CH 17

The name “Heavenly Dog” (1) has instilled fear in people from ancient times to the present. As the only surviving Heavenly Dog in the world, Ao Yue has attracted great attention since he emerged from the demon realm.

He lives up to the rumors, being violent and cruel, possessing extraordinary abilities, and having stained his hands with countless blood in just a few months.

Fortunately, not long ago, the members of the Immortal Sect, led by Ling Ye, captured and brought him back to Qingling Sect.

People in the world breathed a sigh of relief.

However, the disciples of Qingling Sect began to worry, fearing that Ao Yue would break free.

Today, the nightmare has truly arrived.

Unexpectedly, in a moment of despair, the terrifying Tengu was struck down by Immortal Shen with a single blow!

The square fell into silence for a moment, then erupted with excited cheers that were deafening.

“The divine might of the Immortal Lord!”

“With the Immortal Lord guarding the sect, Qingling is blessed.”

“This fierce demon is nothing. Our Immortal Shen has subdued him with a single strike!”

The elders’ expressions also changed as they looked at Shen Liuxiang, who was standing on the Heavenly Dog. Their gazes were filled with fear and astonishment. Cheng Yitian, who had always found Shen Liu Xiang displeasing, now showed only shock and admiration in his eyes. “Such strength… Could the Immortal Lord have been hiding his cultivation all this time?”

“Su Baiche, let go.”

Ling Ye’s tone was gentle as he spoke, but his hand was already in motion, prying open the arms of Su Baiche, who was hugging him.

The surrounding gazes swarmed over, revealing a sense of awkwardness that was difficult to put into words.

Su Baiche’s face turned pale and green in turns. He clenched his teeth and forced a smile. “I misjudged. I thought the Sect Master was in danger. I apologize for my rudeness.”

That damn Tong Xi, making him lose face like this.

“It’s alright.” Ling Ye brushed his sleeves and stepped forward, appearing in the middle of the square.

With his cultivation at the early stage of Harmonization, it was impossible for his junior brother to defeat the awakened bloodline of Ao Yue. There must be some reason behind it.

Shen Liuxiang leaped down from the Heavenly Dog and stumbled a bit upon landing. When he looked up, he saw Ling Ye standing in front of him. “Ao Yue has no power to resist anymore. Leave the rest to Senior Brother.”

Ling Ye frowned slightly and subconsciously made a supporting gesture, but seeing his junior brother looking fine, he retracted his hand. He just asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

“I’m fine,” Shen Liu Xiang’s lips curled up slightly, “Those who feel unwell are lying on the ground.”

Ao Yue, who looked like a dead dog lying on the ground, spat out another mouthful of blood upon hearing this and passed out.

Shen Liu Xiang glanced around and walked towards the black-clad youth, then promptly grabbed him and disappeared from everyone’s sight.

“How gentle the Senior Brother is when he takes his disciple away.”

“Even when leaving, he doesn’t forget to take away his frightened disciple. He truly is a good master.”

“Ah! Zhou Xuanlan, the enmity of stealing a master is unforgivable!”

Leaving the square, a sickly sweet sensation surged up Shen Liu Xiang’s throat, and he spat out a mouthful of blood. Unable to support his body any longer, he almost fell to the ground.

Zhou Xuanlan quickly caught him, saying, “Master.”

“I’m fine.” Shen Liu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. It felt much better to have the blood out. “Help me back to Chaoyun Peak.”

The jade pendant hanging on his chest still emitted residual heat.

Earlier, when Ao Yue attacked, he couldn’t avoid it and couldn’t withstand the powerful beastly force. However, at that critical moment, the jade pendant on his chest absorbed all his spiritual power and erupted with unparalleled pressure, directly forcing Ao Yue down.

Thinking about the two pitiful dog teeth that fell to the ground, Shen Liuxiang felt a sense of sorrow deep in his heart.

He never expected that one day he would rely on his family background.

Although there was no major harm this time, his spiritual power circulated rapidly in his body, causing the suppressed demonic poison to resurface. Shen Liuxiang was worried that if he wandered outside, he might suddenly turn into a child like that night, so he decided to rest at Chaoyun Peak for a few days.

There were many people that came to see him.

Several elders were at the forefront, especially Cheng Yitian. The rough-faced man looked ashamed as if he wanted to find a hole to hide in. “I, Cheng Yitian, have offended you before, I hope you can forgive me, Immortal Lord.”

“No problem,” Shen Liuxiang said casually while eating oranges on the pavilion and casually tossed one to him, “I, however, have been improper in my previous actions, so it’s normal not to like it.”

Cheng Yitian stared at the orange in his hand as if it were a precious treasure. The other elders beside him showed envy in their eyes.

The impression Shen Liuxiang had left on them was too profound. Before, he was constantly pestering Sword Master Ye and not giving him any face, which led to his breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Realm. Everyone had only felt disdain towards him, but after defeating the Ao Yue, everything had changed completely.

Although the opinions about Shen Liuxiang in the cultivation world had not yet shifted, no one dared to criticize his cultivation anymore.

A move that subdued Ao Yue carried a significant meaning, and everyone knew it.

“Immortal Lord, me too!” someone shouted from behind and hurriedly squeezed to the front, “Immortal Lord, please give me an orange too.”

The elders were stunned when they saw the figure clearly and secretly despised him in their hearts.

This guy, Wu Zhi, was shameless beyond measure. No one had forgotten Wu Zhi mocking Shen Liuxiang about imitating others in an unattractive way. Yet he shamelessly asked Immortal Lord for an orange with a smile on his face.

Shen Liuxiang was also taken aback for a moment.

This person’s proficiency in shamelessness had reached its peak.

After thinking for a moment, he still handed over an orange and asked casually, “How far has the competition progressed?”

Wu Zhi’s tightly knitted brows loosened as he caught the fruit and smiled happily, “The top eight have been decided, and they are drawing lots to determine tomorrow’s opponents.”

Shen Liuxiang pondered for a moment and raised an eyebrow. “Since we have nothing else to do, how about we set up a gambling game, dear elders?”

“Are you suggesting a bet on who will win or lose?”

“That’s inappropriate. If the disciples find out that we are doing this, it will damage our authority.”

Shen Liuxiang lightly tapped his finger on the stone table and squinted, “What is not forbidden by the law is allowed. The rules of the sect don’t say it’s not allowed, as for the disciples…”

“That’s easy,” he smiled mischievously and made a final decision, “Let’s involve all the disciples in the sect and let them join the fun.”

Time to make some money!

Shen Liuxiang smiled with a twinkle in his eyes, as if he could already see numerous spiritual stones rolling towards him.

Just then, someone coughed lightly, giving way to the law enforcement elder. Shen Liuxiang saw Ling Yue and remembered that he had locked up Ao Yue. He got up from his chair and wanted to take a look.

In the center of the dim dungeon, there was a square iron cage.

Shen Liuxiang looked over and asked, “Where is Ao Yue?” The iron cage was empty.

Ling Yue pointed to the corner and said, “He’s squatting over there.”

A small grayish puppy curled up in the corner of the iron cage. It noticed his gaze and tried to open its mouth wide, revealing two missing teeth, as it desperately let out a warning sound, “Woof~ Woof woof~”

Shen Liuxiang widened his eyes slightly and asked, “What have you done to him?”

“You hit him,” Ling Yue replied calmly. “You struck the Tengu and sent it back to its juvenile form with a single blow.”

Shen Liuxiang: “…”

The iron cage was opened, and Ao Yue stared at the approaching figure with anger and fear, wishing to fight the person responsible for this at the cost of its own life.

“Tsk tsk tsk,” Shen Liuxiang looked at the puppy, feeling an itch in his heart and couldn’t help but curl up the corners of his lips. “Come here, tsk tsk tsk.”

He tried to smile gently and amiably.

But in Ao Yue’s eyes, this smile was extremely terrifying, even more so than a demon from hell!

Ao Yue let out a low “woof woof” warning, lifted its limbs, took a step back, and its rear bumped against the cold iron rod, pitifully squatting in the corner.

Alas, how pitiful it is.

A tiger has fallen and is bullied by a dog (2).

The embroidered boots approached.

Ao Yue’s gaze turned fierce. It carried the bloodline of the Heavenly Dog within its body, and its inherent pride could be sensed. It would never allow itself to retreat from an enemy!

With its dark eyes slightly cold, Ao Yue gathered strength, and its small body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, rushing toward Shen Liuxiang.

“I’ll crash into you!”

Bang~ Crack~

Shen Liuxiang stood in place, motionless.

He watched as the puppy suddenly rushed towards him, collided with his lower leg, and was then sent flying into the air before falling down with a snap, closing its eyes half-dead.

Shen Liuxiang: “???”

“Are there people who pull this kind of trick?”

He chuckled and lifted the barely conscious Ao Yue from the ground.

He happened to be quite bored.

“No,” Ling Yue stopped him. “If you take him out, there will be endless troubles once he recovers from his injuries.”

Shen Liuxiang surveyed the cage. “Even if he stays here until he’s fully healed, this mysterious iron cage won’t be able to contain him.”

Ling Yue’s gaze fell on Ao Yue, his tone calm but filled with endless coldness. “Even if he manages to recover and regroup, he still needs to have the life to do so.”

Shen Liuxiang shook the dog he was holding, and after a moment of silence, he said, “I’ll keep an eye on him. If his injuries show signs of improvement, I’ll break his dog legs.”

Ao Yue trembled even more.

Upon returning to Chaoyun Peak, Shen Liuxiang pushed the door open and placed the Ao Yue on the ground.

Ao Yue trembled, prostrating on the ground. His entire body, even the fluffy and soft fur, was shaking. “If you dare to break my legs, my dog offspring won’t let you off.”

Shen Liuxiang chuckled. “I’m so scared.”

He crouched down and extended his slender and fair index finger, pressing it against Ao Yue’s head with force. “I kindly fed you a chicken leg, yet you came to kill me. It’s truly satisfying to see you end up like this.”

The evildoer was the first to complain!

Ao Yue angrily bit Shen Liuxiang’s fingertip, but after biting for a while, he realized that he couldn’t even break the skin.

The majestic Ao Yue had fallen to such a state.

Overwhelmed by sorrow, Ao Yue continued to nibble on Shen Liuxiang’s fingertip, whimpering and sobbing. Tears streamed from his black eyes, moistening the light gray fur, dripping onto the ground.

He looked pitiful, as if he had been subjected to endless bullying.

Shen Liuxiang remained silent.

After Ao Yue finished crying, he also felt embarrassed. He used his furry paw to wipe his nose and said, “Don’t tell anyone.”

Shen Liuxiang silently shook his head and stood up to find a piece of cloth to wipe Aoyue’s paws, so he wouldn’t make a mess later.

It had been a long time since he had tidied up the room, and it was in a mess. As he picked up a few pieces of clothing to find a new place for them, Ao Yue suddenly let out a howl.

The palm-sized puppy perked up his ears, trotted over to Shen Liuxiang’s feet, and grabbed hold of his clothes. He raised his neck and mumbled incoherently, “This aura… it’s so powerful… How could it appear here?”

He was extremely anxious and used his paws to scratch at the clothes, saying, “Let me smell it quickly. How could there be such a dangerous aura?”

Shen Liuxiang’s gaze fell on the black clothes in his hand. It was the outer robe that Zhou Xuanlan had draped over him when he revealed his true form at the Wensheng Tower.

“What aura? Why can’t I smell anything?” Shen Liuxiang wondered as he held up the garment, lowered his head, and buried his face in it, taking a deep breath and sniffing carefully.

But he found nothing.

As he lifted his head, about to question Ao Yue’s nose, he suddenly caught sight of someone from the corner of his eye.

“Master, Senior Brother.”

Ling Ye stood at the doorway, caught in a moment of hesitation, unsure whether to enter or retreat.

Under the bright daylight, the junior brother was actually alone in the room, holding his disciple’s clothes and sniffing them with an intoxicated expression…

That face, as beautiful as jade, instantly revealed an indescribable expression.

T/N: Nooo why is Ao Yue so cute… When he started crying my heart cried with him. Petition for Immortal Shen to stop bullying Ao Yue!!

(1) In case anyone wanted a more detailed explanation for what a Heavenly Dog is, it comes from the Chinese term “天狗” (Tiāngǒu). In Chinese folklore, Tiāngǒu is often depicted as a monstrous dog-like creature with wings, a fierce appearance, and supernatural powers. It is believed to possess great strength and the ability to cause natural disasters such as storms and earthquakes. Tiāngǒu is considered a ferocious and fearsome creature that brings calamity and chaos. In Chinese culture is primarily seen as a malevolent and destructive entity. It is often associated with negative connotations and is regarded as a symbol of disaster and evil. Tiāngǒu has been depicted in various forms of Chinese art, literature, and folk tales throughout history. Here is a picture of one such illustration (Source: Wikipedia ):

(2) The phrase is a metaphor for when someone of power or influence has fallen from their status and now can be easily bullied by anyone. In this case, Ao Yue went from being a Heavenly Dog to a Heavenly Puppy hahahaha. The phrase actually comes from a poem left by Zhuge Liang during the Three Kingdoms period (source:Huluo Pingyang Bullied By Dogs )