"Sect Leader, what exactly happened? Which reckless villain injured you so severely? Who are our opponents?"

Inside Mad Blade Temple, a white-haired elder at the late-stage Foundation Establishment looked worriedly at the Mad Saber Zhenren who was healing with cultivation.

Although Mad Saber Zhenren’s reputation outside was somewhat average, within his sect, he was the most trustworthy and reliable elder, deeply respected by all the elders and disciples.

After all...

Instead of improving oneself, it’s better to be strict with others.

With the renowned reputation of Mad Saber Zhenren, the disciples of Mad Blade Temple have always been at the top in the Eastern Wilderness, enjoying great prestige wherever they went.

It is precisely for this reason that the disciples of Mad Blade Temple are absolutely the ones who least want anything to happen to Mad Saber Zhenren.

Without this Golden Core Zhenren backing them up, where would they find their good days?

"It was a demon beast with a Divine Beast Bloodline, possibly even a Divine Beast Cub, speaking human language even at the Qi Refining Stage."

Mad Saber Zhenren’s expression showed a hint of lingering fear, mixed with some fervor, some remorse, and some regret.

Like a fan-shaped statistical chart.

"It only had Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivation, yet it easily broke my Gale Fury Saber with its Talent Secret Skill from its bloodline inheritance. We exchanged blows for less than three rounds before I suffered such severe injuries."

"The Gale Fury Saber was destroyed!? And the opponent was only at Qi Refining Great Perfection!?"

The white-haired elder’s heart skipped a beat in shock.

That was the Lifebound Magical Treasure of Mad Saber Zhenren, barely crafted at the cost of half the sect’s foundation, allowing him to briefly contend with someone at the Middle Stage of Golden Core when using a forbidden technique.

Such a powerful Lifebound Magical Treasure was actually destroyed!

Moreover, the opponent was only at Qi Refining Great Perfection!

Crossover of two major realms to confront an enemy, is this what the classics describe as a Divine Beast?

The white-haired elder pondered for a full two minutes before cautiously asking, "Sect Leader, are you sure the opponent is really a Divine Beast Cub and not a higher cultivation demon beast disguised as a pig to eat a tiger after consuming Spirit Awakening Grass?"

Mad Saber Zhenren glared at him, "Old Fang, are you kidding? How could I not tell? I probed with Spiritual Power; the demon power within the opponent’s body is extremely pure, as deep and unfathomable as a vast ocean, but it did not condense a Demon Core, which perfectly matches the characteristics of a Qi Refining Stage Divine Beast as described in the classics."

"What you said makes some sense, but have you considered? To fake cultivation and deceive me, it would at least need to be a Nascent Soul True Monarch, and not an ordinary one. What kind of demonic joke is this, that would be a Demon King! If I really confronted a Demon King, would I still be alive?"

"Uh..."

Hearing this, the white-haired elder felt that what Mad Saber Zhenren said indeed made some sense.

However, the idea of Qi Refining severely injuring Golden Core still sounded somewhat absurd.

He then asked again, "Alright, I trust the Sect Leader’s judgment. But may I ask one more question, does the Sect Leader recognize which Divine Beast cub it is? What abilities does it possess? Knowing some information would give the disciples more confidence to defend against it, wouldn’t it?"

This time Mad Saber Zhenren did not argue.

After pondering for a moment, he spoke somewhat uncertainly, "The whole body of the Divine Beast Cub was black-gold, over a meter long, resembling a dog, capable of spewing a black flame with strong adhesive and corrosive power, I’m not sure what it was."

"From the Sect Leader’s description, it seems somewhat like the Divine Beast—Huo Dou described in ancient texts? Only the fur color is a bit inconsistent, as the description says Huo Dou is black."

After pondering for a moment, the white-haired elder guessed.

"According to ancient texts, Huo Dou is the attendant to the Fire God in the Upper Realm, and there is a speculation that Huo Dou is simply the Fire God’s canine and assists in governing the power of flame when the Fire God is otherwise occupied."

"And when the Thunder God, another powerful Immortal God, travels around the Earth in a Thunder Vehicle, Huo Dou follows behind, consuming the Divine Fire caused by thunderbolts falling into the Human World, using it as cultivation resources."

"Hence, some also refer to Huo Dou as the Thunder God’s attendant or Spirit Pet, and there are ignorant folks who have left legends that Huo Dou’s descent would cause fire disasters and droughts."

"So based on the Sect Leader’s description, I feel a bit fearful; if that truly is Huo Dou, does that mean..."

The white-haired elder did not continue, but the implication was clear.

Mad Saber Zhenren immediately refuted, "You old rascal are overthinking it, Immortals descending to the Lower Realm is just a legend, even ascension happened hundreds of years ago. I still say, if it were truly an extraordinary figure, could I possibly offend them and still be alive?"

"You old rascal can rest assured, I have already asked those little rascals from the Wood and Earth Sect, the owner of that suspected Huo Dou is an extraordinarily gifted Demonic Loose Cultivator, also at Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivation."

"It was tested by an instrument from the Five Elements Array Sect, a top sect that has produced Immortals, their instruments never lie."

"Shamefully, my original target was this kid, but unexpectedly a pleasant surprise occurred, damn it, the Heavenly Dao is unfair! He is already incredibly gifted, so why does a Divine Beast take the initiative to recognize him as master? I am not convinced!"

"He, a respectable demon cultivator, can openly enjoy life outside, while I, a dignified Golden Core Zhenren, an ancestor figure in Eastern Wilderness, have to hide in the sect’s Grand Array licking my wounds. It’s truly suffocating."