Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

And yet, her eyes were like polished jet—dark, brilliant, and fixed on Lou Yuan with a chilling coldness that completely betrayed her smile.

Lou Yuan met her gaze. Far from relaxing just because his captor was a woman, his heart sank even further.

’This broad is definitely trouble.’

Lou Yuan wanted to protest, but as he tried to speak, he found his lips and tongue had been sealed. He couldn’t make a single sound.

It was then that Lou Yuan’s heart truly began to plummet. Fortunately, the mysterious Master of Ten Thousand Spiders, that old monster, had yet to be discovered. That was the only thing keeping him from utter despair.

In the Barbaric Wilderness, demon beasts weren’t the most terrifying things. Compared to the malice of humans, a beast just wanted to eat you. They weren’t capable of torture for sport.

The woman in the palace gown simply grabbed Lou Yuan and tossed him aside. She then stood quietly on the River Heart Island, seemingly waiting for someone.

A long time passed. The stars shifted and the moon began to wane. At last, a burly Male Cultivator appeared, striding across the water’s surface from downriver. The man had a cold, hard face and a formidable aura. Had Fang Qingyuan been present, he would have immediately recognized this man as Hao Shi—the very person he was desperate to eliminate.

"Hao Shi greets Venerable Li."

The Female Cultivator known as Venerable Li smiled sweetly at Hao Shi and opened her mouth to speak, but she suddenly seemed to recall something. When she turned to look at Lou Yuan, a sense of foreboding washed over him.

As he feared, in the next instant, Venerable Li pointed a finger at his head. The gap in their cultivation realms was so vast that Lou Yuan was utterly powerless to resist. With a soft pop, a finger-sized hole bloomed between his eyebrows. His life force was extinguished.

"And this is?"

Hao Shi asked, his brow furrowed. Venerable Li replied nonchalantly,

"An insignificant nobody. He was somewhat interesting, but that’s all. Can’t have him around to interfere with our deal. Do you have any fine specimens among the beast souls this time? If you fail to deliver quality goods again, you know the consequences."

After a moment, Hao Shi tore his gaze away from Lou Yuan’s body. He produced a jade box sealed with a Talisman from within his robes and handed it to Venerable Li.

When Venerable Li opened the box, a dozen or so transparent Crystal Stones lay quietly inside. Within each Crystal Stone, a small, exquisite, and lifelike form of a demon beast was suspended—bears, tigers, and even an exceptionally large and savage Six-armed Demon Ape.

Venerable Li happily picked up a transparent Crystal Stone. A phantom of a white Bear Beast rested quietly within it, looking as peaceful and comfortable as if it were asleep.

"Ice-Breath White Abyss Bear Beast, at the Early-stage Golden Core realm. Its Talents include the Profound Tier [Ice Barrier] and [Cold White Breath]... and the Earth Tier Talent [Cold Heart]."

Hao Shi coldly listed the beast soul’s Talents. After listening, Venerable Li casually set it down and picked up another Crystal Stone—the largest one in the box.

"The Six-armed Tyrannical Terror Ape, a Mid-stage Golden Core demon beast. Its Talents include the Profound Tier abilities [Synchronized Limbs], [Immense Strength], and [Copper Skin and Iron Bones], among others. It also possesses the Earth Tier Talent [Heart of Fury] and the Celestial Tier Talent [Indeterminate Heart Ape]."

Upon hearing of a Celestial Tier Talent, the corners of Venerable Li’s lips curled into a smirk. She carefully put away the Crystal Stone containing the Six-armed Tyrannical Terror Ape, then pushed the rest back to Hao Shi.

"A single Celestial Tier Talent is worth a hundred Profound Tier ones. Keep the rest. If you wish to absorb any of these Talents for yourself, tell me in advance. I’ll perform the ritual for you. Consider it your reward.

"Alright, I’m returning to make my report. As for Chunyu Hua, continue luring him down this path. A Divinity Transformation cultivator with poor aptitude won’t be content to be cast aside and left to stagnate. When we finally bring him into our organization, you will be credited with a great accomplishment!"

Her palace gown fluttering, Venerable Li strode across the water and vanished in the blink of an eye amidst the boundless, churning waves of the river.

After Venerable Li left, Hao Shi stared at Lou Yuan’s corpse for a long moment before finally letting out a sigh. With a wave of his hand, he split open a deep pit in the soft earth of the River Heart Island. He then drew Lou Yuan’s body into the hole and sealed the ground, burying him.

Once he had finished, Hao Shi turned, stepped onto the river’s surface, and gracefully drifted away.

Night gave way to dawn. As the first rays from the great eastern sun touched the small Jiangxin Island, the patch of ground where Hao Shi had buried Lou Yuan’s corpse suddenly broke apart. A pale hand shot out from the soil, followed by Lou Yuan’s shocked and furious voice:

"Ptooey, ptooey! Son of a bitch, I died again!"