C22 The Shaken Lee Xiao'er

Xiao Ying let out a sigh and spoke softly, "Do you know why Mother was suddenly ordered to leave? It was because a certain lord specifically demanded Mother to kill Xing Yun! And Miss Gu isn't the only one who wants him dead."

"How is that possible? Isn't he just an ant in your eyes?" Lee Xiao'er asked anxiously.

Xiao Ying looked at Lee Xiao'er with a puzzled expression and inquired, "You seem quite concerned about him. Has he deceived you, causing you to become infatuated?"

"No!" Lee Xiao'er quickly shook her head, her cheeks flushing slightly.

Xiao Ying gave Lee Xiao'er a curious glance and mused, "Mother is convinced you wouldn't be interested in such a wastrel. That lord, hailing from the Upper Realm... he is worlds apart from us, and his commands are not to be defied."

Lee Xiao'er stared at Xiao Ying in astonishment, struggling to believe her mother would make such a comparison.

Xiao Ying went on, "Xiao'er, you may have promised to spare him five times, but Mother has made no such promise, and neither has anyone else. You should refrain from carrying out any further assassination attempts."

"How can that be? Mother, are you still planning to kill him?" Lee Xiao'er exclaimed in alarm.

Xiao Ying shook her head, clarifying, "No, the lord's order was explicit: attempt the assassination once, and regardless of the outcome, return immediately."

Lee Xiao'er breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "Who would've thought there'd be such an odd command?"

"Mother's duty is to obey orders, but I fear Miss Gu might still command us to kill him," Xiao Ying sighed.

After a moment of silence, Lee Xiao'er questioned, "Mother, if Elder Gu and the others condone Miss Gu's desire to kill him, are we to ruthlessly pursue him just because he showed disrespect to the saintess?"

"Absolutely!" Xiao Ying affirmed sternly, "You've met the saintess. Such a pure being should never be defiled! Xing Yun is beyond redemption. Even dying a thousand, ten thousand times would not be punishment enough for his crimes!"

"But he risked his life to protect Grimgarth, plunging into the beast tide to draw the Hellbeasts away and alter their course..." Lee Xiao'er offered in his defense, though she omitted the detail about Xing Yun commanding an army of demonic beasts.

"How could someone like him possibly protect Grimgarth?" Xiao Ying couldn't believe it, shaking her head in dismay, but then it dawned on her, "Oh! He's the Lord of Grimgarth. He has a stake in it, so naturally, he would make an effort."

"I sense that his reasons are different. He simply can't stand to watch the citizens of Grimgarth be overwhelmed by the beast tide, which is far larger than usual," Lee Xiao'er defended.

"That's out of the question! Xiao'er, has he cast a spell on you? You're just too naive and easily deceived. Later, we'll go and apologize to Miss Gu and see if she still intends to carry out the assassination," Xiao Ying said, clearly displeased.

Lee Xiao'er was at a loss for words, her anxiety mounting. "Does disapproval from our Order automatically make him a villain?"

Having been raised in the Order of the Celestial Veil from a young age, she was imbued with many doctrines. Now, she had encountered a young man who challenged both her and her long-held beliefs.

Seeing her struggle, Xiao Ying couldn't help but ask, "Xiao'er, have you fallen for him?"

"I truly haven't..." Lee Xiao'er replied, flustered.

Xiao Ying sighed, "Do you know why, despite the pressure, Mother insisted you keep the Lee surname? It's because of your dearly departed father... Mother doesn't want you to follow in his footsteps."

Lee Xiao'er's mood darkened.

Her father, once labeled a villain by the Order of the Celestial Veil, had captured Xiao Ying's heart during an assassination attempt, and she had even borne his child.

Eventually, the sect caught up with the family of three. To protect his wife and daughter, her father took his own life in bitterness, and they were taken back to the sect.

"Mother's only wish is for you to live a safe and sorrow-free life. Mother herself is prepared to face any sacrifice," Xiao Ying said with a heavy heart.

Lee Xiao'er shook her head, "I don't have feelings for him, but I believe he's not the monstrous figure the rumors paint him to be. There might even be more to the story regarding the saintess."

Xiao Ying's expression shifted, "You're even trying to exonerate him from defiling the saintess? Oh, my dear child, you might truly be under his spell. Come with me to the Sect Master, so she can determine whether you've been covertly manipulated."

Lee Xiao'er nodded in disappointment, but a thought quickly crossed her mind, prompting her to ask with a hint of anxiety, "Mother, is the Phantom Waltz truly the signature technique of our Shadowstream Sect?"

"Why do you ask such a thing?" Xiao Ying responded, puzzled. "Isn't the Phantom Waltz the reason we're called Shadowstream? It's the crowning jewel of our sect!"

"Could it be possible that the Phantom Waltz we've been taught is incomplete, or maybe a simplified version?" Lee Xiao'er ventured cautiously, careful not to let on that Xing Yun had mastered the Phantom Waltz.

"Impossible!" Xiao Ying dismissed the idea outright, then added sternly, "Come with me to see the Sect Master immediately. You've been acting rather oddly today. Given the way Xing Yun defeated you, I fear he may have bewitched you with a controlling spell!"

"He would cast a spell on me?" Lee Xiao'er found the idea hard to believe, but nonetheless steeled herself to follow Xiao Ying out the door.

On the outskirts of the Demonic Spine, Xing Yun was making his way through the underbrush alone.

The recent battle had cost him over a thousand of his Wolf Clan warriors. Eight hundred Rock Wolves had been lost to the beast tide, their bodies lost without a trace, beyond resurrection.

The remaining two hundred Stormblade Wolf corpses and over a thousand grievously wounded Rock Wolves and Stormblade Wolves were still in the Voidlands, being revived by the Fellheart Energy.

Now, Xing Yun had fewer than two thousand warriors ready for battle, with a total force of only three thousand.

Xiao Ying's elimination of the Hellbeasts at the forefront of the Beast Tide was not exactly a welcome development for Xing Yun.

His initial strategy had been to draw the Beast Tide deeper into the Demonic Spine, where the Hellbeasts would turn on each other due to natural enmities. He would then seize the opportunity to launch a surprise attack and subjugate a vast number of Hellbeasts.

With the outer Hellbeasts largely decimated, Xing Yun had no choice but to venture further in to continue his mission of subjugation.

Before long, Xing Yun stumbled upon a pack of over five hundred Rock Wolves.

These Rock Wolves were feasting on the various deer they had hunted down in the valley. Upon noticing an intruder, they excitedly smacked their lips and lunged at Xing Yun.

Xing Yun released two thousand wolf troops without hesitation, commanded by the Greedy Wolf and the Stormblade Wolf King, who quickly encircled the enemy.

The valley echoed with continuous and deafening howls of wolves, which was soon followed by the outbreak of a fierce battle.

Ultimately, the Greedy Wolf triumphed over the Rock Wolf King, inflicting severe injuries and pinning it to the ground. Overpowered by the Greedy Wolf's dominance, all the Rock Wolves submitted and pledged their loyalty to the new Wolf King.

After exerting considerable effort to subdue five hundred Rock Wolves, Xing Yun pressed on, venturing deeper into the Demonic Spine.

"We're running low on wolves... I must devise a plan to subdue other Hellbeast species."

With this in mind, Xing Yun looked up to the sky at the Scarlet Fire Eagles soaring above and started to strategize their capture.

The Scarlet Fire Eagles, with their ability to fly and broader vision, would be a significant asset to Xing Yun's reconnaissance if he could subdue them.

Hundreds of Scarlet Fire Eagles continued to circle overhead, dominating the expansive sky, their keen eyes fixed on Xing Yun below.

Noticing Xing Yun's forces, the Scarlet Fire Eagles wisely dispersed.

Once the sky was clear of the eagles, Xing Yun instructed several Rock Wolves to lie on the ground and feign death.

After positioning the Rock Wolves, he retrieved a batch of potions from his premium Spirit Ring and sprinkled them over the creatures.

These potions were designed to mimic the stench of decay and were initially meant to repel ordinary Hellbeasts. However, Xing Yun was now using them to attract the carrion-eating Scarlet Fire Eagles.

With the scene set, Xing Yun concealed himself in the nearby woods and kept watch on the sky.

Shortly after, a Scarlet Fire Eagle appeared, and soon, their numbers grew.

In less than fifteen minutes, hundreds more Scarlet Fire Eagles circled above, eyeing the Rock Wolf "corpses" with predatory intensity, as if ready to swoop down for the feast at any moment.

The Rock Wolf "corpses" remained still, and finally, the Scarlet Fire Eagles let out a sky-piercing screech before descending upon their prey. Their sharp beaks glinted with a red hue in the sunlight!

The Red Fire Hawk troops swiftly closed in on the Rock Wolves, a mere ten feet away and poised to strike. To their surprise, however, the seemingly lifeless bodies suddenly sprang to life, wailing as they dragged themselves toward the woods.

With numerical superiority, the Scarlet Fire Eagles were not about to let their quarry slip away. They pursued the fleeing figures without hesitation.

As the confrontation neared the dense forest, a legion of Rock Wolves and Stormblade Wolves burst forth, launching a fierce assault on the Scarlet Fire Hawk squadron!

Caught unawares, many Scarlet Fire Hawks were overwhelmed by the Rock and Stormblade Wolves, toppled to the ground in a desperate struggle, only to have their wings cruelly severed.

The combined forces of two thousand Greedy Wolves and Rock Wolves, along with the lethal Wind Blade of the Rock, swiftly overpowered more than three hundred Scarlet Fire Hawks.

The remaining Scarlet Fire Hawks, having timely noticed the ambush, fled in panic, taking to the skies with mournful cries.

Xing Yun, commanding the Rock Wolves, secured the forest's outer perimeter, while the Stormblade Wolves held the interior. He then delivered a precise punch to the head of a Scarlet Fire Hawk, causing it to roll its eyes and collapse into unconsciousness.

As a master of beast taming, Xing Yun had an extensive knowledge of both common and rare Hellbeasts throughout the Infinite Cosmos. Each Hellbeast had its vulnerability; the Rock Wolf and Stormblade Wolf at the belly, the Scarlet Fire Hawk at the head. Identifying these critical spots allowed him to incapacitate them with a single blow, making the taming process far more efficient.

Xing Yun successfully tamed three hundred Scarlet Fire Hawks, which then materialized in the Voidlands.

Pleased with his work, Xing Yun gave a nod of approval before directing the Scarlet Fire Hawks to soar into the sky and join his advancing forces.

From above, Xing Yun's Scarlet Fire Hawk troops provided him with an aerial perspective. Any unsuspecting Crimson Fire Hawk passing by was cleverly lured in by the tamed birds, only to be swiftly ambushed and subdued. Working in small teams, they retrieved the wooden plaques, delivering them to Xing Yun for taming.

Meanwhile, Xing Yun, with the aid of the Scarlet Fire Hawks' vantage point, began scouring the land for Hellbeast troops, aiming to enhance the efficiency of his taming endeavors.

Half a day had passed, and it was now deep into the night. Xing Yun's Hellbeast forces had undergone a remarkable expansion.

The count of Crimson Fire Hawks had reached two thousand, Rock Wolves four thousand, and Stormblade Wolves three thousand.

Among them were also six newly tamed Rock Wolf Kings and six Stormblade Wolf Kings.

A grand total of nine thousand Hellbeasts!

"Could it be possible to tame them endlessly?" Ling Ji, residing within the Voidlands, was brimming with curiosity.

She was no longer as easily astonished as before, since for Xing Yun, these seemingly miraculous feats had become routine.

Xing Yun gathered all the Hellbeasts back into the Voidlands before making his way into the depths of the Spire of the Infinite.

He was on the verge of a breakthrough!