Chapter 373: Qingluan Bloodline (Three-in-One Chapter, Seeking Everything)

One month later, at the summit of Phoenix Mountain, a fierce battle had reached its end.

Using intelligence from the Hunter Guild, Li Zhangsheng had located a lone Leader-rank Crowned Fire Crow, and with the help of his companions, Aixi had steadily gained the upper hand.

The Crowned Fire Crow tried to escape several times, but under the joint blockade of Kailan, the Blazing Bird, the Bright Bird, Bai Tian, and Hei Ye, the sky had become almost a no-fly zone; it simply could not find an opportunity to break out of the encirclement, and instead, during one interception, Aixi successfully seized the chance to snap the Crowned Fire Crow's right wing with a Crushing Claw, causing it to lose its ability to fly.

Having lost its flight capability, the Crowned Fire Crow's agility suffered a devastating blow, and it became almost a target; under Aixi's targeted skirmishing, the wounds on the Crowned Fire Crow's body accumulated, and it was already showing signs of collapse.

"Give it the final Fatal Fang!"

Under Li Zhangsheng's command, Aixi, who had successfully circled behind the Crowned Fire Crow, leaped up and tackled the bird—which was just preparing to turn around—to the ground, its massive weight suppressing the Crowned Fire Crow and leaving it almost unable to move.

Aixi bared its sword-like fangs, upon which several inches of shining golden light suddenly extended, and bit fiercely toward the Crowned Fire Crow's neck.

Ga—

The Crowned Fire Crow, unable to dodge at all, only had time to let out a sharp, miserable shriek before Aixi's fangs clamped onto its neck.

Crack!

Accompanied by a crisp sound of bones shattering, the Crowned Fire Crow's shrieking stopped abruptly; its body twitched violently a few times, its eyes glazed over, and it finally succumbed to death.

"Well done, Aixi!" Li Zhangsheng praised, and Aixi held its head high with a proud air, letting out a defiant roar toward its companions in the sky, as if saying, 'I can't fly, but I am stronger than you all.'

Chirp—chirp—meow—meow

In the sky, the two large birds and two flying cats made sounds of dissatisfaction; Kailan shook its head, and the moment Aixi turned around, over a dozen thick vines instantly entangled its forelimbs, causing it to take a hard tumble.

Roar—

Aixi let out a dissatisfied cry, but when it saw the two large birds and two flying cats diving toward it together, it was so frightened that it immediately jumped behind Li Zhangsheng, lowering its head and making whimpering sounds, as if accusing them of ill intent.

"Stop!" Li Zhangsheng's voice rang out, and the four flying Demon Pets hurriedly stopped, standing obediently before Li Zhangsheng.

Li Zhangsheng shook his head and began to process the corpse of the Crowned Fire Crow.

Not long after, he extracted the Three-Legged Golden Crow Essence Blood from the Crowned Fire Crow's corpse and poured it into a Jade Ceramic Jar.

Through this month of effort, Li Zhangsheng had already collected 4/5 of a jar of Three-Legged Golden Crow Essence Blood, and there was about one bowl left until it was full.

Li Zhangsheng sealed the Jade Ceramic Jar, but his expression showed little excitement, because the Three-Legged Fire Crow's condition had further deteriorated, and Instructor Ning had been forced into an even deeper slumber to delay the Three-Legged Fire Crow's suffering.

All the Li Fire Essence in the Li Fire Parasol Tree in Instructor Ning's courtyard had been completely absorbed by the Three-Legged Fire Crow; now, the Three-Legged Fire Crow could only rely on its own reserves to resist the pain, and as time passed, its cultivation realm would rapidly decline until its reserves were completely exhausted and it died.

According to Vice Principal Xu's analysis, the Three-Legged Fire Crow likely could not last ten days.

That is to say, Instructor Ning had less than ten days left to live.

At this time, Vice Principal Xu was preparing to head to Yecheng, wanting to seek more Li Fire Essence from the Liu Clan again, but since the Liu Clan had already refused in no uncertain terms last time, the chances of Vice Principal Xu succeeding were slim to none.

If not for the fact that the Liu Clan's power was too great, based on Li Zhangsheng's understanding of Vice Principal Xu, this guy might have had thoughts of forcibly seizing the Li Fire Essence.

During this period, Li Zhangsheng had also been working hard to collect wild Spirit Beasts possessing the Three-Legged Golden Crow Bloodline, but the Three-Legged Golden Crow was not a True Dragon with a lustful nature, nor a giant dragon; their collateral branches were already extremely rare, let alone needing a bloodline of at least sparse quality.

Because of this, the wild Spirit Beasts that met Li Zhangsheng's requirements could be said to be few and far between, and with his clearing operations during this time, he could clearly feel his efficiency becoming lower and lower.

The wild Spirit Beasts within the Langya Kingdom that met the standards were limited after all, and by now, he had already wiped out most of them; even the Hunter Guild, which claimed to have a million members, would find it difficult to locate a target meeting the standards in a short time.

This lone Crowned Fire Crow was also, for the time being, the last wild Spirit Beast meeting the standards that the Hunter Guild could provide him; it was unknown how much time it would take to find the next target.

The key was that time was running out, so Li Zhangsheng had to adopt a backup plan; he did not pin his hopes on the Hunter Guild, and he prepared to risk his life to hunt down Demon Pets meeting the standards in the hands of other Monster Tamers, and among everyone he knew, the only one who met the criteria was Zhao Shuyi's half-brother—Zhao Wencan!

Zhao Wencan possessed a Three-Legged Fire Sparrow with a Concentrated Grade Three-Legged Golden Crow Bloodline; with the bloodline grade of this Three-Legged Fire Sparrow, it could definitely be refined into a bowl of Three-Legged Golden Crow Essence Blood, which would be enough to fill this Jade Ceramic Jar.

If it were anyone else, Li Zhangsheng might have hesitated, but he and Zhao Wencan were already on bad terms with almost no room for reconciliation, so naturally, there was no reason to let him off.

As long as he pulled off this job, Li Zhangsheng could complete his goal and save the life of the Three-Legged Fire Crow, and Instructor Ning would naturally no longer be in mortal danger. Hmm, there was no target more suitable than the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

However, Zhao Wencan was, after all, the legitimate son of the Famous Clan Zhao's Clan Leader and a student heavily cultivated by the Royal Academy; the difficulty for Li Zhangsheng to hunt his Three-Legged Fire Sparrow without anyone knowing was not ordinary.

Risk is often directly proportional to profit; if his identity were discovered by Zhao Wencan or others during the hunt, and he could not silence them, then by that time, the Royal Academy and the Zhao Clan would likely not let him go and would proceed to take extreme actions.

In that case, even if the Yuanling Academy were willing to protect his life, Li Zhangsheng could not stay at the Academy forever; how would that be any different from being imprisoned?

To avoid being discovered, Li Zhangsheng felt it best to devise a meticulous and detailed plan, preferably one that could kill in a single strike, to minimize the risk of exposure as much as possible.

Thus, after returning to Yuanling Academy, Li Zhangsheng first used one thousand Academic Credits to exchange for a Simulation Human Skin Mask; this Human Skin Mask was made from the skin of a Star Beast, a relatively special type of Spirit Beast whose skin was similar to human skin in both texture and appearance, and it also had the effect of isolating Mental Power.

As long as he wore this Human Skin Mask, unless the other party was a Monster Tamer above the Sixth Rank, or someone extremely familiar with Li Zhangsheng, it would be extremely difficult to discover Li Zhangsheng's true identity.

Of course, while the Human Skin Mask was good, the main combatants were still the Demon Pets, and apart from Adai and the Treasure-Seeking Mouse, all of Li Zhangsheng's other Demon Pets had appeared in the Exchange Tournament; even though Bai Tian and Hei Ye had evolved after the Exchange Tournament ended, their changes were not very large, and they were extremely rare Demon Pets, so if someone with intent launched an investigation, it was hard to guarantee they wouldn't be suspected.

Finally, Li Zhangsheng did not yet have the thought of killing Zhao Wencan; this guy was a powder keg, the kind that ignites at a touch, and killing Zhao Wencan and hunting the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow were two completely different matters; the former would definitely trigger a very large storm, and by that time, he feared even the Yuanling Academy would not be able to protect him.

No matter how one looked at it, it was naturally best not to use his own Demon Pets, but if he borrowed someone else's Demon Pets, there would eventually be traces to follow, especially if he borrowed those powerful and rare Demon Pets.

Therefore, Li Zhangsheng dismissed the idea of borrowing the Jade Rabbit or the Qixi Wind Speed Cat from Instructor Ning; he decided to purchase some temporary, powerful Spirit Beasts, the kind that are discarded after one use.

On the way to Yecheng, Li Zhangsheng wore the Human Skin Mask and went to the Fairy Market in several different cities, spending nearly a thousand Soul Crystals to purchase two Elite-rank temporary Demon Pets; they were the Qingli Bird and the Saw-Toothed Turtle, respectively.

【Spirit Beast Name】: Qingli Bird (Mature Stage)

【Spirit Beast Realm】: Elite Rank 6

【Spirit Beast Race】: Low-level Commander

【Spirit Beast Quality】: Mid-grade

【Spirit Beast Bloodline】: Qingluan (Pure)

【Spirit Beast Attribute】: Wind

【Spirit Beast Status】: Healthy

【Spirit Beast Weakness】: Thunder

The following is the data for the Saw-Toothed Turtle.

【Spirit Beast Name】: Saw-Toothed Turtle (Mature Stage)

【Spirit Beast Realm】: Elite Rank 9

【Spirit Beast Race】: Medium Warrior

【Spirit Beast Quality】: Mid-grade

【Spirit Beast Bloodline】: None

【Spirit Beast Attribute】: Water

【Spirit Beast Status】：Healthy

【Spirit Beast Weakness】：Earth

The Sawtooth Turtle's strength is inferior to the Azure Li Bird, but it is an Elite Demon Pet after all, and its attribute also counters the Three-Legged Fire Sparrow.

Since they are both Elite Demon Pets, Li Zhangsheng's Temporary Contract Mark has very little restriction on them; as long as they are given a certain amount of time, they can easily break free from the temporary contract.

Furthermore, it can be said that there is no rapport between them and Li Zhangsheng; Li Zhangsheng cannot command them like an extension of his own arm or handle them with ease, and it is even a question of whether they might feign compliance while acting in opposition.

Li Zhangsheng must gain their trust as soon as possible!

Soon, Li Zhangsheng rode the Azure Li Bird to the Academy District in the suburbs of Yecheng, where the Royal Academy is located in the central area.

The Royal Academy is currently not on break, so it is highly likely that Zhao Wencan is staying at the Royal Academy.

Naturally, Li Zhangsheng would not be stupid enough to take the initiative to find Zhao Wencan; besides, without the permission of the Royal Academy, Li Zhangsheng could not get in at all.

Li Zhangsheng found a restaurant nearby to stay in; his room window happened to overlook the main gate of the Royal Academy, so as long as Zhao Wencan appeared, he would notice it immediately.

This is on the condition that he keeps watching; otherwise, if he accidentally lets Zhao Wencan slip away, it would be too late to even cry.

In the room, Li Zhangsheng shook his Monster Pet Bag and released the two temporary Demon Pets.

As soon as they were released, the Azure Li Bird and the Sawtooth Turtle stared at Li Zhangsheng with wary eyes.

"Azure Li Bird, Sawtooth Turtle, I will give you a promise now: as long as you help me accomplish one thing, I will set you free. How about it?"

In order to gain the trust of the two temporary Demon Pets, Li Zhangsheng negotiated with them in a consultative tone; otherwise, at a critical moment, these two temporary Demon Pets might not necessarily put in the effort.

Of course, appropriate deterrence is still very necessary; along the way, these two temporary Demon Pets had already witnessed the power of Aixi, Kailan, and other Demon Pets, which is also the main reason they did not dare to break the temporary contract in front of Li Zhangsheng.

Howl~

The Sawtooth Turtle nodded first; it has lived for hundreds of years, its shell is larger than a water vat, and it possesses sufficient wisdom and experience, knowing clearly that to regain freedom, it can only trust Li Zhangsheng for now.

Chirp~

The Azure Li Bird looked at Li Zhangsheng suspiciously, but after the Sawtooth Turtle agreed, it also nodded in agreement without delay.

"Rest assured, I will keep my promise; let Kailan act as a witness!" To increase his persuasiveness, Li Zhangsheng released Kailan; he is not currently short of these nearly one thousand Soul Crystals, so naturally, he has no intention of breaking the contract.

Having obtained Kailan's witness, the Azure Li Bird and the Sawtooth Turtle looked at each other, and their longing for freedom grew a little more.

Unless Li Zhangsheng is so lacking in character that he would even deceive his own Demon Pets, they are very likely to gain their freedom.

"Sawtooth Turtle, help me watch the main gate of the Royal Academy; he is our target. If you see this guy, remember to remind me!"

While speaking, Li Zhangsheng used his Mental Power to activate an Image Stone; this strange stone immediately projected a light screen, and Zhao Wencan's figure clearly appeared on it.

The Sawtooth Turtle stared at the image of Zhao Wencan several times, and after confirming it had truly remembered, it nodded vigorously and moved its huge shell to the window; as a turtle-type Spirit Beast that has lived for hundreds of years, its patience is well-known.

With the Sawtooth Turtle watching the gate, Li Zhangsheng felt relieved, but he had no intention of waiting for a rabbit to hit a tree; instead, he used money to pave the way, secretly spreading a rumor about Zhao Shuyi, such as the false news that Zhao Shuyi had gone to a remote wilderness near Yecheng and was capturing a high-level Exotic Beast.

Given the degree of Zhao Wencan's hatred for Zhao Shuyi, as long as this guy hears the rumor, he will definitely try every possible way to ruin Zhao Shuyi's good fortune and limit Zhao Shuyi's growth speed to avoid being slapped in the face by Zhao Shuyi in public again.

In order to lure Zhao Wencan, Li Zhangsheng could only say sorry to Zhao Shuyi; this is also the best method he could think of to lure Zhao Wencan.

"Let's just consider it the reward for helping Zhao Shuyi out of a predicament last time; besides, the one I am dealing with is Zhao Wencan, who has a grudge against her!"

Li Zhangsheng made excuses for himself; last time in the Huangshi Waiwei Baoku, Zhao Wencan had made things difficult for Zhao Shuyi, putting Zhao Shuyi in a dilemma and almost falling into Zhao Wencan's trap. Fortunately, Li Zhangsheng was there to help her out at the time, otherwise, losing face would be a small matter, and the greatest possibility was being provoked by Zhao Wencan to lose her temper and openly take action in the treasury.

Taking action in the Imperial Treasury, what is the difference between that and lighting a lamp in a latrine?

Of course, Zhao Shuyi comes from the Zhao clan and is an Elite Student of the Yuanling Academy, so she would not be in mortal danger, but she would definitely suffer a loss.

It can be said that Zhao Shuyi owes Li Zhangsheng a favor.

Peng City, Yuanling Academy!

Just as Li Zhangsheng began to execute his plan, Instructor Ning woke up from a long slumber; she shivered, feeling cold to the bone, and slowly climbed off the Cold Jade Bed.

She is not much different from an ordinary person now; if she had not practiced the Four Symbols Star Monster Taming Art, which made her physique far exceed that of ordinary people, she would probably not have been able to hold on for so long.

However, she knows her situation very well; if there are no accidents, this will be her last period of consciousness.

In her final time, she plans to stay with her Demon Pets, students, and friends, while taking a final look at this world and walking this last stretch of the journey.

Crackle~

Holding the Jade Rabbit that guards her, Ning Bizhen opened the door to the sealed room. At first glance, she saw the old woman waiting outside. Compared to two or three months ago, the old woman's temples were completely gray, her skin was sagging, and she looked visibly aged.

Not far away, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat was playing with the Jubi that Li Zhangsheng gave it, having a great time. This was an extra-large ball of yarn with a diameter of 1.5 meters, which was undoubtedly much larger compared to the Qixi Wind Speed Cat's petite body.

"Grandma!"

"Young Miss!"

Immediately, Ning Bizhen hugged the old woman with a heart full of pity; the two were master and servant in name, but family in reality.

After the two talked for a while, Ning Bizhen looked at the Qixi Wind Speed Cat that trotted to her side and couldn't help but squat down to touch its little head.

"Little Wind looks like it has gained a little weight again!"

Meow~

The Qixi Wind Speed Cat showed an expression of enjoyment, emitting a soft and cute cat cry.

Soon, Ning Bizhen stopped her movements and said to the old woman: "Grandma, help me gather those three students, and by the way, please invite Instructor He Yan over as well!"

"Yes!" The old woman's voice was choked with sobs; she could guess Instructor Ning Bizhen's thoughts, and her heart was suddenly filled with unease.

After the old woman left, Ning Bizhen held the Qixi Wind Speed Cat and the Jade Rabbit and went into the courtyard, looking at the Three-Legged Fire Crow sleeping in the withered Li Fire Parasol Tree, a ripple appearing in her eyes.

As if sensing something, the sleeping Three-Legged Fire Crow slowly opened its eyes and raised its head; its eyes were listless, and its expression was lethargic. The Three-Legged Fire Crow wanted to flap its wings to fly high, but it could not exert any strength no matter what, as if it had exhausted all its energy and could not perform this action, so it could only lie in the tree hole and look at its master in silence.

"Little Fire!" Ning Bizhen called out.

Meow~

The Qixi Wind Speed Cat raised its paw to greet the Three-Legged Fire Crow, then continued to push its Jubi on its own, as if showing off to the other that this was its new toy.

Mii~

The Jade Rabbit squinted at the Three-Legged Fire Crow; perhaps feeling too stifled by being suppressed by Ning Bizhen's greatness, it hurriedly jumped out of Ning Bizhen's arms, rushed in front of the Jubi, lifted the Jubi up, and ran away!

Meow~

The Qixi Wind Speed Cat's fur stood on end, and it viciously chased after the Jade Rabbit that had snatched its toy, vowing to take the Jubi back.

Unfortunately, the Jade Rabbit is also a speed-type Demon Pet, and furthermore, its realm, Bloodline, and species are all a tier higher than the Qixi Wind Speed Cat; even while carrying the Jubi, it was still not caught by the Qixi Wind Speed Cat, which infuriated the Qixi Wind Speed Cat into wailing loudly behind it.

While they were chasing each other, the old woman invited Instructor He Yan, Luo Jing, and Yuan Yongyan inside.

A forced smile hung on Instructor He Yan's face; she knew very well that her close friend was nearing the end, and this was likely their final meeting.

During that disaster three years ago, if it hadn't been for her and several Elite Students dragging her down, Ning Bizhen would not have taken the initiative to burn the Bloodline of the Three-Legged Fire Crow to execute the Golden Crow Transformation Rainbow Technique, and this situation would not have occurred.

"Miss, Young Master Li Zhangsheng has gone out!" The old woman felt a bit of resentment toward Li Zhangsheng in her heart; this was the Miss's final time, yet Li Zhangsheng chose to go out at this critical moment—wouldn't this just make the Miss sad!

She did not know that Li Zhangsheng was risking danger to save Ning Bizhen's life.

Sure enough, upon hearing that her most outstanding student was not there, Ning Bizhen felt inexplicably sad, but she still pretended to be relaxed and said, "Forget it, he might have gone out for something!"

In the time that followed, Ning Bizhen acted as if nothing were wrong, chatting with He Yan seemingly at random; the various rankings were naturally a topic they could not avoid, and whenever He Yan mentioned Li Zhangsheng's ranking on the Hidden Dragon Ranking or the Student Top 100 List, Ning Bizhen would always reveal a joyful smile.

Luo Jing and Yuan Yongyan sat to the side listening, occasionally interjecting a few words, mainly focusing on lighthearted topics.

This chat lasted for a full two or three hours, and Ning Bizhen felt 'tired' again; she knew she was about to fall into the next round of deep sleep.

She feared she would never wake up from this sleep.

Therefore, she began to arrange her final affairs.

"Sister He, can you promise me one thing?"

"Yes!" Instructor He Yan seemed to understand something, and her tone became a bit choked with sobs.

"My three students all have outstanding talent; I won't even mention Zhangsheng, but Luo Jing is a leader among the third-year students at our Academy, only one step away from the Fourth Rank; Yongyan is not bad either, and I expect she will be able to advance to the Third Rank next semester.

I know I won't make it, but I am worried about them. I hope that after I am gone, you can take them in for me and cultivate them into talents; this might be a bit selfish, but this is my final wish. Sister He, can you do me this favor?"

When Ning Bizhen finished speaking, she stared intently at Instructor He Yan, fearing she would not agree.

"I... I promise!" Facing her close friend's request, Instructor He Yan finally could not help but shed tears, pulling Ning Bizhen tightly into her embrace.

Luo Jing and Yuan Yongyan were sobbing uncontrollably, wiping away their tears incessantly.

Once the emotions of He Yan and the others stabilized, Ning Bizhen looked at the Jade Rabbit, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat, and the Three-Legged Fire Crow, and said, "You all go back first; in these final moments, I want to stay with them!"

"Take care, sister!" Instructor He Yan's expression was dim as she left with Luo Jing and Yuan Yongyan, leaving only the old woman behind.

"Old woman, I fear I will never wake up from this sleep!"

"That won't happen; the Miss is blessed by heaven, and besides, Young Master Li Zhangsheng and Principal Xu are also thinking of ways!" The old woman's eyes were filled with tears, feeling that she had reached the point of clutching at straws, but this was her only hope.

"It is just a pity that I didn't get to see Zhangsheng one last time; he is my most excellent student, and I really wanted to see if Zhangsheng could make Yuanling Academy the number one Academy before he graduates—this is also my greatest regret in this life!

However, I have always had confidence in him. Old woman, after I am gone, please entrust Xiaofeng and Xiaoyu to his care; they are both cute and powerful, and I believe Zhangsheng will like them very much! Also, remember to take care of your own health; you can return to your hometown to enjoy your remaining years!"

The old woman's lips trembled, not knowing what to say; her mistress was so biased—anyone who didn't know better would think she only had Li Zhangsheng as a student, and she couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Luo Jing and Yuan Yongyan.

"Young Master Li Zhangsheng is indeed promising, possessing much of the mistress's demeanor from back in the day; I believe he can do it!" The old woman said good things about Li Zhangsheng against her conscience, knowing that Ning Bizhen liked to hear them.

"Mm, if he succeeds, don't forget to tell me! I am tired and want to sleep!"

Ning Bizhen stood up, and with the help of the Jade Rabbit and the Qixi Wind Speed Cat, climbed into the tree hole of the Li Fire Parasol Tree, hugging the Three-Legged Fire Crow as she fell into a deep sleep.

Perhaps she will never wake up from this sleep.

The previous ceramic jar was too small, so I changed to a bigger one. After all, a Pure Grade Bloodline can only extract one or two test tubes of Spirit Essence, and a Sparse grade has only a few drops; the quantity is high, but it feels like dozens of Sparse ones added together aren't even enough for a bowl.

Today's goal: Three, pigs, verify!

(End of chapter)