Chapter 1725: Sky-Blue Dragon of the Cosmic Tree

"Quickly, seize it!"

Wu Changping could no longer restrain himself; his *zhenqi* surged wildly within him. The surrounding fire net grew hotter and contracted rapidly. As a Grand Elder of the Beast Tamer Guild, he possessed extensive knowledge of Saint Beasts. The creature's sharp, powerful cry clearly signaled to its companions. With just one, they were already nearing their limit; another would surely mean death!

The others also recognized the danger. Each of them looked anxious, and without further words, they accelerated the flow of their *zhenqi*.

"Haha, a majestic Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger, one of the five kings of the jungle, captured by such a group of pathetic individuals? It would be an utter disgrace if this news got out!"

A playful voice rang out, and then a slender figure flew out of the cave, hovering in mid-air. It resembled Zhang Xuan's Infernal Azure Dragon Beast somewhat, but it was much larger, with a purer bloodline, and its strength was on par with the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger—a peak Great Saint Immortal Realm expert!

"Skywood Azure Dragon!"

Wu Changping's face turned pale. He made an immediate decision: "Retreat!"

Having said that, he abandoned the supreme flame treasure that enveloped the Cloud Tiger. Tapping his foot on the ground, he swiftly darted into the distance. As expected of an experienced veteran, he didn't care how precious the item was once he saw the situation was dire. A single Cloud Tiger had already forced them to exert their maximum strength; with another Skywood Azure Dragon of the same caliber appearing, resistance was futile.

"Huh?"

He was quick to escape, but the others weren't as quick to react. After a brief pause, they hurriedly followed. Their reactions alone revealed that, apart from Wu Changping, there were no true beast tamers among them. Beast tamers, when paired with their spirit beasts, possess formidable combat power. However, beast taming is not simple; a slight mistake can provoke a counterattack. For this reason, knowing how to escape upon discovering danger is crucial for a beast tamer. The Beast Tamer Guild once had a saying: "Before learning to tame beasts, learn to escape!" If one doesn't even know how to escape, how can they wage guerrilla warfare against Saint Beasts and completely wear down their patience?

"You used tranquilizers to try and capture us, and now you're just going to leave... isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

*Rumble!*

The group hadn't run far when the ground immediately began to churn, like rolling river water. Then, a massive Saint Beast burst out from underground, its power surging, and floated in the air. It had a lion's head, deer antlers, tiger eyes, an elk's body, dragon scales, and an ox's tail...

It was actually a Qilin Beast! However, this one was different from Zhang Xuan's; it belonged to the Earth element of the Five Phases. With a gentle lift of its hoof, a yellowish-brown cage appeared around them, encompassing everyone. Unexpectedly, another Saint Beast appeared. Only then did the group understand why Wu Changping had fled so quickly, and their faces turned grim.

"Break!"

The elder, who was at the mid-Immortal Realm, was the first to strike, powerfully hacking down with his longsword.

*Smash!*

The yellowish-brown wall was shattered by a single sword stroke. However, as quickly as he broke it, the earth wall regenerated even faster. In a short time, the group was trapped, completely unable to escape.

"If only we had known, we wouldn't have listened to Wu Changping and insisted on capturing this Saint Beast..."

Everyone's hearts sank. Like the others, they were part of a hastily assembled team. Wu Changping had gathered them, claiming that this was the only way to find the Confucius Temple, and that with his supreme Great Saint treasure, their capture attempt would be foolproof... The others calculated their chances, found no issues, and readily agreed. They never dreamed that three creatures of the same level would suddenly appear, nor did they expect that this Wu Changping fellow would flee faster than anyone else!

"He won't escape either..."

Unlike the dejected group, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but shake his head as he looked in the direction Wu Changping had fled. This fellow fled immediately upon sensing danger, acting decisively and quickly. But... he wouldn't be able to escape at all!

Sure enough, before his words even fell, a bird-like cry echoed from inside the cave once more.

*Whoosh!*

Immediately after, a flying Saint Beast engulfed in flames burst out, seemingly breaking through spatial constraints, and appeared before Wu Changping in the blink of an eye, grabbing at him from mid-air.

*Blaze!*

Before its claws even reached him, the flames arrived, forming a wall of fire in the air that blocked his escape route.

"Sky Firmament Fire Phoenix?" Wu Changping's face went white, and he trembled uncontrollably. He had initially believed there was only one Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger in the cave, and that with sufficient preparation, they could capture it. He never in his wildest dreams imagined that the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger, Skywood Azure Dragon, Empress Earth Qilin, and Sky Firmament Fire Phoenix—four legendary peak Saint Beasts—would appear in the blink of an eye! Each one possessed power greater than his own... How could they possibly fight now?

*Whoosh!*

He desperately hurled the weapons in his hands, but the Sky Firmament Fire Phoenix was too fast, its flames too strong, and its methods too numerous. He couldn't resist it at all. In a short time, he was pinned to the ground by a ball of fire, utterly unable to move.

While Wu Changping was captured, the Empress Earth Qilin had also completely trapped the remaining seven individuals, leaving them no chance to escape.

Seeing the people who had tried to capture it now trapped, the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger angrily glared at the Skywood Azure Dragon, who was laughing nearby. It gritted its teeth and said, "You can laugh later; hurry up and help me break free!"

"Alright, I'll help you break it open!"

Stopping its laughter, the Skywood Azure Dragon turned its head: "Brother Netherworld, it's up to you..."

"Mm, wait, I'm coming out now..."

Another voice emanated from inside the cave. Everyone simultaneously looked over, and once again, they saw a massive figure slowly emerge. Its speed was extremely slow; it took a full seven or eight minutes from the moment its silhouette was seen until it fully appeared. It was a gigantic turtle.

"Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger, Skywood Azure Dragon, Netherworld Dark Tortoise, Sky Firmament Fire Phoenix, Empress Earth Qilin... are these the Five-Element Saint Beasts?"

Wu Changping's body swayed, and his face turned pale: "I should have realized it long ago..." Legend had it that when Master Kong established the Confucius Temple, he feared the instability of the ruins and specifically captured Five-Element Saint Beasts to suppress the five directions. These were also known as the Five Great Kings by other Saint Beasts... They had believed these beasts were scattered across the four cardinal points, and never anticipated finding them all gathered in this cave, hidden within the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger's lair.

Slowly, the Netherworld Dark Tortoise approached the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger and opened its mouth wide.

*Gush!*

A burst of water vapor gushed out, landing on the fire net. The flames extinguished, and the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger's body abruptly expanded, its acupuncture points immediately shooting out countless sword qi. The fine-thread supreme Great Saint treasure instantly shattered inch by inch under the assault of these sharp energies, scattering across the ground. Although this treasure was powerful, its foundation was damaged after being scorched by flames and then assailed by water vapor. It could no longer withstand the sharp sword qi emanating from the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger's body.

"These people came to kill you. How should we deal with them?"

The Skywood Azure Dragon looked over.

"These people certainly need to be dealt with, but... there's still someone else hidden nearby. Let's capture them first!"

Lowering its massive head, the Golden Spirit Cloud Tiger sniffed the ground twice: "Friend, your spatial sealing secret art is well-executed, but trying to conceal yourself from me is still a bit amateurish!"

After speaking, it looked towards Zhang Xuan's hidden location, its killing intent boiling.