Beast Tamer Ascension

Vol 3 Chapter 27: Meeting an Old Friend in a Distant Land

The Sunset Mountains, a gathering place for demonic beasts within the Qingming Path, were home to countless demons at the Monster Core stage…

Although the cultivation families of Tianqing City possessed enough power to wipe out the entire Sunset Mountain range, such a short-sighted approach would be detrimental to long-term development.

By allowing the Sunset Mountains to remain, rogue cultivators seeking resources would continue to hunt demonic beasts, and in turn, many rogue cultivators would fall prey to them. This cycle of hunting and survival would foster growth on both sides, allowing talented rogue cultivators and powerful demonic beasts to undergo transformations, potentially reaching the Nascent Soul stage.

At that point, whether recruiting a promising rogue cultivator or taming a Demon King as a mount, both would be far more valuable than a handful of Monster Cores. Furthermore, the demonic beasts would continue to reproduce, ensuring that the Sunset Mountains remained a sustainable hunting ground for thousands of years to come…

In this rogue cultivator’s paradise, a group of four Core Formation cultivators engaged in conversation, discussing the strange occurrences that had recently taken place in the Sunset Mountains.

"A Royal Dragon Cub?!"

"That’s right. A few days ago, the Emei Monkey Clan was wiped out. All three of their Monster Core-stage great demons had their cores extracted. The battle alarmed many rogue cultivators in the mountains, and someone spotted a Foundation Establishment Fire Dragon flying away from the Emei Monkey Clan’s former dwelling…"

"The Emei Monkeys are naturally violent. For a Foundation Establishment Fire Dragon to destroy them, there’s only one explanation—its bloodline is extremely high-grade, allowing it to battle across realms! Calling it a Royal Dragon Cub might even be an understatement. At the very least, it’s a Demon Emperor’s Cub!" The thick-browed man leading the group spoke.

"Big chest, no brains! That Fire Dragon annihilated the entire Emei Monkey Clan, and you think this makeshift rogue cultivator team of ours has a chance? We’d be nothing but an extra snack!" scoffed a short old man.

"Old man, if you can’t say anything useful, just stay quiet! Who said we’d be doing this alone? I refuse to believe other rogue cultivator teams aren’t interested in that Demon Emperor’s Cub…"

"Shut up! Do you really think this Fire Dragon is like the common demonic beasts of the Sunset Mountains, just waiting to be hunted? You just admitted it—it’s a Demon Emperor’s Cub! Meaning its parents are most likely powerful Demon Emperors of the Dragon Clan! Even if every rogue cultivator worked together to hunt it down, once its parents find out, forget rogue cultivators—even the entire cultivation families of Tianqing City couldn’t bear the consequences!"

The weak-looking Core Formation youth among them finally spoke. "I didn’t join your group to throw my life away. Let’s focus on our actual objective…"

"Our goal is the Morning Sun Flower."

The Morning Sun Flower was a rare spiritual plant guarded by Fire Bees, known for nourishing Yang Qi and carrying a hefty price tag.

"You look so weak; you do need some nourishment." The woman glanced at the frail young man, curling her lips but ultimately agreeing with his reasoning.

Indeed, a beast with such a noble bloodline was unlikely to be a native of the Sunset Mountains. It was far more likely to be the pampered prince of some powerful demonic beast faction out for a leisurely adventure.

Even major human factions wouldn’t dare provoke such a being without first verifying its origins.

Moving cautiously, the four weaved their way through the Sunset Mountains and finally arrived at the Fire Bee Clan’s habitat. However, upon arrival, they fell into silence.

Had they arrived too late? Or too early?

"ROAR!!!"

A Fire Dragon, dozens of meters long, was being swarmed by tens of thousands of Fire Bees. Among them, two were at the Monster Core stage—their Queen and King. Yet, despite the endless fire needles pelting its dragon scales, not a single mark was left.

Even when the Queen, a great demon, unleashed a divine ability from her Monster Core, managing to pierce through the Fire Dragon’s scales, the dragon’s body simply erupted in white, dragon-shaped flames, rapidly healing its wounds.

"This…"

The four Core Formation cultivators’ pupils shrank. Just moments ago, they had been discussing this Fire Dragon—and now, it was standing right in front of them! 𝐫𝐚₦ȱBĘ𝙨

To make matters worse, after swallowing both the Monster Core-stage Queen and King in just two bites, scattering the remaining bees in a panic, the Fire Dragon slowly turned its gaze towards them…

"ROAR!!!"

As the Fire Dragon let out a deafening roar, the seven Core Formation cultivators felt as though they were facing their greatest adversary.

"Scatter in seven directions!" The short old man barely finished speaking before the seven of them burst into streaks of light, abandoning their formation and their original target—the Morning Sun Flower.

"Damn it!" The sickly-looking young man cursed. But his frustration had only just begun—because while the dragon had let the others go, it was fixated on him, relentlessly chasing after him!

"F***!" The young man’s already pale face turned even whiter.

"Could it be a female dragon? Is it sensing your Primordial Yang Body? You were supposed to be hiding it well!"

The Fire Dragon’s speed was terrifying. Even though it was only at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, it was chasing down a Core Formation early-stage cultivator effortlessly. In mere moments, it had already cut off the young man’s escape route. His entire body tensed as he hovered in midair, cautiously observing the dragon.

"Red!" At his command, a fox demon, also at the Core Formation stage, slowly emerged onto his shoulder, baring its teeth at the Fire Dragon.

At the same time, the young man spoke. "Honored one, we have no quarrel with you. We simply stumbled upon your battle with the Fire Bees by accident. There’s no need to slaughter us all, is there…?"

"Roar…" The Fire Qilin Dragon stared at the young man, hesitating for a moment.

Truthfully, among the four rogue cultivators earlier, it had no intention of chasing anyone down.

But this young man… looked far too familiar.

It remembered—back when it was still a mere fish, this young man often visited its Beast Tamer to chat. What was his name again? Senior Brother Ouyang…

And now, seeing him use beast-taming techniques to summon a fox demon, the Fire Qilin Dragon was absolutely certain!

This was Lin Jing’s legendary human-fox romance partner—Ouyang!!!

【If you encounter an emergency while hunting outside, you can use the Bloodline Contract to call me with all your strength. The distance between the Sunset Mountains and Tianqing City should still allow us to communicate…】

Right now—this was undoubtedly an emergency. The Fire Qilin Dragon immediately reached out to Lin Jing through the Bloodline Contract.

Meanwhile, Ouyang Hao, still facing down the Imperial-Blood Fire Dragon that refused to yield, felt cold sweat trickle down his forehead.

He never imagined there would come a day when a mere Foundation Establishment-stage demonic beast would have him frozen in place with fear.

"Are you truly unwilling to let me pass?" Ouyang Hao pulled out a jade token, preparing to crush it—when suddenly, his pupils shrank in shock.@@novelbin@@

Because at that moment, the Fire Dragon spoke to him through voice transmission—uttering a sentence that left him utterly stunned.

"Senior Brother Ouyang, long time no see. I never expected to run into you here. This Fire Dragon is my pet, so there's no need to be afraid…"

O-Ouyang… Senior Brother?

Ouyang Hao stared blankly at the Fire Dragon.

His mind raced back to a certain Beast Tamer’s cave residence… and the tiny, boiled Fire Carp that used to glare at him in jealousy.

His mouth opened slightly, and he transmitted a message back:

"Junior Brother Lin Jing… is that you?! Is it really you?!"

Ouyang Hao was completely dumbfounded.

The Qingzhou branch of the Beast Taming Sect had spent two years searching every corner of Qingzhou for Lin Jing without finding a single trace.

Yet somehow—while casually passing through Tianqing City, gathering some resources to nourish his Yang Qi, he just happened to run into Lin Jing?!

"F***! Wait—hold on! Why is your Dragon Carp so damn powerful?! My Red drinks my Yang Qi every day and even got a gift from Senior Sister Tian, and it’s still only at the King-tier bloodline!"