Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 337 - 249 Happy to Acquire a New Spirit Bird (Seeking Monthly Votes)_1

Chapter 337: 249 Happy to Acquire a New Spirit Bird (Seeking Monthly Votes)_1

The image of the mystical bird lit up with a blinding blue glow, emitting a harsh, screeching sound as its wings fluttered gently.

The Spirit Control Pool shone with a blinding spiritual light, and the mana within Shen Long’s body drained rapidly.

He turned to look at the Spirit Control Pool, and only after the spiritual light had faded did he withdraw his hand.

A piercingly unpleasant screech sounded, as a blue pigeon, shrouded in black qi, flew out of the Spirit Control Pool. The blue pigeon’s eyes were emerald green, with a short beak and a long tail, and a blood-colored fleshy crest on its head, as crimson as blood, strikingly vivid.

"Ghost Dove!"

Shen Long was thrilled.

Ghost Doves are born in lands tainted with yin and filth, proficient in the secret technique of soul-stealing, capable of harming the enemy unseen, and they feed on demons, ghosts, and various specters.

The Ghost Dove let out an ear-piercing screech, flapping its wings and pouncing towards Shen Long.

Shen Long emitted a harsh, birdlike sound, speaking in the language of beasts; he was imitating the call of the Ghost Dove.

The Ghost Dove circled uncertainly in the sky, while Shen Long took out a strand of black grass and tossed it into midair.

The Ghost Dove opened its mouth, took a fierce breath, and the black grass flew into its mouth and was swallowed.

Shen Long kept making birdlike calls, and after feeding the Ghost Dove five strands of Fifty-Year Profound Yin Grass, it flew down in front of him, rubbing its head affectionately against Shen Long’s body.

Mastery in the language of beasts makes communicating with freshly hatched spirit beasts and spirit birds quite convenient.

Shen Long easily planted a restriction, then took out a Demon-Purity Mirror, injected a spell into it, and the Demon-Purity Mirror emitted a golden glow, shining upon the Ghost Dove.

The Demon-Purity Mirror let out a sharp squeal and violently shook.

"The purity of the bloodline has reached three!"

Shen Long was ecstatic.

When a Gold-Winged Windroc had just hatched, its purity of bloodline was also three. The fact that this Ghost Dove’s purity of bloodline was three as well meant it had a high starting point.

Shen Long took out a Five-Colored Ganoderma Fruit and fed it to the Ghost Dove.

"I hope you can mutate too,"

Shen Long muttered to himself.

The Ghost Dove screeched noisily, its wings fluttering lightly as it soared into the skies on the first level of the Spirit Control Tower.

After a period equivalent to the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, it finally landed back in the Spirit Control Pool.

Shen Long left the Spirit Control Tower, took out two storage bags, gave them a shake with their mouths facing downward, and after two streaks of rosy light flashed by, a large pile of items appeared on the ground.

He picked up a jade slip and immersed his divine sense into it.

A little under a quarter of an hour later, Shen Long had reviewed the contents of all the jade slips.

The contents of the jade slips were mostly related to the Northern Sea Cultivation Realm, with one mentioning the Hundred Ghosts True Monarch, a Nascent Soul Cultivator who was active over a thousand years ago.

One jade slip recorded a Ghost Path spell, "Hundred Ghosts Scripture," which was the primary practice of the Hundred Ghosts True Monarch.

In addition, there was also a map of the Profound Yin Cave Heaven.

Shen Long examined the map carefully, and at a certain location, it was marked with the words "Hundred Ghosts." It seemed that the cultivators of the Heavenly Ghost Sect entered the Profound Yin Cave Heaven for treasure hunting.

"The spirit bird eggs of the Ghost Dove might have been found in the cave dwelling of the Hundred Ghosts True Monarch,"

Shen Long speculated.

Unfortunately, a Nascent Soul Stage ghost creature approached, and he was forced to leave, not continuing the deadly battle with the cultivators of the Heavenly Ghost Sect.

Shen Long neatly sorted the items on the ground, sat down cross-legged, and began meditating and regulating his breath.

...

In a secluded courtyard with blue-tiled roofs, there was a three-story blue tower and a blue stone pavilion within the courtyard.

A burly man robed in gold and a portly old man in a purple robe were sitting in the stone pavilion, sipping tea and chatting leisurely.

"We weren’t able to get that thing this time; they won’t let us off easily,"

the man in gold sighed, his face full of concern.

"What can we do? A Nascent Soul Cultivator bid; how could we compete with that? Without us, it wouldn’t be convenient for them to carry out their tasks. They’ll probably just reprimand us. If they kill us, where would they find another helping hand?"

the old man in purple said carelessly.

"Let’s hope so! It wasn’t a complete waste this time. If we hand in that drop of Myriad Poison Paste, it should count as some merit,"

the man in gold stated.

...

A day passed quickly, and Shen Long was meditating in his secret chamber when a Sound Transmission Talisman flew in and landed in front of him.

He opened his eyes, flicked his fingers, and a red light shot out, hitting the Sound Transmission Talisman. It ignited on its own, conveying the voice of Xu Yang, "Junior Brother Shen, there’s a gathering shortly with many Core Formation Cultivators attending. Would you like to go?"

"A gathering of Core Formation Cultivators?"

Shen Long mused aloud and stepped outside.

Xu Yang stood at the door with a smile.

"Senior Brother Xu, who are the Taoist Friends attending the gathering?"

Shen Long asked casually.

"It’s hard to say; there are disciples from the Shangguan Family as well as Loose Cultivators. Are you interested?"

Xu Yang inquired.

Shen Long nodded and replied, "I’m interested. I’ll join Senior Brother Xu on this trip!"

"Great, then let’s head over! Taoist Friend Shangguan has heard about your exploits and has wanted to meet you. He initiated this gathering,"

Xu Yang said with a smile, as he and Shen Long left the residence.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, they arrived at the gates of a sprawling estate. Above the entrance hung a golden plaque with the three silver characters "Golden Cicada Garden" written in flowing script. Two Foundation Establishment Cultivators stood guard at the portal.

"Eh, Taoist Friend Shen, are you here for the gathering as well?"

a surprised male voice rang out.

Shen Long turned to look and saw Chu Shan approaching.

"Taoist Friend Chu, what a coincidence!"

Shen Long greeted with a smile.

"Junior Brother Shen, you know Taoist Friend Chu?"

Xu Yang was slightly taken aback.

"Taoist Friend Xu, is this the Taoist Friend Shen you’ve always talked about?"

Chu Shan exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes! I didn’t expect Junior Brother Shen to know you."

Xu Yang said, his face full of confusion.

Wasn’t this Shen Long’s first visit to the Southern Border Cultivation World? Xu Yang had not heard Shen Long mention Chu Shan before.

"I know Chu Taoist Friend’s disciple from before; we met once in the Five Poisons Marketplace."

Shen Long explained.

Xu Yang suddenly understood and said with a smile, "Let’s go in together!"

They entered the Golden Cicada Garden together, unobstructed by the guards.

After passing through three arched gate courtyards, they came to a green bamboo forest with a green bamboo pavilion. Inside, about a dozen Core Formation Cultivators were seated, enjoying tea and casual conversation.

"Taoist Friends Xu and Chu, you’ve finally arrived."

A burly man in a golden shirt greeted them with a booming voice.

His gaze fell on Shen Long, and he said with a smile, "This must be Taoist Friend Shen! I am Shangguan Yunfei. I’ve heard that Taoist Friend Shen is also a body cultivator. Would you be interested in sparring with me?"

"Sparring?"

Shen Long was slightly taken aback.

"Please don’t misunderstand, Taoist Friend Shen. My cousin loves to fight, and whenever he meets a cultivator with grand divine skills, he can’t help but spar with them."

A graceful girl in a red dress explained.

The red-dressed girl’s features were exquisite, her skin was as white as snow, and she wore five spirit beast bags around her waist.

"Taoist Friend Shen, let’s compete in physical strength, one move to decide the winner, what do you say?"

Shangguan Yunfei looked eager to try, his face filled with anticipation.

"Right here?"

Shen Long was slightly taken aback.

"I’ve already prepared an array; it won’t destroy the Golden Cicada Garden."

Shangguan Yunfei took out an array plate radiating yellow light as he explained.

"Fine, one move to decide the winner,"

Shen Long agreed.

Shangguan Yunfei’s face showed delight as he leaped to an open space.

Shen Long also landed on the open area, standing ten paces away from Shangguan Yunfei.

Shangguan Yunfei input several spells into the yellow array plate. A sandy yellow light screen appeared, enclosing him and Shen Long inside.

Shangguan Yunfei’s body shone brightly with golden light, and a crackling sound of bones emanated from him as nine golden python shadows appeared on his body, constantly moving across his skin.

"Nine Revolutions Golden Python Technique!"

Shen Long’s face grew serious; he had long heard about the Shangguan Family’s body fortifying technique.

"Taoist Friend Shen, I won’t hold back, and you should do the same."

As soon as Shangguan Yunfei finished speaking, his right fist shone brilliantly with gold, grew scales of gold, and he charged towards Shen Long.

Shen Long was unafraid and took a step forward. The ground shook slightly as his right fist burst forth with blinding red light, growing a profusion of red dragon scales to meet the attack.

Their fists collided, unleashing a powerful shockwave, and Shangguan Yunfei was pushed back two steps, while Shen Long remained unmoved.

The intense shockwave cracked the ground, and dust billowed as the sandy yellow light screen twisted and warped.

Seeing this scene, Xu Yang was not surprised, but Chu Shan and the others were visibly shocked.

"No wonder Taoist Friend Shen was able to slay Barbarian Cultivators of the same level. I am impressed,"

Shangguan Yunfei laughed heartily, admiration apparent on his face as he dismissed the array.

"Taoist Friend Shangguan overpraises me. I’ve only consumed quite a few body-fortifying miracle elixirs; my physical body is just a bit stronger,"

Shen Long said modestly, though he hadn’t used his full strength; otherwise, Shangguan Yunfei wouldn’t have been pushed back just two steps.

They returned to sit down in the bamboo pavilion, and the girl in the red dress poured a cup of spiritual tea for the three men, saying, "I am Shangguan Yunyu, the younger sister. I’ve heard that Taoist Friend Shen is also an alchemist, capable of refining high-quality elixirs. I would like to ask for some advice."

"Madam Shangguan praises me too highly; I’ve only learned a little bit,"

Shen Long said humbly.

"Taoist Friend Shen is being modest. I’ve long heard about it. At the Medicine King Valley’s Medicine King Conference, you achieved eighth place in the alchemy competition,"

Shangguan Yunfei said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Chu Shan and the others were once again shocked; they had not expected Shen Long’s alchemy skills to be so advanced.

"I’m Lu Xin; pleased to meet Taoist Friend Shen,"

A burly golden-robed man greeted with a fist and palm salute.

"Old man Xu Tong,"

An obese elder in a purple robe introduced himself.

The cultivators took turns introducing themselves, enjoying their tea and conversation.

"Taoist Friend Shen, I hear you’ve slain several Barbarian Cultivators. Could you tell us about their divine skills and methods? I have not yet been to the Donghua Cultivation Realm."

Shangguan Yunfei asked politely.

"Didn’t Senior Brother Xu tell you about the divine skills of the Barbarian Cultivators?"

Shen Long was slightly taken aback.

"I’ve mentioned them, but I’m not as brave as Junior Brother Shen, daring to fight Barbarian Cultivators one-on-one,"

Xu Yang explained.

Shen Long suddenly realized and briefly described the divine skills and methods of the Barbarian Cultivators. Shangguan Yunfei asked questions, and Shen Long gave detailed answers.

After learning that Shen Long had also slain members of the Witch Clan, Lu Xin’s face showed surprise as he said, "It’s fortunate that Taoist Friend Shen quickly dispatched the Witch Clan Cultivator, or else he could have cast a curse against you."