The Yi Family.

　　“Sect Master Shen, Supremacy Lonemoon.” Yi Feng greeted from afar, smiling earnestly, “Sorry for not being able to welcome you, the trip must have been tiring.”

　　“Hello!” Shen Ying waved her hand too.

　　“Why don’t I see Supremacy Yi Qing?” Yi Feng looked behind them and asked inquisitively.

　　“He is in seclusion.” Lonemoon replied.

　　“So that’s what happened.” Yi Feng nodded, “I have not thanked the two Supremacies for saving my life previously at the Immortal Ascension Pagoda.”

　　“Family Master, you are too kind.” Lonemoon smiled more politely, “We are righteous and established sects. We ought to help one another in times of need.”

　　Both praised each other politely for a while before Yi Feng stepped to the side and brought them to the entrance of the mountainous area. Unlike the other three aristocratic families, the Yi Family’s main house was not in the Immortal City. Instead, the Yi Family resembled the average sects in this respect. Their sect was formed with several floating peaks. The moment they entered the mountainous area, they heard the sound of many different beasts.”

　　Yi Feng led the two toward the main peak. All the disciples that he met on the way were surrounded by one or two unique spirit beasts. Umm… I wonder how they taste?

　　After they arrived at the main peak’s hall, a few disciples served them tea and spirit fruits. Shen Ying’s eyes finally brightened up as she concentrated on eating her fruits. After a few months of having pig’s feed, even fruits seemed like a delicacy.

　　“Sect Master Shen, please!” Yi Feng suddenly stood up and said.

　　“Ah?” She faltered then continued eating in concentration, not listening to what they were saying.

　　“Sect Master Shen also has expertise in spirit beasts. Might I suggest that one of my disciples show you around?” Yi Feng asked.

　　“Oh, sure, thank you.” So he wants me to look around. Shen Ying obligingly stood up and followed him out the door. Someone tugged at her from behind.

　　“Wait,” Lonemoon warned in a low voice. “Let me attend to some business matters with their in-charge. Don’t do anything rash. You can look around, but don’t stir any trouble. And don’t eat anything!”

　　“Yes, Father Niu! Am I the type who only cares about eating?” After all, she doesn’t eat raw food.

　　Lonemoon answered incredulously, “Yes!”

　　“…” Where was the basic trust between father and daughter?

　　Yi Feng led Shen Ying out toward the back of the main peak, and around a huge temple. Once they exited from a rear hall, her eyes fell upon a huge mountain. It was several times bigger than the main peak.

　　“This is the Yi Family’s Myriad Beast Peak,” Yi Feng said proudly. “There are countless spirit beasts on that peak, and they are all different from the spirit beasts you come across outside.

　　Each of them have stayed here for a long time, so they are familiar with cultivators and will not attack you. Once the disciples of the Yi Family are mature enough, they will come to this peak and seek a spirit beast to form a spirit contract with.”

　　As he explained, he led her through a transportation array into the Myriad Beast Peak. Indeed, there were all types of spirit beasts on the peak. Some of them were flying in the air, others were running on land, and yet others were swimming in the waters. It seemed like every type of beast imaginable existed on the peak. Shen Ying suddenly felt as if she was in a free-range zoo.

　　As Yi Feng said, the spirit beasts were nonchalant toward the pair of intruders. They did not even seem to notice them. The beasts continued about their business – licking their own fur and rolling around on the ground.

　　“The beasts at the bottom of this peak are all second-stage and third-stage spirit beasts. They’re kept there for disciples who join us recently.” Seeing that Shen Ying was losing interest in him, Yi Feng pointed toward the top of the peak and said, “But atop this Myriad Beast Peak live four tenth-stage beasts from Steadfast Mountain. Sect Master Shen, are you interested in viewing them?”

　　“Sure,” Shen Ying answered while nodding.

　　Yi Feng led her into yet another transportation array and the pair found themselves at the top of the Myriad Beast Peak. In front of them was a huge cave. A baleful Qi flowed out of the cave.

　　Yi Feng conjured a seal with his hands. The entrance to the cave was immediately covered with what looked like a spider web as an array deployed.

　　“The Wind Lightning Beast in this cave is a rare double-elemental mutated beast. It has both wind-elemental and thunder-elemental powers.”

　　They heard footsteps in the cave. A few moments later, a bolt of lightning shot out of the cave, followed closely by a raging wind. A huge figure walked out of the cave. It had a formidable aura. Its footsteps were getting quicker and with each footstep, Shen Ying felt the ground vibrate. Shen Ying watched as a figure covered in static rushed out of the cave. It looked furious as it surveyed the two people on the ground in front of it.

　　Suddenly, its eyes widened, and it ran toward them. It tripped and fell onto the ground in front of the two people, trembling.

　　“Eh?” Yi Feng paused. This Wind Lightning Beast is usually so aggressive and fierce. Why is it acting this way all of a sudden?

　　“It’s so big!” Shen Ying scanned the huge beast in front of her, which was still shooting out lightning bolts from its body. She turned around with eyes twinkling and asked Yi Feng,

　　“Director, can this… be eaten?”

　　“Huh?” What director?

　　Before he could clarify her question, the Wind Lightning Beast suddenly whined and half-rolled, half-crawled back into the hole, burying its head into a corner. It turned its back on the pair of them so quickly as if it was being hunted. With its head buried in the corner, it continued to let out an occasional whine.

　　“…”

　　What’s going on? Yi Feng thought.

　　He was utterly confused. All he could do was lead Shen Ying onward to view other spirit beasts. But later on, he found out that each and every beast from the Steadfast Mountain reacted in the same way.

　　“This is the Water-Splitting Beast. It is water-elemental and it can control the water currents. Its blood has useful healing properties.”

　　“Oh, can it be eaten?”

　　With a whine, the spirit beast ran away…

　　”

　　This is the Red Smokey Green. It’s red, but it turns into green smoke when it is attacked – without form or figure.”

　　“Oh, how is the texture of its flesh?”

　　With a whine, the spirit beast curled up into a ball…

　　“This is the Three-Horned Cloud Leaping Beast. It moves extremely quickly. Average cultivators would not be able to sense its presence. This is truly a rare beast.”

　　“Oh, it has a lot of fur. Would it be easy to pluck them all out?”

　　With a whine, the spirit beast passed out…

　　It’s so scary… that person’s body was filled with the bloodstains of high-level spirit beasts. They can really be eaten!

　　(இдஇ;)

　　“…” Yi Feng remained silent at the side.

　　Why were the beasts from Steadfast Mountain acting so weirdly today? Were they all sick at the same time? The beasts at the bottom of the peak were fine, but the high-level beasts were…

　　Wait a moment!

　　He glanced at the lazy woman standing beside him. The high-level beasts were more sensitive to cultivators’ auras. He recalled hearing Patriarch Xuan Yuan explain that Sect Master Shen’s cultivation was deep and… frightening! Could it be that the beasts are able to sense her cultivation level? But the beasts were so formidable; even if they cannot win her, they did not have to react in such a manner, did they? Besides, all four of the beasts from the Steadfast Mountain had been with the Yi Family for hundreds of years. They have seen countless other high-level cultivators.

　　Yi Feng got more and more confused, but he took comfort in the spirit beasts’ reactions.

　　After all, this would mean that she would be useful when they went to the Mirage Sea to hunt the next day.

　　“Sect Master Shen, you…” He was just about to ask her something when a disciple from his sect came running toward them anxiously.

　　“Patriarch, a disciple from the inner sect met with some trouble while trying to form a spirit contract at the edge of this mountain. Second Elder is asking you to go over to take a look.”

　　“What?” Yi Feng frowned. “How can he meet with trouble while forming a spirit contract?”

　　“It seems like the spirit beast was not willing. The disciple tried to form the contract by force, so…”

　　“Nonsense! How can he try to form it by force?” Yi Feng was furious, but he could not discipline the disciple from the inner sect. He gave Shen Ying an apologetic glance and said, “Sect Master Shen, I have some urgent matters to attend to and must leave you for a while. Please…”

　　“Don’t worry, go ahead!” Shen Ying smiled, unperturbed. He’s a big parent after all, he must be busy.

　　“Then I will go ahead.” He pointed toward the bottom of the mountain and said, “I will have to trouble Sect Master Shen to go down the mountain through the transportation array. A disciple

　　will fetch you to the front hall to rest.”

　　“Alright!” Shen Ying nodded. Yi Feng bowed and walked away more at ease.

　　Shen Ying turned around and scanned her surroundings. Then, she realised a problem.

　　Where… is the transportation array?