Chapter 7: Beast

Carefully putting the jade tablet into his bosom, Old Master Zhong took a deep breath, his eyes brimming with intense confidence.

With a gentle wave of his hand, a black shadow suddenly appeared before Old Master Zhong. The shadow was as tall as Old Master Zhong and gradually took on a distinct form, which was the old appearance of Old Master Zhong before he reached the innate stage. With another gentle shake, the form slowly became younger, eventually looking exactly like his current appearance.

At forty years old, Old Master Zhong, for some reason, originally looked like he was in his forties or fifties. However, after spending a night with Fairy Zixun, his face became much younger, appearing to be around forty.

Looking at the person before him who looked exactly like him, Old Master Zhong also sighed with relief.

"Space Shadow? It's almost identical to me. I have two bodies, two of me," Old Master Zhong said with a smile.

This was the special ability Old Master Zhong had mastered by traversing space, controlling two bodies. The Space Shadow could transform into a shadow, pass through narrow gaps like door seams, and hide within other shadows, making it incredibly mysterious.

Of course, this was a special ability. Under the effects of light and shadow, Old Master Zhong and the Space Shadow could still project a black shadow. However, the Space Shadow was somewhat unique, similar to the "external body" described in novels on Earth decades ago, or the legendary "second spirit," or even a special magical artifact. However, it was much more mysterious than these.

From then on, Old Master Zhong renamed his two bodies: the main body and the shadow body.

"Thus, the shadow body will remain at the Zhong residence. Otherwise, if the old fellows of the Kaiyang Sect notice something, it would be troublesome. The Red Phoenix Scripture cannot be cultivated by the shadow body, so I will find another cultivation method later. However, as long as the main body does not die, the shadow body will not perish. The red bead will be kept by the shadow body, while the main body will go to the Kaiyang Sect," Old Master Zhong arranged for his two bodies.

The two bodies embraced each other, and the main body tapped the ground, revealing another underground entrance. After straightening his clothes, the main body, with the jade tablet in his bosom, walked down. After he went down, the underground entrance closed again.

The shadow body continued to sit on the mat and practice cultivation. Since the main body had reached the innate stage, the shadow body was no longer restricted and would soon reach the innate stage as well.

The main body, Old Master Zhong, walked underground, where there was also a train tunnel.

A cunning rabbit has three dens, let alone Old Master Zhong. The secrets of Old Master Zhong were not something his adopted sons could grasp.

Riding the train for ten days, he finally arrived at another estate.

This was also one of Old Master Zhong's properties. The estate was located near a large mountain range, where the Kaiyang Sect was situated. It wasn't that Old Master Zhong was unwilling to extend the railway into the mountains; it was just that the mountains here were filled with countless hard minerals. Even with a hundred years, only a few mountains could be penetrated.

After resting for two days in the estate and preparing everything he needed, Old Master Zhong instructed the steward, shouldered a bag, and grabbed a large saber, heading into the deep mountains on foot.

Behind the estate was an endless mountain range, rarely visited by people. It was filled with venomous insects and plants, thick miasma, and numerous fierce beasts, as well as demonic creatures. Old Master Zhong wouldn't dare enter without reaching the innate stage.

These mountains were true high mountains, with peaks thousands of meters high, which were common. In the distance, the high mountains pierced the clouds. Old Master Zhong had to cross these mountains to reach the deep mountains where the Kaiyang Sect was located.

At the innate stage, his agility had greatly improved, and crossing a high mountain was just a matter of continuous leaping. Along the way, he encountered venomous insects and plants, which he avoided one by one.

However, the distance to the Kaiyang Sect was too far, and by nightfall, he could only find a place to rest.

In the evening, Old Master Zhong found a relatively clean valley. By "relatively clean," it meant that the grass was sparse, there were few venomous insects and plants, no miasma, and no large wild beasts.

In the valley, there was a small hollow that could shield from the wind and rain, just enough for one person. After clearing the inside and sprinkling some special medicine outside, he sat cross-legged inside.

Start a fire? Old Master Zhong didn't dare. Starting a fire would put him in the most dangerous position. Most wild beasts on Earth fear fire, but do the wild beasts and demonic creatures here fear fire?

Old Master Zhong sat inside, waiting for dawn.

This sitting lasted until midnight.

"Awooo~"

At midnight, a high-pitched howl pierced the valley.

Old Master Zhong frowned, opened his eyes, and looked out.

At that moment, a full moon shone down, illuminating the valley in a silvery light. The howl came from the top of the mountain, and Old Master Zhong looked up.

A silver wolf, three meters tall, stood on the mountain top.

The silver wolf was howling at the moon, and during the howl, its entire body seemed to glow silver. It wasn't just silver; more moonlight was shining on it, as if it were absorbing the moon's essence.

A demonic creature?

Seeing this, Old Master Zhong's pupils contracted, and he immediately recognized it as a demonic creature.

Thinking of this, Old Master Zhong was startled and quickly retreated, immediately activating the Turtle Breath technique, hoping the wolf wouldn't see him.

Old Master Zhong knew that a demonic creature was beyond the realm of ordinary beasts. The lowest-level demonic creature had the strength of a human at the innate stage. At the innate stage? Old Master Zhong had just advanced to the innate stage, the weakest of the innate stage. Moreover, he didn't have the appropriate cultivation method for the innate stage, only the pre-innate techniques. If he had innate techniques, he might have a chance to fight, but now, it was clear that he could only hide, hoping the wolf hadn't seen him.

While Old Master Zhong was using the Turtle Breath technique, did the wolf rely solely on scent? The wolf's nose was extremely sensitive. After absorbing the moon's essence, it immediately focused its gaze on the valley below, its eyes revealing a coldness.

This place was where the silver wolf often appeared. The scent of a human was immediately detected. Moreover, at the entrance of the hollow where Old Master Zhong was, he had sprinkled medicine to repel venomous insects, and the unusual smell instantly caught the silver wolf's attention.

With a few leaps, the silver wolf jumped into the valley and stared at Old Master Zhong in the hollow.

Feeling the silver wolf jump down and stare at him, Old Master Zhong knew he was in trouble, that he couldn't hide anymore. He had been discovered.

Old Master Zhong fearfully retreated further.

However, this scene was amusing to the silver wolf. It had been a long time since it had tasted human flesh.

Without warning, the silver wolf pounced on Old Master Zhong.

Unable to do anything, Old Master Zhong quickly drew his large saber to defend himself.

"Rumble~"

The silver wolf continuously clawed at the hollow where Old Master Zhong was. Fortunately, Old Master Zhong had chosen a good location, and the silver wolf's large body couldn't fit inside.

The silver wolf extended its sharp claws, and its massive head squeezed into the hollow, as if it were about to bite Old Master Zhong at any moment.

The situation became extremely serious. The surrounding rocks were shaking, and it was clear that it wouldn't take long for the rocks to be worn away, allowing the silver wolf to bite him.

Old Master Zhong quickly infused his large saber with true qi and thrust it at the silver wolf.

"Sss~"

It only scratched the surface.

"Ugh~"

The silver wolf howled in pain, swiping its claws at the large saber.

"Clang~"

Old Master Zhong felt a numbness in his hand, and the large saber was knocked away. Without the saber?

The pain from the saber made the silver wolf even more frenzied, its eyes turning red as it squeezed into the hollow. Rocks fell, and it seemed that it would soon bite Old Master Zhong.

Pressing against the rock wall, Old Master Zhong could already smell the stench from the silver wolf's mouth, which was right in front of him, ready to bite him at any moment. It was getting closer and closer.

The feeling of death, Old Master Zhong suddenly felt the sensation of death.

From the perspective of the demonic creature, if the rocks here were broken, he would surely die. What to do? What to do? A dagger? He still had a dagger, which he had obtained from a cultivator. Perhaps it would work, but if he moved, the silver wolf might bite him.

The dagger wouldn't work, true qi, the Red Phoenix Scripture?

He had to take a chance.

Infusing his hand with true qi, a thread of Red Phoenix energy was infused.

At his palm, a large amount of pink mist instantly emerged. Under Old Master Zhong's control, the small hollow was quickly filled with the Red Phoenix mist, the world's number one medicine.

The silver wolf kept rushing in, but it soon felt something was wrong, and its breathing became rapid.

Its originally red eyes became even redder, but this red was different from before.

Suddenly, countless images of female wolves flashed in the silver wolf's mind. Endless desires surged in its heart. What's happening? I wanted to eat a human, but now I want a female wolf?

The silver wolf kept rushing in but couldn't bear it anymore.

Unable to bear it, the silver wolf quickly turned and ran, its eyes still red, heading deep into the mountains.

The crisis was averted.

"Phew~"

Old Master Zhong sighed with relief, his eyes filled with shock.

Picking up the large saber that the silver wolf had knocked away, he shouldered his bag and quickly left the area. It wasn't a place to stay for long, and it was best to leave quickly.

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End of Chapter 7