Beast Tamer Ascension
Book 5: Chapter 26: Recruitment

Vol 5 Chapter 26: Recruitment

After finishing their discussion, Lin Jing and the Mountain God of Lewd Sacrifices temporarily took their leave, giving Lady Nethersoil ample time to consider their proposal.

The Mountain God followed Lin Jing and couldn't help but ask, "What's the meaning of this? When I joined the Heaven-Earth Sect, I had to follow you into battle, but she gets to be an honorary deputy sect master without lifting a finger? Why the special treatment?"

Lin Jing waved his hand dismissively. "It's not that she won't do anything. Lady Nethersoil clearly doesn't fully trust our grand plan yet, nor does she trust you as deputy sect master. Forcing her would be pointless."

"As long as she shows even the slightest interest in our plan and accepts the honorary deputy position, we've already halfway succeeded."

"Why?" The Mountain God didn't understand.

Lin Jing glanced at it and explained, "Even without any official duties, her mere membership in the Heaven-Earth Sect makes it easier for us to recruit other strange deities."

"With just the two of us, our persuasiveness is limited. But if other spirits see that both the Mountain God of Lewd Sacrifices and Lady Nethersoil have joined, our credibility increases dramatically."

"The more initial members we have, the greater our momentum becomes, making it easier to attract more recruits. After we pull off one major operation, we won't even need to invite people - spirits will come flocking to us voluntarily!"

"Once the Heaven-Earth Sect grows large enough, even if Lady Nethersoil wants to remain uninvolved during critical moments, the collective will of the entire sect will make that difficult. At that point, even if she doesn't participate in 'sect wars,' will our enemies believe that?"

"You're right!" The Mountain God chortled in agreement.

Two days later, Lady Nethersoil indeed summoned Lin Jing and the Mountain God for another audience. She looked at the Mountain God and said, "Based on our years of friendship, I'll trust you this once."

"But let's be clear - I won't provide any resources or fight your battles for you."

"At most, I won't help your enemies resurrect the dead or assist your opponents."

"That's more than enough!" Lin Jing smiled slightly and tossed out a token. "This represents your position as honorary deputy sect master of the Heaven-Earth Sect. Please keep it safe."

"Also, while we won't ask you to take action, I do have one more reasonable request I hope you'll agree to."

"What?" Lady Nethersoil grew wary.

"Ten cultivators from my cultivation world came to the Origin Realm. As I understand it, one of them - a Lunar Yin Physique possessor - happens to be detained in your Nethersoil. She's my good friend, and the deputy sect master's good friend as well. Might I ask for her return?"

"That female cultivator is from your world?" Lady Nethersoil sighed in frustration. Damn it all - she'd just spent considerable resources helping that woman master the Nether Maiden Art, and now they wanted her back?

"Indeed. Of course, the Nethersoil is perfectly safe. She could continue cultivating here if you wish - we'd just ask that you treat her well. Perhaps she could serve as a messenger between you and me?" Lin Jing pressed his advantage further.

..........

Nethersoil Ghost City.

Within the city, atop a massive array composed of countless stacked skulls, dozens of Nascent Soul Transformation female cultivators with Lunar Yin Physiques sat in various positions, using their Yin Spirit power to refine the array.

Among them sat Cold Moon Sword Immortal Feng Ning. Compared to the other Lunar Yin Physique cultivators who had been here for untold years, her arrival was recent, and her mind was still filled with thoughts of escaping this damned place.

"Using force... you still haven't given up?" she thought to herself. From her very first encounter with Lady Nethersoil, she had chosen to resist by force - only to discover she wasn't even worth a single move from the ancient being who had lived for tens of thousands of years. She judged that even the sect master and others would be no match for that old monster.

"If those dozens of Lunar Yin Physique cultivators could unite under my command and jointly execute the Lunar Polarity Sword Array, perhaps..." But Feng Ning knew this was impossible...

"All hail Lady Nethersoil!!!"

Suddenly, one of the Nether Maidens spoke up, and all the array-refining Nether Maidens stopped to kowtow as Lady Nethersoil's consciousness descended from the sky.

Forced to play along, Feng Ning had no choice but to join the charade. At least Lady Nethersoil hadn't persecuted her and had even provided cultivation resources. Otherwise, given her temperament, she would have fought the deity to the death regardless of the consequences.

"Hmm." Lady Nethersoil's gaze swept over the Nether Maidens before settling on Feng Ning. "You - from today onward, you need no longer refine the array. I appoint you as Nethersoil Holy Maiden with other duties to follow."

"???" Feng Ning froze in shock, as did the other Nether Maidens who all turned to stare at her.

None could understand why Lady Nethersoil would show such favor to a mere Nascent Soul Transformation beginner with an acquired Lunar Yin Physique!

Under countless envious and jealous gazes from the other Lunar Yin Physique cultivators, Feng Ning tightened her grip on her formless sword intent and followed Lady Nethersoil away in bewilderment.

Lin Jing had made one final request of Lady Nethersoil - if the Sacred Son of the Demon Sect came to the Nethersoil to resurrect his pet, she must immediately notify him.

This clearly fell within the terms of "not helping your enemies resurrect the dead or assisting your opponents."

After semi-recruiting Lady Nethersoil, Lin Jing and the Mountain God Deputy Sect Master found their subsequent tasks much smoother.

Guided by the Mountain God, the pair aggressively sought out rogue spirits who hadn't joined any faction, pulling them into their organization.

Most spirits initially hesitated, but upon seeing veteran Origin Realm figures like the Mountain God of Lewd Sacrifices and Lady Nethersoil had joined, they naturally dropped their reservations and united under the Heaven-Earth Sect with the shared goal of leaving the Origin Realm.

In what seemed like no time, two years passed.

The once-per-decade moment of Immortal Source birth drew near.

During this period, Lin Jing hadn't wasted a single moment, expanding the Heaven-Earth Sect's membership into the double digits. Beyond the Mountain God and Lady Nethersoil, they'd recruited sixteen more Nascent Soul Transformation spirits. While none matched the individual strength of those two, their combined force was formidable, each possessing power no less than a Demon Star of the Heavenly Demon Sect.

The only regret was Lin Jing's lack of absolute command over them - the group was held together by shared ambition.

But then again, neither the Heavenly Demon Sacred Son nor the Chaotic Immortal Physique possessor could perfectly command their respective factions either. In this regard, they were evenly matched.

As undercurrents swirled, the biggest gap between Lin Jing and his rivals Sheng Kun and Li Tianyi - their respective forces - was gradually closing...

"The Immortal Source has appeared!!!"

Several days later, somewhere in the Origin Realm, immortal light illuminated the heavens as countless cultivators rushed toward it. While the Immortal Source appeared randomly within the Origin Realm, its radiance shone across the entire realm, allowing everyone to locate it. Nearby cultivators rejoiced, while those farther away could only hurry toward the site with all their might, hoping for a chance to seize it.

"So it begins..." Lin Jing, currently traveling through the Origin Realm, and Mo Yu, secluded in meditation elsewhere, were both drawn by the Immortal Source's light and immediately set out, determined to make their mark in the Origin Realm with this first major confrontation.