Chapter 640 - 439: Eat, Eat, Eat Together (Part 2)

A Spirit Fish with horns? And they look like a dragon’s horns... Could this be a bloodline regression, turning it into a draconic creature?

There’s a saying in the Cultivation Realm that all aquatic life originates from a single True Dragon.

Fang Qingyuan had never believed this saying. He was a firm believer in survival of the fittest; after all, even for something like a Spirit Beast, shouldn’t some theory of evolution apply?

But after seeing the Spirit Fish sprout horns, Fang Qingyuan realized that regression was also a part of the evolutionary path.

But sprouting horns wasn’t the end of it. The purple lightning in the sky hadn’t finished falling, which meant the process of evolutionary regression was not yet complete.

Outside, in the center of the arena’s pool, Chunyu Hua’s expression was obscured by the reflection of the purple light, and the surrounding spectators couldn’t discern his true thoughts.

But such an unconventional battle was certainly making the crowd of watching Cultivators exclaim in amazement.

Everyone was tired of watching those turn-based duels where one person uses a Cold Ice Talisman and the other responds with a Golden Bell Talisman.

Even Foundation Establishment Cultivators merely focused their efforts on Magical Artifacts and Talismans. This was nothing like that. Both combatants were clearly Golden Core Cultivators, yet their fighting style bore an uncanny resemblance to a domain battle between Nascent Soul experts.

Besides, from the start of the duel to this current stalemate, less than half a quarter-hour had passed, so no one’s patience had been worn thin.

"Something’s not right. Why is my Purple Extreme Divine Thunder continuously diminishing?"

Chunyu Hua looked utterly astonished. According to his senses, the Purple Extreme Divine Thunder under his control was steadily and secretly vanishing.

The Purple Extreme Divine Thunder was stored in that Token; it wasn’t a power Chunyu Hua had cultivated himself. It was like water without a source or a tree without roots—once a bit was used, it was gone forever.

Just moments ago, Chunyu Hua had been singularly focused on finding Fang Qingyuan, his entire mind bent on the search. By the time he realized something was amiss, the Purple Extreme Divine Thunder he controlled had lost nearly a fifth of its total volume.

"It can’t be dissipating this quickly on its own. What technique is Fang Qingyuan using to wear down my Divine Thunder? Damn it, this Escape Technique is so troublesome!"

Chunyu Hua finally realized the gravity of the situation. The Purple Extreme Divine Thunder could be released but not retracted; once unleashed, it had to be completely expended. The Divine Thunder was meant for Fang Qingyuan, and it pained him to see it being wasted like this.

Chunyu Hua’s exclamation was so quiet that only Qing Ji could hear it. He had hoped for good news from her, but instead, Qing Ji began to complain as well:

"My pool water is also decreasing! This guy is just unnatural... Ah! The water is disappearing even faster now!"

Inside the Immortal Mansion, it was as if a hole had opened in the sky. Purple lightning rained down continuously, and the clear, cold pool water fell like a torrential downpour, flowing into the pond where the Purple Crystal Spirit Fish resided.

Nearby, Yinbao and Jinbao gathered to watch the magical scene unfold. Smelling the bloody scent of the exploding Spirit Fish in the air, they started to drool uncontrollably.

However, Jinbao still remembered the time he stole one of these Spirit Fish and got a spanking from Fang Qingyuan. So now, even though he was drooling a river, he didn’t dare move forward to eat.

Fang Qingyuan’s divine sense, however, noticed this scene. He sent a thought, transmitting it to the Bee Queen.

A few breaths later, the Bee Queen, Fang Ruoxi, appeared with Nanli. She began to instruct the three smaller beasts:

"The Master just said that you can’t eat the healthy Spirit Fish. But you can have the ones whose bodies couldn’t handle it and failed to advance. As for how they’re divided... out of a total of twelve shares, I get to eat four, Yinbao gets two and a half, Jinbao gets four, and Nanli gets one and a half."

Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s distribution, Jinbao and Yinbao cheered. Nanli looked at the Bee Queen in surprise, not expecting to get a share for herself.

BANG! BANG!

The Array above the pond had been opened, and the Spirit Fish inside were still evolving. When the Bee Queen, Fang Ruoxi, saw a few more Spirit Fish fail their advancement and shatter, she unleashed her now-vast Magical Power—grown immense since she became a Golden Core Demon Beast—and levitated the broken flesh and blood over to them.

The Bee Queen made a quick mental calculation, sensing the total mass of the fish, then precisely divided the shares and tossed them to the three smaller beasts: Jinbao, Yinbao, and Nanli.

Fang Qingyuan had his reasons for this distribution. The Bee Queen, as the Golden Core ’big sister’ of the group, deserved a larger portion. As his primary War Beast, Jinbao’s cultivation was currently too low, so he needed a special supplement.

Yinbao, on the other hand, simply had a huge frame and a big appetite, so he was given a bit more.

As for Nanli, Fang Qingyuan acknowledged her as one of his Companion Beasts. He had grown fond of her over the years, so if he gave her a share, the other three wouldn’t object.

Even for the Purple Crystal Spirit Fish that had failed their advancement, their effects were incredibly potent—even more so than before.

Fang Qingyuan hadn’t been able to bring himself to eat them back then, having raised them in the Immortal Mansion for seventy or eighty years. Now, after absorbing the Purple Extreme Divine Thunder, even the failed ones were still Purple Crystal Spirit Fish, but their medicinal potency had skyrocketed.

After eating just two or three pieces of the broken Spirit Fish, Nanli felt a heat spreading throughout her body. A vast amount of pure Spiritual Qi had appeared within her, nourishing her flesh and increasing her Spiritual Power in a gentle yet resolute manner.

It was so delicious she couldn’t stop. With tears welling in her eyes, Nanli tilted back her long, slender neck and swallowed another Spirit Fish whole.

Compared to Nanli, who was just scarfing them down, Jinbao seemed to be savoring the taste much more. To Jinbao, the Spirit Fish had only one flavor: incomparably fragrant and sweet.

As he ate, tears also welled up in Jinbao’s eyes. It wasn’t because it was delicious; he was remembering the spanking he’d received as a child. Back then, he had been thoroughly disciplined by Fang Qingyuan for just a few Spirit Fish. Now he was gorging himself, and Fang Qingyuan wasn’t punishing him at all. Jinbao felt that his younger self had been so foolish.

Yinbao and the Bee Queen’s eating style was far more unrestrained. No matter how large, these Purple Crystal Spirit Fish were at most a foot long. Compared to the size of Yinbao and the Bee Queen, they were mere snacks.

But while the Spirit Fish weren’t large, the energy they contained was immense. After swallowing just a few, Yinbao also began to feel a scorching heat.

Most critically, Yinbao felt an itch on his scalp, as if something was stirring restlessly, about to break through the skin.

But since Yinbao had no little hands to scratch his own scalp, he was about to ask Jinbao for help. But when he saw Jinbao eating until he cried, he meekly held back.

’Jinbao doesn’t seem to be itchy. If I say something, will the Bee Queen look down on me? No way. Other than Nanli, I’m the most useless one here. I have to endure it and maintain my big brother-like composure. Hmph, back when I was carrying the Master around, picking up fares, you lot weren’t even born yet!’

As Yinbao’s mind flashed back to his glory days, the itch on his scalp suddenly seemed unimportant. He had to maintain his ’big brother’ image.

The Bee Queen glanced at Yinbao curiously. ’Why so much mental drama over eating a Spirit Fish?’ After she reached the Golden Core realm, her previously awakened Voice of All Things Divine Technique had been strengthened. While she couldn’t directly probe Yinbao’s thoughts, she was able to perceive the shift in his mental state.

’But this Spirit Fish really is delicious,’ the Bee Queen thought. She used to prefer various kinds of Flower Nectar, as her body wasn’t well-suited for a diet of flesh and blood. This delicious meal was the first time she had eaten meat since transforming her body.

While Fang Qingyuan’s four Companion Beasts feasted merrily inside the Immortal Mansion, outside, Chunyu Hua was so frustrated he could have coughed up blood.

Sensing his carefully prepared trump card losing its effectiveness bit by bit, while being unable to find even a trace of Fang Qingyuan, Chunyu Hua felt utterly ridiculous.

’What am I doing? Why am I even doing this? Am I being humiliated?’

Chunyu Hua was seized by a moment of self-doubt. ’If I had just refused Fang Qingyuan’s duel invitation,’ he thought, ’would I have to be standing here making a fool of myself right now?’

"AAAHHH! Get out here! Hiding and skulking about, do you call this an honorable duel?!

"Fang Qingyuan, stop being a Cowardly Turtle! If you have the guts to challenge someone to a duel, then fight honorably! You were once a disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, don’t pull these White Mountain tricks!"

The relatively short wait sent Chunyu Hua into a roaring rage. His status as a Major Sect Disciple and the pride of a Divinity Transformation Descendant were about to drive him mad.

Chunyu Hua’s current state made even Qing Ji want to keep her distance.

But Chunyu Hua’s words finally drew Fang Qingyuan out from his Five Elements Escape Technique.

"If it’s destruction you want, then I shall grant it!"

Following these cold words, Fang Qingyuan raised his hands.

"Godslaying Needle, Ten-Strike Barrage!"