Chapter 156: Xiao Tian

Right after this strange sound echoed, all the spirit beasts present actually prostrated themselves on the ground, leaving Lin Yanghao and the others completely dumbfounded.

What on earth was going on here?

Why did these spirit beasts, which had been making such a huge commotion just moments ago, suddenly turn out like this?

"Ice Roar, what is the meaning of this?" Since Ice Roar was a spirit beast just like them, he was naturally the best person for Lin Yanghao to ask.

"I have no idea either," Ice Roar replied with some uncertainty, for reasons unknown, that bizarre sound from earlier had inexplicably made him feel a sense of strange familiarity.

"Benefactor, we meet again." A low, husky voice drifted over from the gloomy shadows.

"Who are you?" Ice Roar asked, feeling rather baffled. When on earth had he ever become this person's benefactor?

Even if he truly were this person's benefactor, such a meeting should be impossible in the Spirit Realm.

"Thousands of years have passed, so it is only natural that my benefactor no longer remembers me." The figure of the speaker slowly emerged into the light.

A man with a wolf's face and a human body revealed himself.

"A beastman?" This term suddenly popped up in Lin Yanghao's mind.

"Thousands of years? Who are you?" Ice Roar asked, his confusion deepening. If thousands of years had indeed passed, he could guarantee that he certainly had not saved this individual in the Spirit Realm.

If he truly had saved him, it could only have happened back in the Immortal Realm.

Moreover, this being was actually a beastman. Since when did beastmen exist in a place like the Spirit Realm?

"Benefactor, I am Xiao Tian! Do you still remember the Beastman Tribe of the Immortal Realm?" Upon reaching this point, the werewolf named Xiao Tian fell into a deep reverie.

A wide variety of beastmen lived within the Beastman Tribe, including werewolves, dog-headed men, leopard-men, and many others.

They resided at the very bottom of the Immortal Realm, falling somewhat short even compared to the indigenous mortals of that realm.

Beastmen were incapable of practicing cultivation because the structure of the meridians within their bodies differed from that of humans.

However, they had evolved a unique method of cultivation of their own—the refinement of their physical bodies.

The most powerful beastmen possessed strength that could rival even Great Luo Golden Immortals.

Xiao Tian was merely one of the members belonging to the Beastman Tribe.

"What? You actually come from the Beastman Tribe?" Ice Roar was startled. It appeared that he truly originated from the Immortal Realm and was indeed a member of the Beastman Tribe.

At this moment, everything finally made complete sense.

As for the strange howl from earlier, Ice Roar finally remembered it as well; it was unmistakably the unique secret signal belonging exclusively to the Beastman Tribe.

Yet, how had Xiao Tian managed to cross over into the Spirit Realm?

As far as Ice Roar was aware, the Beastman Tribe possessed no such capability to traverse realms.

"Yes, Grandfather Heavenly Tiger," Xiao Tian gazed at Ice Roar with an expression filled with emotion. He really was Grandfather Heavenly Tiger after all!

Yet, why was Grandfather Heavenly Tiger here in the Spirit Realm?

This point left him deeply puzzled.

"Alas, how did you manage to come to the Spirit Realm?" Similarly, Ice Roar was plagued by this very same question.

Meanwhile, Lin Yanghao and Bone Stone stood off to the side, staring blankly at the two of them.

These two were essentially having a family reunion right here...

Such were the thoughts running through Lin Yanghao's mind.

"Grandfather Heavenly Tiger? So Ice Roar actually has a name like that..." Lin Yanghao chuckled inwardly.

"If things stand like this, does that mean I'm safe now?" Realizing this, Lin Yanghao immediately relaxed his mind.

"The Immortal Realm?!" What a distant, unreachable term that was. The heart of Bone Stone had already churned with towering waves, unable to calm down for a long time.

Judging by what they had just said, both Ice Roar and Xiao Tian hailed from the Immortal Realm?!

Bone Stone even suspected that he might have misheard, yet this was undeniably the absolute truth.

It took quite a while for Bone Stone to snap out of his daze. The way he looked at Ice Roar and Xiao Tian had completely changed now. These people were immortal beasts! Although he had never heard of this so-called Beastman Tribe, it certainly sounded immensely formidable.

"Just what kind of person is this Lin Yanghao? How is it that even immortal beasts obey his commands?"

At this instant, Bone Stone screamed inwardly: "Can someone please tell me just how many secrets this Lin Yanghao is hiding!"

"Grandfather Heavenly Tiger, you have no idea. Not long after you went missing, those damned human cultivators invaded our Beastman Tribe in pursuit of exorbitant profits. We were ultimately outnumbered and defeated. With no other option left at the time, the chieftain and several elders pooled their strength to tear open the barrier between the Immortal Realm and the Spirit Realm, sending us away to the Spirit Realm in order to preserve the roots of our tribe." At this point, tears began to stream down Xiao Tian's face.

"You? You mean to say you weren't the only one who came to the Spirit Realm? Where are the others then?" Ice Roar asked, his expression filled with doubt.

At the same time, a dull ache blossomed in his heart, as he had not expected that the Beastman Tribe would ultimately meet its demise.

"The others all perished within the spatial turbulence; I am the sole survivor. Grandfather Heavenly Tiger, how did you go missing back then? And how did you end up in this Spirit Realm?" Seeing Ice Roar felt to Xiao Tian just like being reunited with kin.

"Ah, that is a long story. I'll make it brief. I, too, was harmed by human cultivators," Ice Roar sighed and said.

"Grandfather Heavenly Tiger, how were you harmed by human cultivators?" Xiao Tian asked indignantly. All of this misfortune stemmed entirely from humans.

In Xiao Tian's heart, humans were quite literally the root of all evil.

Naturally, he harbored an intense aversion toward humankind.

And so, Ice Roar proceeded to recount how he had ended up in the Spirit Realm and subsequently lost all of his cultivation base.

As for the matter of acknowledging Lin Yanghao as his master, he deliberately omitted it; how could Ice Roar possibly bring himself to speak of such a humiliating event?

"What? Grandfather Heavenly Tiger, your current strength has actually plummeted to this state? Whatever shall we do?" Upon hearing this, an unspeakable worry filled Xiao Tian's heart.

"It is fine. It is merely the loss of cultivation. As long as one's life remains, there is still hope for everything," Ice Roar comforted himself. How could he possibly want things to be this way?

Yet, circumstances had forced his hand...

"Mn, I believe Grandfather Heavenly Tiger will definitely be able to return to your former glory."

"Right, you mentioned earlier that he stole something of yours. What exactly was stolen?" It was only at this moment that Ice Roar recalled they had come into conflict precisely because of this matter.

"The Purple Vine. It is of vital importance to us. We humbly request our benefactor to return it to us," Xiao Tian pleaded. Originally, he had grown disheartened, believing there was no hope left in finding the Purple Vine.

"Lin Yanghao, did you take their Purple Vine? If possible, please return it to them," Ice Roar said, feeling somewhat awkward as he made the request to Lin Yanghao.

"This Purple Vine is of great utility to me as well. I only took a single stalk; I can return the rest to you. How does that sound?" Since the consumption of the Purple Vine was minimal, taking just one stalk would be more than enough.

Lin Yanghao had already prepared himself mentally. If the other party refused, there would be nothing more to discuss, and they wouldn't get a single stalk back.

"Since that is the case, I will let you keep that one stalk," Xiao Tian pondered for a moment before agreeing.

After all, the upper hand lay entirely in the other's grasp, and retaining ninety percent of it was still far better than getting nothing at all.

Thus, after much deliberation, he accepted Lin Yanghao's proposal.