The Master of Beasts

Chen Jiuge had been following the guidance of the two elders for almost ten years.

After the two elders determined their own paths, they decisively sent him away—after all, they too had their pride to consider.

Chen Jiuge left behind a pile of cultivation resources with a bitter smile, hoping the two elders could achieve Mahayana soon and explore the path of Immortal Dao.

***

After leaving Beihai Immortal City, Chen Jiuge casually boarded the nearest departing Flying Boat. As for the destination, it wasn't important—Chen Jiuge just wanted to experience the sensation of wandering the world freely.

***

"Fellow Daoists, we have arrived at Jade Immortal City. Those of you interested in jade stones may wish to disembark and take a look. The local specialties—Spiritual Jade and Jade Beasts—are quite precious."

"This will do. Judging by the description of the Immortal City above, this place should be quite interesting," Chen Jiuge decided to enjoy himself here.

Yue Meng and the others naturally had no objections. After all, since they were out to have fun, it didn't matter where they went.

***

In Jade Immortal City, everything from the city walls and streets to the houses, and even some household items, were made from various types of jade stones.

"GASP, so beautiful," Yue Meng was stunned by the architecture before her.

"Such an abundance of Spirit Stones," Da Bai was astonished by the wealth of this Immortal City.

"It smells so good," Jiao Yue commented with emotion.

It seems this place is indeed quite remarkable, Chen Jiuge was satisfied with his own discerning eye.

***

"These meatballs are really delicious!" Jiao Yue exclaimed in surprise, holding what appeared to be a jade stone meatball.

You can eat this stuff? Da Bai couldn't help but feel that it looked just like a lump of jade.

"Dear customers, this is a local specialty of Jade Immortal City—Jade Beast meat," the stall owner said proudly.

"This is Jade Beast meat?" Chen Jiuge asked, curious.

Jade Immortal City was not located in the Myriad Beasts Domain but was a pioneering Immortal City in the Netherworld. Established less than 10,000 years ago, it was a very young Immortal City. That was why Chen Jiuge previously didn't know of the existence of Jade Beasts.

"That's correct. This is Jade Sheep meat. The taste is quite remarkable. Would you like to try two portions?"

On the street, the two adults and two young ones each held large portions of delicacies made from Jade Beasts, eating to their hearts' content.

"Even though it looks just like jade, I didn't expect it to taste this good," Da Bai approved of the Jade Beast's flavor.

Chen Jiuge nodded in agreement. This Jade Beast is quite interesting.

***

Having become an Immortal, Chen Jiuge naturally had more confidence. Thus, he directly booked a top-tier 'Heaven' room in the most luxurious Purple Jade Inn within Jade Immortal City.

Let's not talk about the price—to avoid upsetting the little ones.

"Wow, this is the first time I've seen such a wealthy Immortal City. An inn built from Zi Yang Warm Jade—how many Spirit Stones did this cost?" Chen Jiuge touched the purple walls of the room and remarked.

"It's probably because the master of this Immortal City is one of the top Artifact Refiners, and also a Golden Immortal," Yue Meng said.

"How do you know that?" Chen Jiuge asked in surprise.

"It says so here," Yue Meng waved a small booklet in her hand.

Chen Jiuge took it and looked. Indeed, the information was extraordinary.

This Immortal City was the territory of Firecracker, a famous Artifact Refining Master from the Heavenly Realm. Not only was he a Golden Immortal, but he was also capable of independently crafting Immortal Artifacts and pseudo Holy Weapons, making his wealth extremely rare in the entire Heavenly Realm.

The most unbelievable part was that he was originally a Loose Cultivator. Of course, he had now taken an Elder of the Jiuyou Sect, the overlord of the Netherworld, as his Daoist couple, becoming a Guest Elder of the Jiuyou Sect.

It was said that this Immortal City was the dowry given by the Jiuyou Sect—truly a display of extravagance.

"I've finally found a place that specializes in selling Jade Beasts," Chen Jiuge said with satisfaction, looking at the Treasure Pavilion described in the booklet.

***

「The next day」

Chen Jiuge woke up to the noise of the two little ones. After becoming an Immortal, Chen Jiuge's mind was even more relaxed, and he slept until he woke naturally, much like an ordinary person.

After all, the Cultivation of Immortals emphasizes enlightenment. Of course, they also require more Spiritual Energy, though the comprehension of Laws is more important.

"What's going on?" Chen Jiuge opened the door and saw Da Bai with a small pack on his back, looking like he was running away from home.

From the squabble between the two little ones, Chen Jiuge finally understood what was happening.

It turned out that after Da Bai learned yesterday that the entire Immortal City was the domain of an Artifact Refining Master, he felt very conflicted.

Returning to his room, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. He finally decided to sneak out alone to the city to learn from the Artifact Refining Master, but Yue Meng discovered him.

"So, you're really planning to seek a master and learn the craft?" Chen Jiuge was somewhat incredulous. But considering Da Bai's greedy nature, it's possible this senior stimulated him—though I don't know how long it will last.

"I'm serious about this," Da Bai said with a determined look in his eyes.

After Chen Jiuge confirmed it several times, Da Bai still insisted that he wanted to find his predestined master on his own.

Watching Da Bai leave independently with a small bag on his back, Chen Jiuge lamented, "I didn't expect Da Bai to have grown up."

***

After Da Bai had left, Chen Jiuge, along with Yue Meng and Jiao Yue, went to the Treasure Pavilion.

Like other buildings, the Treasure Pavilion was also made of jade, but it was constructed from the hardest kind, Spirit Iron Jade. Apart from containing Spiritual Energy, the only characteristic of this Spirit Jade was that it was hard—very, very hard.

"Elder, may I help you with anything?" The proprietor, who had been behind the counter, instantly perked up upon seeing Chen Jiuge and his companions.

Seeing Chen Jiuge, who exudes an air of transcendence, then Jiao Yue's peerless beauty, and the little girl with an extraordinary temperament—these are definitely distinguished guests! he thought.

"I want a batch of Jade Beasts, preferably a complete variety and a substantial number," Chen Jiuge said. He had come specifically for Jade Beasts this time.

"Right away, no problem! If you would please come with me, distinguished guest," the middle-aged proprietor said with a very cheerful smile. Indeed, a distinguished guest!

After all, Jade Beasts are Spiritual Beasts. If one wished to purchase them in large quantities, one couldn't just look at the samples displayed in the Treasure Pavilion. A deeper understanding was needed.

***

「A Jade Beast Secret Realm within the Treasure Pavilion」

Looking at the Secret Realm completely composed of jade and those Jade Beasts that looked like Jade Carvings, Chen Jiuge curiously asked, "Do Jade Beasts eat Spirit Jade?"

"Yes, unlike other Spiritual Beasts, all Jade Beasts consume Spirit Jade. To raise Jade Beasts, one must have a large quantity of Spirit Jade. However, don't worry, our Treasure Pavilion also sells special treasures that produce Spirit Jade."

Chen Jiuge gave the enthusiastic proprietor a look. Well, this is a slick bundled sale, he thought.

"May I handle them?"

"Of course, of course. The Spirit Jade that our Jade Beasts consume is of the highest quality. Their quality is much better than the Jade Beasts found elsewhere."

Picking up a particularly curious Jade Rat, Chen Jiuge felt its Bloodline and was inwardly shocked. A single-Bloodline Spiritual Beast?

Chen Jiuge had only seen one kind of single-Bloodline species before: the Medicine Snakes cultivated by Great Elder Ye Sheng. This was the second. Could it be that Jade Beasts are also artificially bred? But I heard the Jiuyou Sect discovered Jade Beasts when they were developing Jade Immortal City.

Chen Jiuge's curiosity about the Bloodline and origin of the Jade Beasts instantly reached its peak.

"Proprietor, give me 100 of each kind of Jade Beast. It's best to have them from every stage of development. As for the Spirit Jade-producing treasure, bring me one of the highest quality. No problem, right?" Chen Jiuge decided to undertake a major study.

"Certainly, certainly! Please wait a moment, distinguished guest," the proprietor's small eyes nearly disappeared into his smile.

***

Watching the departing figures of Chen Jiuge and his companions, the proprietor revealed a satisfied smile and sighed, "Indeed, distinguished guests."

"Pavilion Master, you truly have the Wisdom Eye! With this, our sales for not just this year, but the next ten years are secured!" The young attendants and Maids appeared from nowhere, lavishing fervent praise.

The Treasure Pavilion didn't belong to any particular force. Or rather, they themselves constituted an enormously large force. They didn't occupy any territory or other worlds; they were solely responsible for establishing branches of the Treasure Pavilion.

This Jade Immortal City was Firecracker's domain, attracting a large number of Artifact Refiners. As everyone knows, Artifact Refiners are very wealthy. They don't lack Spirit Stones or Elixirs, as people will always offer such gifts to them.

Furthermore, the presence of Jade Beasts meant that no other normal Spiritual Beasts could survive here. Consequently, business at the Treasure Pavilion was exceptionally poor; even the original Pavilion Master had been demoted to shopkeeper.

Chen Jiuge's large purchase directly rescued their sales figures for many years to come.

***

Chen Jiuge didn't know that he had unwittingly saved this proprietor. Instead, he returned to the Purple Jade Inn, full of anticipation.

「Personal Grotto Heaven」

Li Kui and Ao Li were curiously staring at the pristine white Jade Beasts. It was said that Jade Beasts that underwent a limit-breaking breakthrough would change color. Of course, such Jade Beasts were extremely rare. The Treasure Pavilion had none, as Firecracker had collected them all.

Let's see, what exactly is the deal with this Bloodline? Chen Jiuge thought, unable to wait.

Inside every Jade Beast was the same Bloodline. Even though their outward forms might differ, their Bloodlines were identical. Chen Jiuge named it the Jade Beast Bloodline—simple, clear, and easy to remember.

The Golden Finger could not extract the Bloodline of a single-Bloodline Spiritual Beast. So, Chen Jiuge first injected other Bloodlines into a Jade Beast before extracting its Jade Beast Bloodline.

Looking at the big crab in front of him, Who would have thought that just ten minutes ago, it was a beautiful Jade Beast?

The Jade Tiger that had received a portion of Jade Beast Bloodline didn't show any particular changes, except that its surface now felt slightly silkier!?

It seems the amount isn't enough. The existence of different-colored Jade Beasts indicates that there must be at least one evolutionary stage for Jade Beasts, Chen Jiuge was not discouraged.

Following the contribution of the Bloodlines from 10, then 100 Jade Beasts, the Jade Tiger before him finally began to transform.

How to describe this transformation? It was as if a Jade Carving had suddenly been colored, completely unexpected.

Looking at the purple-colored Jade Tiger, Chen Jiuge felt a bit uncomfortable. For a tiger, isn't this color a bit too enchanting?

The Jade Tiger didn't know the human's thoughts. It only knew that its newfound strength was entirely due to his efforts, so it affectionately licked Chen Jiuge's hand.

The purple Jade Tiger was about the same size as a Siberian tiger from his previous life. After being "colored," its surface surprisingly felt somewhat like that of a living creature, no longer possessing the touch of jade.

This is interesting. It feels as if the Jade Carving has come to life? Chen Jiuge was somewhat surprised. At the same time, a conjecture in his mind grew stronger: this Jade Beast was definitely created by a Great Power, someone whose Cultivation was absolutely higher than even Great Elder Ye Sheng.

It's highly probable that this Great Power's legacy is here, and the secret likely lies within the different-colored Jade Beasts.

Chen Jiuge somewhat understood Firecracker's purpose in collecting different-colored Jade Beasts. Too bad I came along.

Let me see what secrets lie within.