Subdue the Tentacles

Qilin Xiao Hei, after a long time, reverted to his original form, roaring towards the sky, his fierce might rolling out like surging waves.

The countless wildly flailing tentacles that had emerged from the ground seemed to encounter a natural enemy at that instant, contracting sharply, no longer displaying their previous ferocity.

After a single roar, the Kirin lowered his head to look at the myriad tentacles, letting out a low growl, and a crimson light appeared on his single horn, exuding an ancient, mystical aura.

The next moment, the earth violently shook, and the ground around the entire Mirror Heart Lake shattered.

A colossal, scaly, monstrous body, thousands of feet in size, emerged from the ground.

Yet, this was still only a part of his body; at the center of this section, a massive, pitch-black eye, a hundred feet wide like an abyss, stared at the Kirin in the sky.

Around the main body, thousands of enormous tentacles burst from the earth, standing densely, like a massive, terrifying forest.

A low and sharp cry rang out, seemingly in response to the Kirin.

“Is this the Tentacle Monster’s main body? It’s even bigger than I imagined.”

At this moment, Zhong Qing could have acted and instantly destroyed this Tentacle Monster, but he did not; instead, he waited to see the Kirin’s actions.

The Kirin roared, instantly waving his front claws in mid-air, and a massive beam of light enveloped the Tentacle Monster’s main body’s head.

Seemingly sensing the pressure emanating from the golden light above his head, the Tentacle Monster showed a look of terror, staring blankly at the Kirin above him.

The countless tentacle-like growths that had emerged around him also drooped towards the Kirin’s direction at this moment, as if surrendering to the Kirin.

A hint of fear and submission also appeared in his enormous, abyss-like eyes.

The Kirin roared to the sky, high and mighty.

Zhong Qing’s lips curled; he hadn't expected the Kirin to actually subdue this Tentacle Monster.

He also flew down, landing on the Tentacle Monster’s head.

The Tentacle Monster’s body moved, and his tentacles sprang up, seemingly trying to coil around Zhong Qing.

But Qilin Xiao Hei let out another low growl, and the Tentacle Monster immediately stopped moving.

Only then did Zhong Qing nod in satisfaction: “Xiao Hei, well done, come back.”

The Kirin nodded, and before shrinking, he sent a golden light onto the Tentacle Monster’s body, then coiled back onto Zhong Qing’s arm.

Facing this golden light,

The Tentacle Monster’s eyes only struggled for a moment before allowing the golden light to enter his body.

This golden light

was equivalent to the Kirin transferring control of the Tentacle Monster.

Therefore, at this moment, Zhong Qing was effectively the master of this Tentacle Monster.

Soon, at Zhong Qing’s thought, the Tentacle Monster’s main body slowly sank, returning to the ground once more.

The Tentacle Monster’s strength was extremely powerful; under Zhong Qing’s perception, he had reached a level comparable to a Three Yin Triple Realm.

Moreover, an ordinary Three Yin Triple Realm was definitely no match for the Tentacle Monster.

His main body usually remained hidden deep underground, capable of moving freely beneath the earth, while simultaneously extending thousands of tentacles, spreading to great distances.

Even if a tentacle was severed, it could regenerate rapidly.

Ordinary Sanyin Realm Cultivators engaging him would find it incredibly difficult to pinpoint his main body, and could only be slowly worn down to death by his endless tentacle attacks.

Although his appearance was a bit unsightly, Zhong Qing was still very satisfied with this Tentacle Monster.

He felt he could bring the Tentacle Monster back to the Eastern Domain to serve as a Sect Protector for the Immortal River Sect.

With his abilities, he could completely infiltrate the Immortal River Sect’s underground, bringing all seven peaks of the Immortal River Sect within the reach of his tentacles.

Although a Cultivator Sect using tentacles for protection might seem a bit off, practicality was most important, and Zhong Qing didn’t mind.

After all, he couldn't immediately find anyone who could set up a Formation for the Immortal River Sect capable of resisting Tianxuan Realm and even Sanyin Realm powerhouses, but with this Tentacle Monster, he could feel much more at ease even when he wasn’t at the Immortal River Sect in the future.

By this time, the Tentacle Monster had returned underground, and the tentacles had also disappeared. The people of Mirror Heart Lake were terrified for a while before confirming that they were truly safe, and then slowly gathered around.

Ming Yuexian, who had been greatly exhausted, suffered a tentacle strike, and whose face was pale and aura somewhat weak, walked over.

“I never imagined Your Excellency actually possessed a Divine Beast and subdued this Tentacle Monster. This truly broadens my horizons.”

Even though he was naturally aloof, after witnessing everything that had just transpired, he could no longer maintain a detached attitude towards Zhong Qing.

The people of Mirror Heart Lake were also filled with the relief of having survived a catastrophe, and a deep reverence for Zhong Qing.

The continuous shocks had completely shattered their worldview, making it impossible for them to remain calm when facing Zhong Qing.

This seemingly ordinary youth truly brought too many surprises.

Recalling how they had previously deluded themselves into wanting to compete with Zhong Qing to break the Formation and contend for the seven-colored glazed spirit grass, everyone felt an indescribable emotion.

The disparity was simply too vast; they didn't even have the qualifications to compare.

Zhong Qing came back to his senses at this moment.

Looking at the disheveled people of Mirror Heart Lake, he shook his head: “There’s no need for thanks; saving you was just a side effect. But looking at your state, it’s best not to go to that Secret Realm.”

They hadn’t even reached the Secret Realm yet, and nearly half of them were already casualties; continuing onward would surely lead to a complete wipeout.

A hint of regret appeared in Ming Yuexian’s eyes, but he still nodded and said,

“Your Excellency is right. If not for Your Excellency’s intervention, we would probably all be dead here.”

“The dangers of this White Wind Plains truly exceed imagination.”

“If there are further dangers, with my current state, I fear I cannot protect my Sect members, let alone explore the Secret Realm and contend for Opportunities.”

“This exploration, our Mirror Heart Lake must withdraw early.”

He cupped his fist towards Zhong Qing.

“Great kindness needs no words of thanks. Your Excellency’s kindness, I will repay after we leave the White Wind Plains. For now, I have decided to lead my Sect members to withdraw from here.”

Zhong Qing nodded faintly: “Whether you repay or not is irrelevant, but you seem to have more than just these people under your Sect, don’t you?”

Ming Yuexian sighed slightly: “Indeed. The sudden attack of Ghost White Wind earlier caused many of my Disciples to be scattered in the storm, including my eldest Disciple, Ming Suxin.”

“However, given the current situation of our Sect, we are truly unable to search for and rescue them. We can only return outside the Mountain Pass and wait.”

“Now, we can only leave it to fate and hope they survive.”

He glanced at Zhong Qing: “Having just received Your Excellency’s great kindness, I shamelessly ask for one more thing. If Your Excellency encounters any scattered members of our Mirror Heart Lake in the future, I humbly request that you inform them not to continue forward, but to return to the Mountain Pass and reunite with the Sect.”

Zhong Qing nodded: “If I encounter them, I can help you relay the message.”

Ming Yuexian bowed to Zhong Qing: “Then I thank you greatly.”