Roar!
While he was distracted, the Lava Beast charged forward once more, and the searing heat wave threatened to tear him apart.
Taking a deep breath, Gu Mu flicked the sword in his hand, intending to defend himself once more. However, the other party's voice sounded once more.
"Don't block it, keep your sword back into your storage ring!"
"Don't block it?"
Hearing those words and seeing the Lava Beast charging toward him, Gu Mu nearly fainted.
If he didn't block such a ferocious attack, wouldn't he be killed in an instant?
"Hurry!" Just as he was hesitating, the voice sounded once more.
"Yes!"
Even though Gu Mu was filled with doubts, if senior granduncle really wanted to kill him, there was no need for him to waste so much effort. Gritting his teeth, he kept his sword back into his storage ring without any defense.
"Extend your head over!"
Just as he was done keeping his sword, senior granduncle's next instruction sounded.
Gu Mu's body swayed, and he nearly fell into the lava.
You told me to keep my sword and not block it, and I can even abide by it. Why do I have to extend my head over?
Martial Granduncle, are you complaining that I'm not dying fast enough?
If I were to really extend my head over, given the other party's ferocious appearance, wouldn't my head be bitten off and I die on the spot?
This isn't beast taming, it's suicide, alright...
"Don't hesitate, move quickly!"
The urging voice sounded once more.
The two of them were conversing telepathically. Even though they had spoken for a long time, only two breaths had passed. The ferocious Lava Beast was already less than three meters away from them, ready to bite down at any moment. There was no time left.
"Screw it!"
If senior granduncle really wanted to kill him, he would have done so while he was unconscious. How could he possibly make use of this fellow to kill him? Gritting his teeth, he no longer hesitated. Turning his body sideways, he thrust his head forward, aiming for the other party's ferocious mouth.
"This..."
Oblivious to the content of their telepathy, Liao Xun's body trembled in fright upon seeing the envoy sending himself to his death.
Beast taming was usually done by preparing delicacies and treasures to attract the attention of savage beasts. This was the first time he was seeing someone sending his own head over...
As long as the Lava Beast bit down, even a Zhizun realm pinnacle cultivator would die on the spot!
If the envoy were to die here, he, who had just been appointed as a Hall Master, would no longer be able to hold his position. He would probably be sent over by the headquarters to be interrogated for ten days to half a month before being poisoned to death.
She hurriedly turned her head to look at her 'Martial Granduncle', only to see him standing not too far away with an expressionless face.
"Martial Granduncle …"
Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shout, but barely after he said those three words, he saw the other party pointing a finger forward.
He hurriedly turned his head to take a look, and with a single look, his eyes widened.
Gu Mu had already inserted his head into the mouth of the Lava Beast. As long as the latter closed its mouth, it would be able to kill him on the spot. Yet... at the crucial moment, not only did the Lava Beast not bite down, it even turned around and fled.
A moment ago, he was so furious that he could not wait to tear Gu Mu into pieces. Why did he take the initiative to send his head over and retreat instead?
What … what was going on?
Not only was Zhang Xuan dumbfounded, Gu Mu's face was also filled with disbelief.
This time, he was already prepared to die, but he didn't expect such a scene to occur.
"Don't just stand there, rush over and grab its tail!"
Just as he was filled with doubts, his senior granduncle's voice sounded by his ear once more.
Even though he was still a little hesitant previously, upon hearing those words, he no longer hesitated. Stepping on the stone floor, he leaped into the air as though a swallow leaping out of the water. In the blink of an eye, he was already right before the Lava Beast.
Closing his arms, he hugged the thick tail of the Lava Beast in his embrace.
Roar!
Having its tail grabbed, the Lava Beast panicked. It shook its body violently, and in an instant, lava surged and sparks flew in all directions. When the sparks landed on Gu Mu's body, holes appeared one after another on his clothes.
"What should we do next?"
Sensing that the zhenqi in his body was about to reach its limit, Gu Mu hurriedly asked.
"Hold onto it tightly, ignore its movements!"
Zhang Xuan continued.
"Alright!"
Determined, Gu Mu wrapped his limbs tightly around the latter's tail. No matter how the other party struggled, he wouldn't let go. As for his body, he couldn't be bothered with it anymore. All he could do was to drive his zhenqi to fend off the intense heat.
Roar! Roar!
Having its tail grabbed, the Lava Beast was infuriated. It roared furiously and tried to fling Gu Mu away. However, its movements were getting slower and slower. In less than a minute, it fell limply to the ground, resembling a dead snake.
"This …"
Seeing the state the Lava Beast was in, Gu Mu heaved a sigh of relief. He couldn't believe that he was dreaming.
He had seen with his own eyes how ferocious the Lava Beast was when he was fighting with it earlier, and how could it not want to tear him into pieces? Yet... when he stretched his head forward, the Lava Beast didn't bite him. Instead, it retreated and hugged its tail.
"Alright, bring it up to the shore!"
While Gu Mu was still hesitating, he heard an order.
"Yes!"
This time, there was no longer any hesitation. Grabbing the limp Lava Beast, Gu Mu drove his zhenqi and lifted it up before flying over.
Not too long later, the man and beast arrived at the shore.
The moment the Lava Beast arrived, Zhang Xuan took two steps forward. With a flick of his wrist, a few silver needles appeared in his hands and he shot them toward the Lava Beast.
"Make it submit. If you agree, I'll help it achieve a breakthrough in its cultivation. If not, die!"
After doing all of this, Zhang Xuan stood silently on the spot.
"Yes!"
Gu Mu walked up to the Lava Beast and repeated his words. A moment later, the latter rubbed its massive head against Zhang Xuan, expressing its submission.
Soon, the contract was signed, and the Lava Beast was completely subdued.
By the side, Liao Xun was dumbfounded.
He had seen beast taming before, but he had never seen anyone do it so quickly!
That was a Zhizun realm pinnacle savage beast! For it to submit to a human in an instant, wasn't it … too easy?
If beast taming was that easy, wouldn't he be able to take the beast tamer examination as well?
He wasn't the only one. Gu Mu also felt as though he was dreaming.
If not for the massive Lava Beast rubbing itself against him, he would have doubted whether it was real.
"Senior granduncle …"
Knowing that the one who created this miracle was their senior granduncle, the duo couldn't help but turn to look at him.
"This Lava Beast lives in the lava. It doesn't have any kin or companions, and it has never interacted with other lifeforms. As such, it has a suspicious nature and fears new things!"
Knowing what they wanted to ask, Zhang Xuan explained.
Even a human would become autistic after living alone for an extended period of time, needless to say, a savage beast.
Zhizun realm pinnacle savage beasts possessed intelligence comparable to humans. Living alone in the depths of the lava, it had never seen any other lifeforms. As such, it was filled with curiosity and fear toward new things.
"You tried to fight it head-on, so naturally, it would retaliate without thinking too much about it. Even though the Lava Beast doesn't have much battle experience, given that it has the home field advantage, it is impossible for you to defeat it! "Zhang Xuan continued.
Gu Mu nodded.
In a real battle, he would only be beaten up. He wasn't a match for the Lava Beast at all.
If this were to continue, only death would await him.
"I told you to put away your sword and send your head over. Even though this is clearly a suicidal action, it instilled doubt and fear in the Lava Beast! That's because … it doesn't make sense! "
Zhang Xuan chuckled. "More importantly, the Lava Beast has a huge weakness, its mouth. Seeing your abnormal movements, it suspected that you might have noticed something amiss. Fearing that it would be subdued, it turned around and fled."
"I see!"
Hearing the explanation, Gu Mu and Liao Xun came to a realization.
This was especially so for Gu Mu. He was glad that he had listened to his senior granduncle's words. Otherwise, if he were to continue fighting, he would have been crippled.
"Then … why did it go limp and lose its ability to fight when I hugged its tail?"
"Do savage beasts need to breathe?" Zhang Xuan asked.
"Of course it does …" Gu Mu was taken aback for a moment before hurriedly nodding his head.
Just like humans, savage beasts needed to breathe.
"The Lava Beast lives in the lava. Don't you find it strange that we didn't see it when we first arrived?"
Gu Mu was taken aback.
The reason why fish could breathe in water was because they had gills that could filter the air in the water. Lava, on the other hand, was just molten rock. As such, it was impossible for there to be air in it. When the trio arrived, they didn't see the Lava Beast's head outside. It was only when Liao Xun threw a rock that it jumped out.
Could it be that … this fellow didn't need to breathe?
That was impossible!
They had never heard of a savage beast that didn't need to breathe to survive!
"The place where the Lava Beast breathes, also known as its nose, isn't on its head but … its tail!" Zhang Xuan explained.
"On its tail?"
The duo hurriedly turned to look at the Lava Beast and saw two rows of tiny holes on its tail.
"Usually, when this fellow hides in the lava, it only needs to expose its tail to breathe easily. Furthermore, the color of its tail is almost identical to the lava. Even when we first arrived, we didn't notice it! "
Zhang Xuan chuckled. "The reason why I told you to hug its tail is to use your body to block its breathing. Even if a fighter can't breathe, the zhenqi in their body can sustain them for a long period of time. However, it's different for a savage beast. Especially in the scorching lava, it won't be long before it runs out of stamina! Naturally, it won't be able to retaliate! I wasn't able to notice these characteristics at the start either. I only deduced them after you fought with it. "
"I see!"
Only then did Gu Mu understand why his senior granduncle didn't speak at the start. It turned out that he wasn't trying to scam him. Instead, he was observing the characteristics of the Lava Beast to come up with a plan to tame it.
It was laughable that he misunderstood it … How embarrassing!
Upon learning of this, Gu Mu felt even more admiration for his senior granduncle.
To be able to determine the characteristics and personality of the Lava Beast within such a short period of time and come up with a plan to tame it … Even a 4-star beast tamer would find it hard to achieve this level of insight!
Furthermore, the few needles he pricked the Lava Beast on the shore were probably to restrict its movements. Otherwise, it wouldn't have submitted so quickly.
"The Lava Beast has been tamed. Go and collect the lotus seed!" After explaining, Zhang Xuan waved his hands.
"Yes!"
Gu Mu nodded his head. Without any hesitation, he leaped into the lava and flew toward the Crimson Flame Lotus.
Seeing that Gu Mu had successfully tamed the Lava Beast, Zhang Xuan heaved a sigh of relief.
Just like humans, savage beasts could be compiled into books in the Library of Heaven's Path. The reason why he had Gu Mu fight with the Lava Beast was so that he could see through its flaws.
Now that he knew its flaws, the rest was simple.
Without the obstruction of the Lava Beast, it didn't take long for a lotus head to be plucked. There were nine golden lotus seeds on it. Even before the lotus head was taken out, a fragrant aroma assaulted one's nostrils. Taking a whiff of it, one would feel refreshed.
"Senior granduncle, this is the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed …"
He placed the lotus seed into a jade box and passed it over.
"Un!" Grabbing the lotus seed, Zhang Xuan took out two and passed them over. "One is yours, and the other is this Lava Beast's!"
Previously, they had agreed that the other party would leave behind a Crimson Flame Lotus Seed, and the other one would belong to him.
Now that he had this Crimson Flame Beast, which could achieve a breakthrough at any moment, he would have an additional one.
After all, without this envoy, he wouldn't have known that he would have missed out on such a treasure.
"Thank you, senior granduncle!"
Gu Mu was agitated.
"I'll leave this one for your branch. Only those who have reached Zhizun realm pinnacle can consume it!"
He passed another one to Liao Xun.
The latter couldn't help but express his gratitude.
Even though the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed was incomparably valuable, it wasn't of much use to the current Zhang Xuan.
If he wanted to reach Zhizun realm pinnacle, all he had to do was to find sufficient secret manuals and cultivation technique manuals. The so-called cultivation bottleneck didn't exist at all.
Since it wasn't of much use, and it was obtained from the Red Lotus Poison Temple, it wouldn't be right for him not to give one to the other party.
Of the nine lotus seeds, Zhang Xuan had given away three of them, leaving him with the remaining six in his storage ring without any qualms.
"Since the matter here is settled, it's time for me to leave!"
With the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed in hand and the books in the Poison Temple in hand, Zhang Xuan had accomplished his objective. After resolving Gu Mu's final problem, he waved his hands and bade farewell.
"Senior granduncle … If I wish to meet you in the future, where should I go?"
Knowing that Zhang Xuan would definitely leave, Gu Mu couldn't help but ask reluctantly.
Even though they hadn't known each other for long, the other party had cured the trauma in his body and even tamed a savage beast for him. The favor he owed him was indescribable.
Even though Gu Mu had guessed that the other party wasn't his senior granduncle, he was still filled with admiration for the other party. Not only that, he didn't dare to oppose the other party. Instead, he even felt a little admiration for the other party.
"If fate allows it, we'll meet again!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.
He was a fake, so it would be best if he didn't meet him.
"Senior granduncle, this is a token that represents my identity. I know that it isn't of much use to senior granduncle, but if you have a descendant or student who is in trouble, you can bring this to Xuanyuan Kingdom's Poison Temple to look for me. As long as it's within my means, I'll do my best!"
Flicking his wrist, Gu Mu took out a jade token and passed it over.
"Alright, thank you!"
Knowing that the other party was trying to repay his favor out of goodwill, Zhang Xuan didn't turn her down. He took it and stowed it into his storage ring.
"Farewell!"
After saying everything that needed to be said, Zhang Xuan walked out of the Poison Temple with widened strides.
Even without the Great Herb King leading the way, Zhang Xuan would still be able to leave easily.
Five days later, he left the Red Lotus Range.
Zhang Xuan waited for a moment, and the massive figure of the Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast appeared in the sky.
Leaping onto the back of the Howling Firmament Beast, it flapped its wings and flew toward Tianwu Royal City.
Mingshi Tang, I, Zhang Xuan, am here!
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