The Master of Beasts

As a newly-added Spiritual Beast, the White Tiger was unanimously welcomed by everyone.

Unlike before, when its Spiritual Wisdom was rather low, Bai Ya could now communicate normally. This was fortunate, as Chen Jiuge had very few female Spiritual Beasts—only Yue Meng and Ao Yi. Furthermore, Ao Yi mostly went out to seek the Fire God, aside from her Cultivation. This also put Yue Meng under a lot of pressure, as she didn't even have a close sister to confide in.

After a brief period of getting acquainted, Yue Meng decided to pay for Bai Ya's freedom herself.

「 」

"So, now you're going to pay for Bai Ya's freedom?" Chen Jiuge looked at Yue Meng and Bai Ya, who were acting like the closest of girlfriends right in front of him, somewhat unable to fathom the way women thought.

How long had it been? Not even an hour, and they were already at this stage? Bai Ya's price tag wasn't cheap: a full three hundred thousand Top Grade Spirit Stones. And that was after Chen Jiuge gave a steep discount; her true value was priceless.

"Alright, alright. Then what do you think, Da Bai?" Chen Jiuge looked at Yue Meng's determined expression and then turned towards Da Bai, who looked completely clueless.

"I... I have no objections. After all, Bai Ya is Master's Spiritual Beast now," Da Bai was secretly delighted. The thought of having to work under Yue Meng for so much longer had been agonizing for him. He could barely sleep or eat, and had almost become depressed.

Eventually, after the wealthy Yue Meng paid a large sum of Spirit Stones, Bai Ya successfully regained her freedom.

"Da Bai, get out here!" An agitated Bai Ya immediately roared at Da Bai.

Da Bai, seeing the furious Bai Ya before him, backed away with small, shuffling steps. "Bai Ya, what... what's wrong?"

"What do you think?" Bai Ya scoffed coldly.

Then Chen Jiuge and Yue Meng witnessed a brutally savage beating.

Bai Ya had indeed been deeply frustrated these past few days. When her Spiritual Wisdom was low, she mistakenly thought she had gained a loyal subordinate. For this 'subordinate,' she had even debased herself to the point of being sold. Once her Spiritual Wisdom awakened, she discovered her life and death were already in Chen Jiuge's hands. She had been bottling up a great deal of resentment for a long time.

And the root of all this was Da Bai, the prime instigator, who had tried to evade his debt to Yue Meng.

As Yue Meng and Bai Yao gracefully strolled away, Chen Jiuge finally squatted down and looked at Da Bai, who was beaten beyond recognition. "Are you okay?"

Da Bai wiped the blood from his nose and said firmly, "It's nothing, just a beating. It's a good thing I got hurt today; now I don't have to go to work."

Seeing Da Bai's somewhat lonely figure, Chen Jiuge suddenly felt that Da Bai seemed rather miserable.

「 」

The seemingly pitiful Da Bai returned to his den, a sly smile spreading across his face. "HEHEHE, I don't have to work today! I can work on Artifact Refining, and my work hours will be reduced again. I'm a genius."

"OUCH! Bai Ya strikes really hard. She truly is a tigress," Da Bai muttered, somewhat displeased, as he touched the wounds on his face.

「 」

"Bali, how is it?" Ming Yujing looked at Bali, who was completely encased in sand armor. A trace of nervousness even flickered across his usually aloof face.

"Brother Yujing, I feel great! This armor's defensive power has more than doubled," Bali said joyously, smoothly twisting his body.

"It seems to have been a success." Ming Yujing was quite surprised as well; this meant his own strength had taken another significant leap forward.

「Main Hall」

Jun Linseng convened the Elder Council once again.

"I've summoned everyone this time to inform you about the war situation," Jun Linsheng said to the Sect's four remaining Elders.

"First, in the Minor Thousand Worlds, the victory split is roughly eighty-twenty, with us holding the eighty. We've successfully occupied over 3,500 Minor Thousand Worlds belonging to the Shajia Clan."

"Next, in the Medium Thousand Worlds, the split is seventy-thirty, with us at seventy, occupying nearly 500 of them."

"Finally, in the Great Thousand Worlds, it's sixty-forty. This is even with the help of local Cultivators from the Great Thousand Worlds. We are on the verge of conquering one, but the appearance of the Moluo Clan is preventing a complete occupation."

"Overall, we still hold the advantage. However, a complication has arisen in Flower Fairy Valley. According to a message sent back by Dao Tian, Flower Fairy Valley's sole Great Thousand World is in danger of falling. The source of this information is Die Luowu, one of the current True Inheritors of Flower Fairy Valley."

"Let's send reinforcements. It's time for the cultivators from the Four Major Peaks to make their move," Ye Sheng said calmly.

"I will lead the team. If the Demon Clan truly breaches a Great Thousand World, it would be disastrous," Yue Shanghua sighed.

In her earlier years, Yue Shanghua met the current Valley Master of Flower Fairy Valley during her travels, and they became close friends. Although they hadn't been in touch much recently, their friendship remained.

"For compensation, we'll ask for a few of Flower Fairy Valley's Medium Thousand Worlds. That way, our efforts won't be for naught," Jiang Taiyuan said casually.

"Alright, then it's settled," Jun Linseng agreed. "Elder Yue, ask for personnel from the Four Major Peaks. Request them especially from Green Dragon Peak. Considering the significant upkeep costs of the Hundred Dragon Pond, it's time for them to prove their worth."

"Agreed."

This was different from the Sect's previous full-scale war mobilization. This time, it was a support mission for Flower Fairy Valley, requiring only the deployment of elite forces. Personnel were also restricted to the Four Major Peaks. Consequently, Chen Jiuge and other disciples were completely unaware of this order.

「 」

"Brother Zhu?" Chen Jiuge was surprised by the sudden appearance of Zhu Yinghuang. Wasn't he supposed to be training in the Secret Realm?

"Brother Chen, I'm about to leave to support Flower Fairy Valley. I just thought I'd have a drink with you before I go," Zhu Yinghuang said, somewhat disheartened.

The drink was Immortal Intoxication.

The dish was roasted lamb.

Those poor lambs. Next time, remember to roast those newly arrived giant-fanged pigs, Chen Jiuge thought silently to himself.

BANG!

Meat and wine filled their bellies. After three rounds of drinks, neither of them used Spiritual Energy to dispel the alcohol's effects.

An already half-drunk Zhu Yinghuang suddenly slammed the table and said, "Brother Chen, my life is bitter! On the surface, I am the Young Master of the Zhu Family, the next Clan Leader, seemingly enjoying boundless glory."

"BURP! But in reality, I'm just a caged bird. I've never faced any real dangers since I was a child. My days were spent either cultivating or currying favor with the family's Spiritual Beasts. Even my first contracted Spiritual Beasts were all arranged by the family."

"Contracting Xiao San from you was the only rebellious thing I've ever done, and it even earned me a rebuke from my father. Fortunately, Xiao San has proven to be exceptional."

Chen Jiuge was in a much better state than Zhu Yinghuang; after all, his own Spiritual Beasts were all heavy drinkers. Patting Zhu Yinghuang on the shoulder, Chen Jiuge consoled him, "Brother Zhu, don't think like that. Family background is a resource in itself. The family's arrangements might not be what you'd choose, but they are certainly suitable for you."

"I know, I'm not foolish. I just feel so useless. I'm even inferior to my younger sister. When I learned I had to go to the front lines to fight the Demon Clan, my first instinct was to run away."

Recalling his parents' disappointed expressions and comparing himself to his sister, who was clearly far more resolute, Zhu Yinghuang felt consumed by shame.

Chen Jiuge opened his mouth but didn't know how to offer comfort. This was an internal matter of the Zhu Family; it was probably best for him to say little.

One drink led to another, and eventually, Chen Jiuge also drank himself into oblivion.