A full set of white brocade robes — the ethereal, immortal kind — and since their builds weren’t too different, the fit wasn’t an issue.
But Gu Baiqing really wanted to strip them off right then and there.
What kind of ridiculous setup was this?!
It was straight out of one of those absurd plays — the master’s clothes all replaced, layer by layer, while the shameless disciple just stood there, reminding him of every piece, making him too uncomfortable to even move.
No — it wasn’t the world that was shameless. It was this disciple.
Of course, Gu Baiqing still stubbornly believed his little disciple hadn’t done it on purpose.
Still, he couldn’t help but complain inwardly.
Was the world itself conspiring against him now? Since it couldn’t trap him directly, it was going through his disciple instead?
How could the boy “accidentally” hand him his own robes?
This was forcing him into a compromising situation!
Gu Baiqing refused to play along. Without the slightest hint of shyness, he said bluntly, “Your robes are too big on me. Find another set.”
Mo Xuanli froze, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes when he saw his master’s serious expression, but he obeyed at once and turned to search again.
Before he could move, however, a section of the stone wall suddenly collapsed, letting in a faint shaft of light. The sound of movement echoed from beyond. Mo Xuanli immediately grew alert and extinguished the flame.
Gu Baiqing silently cursed the heavens for their timing — couldn’t he at least finish changing?!
But in the next breath, he too became serious. The situation outside was no joke. They could hear the voice of Manor Lord Yu, and another — an old, hoarse one that carried the same strange aura that had shaken the mountain before, thick and rotten like decay.
Through the narrow crack of light, they could only glimpse brightness — not the scene beyond — but the voices were clear.
“Ancestor, you can’t keep doing this. It’s too dangerous! You know what happens when someone consumes two mermaid beads — it’s fatal! You’ve already taken five…”
“Silence! Those two d*mned brats injured me and triggered my old wounds. Without the Sacred Land’s power, my cultivation will fall. I can’t fall! I won’t age! I will not die!”
“Ancestor… there’s something wrong, please stop—”
“Out of my sight!”
A fierce wind roared — clearly the old monster had struck at Manor Lord Yu. They heard a pained grunt and the wet sound of blood being spat out.
The gust reeked of corruption, nearly choking Gu Baiqing; stones rattled loose and tumbled down around them.
Mo Xuanli braced himself above, shielding Gu Baiqing from the falling debris. They were only small stones, yet the gesture left Gu Baiqing oddly unsettled. He was the master — shouldn’t he be the one protecting Mo Xuanli instead?
Outside, the old monster was ranting, voice wild and deranged.
“Don’t forget — without me, there would be no Beast-Taming Manor! You’d still be lowly beast tamers scorned by every sword cultivator alive — the lowest of the low, mere embellishments to others’ glory! I created your greatness, and your future lies in me! Do as I say! Go — hasten the merfolk to refine more pearls! I want this place overflowing with spiritual power!”
There was a pause, then Manor Lord Yu answered faintly and retreated.
Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli exchanged looks — realization dawning.
So this “ancestor” had been injured years ago during his advancement in the Sacred Land, his body now decaying, unable to cultivate further. To stave off death, he relied on the power of the jiaozhu — consuming them one after another to maintain his life.
His body must have mutated to withstand the spiritual surge of more than two pearls without dying — though perhaps that same corruption explained the foul aura surrounding him.
It wouldn’t kill him, but it was rotting him from within.
Of course — this boss would have to be Mo Xuanli’s to slay.
Suddenly, the mad voice roared again: “Why… why isn’t it enough?! My spiritual power — it’s leaking! Impossible… impossible!”
Gu Baiqing and Mo Xuanli locked eyes.
They both realized something at once.
When they first fell here, Mo Xuanli had already sensed the danger of the spirit-gathering array. He hadn’t had time to think then — but now, it made sense.
No one would place such an array in their own home. Though it could draw in spiritual energy, it was fatally harmful to anyone living above it.
Which meant — the Beast-Taming Manor itself was a trap.
Someone wanted every person there dead.
But the beast tamers had no knowledge of arrays — they never realized one foot had been in the grave all along. The formation was buried deep and masked by the aura of the jiaozhu — only someone like Mo Xuanli, who truly understood arrays, could see through it.
Now that old monster was gravely injured—his body was like a balloon full of holes, constantly being drained by the spirit-gathering array. Unless he kept swallowing mermaid beads one after another to sustain himself, he wouldn’t last long.
Gu Baiqing’s mind raced. Suddenly, Mo Xuanli reached over, took his hand, and wrote in his palm: “Encountered a beast demon under the sea—likely connected to the spirit-gathering array.”
Gu Baiqing’s heart stirred. A demon clan again? Every time a spirit-gathering array appeared, it was tied to them.
It was clear Mo Xuanli had already reached a conclusion—the one who laid the array could only be a beast demon.
Gu Baiqing frowned slightly. The original text hadn’t mentioned a spirit-gathering array, yet there had still been mass deaths.
Treading through Star-Stepping City, Linxun Town replaced by Rufeng Sect, and now Beast-Taming Manor—what exactly were the demons plotting?
Wait. In this part of the story, Mo Xuanli’s seal was supposed to be destroyed, his demonic nature unleashed; he subdued the black dragon, forged a pact, and slaughtered everyone in the manor. Yet, just like before, he never discovered the spirit-gathering array—though it later became the very evidence used to condemn him.
Everything about this reeked of conspiracy.
Could it be that someone wanted Mo Xuanli to fall into demonhood—to turn him into one of them, hated and abandoned by all?
Was this beast demon mentioned in the original? No… could the one who came to negotiate with Junhua be that very beast demon?
Realizing this, Gu Baiqing hastily wrote in Mo Xuanli’s hand: “What was his purpose?”
“To lure the merfolk into submission—using revenge as bait.”
Gu Baiqing’s expression changed drastically. As expected! He had just been wondering—by the timeline, the main task should have already been completed.
So, the black dragon step had succeeded; only the alliance remained.
Would Junhua now be inclined to side with the beast demon? Could it be because Mo Xuanli, unlike his counterpart in the original text, was not ruthless enough? Seeing the current situation, Gu Baiqing could somewhat understand her reasoning… but he still felt that the demon clan seeking out the merfolk could only mean one thing—they wanted to drag them into the war.
In the original story, the merfolk had gone to battle because they followed Mo Xuanli, but he had never treated them as expendable pawns; he ensured their clan’s survival and growth. If they truly sided with the demon clan now, it would be like seeking the tiger’s aid to escape its claws.
Gu Baiqing quickly asked: “What did Junhua say?”
“She’s still considering. Junhua… wants to ally with me. Since the black dragon currently follows me, she likely wants its strength. But…”
Gu Baiqing felt Mo Xuanli’s hand pause. He had already suspected that, deep down, Mo Xuanli was reluctant to accept this. He feared he would be made a scapegoat, so he’d hesitated over this mission, even preparing for the risk of failure.
But now, seeing the truth, it was clear—the merfolk must not be tied to the demon clan. Who knew what kind of schemes the demons might unleash otherwise?
Yet having his little disciple bear everything alone… this Mo Xuanli lacked the cold, decisive cruelty of his novel counterpart; he’d be hurt far more easily.
After some thought, Gu Baiqing decided there might be another way. Things had already deviated from the novel—the truth was uglier, and the cultivation world wouldn’t stand by. If he went to find Second Senior Brother and asked Zixiao Sect to take the lead, with their ties to Bai Li Jingcheng and the Tianyuan Sect—the two strongest sects—perhaps there would be a better solution.
After careful thought, Gu Baiqing conveyed his plan to Mo Xuanli.
But when he wrote Baili Jingcheng’s name, Mo Xuanli froze.
He wrote back: “Does Master trust him?”
Based on the memories of the original body and their later interactions, Gu Baiqing truly believed Baili Jingcheng had no desire for the merfolk clan’s power—and as the young sect master, he was trustworthy.
“I do. He’s a good person.”
“Does Master think I can’t hold the alliance with the merfolk?”
Gu Baiqing was stunned. Was he… hurting his disciple’s pride? Mo Xuanli was the protagonist, yes, but could he really compare to the first immortal sect in the realm? Did he truly want this power for himself?
Ambition in a protagonist wasn’t strange—but had he truly considered the risks? The balance between gain and loss?
After a moment, Gu Baiqing wrote: “Since Junhua is discussing it with you, your life should be your own decision. I’m only offering another path.”
Mo Xuanli seemed momentarily startled.
Gu Baiqing thought again, then added: “Whatever you choose, I stand behind you.”
Mo Xuanli suddenly tightened his grip on Gu Baiqing’s hand, staring straight into his eyes.
After a pause, Gu Baiqing added softly: “Do what you believe is right.”
Whether to help others, to do good, to build a power base for his unique identity, or to avoid burdening the Zixiao Sect—it was all Mo Xuanli’s life to choose. Gu Baiqing shouldn’t dictate it.
Then the mountain shuddered again.
“That old monster has devoured many mermaid beads—it’s extremely dangerous. The mountain might quake again soon. We can’t fight head-on. I’ll try using the Void Spirit Space to get us out.”
Gu Baiqing nodded. “Don’t push yourself. I have spiritual power.” In a spirit-gathering array this volatile, using Void Spirit Space was indeed perilous.
Suddenly, Mo Xuanli pulled Gu Baiqing into a tight embrace. Gu Baiqing was startled but quickly realized—he was preparing the technique.
Still, after everything that had just happened… being held so tightly felt—well, a bit much. Did he really have to hold him that close?
“Master, don’t force yourself. I don’t want to see what happened under the sea happen again.”
Mo Xuanli’s low, soft voice brushed his ear—gentle and full of concern, yet there was a faint tone of command, making Gu Baiqing’s heart tremble inexplicably.
The next moment, the embrace tightened, almost as if Mo Xuanli wanted to merge him into his own body.
Before Gu Baiqing could protest, the world blurred.
In an instant, they appeared within a mountain passage, far from the array. Mo Xuanli’s breathing steadied as the oppressive energy lifted, and that suffocating hold finally released.
Gu Baiqing barely had time to take a breath when a thunderous crash echoed—the mountain was shaking again, even more violently than before.
Mo Xuanli immediately took out a talisman and set it alight in his hand — this was telling Junhua that they were safe.
If the person Junhua had been chasing was Fu Ye, then now they could start a riot and let the merfolk escape smoothly.
Before long, a high-frequency sonic wave swept through, spreading across Longan Port; the Ten Thousand Beasts Forest erupted.
As the first demonic beast arrived and launched its attack, the imprisoned merfolk finally began to move. They wanted to flee this inferno.
The merfolk supported one another, continuously emitting sound-waves to drive back the hybrids and trying to get out, but they couldn’t land killing blows. Some people from the Beast-Taming Manor also rushed over to block them.
The Third Elder stayed behind to restrain the merfolk; the Second Elder had already taken the other fighters out to deal with the beasts.
Half of the imprisoned merfolk were female merfolk who had suffered many injuries and were simply no match. They quickly fell into the worse position.
The Third Elder violently flung away a charging merfolk and taunted, “Nothing but a bunch of stinky fish and rotten shrimp — how dare you act up!”
No sooner had he spoken than a wind-blade, like a gigantic ———, rolled in with tremendous spiritual power and nearly cut across his head.
The Third Elder’s topknot was sliced off flush with his scalp. The mountainside near the exit was split open, leaving a large hole; in an instant the fresh outside air and the clear moonlight seeped in.
The Third Elder gave a horrible shriek. Looking up, he was so shocked that he stumbled back repeatedly, scrambling to flee.
The merfolk looked over and saw Mo Xuanli and Gu Baiqing. All of them had seen Mo Xuanli before — he was the one who had come with the Second Princess to rescue them.
“Go!” Mo Xuanli shouted. All the merfolk followed in their footsteps and ran out through the hole.
Outside they ran into the main forces of the Beast-Taming Manor, and another mêlée broke out.
They had expected the old monster or the monster under the old monster to appear, but after fighting for a while, there was absolutely no movement.
Mo Xuanli alone held off the Second Elder and the others; Gu Baiqing commanded the other merfolk to control whatever beasts they could and quickly led them back to the sea.
After all, many here were sick or disabled; staying would only increase the casualties.
Naturally, some merfolk remained to fight, to take vengeance for themselves. With the reinforcements of other merfolk who came along with the rampaging beasts, they wanted blood for blood — even if they died on the battlefield, they would take one more enemy with them.
This section of the mountain had become the fiercest battleground. But with the hybrids joining in, the merfolk’s control over the beasts began to weaken. Still, Junhua’s figure was nowhere to be seen; if Junhua had come to lead and command, the power of the Myriad-Beasts’ uproar should have been even greater.
If the first sonic wave had been sent out by Junhua, shouldn’t she have arrived?
Could it be that she had run into trouble while rescuing Fu Ye?
Just as they thought this, a dragon’s roar sounded. A huge black dragon burst out from within the mountain, shot up into the clouds, circled once, and then flew in their direction.
It landed right beside Gu Baiqing and transformed into human form; in his hands he was curling a Three Bean.
“Three Bean.” Gu Baiqing hurried forward. “Injured?”
Ao Hang’s face was sullen; displeased, he said, “How would I know? When I woke up she was curled up like this and didn’t move or speak. Aren’t you her master? See what’s wrong with her.”
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it.” Gu Baiqing suddenly understood: Three Bean must be afraid of Ao Hang discovering his true form. He quickly reached out to take Three Bean, but Ao Hang’s hand reflexively avoided for a moment, clearly unwilling to hand him over.
Gu Baiqing silently sighed. “How about this — you help drive the enemies back for a bit. The battle won’t end, and we won’t be able to leave.”
Ao Hang snorted in displeasure, loosened his grip, transformed into a dragon, and charged toward Mo Xuanli.
Mo Xuanli happened to be descending and stepped onto the enormous body of the black dragon.
In an instant, everyone who had been fighting Mo Xuanli froze.
They watched Mo Xuanli — he had actually…ridden a true dragon!
Suddenly almost half of them lost the courage to fight. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to fight; it was that the beasts they controlled felt the dragon’s breath and began to tremble uncontrollably — they could not fight. Only beasts controlled by elder-level handlers could barely resist.
The battlefield nearly tipped entirely in Mo Xuanli’s favor.
Gu Baiqing finally let out a breath and shook the Three Bean in his hand. “Stop curling up.”
Three Bean quickly returned to his original form. “Hurry, hurry, go.”
“Ao Hang has already become Mo Xuanli’s contract beast. Where can you run? Don’t want Xuanli.”
“Master…”
“Don’t worry. We’ll protect you; we won’t let Ao Hang take your life. But you must sincerely explain the truth to him later and apologize, okay?”
Three Bean was extremely aggrieved. Just then, however, a sonic wave came from another direction — that was an attacking wave; merfolk were fighting over there — but that wasn’t within the battleground range.
Gu Baiqing reacted instantly: it might be Junhua.
