The Three-Eyed Beasts undergo two rites upon birth. The first is the cleansing performed by the mother beast immediately after shedding the amniotic sac. The second is the baptism that the male beast should now be performing. Only after enduring both the cleansing and the baptism can a Three-Eyed Beast truly be called a true Three-Eyed Cub, and only then can their third eye be used to refine the key elixir for ascending to the Fifth Layer: the Three-Eyed Pill.

The elder seemed to recall something and explained it faintly to Zhang Yang, yet this was immediately met by the low growl and fierce countenance of the golden Three-Eyed Beast. The golden Three-Eyed Beast, having completed the birthing process, was continuously restoring its strength. Even if the elder appeared unfathomably powerful, it would not shy away from a battle if he dared to threaten its offspring.

"Heh."

The elder chuckled, waved a hand casually, and shrugged at Zhang Yang, "It seems these creatures are only amiable towards you, showing no affection for this old man. Look at me, I can’t even crack a joke." Zhang Yang remained silent. There was no way he would gouge out the third eyes of these two little Three-Eyed Beasts to refine the Three-Eyed Pill, leaving him speechless before this Fifth Layer expert whose methods defied all rules.

"Human, are you willing to strike another bargain with me?"

Immediately after completing the baptism for the two young Three-Eyed Beasts, the golden Three-Eyed Beast suddenly turned its head to look at Zhang Yang, and a beam of energy shot out from its third eye. Both Zhang Yang and the elder were Fifth Layer experts; they did not need to receive the energy to understand the meaning contained within it.

"What?"

Zhang Yang paused slightly. The current situation was not as perilous as the one underground had been; the previous two bargains were compromises made out of necessity. Now that the golden Three-Eyed Beast proposed another transaction, even Zhang Yang couldn't fathom what sort of deal it intended this time. Three-Eyed Beasts were inherently the most powerful spirit beasts, especially this golden one, which had now broken through to the Great Perfection, becoming a Great Perfection Spirit Beast. If it found a place rich in spiritual energy and pleasant in scenery to cultivate diligently, perhaps within a century, this Huaxia realm could see the birth of another Fifth Layer spirit beast.

Zhang Yang had already figured things out in his mind. If this Three-Eyed Beast wanted to use the Kunlun Mountains as its cultivation ground, he would immediately agree. The Long family's situation was precarious. Although he was present, and the Medical Saint Zhang family stood with them, they still lacked true confidence. Long Haotian's cultivation had plummeted, rendering him unfit to remain the Long family patriarch. It was likely that Long Feng would soon fully assume the mantle of the family head, governing the Long family. If Kunlun could have such a Great Perfection Three-Eyed Beast standing guard, even if he were to seek trouble with that Twelve-Crowned Golden-Crowned Python in the future and an accident occurred, the Long family and the Zhang family would not perish as a result. With this thought, Zhang Yang’s gaze shifted to the southwest. That Twelve-Crowned Golden-Crowned Python in the southwest had been staring him down from beginning to end, coupled with Hua Feitian and the others underground plotting to kill him—these new and old grudges meant he absolutely had to ascend Changbai Mountain to settle things one way or another in the future.

"Can I ask you to take care of my children? In exchange, I will permit my offspring to become the guardian spirit beasts of your Medical Saint Zhang family, or perhaps your Medical Saint Martial Sect." The golden Three-Eyed Beast's words were astonishing, catching even Zhang Yang by surprise. Spirit beasts were inherently proud, especially a Three-Eyed Beast already promoted to Great Perfection. Regardless, its mate's death was somewhat linked to him; Zhang Yang had never expected to actually acquire this mother and her three young. But now...

"Among us Three-Eyed Beasts, any cub that has undergone the baptism can leave its parents and survive independently. My children have the right to choose. They have already acknowledged your presence; staying by your side does not demean their status." The golden Three-Eyed Beast glanced at the Three Spirit Beasts behind Zhang Yang—Shadowless, Lightning, and Wind Chaser—and it was clearly not joking. Joy was absent from its eyes; only sorrow and hatred remained.

Upon hearing the golden Three-Eyed Beast's words, Zhang Yang seemed to grasp the situation somewhat. This mother beast intended to entrust her children to his care so that she could, without any encumbrances, pursue Li Jianyi and Zhou Gu to avenge her mate. She likely had no intention of remaining in Kunlun at all. Looking at the two small Three-Eyed Beasts, Zhang Yang weighed the matter for a long time. His original intent was to persuade the golden Three-Eyed Beast to abandon the idea of revenge, but when his gaze met hers, he suddenly understood. The look in the golden Three-Eyed Beast's three eyes was already like dead ash. It could be said that if it weren't for the need to secure the future of the remaining two cubs, she would have already committed suicide to accompany her mate in death. Now, the birth of the two cubs had brought her a sliver of hope to continue living; since she must live on, her mate's vengeance could not be ignored. Zhou Gu, Di Wantian, Li Jianyi, and Hua Feitian were the ones who had cast the most covetous glances upon them and made no secret of their naked killing intent. Her current targets for retribution were naturally these few individuals. Having understood, Zhang Yang nodded, signifying his agreement.

"Roar..."

With a low growl, the golden Three-Eyed Beast lowered its head and licked its two cubs again. The two little ones seemed to comprehend their mother's intentions. Reluctantly, they left their mother's side, turned, and walked toward Zhang Yang together. Along the way, the two Three-Eyed Beasts kept looking back frequently, extremely unwilling to part with their mother. Although the golden Three-Eyed Beast felt the same reluctance, it steeled its heart and forced itself not to look at the young beasts again.

Boom!

Suddenly, the golden Three-Eyed Beast leaped up, soaring like a streak of golden light piercing the sky. In an instant, it shot away above the plain of the Long family, heading towards the southwest. Kunlun is situated in the northwest of Huaxia, and the southwest direction points directly toward the demonic lands of the Southern Border. It seemed the golden Three-Eyed Beast's first target for retribution would be the demonic sects and the Zhou family, two major aristocratic factions in the Southern Border. It looked like the Southern Border was destined for an era of intense bloodshed. With Di Wangu’s fate unknown, Zhou Gu alone would likely be unable to resist the golden Great Perfection Three-Eyed Beast. The days ahead for the demonic path in the Southern Border were only going to get harder. Of course, they brought this upon themselves. Even without the retaliation from the golden Great Perfection Three-Eyed Beast, the Southern Border would eventually face retribution from the Medical Saint Zhang family; their days wouldn't be easy regardless.

After the golden Three-Eyed Beast departed, the two small cubs looked up, chirped mournfully, then lowered their heads, turning around so all six eyes were fixed on Zhang Yang. Shadowless and Lightning immediately darted over, staring wide-eyed at the two small Three-Eyed Beasts. They knew these little ones would be their companions from now on and were utterly delighted. Although the two little Three-Eyed Beasts had just been born, they were already about the size of two Lightning Bolts. Seeing Lightning and Shadowless appear before them, they initially recoiled in fright, taking a step back, before calming down after a moment. They then stepped forward and tentatively licked Shadowless and Lightning. Wind Chaser lowered its head, looking at these little ones, and let out a hiss, appearing equally excited.

"Congratulations, little ones. Though these two Three-Eyed Cubs are weak now, they contain the majority of the energy from the Immortal Peaches within them. This energy will become apparent once they grow slightly." The elder nodded, watching Zhang Yang stretch, then continued, "Hurry up and give that other Immortal Peach Pill to that boy of your Zhang family. Then I won't have to stay in Kunlun anymore." With that, the elder left, vanishing as quickly as the wind.

Zzzzt!

Before Zhang Yang could even bid farewell to the elder, he spun around sharply only to find Shadowless and Lightning vibrating as if electrified, their fur standing on end, with wisps of faint black smoke rising from their heads, accompanied by a faint burning smell. The two small Three-Eyed Beasts retreated several steps as if they had committed a misdeed, huddled together, whimpering softly, glancing nervously at Shadowless and Lightning, and then at Zhang Yang, who was looking at them. It turned out the two little Three-Eyed Beasts had absorbed the vast majority of the energy from the Immortal Peach Pill, and the lightning power contained within the pill—which had passed the lightning tribulation—had become an innate skill for these two little ones. The reason for this scene was that the two small creatures couldn't control their lightning power, shocking Shadowless and Lightning to this state. Fortunately, Shadowless and Lightning were already Fourth Layer spirit beasts, suffering nothing more than a messy appearance.

"Chirp chirp chirp!" "Squeak squeak squeak!"

Shadowless and Lightning understood that this was because the two small Three-Eyed Beasts had not yet mastered their power, so they didn't blame them. However, Wind Chaser couldn't stop laughing after witnessing this scene.

"Truly a couple of mischievous little ones."

Zhang Yang was also amused and laughed heartily. After his laughter subsided, he looked at the two little Three-Eyed Beasts and pondered for a moment, then spoke softly, "Since you two little ones have mastered such powerful lightning energy, and you are brothers, how about I name you Da Lei (Big Thunder) and Xiao Lei (Little Thunder)? How do you like that?" The two small Three-Eyed Beasts exchanged glances and nodded in satisfaction; they were very fond of the names Da Lei and Xiao Lei.

"Alright, then I’ll take you home."

Zhang Yang opened his arms toward the two Three-Eyed Beasts. He planned to bring these adorable little ones back to show Mi Xue and the others. It was likely that Master Shiming and the elders were already eager to know the truth of what had transpired here. On the way back, Zhang Yang suddenly remembered he hadn't heard the mechanical female voice of the Divine Hand System for a long time. Since he had just taken in the two small Three-Eyed Beasts, he summoned the Divine Hand System and entered that virtual system interface. When Zhang Yang entered the system screen, he was suddenly shocked to realize that the familiar system interface had completely changed. The current system screen appeared completely grayscale, plunged into silence. No matter how Zhang Yang tried to operate it, it failed to elicit the slightest reaction as it used to. The entire system seemed completely paralyzed, as if it were in hibernation.

"What is going on here?"

Zhang Yang froze, almost blurting it out. He hadn't realized yet that his safe passage through the Ninth Lightning Tribulation was entirely due to the Divine Hand System automatically activating its defense mechanism, which far exceeded his own energy capacity, causing the system to temporarily enter hibernation.