Chapter 2669: Chapter 2669
Ye Liuyun gave the falcon a pat, signaling it to take flight, then shot her a sideways glance. "We’re practically strangers. I just saved your life, and not even a ’thank you’? If we’re not talking money, what else is there to discuss?"
Only then did the maidservant remember—had Ye Liuyun not appeared, she might never have lived to see him at all. And yet, she’d misunderstood his intentions. Not only had he not held her ingratitude against her, but he’d even agreed to protect her. That was more than generous.
A twinge of guilt pricked at her conscience. But the way Ye Liuyun spoke left no room for weakness, so she fired back, "Then money it is!" Her tone made it clear—no thanks would be forthcoming.
Ye Liuyun couldn’t be bothered to argue. As the falcon soared higher, he focused on the task at hand, scanning the terrain below for signs of feral beast.
Soon, his gaze locked onto a winged horned steed. Not only was it resilient and swift in flight, but its spiritual power was formidable.
Without hesitation, Ye Liuyun urged the falcon into a dive, ensuring the creature wouldn’t escape.
The moment the horned steed spotted the falcon, it bolted—but it was no match for the raptor’s speed. In an instant, they closed the distance, and Ye Liuyun branded it with a slave seal.
Then, without ceremony, he bound the steed to the maidservant, forging a master-servant pact between them.
"What kind of beast is this? It’s hardly ferocious—barely counts as half a prize!" she grumbled, unimpressed. To her, the creature seemed little more than a glorified mount.
Ye Liuyun didn’t bother arguing. "Just follow me on that winged steed," he said. "Get used to its flight and its spiritual perception. Its range far surpasses yours."
With that, he spurred the falcon skyward again. The maidservant mounted the horned steed and gave chase.
But she soon discovered its wings could whip up gale-force attacks mid-flight. And as Ye Liuyun had promised, it outpaced her old Golden Eagle with ease.
Even more startling—despite the falcon’s blistering speed, the horned steed never lost track of it, while she could barely spot Ye Liuyun in the distance.
"Not bad after all," she admitted silently. "A beast tamer’s eye is sharper than mine."
Ye Liuyun made six more captures, securing seven different third-level celestial beasts before finally stopping. "Pick five," he told her.
The maidservant stared blankly at the seven ferocious beasts before her, utterly speechless. A winged Pegasus, a dragon-elephant, a translucent white silkworm, a venomous scorpion, a fiery crystal serpent, a long-armed ape, and a nine-tailed white fox—not a single one met her previous criteria for selecting fearsome creatures. These beasts were either too docile or too small in size, completely lacking the intimidating presence needed to strike fear into opponents.
"After all that effort, you deliberately picked these creatures just to make things difficult for me?" she snapped at Liu Yun, her displeasure evident.
Liu Yun, however, was quite pleased with his selections. While choosing the beasts, he had marveled at the sheer variety of ferocious creatures in this world. Hearing the maidservant’s dissatisfaction, he realized she simply didn’t understand the unique strengths of these beasts.
Instead of explaining, he mounted the dragon-elephant and motioned for her to follow as they continued toward the territory of the first-level Dominator beasts.
Soon, the winged Pegasus, the fiery crystal serpent, and the nine-tailed white fox all signaled the presence of a first-level Dominator Steel-Scaled Tiger ahead. The maidservant was taken aback—she hadn’t detected it, yet these beasts had sensed it long before.
Liu Yun immediately dismounted and turned to her. "If three or four of these beasts were to take on that Steel-Scaled Tiger, do you think they’d stand a chance?"
Confused by his question but unwilling to admit ignorance, she shook her head firmly.
"Absolutely no chance. Even if they all attacked at once, they’d probably still lose to that tiger," she declared with certainty.
"Good. Then I’ll show you exactly what these beasts are capable of," Liu Yun replied. With that, he reasserted control over the winged Pegasus by renewing its enslavement mark.
He then divided the beasts into groups. The long-armed ape rode atop the dragon-elephant, paired with the nine-tailed white fox, to confront the Steel-Scaled Tiger. Meanwhile, the winged Pegasus, the translucent silkworm, and the fiery crystal serpent were tasked with interception. The venomous scorpion remained unused for now, perched obediently on Liu Yun’s shoulder, awaiting orders.
Before long, the Steel-Scaled Tiger leaped into view. The dragon-elephant charged forward with thunderous steps, dragging the long-armed ape along as it barreled toward the tiger. The nine-tailed white fox darted nimbly alongside, keeping pace with the elephant’s massive legs.
Though the tiger’s body was armored with impenetrable scales, even it feared being trampled by the colossal dragon-elephant. It dodged to the side, attempting a flank attack.
At that moment, the long-armed ape suddenly grabbed the elephant’s trunk and swung itself forward, delivering a devastating punch straight to the tiger’s skull.
A dull *thud* echoed as the ape’s full-body strength concentrated into its fist. Despite the tiger’s thick scales, the sheer force of the blow sent stars exploding across its vision.
Meanwhile, the nine-tailed fox leaped into the air, twisting mid-flight to release a cloud of bewitching smoke from its tail. Seizing the moment, the dragon-elephant raised its trunk, swiftly pulling the gibbon back onto its back to avoid inhaling the toxic fumes while continuing its thunderous charge toward the steel-scaled tiger.
Staggered by the earlier punch and now disoriented by the smoke, the steel-scaled tiger swayed unsteadily. Yet the tremors beneath its feet warned of impending danger, and it instinctively leaped backward, scrambling to flee despite its dizziness.
"Stop it!" Ye Liuyun commanded. The winged pegasus swooped down from the sky, its powerful wings stirring a gale-force wind that forced the tiger to squint against the onslaught. At the same time, the slender crystalline fire snake coiled around the base of its tail, sinking fangs deep before unleashing scorching flames that seared through its armored scales.
"ROAR!"
Agonized, the steel-scaled tiger realized it stood no chance against this coordinated assault and bolted in desperation. But the translucent white silkworm had already spun an invisible web ahead.
The threads were utterly transparent, undetectable to the naked eye. No matter how resilient the tiger’s scales were, they were no match for the razor-fine silk strands. Momentum carried its front half forward—only to be cleanly sliced into chunks before collapsing in a gruesome heap.
"Retract the silk. The tiger is yours now!" Ye Liuyun declared.
The maidservant stood frozen, stunned. In mere moments, a formidable steel-scaled tiger had been dismantled by this mismatched pack of beasts.
Suddenly, she grasped Ye Liuyun’s intent—he was showcasing each creature’s strengths, guiding her toward a choice.
He proceeded to demonstrate their prowess through different team combinations. Some opponents fell to the venomous scorpion’s stealthy strikes, others succumbed to the fox’s bewitching smoke before being crushed beneath the dragon-elephant’s feet. Without exception, each victim was a dominant first-tier beast—creatures she had once considered invincible, now effortlessly overpowered.
The scorpion, fire snake, and silkworm excelled in ambushes and traps. The dragon-elephant dominated offense and defense, the pegasus ruled the skies with unmatched reconnaissance, the gibbon served as the brute-force vanguard, and the nine-tailed fox—the cunning strategist—doubled as a psychic attacker.
