The Master of Beasts
Chapter 48 Task Completion

Chapter 48: Chapter 48 Task Completion

"I didn’t expect it to end just like this," Huo Lie said, somewhat dazedly, as he looked up at the blue sky.

"Yeah, it really is unexpected," Chen Jiuge remarked about this Secret Realm exploration, quite speechless.

"However, Junior Brother, how much longer does your task have to go?" Huo Lie glanced at the Fire God, wrapped around Bao Nu, and asked with a bit of embarrassment.

"It might still take a few years," Chen Jiuge replied truthfully, not perceiving anything amiss.

At his side, the Fire God, upon hearing this, showed a trace of reluctance on his rugged face and stealthily communicated telepathically to his master, Huo Lie, "Big brother Lie, let’s make a deal, how about we also stay here for a few years?"

Huo Lie rolled his eyes in speechless response, telepathically replying, "Forget about it. Once my task is over, I will have accumulated enough Merit to break through to Divinity Transformation. You too; if you want to please someone, you need to strengthen yourself as well."

The Fire God, despite his unwillingness, knew that what Huo Lie said made sense and could only nod helplessly in agreement.

The scene that unfolded was not what Chen Jiuge had imagined. He thought there would be some competition for the opportunity with the Fire Qilin; instead, the reality was that everyone was happily taking their juniors back to the Sect, at most lamenting that this opportunity had not fallen to their own juniors.

As he relaxed his guard, Chen Jiuge somewhat speechlessly said, "Elder Brother Huo, is everyone really this harmonious?"

Curious at the comment, Huo Lie said, "Isn’t it always like this? Who would dare to rob the Myriad Beasts Sect of its opportunity? Oh, Junior Brother, it seems like this is your first time exploring a Secret Realm in the outside world."

"Well, smaller forces dare not provoke the Myriad Beasts Sect, and equals also wouldn’t risk becoming enemies with the Myriad Beasts Sect over an opportunity. This time, it was only about a Heavenly Immortal Realm Fire Qilin starting its Cultivation again. If it were a Golden Immortal, maybe some would risk fighting for it, but the Heavenly Immortal Realm is still lacking somewhat."

In the Heavenly Realm, a first-rate force must have at least one Golden Immortal in residence, while those with only a Heavenly Immortal are considered second-rate, a True Immortal is third-rate, and an Immortal Daluo Golden Immortal is considered top-tier. As for dominant forces, it’s unknown because every dominant force has been around for hundreds of millions of years, and their actual Sect strength is not something Chen Jiuge and his peers can fathom.

Before long, Huo Lie and the Disciples who arrived later, along with the elite disciples from Vermilion Bird Peak, returned to the Sect aboard the Burning Sky Flying Boat.

As for Chen Jiuge, who had accepted a task, it seemed he would need to stay a bit longer, as the construction of the ultra-long-distance Transmission Array had not yet been completed.

「Three years passed in the blink of an eye.」

The once buzzing Fire Qilin Secret Realm, with the Fire Qilin now under Contract with the Myriad Beasts Sect, had not made the Immortal City less lively; in fact, it became even busier.

Especially as the local Fire Attribute Spiritual Beasts here were priced much higher than those of other Immortal Cities. After all, they all contained Fire Qilin Bloodline, and if one was lucky enough to come across a defiant Spiritual Beast that could leap over the dragon gate, how tempting it would be. Well, actually, it meant that the Spiritual Fire of these Fire Attribute Spiritual Beasts here was stronger than those elsewhere.

The prosperity of the Immortal City made the Fire Elf’s store owned by Fang Zhi very successful, and a vast number of Spirit Stones were exchanged for various Cultivation resources for his descendants. Moreover, he even set up quite a few other businesses in the city. Although they were not big, they still amounted to a modest fortune.

As for Chen Jiuge himself, not only had he fully documented the Fire Qilin Bloodline in these three years, but he had also reared the Spiritual Beasts he had captured from the Fire Qilin’s Secret Realm, developing them into the next generation. Such rapid breeding was made possible largely because these Spiritual Beasts could mature quickly by simply consuming a great deal of Fire Attribute Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, perfectly complementing his Golden Finger.

"Elder Brother, I’m grateful for your help over the years. I see you’re also a Body Refiner; here’s a Fifth Rank Shariputra for you as a parting gift," Fang Zhi said, holding onto Chen Jiuge somewhat reluctantly.

Fang Zhi had been able to earn so many Spirit Stones in these three years not just because of the booming market, but also thanks to Chen Jiuge’s "Bloodline Transformation" secret technique. Otherwise, with Fire Attribute Spiritual Beasts so common, how could Fang Zhi’s shop have made such a profit?

"Brother, there will be plenty of time in the future. Let’s meet again next time," Chen Jiuge said, trying to decline before finally accepting the Shariputra and bidding farewell with a clasped-fist salute.

Accompanied by the white flash of the Transmission Array, Chen Jiuge returned to the familiar Task Hall once more.

"I’ve finally returned," Chen Jiuge said, somewhat excitedly.

Handing in the Task Token and settling the task’s Merits, he could finally spend the next twenty years peacefully cultivating and breeding Spiritual Beasts.

Thinking of the Fire Qilin which he had been eagerly anticipating, his heart surged with excitement. Additionally, with the numerous Spiritual Beasts he possessed, the scale of the Spiritual Beast Garden could finally be expanded properly, earning him Spirit Stones.

Eager to proceed, Chen Jiuge hurried back to his cave mansion first. He cast a Cleaning Technique to sweep up years of accumulated dust, then released the eagerly waiting Spiritual Beasts.

Watching the frolicking Spiritual Beasts, the corners of Chen Jiuge’s mouth slowly curled upwards. Tonight, I’ll have to celebrate properly.

Unfortunately, after contacting his friends with the Communication Stone, aside from those who were away and couldn’t come, his friends from the Inner Sect were all busy.

That evening, the generous Chen Jiuge slaughtered nearly a hundred Red Flame Sheep, throwing a blowout for all his Spiritual Beasts and the Golden Dogs who had diligently cared for the sheep.

While gnawing on a lamb leg, Chen Jiuge suddenly heard a resentful cry, "Bao Nu, my sister, you’re back! Why didn’t you tell your brother? Your brother is heartbroken."

Feeling goosebumps crawl over his skin, Chen Jiuge said to the now significantly larger Bao Nu, "Your brother’s here. Go welcome him."

Bao Nu, slightly dissatisfied, put down the lamb leg. She leaped into the air and reverted to her original form. What brother? To actually disturb my meal, he needs to be taught a lesson.

It wasn’t long before Chen Jiuge saw two Fire Flood Dragons of reduced size walking side by side; the utterly disinterested one on the right was Bao Nu, and the one brimming with excitement on the left was the Fire God.

Looking at this quarrelsome pair, Chen Jiuge couldn’t help but be amused. Is this what they mean by the trials of having Spiritual Beasts?

After conversing with the Fire God, he learned that Zhu Yingque, who had obtained the Fire Qilin three years ago, had been personally taken in as a Disciple by the Great Elder of Vermilion Bird Peak. With an already powerful background, her status had been elevated even further.

Elder Brother Huo Lie was still in seclusion. As for the Fire God himself, he had already made a breakthrough. With lineage rooting back to a descendant of a True Dragon from the Huo Family within the True Immortal Realm, had his mother not been of the Snake Species, he might have been born as a Fire Dragon rather than a mere Fire Flood Dragon. The Divinity Transformation Realm was nothing to fret about; given enough resources, the breakthrough was a breeze.

Although an additional guest had arrived, it didn’t affect the celebration; by night’s end, both humans and beasts were equally inebriated.

「In the distant Desolate World, the continent that had fallen years ago was beginning to collapse.」

This discovery forced the great Sects, which had made prior agreements, to prematurely gather their Disciples and head there.

In the rush, all Chen Jiuge could do was give his sister Chen Xiaoyu some extra Spirit Stones and advise her to prepare more protective Magic Treasures and Elixirs.

With a worried face, Chen Jiuge watched as Chen Xiaoyu, who was only at the latter stages of Foundation Establishment, boarded the Flying Boat destined for the Desolate World. Leading the Flying Boat expedition was a Heavenly Immortal Elder from Green Dragon Peak. After all, Golden Immortals represented the highest combat power openly dispatched, and it was just a continent—without any particularly precious Treasures, there was no need for Golden Immortals to make a move.