Chapter 308: Chapter 308

「Three days later, Lin Anquan arrived.」

The three of them cleared the Corpse Demons, and the battle to occupy the unknown star officially began.

"We’ve finally arrived." Chen Jiuge smiled, looking at the familiar city walls in the distance.

The first three days of the return journey had been relatively smooth, but the following days were filled with constant trouble. Chaos Beasts attacked from time to time, and the strongest one nearly caused Chen Jiuge a major setback.

Looking at the Black Flower and Mandala Snakes, which had suffered considerable losses, Chen Jiuge said to Yue Meng, "Go tell Mo Yu to arrange for some beasts to come out and help settle these newcomers."

Mo Yu arrived on the Flying Boat with a large group of Spiritual Beasts. He excitedly hugged Chen Jiuge, saying, "Brother Chen, you’re finally back!"

Yue Meng rolled her eyes at the sight. It hasn’t even been a month, and he says ’finally’? So melodramatic, she grumbled inwardly. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel✶fire.net

The process of settling the Mandala Snake Group wasn’t smooth. Although most were small snakes, as Chaos Beasts, they were still quite ferocious. However, under the pressure of the Spiritual Beasts, whose Cultivation levels far surpassed theirs, they had no choice but to submit.

Chen Jiuge was very satisfied as he looked at the illuminated battlements. Standing on the city wall, even without activating his Dharma Eye, he could see clearly up to a Baili away. This would make patrolling much easier in the future.

The Mandala Snake Group beneath the city walls could also intercept some wandering Chaos Beasts, which was quite beneficial. If a Chaos Giant Beast appears in the future, I’ll really strike it rich, he thought.

Right, although the Bloodline of Chaos Beasts is a total mess, it’s not impossible to strengthen. Since there aren’t many of them, I’ll use my Golden Finger on them first, Chen Jiuge thought, slapping his forehead.

The Bloodline of Chaos Beasts was very complex. Their bloodlines were an absurd mix of numerous types, each present in extremely low concentrations. This was why Chen Jiuge hadn’t bothered cultivating Chaos Beasts before; it simply wasn’t worth it.

However, the current Mandala Snake Group seemed worth nurturing. After spending several days, Chen Jiuge finally finished processing them.

Looking at the Mandala Snake King, which had grown almost imperceptibly larger, Chen Jiuge sighed. "As expected, the effect is almost negligible. At least their affinity has increased significantly."

Enhancing a Spiritual Beast’s Bloodline naturally improved the bond between them, a phenomenon that became increasingly apparent after one achieved True Immortal status.

After refusing a piece of Black Flower offered by a small snake, Chen Jiuge, in a cheerful mood, approached Mo Yu on the city wall. "I’ll be heading out again in a few days. I’ll leave this place in your care."

Mo Yu exclaimed, sounding a little disappointed, "Ah? Actually, Black Eye could manage things just fine. I could go with you, Brother Chen. I can even make tea for you!"

"COUGH. COUGH." Chen Jiuge cleared his throat. "There’s no need for tea. You’ve learned some management skills from Su Mei and your Eldest Senior Sister. I believe you can do even better here."

Chen Jiuge had already figured out the real reason for Mo Yu’s sudden dramatic improvement in tea-making skills. To avoid drinking bitter tea every day, Chen Jiuge had already stopped drinking Spiritual Tea and switched to Spirit Fruit juice instead.

"Oh, is that so? Well, alright then." Mo Yu smiled; Chen Jiuge’s praise was clearly effective.

「Several days later...」

Every departure requires meticulous preparation. This time, my priority is safety. I’m aiming for longevity, so I can’t afford to make careless mistakes over trivial matters, Chen Jiuge resolved.

After waving goodbye to Mo Yu and the other Spiritual Beasts from the Flying Boat, Chen Jiuge set sail once again.

However, just as the Flying Boat emerged from behind the city walls, it was intercepted.

"Senior Brothers, are you saying that Senior Brother Huang is... gone?" Chen Jiuge asked, his expression skeptical.

The two men delivering the news stated expressionlessly, "According to the Soul Fire of Inner Sect Disciple Huang Kui, his death was confirmed three days ago."

"Our main purpose in coming here is to ask you, Junior Chen, if you can take on the responsibility of guarding Butterfly Star alone."

"Guard it alone? What are the benefits for me?" Chen Jiuge didn’t refuse immediately. With Master’s aid and the current lack of major threats in the Third Zone, guarding Butterfly Star should be quite manageable, he considered.

"The quota for Tianyuan Pigs and Meteor Butterfly Swords to be submitted remains unchanged, as do the Contribution Points for completing the mission. However, if you guard it for one hundred years, you will receive three Contribution Points. Additionally, Commander Jin Xiao has specially approved the allocation of ten Rune Cannons and twenty Charging Gunners to assist your defense."

Hearing the last part, Chen Jiuge was inwardly delighted. Senior Brother Jin is truly generous!

"Alright," Chen Jiuge replied, satisfied.

"In that case, Junior Chen, please place your handprint on this Contract, and we can return to report."

After carefully reviewing the information on the document and finding nothing amiss, Chen Jiuge pressed his Magic Handprint onto it.

"Is this what they call good deeds being rewarded? My little ones, come with me! Let’s check out our new territory!" Chen Jiuge waved his hand grandly, feeling cheerful. I hadn’t even made a move, and Huang Kui is already gone. Perfect!

This time, Huang Kui had sought to seize an unknown star occupied by Corpse Demons. To do so, he had taken almost all his True Immortal Level combatants, completely neglecting the Butterfly Star he was responsible for. After all, if he succeeded, what would a mere Butterfly Star matter? Chen Jiuge mused on Huang Kui’s likely rationale.

"Huh? Why isn’t there a single True Immortal Level Spiritual Beast here?" Chen Jiuge wondered aloud, finding it odd. "Don’t tell me he really went alone to seize that unknown star? Isn’t that just courting death?"

"Master, Master! There’s a Grotto Heaven here!" Yue Meng exclaimed, pointing to an entrance within the blue sea formed by the Meteor Butterfly Swords.

Chen Jiuge reached into the entrance and found no restrictive spells. This Huang Kui... just like me, he was magnanimous enough not to set up any restrictions, he thought.

If Huang Kui were still alive, he would probably be yelling, "Restrictions? What damn restrictions would I set here? Each person has their own zone; where would any outsiders come from?!"

"Damn! Did he empty out his entire fortune?" Chen Jiuge muttered, speechless as he observed the Pocket World that had already begun to desertify.

This Huang Kui was truly ruthless, gambling his entire fortune without leaving himself any capital to fall back on. Now he’s dead, and he didn’t even manage to leave himself any benefits from this venture, Chen Jiuge thought.

"Search this Grotto Heaven carefully and see if anything is left. Yue Meng, take that group of Qingmu Triangular Cattle to tend to those Meteor Butterfly Swords. We mustn’t mess up the submission task for those."

"Hu Xiao, I’ll leave this place under your guard for now. Senior Brother Huang left behind quite a few Great Mahayana Spirit Beasts. It seems none of them were bound by a Contract. See if you can bring them under control to help defend the city," Chen Jiuge instructed, making some general arrangements.

"Yes, Young Master," Hu Xiao replied.

"Wait, Hu Xiao," Chen Jiuge inquired, "those powerful Stars you mentioned, how are they typically managed?"

"Young Master, those kinds of Stars are generally more developed. This Butterfly Star is purely a resource Star, and a relatively simple, low-grade one at that. Typically, one group of people is assigned to guard it, while another oversees resource production."

"If it’s a Disciple of our Myriad Beasts Sect, they often guard it alone, as a single person can effectively function as an entire army," Hu Xiao explained.

"Is that so? I understand."

As his numerous Spiritual Beasts began to busy themselves, Chen Jiuge suddenly had a thought. I feel a bit like a slave driver, leisurely watching my Spiritual Beasts toil away.

He mused silently, No wonder the Myriad Beasts Sect is so powerful. Every Disciple commands so many Spiritual Beasts. Entire Stars that would normally require a vast number of personnel to manage can be handled by just a few Disciples, all without hindering resource production. The more resources they acquire, the stronger the Sect naturally becomes.