CHAPTER 445: CHAPTER 86 TRUE REALM_2

Zhu Ying sneered, "What can you do?"

"I specialize in nurturing Spiritual Beasts, and I have several under my command; one excels in Alchemy, another in Artifact Refining," Chen Jiuge candidly responded.

Given that Zhu Ying’s power was truly unfathomable, had she intended any harm against Chen Jiuge, there would have been no need for so many words, and she wouldn’t have used the Heavenly Destiny Divine Water to save him.

"You mean the Spiritual Beasts within your Grotto Heaven Magic Treasure, right?" Zhu Ying said with pity. "I almost forgot. A Grotto Heaven Magic Treasure from a small world disintegrates upon entering the True Realm, scattering the Spiritual Beasts and Spirit Plants across various locations within it."

Chen Jiuge shuddered. Because his body was still adapting, his Divine Sense couldn’t extend outward, preventing him from sensing any changes in the Green Bamboo Realm.

"Don’t worry, it’s just the disintegration of the Grotto Heaven. The Spiritual Beasts inside won’t die. As for what happens after they scatter, that’s down to luck," Zhu Ying consoled.

Despite this, Chen Jiuge was extremely uneasy. Noticing this, Zhu Ying continued, "Worrying is useless. The True Realm is too vast. If you want to find your Spiritual Beasts again, focus on increasing your strength. Once you become a True Immortal, many powerful factions will extend invitations to you."

"By the way, you said you excel in nurturing Spiritual Beasts; I could indeed offer you an opportunity," Zhu Ying suddenly remembered the batch of Spiritual Beasts in the backyard.

"Thank you very much!" Chen Jiuge expressed his gratitude.

He had just arrived in the True Realm, unfamiliar with everything. Not only had his strength not fully recovered, but his Spiritual Beasts were also scattered. He desperately needed a safe haven to grow slowly.

"You should be grateful. I originally planned to drive you away, but it was the Lady who said to give you a chance. Otherwise, you’d likely have been drafted into a suicide squad by now for lacking residency papers," Zhu Ying said meaningfully.

Chen Jiuge was slightly stunned, then once again expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Lady, for your rescue. I shall repay this kindness in the future."

"Good that you understand. Follow me."

「...」

The two of them talked as they walked—no, rather, Chen Jiuge listened as Zhu Ying explained.

This Lady had been marginalized. Due to her maternal family’s insufficient influence, she had been demoted by the King of the Qingming Ancient Country to the Snow Concubine Hall in Lincheng.

As for Chen Jiuge’s task, it was simple. The Snow Concubine Hall housed the Treasure Pavilion, which contained many rare Spiritual Beasts. The current King was particularly fond of exotic Spiritual Beasts. If Chen Jiuge could genuinely nurture powerful and rare Spiritual Beasts and win the King’s favor, the Lady might have a chance to return to the harem. Chen Jiuge, too, could secure an official position through this opportunity.

The Qingming Ancient Country was not considered weak in the True Realm; it was at least stronger than nomadic Alien Races like the True Demon Clan.

Before long, the two arrived at the Treasure Pavilion.

Looking at the Treasure Pavilion, which was enveloped by a Barrier, Zhu Ying indifferently remarked, "Currently, the Lady has few subordinates. There are no Spirit Beast Masters in the Treasure Pavilion. Aside from some Armored Soldiers who deliver low-grade Spiritual Beasts daily, it’s quite peaceful."

"I’ll give you three years. You must show me some results."

Chen Jiuge was quite confident about nurturing Spiritual Beasts and immediately accepted.

Zhu Ying looked deeply at Chen Jiuge and said, "I hope you truly possess the ability."

After explaining everything, Zhu Ying left. As a Female Official close to the Lady, Zhu Ying was very busy. If it weren’t for the Lady’s specific instructions, she wouldn’t have wasted so much time on Chen Jiuge.

Looking at the pale golden Token in his hand, Chen Jiuge revealed a slight smile and murmured to himself, Nurturing Spiritual Beasts is my old trade.

After claiming ownership of the Token, Chen Jiuge passed through the Barrier. Gazing at the boundless expanse of the Treasure Pavilion, Chen Jiuge remarked with a sigh, "It doesn’t seem quite as good as my Eden Garden!"

Whether in terms of scenery or size, it indeed wasn’t as impressive as Eden Garden. However, this was the True Realm; this Treasure Pavilion was likely far more valuable than Eden Garden.

The Token served not only as a pass but also as a Storage Ring, which contained a multitude of books about Spiritual Beasts. Confident in his abilities, Chen Jiuge decided to first inspect the Spiritual Beasts inside.

WHICKER.

A Spiritual Colt approached Chen Jiuge. It had small, fiery red wings on its hooves, stood about ten feet tall at the shoulder, possessed a White Jade horn on its head, and its tail flickered like a burning flame.

The Spiritual Colt seemed very curious about Chen Jiuge, cocking its head and continuously circling him.

A Fourth Rank Spiritual Beast, equivalent to the Dharma Manifestation Realm. That’s about a Mahayana Cultivator in the Heavenly Realm, Chen Jiuge estimated the Spiritual Colt’s strength.

Mana surged within his body, and a mass of vines materialized in the air, binding the curious Spiritual Colt.

Suddenly attacked, the Spiritual Colt erupted in dazzling flames. The intense heat caused Chen Jiuge to exclaim in surprise, Such intense heat! And it’s only at the Mahayana level. The Spiritual Fire it released is of such quality; it’s almost at the level of a True Immortal!

However, these flames posed no real danger to Chen Jiuge. He gently stroked the Spiritual Colt’s head. His Golden Finger, the ancient Stone Ball integrated within his Tao Fruit, stirred slightly.

A message appeared in his mind: Bloodline extraction impossible. Only forced mutation is possible.

What’s happening? Chen Jiuge was shocked; he couldn’t extract the Bloodline.

Then, a torrent of information flooded his mind, leaving Chen Jiuge with an extremely complex expression.

It turned out that this so-called Golden Finger was merely a Supreme Treasure, one of the True Realm’s ultimate Chaos Nine Treasures—the Chaos Pearl.

Due to the transmigrator’s unusual aura, the Chaos Pearl, which had found its way to the Heavenly Realm, had merged into his body before Chen Jiuge was even born. It then manifested in a way Chen Jiuge could best understand, which was why it had been mistaken for a Golden Finger all along.

The primary abilities of the Chaos Pearl were Life and Creation. In a lesser world like the Heavenly Realm, the Chaos Pearl’s high standing allowed it to forcibly alter the bloodlines of Spiritual Beasts. In the True Realm, however, it could at most induce mutations, without any guarantee of whether they would be beneficial or detrimental.

So, does this mean I don’t actually have a Golden Finger, and the Chaos Pearl is just a Treasure? This realization was a significant blow to Chen Jiuge.

But he quickly shook off the distracting thoughts, aimed the Chaos Pearl at himself, and saw it display "Asura Bloodline can be extracted." An ’as expected’ expression appeared on his face.

Now that he was back in the True Realm, the final restriction on the Chaos Pearl was lifted. Extracting the Asura Bloodline, a bloodline from the Star Sea Realm, was no longer an issue for it. However, if Chen Jiuge delayed the extraction for too long, and the bloodline was thoroughly assimilated by the True Realm, then even the Chaos Pearl would be powerless.

After extracting the Asura Bloodline, Chen Jiuge was startled by the Spiritual Colt’s cries.

Looking at the Spiritual Colt’s tear-filled eyes, Chen Jiuge pulled out two Spirit Fruits from the Heavenly Realm from his Storage Ring, stuffed them into the Spiritual Colt’s mouth, and said, "Sorry about that. It’s my first time seeing such a magnificent Spiritual Colt, and I wanted to get a feel for it, so I tied you up. No offense."

CRUNCH! CRUNCH!

The Spiritual Colt viciously bit into the Spirit Fruits. As the unique taste spread in its mouth, its previously aggrieved and angry expression instantly went blank. What kind of fruit is this? It’s so delicious! How have I never tasted it before?

Chen Jiuge looked at the Spiritual Colt, which remained motionless even after being freed, a strange expression on his face. This little fellow isn’t a masochist, is it?

Yummy, yummy! I want more! A childish, feminine voice echoed in Chen Jiuge’s mind.

Chen Jiuge asked in surprise, "Are you the one speaking?"

This two-legged creature is so dense! Of course, it’s me!

Spiritual Beasts in the True Realm were slightly different from those in the Heavenly Realm. They needed to reach the Divine Storage Realm to speak, and achieving Transformation was even more difficult—impossible unless one became a True Immortal.

Of course, this didn’t mean they lacked Spiritual Wisdom; it was just that Spiritual Beasts rarely communicated with the Human Clan, especially the Spiritual Beasts within the Treasure Pavilion. They had always enjoyed superior treatment and were naturally even more arrogant.

The Spiritual Colt kept urging him for more fruit. Only then did Chen Jiuge realize he had fed it Heavenly Infant Fruits, one of the most delicious Immortal Fruits from the Heavenly Realm.

Heavenly Infant Fruits matured quickly, tasted exquisite, and were easy to cultivate. Although they contained little Spiritual Energy, making them a disgrace among Immortal Fruits, they were undeniably delicious.

After stuffing two more Heavenly Infant Fruits into the Spiritual Colt’s mouth, Chen Jiuge picked up the fruit pits and murmured, I remember the pits of the Heavenly Infant Fruit can be used as seeds.

There was a house in the Treasure Pavilion, specifically prepared for the Spiritual Beast Master in charge. Now, however, it was Chen Jiuge’s residence.

The wooden cabin wasn’t large, but it was elegant. The faint scent of sandalwood made Chen Jiuge feel the Mana in his body flow more smoothly; his Cultivation speed here would be at least ten to twenty percent faster.

Chen Jiuge remarked with some emotion, "To think that such an inconspicuous little courtyard has such an effect. The True Realm is truly worthy of its name! This small wooden cabin alone was almost comparable to a top-tier Cultivation Grotto Heaven in the Heavenly Realm. He could only imagine how potent the Cultivation Grotto Heavens in the True Realm must be. It was truly something to anticipate."

He planted the few fruit pits in his hand, and a message surfaced in his mind: Guide mutation?

Chen Jiuge said, pleasantly surprised, "Huh? Even Spirit Plants can be guided now?"

Yes.