Chapter 1023: Nian Beast

"You mortal really are a bit strange." The Nian beast's playful nature was fully aroused; they were mythical beasts inherently possessed of curiosity and a restless energy, otherwise they wouldn't mingle among human crowds to play every year.

With a roar, the Nian beast pounced toward Lu Yang, who swung his arm in a wide arc and smashed forward. Ever since his physical body had been enhanced, he felt that close-quarters combat was rather entertaining as well.

"As if I'd be afraid of you!"

The man and the beast wrestled together, the Nian beast pressing down on Lu Yang and snarling at him, splattering its saliva all over Lu Yang's face.

"Samadhi True Fire, ptooey!"

When Lu Yang first learned the Samadhi True Fire, it was precisely to launch it from his mouth to catch enemies by surprise. He hadn't expected to use it on a Nian beast.

Singed by the Samadhi True Fire, the Nian beast's mane withered and curled into tiny black dots from the heat. Seeing this, Lu Yang flipped himself over and pressed down on it, gaining the upper hand.

The man and the beast fought fiercely, with no telling who held the advantage, and the scheming involved within the clash was enough to make one applaud in admiration.

Provided, of course, that one could actually see the Nian beast.

"Second-in-command, why are you suddenly rolling around?" Yun Mengmeng asked in bewilderment. She had heard that New Year's money, also known as 'evil-suppressing money', had the function of suppressing evil spirits. Could it be that the Second-in-command hadn't received enough New Year's money and had become possessed?

"I am fighting a Nian beast, you just can't see it." Having said that, Lu Yang was once again pinned back down by the Nian beast.

"You are a legendary Nian beast after all, can't you use some other method of attack!" Lu Yang raged, feeling like he was fighting like a primitive caveman.

"Lose the fight but don't lose face, you use another method first and then I'll use another method!"

"Ptooey!"

"Ptooey!"

Neither of them was willing to admit falling behind in close combat, steadfastly refusing to use other methods, purely competing in physical toughness, strength, and close-quarters techniques.

Watching Lu Yang like this, Yun Mengmeng realized it really didn't seem like he was hallucinating; he was truly fighting an invisible enemy.

She tried to touch the Nian beast by following her intuition, but her hand passed straight through it, touching nothing at all.

Yun Mengmeng did not know that the Nian beast was a mythical beast nurtured by the Dao Fruit of Time. Born with a connection to time, it had completed a life ascension and was already a living entity on a completely different level.

"Second-in-command, do you need my help?"

"No need, I refuse to believe I can't beat it!" The veins on Lu Yang's forehead bulged; he absolutely had to gain the upper hand over the Nian beast.

Inside his spiritual space, the Immortal Fairy was jumping up and down, giving Lu Yang moral support. After all, beating a Nian beast could be considered a New Year custom.

Just as Lu Yang and the Nian beast were locked in a stalemate, a row of fiery clouds suddenly appeared on the horizon, swiftly speeding toward the direction of the Single-Minded Sect.

Only when the fiery clouds drew near did Lu Yang see clearly that this was no fiery cloud at all; these were clearly herds of Nian beasts!

The leading Nian beast was as large as a small mountain, radiating a terrifying pressure—it was the patriarch of the Nian beast clan.

Seeing the young Nian beast actually here, the Nian beast patriarch's expression changed drastically: "Chuyi, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you never to come to the Single-Minded Sect? This is a forbidden zone for our Nian beast clan, there is a terrifying great demon here!"

"Watch out or the great demon will suddenly appear and carry you away!"

Seeing the patriarch arrive with the clan members, the young Nian beast dared not play around with Lu Yang any longer. It hurriedly pushed Lu Yang away, looking somewhat defiant: "Patriarch, I'm not a child anymore. Don't think I don't know that the great demon stuff is all a lie. I've stayed here for so long and haven't seen any great demon!"

"Foolish!" The Nian beast patriarch was furious. Back then, even I barely managed to escape upon encountering that great demon. If you met her, would you still be bouncing around so livelily?

The Nian beast patriarch came down, bit the young Nian beast by the neck in one mouthful, and tossed it onto its back.

For some reason, although the Nian beast patriarch hadn't said it explicitly, Lu Yang instinctively felt that the "great demon" it spoke of was his Eldest Senior Sister.

How truly detestable, daring to slander Eldest Senior Sister right in front of him.

Eldest Senior Sister was such a wonderful person; she guided his cultivation and would rush over to help whenever he encountered danger. How could such a person be a great demon?

"Hmm, you can see us?"

Only then did the Nian beast patriarch notice Lu Yang's existence. It lay on the ground, its massive brown pupils reflecting Lu Yang's minuscule figure.

"Interesting kid, could it be that you are an existence blessed by an immortal?" The Nian beast patriarch was well-traveled and knowledgeable; there indeed existed such a class of mortals who could perceive them, and every single one of them was a lucky soul favored by immortals.

"Is that a wooden plaque of the Lord worn around your neck?" The Nian beast patriarch felt a familiar power emanating from Lu Yang's chest.

"Are you talking about this? This was given to me by someone from the Five Elements Sect." Lu Yang took out a wooden plaque, which originated from a part of the Divine Tree of Jianmu.

"The immortal corpse of the Lord..." Seeing this wooden plaque, the Nian beast patriarch felt a sudden sense of loss.

It was from the previous patriarch that it learned where the immortal corpse of the Lord was buried.

"Wait a moment, I'll call someone over." Seeing that the Nian beast patriarch felt something toward a wooden plaque even without having met the Immortal of Time, Lu Yang directly dragged over a completely dazed Li Haoran.

"Look at him, do you feel any sense of familiarity?"

The Nian beast patriarch frowned, not knowing why Lu Yang would drag such a person over.

"What could I possibly feel? This person can't even see us."

Lu Yang frowned. The Nian beast patriarch felt absolutely nothing toward Li Haoran?

"Aha, so be it. Since you can see us and even possess the Lord's wooden plaque, it seems to be fate. It is rare for a living being to perceive our existence, so let us give you a ride!"

The Nian beast patriarch stopped thinking about the Immortal of Time; this didn't suit the optimistic character of their Nian beast clan. Because of their different life level, they could not communicate with other living beings. Rarely encountering a lucky soul like Lu Yang, they naturally had to entertain him properly for a stretch.

"This..."

"Come along, come along. This is an opportunity that countless people could only envy."

Giving Lu Yang no room for argument, the Nian beast patriarch bit Lu Yang's collar and tossed him onto its back in the exact same manner it had tossed the young Nian beast, leaving behind Li Haoran on the spot, who still had no idea what he had been dragged over for, as well as Yun Mengmeng, who watched blankly as the Second-in-command flew away.

Basically, none of the beasts in the Nian beast clan had ever met a living being who could speak to them. They all appeared very excited, crowding around to chatter at once.

"Brother, which immortal did you run into?"

"Which aspect of yours caught an immortal's eye?"

"Did you see us last year?"

"How did you end up fighting with Nian Chuyi, and who won?"

"Alright, alright, all of you shut up, I'm about to start flying!" the Nian beast patriarch shouted, its form becoming illusory.

Lu Yang entered a wondrous state, an endless torrent of water blowing directly against his face so hard he couldn't open his eyes.

Straining to open one eye, he found himself situated within the torrent of time. Images of his past experiences appeared from both sides like a slideshow: joining the Single-Minded Sect, slaying the tiger demon during the Foundation Establishment stage, blending into the Immortal Cult, reviving the Immortal Fairy, founding the Heavenly Court... all the way until tonight, New Year's Eve.

Just when Lu Yang thought it was about to end, images actually continued to appear on both sides!

The images were extremely blurry; Lu Yang could only see one clearly.

In the image, a box world slowly unfolded, revealing a boundless, brilliant starry sky.

Boom!

The Nian beast patriarch flew out of the torrent of time with Lu Yang, and the images on both sides collapsed.