Eternal Beast Taming Family

The old man in the crowd sensed Qiao Yinjiao's cultivation level, a hint of dejection flashing in his eyes. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture towards Qiao Yinjiao before softly replying:

"We originally belonged to the Xingyue He family, a sixth-rank noble family in Jingyuan Royal Capital. May I ask where you come from? Do you have any advice for us?"

Although his strength was far inferior to Qiao Yinjiao's, the old man merely maintained the respect due to a strong person, without being humble.

Qiao Yinjiao merely raised an eyebrow. He had no family and had only grown to such a level under the protection of his teacher. He had never been fond of those from those families.

Therefore, they were quite displeased with the old man's suggestion to invoke the name of his family.

"Judging from the dilapidated state of your village, it seems you haven't been in contact with your family for supplies for many years. Perhaps... your main family has already forgotten about your lineage. Who knows how many more years you can hold on?"

Qiao Yinjiao's tone was full of sighs, as if he truly felt sorry for the disappearance of such a village.

The old man's face grew increasingly grim, and the children and young adults surrounding him couldn't help but show expressions of anger.

The wings of the "Hun Hai Qing Yao" beside Qiao Yin Jiao fluttered gently, and a layer of waves suddenly appeared around those people. As the seawater crashed, the people and source beasts who had gathered together instantly scattered.

Caught off guard, the source beasts sensed the intentions of their contract masters. Once they realized what was happening, their energy surged, and various colorful skill lights burst forth instantly.

But then another wave swept in, and all the attacks vanished without a trace.

Seeing that the people in the village dared to fight back, the old man was terrified and hurriedly shouted, "Stop!"

Clearly, everyone in the village and the source beasts had enough respect for the old man, and the energy fluctuations accumulated on their bodies gradually calmed down.

Qiao Yinjiao's expression was calm, but this ordinary expression still made him look extremely fierce.

"Tell me, if I were to slaughter your entire village now, wouldn't your family back in the capital seek revenge?"

The old man's face stiffened, and he gave a dry laugh. "Sir, you jest. We have no grudges against each other, and there's nothing in our village worth your attention. If you have any questions, I will answer them without hesitation."

"Since the founding of your village, has anyone ever seen a kite again?"

"Yes, there are some, but the most recent one is nearly two thousand years ago. I wasn't born then, and I've never heard of kites since I took charge of the village."

If there had been even a tiny bit of news, our village wouldn't be in this state now.

The old man's tone was somewhat somber.

"Is there any record of where that kite appeared?"

"According to records, kites can be found in the sky, in the forest, on the mountains, or above the lake in this area."

Qiao Yinjiao's expression remained unchanged.

"Besides you, do the other forces remaining here regularly communicate with each other?"

The old man nodded. "We've communicated. We still maintain kinship ties, but the information you get from them is basically the same as what you get from us."

"If you wish to find out more about the kite, sir, you might want to visit the Hidden Serpent Swamp in the Mist. The last recorded appearance of a kite was there."

A thoughtful look flashed in Qiao Yinjiao's eyes. He then nodded slightly, turned to his junior brother who had been silently observing, and asked with a slight smile:

"Junior brother, is there anything you need to ask?"

Chu Shengyuan stroked his chin, his gaze sweeping across the village. "What I'm curious about is, what kind of power protects your village, allowing it to exist outside the boundary for two thousand years?"

The old man looked at the quiet, auspicious-looking boy, initially assuming he was polite and well-behaved, but he hadn't expected him to ask such a presumptuous question right away.

He looked no more than eleven or twelve years old, yet he was already a mid-level Spirit Rank Contract Master, suggesting he was a favored member of a prominent family.

"Young master, the village has survived to this day entirely thanks to the protection of the source artifacts within it."

"Can I see him?"

Chu Shengyuan stared at the old man with his round eyes, looking innocent as if the question was just a curious inquiry.

"Are you being polite?" Heaven knows how much the old man wanted to say those words aloud, instead of just muttering them in his heart, but looking at Qiao Yinjiao standing to the side, he could only grit his teeth in silence.

"If... if you're interested, there's no harm in taking a look."

Chu Shengfan pretended not to notice the subtle refusal in his tone, and simply said 'happily', "Okay, lead the way."

The village is small, with only about thirty or forty households. Some of the houses are even dilapidated, and you can see the sunlight through them.

The roads in the village were not the usual dirt roads of the village chief, but rather a kind of bluish-gray stone that seemed to have lost all its vitality, yet the village itself appeared clean and flat.

At the very center of the village stands a three-story stone building in a circular shape, with a very unique design.

The group walked through one of the portals and arrived at the very center of the circular building.

The old man knelt and bowed before the central stone well, muttering incantations. A rushing sound of water came from the bottom of the well.

Then, a stone turtle, about the size of an adult's head, slowly floated up from the bottom of the well. The textures and details on the turtle's body were depicted very well.

If it weren't for its stiff, motionless body, one might almost mistake it for a living creature.

The moment the stone turtle appeared, Chu Shengyuan's spirit connected with the "True Nature of All Things" book in the storage device.

This was the second "True Nature of All Things" book given to his stepbrother by Chu Zu a year ago, after the family's source artifact had grown again. During this time, this book had been of great help to him.

Source: Guardian Stone Turtle

Rank: Lower Spirit Rank

Contains 7586 points of source spirit (recovers 100 points daily; the village is dilapidated and the number is continuously decreasing).

Attribute Tendency: Tortoise, Shell

Abilities: 1. Spirit Awakening: It accumulates relevant energy over a period of time, which can be used to awaken the spirits of mortals.

2. Spirit Shell: The source artifact shell conceals the family's earth-rank aura, hiding it in the real world. Depending on the area it covers, the daily consumption of source spirits ranges from 20 to 500. (If the rank difference is too large, there is a risk of being detected.)

3. Living Water: The stone turtle purifies the well water, making it living water. Daily use can gradually enhance the physical fitness and vitality of the contractor or the source beast.

4. Spirit Turtle: A turtle-type source beast that gains growth bonuses within its territory. During its evolution, there is a small chance that it will undergo a special mutation.

5. Guardian: Periodically, it can bestow blessings upon the source beast, enabling it to learn defensive skills.

Looking at the information on the source artifact, Chu Shengyuan's eyes lit up. The information was good, and he wanted to take it back.