Published: February 12, 2025
After emerging from the mountain, Ye Zhongming saw several elder-level figures from the Ten Thousand Beast Manor standing nervously at the entrance, each holding a tool for summoning chisel fangs.
Looking up, he noticed Xia Bai stretching her wings, slowly flapping while hovering in the air. Clearly, she was uneasy about Ye Zhongming waiting here and was ready to rush down if anything seemed off.
Many had witnessed Xia Bai's prowess; just the sight of her wings was enough to make one’s heart race.
Some believed it was a matter of bloodline, but the duration of this bloodline seemed rather prolonged. Those who had studied Cloud Summit Villa knew that Xia Bai's lineage granted her the ability to blend into the darkness, which was evident now as she seemed to flicker in and out of visibility in the air. This skill made it hard to gauge her true abilities.
Moreover, today Xia Bai had achieved an impressive feat by killing the Nine Dragons and subduing the Nine Treasures, which made the elders extremely tense. They feared that if Xia Bai lost her temper, they would be incapable of stopping her.
Seeing Ye Zhongming come out, everyone collectively sighed in relief.
Ye Zhongming waved at Xia Bai, signaling her to land beside him. He apologized to Li Daqian and returned to his residence with his small entourage.
Before even reaching the courtyard, Ye Zhongming felt a restless and irritable aura, along with several hidden energy signatures. As he entered, he saw the Nine Treasures with half of its body buried in the ground, appearing uncomfortable without Xia Bai around. The red dress guard was also unfamiliar with it, fearing it might go wild, so they were all on guard, which in turn made the Nine Treasures anxious.
Upon seeing Xia Bai return, the Nine Treasures let out a whimper, like a child who had spotted its mother, and lunged towards Xia Bai with its massive hundred-meter-long body still partially buried underground.
This sudden lunge caused the entire courtyard to tremble as if experiencing a magnitude five or six earthquake.
Xia Bai lightly leaped onto the head of the Nine Treasures and patted its newly grown rabbit ears, instantly calming the gigantic creature.
Although Ye Zhongming couldn't figure out how Xia Bai had tamed this level eight battle beast which originally had an owner, he understood that the Nine Treasures was now different from before. He hadn’t seen what the Nine Treasures used to look like, making it hard to compare its strength now and then. However, it was evident that its personality had changed, or perhaps its intelligence had decreased, as its attachment to Xia Bai appeared abnormal.
This situation had precedent in Cloud Summit, as seen with the three-trunked elephant and Park Soo-young.
However, from another perspective, this was not necessarily a bad thing. Ye Zhongming was not a member of an animal welfare organization; the intelligence of battle beasts was not a concern for him. What mattered was whether these beasts were beneficial to Cloud Summit and his subordinates.
Currently, the Nine Treasures exhibited an extraordinary dependency on Xia Bai and could fight under her control, which was sufficient.
As for what other abilities the Nine Treasures still retained, that would depend on Xia Bai's future understanding and further research by Liu Zhenghong once they returned to the villa.
Leaving Xia Bai to bond with the Nine Treasures, Ye Zhongming returned to his room and took out what he had obtained today.
First, there were the six Life Eggs. Ye Zhongming found a special container for them. Though it wasn’t as effective as a stone coffin, it could still preserve them for a time.
The life energy emanating from the eggs felt comfortable to Ye Zhongming. Regardless of the type, ninth-level life forms had immense energy, and as the essence of these beings, the eggs were no exception.
This comfort was different from Insect Emperor Honey; it was a form of purification and reverence for life.
After sealing the container, Ye Zhongming stored the Life Eggs away, planning to take them to Sister Hong. She would undoubtedly be thrilled to have materials from ninth-level life.