"So, Senior Brother, you want a Spiritual Beast that looks very imposing?" Chen Jiuge asked Lin En with a perplexed expression.
Do all Inner Sect Disciples indulge so lavishly? Just for a showy Spiritual Beast?
"COUGH, COUGH, it can’t just look fierce. It’s best if it’s actually fierce when fighting," Lin En said, somewhat embarrassed.
The Myriad Beasts Sect indeed focused on Guardian Beasts, but that wasn’t the case for Hundred Herbs Peak. They were basically farmers. Good Spiritual Beasts could only be exchanged for with Merits in the Spiritual Beast Hall, and they were extremely expensive. For these home-bound Spiritual Plant Masters, such beasts weren’t just of little use; they were completely useless.
As one of the overlords of the Heavenly Realm, the Myriad Beasts Sect had no need for Spiritual Plant Masters—these skill-type Cultivators—on the battlefield. Such Cultivators were core disciples, not practicing the Myriad Beasts Sect’s fundamental Guardian Beast techniques, and the number of Lifebound Spirit Beast Contracts they could form was also limited to one or two.
But as a great Sect renowned for Guardian Beasts, even the Spiritual Plant Masters liked Contracted Spirit Beasts, though the number of contracts allowed by their Cultivation Techniques was few. Furthermore, due to the stable environment, Hundred Herbs Peak had a unique atmosphere. That is, their Guardian Beasts didn’t need to be strong, but they absolutely had to look strong. It sounded ridiculous, but it was the reality.
After roughly understanding Lin En’s requirements, Chen Jiuge did have a suitable target: a variant of the colorful deer, the Thunder Deer. This Spiritual Beast not only possessed a large frame but also had antlers constantly wreathed in azure-blue lightning. After all, as a Thunder Attribute Spiritual Beast, its combat power was decent.
"Great, great, just this one! Junior Brother, just follow the directions on this Token, and I’ll go find the Powerful Warriors to move your property over. I’ll also get you some High Rank Array Plates. Remember, I must have one of those Thunder Deer," Lin En said excitedly.
Watching Lin En hurrying off to handle matters, Chen Jiuge didn’t know what to say. The customs of Hundred Herbs Peak are indeed strange, but this seems to be a lucrative opportunity.
After shaking off these bizarre thoughts, Chen Jiuge, finding himself alone, decided against exploring Hundred Herbs Peak on foot. Since he would be spending a lot of time here in the future, he decided to first head to his new cave mansion.
Chen Jiuge finally arrived at the destination indicated by the Token.
Verdant mountains surrounded a serene valley shrouded in mist, with lush green trees providing cover. Between the mountains stood a huge Stone Gate, engraved with the four large characters "Yunlan Cave Mansion." Passing through the Stone Gate, one could see a winding Stone Slab path, flanked by wildflowers in full bloom and the gurgling of clear streams.
Following the Stone Slab path, a magnificent palace came into view. Carved on the gate tower of the palace were various deities and Exotic Beasts, all strikingly lifelike. Surrounding the palace were Low Rank Spirit Plants, their fragrance filling the air. In the center of the palace grounds, there was a pond constructed of White Jade, its water so clear that the colorful Low Rank Spiritual Fish swimming within were plainly visible.
The interior of the palace was exquisitely decorated and brimming with treasures. The walls were adorned with rare calligraphy and paintings from the mortal realms, and various rare and exotic treasures were displayed in the corners.
"HISS! This decoration, this layout... it’s simply outrageously opulent!" Chen Jiuge said, taking another sharp breath.
Apart from the construction value of the palace itself, the Low Rank exotic plants, the Spirit Jade in the White Jade pond, and the Spiritual Spring Eye connected beneath the pond alone represented a considerable fortune. Most importantly, it was all free!
After inspecting the decorations of the cave mansion, Chen Jiuge exited the Stone Gate, turned right, and not even a hundred meters away, he saw an immense lake. Probing it with his Divine Sense, he couldn’t help but show delight—it was a Spirit Lake, with numerous Spiritual Spring Eyes at its bottom. Although they were just ordinary Spiritual Springs, they were still much better than the springs in the previous valley, which were merely tinged with Spiritual Energy.
Having roughly toured the area and found no issues, Chen Jiuge was satisfied. He refined the Token, officially moving into the Yunlan Courtyard.
After rearranging the interior to his liking, Chen Jiuge heard a rumbling noise outside.
Stepping out, he saw twelve Powerful Warriors, each tens of zhang tall, carrying a small piece of land and walking toward him. "Are these the Sect’s Golden Armored Warriors?" Chen Jiuge exclaimed, amazed at the Powerful Warriors who looked as if they were draped in golden armor.
Even though his own small valley wasn’t very large, it spanned nearly eighty li in length and width. To think that just twelve Powerful Warriors had carried it! Their strength must be unfathomable. I’m still too weak.
Under Lin En’s command, the Powerful Warriors placed the small valley near the Spirit Lake. Then, Lin En took out two Array Plates and activated them with Mana. The Arrays immediately enveloped the entire valley, and the valley, which had been piled up like a small mountain, slowly melded into the ground.
The valley had perfectly merged.
Lin En wiped the fine sweat from his forehead and said, "Junior Brother Chen, I’ve moved your belongings here intact. The two Array Plates I used just now were the Houtu Great Array and the Hundred Spirit Barrier. These Arrays are perfect for helping it integrate better and also for preventing the Spiritual Beasts you’re raising from running wild."
"Then thank you, Senior Brother," Chen Jiuge said, admiring Senior Brother Lin’s generosity. Both Array Plates are Sixth Rank. He can command Powerful Warriors and integrate a large piece of land completely. This Senior Brother’s strength is indeed not low. I really mustn’t underestimate anyone.
"Junior Brother..." Lin En rubbed his hands together, looking somewhat embarrassed at Chen Jiuge.
Chen Jiuge didn’t understand why Lin En was so interested in a Fourth Rank Thunder Deer. For Lin En, it could only be a pet at best.
Despite his confusion, Chen Jiuge said nothing. After all, Senior Brother Lin had helped him considerably, and a Fourth Rank Thunder Deer was probably worth about half an Array Plate.
To prevent any accidents during the relocation, Lin En had knocked all the Spiritual Beasts in the valley unconscious. They suffered no harm. Then, the two of them made their way straight to the small Secret Realm.
Lin En paused and then said, "Junior Brother, you even have a small Secret Realm here; I didn’t see that coming. You’re quite the wealthy one."
"Senior Brother, you’re joking. This small Secret Realm doesn’t have any special functions. I just placed some Spiritual Beasts with decent Bloodlines in here. Otherwise, the ordinary Spiritual Beasts I’m raising would suffer," Chen Jiuge explained with a smile.
Having a small Secret Realm was certainly eye-catching outside the Sect. After all, the Chen Family wasn’t particularly powerful or wealthy. But things were different for an Inner Sect Disciple. It was just a small Secret Realm, nothing too remarkable here.
"Whoa, is this the Thunder Deer?" Lin En’s eyes shone as he spoke. f .r e\ewebnov(e)(l).c om
The two had just entered the Secret Realm and coincidentally saw a Thunder Deer wandering near the entrance.
Before Chen Jiuge could respond, Lin En released a powerful aura, pressing the Thunder Deer to the ground on the spot.
Chen Jiuge looked at Lin En in surprise. He’s actually in the Returning Void Realm! I originally thought his Cultivation was only at the late stage of Divinity Transformation, at most. What an unexpected surprise!
After looking it over and patting it a few times, Lin En nodded satisfactorily and said, "Junior Brother, I’ll take this Thunder Deer. How many Spirit Stones?"
"Senior Brother, what do you mean? The two Array Plates you gave me are worth more than this. Would I still ask for Spirit Stones for just a Thunder Deer?" Chen Jiuge feigned anger.
"Alright, then I’ll accept this little benefit. I’ll take this Thunder Deer," Lin En said cheerfully.
After releasing the control of the Spiritual Beast Ring, Lin En immediately formed a contract with it.
Upon exiting the Secret Realm, Chen Jiuge watched Lin En, who was grinning broadly, and couldn’t help asking, "Senior Brother, your Cultivation seems to be at the Returning Void Realm. This Thunder Deer has barely reached Fourth Rank Cultivation; it can’t be of much help to you, can it?"
Lin En turned and explained, "Junior Brother, that’s where you’re mistaken. Although this Thunder Deer is only Fourth Rank, its Bloodline should be Sixth Rank. Spiritual Beasts with Bloodlines above Fifth Rank can only be exchanged with Merit in the Spiritual Beast Hall, and the selection is random; you can’t choose yourself. So, Junior Brother, I’m indeed getting a bargain here."
I see, Chen Jiuge realized. Good quality Spiritual Beasts require Merit to exchange. But because he had the Golden Finger, he had never purchased Spiritual Beasts with such high-grade Bloodlines; the value for money was too low.