CHAPTER 407: CHAPTER 52: FIVE HOLY BEASTS

On the second day after Yue Jinghua and others entered Xuan Beast Ridge, Divine Court’s Sha Xi and several elite mercenaries hired from the Five Saints Branch also entered the expansive Xuan Beast Ridge.

Without the "Beast God" on Kalan Peak, the green leaves blocked out the sky, and various low-middle stage Xuan Beasts frequently appeared among the trees and bushes.

A few forest gray apes bared their teeth and grinned, leaping continuously between the branches, while flaming red dragonflies with slender bodies perched atop some black and white two-colored cat’s eye chrysanthemums.

Suddenly, the gray apes escaped, and the dragonflies flew away in alarm.

Among the woods, a black dot moved swiftly like a flea.

In the blink of an eye, it arrived next to Kalan Peak, and as it got closer, it turned out that the black dot was a person.

This person was short with an ordinary, nondescript face, the kind you wouldn’t notice in a crowd, standing with his hands behind his back near the cliff.

Upon closer inspection, this person was the inconspicuous short man who had exchanged the Blue Snow Candle for Buzhou Soil from Yue Jinghua earlier on.

The short man stood at the cliff and, facing Fire Phoenix Peak miles away, changed from his previous rough demeanor, softly whispered, "Feng Yan, guess what I brought this time?"

His voice was faint, but he used a skill that transmitted sound secretly, ensuring the person at heart on Fire Phoenix Peak could hear him.

Amidst the sea of clouds, there was no response for a long while.

The short man blushed with embarrassment and bellowed angrily, "Fire Phoenix Yan, you wretched woman, I have pursued you for over a thousand years; at least give me a reaction. If you don’t come out, I will burst in by force."

It turns out that the short man’s so-called wife’s gift was merely a pretext; what was real was his intention to use the Blue Snow Candle to pursue his beloved.

This roar was like a thunderstorm in summer.

On that day, a casual roar from Yue Jinghua drew over a hundred high-level mysterious birds, but the short man’s power was evidently many levels higher than Yue Jinghua’s; this roar shook Kalan Peak as if it had experienced an earthquake, trembling several times.

From Fire Phoenix Peak, which could only be seen from a distance, fiery red spots suddenly appeared.

The red spots arranged into three vertical and three horizontal lines, which were the Fire Guard Eagles guarding the mountain. Their eyes were red with anger, issuing annoyed cries, clearly disgusted with the man who rudely disturbed Fire Phoenix Peak.

The Fire Guard Eagles lived up to their name, with feathers like golden swords, spewing fire spears from their beaks. It was as though a hundred bare-chested strongmen tensed their muscles and hurled them fiercely at the short man.

The roar of the wind pierced the air above the cloud sea, and the fire spears punctured the sky, igniting it into rings of fire, lighting up the entire sea of clouds.

Flames faced the onslaught, like a rolling lava flow, but the short man just chuckled with a sneer.

With a shake of his arms, his clothes instantly tore apart, and he placed his hands on the ground in a horse stance, let out a thunderous roar towards the sky, as if the sound was a thunderclap striking the ground.

The scales grew against the grain on his exposed shoulders, a single horn emerged on his forehead, and a brownish-yellow mane grew on his back, transforming into a majestic and awe-inspiring Holy Beast.

The creature, seemingly ignoring the abyss below, leaped forward, and when its limbs touched the sea of clouds, it was as though walking on solid ground.

The once short man, now transformed into a horse-shaped unicorn, was of holy-grade strength, capable of traversing the heavens and earth.

The horse-shaped unicorn walked on clouds, moving at an unhurried pace as if taking a leisurely stroll, yet each step it took on the clouds caused a heavy stomp.

With that stomp, the sea of clouds churned like a pot of boiling water, and several Earth Spurs appeared out of thin air.

"Hiss Hiss Hiss--"

The Earth Spurs were exceedingly sharp, stabbing directly at the Fire Guard Eagles in the sky, piercing each one with deadly accuracy.

After over ten Fire Guard Eagles had fallen from the sky.

A ring of flame-like Cloud Qi spewed forth from the side of Fire Phoenix Peak after a long silence.

"Tu Sanbian, you ground turtle, causing trouble again!" A Luan Bird with six colorful feathers appeared in the sky.

With a shake of its body, the six colorful feathers fluttered about, and in the blink of an eye, it transformed into a beautiful, amorous woman.

Her eyes upturned at the corners, her frown of anger only adding to her charm.

She raised her hand, and a streak of red light flashed by, forming a Fire Array, which continuously spun, drawing several Red Guard Eagles into it.

As the Fire Array spun like a roulette wheel, it was, in fact, the top-tier Dark Array of Fire Element Holy Beasts—the Nirvana Fire Pan Life Formation.

A few Red Guard Eagles were reborn from the ashes and, receiving the order from Feng Yan, retreated back into the mountains.

"Feng Yan, you finally showed up. I’ve told you so many times not to call me a ground turtle. I am a Qilin, a rare purebred Earth Qilin of our times," the Horse-shaped Unicorn reverted to his previous short stature upon seeing his beloved.

He offered the Blue Snow Candle he’d obtained from Yue Jinghua as if presenting a treasure, his face full of attentiveness.

Fire Phoenix Feng Yan gave him a glance but did not reject him. Upon noticing the Blue Snow Candle, she couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

At this point, the identities of the two were self-evident—both the short man and Fire Phoenix Feng Yan were Holy Beasts who could freely transform into human forms, namely, the Fire Phoenix King of Fire Phoenix Peak and the Earth Qilin of Earth Qilin Peak.

The Five Saints Mountain has been established for a long time, and the few Holy Beasts in the mountains are a rare sight in the world. Due to certain reasons, they have not left the Eastern Continent and have been trapped within the Five Saints Mountain.

The short man, named Tu Sanbian, has fancied Feng Yan of Fire Phoenix Peak for many years and has tirelessly pursued her. Unfortunately, every time Feng Yan coldly disregarded him, and all the various treasures he brought were refused entry to the mountain.

"You still have the nerve to mention being a purebred Qilin? Such a lofty Holy Beast, yet you belittle yourself, descending the mountain to become one of the Ten Saints. Are you aware? The other Holy Beasts of the three Holy Beast Mountains are laughing behind your back, especially your younger brother, who keeps saying he wants to expel you from the Five Saints Mountain," Fire Phoenix Feng Yan, as a Fire Attribute Holy Beast, was as fiery and straightforward as her nature, speaking whatever came to mind.

"Hmph, I have nothing to do with that kid. Let him be the Holy Beast of Golden Horn Peak, and I’ll be the lord of Earth Qilin Peak. We don’t intrude on each other’s business. Though I look rough and tough, I understand the so-called ’to cultivate one must first partake in the mundane.’ We’ve been imprisoned on the Five Saints Mountain for over five thousand years, our Cultivation stagnating in the Dan Realm, without even forming a Yin Yang Holy Beast Pill. If we continue like this, even after ten thousand years, we’ll still be Holy Beasts in name only," Tu Sanbian said disdainfully when Feng Yan brought up the other Holy Beasts of the Five Saints Mountain.

The Holy Beasts among the Dark Beasts are roughly equivalent in strength to the Dan Realm Experts among the Dark Practitioners.

After breaking through to the Dark Heavenly and advancing to the Dan Realm, there are also the Dan Formation Realm and Shape Pill Realm stages. For all Dark Practitioners and Holy Beasts, it’s only upon forming one’s life essence Holy Dark Pill that one can be truly called a genuine Dan Realm (Holy Beast).

The Five Holy Beasts of the Five Saints Mountain, in terms of Cultivation, could transform into human form long ago and had early broken through the Dan Realm, but they have always been unable to form a Holy Beast Pill.

As long as they cannot form a Holy Beast Pill, they cannot cross the Plane Boundary River and enter the Middle Plane.

"Let’s not talk about these disheartening matters. Look at this candle I have; it’s a novel item. Take a look, do you like it?" The short man scratched his head and brought the Blue Snow Candle right under Fire Phoenix Feng Yan’s eyes.