Chapter 220 - 220 217 The Old Family Master's Habits Remain Unchanged
Chapter 220: Chapter 217: The Old Family Master’s Habits Remain Unchanged Chapter 220: Chapter 217: The Old Family Master’s Habits Remain Unchanged Clouds drifted leisurely, carried by the wind.
“Mo…”
A deep bellowing echoed through the air as a massive, ten-zhang Barbarian Bull broke through the clouds, advancing as if treading on air.
Upon its imposing back, two thick chains extended backward.
At the other end of these chains was a hundred-zhang long tower ship, pulled forward through the sky by the bull.
Qin Feng stood hands behind his back at the bow of the ship, leisurely surveying his surroundings amidst the cold high-altitude winds.
Hearing the bellow, he glanced at the Barbarian Bull.
This was a Demon Core Realm Barbarian Bull, its head adorned with broad, sharp horns and a muscular body that radiated strength.
…
In fact, such bulls were not only incredibly strong but also possessed several powerful innate divine abilities, making them a challenging foe even for Golden Core Cultivators.
Indeed, the tower ship of the Beast Taming Sect could fly swiftly even without the pull of Spiritual Beasts, as it was a specially crafted large Flying Escape Treasure capable of flight on its own.
The reason to still use Spiritual Beasts to pull the ship was mainly for show—to flaunt its power to ordinary cultivators and, importantly, for safety.
The primary role of the Spiritual Beasts pulling the ship was not transportation but protection.
They protected the disciples aboard and the cargo—that was the true purpose of these Demon Core Realm Spiritual Beasts.
Throughout the journey, this commerce ship of Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion had made numerous stops across various locations, delivering and collecting goods—an exchange of spiritual resources for the sect, resources needed for expeditions into Otherworlds.
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Being a cargo ship, it was neither as convenient nor as fast as the one Qin Feng had boarded when he initially arrived at the Beast Taming Sect.
However, the delay was minimal, and soon they entered the territory of the Chu Kingdom.
Upon entering the Chu Kingdom, the tower ship’s stops became notably more frequent, docking at each commandery to unload various goods and load up the acquisitions from the pavilion branches—resources needed by the sect for its campaigns.
Finally, the tower ship was nearing its arrival at Tieling County.
Once there, Qin Feng and Qin Xi were to depart from the ship.
After all, this was a commerce ship of Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion, still tasked with transporting goods and collecting resources; it wasn’t meant to ferry them to Kun City.
Kun City, being small and lacking in significant cultivator presence, did not even have a proper market, thus it did not warrant a pavilion.
“Junior Brother Qin, be careful on your way.”
The manager of the ship from Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion, a Golden Core Cultivator older than Qin Feng’s elder brother Zhao Qiankun but of the same generation as Qin Feng, said affectionately, “Chu Kingdom is a border controlled by our Beast Taming Sect, with mixed forces and chaotic situations.
It shares boundaries with the territories of major sects like Taiyi Mountain and Danxia Sect.
No matter the states or smaller cities, everything is more or less in disarray, including Kun City, where merely a small city is home to three power-wielding families.
Junior Brother Qin, you have an unresolved enmity with Jiang Dongliu from the Taiyi Mountain Punishment Sword Hall.
Although you haven’t disclosed your identity elsewhere, you’ve interacted with many along the way.
It probably won’t be long before your identity gets exposed, so try not to stay too long with your family and return to the sect sooner for safety.”
“Thank you for your kind advice, Senior Brother.”
Qin Feng nodded.
“I understand, I am returning to my family for specific matters, and I will head back after handling them.”
“Since that’s the case, I won’t say much more.
Just be extra careful, Junior Brother Qin.”
The old manager tactfully refrained from further persuasion.
Since even Great Elder Ning had allowed Qin Feng to return to his family, it would be inappropriate to advise otherwise.
As they neared Tieling County, Qin Feng and Qin Xi bid farewell to the ship’s manager and did not wait for the ship to descend into Tieling City; instead, they took flight on Spiritual Birds.
“Ah!”
The old manager watched Qin Feng and Qin Xi’s departure with a shake of his head and a soft sigh, hoping that the people from Taiyi Mountain wouldn’t discover Qin Feng too soon.
If Jiang Dongliu learned of it, the trouble would escalate.
Even if constrained by rules from personally attacking, he would surely send disciples to besiege and pursue Qin Feng.
He was unaware that the Qian Yuan Sage of Taiyi Mountain had already ordered that, until the Beast Taming Sect’s large army set out, no disciples were to provoke the sect.
Thus, he was somewhat anxious.
He was even less aware that after Qin Feng and Qin Xi’s departure, another figure quietly soared from the ship, cloaked in the void like a phantom, hardly detectable.
This was a Dao Protector arranged by Ning Wuxu for his disciple.
In fact, it was not only Qin Feng who was accorded this treatment—any true disciple of the sect venturing out was shadowed by a protector in secret to prevent ambushes from rival sects.
Unbeknownst to Qin Feng, both he and Qin Xi were somewhat overwhelmed by emotions.
“I remember the first time Grandfather Master brought us to Tieling County.
Back then, knowing nothing, everything seemed so fresh and amazing.
I thought Tieling City and its busy market were the epitome of prosperity, bustling with numerous cultivators.”
Qin Xi, with a smile touching her lips, said, “It was only after witnessing the strength of the sect that upon returning, the county that once seemed vibrant and bustling pales in comparison to the sect’s major markets.
Even the capitals of the nations we passed through on our journey seem unremarkable.”
“Indeed.”
Qin Feng nodded and said, “In our youth, we lived in Kun City, thinking that was a vast expanse of sky until I left the Qin family and Tieling County to join the Sect.
Only then did I begin to grasp the world—albeit barely.”
His words were far from modest.
Joining the Sect, he was initially astounded by the vastness of the Southern Domain, and even more so when he learned that other domains were as wide as the Southern Domain.
The magnitude of the world shocked him.
More recently, he learned the true origin of the world from his master, including the existence of countless worlds within the cosmic void, and he fully realized how limited his vision had been.
But it was not his fault, after all; he could only live in the small place that was Kun City.
His status and position limited what he could know until he became a True Disciple—only then was he qualified to learn many secrets of the Sect.
“When I first saw Tieling City, I looked like someone who had never seen the world.
Thinking about it now is quite amusing,”
Qin Feng said self-deprecatingly.
Qin Xi shook her head and chuckled lightly, “Actually, I was incredibly curious at that time too, but I was really too timid, afraid to look around much.
I just followed closely beside our Family Head grandfather, fearing that I would get lost.”
“Hahaha…”
Their laughter echoed, easing their nervousness as they approached home.
Seeing Kun City up ahead, Qin Feng shouted loudly and slapped the back of the Spiritual Vulture, speeding up toward the front.
“Hey, wait for me…”
Behind him, Qin Xi became anxious and quickly urged her mount to follow.
Her Spiritual Vulture had died back in the Heavenly Pool Secret Realm; her current mount, a vibrant Long-Tailed Phoenix Sparrow, was bought from the Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion.
It was a creature at the peak of Qi Refinement.
This was a mount highly recommended by Wen Qing’er.
Back when these two girls were choosing mounts in the Spiritual Beast Area of the Ten Thousand Demons Pavilion, they had only two criteria: the mount had to be beautiful and fast.
As for anything else, it didn’t matter, even if the mount lacked significant attack power.
In the end, they chose this glamorous, fast Phoenix Sparrow.
Naturally, such beautiful Spiritual Birds weren’t cheap, especially since the Phoenix Sparrow was genuinely swift in speed and adept in Wind Control Technique.
It was only because Qin Xi and the others had stumbled upon a fortune in the Heavenly Pool Secret Realm that she could afford such an expensive Phoenix Sparrow.
Otherwise, with Qin Xi’s thrifty nature, she would likely have caught a random Spiritual Bird from the wild forests to serve as her mount.
However, in reality, the expense had its advantages—the Phoenix Sparrow was indeed fast.
Even though Qin Feng’s Spiritual Vulture had reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, it didn’t leave Qin Xi far behind.
“Haha, I’m back…”
Before nearing the family estate, Qin Feng let out a bizarre shout that echoed far and wide.
Within the estate, comfortably seated in a carefree chair and habitually stroking his beloved black panther, Qin Guanbao squinted his eyes, lost in thought over something.
It was his usual habit; as he aged, he no longer hoped to achieve the Golden Core, opting instead to live comfortably.
Suddenly, hearing the strange shout coming from the mid-air and sensing several energies approaching swiftly, he jolted alert.
He hastily removed his hand from the sleek fur of the black panther’s back and looked up sharply.
He then saw two Spiritual Birds flying from a distance in the sky—the leading one a Spiritual Vulture with wings spanning several feet, and following it, a smaller, vividly feathered Phoenix Sparrow.
Because Qin Feng and Qin Xi were both seated on the Spiritual Birds, Qin Guanbao, the old Family Master, could only see the lower halves of the two Spiritual Beasts and did not see Qin Feng and Qin Xi on their backs.
Seeing these two Spiritual Birds about to charge into his ancestral home, Qin Guanbao was instantly alarmed and quickly mounted the black panther, leaping into the air.
In another part of the courtyard, Qin Long, who had been busy with his own tasks, saw this and summoned his Green-Eyed Spiritual Snake to follow the old Clan Chief into the air.
Below, many members of the Qin Clan paused their tasks and looked up.
Unsure whether the newcomers were friends or foes, they prepared for caution, ready to defend if necessary.
Fortunately, the imagined battle did not ensue.
Qin Ying, who had only returned to the family a year ago, immediately recognized the Spiritual Vulture in the sky, which he had given to Qin Feng decades ago.
He was puzzled, unaware of why Qin Feng would return to the clan at this time.
Positioned near the edge of the Beast Taming Sect’s domain in Chu Kingdom, the area was somewhat dangerous and furthest from the Sect, making trips back and forth quite challenging.
Mid-air, Qin Guanbao called out from below, his aged voice booming, “Which Daoist Fellow graces our Kun City Qin Clan with their presence?
If your purpose is… eh?”
He was mid-sentence when he reached the same height as Qin Feng.
Upon seeing Qin Feng’s face, he exclaimed in surprise, cutting off his words.
Upon noticing the girl hurriedly following behind, if it wasn’t Qin Xi, who else could it be?
“You… Why have you come back?”
The old Family Master was somewhat astonished before his brow furrowed, turning to look in the direction of the city’s north.