The memories of all humanity are awakening, except for mine.

The nine-colored deer twitched its ears and lowered its head to touch her foot with its antlers, a farewell between the spirit beasts.

Just as the mount rounded the bend in the mountain road, Big Yellow suddenly squatted down in the middle of the road, its tail swishing loudly.

Jiang Chuan reined in the reins: "What are you doing now? The teleportation array at Zuowang Peak is still waiting."

He was interrupted by a dog's barking before he could finish speaking.

Big Yellow stood up straight, gesturing frantically with its front paws, and making muffled "woof" sounds in its throat.

This is its usual reaction after being gored in the rear by the Nine-Colored Deer, clearly saying, "That deer cub laughed at me for being bewitched by illusions, but I'm going to hunt down a Tier 3 magical beast to see for myself."

"Nonsense!" Jiang Chuan frowned. "Third-tier magical beasts aren't something you can just encounter anytime you want."

The nine-colored deer called out softly at the right moment, its antlers pointing towards the dense forest in the southeast, and its hooves leaving three shallow marks on the ground.

That was the "danger" symbol that the mandrill had previously gestured.

But Big Yellow wouldn't listen at all. It sniffed the ground with its nose close to its nose, then suddenly darted into the bushes like an arrow, its tail held high, clearly having identified the prey's trail.

"Come back!" Jiang Chuan sighed, and the Nine-Colored Deer followed with light, quick steps.

The midday sun shines through the tree canopy, casting dappled shadows on the decaying leaves. Cicadas chirp from the depths of the forest, yet there is an indescribable stillness.

When they reached the middle of the mountain, Big Yellow suddenly stopped, its ears pressed tightly against its head and its tail stretched straight.

This is a vigilant stance indicating the presence of high-level demonic power.

The roar came without warning.

A tremor came from the northwest mountain peak, the sound muffled. Two cries followed one another:
Firstly, it is powerful and vigorous, with the quality of metal and stone; secondly, it is explosive, with the final note carrying a demonic wind.

Jiang Chuan felt a throbbing pain in his temples and the Mountain Spirit Seal on his palm was burning hot.

It was the oppressive aura of a fourth-tier magical beast.

"Quick, hide!" He dragged Big Yellow into the thicket of thorny vines, while the Nine-Colored Deer had already curled up into a shadow and shrank into the seal.

The dog was so excited that it shook its fur, pawed at the dead leaves, and its nose almost touched the ground.

Jiang Chuan followed its gaze and saw a dark blue bull swishing its mane in the valley ahead. The demonic power condensed on its horns caused ripples in the air.

On the opposite rock, the golden leopard's fur gleamed in the sunlight, and with each flick of its tail barbs, it carved deep furrows into the rock face.

The two demonic beasts were ten feet apart, and the stream between them was forced to flow backward by the demonic wind.

The bull suddenly took a half step forward, its hooves crushing three millstone-sized stones, its eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
The golden leopard crouched low, its roar shaking the leaves to their core.

Jiang Chuan held his breath, his fingertips touching the breath-avoiding bead at his waist.

The treasure given by the mandrill was now glowing faintly, suppressing the presence of the two people and the dog to almost nothing.

The seal of the Nine-Colored Deer trembled slightly on his chest, and he let out an urgent whimper.

Jiang Chuan understood that this was a warning from the contracted spirit beast: the aftershocks of a fourth-tier magical beast's battle were enough to flatten an entire mountain.

But Dahuang stared at the barbs on the leopard's tail, its claws digging deep marks in the ground, clearly thinking of "waiting for both beasts to be exhausted before taking advantage of the situation."

"No!"

Jiang Chuan rebuked in a low voice, but saw that the bull was the first to attack.

The moment the ox stomped its hooves, a three-zhang-high wall of water rose from the river, carrying with it pebbles that hurtled towards the golden leopard.

The leopard transformed into three afterimages, its tail spurs aimed straight for the bull's face.

The deafening crash of the two beasts colliding made Jiang Chuan's ears ring, and the trees on both sides of the valley snapped off, their crowns falling in disarray.

Only then did he realize that the bull's horns had been dyed iron-black by demonic power, and sparks flew with each collision;

Golden leopard claws crackled with golden electricity, and when they gripped the bull's back, blue smoke billowed out.

The two monsters fought back and forth, trampling spiderweb-like cracks into the ground, completely drying up the stream and exposing a riverbed covered in scorch marks.

Jiang Chuan felt his mouth and throat were dry.

The Chronicles of the Nine Provinces states that a fourth-tier magical beast is equivalent to the fourth realm of human cultivators, "Supreme."
But the scene before him far exceeded the records. The demonic wind stirred up by the bull shaking its head caused his clothes to billow a hundred feet away;

As the leopard roared, the turbulent flow of spiritual energy in the air brushed against his arm, leaving several bloody streaks.

He suddenly remembered his Heavenly Profound Sword Formation, which could usually kill second-tier magical beasts, but under this kind of power, it probably couldn't even cut a hair.

The seal on the Nine-Colored Deer trembled again, more rapidly than before.

Jiang Chuan looked down and noticed that the blue light from the Breath-Avoiding Bead had weakened by three-tenths.

Even the treasure couldn't withstand the pressure of the fourth-level aura for so long.

Big Yellow had somehow gotten close to his calves, its once arrogant tail now tucked under its belly, yet it still stared at the battlefield, making suppressed "woofing" sounds in its throat.

Jiang Chuan ran his fingertips along the cloud patterns on the sword hilt, the cool touch creeping from his palm into his sleeve.

The muffled thud from the valley made the bluestone slabs tremble. He looked up and saw the dark blue bull's horn striking the golden leopard's neck.

The size of a fingernail of blood splattered out, mixed with golden fur, and shimmered with a dark purple hue in the spring sun.

"A peak third-tier opponent is simply outmatched by a beginner fourth-tier opponent."

He muttered to himself, and the jade pendant at his waist suddenly glowed faintly, as if the power of jadeite was stirring.

The nine-colored deer's hooves touched his feet, its moist breath brushed against the back of his hand, and when he looked up, he met a pair of amber pupils reflecting the battlefield.

The golden leopard's front paws slashed three bloody gashes on the bull's belly, but the bull swung its head and sent it flying backward, its back slamming against the rocks with a dull thud.

Memories suddenly flooded back.

The mountain of corpses and sea of ​​blood at Hulao Pass in the Southern Region rose from the depths of the Soul Sea. Jiang Chuan shook his head, his knuckles turning white from clenching his fists.

The chill of the dragon soul still lingered in the coccyx, like a hibernating snake, ready to crawl up the spine and into the sea of ​​consciousness if one was not careful.

He still remembered that when Yu Youwei said those words, the cinnabar birthmark on her cuff was particularly glaring in the candlelight:

"For those below the Supreme Realm, using the Dragon Soul is tantamount to sending their soul into the tiger's mouth."

The nine-colored deer let out a soft cry, its antlers pointing towards the battlefield.

The golden leopard made a dying growl in its throat, its front paws futilely scratching at the dirt.

The bull suddenly stopped moving, its nose rapidly scanning the corpse, its cloudy eyes widening abruptly.

Magic Core! If the magic core of a fourth-tier magical beast is devoured by its own kind, it will likely trigger an advancement.

He heard the rustling sound of fur brushing against the fabric at his feet. Big Yellow had somehow squatted on his lap, its tail taut.

This mongrel, which usually loves to chase butterflies, seemed to have changed its demeanor at this moment. Its pupils reflected the bull's lowered head, and its front paws unconsciously scratched five shallow marks on the stone surface.

Seeing that the Golden Leopard had been defeated, the Bull began searching for the magic core on the Golden Leopard's corpse.

At this moment, Big Yellow rushed out to try and snatch the magic core.

Jiang Chuan noticed the commotion in the valley and, sensing the urgency of the situation, immediately flew towards the valley on his sword.

Sensing the threat posed by Jiang Chuan, the bull turned around, intending to kill Jiang Chuan first and then retrieve the magic core.

The bull roared, its roar shaking the valley.

Then he summoned the river, which transformed into a giant water dragon that surged towards Jiangchuan with immense pressure.

Where the water dragon passed, deep trenches appeared in the ground, and the surrounding trees were uprooted.

Jiang Chuan dared not be careless and quickly unleashed the Heavenly Profound Sword Formation.

Sword energy flew out, forming a sword array around him, the sword energy intertwining and making sounds.

The water dragon rushed up to Jiang Chuan and opened its mouth to swallow him.

Jiang Chuan manipulated his sword formation to meet the attack. The sword energy collided with the water dragon, causing a violent explosion that splashed water everywhere and filled the air with mist.

But the bull was stronger than Jiang Chuan had anticipated.

Under the impact of the bull's soul, Jiang Chuan suffered a sharp pain in his head, his true energy became disordered, he could no longer maintain the sword formation, and his body fell downwards like a kite with a broken string.

With a "plop," it fell into the river below the valley.

When the bull saw Jiang Chuan fall, it turned its attention to Da Huang, only to find that Da Huang had swallowed the golden leopard's magic core first.

Enraged, the bull roared as it tried to reclaim the magic core. Big Yellow knew it couldn't defeat the bull, but to protect Jiang Chuan, it decided to fight back.

It ran quickly around the bull, dodging attacks and taking the opportunity to counterattack.

During one encounter, Big Yellow used his flying sword to blind the bull's other eye.

The bull roared in agony, enraged, and surged towards Big Yellow, whipping up the river water.

With its agility, Dahuang dodged left and right as the river water surged through it.

At this moment, Jiang Chuan rushed out of the river, circulated his true energy, and unleashed a powerful sword technique. The sword in his hand shone brightly, and a sword aura slashed towards the barbarian bull.

The bull sensed the power of the sword energy and tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The sword energy struck him, his massive body swayed, and he collapsed.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Dahuang recalled the flying sword and attacked again, finally killing the bull.

Before they could even catch their breath, the aura of a new fourth-tier magical beast approached the valley.

Jiang Chuan and Da Huang both knew that danger was coming again.

Big Yellow looked at the bull's corpse and still wanted to dig out the magic core.

Jiang Chuan quickly advised, "Fifth Senior Brother, there's no time. Let's go find the treasure at the bottom of the river first."

Big Yellow barked twice at Jiangchuan, then turned and ran towards the riverbank.

Jiang Chuan stopped, took out a chess piece from his pocket, and muttered something to himself.

The chess piece suddenly grew larger, and with a wave of his hands, the corpses of the bull and the golden leopard were sealed inside.

Jiang Chuan also jumped into the river.

The riverbed was dark, so Dahuang relied on his sense of smell to find his way.

In a crevice in the rocks, it discovered a luminous herb, which was none other than the Dragon Saliva Grass.

This herb is beneficial to the spirit and soul, and has a great effect on rhubarb whose spirit and soul are damaged.

Without hesitation, Dahuang swallowed the dragon's saliva grass in one gulp.

The monster seemed to sense that Jiang Chuan and Da Huang had hidden in the river, and began chanting incantations to unleash its supernatural powers.

The river waters formed a giant waterspout, rushing towards the riverbed and sweeping away all the creatures living there.

Jiangchuan and Dahuang at the bottom of the river sensed a crisis.

Jiang Chuan took out the Breath-Avoiding Bead, stood close to Da Huang, held his breath, and used the Breath-Avoiding Bead to conceal his aura and avoid the demonic beast's soul vision.

The river level dropped rapidly, exposing the strange rocks and silt at the bottom of the river.

They huddled in the mud, barely daring to breathe.

The magical beast's power was immense, and Jiang Chuan suffered a severe headache, with blood seeping from his seven orifices.

But he held back, not daring to regulate his breathing, for fear that the overflow of his true energy would attract demonic beasts.

Dahuang's soul was already damaged, and he was knocked unconscious by the roar of the monster.

In the valley, the monster roared incessantly, its roars causing rocks to tumble down and trees to snap.

It circled in the valley, seemingly unwilling to give up.

Jiang Chuan was extremely anxious at the bottom of the river, not knowing how much longer he could hide.

After circling three times, the monster lost patience, roared, and turned to leave.

But Jiang Chuan dared not be careless, knowing that the monster might not have really left, and still hid in the mud waiting.

After a long while, Jiang Chuan confirmed that the monster was gone before struggling to climb out of the mud.

He picked up the unconscious Big Yellow and let the river carry him downstream.

Five miles from the valley, Jiang Chuan emerged from the water and hurriedly checked on Da Huang.

At this moment, the Nine-Colored Deer emerged from the Sword Without Edge.

Seeing Jiang Chuan and Da Huang's miserable state, it cried out urgently and took off a piece of jade from its body to heal their wounds.

"Thanks to you, Nine-Colored Deer," Jiang Chuan said gratefully.

The nine-colored deer responded with two calls.

Jiang Chuan knew he couldn't stay long, but he was seriously injured and his internal energy was in disarray, so he dared not travel at night.

He said to the Nine-Colored Deer, "Nine-Colored Deer, go find a cave. I'll spend the night there first."

The nine-colored deer nodded and left.

Soon, the nine-colored deer returned and called out to Jiang Chuan a few times, indicating that it had found the cave.

Jiang Chuan carried Da Huang and followed the Nine-Colored Deer to the cave entrance.

There seemed to be a bear in the cave. Jiang Chuan was afraid that seeing blood would attract high-level magical beasts, so after thinking for a moment, he picked up a stone and knocked on the bear's skull.

After a few knocks, Jiang Chuan's skull cracked, and he entered the cave.

He put down the big yellow dog and took out the Great Rejuvenation Pill that Lin Xiao had given him from the chess pieces.

Looking at the Great Rejuvenation Pill, Jiang Chuan felt hopeful.

He swallowed one, sat cross-legged, and began to regulate his chaotic internal energy, trying to recover.

Qinglin slowly crawled out of Jiang Chuan's arms and transformed into human form.

When she saw Jiang Chuan's pale face, tears welled up in her eyes, and she began to sob.

The nine-colored deer quickly approached and nuzzled Qinglin with its head, comforting her.

Qinglin sobbed, "It's all my fault. If I were stronger, Brother Jiang wouldn't have gotten hurt."

The nine-colored deer shook its head and rubbed against Qinglin's arm, as if in response to the treacherous and unpredictable nature of the martial world.

Qinglin cried for a while, then, exhausted, she lay down on Jiang Chuan's lap and drifted off to sleep.

The nine-colored deer sighed, for it had watched the blue scales being born, and they were less than a year old.

He has already reached the strength of the third realm; his talent is truly astonishing.

Lost in thought, the Nine-Colored Deer found the latter half of the night gone before it knew it.

Jiang Chuan slowly woke up. He circulated his internal energy and found that he had almost recovered his composure, and his complexion had regained some color.

He looked down and saw that Qinglin still had tear stains on her eyes, which made him feel very sorry for her.

Not long after, Qinglin also woke up.

She stretched out her arms and hugged Jiang Chuan's neck tightly: "Brother Jiang, I will definitely cultivate hard from now on and become stronger, so that you will never be bullied again."

Jiang Chuan patted her head, a warm feeling welling up in his heart, and said with a smile, "Good, Qinglin has ambition."

At dawn, Da Huang finally woke up.

Although it still looked listless, it had at least regained some consciousness and barked twice at Jiang Chuan with difficulty.

Jiang Chuan walked to its side and said, "Fifth Senior Brother, we should go back."

Dahuang struggled to its feet, wagging its tail, and followed behind Jiang Chuan.

Upon returning to the sect, Pei Guoguo rushed over immediately after learning of Jiang Chuan's return.

As soon as she entered the door and saw Da Huang's dejected appearance, she angrily said:
"What's going on? Who bullied you? I'll stand up for you!"

Jiang Chuan quickly reassured her, "Senior sister, don't get agitated. We were just joining in the fun and stumbled upon two fourth-tier magical beasts fighting."

"What? Fourth-tier magical beasts fighting?" Pei Guoguo was very shocked.

Jiang Chuan took the corpses of the bull and the golden leopard from the chess pieces and said:
"I just brought them back on a whim."

Pei Guoguo stared at the two enormous demonic beast corpses on the ground for a long time before she came to her senses and said:
"Jiang Chuan, you're amazing!" (End of Chapter)