24 I Have Never Seen One Either (2/2)
“Where then is this mystical beast egg?” Nangong Bubai asked with squinted eyes. Yun Yang smiled and shot him a quick glance. The four young masters understood well in their heart nobody would be willing to respond freely to such a question;
“It wouldn’t mean that Young Master Yun is merely trying to tell us that doesn’t have one, would it?” Beiye Qingkong asked in an odd voice.
“Young Master Beiye, you do not need to provoke me. I’ll speak what I have to.” Yun Yang smiled, “Simply put, I do not wish for any conflict with your noble and influential families; or should I say, I do not wish to hand to these young masters the instruments of their own deaths.”
“Instruments for our deaths?” Ximen Wandai smirked, “Isn’t that a bit absurd, Young Master Yun?”
Yun Yang looked at Ximen Wandai meaningfully, “Would Young Master Ximen be willing to bet with me again?” His gaze was disdainful, hints of condescendence and provocation apparent when facing these four great young masters.
“Uh…”
Ximen Wandai’s face paled. Another bet? If he lost this wager again, he would have no means to survive.
Dongfang Mingtian played the intermediary as he laughed, “We would all become gamblers if we go on like this. Brother Yun, as we have traveled all the way here, please don’t leave us guessing.. We intend to forge a friendship with Brother Yun; it wouldn’t be beneficial for either of us if we got off on the wrong foot.”
Internally, he was thinking, “Is he threatening us? Where does his confidence come from?”
Yun Yang’s smile was full of meaning as he said, “That is correct. It would not be advantageous for anyone if we have any conflicts.”
“Admittedly, I was indeed rash about the ninth level mystical beast offspring.” Yun Yang spoke casually, “I instantly felt regret the moment the words left my mouth and I fully intended to call off the bet with Brother Ximen right on the spot… If it wasn’t for the slip of my tongue, this would have passed and there wouldn’t have been as much commotion afterward.”
Everyone’s gaze had then fallen upon Ximen Wandai, whose face flushed red. He had been the one to insist on continuing with the wager, turning hysterical over the mention of a ninth level mystical beast baby.
“This relates to a secret of the Yun Family.” Yun Yang said, “I am not allowed to say much, but this ninth level mystical beast egg… is a Golden Pinion Bird’s egg.”
A Golden Pinion Bird’s egg!
All four young master’s breaths quickened harshly.
Legend has it that one of the strongest legendary beasts of heaven and earth was the Garuda. It was magical and could wreak havoc across both the planes. Of course, the Garuda had only existed in old myths and legends as nobody had ever seen it before. This Golden Pinion Bird was naturally not the Garuda itself, but an advanced mystical beast that had sprung from the weakest lineage of the legendary beast. Once fully grown, it would undoubtedly become a ninth level advanced mystical beast!
What made it even more priceless was that it could fly!
“My master had always wanted to find a more powerful mystical beast offspring for me; firstly to keep me company as I grew up, and secondly so that I could protect myself when he was gone for good…” Yun Yang spoke slowly and admiringly, his expression was one of utter devotion.
“Your master?” Dongfang Mingtian finally caught onto the main point.
“May I ask who is Brother Yun’s master?” Dongfang Mingtian questioned with barely veiled interest.
Yun Yang kept quiet for a moment before his hand went into his robe and removed a small, wooden plaque, placing it gently on the table. Everyone’s gaze followed his slight movements. The wooden plaque was black all over but as they continued to look, it seemed to glow faintly. Upon further scrutiny, the glow seemed to glimmer like stars in the night sky. It was akin to the constellations of yore that glimmered with endless radiance, eons away.
“Stellar Wood of Onyx?” Dongfang Mingtian shuddered in reverence.
“That is correct, it is the Stellar Wood of Onyx, or more commonly known as… the Infernal Stellar.”
Yun Yang’s tone was deliberately indifferent, “My master’s writings were carved on this. Please keep it in your heart when you look upon them. I have no choice but to reveal this plaque today, and this act alone would be an utter humiliation to my school! If news were to spread, my master would definitely be angered!”
All four great young masters felt the obvious threat within Yun Yang’s words, and an indescribable tension fell on their shoulders. This small black wooden plaque was filled with greatness and grandeur, and seemed to be far heavier than thousands of catties.
Since Yun Yang had brandished this small wooden plaque, there was no longer doubt in the hearts of Dongfang Mingtian and his cohorts. The Stellar Wood of Onyx was a treasured gem in the known world. What rendered it so impossibly invaluable was that there had only been one of it in this world for the past thousand years.
Furthermore, there had been only one person who was known to have possessed this ancient talisman. No hand other than his could have held the Stellar Wood of Onyx! Its appearance signaled the presence of that vaunted personage. As the wooden plaque was turned slowly, four rows of words on its back struck the four young masters’ eyes like lightning; at that moment, all four pairs of their pupils actually contracted and their delicate faces grew pale.
“Long since have I been a guest of heaven; half a step to ethereality; by virtue of a soulmate, I was halted a step before the clouds.”
There were only these four lines, with nothing else to prove its identity. Four lines, however, were sufficient to demonstrate its extraordinary character, one which even the eight greatest families in the Tianxuan Continent were unable to offend. It was the singularly unparalleled mythical figure of his time.
He was a legend who could already decimate the void and soar through levels five hundred years ago; the first and only one to attain the godly rank of his times, the unprecedented hero who triumphed in the Tianxuan Continent for over three hundred years.
Dugu Chou!