Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion-Chapter 91: A Drastic Change in the Situation

Chapter 91: Chapter 91: A Drastic Change in the Situation

「A month later」

The weather grew increasingly hot. Not a single drop of rain had fallen for days, and the leaves of the locust trees in the main stockade drooped listlessly.

Only the chirping of cicadas remained, adding a touch of life to the unbearably hot afternoon.

In Fang Qingyuan’s camp, a chubby little bear was diligently practicing its techniques.

Fang Qingyuan lay on a chair in the shade of a tree, holding a pot of tea. Watching Jinbao work so hard, he offered some encouragement:

"Every drop of sweat you shed now is a drop of blood you won’t have to shed later. You have to understand, Jinbao: if you slack off in your youth, you’ll only have regrets in your old age."

Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s encouragement, a determined look appeared on Jinbao’s bear face. It roared at the training dummy ahead, and a flash of golden light shot out. A deep gash appeared on the wooden dummy, nearly splitting it in two.

Seeing Jinbao execute the Golden Blade Technique, Fang Qingyuan cheered loudly from the side. Upon receiving Fang Qingyuan’s praise, Jinbao’s little face beamed with joy.

Then, Jinbao waddled over to Fang Qingyuan and opened its mouth, begging for a treat.

Fang Qingyuan’s expression turned stern. He pointed to the three remaining training dummies and said seriously,

"There are still three more. No food until you’re finished."

Jinbao’s eyes and brow immediately drooped. It lowered its head and slowly trudged back.

Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan’s heart softened. He took some high-quality dried fruit from his storage pouch and said,

"Alright, alright. On such a hot day, I’ll let you take a short break. But you have to get right back to practicing after you eat."

This made Jinbao ecstatic. It grabbed the fruit plate and stuffed the treats into its mouth. Then, mimicking Fang Qingyuan, it flopped onto the adjacent lounge chair and even poured itself a cup of tea. The only thing missing was it propping up its legs.

Seeing Jinbao like this, Fang Qingyuan took a deep breath, about to say something, but just then, Zhang Yuan arrived.

"Senior Brother, the war is about to end! We can go back."

Zhang Yuan had come to share the good news with an excited expression. After hearing it, Fang Qingyuan forgot all about scolding Jinbao and asked hurriedly,

"Is this news reliable? Where did you hear it?"

Zhang Yuan smiled.

"I’ve been on the front lines for half a year and made a few friends. They sent word that a few days ago, the Wei Family launched a surprise attack on the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s rear, destroying four of their sect gates and killing over a hundred enemies."

’This is firsthand news. I can’t believe Zhang Yuan’s information network is so good. I haven’t even received a message myself,’ Fang Qingyuan thought.

After a moment of thought, Fang Qingyuan said,

"A surprise attack? With the Wei Family’s strength, how could they possibly launch an offensive?"

The Wei Family had been on the defensive, the passive party in the conflict. Wei Tong and that Late-stage Golden Core Spiritual Flood Dragon were being suppressed by four Golden Core Cultivators from the Artifact Talisman Alliance. How could they suddenly have the spare strength to break through the encirclement and fight deep in the Alliance’s territory?

Zhang Yuan gave a mysterious smile, intending to build some suspense, but seeing Fang Qingyuan’s serious expression, he laid everything out.

It turned out that Wei Tong had a distant kinsman from the main family line named Wei Xuan.

Wei Xuan was also a Golden Core Cultivator. His branch of the family and Wei Tong’s had been one and the same three hundred years ago. Later, due to the frontier wars, Wei Tong’s lineage moved from the Central Plains to settle in the Southern Border.

Wei Xuan’s branch, on the other hand, had gone to the far northwest. They were struggling to support a minor sect on the edge of Black Wind Valley’s territory, living a miserable existence.

Black Wind Valley was poor to begin with, and they were constantly fighting with those sword-crazed lunatics from the Cyan Lotus Sword Sect. When Wei Xuan’s family first moved there, they were quite prosperous, but now they had fallen into decline.

A month ago, Lechuan had pulled his disciples from the front lines at Celestial Attraction Mountain. Wei Tong suddenly found himself short four hundred Cultivators and was stretched even thinner.

So, Wei Tong made a decisive move. He sent someone to find his kinsman, persuaded Wei Xuan to help, and promised him the crucial territory of Shandu. He swore that after he passed on, Shandu Mountain and the entire Wei Family’s power would be left to Wei Xuan.

Wei Tong’s lifespan was nearing its end, and he had been through a series of bitter battles over the past six months. To make matters worse, his own Wei Family descendants were a disappointment. Not a single one of their Foundation Establishment Cultivators was close to reaching Core Formation. Wei Tong was worried that as soon as he passed away, his vast family enterprise would be instantly devoured by the White Mountain People.

But giving it to Wei Xuan was different. They both shared the surname Wei. It was merely a transfer of power from the main lineage to a branch. In another hundred years, who’s to say fortunes wouldn’t turn again, and the power could shift from a branch back to the main line, just like with Wei Xuan now.

In this whole affair, Wei Xuan came out with the greatest benefit. He didn’t have to exert much effort himself, and he could escape from the Black Wind Valley region. Although White Mountain was chaotic, it was wealthy compared to Black Wind Valley.

Now, with Wei Xuan’s arrival, the situation on the battlefield had reversed. All by himself, Wei Xuan was causing chaos in the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s rear. The Cultivators on the front lines felt like their own backyard was on fire, and they suddenly lost the will to attack Celestial Yin Mountain.

Fang Qingyuan was stunned into silence after hearing all this. ’I never expected Wei Tong to have such an ace up his sleeve. No wonder he dared to challenge the Artifact Talisman Alliance.’

’But with Wei Xuan joining the Wei Family, the three remaining Golden Core Cultivators from the Artifact Talisman Alliance probably won’t sit still. The Alliance previously thought four Golden Core Cultivators were enough to take down Wei Tong. But now that the tables have turned, if the Alliance doesn’t want to admit defeat, they’ll have to put aside their old grudges and join forces to deal with the Wei Family.’

’In that case, the original four-on-two fight might escalate into a seven-on-three. The scale of this conflict is only getting bigger. So how can Zhang Yuan say the war is about to end?’

"Martial Uncle Huo Hu. Senior Brother, have you forgotten about him?"

Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s concerns, Zhang Yuan mentioned a name, and Fang Qingyuan immediately recalled the head of Precepts Peak.

It was almost absurd, but Huo Hu was still the head of Precepts Peak. He had just been recuperating from his injuries and hadn’t shown his face much in the last two years. Fang Qingyuan had almost forgotten he even had such a Martial Uncle.

Three years ago, before Shandu Mountain, Huo Hu, who had just entered Late-stage Foundation Establishment, had powerfully slain the Golden Core Stage Swen Guang. For a time, his fame was boundless. However, the price he paid was staggering. Fang Qingyuan had heard that Huo Hu’s path to Core Formation had become difficult.

This had also led to the Huo Family of the Beast Taming Sect giving Lechuan a severe scolding. Huo Hu was deeply favored by the Huo Family’s ancestor, and they never expected him to end up in this state after being sent to the Southern Border Beast Taming Sect for training.

"Isn’t Huo Hu recuperating? I also heard that people from Zongshan came to try and take him back, but they ended up leaving empty-handed."

Zhang Yuan chuckled. "Heh heh," he continued,

"You know Huo Hu’s personality. He would never want to go back to Zongshan and be locked up by his ancestor. In fact, he was the one who challenged Swen Guang back then. Lechuan couldn’t stop him. Now, who knows what sweet words Wei Tong used to bewitch him, but he’s gone and snuck away from his family to help out again."

"The Artifact Talisman Alliance was already having a hard time with the addition of Wei Xuan. But now with Huo Hu in the mix, and with the cautionary tale of Swen Guang before them, not a single one of the three remaining trash Golden Core Cultivators in the Alliance dares to face this Foundation Establishment Cultivator alone. With such a massive loss of face, the whole thing is turning into a farce."