Beast-Taming Cultivator from Two Realms

Chapter 351 : The Three Firmament Fairies

Evening.Within the separate courtyard where the Taiqing Immortal Sect was stationed.

In the side courtyard, five people sat quietly. Not a single one spoke.

Some lowered their eyes to stare at the floor, smooth and bright as a mirror. Others closed their eyes in contemplation. Only Wang Chan stood silently by the window, gazing at the sunset sky beyond, where clouds churned like a vast sea.

It was precisely this calm that made Zhuang Fu and the other four feel an inexplicable heaviness.

“Long time no see.”

At the sudden voice from outside the courtyard, Wang Chan’s eyes shifted slightly as he looked toward the Three Firmament Fairies who had come to visit.

“Indeed, it has been a long time.”

Wang Chan turned and invited the Three Firmament Fairies into the side courtyard.

“What brings you here?”

With a wave of his hand, he signaled his teammates to leave, then looked toward the leader, Moon Firmament Fairy Zhao Yue.

Since the Immortal Sect Exchange Conference began, this was their first formal meeting and conversation. Before this, they had only exchanged nods in greeting.

“Nothing in particular. I merely wished to ask your opinion of Chen Beiwu, the top of the Yuxu Rankings,” Zhao Yue said with interest.

“Zhao Yue, I did not expect you to personally visit for the sake of a junior, gathering information.”

Wang Chan chuckled softly, his tone carrying a trace of emotion.

“Even you were defeated by him. I would not treat him as an ordinary junior,” Zhao Yue replied, shaking her head slightly.

Even a lion used its full strength when hunting a rabbit.

Let alone that the opponent she would soon face was not a weak rabbit, but a formidable adversary whose depth was difficult to discern.

Hearing this, Wang Chan fell silent.

He lifted his head toward the evening glow, memories surfacing in his mind.

This year’s lineup from the Yuqing Immortal Sect resembled the lineup Taiqing and Shangqing had fielded at the previous Immortal Sect Exchange Conference.

In the last conference, Shen Lingxing possessed the strength to sweep aside all prodigies of the Thirteen Immortal Sects, and the teammates he led were likewise first-rate geniuses.

Wang Chan and Zhao Yue, on the other hand, had been the unparalleled prodigies who had just risen to prominence within the Taiqing and Shangqing Sects. With only mid-stage Golden Core cultivation, they had fought across realms, defeated the respective chief disciples of their sects, secured the qualification to lead their teams, and represented their sects in battle against the other Immortal Sects.

Unfortunately, even though both Wang Chan and Zhao Yue at the time possessed combat power surpassing that of peak Golden Core cultivators, they were still no match for Shen Lingxing, the unparalleled prodigy of the Yuqing Immortal Sect.

Even the four teammates they led were swept aside in the Dao Discussion Battles due to Yuqing’s abundance of rising-generation prodigies, suffering crushing defeats of zero to three or one to three.

Thus, in this Immortal Sect Exchange Conference, Wang Chan occasionally saw in Chen Beiwu a faint reflection of his former self.

Yet there was one difference.

Back then, Wang Chan had never harbored the thought of launching a “Sole Sovereign” battle to overturn the situation by himself.

The reason was simple. Even against Shen Lingxing alone, he had not possessed absolute confidence in victory—let alone facing five Golden Core prodigies by himself.

But Chen Beiwu had done it.

He had even turned the tide with overwhelming strength and led the Yuqing Immortal Sect to victory.

Compared to Chen Beiwu, he was far inferior.

“Ha…”

Thinking this, Wang Chan exhaled a turbid breath, glanced at Zhao Yue, and said candidly, “True enough. Chen Beiwu is extraordinary. If we fought at the same realm, I likely would not last three moves against him.”

“Strange. That does not sound like you,” Zhao Yue raised a brow. “Has losing to Chen Beiwu cost you your spirit?”

“You underestimate me.” Wang Chan shook his head slightly. “It has nothing to do with spirit. A loss is a loss. Even if I still do not know how Chen Beiwu broke the seal of the Supreme Ring of Limitless Return.”

“You could not discern it either?”

Zhao Yue, Zhao Qing, and Zhao Yu’s eyes narrowed simultaneously as they spoke in unison.

Wang Chan nodded calmly.

“Perhaps it was the legendary profound ability of the Yuanshi Golden Core. Or perhaps it was the profound mystery of the third exalted seat of the Yuqing Thirty-Six Divisions Primordial Immortal Arts, the ‘Yuanshi Dongzhen Qinghua Sovereign of Myriad Tribulations and Myriad Spirits Immortal Art.’ Who can say?”

The records of the Taiqing Immortal Sect stated: One who forged the Yuanshi Golden Core would have their past erased and their future destiny self-determined. They could step beyond the Three Realms, not bound by the Five Elements, attaining great freedom.

Chen Beiwu was also the pioneer who opened the path at the Foundation Establishment stage. The Yuanshi Golden Core he forged possessed formidable might, even more wondrous than described in ancient texts. That it could break the sealing power of the Supreme Ring of Limitless Return was not unreasonable.

Even if he had not lost to the profound ability of the Yuanshi Golden Core, but rather to the third exalted seat of the Primordial Immortal Arts—the “Yuanshi Dongzhen Qinghua Sovereign of Myriad Tribulations and Myriad Spirits Immortal Art”—then his defeat would still not have been unjust.

Such a fundamental method was unfathomable in power. Even among the Five Great Grotto-Heavens, it would be considered a supreme immortal art.

Of course, the Taiqing Immortal Sect was not without comparable supreme foundational immortal arts. Yet Wang Chan lacked the necessary affinity. Despite repeatedly comprehending and cultivating in seclusion during his Golden Core stage, he had failed to enter the path and instead practiced the slightly inferior Limitless Immortal Art.

“It seems my visit today was in vain.” Zhao Yue lightly sipped her tea, her tone calm.

Wang Chan looked up with interest. “Against Chen Beiwu, what are your chances?”

“What do you think?” Zhao Yue smiled radiantly.

“Twenty percent,” Wang Chan said softly.

In his estimation, in a one-on-one fight, Zhao Yue’s chance of victory against Chen Beiwu would be at most twenty percent.

That was already assuming he had forced Chen Beiwu to reveal his Myriad Spirits Tribulation Transformation beforehand.

If Chen Beiwu still had hidden trump cards, Zhao Yue’s chance would not even reach ten percent.

However, considering that Yuqing Immortal Sect’s lineup this year focused more on tempering the Dao hearts of the new generation, Chen Beiwu was highly likely to initiate a “Sole Sovereign” battle in the finals.

In that case, if the Three Firmament Fairies joined forces, Shangqing Immortal Sect’s chance of claiming the Dao Discussion Championship would reach nearly eighty percent.

After all, the Golden Cores they forged were extremely special titled Golden Cores.

Of course, exceptions always existed.

Throughout the conference, Chen Beiwu had yet to display the legendary Yuanshi Dharma Body. Perhaps he still had a hidden card unrevealed.

“Twenty percent?”

Zhao Yue shook her head slightly and deliberately released a trace of Heavenly-Gang aura.

“You comprehended it?”

Sensing that aura, Wang Chan’s expression changed slightly.

Over the years, he and Zhao Yue had sparred privately many times, their victories evenly split.

Yet he had not expected that before the Immortal Sect Exchange Conference began, Zhao Yue had successfully taken that step. With Qing Firmament and Rain Firmament at her side, they would be unstoppable.

If so, Shangqing Immortal Sect’s victory in the Dao Discussion Battle was almost certain.

“And now?” Zhao Yue asked, her expression no longer cold, a teasing smile on her lips.

Wang Chan fell silent.

Zhao Yue had concealed this until now, surely intending to surprise him in the Dao Discussion Battle. Unfortunately, he had already been defeated.

And the one who had surprised him instead was Chen Beiwu, whom he once had not placed in his eyes.

After a long while, Wang Chan looked at Zhao Yue.

“When you announced your seclusion before, you were actually risking entry into the newly discovered world of the Immortal Alliance?”

Zhao Yue nodded slightly. “You have yet to answer my question.”

Wang Chan glanced at her and answered honestly.

“Forty percent.”

Hearing this, Zhao Yue’s gaze turned thoughtful.

Wang Chan’s answer was close to her own estimation.

A solo match against Chen Beiwu carried enormous risk.

Even though she had successfully taken that step, she would still need to join forces with her two younger sisters to secure a stable victory over him.

“I have given you your answer. See yourself out,” Wang Chan said calmly.

The Dao Discussion Battle was not everything. Next would be the Assembly of Heroes.

If he joined forces with the Yuqing Immortal Sect to defeat Shangqing, then turned against Yuqing afterward, it was not impossible for Taiqing to rise later and seize first place in the Immortal Sect Exchange Conference.

…

Time passed swiftly, and the day of the Dao Discussion Finals soon arrived.

Luoxia Peak, the Dueling Plaza.

The spectator seats were already filled with cultivators. Even the open ground at the plaza’s edges and the distant mountain slopes were crowded with groups standing in wait.

“Let the vanguard disciples of Shangqing Immortal Sect and Yuqing Immortal Sect take the stage,” True Monarch Feng announced.

Under countless gazes, Rain Firmament Fairy Zhao Yu, dressed in a sky-blue Dao robe, stepped lightly and gracefully onto the dueling platform.

At this sight, cultivators in the audience—men and women alike—revealed a trace of admiration in their eyes.

Beauties were common in the cultivation world, but a peerless beauty like Rain Firmament Fairy, whose painted brows and clear features alone inspired inner tranquility, was truly rare.

Yet few present were lost in infatuation. The chief disciples of the Ten Great Immortal Sects were perceptive prodigies.

Even before the duel began, they could sense beneath Zhao Yu’s seemingly gentle aura an overwhelming threat difficult to match.

As expected.

Chen Beiwu showed no surprise.

Just as he had anticipated, Shangqing Immortal Sect had left no openings. Like Taiqing before them, they intended to send their strongest in the first three rounds and crush the Dao Discussion Battle with overwhelming force.

Under such circumstances, whether he altered the formation or not made little difference.

Aside from him, none of Yu Zhaohua and the other three had confidence in defeating any of the Three Firmament Fairies.

There is no need to force it. Do your best.

Chen Beiwu transmitted his voice through divine sense.

Yu Zhaohua nodded slightly, her expression solemn as she stepped onto the platform.

“Begin,” True Monarch Feng declared.

As his voice fell, the Glint-Spirit Ring on Zhao Yu’s wrist flashed faintly, summoning forth a graceful and slender celestial deer.

Its head was held high, a crystalline horn growing from its brow. Its eyes were clear. Its body and limbs were not flesh, but formed of constantly flowing rain clouds that gathered and dispersed without fixed shape. Around it emanated the eerie stillness that preceded a torrential storm.

This deer was none other than the special Mystic Beast Raincloud Sovereign—renowned despite not ranking among the Thirty-Six Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts.

Nine hundred and ninety-nine years of cultivation—only a single step from becoming a Beast King!

Sensing its aura, Yu Zhaohua’s pupils contracted slightly.

Against ordinary peak Golden Core cultivators, she was confident of victory. But Rain Firmament Fairy Zhao Yu was a peerless prodigy of the previous era, no ordinary opponent.

“Boom!”

At the start of the duel, Raincloud Sovereign summoned the heavens. Torrential rain transformed into tens of thousands of water swords crashing down.

Flintrock Coiled Dragon stomped upon the earth and roared to the heavens, turning the entire dueling platform into a boiling domain of subterranean lava.

With deafening explosions, the unending rain gradually gained the upper hand, suppressing the blazing magma.

Hissing steam rose as wind and rain enveloped the white mist, drowning the surging lava.

In the end, the entire platform became a surging kingdom of water, trapping Flintrock Coiled Dragon within.

Yu Zhaohua gritted her teeth and chose to fight desperately, activating the Crimson Flame Radiance World-Melting Landscape, the Companion Dharma Body, and Companion Beast Transformation.

But what she knew, Zhao Yu also knew.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

When the blazing magma on the Great Blazing Sword was extinguished and fierce wind swept forward, a golden trident halted before Yu Zhaohua’s fair neck. The struggle between water and fire was decided.

“Victory: Zhao Yu of Shangqing Immortal Sect,” True Monarch Feng announced.

At the words, Zhao Yu’s wrist flicked. The golden trident spun, radiant light bursting forth as it reverted to Raincloud Sovereign’s original form.

Yu Zhaohua, exhausted, panted heavily. Even the thin line of blood at her neck could not be healed for lack of True Qi.

“Senior Sister Zhao’s Dao arts are profound. Zhaohua admires them,” she said softly.

“You are too kind.”

Zhao Yu restrained her aura and nodded calmly, not proud, but inwardly shaken.

An Innate Dao Body was indeed extraordinary. At late-stage Golden Core, Yu Zhaohua had forced her to use fifty to sixty percent of her strength.

If they fought again after reaching the Nascent Soul True Monarch stage, she might not last even one exchange.

“Let the second vanguards take the stage,” True Monarch Feng continued.

Golden radiance descended upon the platform as Clear Firmament Fairy Zhao Qing appeared, clad in flowing golden-white immortal garments.

Her hair was elegantly coiled, adorned with a golden hairpin. Her beauty shone like the blazing sun overhead, exuding majestic grandeur.

Her calm gaze swept across the field. Wherever her eyes fell, no cultivator dared meet them.

Mo Qingshuang rose and stepped onto the platform, locking eyes with Zhao Qing under countless gazes.

A faint smile curved Zhao Qing’s lips, as if everything was as expected. Her Glint-Spirit Ring flashed, and a colossal beast emerged.

This beast bore two imposing dragon heads. Its body was covered in interwoven gold and crimson dragon scales. Spikes along its spine gleamed like blades. Its tail carried a row of flowing flames, emanating domineering might.

The left head was sharp-lined, clad in heavy dark-gold scales with a straight horn like a spear.

The right head was more slender, covered in streamlined crimson glass-like scales, crowned with a spiraled gilded dragon horn.

Both heads radiated extreme and fierce power.

This beast was the Gilded Flame Chi—an exceedingly rare dual-attribute variant of metal and fire. Though not among the Thirty-Six Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts, its bloodline could rival even titled Heavenly-Gang Mystic Beasts.

This stage will indeed be difficult.

Mo Qingshuang sighed inwardly. Even the Glazed Sword Soul perched upon his shoulder trembled in fear, retreating behind his neck.

Seeing this, Zhao Qing remained calm.

“Make your move.”

In consideration of his lower realm, she would grant him the first strike.

Mo Qingshuang did not speak. He silently drew the sword from his back.

When strength fell short, words were useless. Better to let his sword convey his intent.

Glazed Light Bearing Radiance · Startling Swan!

The sword rang. Brilliant sword qi poured forth like aurora across heaven and earth.

Clouds split apart as swordlight soared skyward. A faint sword mark appeared upon Gilded Flame Chi’s neck.

Even this beast, one step from becoming a fourth-realm Beast King, could not evade that strike.

Yet Zhao Qing’s expression did not change.

Though her titled Golden Core was far inferior to Chen Beiwu’s Yuanshi Golden Core, it was not something a mere late-stage Golden Core junior could shake.

Sure enough, flames erupted upon Gilded Flame Chi’s neck in the next instant, and a claw descended.

Boom!

Blood sprayed. The sword flew. The man retreated.

Before the eyes of cultivators from the Thirteen Immortal Sects, Mo Qingshuang knelt halfway upon the ground, a vicious wound torn across his chest.

“Victory: Zhao Qing of Shangqing Immortal Sect,” True Monarch Feng declared.

“You have my thanks.”

With a sweep of her sleeve, Zhao Qing instantly cast a third-tier treasure art, and Mo Qingshuang’s wound healed at once.

“Thank you.”

Mo Qingshuang looked deeply at her, as though engraving the humiliation of repeated defeat into memory, then turned and stepped down.

Next came the central pillars of both sects.

Under cold moonlight, Moon Firmament Fairy Zhao Yue descended upon the platform like a tranquil moon.

Her beauty was peerless. Her aura unmatched. Her eyes swept past Xue Tianyi and settled upon Chen Beiwu below the stage.

Among the prodigies of the Thirteen Immortal Sects, only Chen Beiwu seemed worthy of her gaze.

Xue Tianyi’s expression darkened at being ignored, yet he did not flare up.

Such treatment was what the weak deserved.

Below the platform, Chen Beiwu sensed her gaze. He lifted his head slightly, meeting Zhao Yue’s eyes.

The atmosphere froze at once.