Beast Taming Clan: I Have a Jade Book

Inside the restaurant, the three men sat around a round mahogany table. Seeing that Ye Jinghu and Ye Jingyun did not immediately reply, as if still deep in thought, Li Shangwu hurriedly stood up, picked up the Spirit Tea, and poured it for the two of them.

Although Li Shangwu appeared calm and composed on the surface, he was already growing anxious inside. He had previously investigated the core members of the Ye family; they were ruthless toward their enemies but highly measured and protective toward their own. However, an investigation only revealed so much on the surface. He remained fearful that the Ye family might not only reject his offer but also report the matter of the Teleportation Array to the Taiyi Sect. If that happened, the Li family would truly be doomed. After all, times were exceptionally sensitive right now. The sect could easily find any random excuse to condemn the Li family. This reminded him of the former Kong family and Jin family, who had been cornered with no escape, left with no path to heaven and no door into the earth.

”This is the compensation prepared by the Li family,” Li Shangwu said, taking out a Storage Bag after serving the tea.

This Storage Bag was unowned, and its opening was left wide open. A simple sweep of Divine Sense would clearly reveal its contents. This prevented the awkward scenario where Ye Jinghu and the others might feel the compensation was insufficient and politely refuse. For the matter regarding the Spatial Jade, aside from the Gold Condensing Fruit Tree, the Li family had also prepared three stalks of two-thousand-year-old Tier Four Spiritual Medicine, ten thousand Middle Grade Spirit Stones, as well as all the materials and Void Nether Crystals needed to construct the Teleportation Array.

”This isn’t a matter of compensation. I cannot make the decision myself; I need to report this briefly,” Ye Jinghu said after taking a sip of the Spirit Tea.

Hearing the word ”report,” Li Shangwu’s eyes immediately dimmed. A report could easily be done via Transmission, yielding an answer in just a few breaths. ”Reporting briefly” usually meant a polite refusal.

”Ye Daoist, to be honest with you both, I have always been indecisive and prone to overthinking. Opening this Teleportation Array is merely to send away more clan members to preserve a spark of lineage for the Li family. There is absolutely no intention of fleeing or shirking our duties.

”Moreover, my purpose in seeking out the Ye family is also to report the situation on the other side of the Teleportation Array,” Li Shangwu added.

He felt a wave of helplessness in his heart. There were opportunities behind the Teleportation Array, and initially, he naturally intended to claim them all for the Li family. But looking at the current situation, that was clearly impossible. The Li family had very few Nascent Soul cultivators they could turn to right now.

”According to the information we received, the other side of the Teleportation Array should be deep within the East Sea, perhaps even deeper than the Cyan Cloud Sea Domain. From what we know, this island is called the East Wuyu Archipelago. Although the resources on this small archipelago are sparse, it connects to a Tier Four Secret Realm that can be used to evade the Beast Tide,” Li Shangwu said.

Upon hearing this, genuine interest finally sparked in the eyes of Ye Jingyun and Ye Jinghu.

For the Ye family, the most damaging issue in recent years was the increased difficulty in acquiring Beast Souls. The Demon Beasts in the Celestial Departure Grassland had dwindled, leaving mostly domesticated Spirit Beasts. Crossing the Celestial Abyss Mountain Pass might provoke the displeasure of the Demon Saints lurking in the depths. During the triggered Beast Tide, the clan members in the East Sea had all retreated, and even the Teleportation Array there had been destroyed.

As for the Taihang Mountain Range, the Ye family didn’t dare to act rashly there either, given the high level of attention from the Fox Saint. If not for that, the Ye family would have long since occupied the Cyan Wind Wolf Plain and the Celestial Cyan Wolf Valley. Both the Cyan Wind Wolf Race and the White-Browed Cyan Wolf Race were Spirit Beasts with excellent innate talent.

Currently, to maintain the Beast Communication Tower, they had to arrange for cultivators from the Law Enforcement Hall and the two Sword Halls to open up Hidden Peaks. They killed Demon Beasts in the form of missions just to harvest Beast Souls. The quota for Soul Injection was also rather tight. It was nowhere near as liberating as when they could recklessly lure and hunt Demon Beasts in the Cyan Cloud Sea Domain.

If the Ye family wanted to rebuild the East Sea Transmission Array now, they would need to send people to the Cyan Cloud Sea Domain to construct it. But with the Beast Tide erupting, even if the Ye family’s Bone Transformation Pill was miraculous, it would be extremely difficult to cross the Celestial Horse Pass. Moreover, it was estimated that the various Sects in the East Sea were on higher alert now, possibly even purging the local archipelago factions.

If this Teleportation Array was truly located deep in the East Sea, there would be many things the Ye family could accomplish. The only concern was the exact location on the other side of the Teleportation Array and whether the array there had already been destroyed.

”I will help you report this upward. How many people know about this matter?” Ye Jinghu asked.

”Three,” Li Shangwu hastily replied. ”Myself, my son, and one other clan member. They are all absolute confidants of the Li family and possess the Clan Jade Book. No one else could glean the information, not even through a Soul Search.”

Regarding the personnel, he was keeping some secrets out of wariness. Although the Ye family had a slightly better reputation than the Taiyi Sect, they were both Nascent Soul Powers, and in Li Shangwu’s eyes, he had to tread carefully with both. That clan member whose identity remained hidden served as a countermeasure. If the Ye family tried to silence them or frame them, that person could severely damage the Ye family’s reputation and push them to the opposite side of the Medicine King Valley.

”Keep this a secret for now. I will send a Transmission to report it,” Ye Jinghu said, finally taking out his Clan Token to send a message to Ye Jingcheng.

A moment later, Ye Jinghu took out a Spirit Inquiry Talisman and had Li Shangwu recount everything again in meticulous detail. After confirming that Li Shangwu wasn’t lying, Ye Jinghu finally nodded.

”True Monarch Qianchen has agreed to refine it for you, but it will take about three or four years.”

”Of course,” Li Shangwu immediately rejoiced, nodding repeatedly.

Three or four years wasn’t too long. In the past, when he sought others for Alchemy, even for a Tier Four Spirit Pill, they demanded a leeway of at least five years.

”Don’t celebrate too early; there is a second condition,” Ye Jinghu said. ”The Ye family also requires the right to use this Teleportation Array. We won’t need it for long—about fifty years will do. After fifty years, the Ye family will no longer use your Teleportation Array.”

”Ye Daoist, let alone fifty years, as long as the Li family exists, you may use it free of charge. The Li family will even cover the teleportation costs. We don’t even want the Tier Four Secret Realm; we only ask that our clan members be allowed to enter the Secret Realm to seek shelter once the Beast Tide begins,” Li Shangwu hurriedly replied.

Forget fifty years—he would be willing even for five hundred or five thousand years. The Ye family was a Beast Taming Clan; they would undoubtedly thrive like fish in water in the sea domains. That was part of the reason he had sought out the Ye family in the first place.

”Furthermore, if the Ye family does not mind, the Li family is willing to serve faithfully. From now on, we will follow the Ye family’s lead in all matters,” Li Shangwu continued.

At the same time, he pushed the Storage Bag toward Ye Jinghu once more. However, unlike before when it was just a Storage Bag, this time it was accompanied by a Jade Talisman. The Jade Talisman contained the roster of Li family cultivators heading to the East Sea, as well as a list of the Li family’s future tributes. It was clear that Li Shangwu had carefully thought everything through.

”The Ye family naturally welcomes the Li family’s allegiance. However, your Li family is still an Affiliated Force of the Taiyi Sect, so let the East Sea branch of the Li family serve as our Affiliated Force. There’s no need to pay such high tributes. Since you’ve arranged for one Purple Mansion cultivator and several Foundation Establishment cultivators this time, you will pay tribute as a Purple Mansion Branch. We will also waive the tribute for the first fifty years completely.

”At the same time, the gains from the Tier Four Secret Realm will be divided according to normal power structures in the Cultivation Realm. My Ye family, as a Nascent Soul Power, will take eighty percent, while your Li family, as a Purple Mansion Influence, will take twenty percent,” Ye Jinghu stated.

To be honest, a Tier Four Secret Realm wasn’t of exceptionally great use to the Ye family, but it was a new Secret Realm after all, and it would definitely contain no shortage of High-tier Spiritual Medicine. The Ye family was still lacking in Spirit Medicines; otherwise, they wouldn’t mind giving a larger share to the Li family. Furthermore, with the Ye family traveling together with them, it essentially meant the Ye family was acting as Guardians for the Li family. The fifty-year usage right also meant protecting the Li family for fifty years. The Li family was absolutely profiting from this deal.

After fifty years, the Ye family would relocate and establish a Teleportation Array belonging exclusively to them in another safe location. As for the Li family’s Teleportation Array and this Secret Realm, it served as a backup route for the Ye family.

After discussing further for a while, Li Shangwu departed with a joyous expression.

”Brother Jiu, do you think this could be a setup? Could there be a trap on the other side?” Ye Jinghu asked, looking at Ye Jingyun once Li Shangwu had left.

”It’s unlikely to be a trap, but it’s entirely possible that the island has been occupied by a Demon King or Demon Emperor. When the time comes, we just need to let the Li family teleport over first,” Ye Jingyun said nonchalantly.

This was exactly why the Ye family hadn’t demanded outright control of the Teleportation Array. By letting the Li family scout the way, any present danger would be borne by them first.

”However, Jinghu, the fact that you thought of so much shows you’ve grown a lot compared to before. Work a little harder and strive to become a Sub-Peak Master in the Central Domain,” Ye Jingyun said, offering his encouragement.

”Please don’t, Brother Jiu. I’ll pass on being a Sub-Peak Master. I’d rather just honestly focus on Cultivation,” Ye Jinghu replied, shaking his head repeatedly.

At first, he had harbored an obsession with becoming the Patriarch, but after breaking through to the Golden Core stage, he had long realized that he wasn’t cut out for leadership. A Sub-Peak Master in the Central Domain was essentially equivalent to the Patriarch of a branch family. Because the Central Domain was extremely important to the Ye family, the Sub-Peak Master’s status within the clan would definitely not be low, and the responsibilities they bore would naturally be incredibly high as well.

”It’s you who should cultivate diligently, Brother Jiu. Once Fourth Brother breaks through to Nascent Soul, the Eastern Domain will definitely fall into your hands,” Ye Jinghu said with a smile.

”Golden Core is simply too difficult for me. I might as well focus on nurturing Qingquan and Qingxing. Besides, I’m already very satisfied to have reached the Early Stage of Purple Mansion. Let’s not speak of other things. You should be heading to the Central Domain this time. You must be extremely cautious in developing the family, and at the same time, seize this opportunity,” Ye Jingyun said with a sigh, before reminding him.

The Ye family might have an abundance of Nascent Soul Treasure Medicine in the future, but at the current stage, and for the next two or three hundred years, there definitely wouldn’t be much. The better one performed, the more likely they were to be distributed Nascent Soul Treasure Medicine ahead of time.

”Thank you for the reminder, Brother Jiu,” Ye Jinghu said with a nod. He also understood the importance of the family’s plans this time. It had only been a few days since the ceremony, but many clan members had already teleported to the Central Domain.

It wouldn’t be long before he, too, would head to the Desert Sea and teleport to the Central Domain from there. Here in the Eastern Domain, only Ye Jingyu would remain as a Golden Core Cultivator. He and Ye Yunxi, representing the new generation of Golden Core Cultivators for the Ye family, would go to the Central Domain to shoulder the responsibilities of the new era. Although Ye Haiyan and Ye Xingliu were there to make decisions, as a Golden Core Cultivator himself, he could not afford to make any mistakes either.

”By the way, Jinghu, after this Nascent Soul ceremony, there is also a Peach Garden Gathering. Do you want to participate?” Ye Jingyun asked again.

”No, no,” Ye Jinghu said, waving his hands repeatedly.

This Peach Garden Gathering was naturally a marriage-alliance convention. It was just that the women proposed for marriage were all sent by the various Affiliated Forces, and the Ye family didn’t know how else to arrange them, so they organized this marriage-alliance convention. For Ye Jinghu, his only desire right now was to surpass Ye Yunxi, Ye Jingyu, and Ye Haige. Just as Ye Jingyun had pointed out, the Ye family was currently short on High-tier resources, so he naturally couldn’t focus his mind on finding a Dao Companion right now.

In his eyes, rather than wasting time on that, he would be better off practicing the Three-Combination Battle Array with his Lei Hu and Thunder Flood Dragon.

”Haha, so ambitious! Then your Brother Jiu will wait for you to reach Nascent Soul. When that time comes, I will personally arrange a marriage for you.”