Chapter 195: Summoning the Spirit – Ice Jade Cold Flood Dragon

“She did leave midway. The guards said a shopkeeper from a spirit plant store came looking for her. Apparently, she had pre-ordered a batch of spirit plants that are hard to preserve, so he urged her to pick them up immediately,” said Bai Su. “Don’t worry, little friend. She left of her own accord. She’ll probably be back soon. When she returns, I’ll make sure she uses the special entrance.”

Lian Mu knew Ji Mingyue had bought things from a spirit plant shop before, but the pills were already refined—why would she still need spirit plants?

“I think that little friend is hiding her true strength,” Silver Crane said. “There are few in the Flying Sea Pavilion who could touch her. Just focus on your match.”

He wasn’t wrong. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that General Bean’s friend was no ordinary cultivator. An alchemy cultivator traveling without guards either possessed immense strength, capable of crushing enemies with sheer spiritual power, or wielded rare and unpredictable techniques that could eliminate threats in unexpected ways.

General Bean’s friend clearly belonged to the latter category.

Lian Mu immediately took out her Fish-and-Goose Stone to contact Ji Mingyue. Only after hearing that familiar voice did she finally relax.

“What’s wrong?” came Ji Mingyue’s voice.

“Where are you?” Lian Mu asked.

“On Flying Sea Street. Just handling something. I’ll be back soon,” Ji Mingyue replied.

“Alright.”

Once the Fish-and-Goose Stone connection cut off, Bai Su smiled. “See? She’s still within the Flying Sea Pavilion. She’ll be fine. No one dares stir up trouble here. You’ve fought hard in these last two rounds—get some rest. I’ve placed my bets on you and your beast. Don’t let me down.”

Lian Mu was silent for a moment, then turned and walked back to the rest area.

But once she was out of sight, Bai Su’s smiling face gradually turned cold.

Her eyes were calm, but a flicker of anger burned within them.

Silver Crane also put away his smile. “What’s going on?”

Bai Su’s hand clenched tightly around the railing, cracking the jade balustrade like a spiderweb. Then, with a flick of her hand, a longsword materialized—its silver blade shimmering under the sunlight.

“I need to clean out a few rats. You stay here and keep General Bean steady.”

In the next instant, she vanished into the sky, spiritual energy swirling at her fingertips as she stepped onto a Spiritual Energy Void Vortex and flew out of the Beast Fighting Arena.

Silver Crane shook his folding fan.

With that kind of entrance, someone unlucky was about to get a serious beating.

He waved over a Silver-masked Person and instructed them to add another barrier around the spectator stands, isolating all sound from outside the Beast Fighting Arena.

……

……

Flying Sea Street bustled with people.

Ji Mingyue had just put away her Fish-and-Goose Stone and was glancing around, her brows slightly furrowed.

The shopkeeper leading the way noticed she had stopped and asked, “Why aren’t you moving, young lady?”

Ji Mingyue stood at the edge of the main street, eyeing the familiar shopkeeper ahead with a strange sense of unease.

She had seen this face not long ago, but now that she looked carefully, something seemed… off.

She tested him: “Didn’t you say a few days ago that the items were out of stock? I remember those spirit plants were hard to find. How come you suddenly have them today?”

The shopkeeper replied, “You’re a friend of General Bean, so as soon as you asked, we sent someone to keep an eye out. You’re in luck—once we got the goods, I came to find you right away.”

Ji Mingyue stared at his face for a long moment, then asked again, “Didn’t you say there was no stock a few days ago?”

The shopkeeper smiled, “You’re a friend of General Bean…”

Before he could finish, Ji Mingyue struck.

With a flick of her sleeve, three Dark Bee Needles shot out, piercing his forehead, neck, and chest.

As she suspected—he was off. He kept repeating the same lines, clearly not a real person.

More importantly, she had never told him she knew General Bean.

After the poisoned needles hit, the shopkeeper didn’t move an inch. He kept smiling. Around them, the passersby all froze, turning their heads toward Ji Mingyue with stiff, expressionless faces.

Ji Mingyue took two steps back, sensing something wrong. She turned to flee the way she came—only to find the end of the street had vanished.

She focused her spiritual energy into her palm, a soft green light glowing at her fingertips. But the Wood Spirit Vine she expected to burst from the ground didn’t respond at all.

“An illusion?” Ji Mingyue narrowed her eyes.

As soon as she spoke, the faces of everyone on the street began to twist. Their skin and clothes peeled away, their bodies shriveling rapidly until they turned into paper dolls that fluttered to the ground.

She examined her meridians—no trace of poison. As a descendant of the Mist Ridge Clan, her bloodline was immune to all toxins. This wasn’t a hallucination caused by poison—it had to be… a Spirit Artifact Illusion Realm.

She had been trapped inside an Illusionary Spirit Tool ever since she met that fake shopkeeper—but only now did she realize it.

Even the Pangu Illusion Realm of the Four Great Sects couldn’t pull someone into a different world without them noticing. This Illusionary Spirit Tool far surpassed the Pangu Illusion Realm.

Ji Mingyue looked up. “Who are you?”

No one answered.

Her irritation grew. “Don’t let me find you.”

Spiritual energy surged from her palm, and a green light spread across her entire field of vision. The ground beneath her began to tremble.

High above, two figures hovered beneath a concealment barrier cast by a Concealment Spirit Tool, watching the scene below with expressionless faces.

On the ground, the girl in purple was trapped within four mirrored walls of water. No matter which way she turned, she couldn’t escape the mirrored space.

One of the observers, a golden-eyed woman, looked down and said, “This kid’s got some skill. A pure Wood Spiritual Root, and already able to control the Wood Spirit Vine so easily at her age—she’s got a bright future. Doesn’t seem like your average rogue cultivator.”

Outside the water mirrors, the Wood Spirit Vines burst from the ground, writhing and twisting, nearly shattering the mirrored space.

The man beside her remained expressionless, his eyes closed—but a golden eye was open on his forehead. It scanned the water mirror, then he raised a hand and shattered the vines with a single strike.

“No matter how talented a child is, she’s still just a child.”

The woman sighed. “We came all this way to the Flying Sea Pavilion. If we still can’t find the Young Pavilion Master, we’re going to be in trouble when we return. Are you sure we didn’t grab the wrong person?”

“No mistake about it. That sword cultivator friend of hers—his spiritual energy is identical to the residual aura on the Young Pavilion Master’s Spirit Artifact. That sword cultivator must’ve met the Young Pavilion Master,” the man said. “Bai Su seems to value her quite a bit. Since we can’t strike directly, we’ll have to lure her out using her friend and Spirit Pet.”

The woman asked, “And that Mong guy—what do we do with him when it’s over?”

“Just a pawn. No need to care about a pawn’s fate.”

The man glanced toward the Beast Fighting Arena. A streak of white light shot toward them from the distance. His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately shut the golden eye on his forehead.

“Bai Su’s coming. Let’s go.”

The woman curled her fingers, and the surrounding water mirrors collapsed into a Four-sided Crystal Box, Ji Mingyue inside it, which she then tucked into her sleeve.

“She got here fast. I’ve long been sick of her fake little act. When we came to her before, she claimed she didn’t know anything, but she was hiding someone who’d had contact with the Young Pavilion Master right inside the Flying Sea Pavilion. With her abilities, there’s no way she didn’t know,” the woman said. “Perfect. Let’s give her a little gift.”

The two of them flashed into the sky, transforming into twin streaks of golden light and vanishing into the distance.

Moments later, a figure in white landed on the scene, sword light sharp and icy.

Bai Su scanned the area. Catching a faint trace of spiritual energy, she smiled faintly. “So it really was you.”

“Since you’ve shown up uninvited and messed up my turf, don’t blame me for being ruthless.”

……

……

“Beast Battle Advancement Match, Round One, Trial Three: ‘Gong Yu’ versus ‘Mighty Invincible General Bean.’ The match is about to begin. Spectators, please return to your seats so you don’t miss the fight…”

Half an hour had passed. As the third round approached, Lian Mu returned to the prep area and instinctively glanced toward the spectator stands. Ji Mingyue still hadn’t come back, and even Bai Su was nowhere to be seen.

She withdrew her gaze. Across from her, Gong Yu had his head lowered, looking extremely uneasy. One of his hands was hidden in his sleeve, and the visible fingers were clenched so tightly they’d gone white. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Clearly, the half-hour break hadn’t helped him recover—in fact, he looked worse.

Lian Mu smiled and asked, “Why are you shaking?”

The only response was a deep, guttural growl from Gong Yu’s throat. Lian Mu blinked in surprise.

That was unmistakably… the roar of a beast.

Lian Mu fell silent for a moment. Gong Yu turned his head slightly, his face taut as if gritting his teeth to endure something.

The spectators had returned to their seats, and the arena buzzed with excitement again. After two rounds, most of the crowd had switched sides and now favored General Bean.

Gong Yu had fought with all his might and still couldn’t defeat General Bean. Though it ended in a draw, his reputation as the Beast Fighting Arena’s undefeated champion had taken a hit. Turning things around in the final match would be tough.

Unless… Gong Yu was still hiding a trump card.

Those who had bet on Gong Yu were already starting to regret it.

“I’ll give you one last chance,” Gong Yu said, eyes blood-red. “Concede. Otherwise, in this final match, you and your beast won’t end well.”

Lian Mu hadn’t expected him to still be putting on a brave face. She didn’t bother replying, just waited for the match to begin.

The Silver-masked Person dragged two cages covered in black cloth onto the field. The cage holding the Red-eyed Five-form Beast shook violently as the beast inside slammed against the bars, trying to break free.

To prevent it from smashing the cage in a fit of rage, the Silver-masked Person pulled back the black cloth and added extra reinforcement. The Red-eyed Five-form Beast bared its fangs and claws, its eyes blazing like twin flames, its entire body radiating a wild, violent aura.

In contrast, the cage on General Bean’s side remained completely still under the black cloth, lifeless and silent.

“Trial Three, begin!”

As soon as the Silver-masked Person finished speaking, the timing Spirit Artifact began to spin. He stepped out of the arena, leaving the space to the two combatants.

But before the cages were even officially opened, the Red-eyed Five-form Beast suddenly charged forward, smashing through the second layer of protection and bursting out of its cage.

The spectators: “!!!”

Gong Yu’s brow twitched, and he started coughing uncontrollably.

Lian Mu sensed something was wrong and immediately dove into the protective platform. The Red-eyed Five-form Beast charged at her, but slammed into the barrier and was forced to redirect its fury—this time toward the cage housing Green Bean.

The beast roared madly and tore the black cloth to shreds with its teeth.

But what shocked everyone even more was that the cage meant for General Bean… was completely empty!

Even the Silver-masked Person outside the arena couldn’t help but widen his eyes. “What’s going on?”

“This is bad—something’s happened!” another Silver-masked Person’s mind went blank with a loud buzz. “Quick, go get the Pavilion Master!”

“Where’s General Bean? Don’t tell me it ran away before the match?”

“That doesn’t make sense—it was about to win. Why would it run now?”

“Could someone have stolen it?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Who could steal something right under the Flying Sea Pavilion’s nose? Besides, these demonic beast cages can only be opened with the Beast Master’s spiritual energy. General Bean’s Beast Master has been resting in the prep area the whole time.”

General Bean’s sudden disappearance caused an uproar among the spectators.

On the protective platform, Lian Mu also frowned. She tried to use her spiritual link, but couldn’t sense Green Bean at all—as if something was blocking her connection.

Suddenly, she remembered the boy who had delivered her the raw stone two days ago. At the time, she’d felt as if something had been drawn out of her body. Maybe it hadn’t been her imagination after all.

But who could possibly have the ability to take Green Bean?

As she was lost in thought, the Red-eyed Five-form Beast below had already realized the cage was empty. It let out a low growl, flames erupting from its body, and turned its gaze back to Lian Mu’s position.

The next moment, its flaming antlers slammed into the protective barrier, causing a massive shockwave.

Lian Mu felt like her eardrums were about to burst. Irritated, she snapped, “You’re having your Spirit Pet attack me? That’s against the rules.”

No matter the situation, neither side was allowed to command their demonic beast to attack the opposing Beast Master. Beast battles were meant to be between beasts—if humans got involved, the consequences were serious.

“I didn’t… I…” Gong Yu stammered, his voice breaking.

Lian Mu’s heart sank—The Red-eyed Five-form Beast had gone berserk ahead of schedule.

Just as the thought crossed her mind, a sharp crack rang out from the barrier in front of her.

“Crack—!”

Lian Mu: “…”

She knew the Flying Sea Pavilion’s barrier was unreliable, but Bai Su had insisted otherwise.

The moment the barrier shattered, the spectators all widened their eyes in shock. Outside the arena, the Silver-masked Person’s vision went black.

“Raise the protective platform! Get them into the air!”

“It’s no use—Gong Yu’s Spirit Pet can fly. Unless we activate the outer barrier and extract them both…”

“No! We can’t activate the barrier—there are still people in the stands!”

“Quick, go find the Boss and the Second Boss!”

Silver Crane was momentarily stunned by the sudden chaos, but quickly regained his composure and tried to calm the crowd. “Don’t panic! General Bean’s Beast Master is a sword cultivator—she should be able to hold out for a bit. Go get my Beast-Suppressing Spirit Artifact—hurry!”

The Silver-masked Person nodded frantically and dashed off.

At this point, the spectators still hadn’t realized the severity of the situation. They thought it was just a new round of the match—after all, no one had called for a halt.

Silver Crane wiped the sweat from his brow. If the truth got out now, with such a disaster in the final match, the Beast Fighting Arena might as well shut down for good.

He forced himself to stay calm, suppressing the unease in his heart, silently praying for Bai Su to return quickly.

Meanwhile, inside the arena, with only a single wall separating her from the Red-eyed Five-form Beast, Lian Mu suddenly felt a fluctuation from her Fish-and-Goose stone—it was Ji Mingyue trying to contact her.

Without hesitation, Lian Mu activated it and spoke rapidly, “Don’t come back—the Beast Fighting Arena’s in chaos—”

“Your friend and Spirit Pet are with me.”

Lian Mu’s finger froze.

It was Linghu Meng’s voice.

How did he get Ji Mingyue’s Fish-and-Goose stone?

There was no way he could’ve defeated Ji Mingyue—unless…

“If you want them safe, leave the Flying Sea Pavilion now. Head west for two hundred li. Wait there.” Linghu Meng’s voice was devoid of emotion.

Lian Mu sneered, “You really have a death wish. If you’re so desperate for me to come deal with you, I’ll gladly oblige.”

This time, he’d truly crossed the line.

Real or not, she’d kill him first and ask questions later.

Lian Mu pulled out the Wealth Bringer sword. Even damaged, it was more than enough to cut down someone like Linghu Meng.

There was no way Linghu Meng could’ve been running wild in the Flying Sea Pavilion for so long without Bai Su’s help.

She glanced at the empty seat in the spectator stands, her suspicions deepening. Without hesitation, she slashed through the broken barrier before her, her figure vanishing like the wind.

The Red-eyed Five-form Beast caught her scent, its killing intent intensifying. With a furious roar, it charged after her.

Gong Yu hadn’t expected her to break through the barrier, and a flicker of shock crossed his eyes. So this… is the resolve of a true cultivator?

Gritting his teeth, Gong Yu shouted, “The match… isn’t over. Your Spirit Pet… ran. Are you… running too? Leaving now… counts as forfeiting.”

Lian Mu replied coolly, “Don’t worry. I’m just going to kill your friend first. Then I’ll come back for you.”

Gong Yu’s expression twisted. “What… are you going to do… to A’Meng?”

Lian Mu turned to leave.

Gong Yu snapped, “Don’t… touch my… friend!”

As the words left his mouth, the flame pattern on his neck flared bright red, and the Red-eyed Five-form Beast’s roar shook the skies.

A wave of heat blasted past Lian Mu, nearly setting her hair ablaze. Feeling the Beast’s emotional surge, her own irritation spiked.

The two—Gong Yu in front, the Beast behind—blocked her path. Twin waves of overwhelming spiritual pressure crashed down on her.

The spiritual pressure radiating from Gong Yu was identical to that of the Red-eyed Five-form Beast. The oppressive force jolted Lian Mu back to clarity. When she saw Gong Yu’s eyes, nearly consumed by flame, her heart clenched.

He had merged with the flame beast’s consciousness. But unlike her and Green Bean, Gong Yu was the one being controlled.

The Red-eyed Five-form Beast had exploited Gong Yu’s emotional turmoil to reverse their roles. In its struggle to break free from control, it had instead taken control of him. Now, with Gong Yu’s body as its vessel, it could act freely under the guise of his commands.

It hadn’t resisted Gong Yu by force—it had used cunning. And that caught Lian Mu off guard.

She gritted her teeth. Looks like I have no choice but to end this here and now.

On one side stood an Extreme-Grade Flame Beast and a human infused with half of its power. On her side—just a damaged sword. Green Bean wasn’t even with her.

In a split second, Lian Mu made her decision. She pulled a Talisman Paper from her sleeve. The crimson runes etched on it were ancient and subtle, but radiated immense spiritual power.

As the Red-eyed Five-form Beast charged at her with a roar, Lian Mu steadied her breath, pricked her finger, and let a drop of spiritual blood fall onto the talisman. It ignited instantly, without flame. The jewel in her right hand flashed, black energy swirling within.

“Spirit Summoning—Ice Jade Cold Flood Dragon!”

In an instant, a wave of piercing cold erupted from the jewel, clashing head-on with the incoming heat. The collision surged like a tidal wave, swallowing the flames. Where it passed, rain fell from a clear sky, instantly freezing into crystalline ice.

A flash of light burst from the jewel, and the next moment, a pitch-black, four-clawed flood dragon shot into the sky. It exhaled a chilling, murky breath, its twin whiskers whipping like black whips, golden eyes exuding a terrifying majesty.

Lian Mu gripped the Spirit Summoning Talisman tightly. Flames licked up from the bottom, consuming it. Once it burned through, the talisman would be spent.

Fifteen minutes—that should be enough.

She hadn’t formed a spiritual bond with the Black Flood Dragon yet, but she knew that by instinct, Spirit Beasts would prioritize attacking demonic beasts they sensed nearby.

As expected, the moment the Black Flood Dragon was released, the Red-eyed Five-form Beast took two steps back. Gong Yu, who was mentally linked to it, immediately showed a wary expression.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa… is this General Bean’s new form? That’s badass!” gasps erupted from the spectator stands.

The Black Flood Dragon caught the scent of a demonic beast and slightly opened its mouth, revealing sharp dragon fangs. It dove down and tangled with the Red-eyed Five-form Beast in a fierce brawl.

“Bullshit! That’s not even the same species anymore! General Bean’s cheating—who switches Spirit Pets mid-fight? That’s a violation!”

“If we’re being fair, Gong Yu was the one who broke the rules first. Controlling a demonic beast to attack another Beast Master? That’s a serious taboo.”

“Strange… what kind of demonic beast is that? I’ve seen all the types of seven-element demonic beasts used as Spirit Pets, but none of them look like this.”

“Could it be a modified serpent-type beast, fused with a wind beast’s crystal core and a metal beast’s claws?”

At that moment, Silver Crane’s expression turned grave. Reflected in his eyes was the long, black figure locked in combat with the flame beast—his heart surged with emotion.

Others might not recognize it, but he knew. This was a true spirit flood dragon—an existence as rare among Spirit Beasts as the phoenix.

He had thought the spirit flood dragon bloodline had long vanished from the world. Never did he expect to witness one with his own eyes today.

Silver Crane took a deep breath and pressed his face against the barrier, sensing the spiritual energy waves radiating from the spirit flood dragon. Though the surface of the barrier was cold, a flush crept across his face.

As expected, mysterious people always carry more than one secret. This General Bean master was truly an eye-opener.

No matter what it took, he had to befriend this person.

Inside the arena, the Black Flood Dragon dominated the Red-eyed Five-form Beast with overwhelming force, beating it to a pulp.

Without hesitation, the Black Flood Dragon coiled around its opponent. The Red-eyed Five-form Beast bit down on its scales, but its two fang-sized teeth snapped off instantly, stuck between the dragon’s scale gaps, only to be shaken loose by a flick of its tail.

The Red-eyed Five-form Beast was completely immobilized, growling low in its throat in a threatening manner—but to the Black Flood Dragon, it was meaningless. The dragon sank its jaws into the beast’s head, tearing off a chunk of flesh and swallowing it whole.

The icy spiritual energy radiating from its body suppressed the Red-eyed Five-form Beast’s internal flames, even freezing the crimson fire-liquid seeping from its skin.

Flame beasts fear the cold—anything frigid is a deadly threat to them. Normally, if it encountered a water beast, it could just evaporate it with heat. But against this Black Flood Dragon, it didn’t even have a chance to resist. Its body temperature plummeted, and its limbs began to stiffen.

The Black Flood Dragon fought with zero elegance. Despite being a Spirit Beast, it was even more savage than a demonic beast—biting into its prey raw, tearing off chunks with its claws, spraying purple-red blood everywhere. It looked like it was set on dismembering its opponent, a truly gruesome sight.

Watching this unfold, Lian Mu couldn’t help but sigh. Looks like she’d been feeding Green Bean a little too well.

This Black Flood Dragon had been locked up on Penglai Island for who knows how many years, starving for so long it had gone feral—now it was devouring its prey, bones and all.

Even the once-mighty Extreme-Grade Flame Beast, which had once struck fear into the hearts of many, had now become nothing more than meat on the chopping block.

Lian Mu’s face turned cold as she looked over at Gong Yu. His whole body was convulsing—the shared pain from the contract made him feel like he was being torn apart as well. But his consciousness had already been overtaken, leaving only his body writhing uncontrollably on the ground.

Lian Mu stepped on his hand and yanked a Fish-and-Goose Stone from his waist, using it to contact Linghu Meng.

The moment the stone lit up, she held it close to Gong Yu’s face, letting his screams carry through.

A moment later, Lian Mu said calmly, “Now it’s your friend’s turn. Return my people, and I might just let him live.”