Gao Wu: You have science, and I have magic!

Beneath a charred rock face, Ye Qingzhou discovered a huge bird carcass.

It was a giant bird with a crimson body and feathers like flames. Ye Qingzhou looked closely and deduced the cause of the bird's death. He saw that its abdomen was tightly wrapped by a dark green giant snake, and the two perished together.

"This is... a Firefeather Bird?"

Ye Qingzhou crouched down and examined it carefully.

The Firefeather Bird is a second-tier fire-attribute demon beast. It is said to contain a trace of Vermilion Bird bloodline. If it can be tamed, it can breathe flames and has extremely strong combat power.

Unfortunately, the one we encountered was already dead.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly heard a soft "clicking" sound.

"Um?"

Following the sound, he found a crimson egg under the corpse of the Firefeather Bird. The eggshell was covered with flame patterns and was trembling slightly, as if it was about to hatch.

"The Firefeather Bird's egg?"

Ye Qingzhou's eyes lit up. "If they can hatch, they'll be a great asset."

He reached out and touched the eggshell, immediately feeling a scorching heat, as if he were holding a piece of red-hot coal.

"It's so hot!"

Ye Qingzhou subconsciously withdrew his hand, but quickly smiled again, "As expected of a fire-attribute demon beast, it possesses such intense Qi even before it's born."

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to take the egg with him.

However, just as he was about to leave, the eggshell suddenly cracked open with a "snap"!
"Is it ready to hatch?"

Ye Qingzhou quickly placed the egg on the ground and cautiously took a half step back.

The eggshell cracked more and more, and finally, a wet little head pushed open the shell and poked its head out.

It was a small, bright red bird with fluffy downy feathers. Its eyes were not fully open yet, but it could already sense the outside world. It shook its body, shed the egg yolk, then tilted its head and gently pecked at Ye Qingzhou's fingers with its beak.

"Chirp!"

Ye Qingzhou paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Little guy, you're quite affectionate."

However, the next second, the bird suddenly opened its beak...

"call!"

A tiny flame shot out, almost burning Ye Qingzhou's sleeve!
"what?"

Ye Qingzhou quickly withdrew his hand, looking at it in surprise, "This little thing, it can actually breathe fire right after it was born?"

The little bird seemed quite pleased with itself. It chirped twice more, then wobbled out of its egg, stumbled towards him, and finally jumped right into his arms.

"..."

Ye Qingzhou looked down at the clingy little guy and was speechless for a moment.

He had originally planned that if the hatched bird was an ordinary fire-feathered bird, he would tame it into his own demon beast.

Now look what's happened, this little thing is treating him like its mother?

"Fine, you can come with me from now on."

Ye Qingzhou sighed and reached out to stroke its head. "However, you still need to be given a name."

The little bird tilted its head to look at him, as if it were waiting.

Ye Qingzhou pondered for a moment, then suddenly laughed, "Since you have such a fiery temper, and you were born breathing fire, let's call you—'Raging Flame'."

"Chirp!" The little bird seemed to like the name and fluttered its wings happily twice.

That night, Ye Qingzhou studied the "Seven Emotions Beast Taming Technique" by the campfire and discovered that it recorded a special taming method—taming beasts with emotions.

"Refining demons with the seven emotions, controlling beasts with qi?"

He murmured, "Every demon beast, if it can resonate with one of the seven emotions, can connect with its master and unleash combat power far exceeding that of its peers."

He looked thoughtfully at Nu Yan, who was sleeping on his lap.

"Fire-attribute demonic beasts are naturally violent, perfectly suited to the emotion of 'rage'..."

He tried to circulate the Qi of "Anger," and a crimson light emanated from his palm. He then gently pressed it against the back of the raging flame.

"Chirp?"

The raging flames looked up in a daze, but soon, its body began to change!
The originally fluffy down gradually hardened and turned into crimson feathers, and its size also grew rapidly, from the size of a palm to half the length of an arm.

Most astonishingly, tiny flames ignited at the tips of its tail feathers, and its pupils changed from black to crimson gold!

"really!"

Ye Qingzhou exclaimed in delight, "The Seven Emotions Qi can catalyze the evolution of demonic beasts!"

Nu Yan seemed to sense the increase in power as well, excitedly flapping its wings, circling around Ye Qingzhou once, and then landing on his shoulder, affectionately nuzzling his cheek.

"Good, from now on you will be my 'Beast of Wrath'."

Ye Qingzhou smiled, observing the changes in Nu Yan's body.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out outside the camp!
"Enemy attack!"

The Golden Feather Guards' stern shouts rang out.

Ye Qingzhou suddenly stood up and rushed out of the tent. In the distance, dozens of pairs of eerie green eyes were slowly approaching from the woods!
It looks somewhat similar to an ordinary Wind Shadow Wolf, but it is surrounded by a dark red aura of malevolence, clearly indicating that it is a "Blood Fiend Wolf" that has been corrupted by Blood Fiend Qi!
"People from the Blood Fiend Sect?"

Ye Qingzhou's eyes turned cold.

The Imperial Advisor stood calmly in the center of the camp: "It seems someone doesn't want you to enter the capital smoothly."

Ye Qingzhou sneered and waved his hand: "Silver Blade!"

"Awoo~"

With a long howl, Silver Blade leaped out of the shadows and pounced directly on the wolf pack!
The raging flames on Ye Qingzhou's shoulder also sensed the fighting spirit. With a flap of its wings, it took the initiative to fly towards the wolf pack, and opened its mouth to unleash a blazing line of fire!

"boom!"

Wherever the flames passed, the Blood Wolves howled and rolled around, their fur charred black!

A hint of surprise flashed in Ye Qingzhou's eyes: "This little guy is so aggressive?"

The Imperial Advisor observed from the side, his eyes gleaming: "Interesting. Your way of controlling beasts... seems different from ordinary people."

Ye Qingzhou didn't answer, but focused on controlling the raging flames and silver blade in battle. Soon, the wolf pack was driven back, but Ye Qingzhou knew this was only the beginning.

The Blood Fiend Sect will not let him off easily, and his path as a Seven Emotions Demon Beast has only just begun...

Raindrops pattered on the leaves in the forest, making a rustling sound.

Ye Qingzhou reined in his silver blade and looked up at the gloomy sky. The rain had been falling for a whole day since they left Beishan.

There's a cave ahead.

The Imperial Advisor's voice came from the back of the Xuan Tianhe crane, revealing a calm and composed demeanor: "We will rest here tonight."

Ye Qingzhou nodded and patted Yin Ren's neck.

The silver wolf dragon let out a low growl and walked towards the cave entrance.

The flames crouched on his shoulder, their crimson feathers slightly ruffled, evaporating the falling raindrops into white mist.

The cave was dry and spacious inside. The Golden Feather Guards skillfully lit torches and set up a guard post at the entrance.

Ye Qingzhou chose a seat closer to the inside and took out some dry rations from his bag. Nu Yan immediately jumped into his palm and pecked at the crumbs.

"Glutton."

Ye Qingzhou chuckled, a wisp of joy emanating from his fingertips. The little sparrow comfortably squinted its eyes, its feathers becoming even more vibrant. The Imperial Advisor, who had appeared behind him unnoticed, said, "Your method of beast taming is unparalleled in my life."

Ye Qingzhou's muscles tensed slightly, but his expression remained unchanged: "The Imperial Advisor is a man of great knowledge and experience; my humble skills are nothing to speak of."

"Insignificant?"

The Imperial Advisor chuckled, and Xuan Tianhe tilted its head on his shoulder. "To enable the Fire Feather Chicken to awaken its 'Fire Burst' talent ahead of schedule, that's no small matter."

Ye Qingzhou's heart skipped a beat. He did find that the flames of the raging fire were indeed hotter than those of ordinary fire-feathered birds, but he did not expect that the Imperial Advisor would see through its true nature at a glance.

"I was just lucky."

The Imperial Advisor remained noncommittal and turned to walk towards his own bunk.

As Ye Qingzhou was deep in thought, he heard the old man say again, "There might be a 'Phantom Sound Fox' appearing tonight. If you're interested, you can give it a try."

Phantom Fox?
Ye Qingzhou searched his memory for the name. It was a rare third-tier demon beast, pure white in color, skilled in sonic attacks, and capable of trapping people in illusions.

Most remarkably, they feed on emotions, and are especially fond of melancholy people.

"The 'sorrow' of the seven emotions..."

Ye Qingzhou seemed to be deep in thought.

As night deepened, the rain intensified.

Ye Qingzhou had Yin Ren guard the cave entrance, while he quietly went to a small cave on the other side of the mountain wall.

The terrain here is high, offering a panoramic view of the entire mountain forest.

He activated the "Seven Emotions Beast Taming Technique" and slowly released the Qi of "sorrow".

The cyan energy spread like a thin mist, carrying with it longing for Uncle Fu, confusion about his origins, and uncertainty about the future.

Before long, a faint rustling sound came from the forest. A small, pure white fox peeked out from the bushes, with a tuft of silver fur on the tips of each ear.

It cautiously looked around, but was eventually drawn by the "worry" energy and slowly approached.

Ye Qingzhou held his breath. The Illusionary Fox was inherently suspicious and would flee at the slightest sign of trouble. He remained motionless, simply radiating a gentle melancholy.

The little fox finally stopped three steps away from him, tilting its head to examine this strange human.

Suddenly, its ears twitched, as if it had discovered something, and it darted to Ye Qingzhou's feet—there was an injured butterfly struggling in the rain.

Instead of hunting, the Phantom Fox gently nudged the butterfly with its nose and let out a low whimper.

Ye Qingzhou was surprised to find that it had a sad expression in its eyes.

"You little rascal, have you lost an important family member?"

Ye Qingzhou said softly.

The little fox then realized it had been exposed and turned to run away.

Ye Qingzhou immediately condensed the Qi of "worry" into threads and gently wrapped them around the area.

Unexpectedly, the Phantom Fox did not resist; instead, it actively absorbed the energy.

A strange connection was established between the two. Ye Qingzhou "saw" fragments of the Illusionary Sound Fox's memories: a larger Illusionary Sound Fox lay in a pool of blood, while the little creature before him desperately tried to awaken it...

"I see."

Ye Qingzhou stretched out his hand: "Just like the raging flames, this is the cruelty of nature."

After hesitating for a moment, the Phantom Fox finally leaped gently into his arms.

As Ye Qingzhou's hand stroked its back, a ray of golden light flowed from its heart meridian, merging with the "Sorrowful Qi" and flowing into the little fox's body.

A strange change occurred: the Phantom Fox grew slightly larger, its silver fur became even shinier, and most surprisingly, a faint cyan rune appeared on its forehead.

"The 'sorrow' of the seven emotions..."

Ye Qingzhou smiled, "From now on, you'll be called 'Bai You'."

Bai You nuzzled against his wrist, then suddenly pricked up its ears and its fur stood on end. Ye Qingzhou immediately became alert and followed its gaze—in the distant woods, there were faint flickering lights.

"Someone is following us."

He silently retreated back to the main cave and found the Imperial Advisor already standing at the entrance, Xuan Tianhe's eyes like lightning, staring straight into the darkness.

"Thirty-seven, the highest cultivation level being the peak of the Chariot Master."

Without turning his head, the Imperial Advisor asked, "Shall you do it, or shall I?"

Ye Qingzhou raised an eyebrow: "Isn't the Imperial Advisor going to ask who they are?"

"Just some small fry from the Blood Fiend Sect."

The Imperial Advisor chuckled, clearly not taking the invading enemy seriously. "Let's see how your 'Seven Emotions Beast Taming' performs in actual combat."

Ye Qingzhou said no more, patted Nu Yan on the shoulder, and then patted Yin Ren's head.

The two demonic beasts immediately went into battle mode. Bai You, on the other hand, lightly leaped onto a protruding rock, her tail swaying slightly, as if she were preparing something.

As the first arrow pierced the air, a silver blade leaped out like a silver lightning bolt, biting the arrow shaft. Immediately afterward, dozens of men in black rushed out of the forest, their weapons gleaming with blood.

"The Blood Fiend Sect's 'Blood-Clad Guards'."

The Imperial Advisor leaned leisurely against the mountain wall. "Be careful of their combined attack formation."

Ye Qingzhou sneered and formed a hand seal.

The seven emotions circulated within his body, eventually settling on the emotion of "fear." He suddenly released this energy, and an invisible wave swept across the entire area.

The Blood-Clad Guards at the forefront suddenly froze, their eyes filled with extreme fear. In their vision, the cave seemed like a dark abyss, connected to hell, with terrifying demons constantly crawling out!

"Illusion? No... it's an attack that directly targets emotions!"

The leading charioteer was shocked, "Form the 'Heart-Cleansing Formation'!"

But it was too late. Bai You seized the opportunity to let out a shrill cry, the sound waves resonating with the Qi of "fear," amplifying the fear several times over. Five or six Blood-Clad Guards with lower cultivation levels suffered a mental breakdown, dropping their weapons and fleeing frantically.

Not to be outdone, the raging flames flew into the air and spewed out a crimson line of fire.

Unlike before, this time the flames had a hint of gold in them, and the temperature was so high that it melted the weapons of the two Blood-Clad Guards into molten iron!

"good!"

Ye Qingzhou cheered, but then saw the raging flame suddenly plummet from the sky, and he quickly reached out to catch it.

The little guy let out a weak cry, clearly indicating that the attack had taken a heavy toll.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Silver Blade plunged into the enemy ranks, each swing of his claws bringing forth a spray of blood.

Ye Qingzhou then channeled his "thought" energy, anticipating every move the enemy made and directing his silver blade to strike precisely.

The battle was becoming increasingly one-sided. Just as the last few Blood-Clad Guards were preparing to retreat, the Imperial Advisor suddenly spoke up: "Leave one alive."

The Xuan Tian Crane let out a long cry, spread its wings, and an invisible barrier blocked all escape routes. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ye Qingzhou injected the "Anger" Qi into the Silver Blade's body, causing the Silver Wolf Dragon to swell in size and smash the leader's knee with a single claw.

"Ah!" The man in black screamed and fell to the ground.

Ye Qingzhou stepped forward and ripped off his mask: "Who sent you?"

The Blood-Clad Guard grinned maliciously: "If the sect leader wants you dead, you must..." Before he could finish speaking, black blood suddenly spilled from the corner of his mouth, and he died instantly.

"Poison hidden in the mouth." The Imperial Advisor shook his head. "An old trick."

Ye Qingzhou examined the corpse and pulled a blood-red jade slip from the leader's robes. The jade slip was inscribed with a few small characters: "Kill Ye, take his blood; the seal is about to be broken."

"My blood?" Ye Qingzhou frowned. "What exactly do they want to unseal?"

The Imperial Advisor gave him a meaningful look: "You'll understand when we get to the capital." (End of Chapter)