Jiang Yun, led by the little girl, walked towards Hundred Beast Peak.
Perhaps because someone was finally willing to help her, the little girl's mood improved greatly. She skipped and hopped the whole way, pulling Jiang Yun and chattering nonstop. From the little girl's words, Jiang Yun naturally learned about her situation.
This girl was named Lu Xiaoyu. She had just turned twelve this year, two years older than Jiang Yuerou, and was already at the second level of the Tongmai Realm.
Speaking of which, Lu Xiaoyu's background was quite similar to Jiang Yuerou's: both her parents were deceased, and she lived with her grandfather. However, when Jiang Yun asked about her grandfather, Lu Xiaoyu stammered and was unwilling to say more, only stating that her grandfather had sent her to Wen Dao Sect and then left. It was clear she had some unspeakable difficulty.
Jiang Yun naturally did not press further, but their similar backgrounds made Jiang Yun feel a bit more concern for Lu Xiaoyu.
It was a pity that Jiang Yun himself was also a Utility Disciple in this Wen Dao Sect and could not give her any substantial help. He could only tell her where he lived, so that if she encountered any more difficulties, she could come find him, and he would do his best to help.
Hearing Jiang Yun's promise, Lu Xiaoyu's eyes curved into slits from smiling, and she nodded repeatedly in agreement.
More than an hour later, the two finally approached Hundred Beast Peak. Even before getting close, they could hear various animal roars and bird calls rising and falling in the distance, and an unpleasant odor wafted to their noses.
This made Jiang Yun frown. He finally had a direct impression of the plight of the Utility Disciples in Wen Dao Sect. Compared to their treatment, he was practically in a paradise.
Lu Xiaoyu seemed afraid that Jiang Yun would not be able to tolerate the environment here, and quickly said, “Senior Brother Jiang, it’s a bit noisy here, and the smell is unpleasant. When I first came, I couldn’t stand it either, but once you get used to living here, it doesn’t feel like anything.”
Jiang Yun sighed in his heart. He had nothing he couldn't endure; in Mang Mountain, he had even slept wrapped in the Corpse of a Vicious Beast. He just felt very sorry for Lu Xiaoyu, such a small girl, yet she had to live in such a place for a long time. It was truly a bit pitiful.
However, this also made him realize that the path of cultivation was truly full of hardships.
“It’s nothing!” Jiang Yun said with a smile, “Where is the beast enclosure you are responsible for?”
The Asking Dao Five Peaks specialized in different Dao, and the tasks of the Utility Disciples within them naturally differed. For example, the Utility Disciples of Hundred Beast Peak primarily focused on raising various Vicious Beasts, with each person having a dedicated beast enclosure.
Lu Xiaoyu pointed to the neatly arranged simple houses at the foot of the mountain and said, “Those are our living quarters. If you go through there, there’s a valley, and the beast enclosures are inside.”
Although each beast enclosure was a separate containment area, Hundred Beast Peak had numerous beasts, most of which were extremely ferocious. For Utility Disciples who knew nothing about beast control, prolonged exposure to them was still extremely dangerous. Therefore, to be safe, all the beast enclosures were concentrated together.
A Formation was also set up both inside and outside the valley entrance. This way, even if the beasts rioted and lost control, they would at least be unable to rush out of the valley.
However, even so, a considerable number of Utility Disciples died in the mouths of Vicious Beasts every year.
Standing at the valley entrance, Jiang Yun looked inside and couldn't help but take a light breath.
What appeared before him was a huge valley, at least several hundred li in area. Within the valley, there were various terrains—flat ground, forests, Desert, swamps, and even a sizable lake.
And whether on the ground, in the trees, or in the water, there were yellow light circles of varying sizes, enclosing a certain area, within which were all kinds of Vicious Beasts.
In some light circles, there were also one or more Disciples dressed in gray utility uniforms busy at work.
In short, in Jiang Yun's eyes, this valley could be seen as a miniature Mang Mountain, where various Vicious Beasts were categorized and kept according to their habits and living environments.
“Senior Brother Jiang, that light circle is a beast enclosure. It’s said to be a Magical Artifact that can prevent beasts from escaping.”
Jiang Yun nodded, feeling a little emotional. The world was truly full of wonders. Before coming to this Wen Dao Sect, he could not have imagined that someone could raise Vicious Beasts in such a manner.
However, Vicious Beasts that lived under such confinement for a long time would likely lose their ferocity little by little over time. In that case, even if they could be controlled by Cultivators, the help they could provide to Cultivators might be limited.
Jiang Yun certainly would not voice his thoughts. He withdrew his gaze and said, “Take me to the beast enclosure you’re responsible for!”
“Okay, Senior Brother Jiang, stay close to me. Although the Formation to enter the valley isn’t complicated, if you accidentally get lost in it, I won’t be able to get you out.”
“Alright!”
Jiang Yun was completely ignorant of Formations, so he dared not be careless. He followed closely behind Lu Xiaoyu, slowly walking into the valley step by step. After passing through several beast enclosures, they finally arrived at the beast enclosure Lu Xiaoyu was responsible for.
This beast enclosure was only about a hundred zhang in size, and inside were twenty-one Blue Light Wolves, sitting or lying down.
As Jiang Yun appeared, most of the Blue Light Wolves immediately stood up, their emerald-green eyes flickering with eerie light, staring intently at Jiang Yun. Their mouths were wide open, and drops of saliva dripped from their exposed, gleaming fangs.
Clearly, the Blue Light Wolves were very interested in Jiang Yun, this unfamiliar face.
On the way there, Lu Xiaoyu had told Jiang Yun with a hint of pride that most of the Vicious Beasts raised by Hundred Beast Peak Utility Disciples were ten in number, but because she had outstanding Dao Spirit, she was specifically assigned to raise twenty ten-year-old Blue Light Wolves.
Jiang Yun naturally didn't know what “outstanding Dao Spirit” meant. He only knew that Lu Xiaoyu exuded a strange aura and had easily passed the Dao Spirit barrier, so this so-called Dao Spirit should be related to the Dao Spirit.
Since there were twenty-one Blue Light Wolves in front of him, the extra one was naturally a twenty-year-old one. And if Jiang Yun could find it, he would be doing Lu Xiaoyu a great favor.
Jiang Yun completely ignored the menacing gazes of these Blue Light Wolves. After scanning them once, he withdrew his gaze and turned to look at a beast cage in the corner of the light circle.
The beast cage was made of pure iron, with each bar as thick as a child's arm, and a broken iron lock hung at the cage door.
Lu Xiaoyu pointed at the iron lock, extremely indignantly saying, “I don’t know if these wolves conspired, but they secretly bit through the lock in the middle of the night when I wasn’t there, letting out that twenty-year-old Blue Light Wolf.”
Hearing this, Jiang Yun's eyes narrowed slightly, and a cold glint flashed in their depths.
Seeing Jiang Yun remain silent, Lu Xiaoyu continued to ask, “Senior Brother Jiang, how do you distinguish the age of these Blue Light Wolves? Do you need to enter the beast enclosure?”
Jiang Yun nodded and said, “Yes, I need to go in and see!”
Lu Xiaoyu quickly took out a sachet from her person and handed it to Jiang Yun, saying, “If you go in, you must carry this sachet. This way, the Blue Light Wolves won’t attack you. However, even with the sachet, it’s best not to get too close to them, especially don’t have physical contact, because if you get too close, the human scent will overpower the sachet’s smell and provoke the Blue Light Wolves’ ferocity.”
Jiang Yun glanced at the sachet, a thought flashing through his mind, and calmly said, “No need. Just open the beast enclosure and let me in!”
“No need?” Lu Xiaoyu widened her eyes and said, “These Blue Light Wolves are untamed. They only recognize the sachet, not people. It’s too dangerous for you to go in without the sachet!”
Jiang Yun smiled slightly and said, “Don’t worry, they’ll definitely recognize me!”
However, Lu Xiaoyu refused no matter what, shaking her head repeatedly and saying, “Even if they recognize you, it’s not allowed. If you don’t bring the sachet, I’d rather be punished than let Senior Brother help me!”
Under Lu Xiaoyu's insistence, Jiang Yun could only smile helplessly, take the sachet, and step into the Blue Light Wolf's beast enclosure.