Chapter 43 - Lord Mo (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

So Little Tanuki’s a Celestial Beast? “What’s the difference between a Mystical Beast and a Celestial Beast?” Ye Chen asked Ye Changxuan as he caressed Little Tanuki’s glossy fur.

“Let’s put it this way. Legend has it that the Primordial God created three unique beings; mankind, Mystical Beasts, and Celestial Beasts. Given their strong physique, a Mystical Beast typically spends their time cultivating their body. By rank eight or so, they gain the ability to produce a Spirit Pill and upon reaching rank ten, these Spirit Pills possess unparalleled powers that can be utilized offensively. Mystical Beasts generally reside in the forest and prey on humans, believing in survival of the fittest. Meanwhile, Celestial Beasts draw in the essence of the sun and moon, honing their Psyche. With a strong Psyche, they can easily annihilate any Mystical Beasts rank ten or lower, they can even enslave their minds if they choose to do so. A strong Celestial Beast is commonly seen with a group of Mystical Beasts that protects it from harm. That said, they are extremely fearful of humans as humans are superior beings. In fact, a wise individual who hones their Celestial Chi has no need to fear a Celestial Beast whose rank is on par or slightly higher than theirs. Mankind is the bane of the Celestial Beasts. As such, Celestial Beasts prefer to remain hidden away deep in the woods, and it is only through shapeshifting that a Celestial Beast can roam freely within the human world.”

Ye Changxuan words took Ye Chen by surprise. Who would have thought something like the Celestial Beasts existed! It was as if his eyes had been opened to a new world.

Recalling his astral body, Ye Chen asked, “Can humans cultivate their Psyche like the Celestial Beasts do?”

Ye Changxuan shook his head. “Unfortunately, humans do not possess the ability to cultivate their Psyche. Some time ago upon acquiring the knowledge on how to do so, a group of contenders attempted to cultivate their Psyche and failed, instead it resulted in their demise. Ever since then, no one has dared to cultivate their Psyche.”

‘If humans are not able to cultivate their Psyche, what is my Astral Body?’ Ye Chen thought to himself curiously. Remembering what the sanguine wolf said, he broke into laughter. Could he be a Celestial Beast? Thinking about it, perhaps all of it had something to do with the Nine Astra Skies. It’s best if he spoke nothing of it, lest people start considering him a monster.

“Can Psyche enslave the mind of a Mystical Beast?” Ye Chen added, remembering that Ye Changxuan’s words about how a Celestial Beast who had cultivated its Psyche had the capability to do so.

“According to the Book of Knowledge, it is capable of doing so. Given that a Mystical Beast’s Psyche is extremely underdeveloped, a Celestial Beast can easily suppress and crush their Psyche, thereby stripping them of it. It is also for that same reason that Mystical Beasts tend to submit to Celestial Beasts of the same rank,” Ye Changxuan continued to explain. He did not understand the intentions behind Ye Chen’s questions, nevertheless, he answered them as well as he could.

“Ah.” Ye Chen nodded. Just then, an epiphany came to him. Did that mean he could also control the minds of a Mystical Beast using his Astral Body? The fact that the sanguine wolf ran for the hills at the sight of his Astral Projection could signify that it was a potent form of Psyche.

He had previously harnessed his Astral Body to battle a pack of rank seven wolves, but he had never considered enslaving their minds. There was only one way to find out if he had the ability.

“What about Astral Externalization then?” Ye Chen pressed on, having heard the sanguine wolf mention it.

“Astral Externalization? What’s that?” Ye Changxuan responded curiously as he looked at Ye Chen in the eye. “Has the Book of Knowledge ever mentioned such a thing?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just making things up.” Ye Chen shook his head hastily. It looked like even the ex-patriarch knew nothing about Astral Externalization. He probed further once more albeit meekly. “What about the Daemon King? Is he considered the most powerful Celestial Beast?”

Ye Changxuan stopped in his tracks and looked over to Ye Chen blankly. Just where exactly did Little Chen read about these things? He contemplated slightly, “Celestial Beasts are just like humans, they have ranks spanning from one to ten. I’ve never heard of one above the ranks of ten, my take is the Daemon King must be some powerful being.”

Ye Chen was disappointed to learn that not even his grandpa held the answers to his questions. It seemed that he would have to search for the answers himself.

Looking down into his arms, he caught Little Tanuki staring back at him with those dewy eyes and in them, he saw guilt.

Ye Chen reached out to pat Little Tanuki on the head and gave it a reassuring smile, “It’s alright. Mystical or Celestial Beast, I’ll always be there for you if you ever need me.”

Hearing its owner’s words, tears streamed down the corner of Little Tanuki’s eyes as it lowered its head and shut its eyes. For some reason, it felt comfortable in its owner’s embrace.

While his physical body remained where it was to recuperate, Ye Chen continued to scout the area for signs of the demon wolves using his Astral Body. It looked like the wolves had been scared out of their wits and not one of them dared to return.

“Come on, Little Chen. Time to go,” urged Ye Changxuan. He looked over to the adjacent mountain. Yun Castle was usually filled with visitors. He wondered if the other sixteen houses had already arrived. Apart from the Eighteen Houses of Lianyun, he anticipated the arrival of various prominent figures from Donglin County too.

“Right,” Ye Chen replied. The two quickened their pace with Ye Chen following closely behind Ye Changxuan.

The walls of Yun Castle were clearly more magnificent and taller than Yun Castle’s with a watchtower on either side. Meanwhile, inside the castle stood a spectacular and beautifully painted palace behind the plaza with a rooftop covered in gold that gave it majestic splendor.

“Compared to Ye Castle, the Yun Castle sure is a sight to behold,” Changxuan admitted unwillingly.

Yun Castle’s business empire spans all of Donglin County. Considering the kingdom’s rapport with the king coupled with its recent monopolization of the Xuan-iron industry within the county, it’s easy to see why money continued to pour in endlessly.