Beast Taming Clan: I Have a Jade Book Chapter 1495 - 1073: Vermilion Bird’s Breakthrough, Heading to the East Sea
Previously on Beast Taming Clan: I Have a Jade Book...
Deep in the Desert Sea, in a nameless land. Yellow sand filled the sky, churning into a golden storm. It was midsummer, and the blazing sun beat down from above.
The next moment, four streaks of Spiritual Light appeared in the sky. Impressively, these four streaks of Spiritual Light manifested as a Black Tortoise raising its foot, a Vermilion Bird letting out a long cry, a Cyan Dragon lifting its eyes, and a Qilin striking with its claws. It was precisely Ye Jingcheng’s four Hidden Skill Divine Techniques being unleashed simultaneously. It was as if the four great True Spirits had descended upon the Desert Sea. The sky truly darkened and the earth dimmed as a massive crater instantly formed on the spot.
It took a long time for the Spiritual Light to dissipate, revealing Ye Jingcheng’s figure. A smile couldn’t help but form on his face. Six years had passed since the Nascent Soul ceremony. Now, out of his five Lifebound Divine Techniques, he could execute four simultaneously. With such terrifying power, Ye Jingcheng could guarantee that not even Sikong Ziming or True Monarch Chi Xue at their peak could withstand it. And if he were to face True Monarch Qinghe, he was confident he could kill him without relying on the Earth Dragon Demon Emperor and the Jade Qilin Flood Dragon.
Of course, the Hidden Skill Divine Techniques still had that same flaw: he couldn’t use them multiple times within a short period. They could only be unleashed at crucial moments. Therefore, being able to fight with superior numbers, Ye Jingcheng naturally wouldn’t abandon the advantage of his Spirit Beasts. Meanwhile, over the past few years, he figured the Ye Family’s arrangements in the Central Domain were mostly complete. He could also head to the Central Domain to search for Tier Five Spirit Materials and begin refining his new Lifebound Magical Treasure.
The *Five Spirits True Manual* was different from the *Five Phase Celestial Essence Skill*. Its Lifebound Magical Treasure was much more complex, which was the reason Ye Jingcheng hadn’t refined it earlier. After all, the Ye Family didn’t possess such a high level of Artifact Refining Skill, and he felt uneasy about letting an outsider refine it. However, Chu Yanqing’s Artifact Refining Skill had improved significantly by now. As long as her Cultivation advanced a bit further, it was entirely possible for the refining process to succeed with Ye Jingcheng and the Red Flame Fox assisting on the side.
After all, what needed to be refined for a Lifebound Magical Treasure was only a prototype. The truly important step required the Cultivator to trace unique Spirit Arrays using the corresponding Cultivation Technique, supplemented by refining it with their True Essence. The five Tier Five Lifebound Magical Treasures from the *Five Spirits True Manual* were the Vermilion Bird Feather, Cyan Dragon Eyes, White Tiger Claw, Black Tortoise Shell, and Qilin Horn.
Of course, one shouldn’t assume the names of these five Lifebound Magical Treasures were too simple. In reality, these five Lifebound Magical Treasures were designed with the ultimate goal of mimicking a True Spirit’s lifebound body. A True Spirit was at least a Tier Six entity at birth and could reach Tier Nine upon adulthood. This alone was enough to show the lofty ambitions of the person who created this Lifebound Magical Treasure.
Before Ye Jingcheng could use Magic to restore the Desert Sea, he entered the Grotto Heaven in the next moment. Compared to six years ago, the greatest change within the Grotto Heaven was in the Stone Spirit Grotto Heaven. Because it had broken through to the Late Stage of Fourth Tier and its Spirit Vein had upgraded to Tier Five, the Grotto Heaven was brimming with rich Vitality. The Golden Light Bamboo was even more dazzlingly golden. Some bamboos seemed poised to surpass their five-hundred-year limit and advance into Tier Three Spirit Bamboo. The Cyan Jade Lotus in the lake were also more lush, blooming in vibrant clusters with countless lotus flowers and seed pods resting among them—a truly delightful sight.
Further away, the Spirit Medicine in the various Spirit Medicine Gardens was growing exceptionally well. In particular, the primary ingredient for the Earth Dragon Pill, the Celestial Heart Silkworm Grass, had undergone a drastic transformation. However, for this visit, the Spirit Medicine was not his goal. His gaze swept past the Spirit Mountain where the Six-Colored Cloud Deer and the Golden Scale Beast had made their breakthroughs. It also swept past the Jade Qilin Flood Dragon and the Roc Fish in the lake, as well as the White-Browed Cyan Wolf and the Golden Falcon, who were still tempering themselves in the Celestial Spirit Array in the distance. Finally, it landed on the massive figure of a Golden-eyed White Ape.
Impressively, it was the Vermilion Bird. At this moment, the Vermilion Bird had successfully advanced. Its fur was even whiter, and its pair of Golden Eyes seemed to contain swirling runes. Moreover, the center of its brow looked as if it were about to open a third eye, turning it into a Three-Eyed Vermilion Bird. Its aura had also reached the Late Stage of Fourth Tier, catching up to the Roc Fish and the White-Browed Cyan Wolf. It was only slightly inferior to the Golden Falcon.
However, Ye Jingcheng believed that in terms of sheer Combat Power, even if the White-Browed Cyan Wolf, the Roc Fish, and the Golden Falcon teamed up, they wouldn’t necessarily be able to defeat the Vermilion Bird. Its Invulnerability Divine Techniques had been greatly enhanced after the Advancement. Ye Jingcheng estimated that if the Vermilion Bird partnered with the Primordial Magnetic Mountain Spirit, they could even injure a Nascent Soul Cultivator with a weak physical body. Of course, killing one was likely out of the question. A Nascent Soul Cultivator could undergo Nascent Soul Separation and escape via Teleportation. Without the coordination of other Divine Techniques or Magical Treasures, securing a kill would still be incredibly difficult. Still, this was enough to make Ye Jingcheng rejoice.
"Thank you, Master!" The Vermilion Bird’s voice was very gruff. It actually possessed quite a bit of age-old memories; they had simply been sealed away by the Ye Family in the Earth Immortal Realm for a long time. In the beginning, it had held some contempt for Ye Jingcheng. However, as time passed and it witnessed the Treasure Light and the other Spirit Beasts, its perspective gradually shifted. As for now, its loyalty could only be described as absolute. If its title as a Vermilion Bird had seemed somewhat hollow before—given its relatively thin bloodline—now, it dared to face a Nascent Soul entity while only possessing a Tier Four body. This was the true strength of the Vermilion Bird clan.
"Keep up the hard work. This is only the beginning," Ye Jingcheng said, pointing to the Nine-Curled Spirit Ginseng Seedling in the distance. He currently estimated he had over two portions of Nine Curves Spirit Ginseng, which was enough to attempt refining the Nascent Soul Pill at least twice. If he produced one pill per attempt, that would be two Nascent Soul Pills. If the Vermilion Bird’s Cultivation could catch up from behind, Ye Jingcheng wouldn’t mind letting it be the first to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Once it broke through, even if it was only at the Early Stage of Fifth Tier, it would have no problem slaughtering a Tier Five Pure-blooded Flood Dragon. At the same Rank, Ye Jingcheng estimated that only the Jade Qilin Flood Dragon could match it in combat. But relying solely on physical prowess, the Jade Qilin Flood Dragon would very likely still fall slightly short.
After saying this, Ye Jingcheng also rewarded the Vermilion Bird with a substantial amount of Spiritual Light and Tier Four Spirit Pills. Although the Red Flame Fox was in Seclusion, refining Tier Four Spirit Pills was still not an issue for Ye Jingcheng. Once he finished rewarding the Vermilion Bird, Ye Jingcheng gave the rest of the Spirit Beasts proper encouragement as well. This was especially true for the Golden Falcon Sea and the White-Browed Cyan Wolf; the two beasts were even more proactive than the Roc Fish, which Ye Jingcheng viewed with great optimism.
Of course, Ye Jingcheng remained very impartial. He even rewarded the Jade Ring Rat and the Earthworm with Spirit Pills and Treasure Light. Although these two beasts couldn’t compete in Combat Power, they competed in their ability to loosen Spiritual Soil. Spiritual Soil was different from ordinary soil; the higher its Rank, the tougher it was. Once it reached Tier Four and above, it was no different from Profound Iron. It wasn’t something easily loosened. But over the past six years, even the Spiritual Soil Ye Jingcheng had acquired from the Celestial Water Sect had been thoroughly loosened. In fact, when it came to planting Spirit Medicine, the issue was rather that Ye Jingcheng simply didn’t have enough Spirit Medicine left to plant. It wasn’t a matter of the two beasts being overwhelmed with work.
"Master." Aside from the Spirit Medicine, the Peach Wood had also borne Spiritual Peaches this time. At this moment, a total of eight peaches hung upon its main body, far more than at any previous time. This made the Peach Wood act like a newly pregnant young wife, deliberately keeping a low profile everywhere within the Grotto Heaven. It was terrified that something might happen to the Longevity Peaches. For Ye Jingcheng, he naturally shared in this joy. In the future, perhaps a small half of these Life Extension Longevity Peaches would be used for trading, and another small half would be given to the clan elders who were close to him. An even larger portion would be selected for the Ye Family’s Spiritual Children. The Spiritual Children currently chosen by the Ye Family were all extremely talented in various skills. If their lifespans could be extended, the benefits for the Ye Family would span across several generations.
"You’ve done well too," Ye Jingcheng nodded. Even though the Peach Wood was still only at the Mid-stage Fourth Tier, he didn’t utter a single word of blame. After all, over these past years, the Peach Wood had dedicated the vast majority of its Spiritual Energy and Vitality to bearing Spiritual Peaches. After giving it a reward as well, Ye Jingcheng left the Grotto Heaven and headed toward the Coiling Heaven.
Compared to the Stone Spirit Grotto Heaven, the Primordial Magnetic Mountain Spirit inside the Coiling Heaven also received immense attention from Ye Jingcheng. He had now refined another Advancement Pill. After six years, the Mountain Spirit’s Spiritual Wisdom had increased significantly. It was now even capable of calling out the word "Master." The Primordial Magnetic Divine Light it unleashed also made Ye Jingcheng exceptionally happy. However, due to the restrictions of the Mountain Spirit’s Rank, it was still unable to unleash the full strength of its main body. It still required careful nurturing. But Ye Jingcheng could already envision the scene of the Primordial Magnetic Mountain Spirit displaying great might at the Beast Spirit Sect. Thus, he similarly rewarded it handsomely with Spirit Pills and Treasure Light. He even passed along a number of Defense Treasures to the Malachite Stone Spirit to aid in its Cultivation breakthrough.
After doing all this, Ye Jingcheng left the Grotto Heaven and headed back toward the Desert Sea. He had now completely finished refining the Spatial Jade obtained from the Li Family. And according to the news, the Eastern Domain Beast Tide had subsided four years ago, largely matching the predictions made by the Ye Family and Medicine King Valley back then. Therefore, the Ye Family was now able to re-enter the East Sea. Of course, entering the East Sea this time wouldn’t mean going to the Cyan Cloud Sea Domain or the Celestial Horse Sea Domain. It held far more uncertainties, but it was also far more challenging. After all, they would no longer have the surveillance of the Four Sects of the East Sea, nor would they have their protection.
If they succeeded, the Ye Family’s higher-ups could use Soul Injection for their Communication Beasts. Even the Golden Core Cultivators breaking through to Nascent Soul could capture High-Tier Demon Beasts to forcibly establish a Communication Beast bond, thereby increasing their chances of a successful breakthrough. Currently, the Ye Family didn’t actually have any suitable beasts to propel a Cultivator’s breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage. Their only inherited Spirit Beast was the Earth Dragon Demon Emperor, but it had to wait to undergo Advancement and break through to the Late Stage of Fifth Tier. If possible, the Ye Family still hoped to capture a Nascent Soul Demon Emperor, just like they had captured the Two-headed Turtle in the past. This was not something easily done in the Desert Sea or the Taihang Mountain Range, but in the East Sea, the Ye Family would have no such scruples. No matter how many times a Beast Tide occurred, it would have nothing to do with the Ye Family. The Ye Family only needed to prepare carefully.
Moreover, over the years, the Ye Family’s plan had been to establish a Beast Peak in the East Sea, gathering their highly intelligent Spirit Beasts there to carry out Beast Soul captures. As for Cultivators, the Ye Family would try their utmost to minimize their numbers in the East Sea to prevent their identities from being exposed. Barring any accidents, Ye Jingcheng’s Roc Fish, Ye Xuefan’s Two-headed Turtle, Ye Zhijian’s Chenjing, and Ye Haifei’s Blue Jade Flood Dragon would all be included on this roster. Slaughter among Demon Beasts was all too normal, so the Ye Family didn’t need to worry about the Demon Saint factions suddenly intervening. The only concern was whether the Demon Beasts might become overly savage from excessive slaughter in the East Sea, making them prone to slipping out of control. Therefore, the selection of Cultivators heading to the East Sea remained exceptionally crucial.
More than half a day later, Ye Jingcheng arrived at the Celestial Phoenix Oasis.
Because the Celestial Phoenix Oasis had continued to expand, it now looked increasingly like a small continent—a continent situated in the middle of the Desert Sea. It was midsummer, and the Spirit Fruit and Spirit Rice had begun to be harvested in succession. The sights along the way were particularly gratifying.
"Jingcheng, everything is prepared. The candidates for the first dispatch have been finalized; it’s your Uncle Xue Liang and your Uncle Xuefu," Ye Haicheng said.
When Ye Jingcheng arrived at the Assembly Hall, Ye Haicheng, Ye Xuefan, Ye Xuecang, Ye Xueliang, and Ye Xuefu were all present. These were already all the clansmen of the Ye Family’s highest generational ranking. There would still be quite a few risks for the first batch of people heading to the East Sea this time. After all, the Li Family might still fall into a trap, and even if the Ye Family went in second, it would be hard to avoid entirely. For example, if the Ye Family were setting a trap and waiting for the Li Family’s people to pass, they absolutely wouldn’t touch the Li Family immediately.
And this time, the joint participation of Ye Xueliang and Ye Xuefu clearly showed that the two clan elders felt their hopes of reaching the Golden Core stage were slim and wanted to make further contributions to the family. Ye Jingcheng naturally wanted to refuse in his heart, but he knew that since Ye Xuecang and Ye Xuefan had already agreed, he couldn’t change the facts. In the end, the only thing he could do was wait until they reached the Eastern Domain and hand over the Tier Five Corpse Emperor from Ye Jingyu to the two of them.