LIGHTNOVELONLINE
Chapter 180: Don't start yet
Having just finished cleaning up the tableware, Ao Lan emerged from the kitchen and witnessed this scene.
"Creating something out of thin air!? Well It doesn't seem so surprising when it comes to an expert like My Lord."
Ao Lan was briefly stunned, then quickly regained her composure.
"Master, come see this! Yourong has caught so many spirit beasts this time."
Seeing that a place had been prepared for the spirit beasts, Li Yourong eagerly approached the enclosure with a spirit beast pouch in hand. Chen Daoxuan, to not dampen her enthusiasm, decided to forgo his plans for sleep and stood beside her, chuckling with his hands behind his back.
As Yourong released the contents of the pouch, the spirit beasts inside poured into the enclosure. At first, the creatures seemed bewildered, but then they grew frantic, darting around in a bid to escape this unfamiliar place. Despite the simple enclosure being less than a meter tall, these spirit beasts were unable to exit of their own accord.
"Are these rules? Truly befitting of My Lord, who's already mastered the rules!"
Li Yourong couldn't decipher the significance, but Ao Lan recognized the remarkable nature of the enclosure. Rather than a mere barrier, it was an embodiment of rules, disguised as a fence.
In the world, rules were constantly at work, yet even among Immortals, few could truly comprehend them, let alone manipulate them. However, Pavilion Master was distinct, transforming rules into reality and wielding them with ease.
"Merely a minor trick. No need for astonishment."
Seeing Ao Lan's amazed gaze, Chen Daoxuan chuckled lightly. Restricting an area with rules wasn't much of a feat. Even outside the Pavilion's domain, he could achieve it with his current level of power. Compared to resurrecting the dead, it was a considerably lower level of difficulty.
"A minor trick?"
Ao Lan repeated dazedly. A feat that even Immortals couldn't accomplish was indeed "minor."
"Master, Yourong thought of a question." Suddenly, Li Yourong, observing the nearly hundred demon beasts within the spirit circle, appeared solemn and earnest.
"Hmm? What question?"
Chen Daoxuan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, slightly surprised that his second disciple was now pondering questions.
"These spirit beasts... they don't seem enough for our Heavenly Dao Pavilion for long."
Li Yourong furrowed her brow, appearing somewhat troubled.
Most of the demon beasts inside the circle had developed sentience. Although they couldn't speak, they understood Li Yourong's intentions. Originally, they had been confined here, a place where they anticipated domestication, becoming spirit pets. But now, with Yanran's remark, their realization dawned on them: they had been captured as food!?
"Roar"
"Aw"
"Hawk"
Roars and cries echoed instantly. The beasts grew restless, even though their attempts to escape the barrier were futile. Some flying creatures discovered they couldn't rise above a hundred meters, rendering them trapped.
"Finish eating, then catch more. How is that even a problem?"
Chen Daoxuan paused, shaking his head and laughing.
Although the Illusory Void Mountain was not without other resources, it certainly wasn't lacking in demon beasts. At least, the few members of the Pavilion wouldn't be able to eat them all. As long as they didn't slaughter them indiscriminately, their consumption rate would never exceed the beasts' reproduction rate.
The Heavenly Dao Pavilion had only a handful of members. Even if Yourong was a glutton, there was no way they could consume all the demon beasts on the entire mountain.
"No, Master, Yourong has thought of a solution to this problem!"
Li Yourong, however, shook her head earnestly, a glint of intelligence shining in her eyes as she looked at the Master with an air of triumph.
"Oh?" Chen Daoxuan couldn't help but become a bit curious. Was his second disciple having an epiphany?
Could it be that she was planning some kind of cultivation within the spirit circle? Well, it could be a viable approach, but it seemed a bit troublesome. It might be more convenient to just finish the ones they had captured before capturing more.
"Woo" In response to Yourong's proposed solution, many of the spirit beasts within the enclosure quieted down, their ears perked up.
If they are treated like potential seeds to breed, at least they might have a chance to survive. In times like these, mere survival was already the best outcome!
Even Ao Lan, who had been attentively observing the Pavilion Master, turned her gaze to Li Yourong curiously upon hearing her words, eager to learn about this method. "Killing a spirit beast every time we eat is too cruel for them," Li Yourong began.
As she spoke, the spirit beasts within the spirit circle, who had been listening intently with their ears perked up, nodded in agreement. It was indeed too cruel.
"So, what if each time we only take a leg, or cut off a few pieces of meat that we need from their bodies, and then help them heal? This way, they won't have to die, and we'll still have meat to eat. Master, how about it? Isn't Yourong's idea a win-win solution?"
With a glint of wisdom in her eyes, Li Yourong looked at her Master, revealing her perfect solution.
??? Chen Daoxuan: ""
Ao Lan: ""
(;) All the Demon Beasts: "??????"
In an instant, all the demon beasts fell silent, not daring to make a single sound. Initially, from Li Yourong's appearance and her words, they had seen her as their savior! They thought they were encountering a living bodhisattva, but was it possible that they were actually facing a living Yama, the King of Hell!?
However, sometimes, simply dying might be a more merciful option Cut off a leg, carve out a piece of meat for the meal, then heal them, only to repeat the process next time? Did they violate some celestial rule? To suffer through such torture!?
"Cough Yourong, well Although your intentions are good" said Chen Daoxuan after a prolonged silence, gazing at the trembling demon beasts who were now looking at Li Yourong with eyes full of terror, his mouth twitching.
Li Yourong's proposed idea was not much different from the time when he first saw Yanran and killed the assassin, revived him, then killed him again. It might be better to let them die cleanly. When the time comes, they can be released from suffering and enter the cycle of reincarnation.
"Ah? Master, do you think Yourong's idea is not good? Well Aunt Lan, what do you think?"
Upon hearing Master's words, Li Yourong felt a heavy blow. Her perfectly thought-out plan had been vetoed by Master. She turned to Aunt Lan, seeking comfort and approval.
"Um, compared to the direct brutality of being eaten, Aunt Lan thinks your idea is even more cruel"
Aunt Lan's lips twitched as she struggled to understand. Li Yourong, who seemed so gentle and adorable, how could she come up with such a terrifying plan?