Just as he was feeling dizzy, a red light suddenly appeared in front of him. It was a scorching fire, which seemed to have blotted out the sky and instantly wrapped him up.
The outside of his body was hot while the inside was cold because ice and fire appeared simultaneously.
This was the true portrayal of the scholar. His eyes bulged as his dantian power was finally unleashed, but his essential Qi could not hold on anymore due to the hot-and-cold attack. In fact, his body was attacked by the opposite yet connected powers.
Big Yellow flashed and kicked the scholar away. He rolled on the ground before the flames on his body distinguished, but his clothes were already covered in holes. Additionally, the exposed parts of this skin were burnt, and he looked miserable. Moreover, the scholar curled up his body and seemed to be trembling when he landed on the ground.
When Ni Yinghong opened her eyes, she realized that the scholar had not seized her. Instead, he was faced with a series of exceptionally strange counterattacks.
Almost at the same time, she was caught by a pair of warm hands.
Ni Yinghong smiled. She was completely at ease when she sensed the tough chest behind her.
Though it seemed like the scholar was defeated by Big Yellow, she could sense the temperature change around him. Based on that, she knew Ou Yangming was the one behind everything, but she was deeply in love with the feeling.
Big Yellow pressed the scholar hard on the ground and locked on its sharp claws on his vital parts. Nonetheless, it shook its head and stopped watching over him after some time because the badly battered scholar could not resist anymore.
The big yellow dog was not an ordinary spirit beast. It was worth noting that the Heavenly Thunderbolts that it drew when it advanced into a spirit beast were so extreme that even the goshawk exclaimed.
When Big Yellow fought the spirit centipede outside Changlong City alone, it was never in a disadvantageous spot. In the end, it was assisted by Ou Yangming and managed to slaughter the spirit insect. Back then, the young fellow had not broken through his limit yet. Now that his mental power surpassed the 100-points mark, he had better chemistry with the big yellow dog. They attacked openly and covertly through magic art and power, and they took down the scholar, who was caught off guard.
Needless to say, given how capable they had become, the outcome would not change even if the scholar was well-prepared.
There were a lot of movements when they exchanged blows, but the fight ended in a split second. Before Feng Yiyuan and the others could react to the situation, the scholar had collapsed, and they did not know if he was dead or alive.
Upon seeing this, Feng Yiyuan, Xiao Hualing, and the others were stupefied and in disbelief.
‘Was he defeated?’
The powerhouse that went past Extreme Grade could contend with the Aquatics’ spirit beast and became Canghai City’s guardian, but he ended up being defeated. Furthermore, it was such a clean defeat that he did not seem to have the ability to resist at all.
Judging from the disparity, it did not seem he was on his opponent’s level.
Feng Yiyuan and Xiao Hualing naturally could not tell Ou Yangming was secretly doing mischief, so they thought Big Yellow did everything itself.
It turned out that the burly dog with Ou Yangming and his companions was such a notable being.
At the spur of the moment, the Supreme Great Ancestors including Feng Yi Yuan broke out in cold sweats. They were far from being respectful when Ou Yangming and his fellows first entered the city.
Nevertheless, they did not bother back then because they could rely on the scholar.
After seeing how their backing ended, they felt like the world was falling apart and were frightened.
Ou Yangming smiled at Ni Yinghong and asked, “Elder Sister Ying, how powerful is he?”
Ni Yinghong answered after some serious thought, “He’s exceedingly capable—more than anyone we’ve met so far.”
‘That’s because you haven’t seen how capable I am now,’ Ou Yangming thought, but he was too embarrassed to say it out loud.
“Elder Brother, can a spirit beast be so mighty?” Jiang Jiumei approached him and asked softly.
Ou Yangming nodded and responded, “That man’s only that capable; many spirit beasts are more potent than him. Hehe, Jiumei, are you afraid?”
Feng Yiyuan and the others felt like digging holes on the ground when they heard him.
‘He’s only that capable? If he’s only that capable, who do you regard as really capable?’
However, when they looked at the scholar struggling to stay alive, they must admit that Ou Yangming deserved to say that.
“I’m not.” Jiang Jiumei was highly-spirited. “We weren’t experienced enough, so we couldn’t coordinate well, but we won’t make any mistakes next time.”
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh. “You still want to challenge the spirit beast?”
“Yes.”
Other than Jiang Jiumei, Ni Yinghong, who was being embraced by Ou Yangming, gave the same answer too.
“Alright, I’ll let you play with the Aquatics’ spirit beast when we encounter it.” Ou Yangming laughed.
Fei Yiyuan and the others could not help but shiver.
‘Play with it?’
From their perspectives, Ou Yangming seemed to have become a prince of devils at the moment.
Ou Yangming later turned to say in a deep voice, “Senior Feng, please come over here for a chat.”
Chapter 499 - The Tree Of Splendour
Feng Yiyuan twitched his mouth, and he was extremely anxious.
It turned out that he and his people relied on the scholar and thought they were treating Ou Yangming and his companions with enough courtesy, but they did not treat them as peers. After witnessing the unreasonably fearsome powers of Ou Yangming and his fellows, one could imagine how Feng Yiyuan and his people were feeling.
The great ancestor hurried over to Ou Yangming and smiled bitterly as he asked, “Master Ou, what orders do you have?”
There was a huge difference in his attitude this time.
Ou Yangming looked up and questioned, “Where did this fool come from? How dare he disturb us from sleeping late at night? Does he not know basic manners at all?”
He was earlier immersed in the little red bird’s spiritual world and gained some knowledge from the Phoenixes’ secret techniques, hence he was clueless about the events in the outside world. It was not that he was being reckless, but he strongly believed that his people would not be in serious danger without his help because the little bird and Big Yellow were around.
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming immediately awoke when the scholar released his aura as a supreme powerhouse.
The young fellow left the little red bird’s spiritual world but instead of showing up right away, he observed in the dark. Although he did not know where the man came from and could not figure out why he came to court his death, he figured that it would be perfect training for Ni Yinghong and Jiang Jiumei.
All in all, Ou Yangming did not have a favorable impression of the man that came to ask for a beating.
Feng Yiyuan was stunned for a brief moment. He looked at the miserable scholar and did not know how he should answer the question.
“Master, t-this is the Almighty Being from the upper realm. We’ve been addressing him as our sir, but we know nothing about his origin.” Feng Yiyuan forced a smile as he continued, “There was a theft case in the city today, and he suspected…”
Ou Yangming furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you suspected that we did it?”
Feng Yiyuan immediately waved his hand and said, “Master Ou, please don’t misunderstand us. We never thought that’s the case; it’s sir’s speculation, and we were forced to come here with him!”
He cried for injustice but thought, ‘You’re probably the only ones in the entire city that can discreetly take the Tree of Splendour away.’ Nevertheless, unless he was tired of living, he would not have the guts t
o say that out loud.
Ou Yangming frowned. “What went missing? Heh, judging from how you came here with great fanfare, I suppose it’s not an ordinary item.”
Big Yellow glanced at the young fellow and was relieved when it noticed that he was not suspecting it at all.
In actuality, Ou Yangming was not a deity, so how could he associate the matter with the big yellow dog?
Feng Yiyuan answered with respect, “Master Ou, the treasure that went missing is a rare plant brought by sir from the upper realm. I think it’s called… The Tree of Splendour?”
“The Tree of Splendour? That’s impossible. How could a petty human like him possess a rare treasure like the Tree of Splendour?” Before Ou Yangming could say a word, he heard the little red birds’ voice in his head.
After the run-in period between their mental powers, Ou Yangming and the little red bird no longer needed to communicate through speech.
Needless to say, Ou Yangming was not accustomed to this communication method yet, so unless they were in public, he was not willing to communicate in this way.
He frowned and asked, “Lil’ Red, what’s the Tree of Splendour?”
Even though many bizarre events were recorded in the ancient books in this realm, he never read about the Tree of Splendour.
“The Tree of Splendour is a peculiar plant with the shape of an inverted pyramid. As long as it’s provided with sufficient energy, it’ll secret a type of liquid with wonderful effects for every living being. It’s truly a rare treasure in the universe.”
“Oh? What liquid is that? What does it do?” Ou Yangming asked casually.
“Regeneration!” The little bird chirped. “Let’s go and get this thing. It’s born to be noble, and its effect will only be fully unleashed if we have it!”
Ou Yangming could not help but laugh because the little red bird turned out to be a greedy creature too. Having said that, the things that it coveted were too high-grade, by which it would not lay its eyes on ordinary items at all. As such, he misunderstood that it did not desire anything in this world.
Struck with a thought, Ou Yangming suddenly asked, “Regeneration? Can it prolong one’s life?”
“Of course. The liquid can be used for our recoveries as it contains the purest energy. The prolongation of life is only its basic function.”
Ou Yangming became incredibly interested because he cared about prolonging Old Craftsman’s life the most. Though Wu Yuanwei promised that he could enter the upper realm to seek an opportunity for that, nobody could guarantee that he could find the kind of medicine with that function.
Now that something with that effect was somewhere around him, he was not going to let it go.
“Senior Feng, how did the Tree of Splendour go missing?” Ou Yangming asked sternly.
Feng Yiyuan smiled bitterly. “Master Ou, we placed the tree in a hidden courtyard, which was guarded by specifically assigned people. Who knew, it disappeared just like that, and nobody saw how it was lost.”
Ou Yangming frowned and understood why the scholar came to denounce them so fiercely.
The time the item went missing was too coincidental. Even if Ou Yangming was in the scholar’s shoes, he would have had the same suspicion too. Despite that, the suspicion was one thing, whereas it was a fact that the scholar was incapable and was defeated by him.
“Big Yellow,” Ou Yangming uttered in a deep voice.
The big yellow dog shivered and turned around to wag its tail at Ou Yangming.
“Follow them to see if you can find any clues. No matter what, what is lost must be found,” Ou Yangming said.
Big Yellow was relieved. It nodded and jumped cheerfully before it went over to Feng Yiyuan and stared at him fiercely.
Feng Yiyuan was aware of Big Yellow’s real identity, which was a spirit beast—a formidable and irresistible spirit beast. Anyone would not feel happy being stared at by a spirit beast like that.
“Yes, I’ll go right now,” he forced a smile and said. Before he left, he looked at Ou Yangming and wanted to say something but was hesitant.
Ou Yangming noted, “Regardless of what this person lost, he can’t leave unscathed since he came to find trouble. Leave him to me, and you may leave.”
Feng Yiyuan and the others dared not say a word, so they left in a hurry. They felt that it would be too dangerous for them to stay.
That said, they did not dare to escape too, so they brought Big Yellow to the courtyard. The big yellow dog sniffed about pretentiously, and every move it made caused Feng Yiyuan and the others to worry. After all, they would suffer if it suddenly went crazy here.
Fortunately, Big Yellow inspected the place conscientiously and left after some time.
Feng Yiyuan and the others were startled for some time before one of them asked softly, “Master, what do we do now?”
“What can we do? I’m helpless!” Feng Yiyuan replied to him snappily.
The other people quickly backed away when they sensed his anger.
When Feng Yiyuan finally calmed down, he sighed and said, “Forget it. Let the others know to never bring this up in the future, or don’t blame me for taking ruthless measures.”
Everyone else was appalled, and they responded obediently.
Feng Yiyuan let out a long sigh and looked at the courtyard in the distance. There was a complicated look in his eyes, and nobody knew what was going through his mind.
Chapter 500 - The Truth
The scholar slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ou Yangming with a complicated look. Instead of answering, he asked slowly, “You’re not a caster from this world, am I right?”
“How do you know?” Ou Yangming calmly asked him in return.
“How could a powerhouse like you be brought up in this world?” The scholar chuckled, and his eyes lit up as he raised another question, “I suppose that female caster is your apprentice?”
Ou Yangming experienced many things throughout these 2 years, hence he had long trained to be shrewd. Even so, he could not help but twitch his mouth after he heard the scholar. Moreover, a strange look was also seen in the young fellow’s eyes as he thought, ‘What will Elder Sister Ying think if she hears this?’
Although the scholar was severely injured and could not move around, his vision was not affected.
He was slightly stunned after he noticed Ou Yangming’s expression, and he had an odd look in his eyes.
“I get it now—you’re not here to take in an apprentice, but to find a suitable human cauldron, am I right?”
The scholar assumed that a powerhouse that could cooperate with a spirit beast to defeat him in a short period and left him severely injured could not be a local cultivator at all. If that was the case, why would such a remarkable cultivator descend to this realm? Apart from an accident, perhaps this would be the only explanation.
Human cauldrons were very much prohibited in the upper realm. Even though authoritative clans or powerful forces still use them despite the prohibition, in most places, nobody dared to cross the line. Nonetheless, it would be an entirely different case here.
Even the most upright powerhouse could not spread his love here.
Ou Yangming looked coldly at the scholar and cursed internally, ‘This fella is becoming more outrageous.’ Nevertheless, he did not stop him and showed an unpredictable expression on his face. This was because the more the scholar said, the more the young fellow could understand.
Sure enough, a smile was seen on the scholar’s burnt face after he noticed Ou Yangming’s expression. “You’re the local powerhouse that subdued two spirit beasts, am I right?”
“Before you ask for my name, aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” Ou Yangming questioned.
The scholar cleared his throat and answered, “Alright, I’m Hong Feiyu—a Spiritualist Guardian from the Jubilation Sect. I’m sure you know my sect, am I right?”
‘Know my *ss!’ Ou Yangming thought, but he scoffed as if he was indifferent toward it.
Hong Feiyu immediately said, “My sect might not have a good reputation, but our technique is legitimate. Hehe, it suits you very well too, brother!” He suddenly changed to address Ou Yangming as a brother to close the gap between them.
“Why?” Ou Yangming asked.
“As long as you learn our sect’s technique, you’ll definitely be able to get the most out of the human cauldron. Not only will you advance to a higher boundary, but you’ll also be able to enjoy it very much, so why not?” Hong Feiyu answered in a deep voice. He was rather wary and afraid when he was captured by Ou Yangming, but he instantly became confident when he brought up his sect.
Ou Yangming chuckled and declined to comment. He questioned again, “How do you know I’ll need your technique for sure?”
“Hehe, regardless if you made a lot of effort to get to the lower realm or came here by accident, since you’re here, there aren’t any restrictions. Don’t you want to have a good time, brother?” Hong Feiyu tried to tempt him.
The young fellow looked at him with a straight face.
Hong Feiyu smiled embarrassedly. Countless thoughts crossed his mind at the moment.
‘Was I mistaken? But since I’m in his hands, I must move him with my words or actions no matter what, or I won’t be able to survive.’
“How did you come to the lower realm?” Ou Yangming suddenly asked after some time. His eyes were bright, and he even released enough pressure as though he would kill Hong Feiyu if he did not answer him well.
“Brother, please don’t misunderstand. I only came to this realm by accident,” Hong Feiyu quickly said and smiled bitterly as he explained, “I was on an adventure but accidentally stumbled upon a Tree of Splendour, but it’s guarded by a formidable spirit beast. I did all I could to lure the spirit beast away and stole the tree once it left, but it reacted so fast that it pursued me right away.”
He paused and shook his head as if he was quite upset about it. “I’m not a match for that spirit beast, so I ran with all my might but somehow ended up in an interspatial disorder. By the time I woke up, I appeared outside the city.”
Immortal Path to Heaven c1-725 Page 294