The Master of Beasts

Chapter 997 - 353: Ten Slots

"Fire Cloud Armor, Yun Family!"

"Your Yun Family is pushing us too far!"

The burly figure of Sanmu began to change, transforming into a form resembling a masked man, except he held an irregular long blade in his hand. If not for the heavy abyssal aura it emitted, one might mistake it for a broken sword.

"Is this the black blade those old fellows want? It doesn’t look particularly special!"

Somehow, Yun Yan had already appeared beside Sanmu, flicking the black blade with her finger, producing a crisp sound.

"How could it be possible?"

Sanmu’s heart trembled violently; in truth, the current Sanmu is no longer the Sanmu of the past. Long ago, the first generation Sanmu, after becoming an abyssal mage, began sacrificing living people to the abyss to gain more power.

This naturally couldn’t be concealed, and under the pursuit of various forces, Sanmu was ultimately caught by the Yun Family. After paying a huge price, Sanmu managed to escape but faced imminent death.

Faced with the threat of mortality, Sanmu finally used a forbidden technique to transfer his consciousness into another person’s body, achieving the goal of body seizing!

However, finding a body that completely matches one’s own constitution is exceedingly rare. After numerous transfers, Sanmu’s memory began to fragment, and when his main consciousness completely dissipated, a man of destiny appeared, now the second-generation Sanmu.

He was not influenced by the first-generation Sanmu’s consciousness but inherited most of his legacy and abilities, quickly reaching the seventh level of cultivation within a century. Although inferior to the first generation, given enough time, surpassing him was inevitable.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Isn’t it a simple matter?"

Yun Yan smiled lightly, "Back then, you managed to escape our encirclement not because of your strong power but because you were too valuable!"

"Everyone wants the black blade in your hands!"

"So you’ve only found me now because you’ve already decided on ownership?" Sanmu spoke coldly.

"Smart, so you can surrender peacefully?"

"You grew from a lowly abyssal mage into a ninth-level great cultivator; you should know our strength. Resistance means death, and compliance also means death. Why not choose a more comfortable way to die?"

"Are you joking!"

Sanmu rotated the black blade in his hand, slashing towards Yun Yan.

"Ding"

"You? How could it be possible?"

Sanmu incredulously watched as Yun Yan grabbed the black blade with one hand, the terrifying dark aura on it dissolved by the flowing light of Fire Cloud Armor.

"The black blade, though I’m not sure how you retrieved it from the abyss, we’ve long understood its characteristics!"

"Although its appearance is bizarre, resembling broken copper and rusted iron, its sharpness rivals that of a divine weapon. Additionally, it continuously emits a force of fear; without preparation, even those with high cultivation will fall victim, though limited to the breaking limit!"

"Actually, just a normal divine weapon, even if from the abyss, wouldn’t attract so much attention from major forces."

"Then why have you been watching me!" Sanmu retorted, though he already had some suspicions.

"Because it’s not ordinary. Leaving aside its abyssal origin, mainly its fear power, which only those true abyssal lords can wield, showing up on a blade, those old fellows are naturally curious!"

"Roar!"

Casually smashing a masked man trying to sneak attack with a punch into pulp, Yun Yan calmly said, "Don’t bother struggling; you won’t escape!"

"Elder Yun, one of Yun Family’s tributor, ninth-level cultivation, excels in speed; even in your prime, you couldn’t escape."

"You really are calculating!" Sanmu felt hopeless, unable to fight, unable to escape, reinforcements? Ha, an abyssal mage is an enemy of the entire Dusk Realm, truly a dead end.

"It seems you’re quite sensible!" Yun Yan nodded satisfactorily.

When Yun Yan placed restrictions, Sanmu suddenly said, "Actually, I’m not Sanmu..."

Yun Yan’s pupils contracted, "Elder Yun, press him down and watch carefully."

"I need to deal with Chong Yun first!"

"Miss, your goal was Sanmu, now it’s done; no need to stay in Dark Star longer?"

"No hurry, the identity in Dark Star was rather helpful; any job should be finished properly, just a month anyway!"

"Alright, Miss!"

"Transfer, body seizing, consciousness dissipating, abyssal infiltration!"

Yun Yan shook off the words Sanmu had said from her mind, "Such troublesome matters, let’s leave them to those old things!"

"The season for harvest is coming!"

The law enforcement team from Dark Star Headquarters hadn’t arrived yet, Chong Yun was already subdued, Sanmu captured; it’s time for her to choose her own team!

Yun Yan had quite the appetite; as long as the talent was decent, the will not weak, she accepted them all, even some skilled in management.

"Ten slots, really too few!"

Dark Star is changing, but for Chen Jiuge, it doesn’t affect much. After all, he’s long been Yun Yan’s man.

"Dusk City, one of the ten major cities of Yellow Springs Realm, truly looking forward to it, but isn’t ten people a bit too few?"

Despite this, Chen Jiuge knows being allowed to bring ten people is Yun Yan’s limit; entering a major city like Dusk City is hard for most, let alone bringing ten at once. Without Yun Yan being from the Yun Family, it’s impossible.

With matters at Dark Star mostly settled, Chen Jiuge returned directly to Dusk Manor.

"Ten people!"

Chen Jiuge had some ideas about the ten slots, but due to the short development time, he lacked strong enough subordinates. Those too weak likely wouldn’t help much, might even be burdens.

"Won’t bring people from Dusk Manor; though I’ve given them hope, the time remains too short, trust insufficient."

Moreover, though the profits from Dusk Manor aren’t vast, they can’t be casually abandoned, a form of industry, a potential fallback.

"You want me to watch the manor?" Xing Xia was surprised.

Though the employment agreement between them hadn’t expired, just three months left, their relationship merely average.

"Correct, I’ll offer you thirty percent profit, watch the manor well for me!"

"Certainly!"

Thirty percent profit wasn’t low, plus a stable income, Xing Xia had no reason to refuse.

"But with conditions, one person might not manage alone; Mad Bear also needs to help, but the reward is thirty percent profit; how you allocate is your affair!"

"Moreover, the manager of the manor will be Cai; you must ensure her safety!"

"Certainly." Xing Xia agreed, nodding.

"That’s settled; I’ll have someone draft a contract!"

Yellow Springs Realm indeed has lawyers, not ordinary ones, cultivators of the profession of cultivation judge, conducting affairs very impartially.

After reaching an agreement with Xing Xia, Chen Jiuge privately discussed with Cai, even handing her control of Turtle Dragon.

"Rest assured, Manor Master, I will guard well for you!"

"Mm, I trust you; however your cultivation is too weak, take one layer of manor profits for cultivation; ask Xing Xia if issues arise; she won’t mind such minor matters!"

"Yes, Manor Master!"

Spending a week, Chen Jiuge finally dealt with all of Dusk Manor, the impartial contract from the lawyer costing a hefty hundred thousand life money, somewhat paining Chen Jiuge.

With Dark Star Headquarters’ law enforcement team still needing about three weeks, matters of Mountain City Dark Star are mostly arranged, and Chen Jiuge has received a massive benefit of five million life money.

This money, without cooling down, Chen Jiuge spent entirely on purchasing materials for cultivating fierce beasts and improving cultivation.

"The Fourth-Level Rain Frog, Fourth-Level Xuan Tan, stronger by a margin than Turtle Dragon and Lightning Lion; still not enough, but my maximum!"

Ultimately, Chen Jiuge is only a Second-Level Beast Master, couldn’t possibly elevate his beasts to Fourth-Level without enhancing the soul through numerous Divine Soul Secret Treasures.

"What needed doing has been done; now it’s up to me!"

In an instant, time passed, and Dark Star Headquarters’ law enforcement team finally arrived.

As Mountain City Dark Star’s Vajra, though reluctantly, Chen Jiuge must still appear.