Chapter 435 - 324: Distress Call from the Stronghold (2)

Chapter 435: Chapter 324: Distress Call from the Stronghold (2)

"It’s nothing. This was long overdue—I should’ve helped you break through ages ago."

Yu Changsheng said with a smile. Meanwhile, the Colorful Star Deer strode proudly over to the Red Purgatory, giving it a haughty look.

The Red Purgatory circled low, letting out a deep Dragon’s Roar in congratulations.

The Golden-Winged Eagle shot out from the Inner Realm as a streak of light. It unfurled its wings and gave Yu Changsheng a pitiful, aggrieved look.

Resigned, Yu Changsheng could only gently pat the Golden-Winged Eagle’s wings to console it.

"There, there. Don’t be impatient. Your turn will come as soon as I find something suitable."

"CHIRP! CHIRP! CHIRP!"

Upon hearing this, the Golden-Winged Eagle nodded gently, then shrank down and perched obediently on Yu Changsheng’s shoulder.

The Profound Turtle watched from the side with a faint smile. It then gave Yu Changsheng a profound look but said nothing more.

It had long suspected that Yu Changsheng possessed some sort of peculiar ability, and today’s events served as confirmation.

But now that it was bound to Yu Changsheng by a contract, the Profound Turtle’s curiosity was overshadowed by its delight.

Meanwhile, Zhang Tianwen and the others, drawn by the commotion, could only stare, completely stunned by the scene.

"T-Tier Three?"

"Another Tier Three beast?!"

Li Minghan couldn’t help but gasp.

"A Tier Three beast... That guy, he managed another one."

Zhang Tianwen fell silent for a long moment before swallowing hard. He stared at the smiling Yu Changsheng, his expression a whirlwind of complex emotions.

A Tier Three beast was the equivalent of a human in the Golden Core Realm.

First, the Red Purgatory had broken through to Tier Three, and now the Colorful Star Deer had followed. Even though Yu Changsheng’s own cultivation was still at the Foundation Establishment Realm, in terms of overt combat strength, he now commanded two forces at the Golden Core level.

They had long been aware of the Profound Turtle’s extraordinary nature. Although they couldn’t fully gauge its power, they had already been treating it as a Tier Three beast in its own right.

"Congratulations, Changsheng! Another Tier Three beast. You’ve reached a whole new level of power."

"At this rate, as long as nothing unexpected happens, you can pretty much dominate the entire Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm. Who could possibly stand against this kind of power?"

Unlike Zhang Tianwen with his complex feelings, Li Minghan was completely energized, letting out a gleeful chuckle.

Golden Core cultivators were a minority in the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm, after all. With the combat strength Yu Changsheng was now displaying, an ordinary Golden Core expert would likely fall easily at his hands.

As for Jing Xueyi, she watched Yu Changsheng with a peculiar glint in her eyes. The initial shock in her heart had seemingly begun to settle.

’A prodigy like this... who in the No-Mind Sect could possibly stand against him?’

’Forget the No-Mind Sect, even the lofty Profound Yin Sect would find him a major headache... The number one prodigy of the Martial Continent?’

Jing Xueyi’s mind raced with a thousand thoughts. She gently bit her lip, her eyes shimmering like autumn pools.

’Perhaps... if it’s him... he might just be capable of solving my problem...’

Jing Xueyi murmured to herself, completely unaware that Yu Changsheng had no idea what she was thinking.

’Breaking through to Tier Three makes all the life-and-death risks I took worth it. The resources I spent were well worth it.’

Yu Changsheng chuckled to himself, his gaze shifting to the Golden-Winged Eagle on his shoulder as he became lost in thought.

’Now that the Red Purgatory and the Colorful Star Deer are both Tier Three, my own breakthrough to the Golden Core Realm is just a matter of when I decide to do it, assuming no surprises.’

’As for the Profound Turtle, the special nature of our contract means it will naturally reach Tier Three as soon as I break through to the Golden Core Realm. That just leaves the Golden-Winged Eagle for me to worry about. I’ll need to give it some serious thought...’

Yu Changsheng mused, his eyes flickering. The problem was giving him a headache.

Without a doubt, the biggest obstacle preventing the Golden-Winged Eagle’s breakthrough was the lack of suitable materials to enhance its bloodline potential and shatter the bottleneck between Tier Two and Tier Three.

The Red Purgatory’s smooth breakthrough, needless to say, was built on the foundation of fusing the bloodlines of the Celestial Cyan Sub-Dragon and the Celestial Shadow Dragon. The Colorful Star Deer’s own bloodline wasn’t bad to begin with, and it had even absorbed the Origin Power of an Ancient Odd Demon, the Chi Mei, making its breakthrough a natural progression.

Furthermore, he had fed both of them so many treasures that, upon reaching Tier Three, they were considered King-Level beasts. The Golden-Winged Eagle, however, had exhausted its bloodline potential. Even if it managed to break through now, it would only be one of the most common, weakest types of Tier Three beasts.

That was an outcome Yu Changsheng was not willing to accept.

’Forget it. You can’t force destiny. I’ll just take it one step at a time. There’s no need for me to be so impatient. I’ll just have to wait and see.’

Yu Changsheng shook his head, pushing those thoughts aside. He looked at the others, each with a different expression on their face, and said with a faint smile,

"It was a stroke of luck that it broke through to Tier Three. Everything went smoothly, so it’s nothing to make a fuss about."

"Luck?" Zhang Tianwen and the others exchanged strange glances, their lips twitching. "If you call this luck," Zhang Tianwen said with a wry smile, "then I don’t think anyone else has ever been lucky. At this point, who in this Secret Realm can possibly stand up to you?"

"Heh. I wouldn’t dare underestimate the prodigies from the other sects. Didn’t just one person from the Profound Yin Sect already give me a world of trouble?" Yu Changsheng chuckled and shook his head.

"That’s true," Shen Xingchen nodded in agreement.

Just then, Jing Xueyi pursed her lips. She glanced at the others, then took a sharp breath as if steeling her nerves, and said with some hesitation,

"Thank you all for looking after me during this time. However, I just received a message from my sect. There’s something I need to take care of, so... I suppose this is goodbye for now. May we meet again someday."

Yu Changsheng and the others were taken aback for a moment, but then they nodded. "Alright. Be careful on your own, then. Do you need us to escort you part of the way?"

"There’s no need," Jing Xueyi said, shaking her head with a small smile. "I’ve already troubled you all enough. My sect’s outpost isn’t too far from here, and I’ve gotten much more used to things. I can get there on my own."

"Alright, then. Be extra careful." Yu Changsheng considered it and decided not to press the issue. After all, they were little more than strangers who had met by chance. He felt he had already done more than enough for her.

"Mm," Jing Xueyi nodded gently. She gave Yu Changsheng a deep, meaningful look, then seemed to remember something. "Oh, right. There is one more thing..."

Jing Xueyi hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at Zhang Tianwen, Li Minghan, and the others. Seeing their questioning gazes, she said softly,

"Your Wanxiang Sect’s main force has also arrived on the second floor. It seems their outpost here is being targeted by other sects. The situation... doesn’t look good."

"What?"

Zhang Tianwen and his friends froze. Jing Xueyi simply nodded, gave them the specific location, and then departed with a cupped-fist salute.

"Looks like things are about to get chaotic again. Going straight for our sect’s outpost... they’re clearly coming in strong."

A cold glint flashed in Shen Xingchen’s eyes as he let out a humorless laugh and looked toward Yu Changsheng.

Yu Changsheng nodded, his expression turning grave as his mind raced with possibilities. He immediately took the lead, and the group sped off in the direction Jing Xueyi had pointed out.

As they flew, he sent his Divine Sense sweeping out ahead. He paid no mind to how conspicuous they were, simply transforming into a streaking rainbow of light as they blazed across the sky.

On this second floor, the Teleportation Power imbued in the Evil Qi Tokens was unstable. Its effectiveness depended on one’s specific location. For instance, back in the chasm, the Teleportation Power had been weakened to an extreme degree, likely due to the influence of the Chi Mei’s finger.

This was also why Blood Refiner, Ming Feng, and Ming Yun hadn’t crushed their Evil Qi Tokens to escape the Secret Realm, even at the very end. Firstly, they didn’t have time. Secondly, it would have been useless.

Conversely, in areas with more favorable conditions, the Teleportation Power was far more stable. For this reason, many sects—aside from small, independent squads like Yu Changsheng’s—had established outposts in such regions, creating strategic positions from which they could either attack or defend.

By now, six days had passed since everyone entered the Celestial Slaughter Secret Realm. The first floor had been thoroughly plundered, so naturally, the various sects had turned their attention to the second floor.

The group sped onward. As they drew closer to the location, their Teleportation Jade Tubes began to react. Without hesitation, they focused their minds, and streams of information instantly poured into their heads.

"The Wanxiang Sect outpost on Luohong Plain is under siege by the Spirit Dragon Sect and other unidentified forces! All disciples in the field, if you are able, please provide immediate support! —Zhao Xiaodong."