Luo Yin was in high spirits at the moment.
He had confirmed Ling Qingxue’s special attribute, and their next steps were now roughly set.
As he listened to Ling’er and Ling Qingxue chatting, he said calmly, “Ling’er, take Qingxue to get that sorted out.”
Ling’er glanced timidly at Luo Yin and whispered, “Y-Young Master… If Ling’er says something wrong in the future, could you go a little easier on her?”
Luo Yin and Ling Qingxue both froze for a moment. Then Luo Yin let out a helpless chuckle. “What are you imagining? Don’t buy into Qingxue’s nonsense. I was just tempering her body—that’s all. Your situations are different. You don’t need to go through it.”
His explanation sounded a bit forced, but Ling’er didn’t press the issue. She simply nodded and led Ling Qingxue off to deal with the mark.
Once they were gone, Luo Yin turned his gaze to Kun Kun, which was sprawled bored in the courtyard, showing not a shred of its Kunpeng dignity.
Right now, the Kunpeng had taken the form of a large peng bird, though its size wasn’t particularly imposing.
At first glance, it looked no different from any ordinary spirit beast.
But if one probed it with their soul force, they would sense the surging chaotic power coursing through its body—and the unique, ancient aura that marked it as a true Kunpeng.
After watching it for a moment, Luo Yin walked over.
Spotting him approach, Kun Kun hopped to its feet at once. It flapped its wings, shrank down in size, and fluttered onto Luo Yin’s shoulder.
Luo Yin and it shared a spiritual bond, allowing them to sense each other’s thoughts.
Kun Kun had been nurtured in its egg by Luo Yin’s spirit sea, so it had already recognized him as its one and only master.
As for why it had helped Ling’er and Ling Qingxue, well, that was simply because they were close to Luo Yin.
The Kunpeng Clan—ancient divine beasts—had gone extinct during the primordial era, wiped out by a great calamity.
True dragons, phoenixes, and all the other godbeasts had vanished without a trace.
These days, even a faint trace of divine beast bloodline in any spirit beast was considered a priceless treasure.
And the relics they had left behind? They drove cultivators mad with desire.
Phoenix seven-colored divine feathers, true dragon reverse scales, and the like.
The Jade Dragon Immortal Marrow that Luo Yin planned to seek in the Western Profound Realm was the spinal essence left behind by a mighty jade dragon—one of the true dragon lineage’s ancient godbeast clans.
The Daoist Nun hadn’t really expected him to find something like that, so she’d given him some backup materials as well. They worked, but their effects were far weaker.
He’d found the real thing anyway!
Once Luo Qianqiu delivered the Purple Soul Crystal, they could head out for the Western Profound Realm.
…
“Young Master, why’d you name this divine beast Kun Kun? Why not Peng Peng?”
That evening, Luo Yin sat in the Purple Bamboo Grove’s courtyard with the two girls. Ling’er popped grapes into his mouth one by one while eyeing the miniaturized Kunpeng nestled in his lap, her head tilted in confusion.
Luo Yin smiled. “While I was in seclusion, you girls ran into some trouble. At the critical moment, it hatched and turned the tide. So naturally, I named it Kun Kun.”
Ling’er cocked her head to the side. “Then why not Qian Qian?”
Luo Yin shook his head with a soft laugh. His gaze drifted to the horizon, a hint of longing in his eyes. “Because an old friend of mine was called Kun Kun.”
“Anyway, enough of that. Luo Qianqiu’s here—we should get going.”
Before the girls could respond, Luo Yin rose and strode out of the courtyard, Kun Kun perched on his shoulder.
They had barely stepped through the gate when Luo Qianqiu appeared right in front of him.
Seeing Luo Yin again, her cheeks flushed pink. Her eyes flicked instinctively to the Kunpeng cub on his shoulder.
She still couldn’t wrap her head around how he’d tamed an ancient divine beast.
“Young Master Luo, I brought the Purple Soul Crystal,” she said, tearing her gaze away to meet his eyes. “Are you heading out now?”
Luo Yin nodded slightly. “I’m making a trip to the Daluo Ancient Dynasty in the Western Profound Realm. First, though, I need to swing back to Taiyi Holy Land and tie up a few loose ends.”
“The Daluo Ancient Dynasty?”
Surprise flickered in Luo Qianqiu’s beautiful eyes. “What business do you have there, Young Master?”
“There’s something I need. I’m going to buy it.”
He brushed it off casually.
Luo Qianqiu could tell he didn’t want to go into details, so she let it drop. “I’m heading to the Daluo Ancient Dynasty myself over the next few days. Mind if we travel together?”
“Of course not,” Luo Yin replied with a faint smile. “With the Northern Spirit Realm’s top beauty by my side, how could I possibly refuse?”
Hearing that familiar title from his lips once more sent another blush across Luo Qianqiu’s face, stirring an odd twinge in her chest.
She brushed the feeling aside. “Perfect! I’ll get ready. Once you’ve handled your business at Taiyi Holy Land, come find me at Fuyao Holy Land. We have a teleportation array there.”
Luo Yin waved a hand. “No need for the array this time.”
“No array?” Luo Qianqiu frowned. “That’s impossible. The Northern Spirit Realm and Western Profound Realm are separated by the Forbidden Sea. You can’t use spiritual power out there at all—not even Void God Realm experts could fly across!”
Luo Yin smiled. “Do you know what that Forbidden Sea between the Northern Spirit Realm and the Western Profound Realm is called?”
Luo Qianqiu blinked, caught off guard. Before she could answer, Ling Qingxue spoke up.
“Beiming!”
“Exactly,” Luo Yin said with a nod. “And do you know what once lived in the Beiming Sea?”
Realization dawned in Ling Qingxue’s eyes, which lit up with excitement. “The Kunpeng Clan!”
Luo Qianqiu caught on instantly. Her gaze shifted to the lazy Kunpeng lounging on Luo Yin’s shoulder.
It didn’t have the majestic, awe-inspiring presence she’d imagined for a divine beast.
But that didn’t change what it was—a Kunpeng.
Even as a cub, once it fully shifted into peng form, carrying all of them would be a breeze.
Luo Yin chuckled. “Since we can’t cross the Beiming Sea on spiritual power, we’ll do it the old-fashioned way—with raw strength! Let Kun Kun revisit the home of its ancestors. And you all can get a taste of riding a divine beast.”
It was something he and Kun Kun had already agreed on. Its bloodline pulled it irresistibly toward the Beiming Sea.
Luo Qianqiu’s eyes widened in awe.
Riding atop a divine beast—carried across the sea by an ancient godbeast like the Kunpeng!
She wouldn’t have dared dream of it.
In Fuyao Holy Land, a creature like this would be enshrined as the sect’s eternal guardian divine beast!
Who else but Luo Yin could keep an ancient godbeast as a mere pet? As a mount?
It was bizarre, sure—but when it came to Luo Yin, even the most unbelievable things felt perfectly normal.
