Golden-Haired Divine Beast

"You chose it?" Xu Hongqiu asked.

Immediately, the clerks of the Ten-Thousand Beasts Hall behind her all revealed hints of joy.

"Bad." Chu Liang pondered. These people were so happy; could it be that he had made the wrong choice?

"Then, the two of you may take this Hou away." Xu Hongqiu gave a light wave, and her subordinates stepped forward to open the cage.

"A Hou?" Both the master, Di Nüfeng, and the disciple, Chu Liang, exclaimed in surprise.

In the world of demons, ghosts, and monsters, it is often difficult to distinguish between untransformed spirit beasts and ordinary demonic beasts. However, in general, spirit beasts are far more valuable than demonic beasts.

Because humans are the most spiritual of all living things, many demonic beasts that have achieved some level of cultivation choose to transform into human form. This is partly for convenience in moving through the human world, and partly to better comprehend the Great Dao of heaven and earth to further their cultivation.

Therefore, if one encounters a high-realm demonic beast that has not yet transformed, aside from a small minority that simply refuse to do so, most are inherently less intelligent. For example, foxes, weasels, hedgehogs, and snakes often transform by the second or third realm, while plant, rock, or mountain spirits might not transform until the fifth or sixth realm.

Spirit beasts are different.

The reason spirit beasts maintain their original forms is that they themselves are favored by heaven; their perception of the Great Dao is no less than that of a human body, so they naturally have no need to transform.

Thus, if a group of demonic beasts and spirit beasts were mixed together, they might appear to be of the same realm, but in reality, the spirit beasts would be far stronger.

The Hou is a major clan among spirit beasts.

Of the four creatures present, the giant turtle and the strange tree were clearly demonic, and the white cat was difficult to discern, but this big-headed creature might be the only true spirit beast. Choosing it could be considered a success for the master and disciple.

Of course, calling it a "major clan" is relative to other spirit beasts. Some, like the Bai Ze, are known to have only two individuals in existence. Many other spirit beasts are the last of their line, unique in the world. The Hou clan has relatively more varieties and numbers, and they can be either righteous or evil.

Outside the imperial palace in Yu Capital, two "Heaven-Facing Hous" stand guard; this type is the most righteous and excels at guarding portals. The guardian beast of the Underworld Sect, however, is a "Moon-Eating Hou," which sleeps by day and travels by night, loving darkness and hating all light.

The one before them was known as a "Golden-Haired Hou."

"This Golden-Haired Hou is considered the pride of our Ten-Thousand Beasts Hall... it has been here for ten years." After receiving Xu Hongqiu's permission, a clerk, looking somewhat excited, introduced it to the pair. "It is gentle and fond of people, diligent and hardworking, and exceptionally brave in battle. It is an essential companion for guarding the home or as a mount..."

*Clang, clang...*
*Clang, clang...*

Before he could finish, a harsh sound of metal grating against metal erupted nearby. Di Nüfeng looked over, puzzled. "What is that sound?"

Looking closely, she realized that the Golden-Haired Hou was gnashing its terrifying fangs against the iron cage! In no time at all, it had bitten deep cracks into the metal, appearing as if it would chew the cage to pieces any moment!

"Er..." the clerk continued, "Its only flaw is perhaps that it eats a bit too much. In the past, whenever it was hungry, it would eat the iron cage... Later, it got used to it and likes to chew on it to grind its teeth even when it's not hungry..."

"The cage must have been expensive to build, right? How often do you replace it?" Chu Liang couldn't help but ask.

"It's a beast-restraint cage forged from deep-sea cloud-grinding iron. At first, we had to replace the whole thing every three days. Later, we developed a new method where we only need to replace the cage bars, which has lowered the cost significantly..." the clerk replied truthfully.

"Well, it was raised on a diet of iron cages," Chu Liang remarked, turning to his master. "Can we afford to keep this thing?"

"What's there to be afraid of?" Di Nüfeng scoffed. "If it dares to be ferocious, I'll just kill it and eat the meat."

Seemingly sensing the hint of murderous intent in her eyes, the Golden-Haired Hou jolted. Its golden fur suddenly bristled like golden swords and spears, and it crouched down, baring its fangs at Di Nüfeng while letting out a low, "Awoo—"

It seemed that if not for the iron cage, it would have lunged forward to challenge her...

Chu Liang glanced at the clerk and asked suspiciously, "Gentle and fond of people?"

"Er..." The clerk wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "It's just not familiar with you yet. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; when you use it as a mount later, it will be ready to fight at a moment's notice!"

While they spoke, a clerk opened the cage and led the Golden-Haired Hou out. First, they placed a massive sealing collar around its neck, then tethered it with a heavy iron chain, handing the end to them.

Under normal circumstances, such an operation would require strict control and the beast would have to be sedated with formations beforehand. But with the sixth-realm Elder Cangxing and the seventh-realm Di Nüfeng present, there was no need to worry.

"You must keep it leashed when walking it on the street, please, you must..." the clerk urged solemnly.

"I understand," Chu Liang nodded. "If you don't leash your Hou, you're better off being walked by the Hou."

He didn't dare touch the chain himself, so he handed it to Di Nüfeng. The master, however, had no such reservations. She walked up to the beast, which stood over a zhang tall, looked up at it, and commanded, "Sit!"

"Awoo—" The Golden-Haired Hou crouched, baring its teeth again in a fighting stance.

"Forget it, I'll build a rapport with you when we get back." Di Nüfeng found it rather amusing and turned to lead the Golden-Haired Hou away.

Xu Hongqiu hurried to see them off, preparing to send the two fierce beings and Chu Liang out the door.

However, just as they were about to leave, Di Nüfeng suddenly turned and looked at Elder Cangxing, who stood behind Xu Hongqiu. A look of recognition crossed her face as she asked, "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Elder Cangxing, who had been acting with great gravity and dignity, and had not spoken a word while dealing with Xu Nanling, nodded repeatedly at this, offering a warm smile. "I am honored that you remember."

"At the Immortal Gate Assembly sixty years ago, among the four Whale Gang disciples you knocked out with a single punch in the Void God Realm, I was one of them." His tone carried a complex mix of emotions.

He could not tell if it was nostalgia or lingering fear.

Chu Liang was not particularly surprised by this. Although Elder Cangxing and Di Nüfeng looked like they could be grandfather and granddaughter or father and daughter, Di Nüfeng's actual age was roughly the same as his.

Practitioners in the first six realms can slow their aging as their cultivation increases, but they cannot achieve eternal youth. Only upon reaching the seventh realm, the Inquiry of the Dao, can one remain forever young.

Generally, a seventh-realm expert's appearance reflects how they looked when they first entered the Inquiry of the Dao stage, unless they use special arts to change it. Few look as young as Di Nüfeng, as she had entered the seventh realm at an exceptionally young age.

Every step of her cultivation journey was that of a true prodigy; she was the object of envy.

Hearing this, Di Nüfeng gave a look of realization, then turned to walk alongside Chu Liang. One could hear her patting her chest as she walked, boasting, "I told you, we're all buddies!"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes," Chu Liang's supportive response followed.

Xu Hongqiu stood where she was, watching their retreating figures until they disappeared around the street corner... A look of relief finally washed over her face.

On the other side, the dying Xu Nanling felt the same, even shedding two lines of tears. With those two gone, his life was finally safe.

...

"Master, I shall go attend to my business now." After turning the corner, Chu Liang parted ways with Di Nüfeng.

On the long street, wherever the master and disciple passed, pedestrians cleared the way as if the street were being swept clean. Although there was no shortage of people in Glutton City walking mounts or demonic beasts, this one was clearly different!

*It's still gnawing on the iron chain, for heaven's sake!*

*Can that thing really hold it?*

*And how can that woman be so relaxed? Looking at that giant beast's expression, it's going to eat you the moment it breaks free, right?*

*Must stay far away...*

"Good!" Di Nüfeng, leading the Hou, was enjoying the majestic spectacle on the street and waved casually at Chu Liang. "Go on, but don't let that fellow off too easily."

"Don't worry." Chu Liang touched the thick ledger in his robe. "Daring to strike a disciple of my master—how could I let him go?"