Chapter 138: A Tough Nut to Crack

Hanzhong Safe Zone.

In a secret villa near the northern outskirts, four individuals were gathered in a clandestine meeting. Before them lay a distribution map of the Classic of Mountains and Seas, synchronized with the data from the Unified Coordination Bureau. However, unlike the busy and composed atmosphere at the Bureau, these individuals harbored entirely different intentions.

Among them was Xi Xudong, who radiated the aura of the Vampire race; a man who was half-mechanized; a man clad in leather armor; and Qian Ye, who had originally been assigned to guard the tomb in the northern region.

After leaving the Jingmen Safe Zone, Qian Ye had been tasked with guarding the Tomb of the Human Emperor. Unexpectedly, while the tomb remained quiet, a sudden surge of strange beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas had emerged. Due to the increasingly dense surveillance operations over the past two days, he had been temporarily recalled.

"Hasn't the appearance of these strange beasts happened too early? Logic dictates that the Tomb of the Human Emperor should have opened first, and only then would the aura of the Classic of Mountains and Seas have leaked out," remarked Pang Wu, the half-mechanized man.

"It could be related to the awakening of the Venerable. It is said that the Venerable originated from the lineage of Mountains and Seas. It is also possible that the secret realm near the Jingmen Safe Zone caused some vampire auras to be digitized and recognized, triggering these mutations," Xi Xudong nodded, agreeing with Pang Wu.

The sudden emergence of these strange beasts had caught them off guard, but on the whole, it was not a bad development. Although these beasts were recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, those accounts were written by later generations and differed fundamentally from the reality of their own era.

The Vampire race possessed critical information about these beasts, making them much easier to control. With the aid of these creatures, they could secure greater influence within China. Whether it was for concealing their vampire identities or facilitating their future plan for a vampire resurgence, this was highly beneficial.

"What are the nearest strange beasts?" Xi Xudong looked at the distribution map and said, "The Celestial Fox and the Spin-Turtle."

"Tsk tsk, those are two tough nuts to crack. The Celestial Fox is adept at charm, and the Spin-Turtle is a literal hunk of iron."

"Anything recorded in the Classic of Mountains and Seas is bound to be a tough nut," said Pang Wu, the King of Machinery. "The Celestial Fox is likely too difficult for us to handle right now, but we could look into the Spin-Turtle. Although its defense is formidable, it is still in its growth phase, and its attack power is low, so there are still gaps to exploit."

"There are some elemental inner cores here in Hanzhong that should be able to lure it. If we then use blood pills for assimilation, there is a chance. The report of the Spin-Turtle has only just been filed, and not many people are paying attention to it yet, so we can give it a try," Pang Wu suggested.

"How?" Xi Xudong glanced at Pang Wu. They were in the midst of reviving the Venerable and could not afford to step away.

"Send him. Since he couldn't even guard a tomb, feeding the Spin-Turtle is a perfect task for him," the man in leather armor pointed at Qian Ye and sneered. Qian Ye’s presence here only increased the risk of exposure. If it weren't for the fact that the vampire clan forbade killing one another, he would have devoured Qian Ye himself.

Xi Xudong looked at Qian Ye, deep in thought. Beside him, Qian Ye shivered, terrified that the task would indeed fall to him. Although his strength was not low, the prospect of facing a beast from the Classic of Mountains and Seas made him panic.

"Go and try it. It won't necessarily be a death sentence. Just observe the Spin-Turtle's growth phase and, at the very least, ensure no one else sets their sights on it. I will tell you how to deal with the Spin-Turtle later; as long as you don't clash with it head-on, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"The Spin-Turtle’s barrier is unique; it exists in a different dimension from the shell of a Black Tortoise. If you follow the correct five steps to complete the elemental assimilation, there is a way to get inside. In the next few days, go and drop some blood pills to attempt assimilation, just don't provoke it," Xi Xudong commanded.

Dealing with these beasts was not a matter of a day or two. Many people had arrived in the Hanzhong Safe Zone recently, and Qian Ye was indeed an obstruction until he fully underwent his transformation, nor was there anything useful for him to do.

He had been discovered while guarding the tomb previously; assigning him the simple task of feeding the Spin-Turtle was a good alternative. By feeding it blood pills now, they could seize both the Spin-Turtle and the Celestial Fox once the Venerable was fully awake.

Having received his new orders, Qian Ye was reluctant but had no choice but to bite the bullet and head out to investigate. After further discussion, he was sent out of the Hanzhong Safe Zone that very night.

However, Qian Ye had his own hidden agenda. Others thought the beasts were difficult to manage, but the Vampires had an advantage! Knowing the secrets of the Spin-Turtle, he could feed it not just blood pills, but his own vital blood!

As long as he consistently fed it his vital blood, the growing Spin-Turtle would become tainted with his aura. Once it fully matured, he could become its companion or even its master! Though Qian Ye had no experience with such creatures, legends confirmed the existence of Beast Tamers.

Qian Ye knew that due to his performance in the Jingmen Safe Zone, he no longer fit in with the circle in Hanzhong. On the surface, they treated him as one of their own, but both in their task assignments and their words, they looked down on him.

With this in mind, Qian Ye knew this might be his final opportunity, and he accelerated his journey toward the location of the Spin-Turtle.

At the Spin-Turtle mountain range, Yi Shen was still wearing down the great beast.

This monster was far more troublesome than Yi Shen had imagined. Even with his corrosive elemental skills and various sources of true damage, the Spin-Turtle's health would slowly recover after being reduced.

It was the first time Yi Shen had encountered such a peculiar monster; not only did it possess spatial isolation, but it also had such regeneration effects. If anyone else were in his place, they probably wouldn't even be able to catch a glimpse of its tail.

Yi Shen was unaware of any other methods to deal with the Spin-Turtle, so he could only brute-force his way through. By now, he had spent over two hours wearing it down, keeping its health at around 50%.

Eventually, Yi Shen changed his tactics. Instead of exhausting himself by fighting it up close, he found a suitable area and frequency, unleashing skills directly onto the Spin-Turtle. He even positioned a Gate of Flame directly above it, raining down attacks from all angles without a single blind spot.