Beast Taming Clan: I Have a Jade Book Chapter 977 - 680: Ancient Treasure Celestial Secret Cloth, Anxious Zhang Yongxin (Double - )

Its sole condition mirrors the Earth Dragon Demon King’s own, and it prefers death over yielding otherwise.

Ye Jingcheng mulled it over briefly before nodding in agreement.

Consequently, together with the three Demon Kings aligned to the Earth Dragon Demon King, a total of twenty-eight Great Demons joined Ye Jingcheng’s Grotto Heaven.

The Three-eyed Demon King brought eleven Great Demons, the Mammoth Demon King ten, while the Thunder Roc Demon King contributed seven.

This clearly highlights the stark disparity in strength among the three factions.

Simultaneously, Ye Jingcheng obtained two treasures from each of those two Demon Kings, including the Golden Quenching Essence Fruit from the Mammoth Demon King’s Long Elephant Valley.

This fruit enhances a cultivator’s physique tremendously, offering huge benefits to both Ye Jingcheng and Ye Haicheng; the Mammoth Demon King handed over six of them.

The offering from the Thunder Roc Demon King was the Red Lion Flower, a Tier Four Spirit Flower that once belonged to the Cloud Lion Demon King’s domain.

This serves as a key component for crafting Tier Four Fire Attribute Spirit Pills.

Yet Red Lion Flowers are scarce in Cloud Lion Ridge, and most lack sufficient maturity—only the one provided qualifies.

No one knows if the Cloud Lion Demon King consumed them all or if others snatched them beforehand.

"Set off!" Ye Jingcheng commanded after a short rest.

But the Earth Dragon Demon King shook its head and gazed back at Ye Jingcheng.

"Jingcheng, hold on for two more days; I must venture deep into the Taihang Mountain Range to see the Nether Fire Demon Emperor and borrow its ancient treasure."

"I owe that Nether Fire Demon Emperor a debt from my cultivation path five hundred years back!" the Earth Dragon Demon King declared.

Ye Jingcheng’s curiosity surged upon hearing that.

Five hundred years prior had no connection to the Ye family; likely no Blood Contract existed with them then.

Ye Jingcheng figured the Nether Fire Demon Emperor’s territory had been the prime spot for the Earth Dragon Demon King’s prior breakthrough attempt.

These days, though, the Extreme West Desert Sea stands as the optimal breakthrough site for the Earth Dragon Demon King.

Ye Jingcheng refrained from probing further and stayed put.

In the interim over those two days, he masked the Beast Communication Pattern and dampened the Soul Contract’s aura.

This precaution aimed to shield the Earth Dragon Demon King from detection and avoid any disadvantageous position.

Over those two days, Ye Jingcheng consumed one Golden Quenching Essence Fruit as well.

His physical cultivation saw a modest boost.

Still, he fell short of Late Stage Purple Mansion.

True to form, after two days, the Earth Dragon Demon King emerged from the distant horizon.

Clad in radiant golden robes that gleamed brightly.

Spiritual light beamed from its forehead, signaling a return to its pre-Beast Communication prestige.

Via the Soul Contract, Ye Jingcheng sensed the Earth Dragon Demon King had quelled the Ye family Soul Contract issues.

Breaking through to Demon Emperor demands facing the Thunder Tribulation, after all.

Mental preparation proves vital in that instant.

"Success!" The Earth Dragon Demon King lifted its hand, revealing a cloth no larger than a palm.

Complex silver spirit patterns adorned it, preventing storage in a Storage Bag—clearly an ancient treasure.

"Behold the Celestial Secret Cloth; it veils heavenly secrets and severs all communications!" the Earth Dragon Demon King elaborated.

Joy flooded Ye Jingcheng at those words.

He had fretted earlier that their assault on the Jia family’s Blazing Fire Peak might expose them, especially if the teleportation array got destroyed.

With this, the Ye family merely needs to sneak into Blazing Fire Peak and secure the teleportation array!

"Long live the Dragon Ancestor!" Ye Jingcheng saluted with cupped hands in praise, then retrieved the Grotto Heaven to house the demon beasts of Earth Dragon Valley.

This mission unfolds as a swift strike, with Ye Jingcheng bearing the Grotto Heaven as the portable base.

Having bid farewell to Chu Yanqing and the rest, Ye Jingcheng set forth once more toward Lingyun Peak.

Eleven Tier Three Great Demons departed from Earth Dragon Valley this time.

That brings the total to thirty-nine Great Demons, outmatching the prior beast tide that struck Jade Dragon Valley in force.

Confidence brimmed within Ye Jingcheng now.

Regardless of the Kuihuang Jia Family’s puppet numbers, few Tier Four Puppets pose no real threat.

Their Purple Mansion battle prowess utterly surpasses the foes’, after all.

Should they fail to seize the Extreme West Desert Sea even then, it will bring utter calamity upon the Ye family.

...

Yong’an Valley, Zhang Family.

In the main hall sat Zhang Yongxin, flanked by Master Xuan Dao and Master Cheng Xuan.

"Since this is merely a misunderstanding, we won’t impose any longer. Lately, such confusions abound; I believe the slanderers against the Ye family hail from the same ilk—those petty schemers of Qinghe Sect. They’ve long lusted after our Taichang Mountain Range. Taiyi Sect surely won’t spark internal strife to gift them an opening!" declared Master Xuan Dao.

On this occasion, Dharma Peak and Sword Peak had probed the Ye family, while Illusion Peak and Purple Peak were naturally tasked with the Zhang family.

Yet Master Xuan Dao and Master Cheng Xuan scarcely conducted a real probe at the Zhang Family; they were more like guests idling away time there.

After all, brutal clashes raged currently in the Celestial Horse Sea Domain.

Daily reports on reinforcements flooded in for the cultivators.

Other sects poured in their utmost efforts, still managing to fell demon beasts in the East Sea.

But Taiyi Sect, locked in a grueling siege these days, couldn’t spare even one Golden Core lightly.

Thus, dawdling over internal probes offered a perfect pretext to hold back reinforcements, letting Taiyi Sect stretch out the Zhang and Ye family inquiries.

Moreover, Taiyi Sect’s lone True Monarch was already committed to the Celestial Horse Sea Domain, leaving other powers little room to protest for now.

Within the grand hall, Zhang Yongxin nodded vigorously in seeming accord, though fury churned deep inside him.

To his shock, the Ye family had hurled precise counter-charges right back at him.

Those accusations struck too true, amplifying his dread of troubles brewing at the Jia family.

Yet the two Real Masters from Taiyi Sect had tarried endlessly, refusing to depart.

It was only today, amid the surging intensification of warfare in the Celestial Horse Sea Domain, that they at last took their leave.

The moment they departed, Zhang Yongxin swiftly summoned a family council.

Zhang Yuhuai and Zhang Yujing, joined by the core Purple Mansion members, soon filed into the hall.

"I fear the Ye family knows the teleportation array’s position; I must rush the Spirit-Attracting Stone there posthaste, yet the family can’t withdraw just now—withdrawing would hand Taiyi Sect an excuse. You two will command the Zhang family from here on!"

"Should foes assault our Tier Two Race Mountains or Tier Three Race Mountains, mimic the Ye family: forsake them, let the attackers claim them!"

"Defend only the Tier Four Yong’an Peak steadfastly—once the ancestor achieves breakthrough, that instant heralds the Zhang family’s dominion over the realm!" Zhang Yongxin commanded in haste.

"What of the Ye family’s evidence...?" Zhang Yujing ventured.

"It holds no weight anymore. Ye Jingcheng of the Ye family has retreated to Lingyun Peak, and the other principal Ye members have likely done the same. For the Spirit Beast affair, conjure some inheritance pretext; Taiyi Sect pays it no heed—even solid proof avails nothing. Lay the fault on Qinghe Sect and Cyan Spirit Trading Association’s blunders, which compelled Taiyi to clash with the Beast Desolate Wasteland, buying the Ye family precious extra time!"

Zhang Yongxin shook his head.

"I’ll station an Outer Body Avatar here for lecturing to sow confusion, though its power is mere Purple Mansion—you must bolster it and avert any slip-ups!" Zhang Yongxin cautioned insistently.

"And the retreat scheme?" Zhang Yuhuai queried next, alluding to the earlier outline.

"Cancel the retreat plan; Taiyi Sect likely still watches the outskirts. Unlike the Ye family in their isolated haunts, our Zhang family dwells in thriving Taichang Commandery, hugging the Taichang Mountain Range—Taiyi Sect has coveted us long, but so long as the ancestor’s Desert Sea endures, Taiyi won’t strike!"

After exchanging a few more directives, Zhang Yongxin sped away.

Still, the whole Zhang family buzzed with zealous preparations for the lectures.

Strangely, many of the Zhang family’s Tier Two Race Mountains fell under raid by Tribulation Cultivators.

With no Purple Mansion support forthcoming from the Zhang family, those Tribulation Cultivators rampaged with wild abandon.

In their eyes, the Zhangs could scarcely shield themselves anymore.

This presented the golden window for plundering, spearheaded by Celestial Corpse Sect’s troops and rogue cultivators!

...