The Master of Beasts

After sending away the two Great Demon Kings, the Golden Iron Back Ape group burst into cheers, clearly relieved of the great trouble Da Bai and Qi Daoyuan had caused them.

"There shouldn't be any problems now, right?" Chen Jiuge said warily, looking at the freshly brewed Spiritual Tea.

The Spiritual Tea had barely slid down his throat, and before he could fully savor it, Ao Yi came running in, a look of coy shyness on his face.

Seeing the fierce Fire Flood Dragon assume such a bashful demeanor, Chen Jiuge felt a visual shock so strong it made his eyes ache.

"What's up?" He rubbed his eyes, feeling somewhat weary.

"Master, the Fire God has invited me to White Lotus Mountain to play, and I want to go," Ao Yi said, somewhat embarrassed.

Judging by Ao Yi's behavior, he had likely been won over by the Fire God. Chen Jiuge was quite tolerant of his Guardian Beast's romantic affairs. He immediately granted permission and even allocated a batch of Spirit Stones for Ao Yi to enjoy himself, with the only condition being that no 'beast offspring' were created—Ao Yi himself was still too young for such responsibilities.

Watching Ao Yi's departure, Chen Jiuge remarked with emotion, "The kids have all grown up… Speaking of which, shouldn't I also find a Daoist couple?"

The gentle face of Sister Wen flashed through his mind. How could I entertain such an idea? I haven't even become an immortal yet! Speaking of which, Ao Yi has gone on a honeymoon. What's Ao Li, who is also a Flood Dragon, up to now? Chen Jiuge shook the absurd thought from his head.

Chen Jiuge would never guess what Ao Li was doing at that moment.

「Inside the ecological sanctuary」

Ao Li was carefully watching over the young Fire Flood Dragons and Red Flood Dragons, his face unwittingly revealing a satisfied smile.

Ever since learning of Ao Yi's affection for the Fire God, Ao Li had been upset for some time. He was, after all, the one who had arrived first and grown up with Ao Yi. During those difficult days, Ao Yi would vent his frustration by coming to the ecological sanctuary to battle the Spiritual Beasts.

On one occasion, Ao Li accidentally entered the protected area of the ecological sanctuary. Being Chen Jiuge's Contract Guardian Beast, he faced no resistance from the Arrays. Upon seeing the ground filled with younglings, Ao Li felt as if his heart had been struck.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" "COO! COO! COO!"

The noisy younglings continually called out to Ao Li. Far from being irritated, he showed a gentle smile and said to the clamoring group, "Be good. I've got something to do today and can't play with you all."

The younglings, though a bit disappointed, were very understanding and didn't disturb Ao Li, whom they regarded as a 'father.'

As Ao Li flew out of the ecological sanctuary, he was puzzled. Why has War Song suddenly summoned me? Hasn't it been accompanying Xiao Hua this whole time?

「Gravel Forest」

War Song sat atop the highest stone pillar, with the Snow Ape Xiao Hua beside it.

"War Song, what did you need me for? I still have to wrestle with the Giant Rhinoceros!" The muscular Yue Li landed heavily on the ground, sounding somewhat dissatisfied.

"Don't rush. Ao Li and Yang Huan aren't here yet," War Song said in an unhurried manner.

Yue Li, feeling restless, kicked at the gravel on the ground. Ever since returning from the Fierce Beast micro-realm, the highly energetic Yue Li could only wrestle with the Giant Rhinoceros every day. Although his strength improved rapidly, his temper grew increasingly volatile.

It wasn't long before Yang Huan's figure quietly appeared beside Yue Li. "What's the matter?"

"I'm here," Ao Li's voice also came from above.

Seeing that the beasts had gathered, War Song jumped down from the stone pillar with Xiao Hua. "Everyone, don't you think our life is quite boring?"

Apart from a hesitant Ao Li, Yang Huan and Yue Li nodded emphatically. Eden Garden, though beautiful, was indeed quite dull for these two.

"I want to go out and train," War Song revealed its own thoughts.

「In the small courtyard」

Looking at the four beasts before him, Chen Jiuge asked with some hesitation, "You want to go out and train?"

The four beasts nodded in unison.

"Where to? Do you have a destination in mind?" Chen Jiuge pondered for a moment. It would be good for the four beasts to train; their current strength was indeed starting to lag.

"The Desolate World," the four beasts said in chorus.

This destination was within Chen Jiuge's expectations, yet it also defied easy reasoning.

Chen Jiuge looked at the four beasts with mixed feelings. "Have you thought this through? That place isn't Myriad Beasts Sect territory. The dangers there will far exceed your imagination."

Seeing the unwavering determination of the four beasts, Chen Jiuge could only sigh and told them to return for now.

After the four beasts left, Chen Jiuge stared at the teacup before him, weighing his thoughts. The Desolate World was indeed a suitable place for Spiritual Beasts to grow, but the dangers there were immense. For Ao Li and the other two, who weren't Lifebound Spirit Beasts, it was less critical. If an accident truly occurred, they would only lose some Soul Fragments, and a bit of Soul Treasure Liquid could restore them. War Song, however, was different. If it met with an accident, it wouldn't be a simple matter of losing a sliver of a Soul Fragment; its very foundation would be shaken. Even if it could be restored, Chen Jiuge would permanently lose a contract slot for a Lifebound Spirit Beast.

Forget it. Since it's War Song's idea, I can't stifle their desire for progress because of such an uncertainty. Let's prepare well. This is also a good opportunity for them to gather news about my younger sister. It's been over a hundred years, and I still don't have clear news. It's truly troublesome.

Over the next three days, Chen Jiuge assigned several tasks at Vermilion Bird Peak for the crafting of exclusive Magic Treasures, purchased a large quantity of high-quality Healing Pills at Xuanwu Peak, and even prepared a vast amount of cultivation resources for their cultivation before reaching immortality. In the end, he even obtained several self-protection Spells from his senior sister. He had spared no effort.

「One month later」

Chen Jiuge gathered the four beasts again and handed over the items he had prepared for them. "This is all I can do for you. Your primary goal in the Desolate World is to protect yourselves. Strength and other aspects can be cultivated slowly. Your master has plenty of resources, if nothing else."

"We will," the four beasts replied, deeply moved.

After sending off the determined four beasts, Eden Garden felt somewhat desolate. He had sent Da Bai into the Fierce Beast micro-realm, while Yue Meng was consolidating her Realm as a Fifth Rank Alchemist. Da Shan spent all his days mingling with the various groups within the ecological sanctuary and rarely came out.

Am I the only idle person in the entire Eden Garden?

No, there was also Bali. Since arriving in Eden Garden, Bali's life had been quite enriching. There were no battles here, and there was an endless supply of delicious food daily. Following Chen Tingting around Eden Garden, dealing with some uncooperative "food"—it was simply paradise.

Inspired by the four beasts, Chen Jiuge, for a change, also began to cultivate diligently.

The Green Vine Immortal Body was a Body Refining Technique focused on enhancing Life Force. Therefore, it was best cultivated by consuming Spiritual Medicine rich in life-force aura. Although such Spiritual Medicine was available in Eden Garden, it was scarce, and purchasing it from the Sect's treasury seemed too costly. Luckily, those Divine Beasts had given him a bottle of Life Origin Liquid.

A single drop was sufficient for one medicinal bath, and its effects were incredibly potent. It was truly the optimal resource for cultivating the Green Vine Immortal Body.

While Chen Jiuge was engrossed in cultivation, Li Qiuwen, on the other hand, encountered considerable trouble. His plan to establish a business and its initial execution proceeded smoothly. However, shortly after opening, local bullies and scoundrels began to appear. Due to his lack of high-end combat strength, many refused to acknowledge him, even though he possessed an Affiliated Token signifying his connection to a Direct Disciple.