"I'll go on patrol, Junior Brother Qi—send a message if something happens."
"Got it! Be careful out there!"
An Ling gave a slight nod before summoning his Six-Elemental Shadow Beast—the fourth shadow, the Wind Beast, Gale Owl.
The white owl, streaked with green across its feathers, ascended into the sky. Moments later, it soared northward, and An Ling followed from behind.
The two worked in perfect coordination—one served as eyes in the sky, while the other hunted the ferocious beasts spotted by the owl.
Because of the Beast Tide, the clan had been forced to evacuate their secular members into Baiyun County without proper preparation. To feed over thirty thousand mouths, An Ling was tasked with hunting wild animals during his patrols to ease the strain on the mortals' food supply.
After surveying the outer edges of the mountain lake, he arrived at the mountain's foot, where the secular members were building their new town.
Old and young men carried logs, dug canals, and laid stone slabs into roads, while women watched over the children and prepared meals for the workers. Everyone worked with fervor, hastening the construction of their new homes—eager to rest beneath warm roofs and soft beds once again.
"Immortal Master!"
An Ling spotted two burly martial artists guarding the town gate, both exuding impressive auras.
In this world, all mortals possessed spiritual roots, yet most were too inferior to cultivate—thus, they were still regarded as mortals in the eyes of cultivators.
These two men had six spiritual roots, a worse combination than An Ling's five. They could only refine their bodies within the three pre–Qi Refinement stages: the Bone-Marrow Realm, the Body-Strengthening Realm, and the Mind-Spirit Realm.
One had reached the Bone-Marrow Realm, while the other had stepped into the Body-Strengthening Realm. Among mortals, such people were revered with titles—Innate Martial Artist and Master Martial Artist. However, even reaching that level took decades; the elder was already forty-five, while the younger was in his late twenties.
Some could even break through into Qi Refinement and embark upon the Dao. Unfortunately, that was often their limit. None ever reached the Foundation Building Realm, and most never advanced past the middle stages of Qi Refinement in their lifetime.
"Bring me to the Mayor's House," An Ling ordered.
"Yes, Immortal Master!"
The older guard, who had long served as An Ling's guide, led him toward the mayor's residence.
The Mayor's House had been completed earlier than the other structures.
As the highest official in town, the mayor was endlessly occupied—constantly anxious that a single mistake might incur the wrath of the Immortal Ancestors, who placed great importance on the new settlement. It had to be finished quickly to ensure the continuation of mortal life and bring fresh blood into the immortal mountain.
Upon hearing of An Ling's arrival, the mayor immediately dropped everything and rushed to greet him in the hall.
Even as a rare six-spiritual-root cultivator at the First Level of Qi Refinement, exhaustion marked his every movement. That was why An Ling only visited between morning and noon—to give the poor man some peace.
An Ling took one look at his anxious, haggard face before motioning for him to sit.
"Has the orphanage courtyard been built?"
"Answering the ancestor," the mayor said respectfully, "because of the size and the specific building requirements set by the ancestor, we've only finished the sleeping quarters. We're currently working on the classrooms and nursing rooms."
"Good." An Ling nodded approvingly. "Where's Daoist Lu? I don't sense him here."
Senior Lu Bao was a loose cultivator entrusted by An Yuanshu to guard the An Clan's secular town due to a shortage of manpower. Before leaving for the frontline under the Green Sword Sect's orders, An Yuanshu had asked his dear friend Lu Bao—whom he regarded as a brother—to protect the town should anything happen to him or the sacred land.
"Senior Lu is currently hunting a suspected beast and has been out since last night," the mayor answered concisely.
An Ling's brow furrowed. "Is it a low-level beast?"
"Senior Lu and I believe so. One of my men was gravely injured last night. According to him, the beast was too strong—he could do nothing but flee."
"Hmm..."
An Ling summoned the Gale Owl.
It flew out the window and vanished into the sky.
"I'll be back," he said, disappearing from the hall in a flash, following the owl's lead.
A thousand meters from the town, the Gale Owl detected a violent disturbance and let out a sharp, shrill cry.
"Third-level middle-stage beast?" An Ling frowned and recalled the Gale Owl.
Once it merged from his shadow, a gust of wind surged beneath his feet, boosting his speed with the owl's innate wind ability.
He soon saw Senior Lu locked in combat with a massive tiger. Its aura matched the owl's warning—a Third-Level Middle-Stage beast, close to Late-Stage.
"Senior Lu, I'm here!"
An Ling leapt into the fray, his fists igniting with dual spiritual flames—his left hand shone blue, his right burned orange—and struck the tiger square in the abdomen, sending it flying.
The Six-Elemental Shadow Vessel was a versatile body constitution. Each of his beasts granted him unique powers: fire for offense, water for defense, earth for fortification, wind for movement, and wood for regeneration and cultivation.
His punch just now carried the explosive might of his Divine Dogs—his first beast—infused with fire essence.
"Little Ling, retreat! We're no match for this beast!" Senior Lu shouted, gulping down a low-grade elixir to restore his mana.
Even as a Seventh-Level Late-Stage Qi Refinement cultivator, he was barely holding his ground. Even with An Ling's help, they were clearly at a disadvantage if the fight dragged on.
But An Ling shook his head. "We can't retreat, Senior Lu! This beast is only a thousand meters from our mortal settlement. If we don't slay it here, many of my people will die!"
He added firmly, "Don't worry. I've made great progress these past few days."
Senior Lu wanted to protest, but when he sensed An Ling's aura—equal to his own—shock flashed across his face.
"All right," he said, regaining his composure. "I'll take the front. Find a way to finish it off!"
An Ling nodded.
He recalled the Gale Owl out and summoned his third beast—the Great Ox.
Its muscles bulged, hooves digging into the earth as it faced the tiger with unshakable resolve.
"Here it comes!"
The beast was back on its feet—the punch An Ling delivered had done little more than leave a faint burn mark on its fur. His cultivation was still unrefined, and the creature was a third-level, mid-stage demon beast—so it was no surprise that it remained virtually unharmed.
Senior Lu charged forward, tossing a talisman toward the beast. It exploded into a burst of hot mist that disrupted the tiger's charge but caused no real harm.
It was a fake talisman—nothing more than a decoy infused with steam water instead of spiritual spell.
As a frugal loose cultivator, Lu Bao rarely wasted genuine talismans unless his life was at stake. Instead, he carried a stock of sham talismans for distraction—and they worked perfectly against inexperienced enemies and low-intelligence beasts.
Taking advantage of the opening, Lu Bao slashed at the tiger, but the beast sensed danger and leapt back.
Swish!
The Gale Owl dove from above, its claws raking across the tiger's back.
Roar!
The beast tried to retaliate with a savage bite, but the owl evaded effortlessly and vanished into the canopy once again.
Enraged, the tiger searched the trees, but the owl was too swift and elusive. Its attention soon turned back to the humans below, and it reengaged the one wielding the sword. After barely catching his breath, Senior Lu was once again thrown into the heat of battle.
At the side, An Ling rested his hand on the Great Ox, which pawed at the dirt impatiently.
The Great Ox possessed two abilities—one for defense, another for offense. The latter required time to charge its energy through the earth before unleashing devastating power.
"Senior Lu, I need one minute!" An Ling shouted.
Lu Bao gritted his teeth and pressed on, clashing with the beast again.
Swish!
The Gale Owl dove once more—but this time, the tiger was ready. It halted its charge toward Senior Lu, leapt into the air, and swiped its massive claw, striking the owl and sending it crashing to the ground.
Seeing its prey fall, the tiger lunged to devour it.
But as it struck, the owl dissolved into shadow and vanished into An Ling's shadow mark.
"Though I could recreate it," An Ling murmured, the corner of his lips curving into a faint, almost taunting smile towards the beast. "I'd rather not waste the effort."
Roar!
The beast's fury erupted like a storm. Its eyes burned with primal rage as it turned toward him, earth cracking beneath its claws as it charged straight for An Ling.
"I'm your opponent, beast!"
Senior Lu appeared before An Ling, his sword flashing as it met the creature's claws in a violent clash.
Clang!
The impact sent a gust of wind rippling outward. Lu Bao staggered back—the difference in raw strength painfully clear. But he had no time to lament his weakness as the beast lunged at him again.
He could only evade the relentless assault, searching for even a single opening. One moment of carelessness, and he would be torn apart.
"Thanks for holding it back, Senior Lu!" An Ling called.
An Ling's first shadow beast—the Divine Dogs—emerged beside Senior Lu and lunged, sinking its fangs into the tiger's flank.
His recent breakthrough left his cultivation and divine sense unstable, stopping him from summoning a second beast the moment he recalled the Gale Owl. He needed a short breath—a heartbeat's pause—before he could call forth another to aid Senior Lu.
Commanding each shadow beast through the Six-Elemental Shadow Vessel demanded a full layer of divine sense to move and act on his will, effectively making each one a costly extension of himself. With his third-layer capacity, he could only manage two beasts effectively. To command a third—which he could do—would expend his entire divine sense to its limits, leaving none to control his own magic power.
If he ever reached Foundation Building and expanded his divine sense to six layers, perhaps then he could command all five beasts freely.
But that future was still far away—for now, he had to be creative.
Roar!
The tiger howled in agony as the Divine Dogs tore into its side.
"Die, beast!"
Lu Bao crouched low and slashed his sword at its face—but the creature's hide was thick, its bones like stone, and his attack left only a shallow mark.
ROAR!
The tiger unleashed a thunderous roar, blasting a shockwave that sent both the Divine Dogs and Lu Bao flying.
Now badly wounded, the tiger tried to flee and escapes.
But before it could—
"Leaving already? You haven't accepted my gift yet."
—An Ling's voice echoed coldly through the air.
Baaargghh!
The Great Ox's charged energy reached its peak. Like a cannonball, it launched forward, slamming into the tiger side with earth-shattering force. The beast's bones cracked under the impact, its body crushed and mangled beyond recognition.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The ox plowed through three large trees before finally stopping against a massive trunk. The tiger's lifeless body slid off its horn, hitting the ground with a dull thud.
The battle was over.