Chapter Twenty-One: Gathering Beasts and Taming Birds (Please support with bookmarks, monthly votes, and recommendation votes)
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Meng Fan quickly sensed something was amiss. According to the traditional statues of the Four Heavenly Kings, the Western Guardian, known as Virūḍhaka, is depicted with a red face, holding a snake or dragon, symbolizing his role overseeing the Western continent of Xiyu. His eyes are said to be pure and penetrating.
However, the statue before Meng Fan did not hold a snake or dragon; instead, it grasped a pair of double maces, and perched upon its shoulder was a white creature resembling a sable.
A sable... a spotted sable?!!
Suddenly, Meng Fan realized that these four statues were not the Four Heavenly Kings at all, but rather the Four Generals of the Demon Clan.
The one before him was none other than Mo Lishou.
Legend tells of a mysterious object in his pouch, shaped like a white mouse, called the Spotted Sable. When released into the air, it appears as a white elephant with wings sprouting from its ribs, a beast that devours countless humans.
This creature mastered the art of appearing and disappearing, embodying the dual forces of yin and yang. It could change size at will and devour human hearts like a wild bear.
[Detected a hidden place of opportunity and treasure. Consume energy to open a temporary interdimensional portal?]
At that moment, a sudden message emanated from the birthmark on Meng Fan’s arm. Instinctively, he replied, "Construct."
Purple light began to radiate from his body, spreading outward like the flow of time reversing. The buildings continuously renewed themselves, then aged and crumbled again, the surrounding scenery reconstructing anew.
A millennium passed in moments; seas changed into fields and back again, and soon ten thousand years had slipped by.
Suddenly, illusory figures appeared beside Meng Fan—four men.
The leader stood eight meters tall, his face crab-like, his beard like copper wire, wielding a tiger-headed spear and secretly holding the treasured Qingyun Sword.
Another carried a Primordial Umbrella adorned with emeralds, jade seals, luminous pearls, dust-repelling beads, fire and water warding stones, cooling jewels, nine-bend pearls, face-fixing beads, wind-stabilizing beads, and pearls strung together forming the phrase “Encompassing Heaven and Earth.”
A third grasped a long spear, with a jade pipa strapped to his back, its four strings arranged according to earth, fire, water, and wind.
The last held the purple-golden spotted sable.
They were known as the Four Generals of the Demon Clan: Mo Liqing the eldest, Mo Lihong the second, Mo Lihai the third, and Mo Lishou the fourth.
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Meng Fan felt as though separated from them by time and space, yet he heard the leader Mo Liqing say, “By the king’s command, we shall suppress the rebellious. Within three days of battle, we must achieve merit for the kingdom and not disappoint the Great Teacher Wen’s endorsement.”
Mo Lihong replied, “Tomorrow, brothers, we shall meet with Jiang Shang; once victorious, we will swiftly return to report our success.”
The four brothers then drank together in high spirits.
While intoxicated, only Mo Lishou was half-drunk and half-awake, his brow furrowed with worry. He glanced around to ensure no one was near, then stepped outside the tent to a tiger-tooth-shaped stone.
From his pouch, he produced a jade talisman carved with a beast’s head and murmured, “Though my heart is filled with fear, at least I leave behind a legacy. Whoever finds it shall be granted a fate by heaven.”
Then he cast a talismanic seal, hiding the jade beast head within the tiger tooth stone.
Over countless centuries, the stone’s edges were worn smooth by the passage of time. Eventually, a stonemason retrieved it, carefully carving it into the shape of the spotted sable statue that now adorned the Hall of Heavenly Kings.
The legacy within, however, faded over time due to neglect, eventually dissipating completely.
Meng Fan watched this entire process unfold. Moments later, it felt as if he passed through the phantom portal, landing in that era of the Investiture of the Gods.
According to the message from the birthmark on his arm, he estimated he could remain only about ten minutes.
Without hesitation, Meng Fan reached for the tiger tooth stone, holding it firmly. Thanks to his mastery of Form-Intent Fist, though only six or seven years old, lifting a hundred-pound stone was no trouble.
Back in the Hall of Heavenly Kings, releasing the stone, he pinched his own cheek and slapped himself, hardly believing what had just occurred was real.
Looking at the birthmark on his arm, its glow dimmed. Clearly, a significant amount of the temporal energy accumulated from the fourth star world had been consumed.
But the expenditure was worth it.
Meng Fan frowned as he examined the tiger tooth stone in his hand. Summoning his internal energy, he slammed it down hard, causing spiderweb cracks to spider across its surface.
Finally, from within, he retrieved a jade talisman carved in the shape of a beast’s head—the spotted sable.
Both sides of the talisman bore ancient inscriptions, resembling oracle bone script and bronze seal characters, or perhaps some form of tadpole script, like dragon and phoenix seals, as if written in celestial scripture.
For some reason, the moment Meng Fan laid eyes on the script, he immediately understood its meaning.
“Gather—Beasts!”
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“This technique is the true path of beasts and birds, with twofold meaning: one is the summoning of various wild beasts or fierce birds; the other is the wondrous method of controlling the beasts’ bodies. The former is often used to deceive others, to prevent covetous eyes.”
“Since ancient times, extraordinary beasts of heaven and earth have varied forms. Are there truly dragons? Truly mysterious turtles? Truly winged white tigers? Truly vermilion firebirds? Truly strange beasts of mountains and seas?”
“No, very few!”
“All things possess spirit, each with their strengths—some dwell in water, some run on land, some soar in the skies, and some survive years without sustenance, wondrous and strange indeed!”
“This method of gathering beasts collects the most exceptional traits from various species, complementing each other's strengths. According to the caster’s will, they are melded and fused into one entity...”
Meng Fan drew a sharp breath reading this technique’s description. Suddenly, a bold thought struck him.
Could it be that the celestial mounts and various strange beasts appearing during the Investiture of the Gods were all created by such methods?
Moreover, the name “Gathering Beasts” was familiar—one of the famed seventy-two Earthly Fiend techniques—but the version before him was entirely different from what he had known.
This… this was practically the beast equivalent of the “Perfect Hands” technique!
It allowed one to freely splice together beast bodies and souls, drawing out the strengths of various creatures, making mounts both magnificent in appearance and practical in battle!
Eager, Meng Fan flipped the jade talisman to its reverse side.
“Control—Birds!”
“This method also has twofold meaning: one is to command birds or beasts to obey; the other is a secret transmission within the lineage of birds and beasts. Birds and beasts have always been indiscriminately categorized, so this can apply to beasts as well. The former is often used to mislead others, to protect against covetous eyes!”
“To control also means to manipulate. The world is full of refined metals and stones. Practitioners can refine and condense their energy, harmonizing it with the bodies of birds and beasts. When infused, the beast gains bronze-like heads and iron-like bones, becoming impervious to fire and water.”
“Selecting the refined energy of metals and stones, initially refined once a month; after one hundred and eight days, refined every ten days; after another one hundred and eight days, refined every three days; and so on, without pause. Finally, refining once daily brings the practitioner to grand completion, yielding divine steeds and extraordinary creatures...”