The silence following Zhao Lingfeng's declaration stretched for several heartbeats, broken only by the Stone Claw Bear's rumbling breaths.
"You are…?" Tan Rei asked cautiously.
"My name is Zhao Lingfeng, a disciple of the Liuyun sect."
"A Beast Tamer?" one of the cultivators whispered. He looked at the two and then at Fan Wei and Liu back and forth with confusion. "Your robes… An Outer court disciple? Did the Liuyun sect ever have any Beast Tamers?"
Another stepped forward. "How did you—"
"Junior Brother!" Fan Wei's rough but sharp voice cut through the growing questions. His hand clasped Junior Brother Liu's shoulder, stopping what was likely about to be a revealing outburst. Liu's mouth shut with an audible click, though his eyes remained wide with recognition.
Tan Rei studied Zhao Lingfeng carefully, noting how naturally he sat atop the massive beast. There was none of the tension one would expect from a novice beast tamer. Moreover, the bear's battle scars spoke of recent, fierce combat, yet here it stood, docile as a trained mount.
"Your purpose?" Tan Rei asked directly, his hand never leaving his sword hilt.
Zhao Lingfeng merely smiled, a gesture that somehow made him look both mysterious and slightly amused. The expression was jarringly different to what one would see from an outer court disciple.
"As I said," Zhao Lingfeng replied, "I'm here to discuss a mutually beneficial arrangement."
"And the bear?"
The massive beast turned its head slightly at the mention, fixing Tan Rei with surprisingly intelligent eyes. Its grinding rumble held notes that almost sounded... protective?
"A loyal companion," Zhao Lingfeng said simply. Then, as if deciding the interrogation had gone on long enough, he shifted topics. "But we're wasting time. I have a proposal about that beetle..."
The Stone Claw Bear's rumbling growl punctuated Zhao Lingfeng's words, making them sound more like a command than a suggestion.
Tan Rei's eyes narrowed. "What kind of arrangement?"
"One that might keep us all alive," Zhao Lingfeng replied, his tone carefully measured. "I've seen... things in these lower passages." He glanced meaningfully at his bear companion's battle scars. "Strength in numbers might be wiser than splitting up further."
"And what exactly do you propose?" Tan Rei pressed.
"Simple. Your group joins the pursuit, adding much-needed caution to Qin Yi's recklessness. In return, my companion and I will also help participate in the battle and work with you. When we find the nest, your group gets priority on any thunder-attribute spiritual ore we discover nearby. We will help you excavate too. After all," Zhao Lingfeng's eyes turned knowing, "that's what you're really after, isn't it?"
"…And the Thunder Silk?"
"A fair share, divided based on contribution. But we both know that when it comes to this, it isn't something that us alone can discuss about."
Tan Rei nodded.
"Junior Brother Zhao," Fan Wei stepped forward, his usual stoic expression showing hints of concern. "Those wounds on your bear..."
"Were earned saving my life," Zhao Lingfeng finished. He patted the bear's flank, earning a softer grinding sound that somehow made the massive beast seem almost endearing. "Brother Liu, Senior Brother Fan Wei, will you accompany me? The beetle's trail grows cold."
The two looked at each other and agreed.
They naturally would prefer to be together with a fellow brother. The reason they had been following Tan Rei was because they had ended up together during the first day and Fan Wei found it wise to follow Tan Rei. They weren't particularly close with him. The two sent their regards to Tan Rei and went by Zhao Lingfeng's side.
As Zhao Lingfeng prepared to urge his mount forward, he paused, looking back at Tan Rei. "Though, I have to wonder... has anyone here ever heard of a Twin-Horned Yellow Beetle in the Qi Refining realm?"
The casual question hit Tan Rei like a thunderbolt. His face drained of color.
"What..." one of the four remaining cultivators asked, glancing between them, "what's wrong with that?"
Zhao Lingfeng had already started moving, the bear's heavy steps echoing through the chamber as they headed toward the passage Qin Yi's group had taken.
"Impossible," Tan Rei whispered, then louder, "It should be impossible! Twin-Horned Yellow Beetles are born at minimum in the late Foundation Establishment Realm. They usually exist between the third major realm of the Golden Core and fourth major realm of Nascent Soul. Even their youngest larvae are beyond the strength of most Foundation Establishment cultivators!"
The remaining cultivators exchanged alarmed looks.
"Then how..."
"The cultivation suppression of this realm," Tan Rei's voice carried a new edge of urgency. "Something's likely forcing it down to our level or maybe it's some other abnormal factor, but its base nature... if the beasts here are already unnaturally aggressive..." He looked at the passage where Zhao Lingfeng's bear had disappeared, its heavy footsteps still audible.
"Senior Brother Tan?" one of the cultivators asked.
"We follow them," Tan Rei decided, already moving. "This Zhao Lingfeng sees something we don't. These passages where strange pockets of space seem to be void of spiritual energy or an abundance of spiritual energy, these beasts... there's too much wrong. And I'd rather face whatever's ahead with thirty cultivators than si…no, it's four now haha."
With the actions of Zhao Lingfeng, Tan Rei was left with no choice.
He bitterly wondered if this was the plan of this mysterious Beast Tamer.
They hurried after the Stone Claw Bear's distinctive tracks, following the imposing figure.
***
The trail of lingering sparks illuminated their path like a string of tiny stars, each one crackling with faint electrical energy.
"More strangeness…" Zhao Lingfeng muttered, studying the unusually persistent sparks. While Twin-Horned Yellow Beetles were known to leave such trails when rushing at high speeds, these traces remained far longer than they should. Otherwise, they wouldn't have such a notorious reputation for being hard to catch.
To Zhao Lingfeng, he felt as he was being lured by breadcrumbs.
"Senior Brother Zhao!" Liu's enthusiastic voice cut through his brooding thoughts. "You must tell us how you managed to tame such a big beast! I've never seen anything like it in our sect."
Zhao Lingfeng caught Fan Wei's subtle head shake. The senior brother was warning to his junior brother not to press too deeply into certain matters. The senior brother's stoic expression betrayed nothing, but there was a glimmer of protective concern in his eyes.
"Ah, well..." Zhao Lingfeng patted his mount's stone-armored flank, buying time to construct a suitable half-truth. "Let's just say I had some fortunate encounters in these passages. The beasts here seem... different from what we usually encounter."
Liu nodded eagerly, apparently missing the deliberate vagueness of the response. "Yup! Earlier we saw a group of Emberwing Moths actually working together with Glow Blue Geckos! Senior Brother Fan Wei said such cooperation between different species is almost unheard of."
"Two species of beasts that are known to have a predator and prey relationship, working together… interesting isn't it?" Tan Rei commented dryly, falling into step beside them. His sharp eyes studied Zhao Lingfeng with poorly concealed curiosity. "What are your thoughts about this, Fellow Daoist Zhao Lingfeng?"
"Such unnatural behavior..." Zhao Lingfeng's brow furrowed as he considered Tan Rei's question. "What happened after you saw them working together?"
"There were three beasts," Tan Rei explained, his expression darkening. "Each different from the other, but none that we could properly identify. They were battling the moths and geckos. The strange part wasn't just the cooperation, but what came after."
"Instead of consuming their prey," Fan Wei continued, his stoic face showing rare concern, "they would drag the captured beasts to different locations. Just... leave them there in a weakened state of being unable to move. Then, they'd start the process all over again."
Liu shuddered. "It was like they were... collecting them. Sorting them, almost."
"When they noticed us," Tan Rei added, "despite our numbers, they didn't flee. They attacked immediately, managed to grab three of our brothers, then retreated. If it weren't for our overwhelming numbers and we hadn't reacted quickly..." He shook his head. "We got everyone back, but Brother Wu hasn't been the same since."
"What do you mean?" Zhao Lingfeng asked.
"His spiritual energy," Fan Wei explained grimly. "Brother Wu was at the seventh level of Qi Refining. Now, even after half a day and multiple pills, his energy feels no stronger than a second-level cultivator. It's as if... something drained him."
"The moths and geckos that escaped seemed fine," Liu added. "But the ones left behind were strange. They were either drained like Brother Wu or explosively aggressive. No in-between. But they fared much better than Brother Wu."
"I see… was there something notable about where the beasts were left?"
"Yes, that's right," Tan Rei affirmed. "Those pockets of space had a strange abundance of spiritual energy. A few of them actually had some precious plants nearby which explains some things. But this only made things more confusing. Some of us naturally took those treasures, but the condition of those plants according to the herbalists in our group say that they were abnormal. Of course, one of our stu— *ahem* brave brothers decided to consume the herb and then—"
CRASH!
A thunderous crash echoed through the passage, cutting the discussion into a lingering cliff-hanger. The sound of metal striking stone reverberated through the tunnels, followed by shouts and the distinctive crackle of lightning techniques.
The Stone Claw Bear's muscles tensed beneath Zhao Lingfeng, its small eyes fixed on the passage ahead where flashes of electrical energy painted stark shadows on the ancient walls. The sounds of combat grew louder; clash of weapons, desperate shouts, and a beetle's screech.
"They've engaged the beetle," Tan Rei said quietly, his hand moving to his sword hilt. "And from the sound of it..."
Another crash, louder this time. A cultivator's pained cry echoed through the passages.
"...they're not faring well," Zhao Lingfeng finished. The electrical traces in the air had intensified, making his hair stand on end.
He really wanted to hear the rest of the story, but this was not the time for that.
The bear let out a low, grinding growl as they approached the source of the commotion. Ahead, the passage opened into what promised to be a larger chamber, bright flashes of combat painting its entrance in stark bursts of light and shadow.
"Everyone," Zhao Lingfeng said quietly, his hand resting on his plain iron sword, "stay alert. I have a feeling we're about to walk into something far more complicated than a simple beetle hunt."
The others nodded, weapons at ready as they moved forward. The sounds of battle grew louder, but Zhao Lingfeng couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking right into someone—or something's—carefully laid plans.
Or maybe, he thought grimly,
right into its jaws.