A ferocious beast at the early Essence-Refining stage—the Mangfang Elephant—had been slain by martial artists.
This was unprecedented.
Even if the victory had been won through sheer numbers, even if it was messy, desperate, and tinged with luck—
It was still an undeniable victory.
That was an Essence-Refining ferocious beast.
A calamity in the eyes of the mortal world.
A monster that only immortal cultivators were supposed to handle.
And yet, it had fallen at the hands of martial artists.
That alone was supreme glory.
Everyone who participated in this battle was destined to become a legend in the martial world.
They had slain a beast of the cultivation world—even if it was the lowest rung of that world.
But once the word immortal was involved, the meaning changed entirely.
In the hearts of Teyvat's people, once something bore the mark of "immortal," it meant a gulf between mortals and immortals.
And today—
That insurmountable mountain had been broken.
This day was fated to be remembered in the history of martial arts.
With such an achievement, perhaps when Mount Shu next opened its gates, these martial artists would finally be looked upon with different eyes.
Collapsed on the ground, Himeko and the others laughed from the bottom of their hearts.
Himeko felt an indescribable exhilaration—
Just like the first time she and her squad had slain an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
No.
This felt even more intense.
That had been a Honkai beast.
This was a ferocious beast of the cultivation world.
"We… actually won. That's unbelievable…"
Draymond pinched himself in a daze. After confirming it wasn't a dream, even the usually stern man broke into a broad smile.
"So martial arts… aren't completely worthless after all."
Jiang Yan only smiled and shook his head, saying nothing.
He understood better than anyone—
This victory wasn't something to be proud of.
In the cultivation world, early Essence Refining was the absolute bottom.
As for Foundation Establishment…
Cultivators themselves didn't even acknowledge those at that level as true cultivators.
And an early Essence-Refining ferocious beast was the bottom of the bottom.
Any cultivator with a bit of strength could suppress it with ease.
If what had appeared today were a demonic beast, they would all be dead.
Moreover, the Mangfang Elephant was massive—fast, but lacking flexibility.
They had exploited that weakness.
It was a victory achieved through circumstance.
Still, a win was a win.
This wasn't the moment to ruin the atmosphere with cold truths.
More importantly, this battle had allowed Jiang Yan to touch the threshold of the Landed Immortal peak.
With a bit more cultivation, he might truly reach the pinnacle of martial arts.
That alone was worth celebrating.
After that, he could attempt what Jiang Yan had mentioned—
Entering the Dao through martial arts.
High above, Yunqing was glowing with satisfaction.
Mount Shu Village fell under outer sect supervision, and outer sect affairs were managed by outer sect elders.
Martial artists cooperating to slay an Essence-Refining ferocious beast—
This was political capital.
Even though he was about to be promoted into the inner sect, padding his record before leaving would only benefit him.
A better record meant better resources.
At this moment, Yunqing found Jiang Yan and the others increasingly pleasing to the eye.
If not for Mount Shu's rules, he would've loved to reward them with some minor cultivator trinkets.
As for the incident of an Essence-Refining beast breaching Mount Shu Village—
Accountability would be easier to explain now.
There would still be punishment, of course, but…
Outer sect negligence meant he only bore joint responsibility. The penalty wouldn't be severe.
And given the martial artists' heroic response, the punishment might not even materialize.
Yunqing understood these things well.
The inner sect didn't need such bureaucratic considerations.
The inner sect was full of monsters—people who only needed to cultivate.
But the outer sect?
Official matters still existed.
Only the inner sect were truly Mount Shu's people.
Yunqing had always known that.
Just as he was about to relax—
His expression suddenly sharpened, gaze snapping toward the distance below.
"Courting death!"
Below, the mood was jubilant.
Despite the injuries—and the fact that some of those grins were probably from pain—
The battlefield was filled with laughter.
The value of an early Essence-Refining ferocious beast was enormous.
The essence blood was useless to most of them—they couldn't refine it.
But the flesh?
That was another story.
With some luck, consuming it might allow someone to awaken a martial intent—
And perhaps give birth to a new Grandmaster.
Himeko's Honkai energy was completely drained.
Draymond and Jiang Yan were likewise exhausted of inner force and stamina.
The three sat on the ground, gazing at the colossal Mangfang Elephant in the distance.
Even from several kilometers away, its sheer size was overwhelming.
Blood poured endlessly from the ruined eye socket, pooling into a steaming lake.
Himeko sighed softly.
"At least it's finally over… though Mount Shu Village suffered quite a bit of damage."
"It's fine. As long as no one died."
Jiang Yan waved it off calmly.
"With martial artists around, rebuilding the village won't be a problem."
Himeko nodded, then hesitated.
"Still… Ying'er told me that Essence-Refining ferocious beasts usually don't come this close to Mount Shu Village. So why this time…?"
"Usually doesn't mean never."
Draymond shook his head.
"In truth, Essence-Refining ferocious beasts do attack from time to time. After all, most ferocious beasts in the Mount Shu world are at that level."
"But they're also cultivation resources for our seniors. Between patrols and Merit Hall missions, they're usually dealt with the moment they get close."
"This time, we were just unlucky. Most of the seniors are in closed cultivation and didn't notice."
Himeko understood, recalling what Alice had said.
Jiang Yan had entered the Demon-Sealing Tower in seclusion. By its time flow, that meant at least a decade.
Cultivators really had no sense of time or the outside world during seclusion.
She couldn't help but feel a little envious.
"Still, we profited this time."
Draymond chuckled.
"Mount Shu Village has never obtained a whole Essence-Refining ferocious beast before."
"This alone could nurture many new powerhouses. We'll benefit from it for a long time."
Himeko blinked, confused.
"Profited? How so?"
"Looks like you don't fully understand how precious ferocious beasts are in the cultivation world."
Draymond cleared his throat, about to explain—
When suddenly, dark clouds gathered in the sky above the Mangfang Elephant.
A small black dot flapped its wings and appeared out of thin air.
Everyone's eyesight was sharp.
They recognized it instantly.
"A… winged black panther?"
Himeko muttered, instinctively checking the Plague Gem.
Her Honkai energy hadn't recovered at all.
"This is bad…"
Jiang Yan let out a sorrowful sigh.
"Blackfeather Shadow Leopard…"
"Another Essence-Refining one?" Himeko clenched her fists.
"No. Worse than a ferocious beast…"
Draymond's face went deathly pale.
"It's a demonic beast."
Demonic.
Himeko's heart sank.
Of all the rotten luck—
Ferocious beasts had no intelligence. No matter how strong, they were still beasts.
But demonic beasts?
They possessed intelligence comparable to humans.
"This isn't good…"
Himeko lowered her voice.
The battlefield fell into dead silence. No one dared to breathe loudly, fearing detection.
But at this distance—
There was no way the Blackfeather Shadow Leopard wouldn't notice them.
"The best outcome," Jiang Yan said calmly, closing his eyes,
"Is that it takes the Mangfang Elephant and leaves us alone."
"We can kill ferocious beasts, but we cannot kill demonic beasts. They're intelligent. They use schemes."
"In the cultivation world, demonic beasts are the primary enemies of cultivators. Ferocious beasts are just food."
"If no inner disciples arrive, we're dead."
Himeko clenched her fists, unwilling.
"All inner disciples are in seclusion. What about outer disciples?"
"No one in the outer sect has reached Essence Refining. Coming would just mean dying."
Draymond stared grimly at the Shadow Leopard.
At that moment, the beast tilted its head, wings beating once—
And vanished.
Reappearing directly before them.
Up close, Himeko finally saw it clearly.
Its body was no larger than a normal panther, simply with wings.
But the alert, calculating look in its eyes made her heart sink.
This thing—
Was truly intelligent.
After observing for a moment and confirming there were no cultivators present, the Shadow Leopard opened its mouth—
And laughed.
"Well, well. Look what I've found."
"A group of fine meats without Mount Shu's protection."
"So… you're the ones who killed that Mangfang Elephant?"
It spoke human language.
Himeko's pupils shrank.
This was the true difference between ferocious beasts and demonic beasts.
This thing had intelligence, emotion—
It was essentially a cultivator wearing the skin of a beast.
The others remained silent, staring at it.
"Oh, don't be so stiff. Let's play."
The Shadow Leopard circled them leisurely, eyes filled with mockery and greed.
"No cultivators, yet you killed a Mangfang Elephant. To me, it was just a walking meat warehouse."
"But for you… that's practically a heroic epic."
"How about a game? Entertain me, and I'll let one of you live."
It stopped in front of Himeko, baring its fangs, violence flashing in its eyes.
"Who survives will depend on how you kill each other."
Then it sniffed the air greedily.
"Fragrant… so fragrant…"
"Not a cultivator, but eating you should still be quite tasty."
Draymond exploded in fury.
"Beast! You dare?! Miss Himeko is a friend of Elder Alice! Touch her and Elder Alice will hunt you down across heaven and earth—skin you alive and use your hide as a rag!"
The Shadow Leopard's rage flared—
But fear flickered in its eyes.
No demonic beast in the Mount Shu world was unafraid of Mount Shu.
If not for hearing that most of Mount Shu's powerhouses were in seclusion, it wouldn't have dared come within ten thousand miles.
But now—
They had seen it.
Even if it spared Himeko, she could report this to Alice.
And that elder…
It couldn't afford to offend her.
If it gambled—
Killed them all—
Perhaps…
Bloodlight flashed in the Shadow Leopard's eyes as it opened its jaws and lunged.
"Kill you all! Then no one will know!"
Before it could move—
An irresistible pressure descended from the heavens.
The Shadow Leopard froze midair, terror filling its violet-black eyes.
"Wretched beast!"
"Who do you think you are, daring to harm those of Mount Shu?!"
Hearing that familiar rebuke—
Draymond and Jiang Yan finally exhaled in relief.
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