we continue on like this, I’m afraid we’ll reach a stalemate; you need to help out as well so we can subdue him together. That nine-headed lion spirit inside of him is actually a Budding Soul Stage beast spirit of an ancient beast race, and now that we’ve run into it, we cannot let it go. We must take its spirit seal and add it to our flag….” It seemed this old man didn’t have all the confidence he seemed to have.

　　“Well, I thought I wouldn’t have to lift a finger….” Fang Xing clicked his tongue and disdainfully replied, “Not that I’m scolding you, but you’re a Golden Core Stage beast king yet you can’t even defeat a mid-Foundation Stage. Do you even know the meaning of shame?”

　　The Peng King felt flames of fury begin to burn within. “I was of the Golden Core Stage when I had my physical body, but the me right now is nothing more than a single strand of spirit… and without a blood sacrifice, too. You’re about borrow the power of the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits to ensnare a mid-Foundation Stage cultivator, so what are you unsatisfied with? You need to know that if someone else was in command of an Ancient weapon like this flag, they’d need to supply their own blood essence as a catalyst and use up their own cultivation level. Since I’ve been stationed inside this flag with you as the main controller and me as the driver, I’ve saved you so much trouble, so how dare you….”

　　“Alright, alright, pay attention to when I join in. It’ll be so easy.” Ignoring the nonstop pestering of the Peng King, Fang Xing sneakily made his way towards Ying Shihou’s back, who was concentrating on the fight with the beast spirits and had his focus elsewhere. Fang Xing spat some saliva into his hands, took the Phoenix-Fear Zither from his back, and dashed forward as fast as lightning with both of his hands gripping the narrow end.

　　After reaching a certain mastery with the Hundred and Eight Thousand Swords, Fang Xing’s speed between short distances was incredible. Ying Shihou also didn’t have time to worry about anything else, so Fang Xing was able to successfully sneak behind him before he tightened his grip on the zither and swung it towards the back of Ying Shihou’s head.

　　A high-quality Ancient weapon was being used like a large club.

　　Although Ying Shihou realized someone was attacking him from behind while he was immersed in his fight against the beast spirits, he wasn’t able to react in time. He felt a strong jolt against the back of his head, the whack knocking him into a daze that halted the connection between him and the Nine-Headed Lion beast spirit as well. The Peng King let out a loud laugh as a countless number of his beast spirits rushed forward in a wave, covering Ying Shihou within.

　　“How’s this? It’s this whack of mine that was more effective, right?” Fang Xing proudly asked while settling the Phoenix-Fear Zither against his shoulder.

　　The Peng King, on the other hand, was effectively rendered speechless.

　　This had been the Peng King’s very first battle after so many years, but he hadn’t expected to have so much trouble defeating someone who was only in the mid of Foundation Stage. It was even someone whose main discipline was restrained by the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits, yet the Peng King had only won because of this boy’s intervention. This might have been fine on its own, but the boy hadn’t used any of his battle prowess and simply whacked him with a stick.

　　Was this not trying to make him look bad on purpose?

　　The Peng King spitefully kicked Ying Shihou, venting his frustration on him instead. “Go, suppress him and force him to move the Nine-Headed Lion spirit onto the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits!” He’d had actually taken a fancy to Ying Shihou’s Nine-Headed Lion spirit after noticing it was the spirit of an ancient Budding Soul Stage beast paragon.

　　In principle, the Nine-Headed Lion Ying Shihou used wasn’t any different from the beast spirits contained in the Flag of Ten Thousand Spirits. The Myriad Beasts Sect had used whatever methods they could to become one with their beast spirit and incorporate it into their discipline, passing it down through the generations while refining it into their own spirit sense. In this manner, not only were they able to use some of the special abilities this Nine-Headed Lion had in its former life, they’d also receive some of the secrets of the beast race hidden within the lion’s spirit sense. This was indeed a very interesting and clever method, one the Peng King was rather intrigued and interested in studying.

　　Of course, the other reason was that the Peng King was the main spirit of the flag, and adding the seal of this beast spirit was akin to adding another Budding Soul Stage subordinate—it would increase their battle prowess overall.

　　“If you’re smart, give me the seal of this Nine-Headed Lion!” Fang Xing commanded viciously while closing in, as though mugging the man.