Immortality begins with meditation puppets

Chapter 328 Calamity Hound, Void Beast
"Fellow Daoist Liang?"

“Fellow Daoist Liang can make money with kidneys, why would he steal? Besides, he was exhausted a few days ago in the Ksitigarbha Buddha Kingdom, and he has been recuperating in the meditation room these past few days. He is willing but unable to do so.”

"Fellow Daoist Shao?"

"I gave him a few Deepwater Stone Golems the other day, and he's currently figuring out how to throw them underwater. He certainly has no intention of stealing anything!"

"Neither of them? Could it be me? Boss Su, you know perfectly well, I, Hailang, have long since retired from all my shady dealings since I joined you!"

"Why do you assume it was us? Maybe the caravan members stole from among themselves, or maybe some outside thieves infiltrated the caravan!"

Su Qing glared at Li Hailang with annoyance and summoned a fire egg from her beast ring.

He benefited from the great battle he fought alongside his demon brothers against the evil old man three years ago.

In that great battle, the demon beast brothers died tragically, and many of their cores were lost.

So much so that after careful selection, more than a hundred fire-type demon cores could be found, giving the fire egg a chance to improve.

It's time for him to improve. He's considered one of the veterans under my command, of the same generation as Tiger Egg, and has teamed up with Bear Two.

As a result, by the time of the Battle of Yunshan, Hu Dan had become a third-tier armored puppet, and Xiong Er was also a high-ranking Buddhist monk, both of whom were highly valued by Su Qing.

Only Fire Egg remained a first-tier spirit beast, having accomplished nothing in those battles. It wasn't worried about Fire Egg, but Su Qing was anxious for it.

Fortunately, Fire Egg is exceptionally gifted, possessing the bloodline of the Calamity Fighter. It can improve even while lying down and eating and drinking, so progress is not difficult for it.

After three years of consuming his first and second-tier demon cores, worth over a thousand spirit stones, the fire egg finally underwent a transformation.

At this moment, the treasure dog leaped out from the beast ring. It was plump and strong, as tall as a person. It had transformed from the previous carefree little yellow-haired dog into a large, majestic, and steady black dog with a reddish-black body. It held flames in its mouth and its tail was forked at the tip, gleaming with an inexplicable luster.

"A second-tier ultimate spirit beast—the Calamity Hound?"

The moment the fire egg appeared, someone in the caravan's eyes lit up, and they stepped forward excitedly.

"Fellow Daoist understands dogs?" Su Qing was delighted upon hearing this and quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

Fire Egg has been advancing for some time now, and he even asked Master Pang Feifan, the Dog Dao Master, about it in the Demon Smoke City.

Unfortunately, Pang Feifan had always raised low-end dogs. Although he was lucky enough to encounter Huodan, a spirit dog with the bloodline of Huodou, he never thought he could raise it to the point of awakening its hidden bloodline. Otherwise, he wouldn't have sold it to Su Qing because of a lizard warrior.

Pang Feifan, who came from a self-taught background, had little idea how or how the Fire Egg could advance. He only knew that feeding it fire-type spirits was definitely the right thing to do.

Since he was unreliable and offered no after-sales service, Su Qing sought out several second- or third-tier beast tamers in Demon Smoke City to examine the creature, but none of them could determine what kind of species the second-tier fire egg was.

Regardless of its species, the fire egg's abilities were somewhat stronger than before. Unable to get any answers, Su Qing could only continue feeding it its demon core. However, it seemed that the fire egg had reached its limit. No matter how much a first or second-tier demon ate, it could not push it to the third tier.

By this point, he already felt he had been taken advantage of.

While third-tier demonic beasts are quite valuable in the market, it's not difficult to buy a low-grade third-tier spirit beast for two or three thousand spirit stones.

He had invested over a thousand spirit stones just to raise the fire egg to the second tier, and with his current abilities, this second-tier limit fire egg would be of little help to him.

If you want to make sure your previous investments don't go to waste, you have to make additional investments to push it to the third stage, which would be very costly.

Investing in a different field is extremely risky. No matter how well he did as a puppeteer, he could easily lose everything if he tried to become a beast tamer!

Right now, Su Qing released the fire egg, hoping it would use its racial advantages to track down the thief by smelling the scents in the rooms of the various victims.

But unexpectedly, there was a bonus.

There was actually a dog expert among the Digging Dragons who knew the Fire Egg's secrets!

The newcomer was a middle-aged man of short stature, wearing a dark robe and a belt with seventy or eighty animal-shaped rings around his waist. He bowed to Su Qing and said:
"Roweina, a third-tier beast tamer, has traveled extensively with merchant caravans and has gained some experience in beast taming. Upon first seeing this Calamity Hound, I couldn't help but feel excited and speak without thinking. If I have been impolite, please forgive me, Fellow Daoist Su!"

Rottweiler, what a great name! Nobody would believe he doesn't know anything about dogs!
"Is there anything abrupt about this? To my shame, although I am the owner of this dog, this is the first time I have learned its real name. I wonder if you could enlighten me? Of course, I know the rules, and you can settle the corresponding expenses as usual!"

Upon hearing this, Fellow Daoist Rowena smiled. Although he was a third-tier Beast Tamer and earning spirit crystals and spirit stones was not difficult for him, he also spent a lot of money. He had rented a small island in the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom and supported more than 10,000 relatives and friends.

They were developing into a family focused on cultivating immortality and were in dire need of spirit crystals and spirit stones; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone through all the trouble of following Rao Tingshan and the others on this trade route.

He was naturally pleased to be able to close a deal within this underground dragon's lair.

A big deal worth 100 spirit stones!
No wonder he's called Rottweiler, he's so dark and dog-like!

The moment he made his offer, Su Qing gritted her teeth and cursed him inwardly.

But once he spoke, it became clear that these spirit stones were truly something he could only earn!
According to him, the so-called Calamity Dog is located in the far west of the Western Sea, and is also known as the son of the King of the Underworld. They worship it as a god and are considered a divine beast with the potential to become a god.

At the edge of that eastern wilderness, it was also known by the local cultivators as the Howling Sun Spirit Dog and was classified as a divine beast.

"Whether it is the son of Hades or the Howling Sun Spirit Dog, it depends on the direction its master raises it. According to the beast-taming inheritance I obtained, this treasure dog possesses the bloodlines of three divine beasts: the Divine Beast Huodou, the Divine Beast Howling Sun, and the Divine Beast Netherworld Prison."

"Based on your current training path, fellow Daoist, you are cultivating it towards becoming the divine beast Huodou. Therefore, its next advancement path should be: third-tier Fiery Hound, fourth-tier Calamity Hound, fifth-tier Divine Rebellion Hound..."

Everyone has their own expertise. Ronawei asked for a lot of spirit stones, but he was also very reliable. After Su Qing paid the spirit stones, he immediately explained the conditions for the Fire Egg to advance to the third rank in detail.

"To awaken the bloodline of Huodou, fire-type demon cores alone are not enough. As the saying goes, excess cannot last. Spirit beasts are like humans; yin and yang should be in harmony, and water and fire should be compatible. Just because it is a fire-type spirit beast does not mean that you should give it all fire-type spirit items."

This beast has now consumed too many fire-type demon cores, accumulating a large amount of fire poison within its body. It must be harmonized with water-type spiritual objects in order to have any hope of advancement.

Therefore, by using a third-tier water-type demon core as the main ingredient, along with a third-tier black blood grass that has the effect of refining bloodlines, and by finding a third-tier alchemist to refine the pill, it should be possible to refine a pill that can allow this beast to advance to the next level!

Fellow Daoist Su, please don't think this expense is too great. With this beast's bloodline, if you can reach the third rank, compared to other third-rank spirit beasts, it will be like the difference between us low-grade Golden Core cultivators and those high-grade Golden Core cultivators. Not only will there still be a path to take, but the power will also be worlds apart.

"Right now, this second-tier peak Calamity Hound—if you wish to make a move, fellow Daoist, you can choose any of the many beast rings at my waist. Even the two third-tier spirit beasts within them—if you desire them, I will have no objection!"

As Rottweiler spoke, he looked at Fire Egg with envy.

What a good dog!

These beings, imbued with the bloodline of divine beasts, either become high-ranking demons in the Western Sea cultivation world, wielding great power and influence, or serve as guardian beasts in the Central Plains Martial Kingdom, living a life of luxury and comfort.

Very few of their bloodlines are lost to the outside world; whenever they are revealed, they attract fierce competition from various forces.

Why is the Huang family of Penglai so unparalleled in the Western Sea in terms of beast taming? Besides the fact that their family inherited the ancient beast taming tradition, it is also because they control a group of fourth-tier Burning Sun Crows with the bloodline of the Three-Legged Golden Crow. The big crows give birth to little crows, and the little crows give birth to even smaller crows, creating an endless stream of crows, a treasure trove of divine beasts!

It was only because Su Qing, this calamity hound, was only at the second level, and there was a risk of failure in advancing to the third level, that it was only then that Rottweiler was tempted by it.

If it were a third-tier Fiery Hound, Rottweiler would not have said a word just now. He would have only sent the message back to Yuanlai Tower and would have earned less than a hundred spirit stones. After Su Qing got off the car, he would have faced a dozen or twenty Golden Core cultivators sent by Yuanlai Tower to discuss business with him!

After being reminded by him, Su Qing understood and took out a lizard warrior from his storage bag as a token of gratitude. He then learned some methods for training the spirit beast from Rottweiler before letting this dog master, who truly understood dogs, go.

"Woof woof! (This dog is indeed extraordinary; it didn't eat its master's demon core for nothing!)"

"That's right. Once you advance to the third rank, not only will you have plenty of demon cores, but you'll also have plenty of wives!"

Su Qing patted the dog's head. Strangely enough, he hadn't found the Fire Egg very appealing at first, but now it seemed more and more pleasing to the eye. Even its forked tail looked incredibly majestic, exuding the fragrance of spirit stones. The Fire Egg might be able to breed and earn money in the future, but for now, it could only be used to catch petty thieves.

With Huodan leading Li Hailang ahead, and Su Qing following behind, they entered the room of the first victim, who looked utterly miserable.

"Fellow Daoist Su, please have your puppet return the spirit stones to me. I've been away for five years, and my son is already three years old. I've returned home without a single spirit stone. I really don't know how to explain this to my wife. Knowing her personality, she'll definitely suspect that I've been keeping someone else on the side!"

Yao Yongquan, who had been away from home for five years and had a three-year-old child to support, felt so wronged that he wanted to cry.

"Whether you've been supporting someone or not, I don't know, but your wife definitely has. You've been away for five years, how could your three-year-old son be yours?"

Li Hailang rolled his eyes, puzzled as to why this fellow Daoist Yao couldn't understand such a simple arithmetic problem.

"What do you country bumpkins know? In the Western Sea, there are sea goddesses who can only give birth after three years of pregnancy. If they go away for five years, their children will be three years old. It's perfectly normal!"

Upon hearing Li Hailang's suspicion that not only were his spirit stones stolen, but his home had also been robbed, Yao Yongquan immediately blushed and began to defend himself.

"I never expected that you, fellow Daoist, would marry a sea maiden. I must have misspoke!"

Seeing Yao Yongquan's unfortunate state, Li Hailang suddenly became hopeful about the Thousand Islands Immortal Kingdom. If someone like him could marry a sea maiden, how could he, Li Hailang, a handsome man, not marry ten or eight sea maiden wives?
"The female divers are too proud to look down on such trivial matters!"

"Then what are you saying? Your wife isn't a female diver, yet you still got your house stolen."

"How can that be the same? My wife said she has half-hair woman blood, and she sent a message saying she was pregnant with my child for three years before giving birth to him. How could that be false?"

"You believe her just because she says so?"

"What can I do? I've been away for so long, and I've already let her down."

When Yu Lihailang and Yao Yongquan discussed whether his house had been burgled.

Fire Egg and Su Qing, one human and one beast, one master and one servant, are searching for the whereabouts of the thief who stole the money.

Su Qing took out the Talisman Seal and activated the runes within it, summoning various runes such as the Manifestation Rune, the Image Retention Rune, and the Privacy Revelation Rune to assist him, but he still couldn't find the slightest clue.

The second-order limit fire egg had an even more sensitive nose than before, but after sniffing around, it still found nothing.

"Stop pretending, Fellow Daoist Su. Everyone in the caravan knows it was that thief bear who did it. Is it really meaningful for you to cry wolf like the thief?"

Yao Yongquan had lost his spirit stone, his home had been stolen, and his son might not even be his own anymore. He had nothing left to lose, so he became bolder than anyone else. He spoke without any burden what Rao Tingshan dared not say openly.

So what? At worst, he'll beat me to death.

Even if they kill them, the building will still provide the orphaned mother and child with a compensation payment!

Su Qing had no time to deal with the sullen and domineering Yao Yongquan. Instead, she had Li Hailang, a professional thug with double red flower sticks, lead a team of puppets to gather all the victims of the caravan together and question them in detail about what happened when they were victimized.

"Nothing much. That night, I didn't do anything. I was just thinking about that hand of cards from the day before. Hey, two kings and a four-two, how could I lose with a hand like that!"

"I went to bed early that day. I vaguely heard some noise, but my left neighbor was Fellow Daoist Liang and my right neighbor was Fellow Daoist Shao. These two fellow Daoists make noises every night, so I'm used to it and didn't get up to check!"

"Damn it! I just took the storage bag out and put it on the table, and in the blink of an eye, it vanished! That's outrageous, outrageous!"

"I didn't see anything myself, but I have two Dreamy Winfish. The male is still here, but his wife was stolen. Judging from the phantoms he made by blowing bubbles, a pair of slender white hands appeared out of thin air and snatched the female Winfish away!"

There isn't much useful information, but just one piece is enough.

Winning fish doesn't lie, especially winning fish who has lost their wives.

After the fish, Qimeng Yingyu, who had lost his beloved wife and was anxiously pacing around in the fish tank, reenacted the scene of his wife's suffering by blowing bubbles with blood in front of all the cultivators.

Xiong Er was immediately exonerated. He grabbed Rao Tingshan's Taoist robe and insisted that he pay two spirit stones as compensation before he would let him go.

"It's a Void Beast, a strange beast that lives in the void space gap. It is able to travel freely between the two worlds and uses this ability to do thieving things between the two worlds. However, this beast usually only causes trouble in the border areas between the two worlds. How come there is a trace of this beast here!"

Rottweiler not only understands dogs, but his knowledge of other exotic animals is also unmatched by anyone else in the caravan.

After hearing the story of the beast's origin, the cultivators were all dejected, realizing there was no chance of recovering their lost valuables.

The extraterrestrial thief and the void beast are at least third-tier beings who can freely travel between the small worlds created by Nascent Soul and Void Refining cultivators and the Heavenly Origin World. Even if they have great abilities, they have no way to go to another realm to settle accounts with this little beast.

"Rumor has it that a few years ago, the Ksitigarbha Buddha Kingdom hired a fourth-level tomb raider, seemingly to excavate the world in the palm of an ancient Buddha. Could it be that they really made a discovery and unearthed a small world?"

The Digging Dragon is still within the territory of the Ksitigarbha Buddha Kingdom. Rao Tingshan immediately knew what the appearance of this beast signified.

In this Ksitigarbha Buddha Kingdom, an ancient minor world may appear in the world!
"Or they may have already dug it out, but they're just keeping it a secret to prevent other forces in the Western Sea from snatching it up!"

Su Qing shook her head, unsurprised.

"Regardless, we should not linger here. This message must be sent back to the building immediately!"

Rao Tingshan was resolute, having no time to worry about the minor losses suffered by the caravan members. He took out another mid-grade spirit stone from his storage bag and made the Digging Dragon even faster, heading straight for the outside of the Earth Treasury Buddhist Kingdom.

Whether or not the thief was caught was irrelevant to Su Qing, since the Void Beast hadn't managed to steal anything from him anyway. However, the news that an ancient minor world had appeared within the Ksitigarbha Buddha Kingdom gave him a bit more anticipation.

"It is said that this place is where the ancient Buddha Ksitigarbha fell. The small world unearthed here must contain many Buddhist traditions. After this small world is divided up by various forces, many of its traditions may be passed down. At that time, you may be able to buy the Vajra Dharma of Buddhism with just spirit stones, without having to go through the trouble of searching for it!"

In the quiet room, Su Qing murmured to herself.

Within the Fire Phoenix Immortal Kingdom, he had seen the battle between the Undying Iron Wall and the Princess's Third Uncle from afar, witnessing the true power of a third-tier body cultivator who had condensed a superior-grade furnace lid.

When one directs one's energy in one direction and concentrates one's strength within a small space, one can command the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with one's own strength, reign supreme within that small space, and regard Taoist arts as nothing.

The furnace lids that these two people condensed were one grade lower than his Quanxing furnace lid, but the difference in power they showed before was even greater than the difference in combat strength between him and Li Hailang!
"In the end, it was a clever trick to condense the lid. Without a main cultivation method to condense a unique Dao pattern, relying solely on the incomplete Dao patterns of Jiuli and Qiongqi to condense the lid, under the condition of severe internal consumption, it can only be about the same as those third-level body cultivators who condense mid-grade lids!"

He shook his head regretfully and turned his attention to the puppet.

Puppet masters do not rely on physical cultivation for their abilities.

Previously in Baiyun Immortal City, it was due to the circumstances that I was forced to personally take to the battlefield because I lacked sufficient experience and resources.

Now that he has some wealth, his first choice when encountering problems should be to use puppets to solve them, instead of risking his life as he did before.

Due to numerous unexpected situations along the way, Rao Tingshan drove at full speed and did not stop at any stations. As a result, the journey that would normally take two or three months could be completed in just over twenty days.

This forced Su Qing, who had originally planned to refine the materials he had on hand into puppets on the way, to speed up his process.

The first puppet needed was the bloodline brother of the Blue-Faced White Lion King, the Golden-Haired Lions who had sought death and were granted it during their battle with the Old Evil of Yunshan.

That battle was fierce.

The golden-haired lion brothers also died tragically.

As a result, there were six golden lion bodies and six lion king demon cores lying in Su Qing's storage bag alone!
"Lion Team? Suanni Team, or Qilin Team? Never mind, let's train them first. Eventually, they can take over the baton from the Lizard Team and the War Bear Team and become my main team in the Western Sea!"

(End of this chapter)