Chapter 186: Beasts on the Loose

Qin Ming left the Tianhe Marketplace, summoned the Silver-Winged Frost Bee, and set off toward Wangyue Island.

The Silver-Winged Frost Bee flared its silver wings, carrying Qin Ming, instantly turning into a streak of silver light that vanished into the horizon.

Mid-air, Qin Ming was pondering the matter of Qianye Spirit Island.

Suddenly.

His powerful spiritual sense suddenly detected the aura of a Foundation Establishment beast five li away, flying toward his side.

He had clearly recognized it as a tiger beast with a pair of white wings, radiating the aura of a Second-Rank early-stage beast.

Yet the tiger beast's evasion technique was extremely swift, disappearing in mere breaths.

In fact, the tiger beast had also sensed Qin Ming upon approaching; it had grown ferocious and was about to pounce, but when it noticed the insect beast beneath him—whose aura was no weakling—it immediately turned and fled elsewhere.

"Why would a beast appear here?" Qin Ming immediately halted the Silver-Winged Frost Bee, a flicker of alertness rising in his heart.

His spiritual sense spread again, discovering that two li behind the tiger beast, over a dozen cultivators in white robes from Canghai Immortal City were chasing this way.

The leader was someone Qin Ming knew well—the Foundation Establishment mid-stage official who had once taken him to meet Canghai True Person.

For Foundation Establishment cultivators, several li were but a blink away.

Qin Ming had no desire to meddle; he was about to detour and leave.

"Comrade Qin, please wait!"

The middle-aged white-robed official had clearly spotted Qin Ming nearby and called out to stop him.

Qin Ming halted at the sound.

"Comrade Qin, what a coincidence—I'm Lü Liang."

"Last time I was swamped with duties and never got the chance to speak with you—truly regrettable," Lü Liang landed before Qin Ming, speaking with respectful deference.

Though Qin Ming was only Foundation Establishment early-stage, his status as a Second-Rank Superior Spirit Plant Master meant even a Foundation Establishment peak cultivator must treat him as an equal.

At the same time, he noticed the Silver-Winged Frost Bee beneath Qin Ming—it seemed an unusual variant, for he had no memory of any such insect beast.

Moreover, though this Silver-Winged Spirit Bee was only Second-Rank early-stage, it gave him a deeply unsettling feeling.

Qin Ming had concealed his cultivation aura, so Lü Liang could not detect his breakthrough to Foundation Establishment mid-stage.

"Oh, so you're Comrade Lü!" Qin Ming smiled slightly and bowed slightly in return.

"We're tracking a tiger beast—did you happen to notice which direction it fled?" Lü Liang cut straight to the point.

Qin Ming nodded, pointing northwest: "Yes, I saw that fiend flee that way."

"Thank you, Comrade Qin!" Lü Liang said gratefully.

Immediately, the dozen or so cultivators behind him sped off in the direction Qin Ming indicated.

Lü Liang was about to leave when Qin Ming asked: "Comrade Lü, what's going on?"

"Why are beasts from Shouming Mountain Range appearing on the spiritual energy Archipelago?"

Qin Ming too felt something was amiss—he'd heard of unusual beast activity near Canghai Peak, and now this.

He was puzzled, and now was the perfect chance to ask Lü Liang.

"Sigh, I won't hide it from you, Comrade Qin—I've been utterly worn out by these beasts these past few days."

"Last night, our scout unit was ambushed by a group of beasts—there were casualties."

"According to our investigations, this group is under the command of that Reptilian Demon Ape."

"It seems that after being wounded by the City Lord, far from lying low, it has dispatched many of its underlings, stirring up trouble, seeking revenge," Lü Liang said grimly.

"Comrade Qin, be cautious when traveling in the coming days—better safe than sorry."

Qin Ming's scalp prickled at the mention of that bloodthirsty demon ape.

"Thank you for the warning, Comrade Lü!"

"No need for formalities—I have urgent business. I can't linger longer. When you come to Canghai Immortal City next time, let's raise a cup together."

Lü Liang seemed deeply anxious; after speaking, he bowed to Qin Ming and flew off after the others.

Watching his retreating figure, Qin Ming frowned, lost in thought.

"Sigh~ Just when one trouble fades, another arises!"

Qin Ming immediately accelerated, riding the Silver-Winged Frost Bee toward Wangyue Island.

At this moment, only his own stronghold was truly safe.

Half a stick of incense later, he returned to Wangyue Island.

Qin Ming then found Wu Jiang and told him: "Comrade Wu, though the war on the spiritual energy Archipelago has calmed, I just went out and found the situation far from optimistic!"

"Huh?! Comrade Qin, what's happened now?" Wu Jiang, normally as calm as a dog on a leash, grew tense at Qin Ming's tone.

Qin Ming frowned and nodded: "Just now, returning, I encountered a Foundation Establishment beast from Shouming Mountain Range wandering onto the spiritual energy Archipelago—this is no good omen."

"You and your clan should stay on the island for now."

"!!!"

Wu Jiang's face darkened instantly—he knew that even a single Foundation Establishment beast was a catastrophe for their Qi Refining clan.

"I only happened to spot it, and Canghai Immortal City's defense force is already pursuing it—there won't be major trouble."

Seeing his distress, Qin Ming patted his shoulder: "If you're still uneasy, you can always bring your clan to the island for temporary refuge if things turn worse."

"Comrade Qin, your kindness is beyond words of thanks!" Wu Jiang replied with deep gratitude.

He hurriedly left Wangyue Island to warn his clan.

Back inside the island.

Qin Ming resumed his usual routine: cultivation, beast tending, farming, brewing, pill refining, and puppetry research.

Inside his cave dwelling.

Qin Ming took out the Third-Rank Low-grade Spirit-Transforming Beast Herb given to him by Canghai True Person Nanlan Xi, and the Third-Rank Low-grade Spirit Plant, Flame-Bathing Golden Lotus, he had harvested in the Plant Illusion Realm.

"The Flame-Bathing Golden Lotus requires a high-grade fire vein to grow—Wangyue Island clearly can't support it."

"But I've mastered its cultivation method, and I possess the Time-Space Leaf term—what I lack now is only the environment; this isn't urgent."

"This Spirit-Transforming Beast Herb, however, is extremely delicate, demanding a high-quality spiritual vein—luckily, I have the 【Regenerative Spirit Seed】 and 【Potent Adaptation】 terms, so it can grow even on Wangyue Island."

"But I'm still missing one thing: a wood-element spiritual soil."

"Where can I get it?"

"Perhaps the Qianye Spirit Island Trade Fair might have some."

Qin Ming pondered this, then put away the spirit seeds and began cultivation.

…

Half a month passed in a flash.

During this time, Qin Ming had remained in seclusion within his cave dwelling.

One day.

He finally received a message from Long Yi.

"Comrade Qin, the Qianye Spirit Island Trade Fair is about to begin."

"I'm already outside Wangyue Island, coming to pick you up."

Qin Ming ended his seclusion and stepped out of his cave.

He summoned his two spirit pets with a thought.

Soon after.

The Blackwater Crocodile surfaced from the bottom of Wangyue Lake, shaking its head, shrinking its massive body.

"You're coming with me this time too—double insurance," Qin Ming patted its large head.

The Blackwater Crocodile eagerly roared.

The Silver-Winged Frost Bee also flew from its hive within the Longevity Vine to Qin Ming's side.

Qin Ming waved his hand and stored both beasts inside his Spirit Pet Bag.

He then bid Wu Jiang farewell, opened the Mist Illusion, and left Wangyue Island.

He had just exited the mist's boundary.

There, floating in midair not far off, was a massive magic vessel, its mast bearing the emblem of Jingxue Pavilion.

Long Yi stood at the bow, watching as a hole opened through the sky-obscuring pink mist, causing the surrounding fog to disperse.

Qin Ming flew out from within and landed beside her.

Behind him, the mist swiftly reformed, returning to its original state—remarkably strange.

"Comrade Long, thank you for waiting—let's depart."

(End of Chapter)