The Master of Beasts-Chapter 613 - 163:

"Great Steward? As expected, he found out. I suppose he will summon all the Inner Sect Disciples to inquire."

"Zhong Ning was the one who brought him in; he probably won't summon him again. I wonder if I'm the first of the remaining three?"

After muttering a few words, He Li straightened her clothes, hesitated for a moment, and slightly pulled down her neckline, revealing a hint of a snow-white crevice.

"He Li?" Chen Jiuge looked at the Female Cultivator in front of him, somewhat bewildered.

"It's me, Great Steward." He Li said with a shy and delicate tone.

Chen Jiuge was a bit suspicious if he had called the wrong person. What the hell, Zhong Ning and Duan Xu had dressed like down-and-out old farmers, but you have this brothel-style look!

"Calling you over isn't that meaningful. It's my first time at the Spiritual Plant Garden, so I just want to understand the situation. Tell me about the current difficulties and problems in the Spiritual Plant Garden." Chen Jiuge said, his eyes slightly raised.

"It's like this..."

He Li's account was not much different from Duan Xu's. Basically, Spiritual Insects easily destroyed Spirit Plants, and Spiritual Plant Masters saw no hope, etc.

"Alright, I got the general idea. You can go back now."

He Li left, looking back with every few steps.

Chen Jiuge rubbed his forehead, feeling a bit speechless, saying, "Isn't this obviously suspicious? And do I look like a lecherous person?"

Shaking his head internally, Chen Jiuge summoned the last person.

Yan Shen's demeanor was noticeably different from the previous three. The first three either dressed like old farmers or looked seductive, but Yan Shen came directly without a shirt, just wearing a large pair of shorts.

"Great Steward?" Yan Shen said impolitely.

"Oh, Heavenly Immortal? You broke through?" Chen Jiuge noticed the chaotic aura around Yan Shen at first glance.

"Yes, just got lucky, broke through not long ago." Yan Shen poured himself a cup of Spiritual Tea without hesitation, then praised, "As expected of the Great Steward, excellent tea!"

"You probably also know why I called you here, right?"

"Of course I know." Yan Shen said nonchalantly.

"It's just about the Purple Dragon Blood Tree and that Blood Locust, right?"

"Hmm?" Chen Jiuge was taken aback. How could this person be so direct?

"Aren't you asking about this?" Yan Shen countered.

"Yes, this is it. Are you willing to talk about it?"

"Why not? Some people are just unwilling to stay here and be forgotten by the Sect, and some want to climb up, that's all." Yan Shen sighed.

"I don't even know how you became Great Steward, and I'm not speaking for them, but some things are indeed like this."

"Spiritual Plant Masters can't compare to Alchemists or Artifact Refiners, even ordinary Cultivators can surpass them, because Spiritual Plant Masters have weak combat power, and Spirit Plants, unlike Spiritual Beasts, can't aid in battle."

"The individual value of Spirit Plants pales in comparison to Spiritual Medicine, and their combat power is very poor. This all contributes to the low status of Spiritual Plant Masters."

"So in the Five Elements Sect, the Spiritual Plant Garden is also considered an exile place. Great Steward, don't think I'm being outrageous or harsh; it is what it is."

Yan Shen seemed to treat the Spiritual Tea like wine, downing it in one gulp.

"You see, I've broken through to Heavenly Immortal, and then what? Nothing follows. The Sect doesn't care, and the Spiritual Plant Garden isn't something that a banished Cultivator like me would manage. We're like a bunch of forgotten bugs, huddled in a dark corner."

"I see, so the appearance of the Purple Dragon Blood Tree and Blood Locust is because of this?" Chen Jiuge realized.

"Yes, most Spiritual Plant Masters have resigned to fate, but there are always some who want to climb out of the mire. It's in our nature; no one wants to stay in the mud forever." Yan Shen lamented.

"I understand now."

Seeing off Yan Shen, Chen Jiuge stood under the towering Purple Dragon Blood Tree, watching the constantly pulsating veins, and finally sighed, placing this Immortal Tree into the Chaos World.

"Then, let me give you a chance."

....

At the moment the Purple Dragon Blood Tree disappeared, Zhong Ning's eyes snapped open from afar, his voice filled with disbelief: "Disappeared? How is that possible?"

Zhong Ning could understand not sensing the Blood Locust, after all, Chen Jiuge was the former Great Steward of the Spiritual Beast Garden and had strong Beast Taming Ability, but how could he not sense the Purple Dragon Blood Tree?

This was a Secret Technique he had spent a great deal of cost learning, binding it to himself.

"No, no, I must retrieve it. If I lose the Purple Dragon Blood Tree, I'm doomed."

The Spirit Transformation Secret Technique allows one to bind themselves with a spiritual object, facilitating rapid cultivation through the object's growth. However, there's a downside: it can't be undone until the spiritual object fully matures.

If the spiritual object is damaged or loses its connection, the cultivator will suffer greatly. At best, they may lose their cultivation level; at worst, they may go mad. This is something Zhong Ning absolutely cannot accept!

"Damn it, I'll have to expose my identity early, pull in Duan Xu and He Li, and then get other Spiritual Plant Masters to back me. That should make him yield, right?"

"Damn, if only Yan Shen could join me, I'd be more confident!"

"Biu"

A red firework exploded over the valley, its brilliant red light illuminating the faces of all the Spiritual Plant Masters.

He Li, with a dreamy look in her eyes, said, "It really is Zhong Ning!"

"Wasn't it expected?" Duan Xu sneered.

Both of them were Inner Sect Disciples, worldly and experienced. The Purple Dragon Blood Tree and Blood Locust were not items any average person could acquire. In this valley, only Zhong Ning had the ability to obtain them.

"Let's go see what that old thing Zhong Ning has to say!" He Li said with some disgust.

In this valley where there were few women, He Li's beauty was considered outstanding. Zhong Ning had pursued her secretly but was rejected.

Many Spiritual Plant Masters, dressed in rough, plain clothing and wearing simple cloaks, gathered slowly from the valley like ordinary farmers.

"Zhong Ning, what's the matter with gathering everyone? Hasn't the Great Steward taken office already? Why is the summoning order still in your hands?" Yan Shen, who had just left Chen Jiuge, asked unceremoniously.

"Yan Shen, I've served as the acting Great Steward for so long. I must be responsible to everyone in some way." Zhong Ning's eyes fixed on Yan Shen, and the unique aura of a Heavenly Immortal pressed down fiercely!

"Boom"

A momentum no weaker than Zhong Ning's erupted from Yan Shen's body. A sharp explosion sounded in the air, and a white shockwave caused everyone's footing to become unstable.

"Heavenly Immortal? How is that possible?" Duan Xu said, somewhat in despair.

He had sacrificed so much for his cultivation, doing things against his will to break through to a Heavenly Immortal and escape this wretched prison, while Yan Shen seemingly did nothing!

"Yan Shen, you actually broke through too." Zhong Ning said with a profound gaze.

"I don't care what you're up to, but I'm not getting involved!" Yan Shen sneered, turning away.

About ten Spiritual Plant Masters with honest expressions smiled apologetically at Zhong Ning and quickly followed Yan Shen. They were Yan Shen's team, not allied with Zhong Ning!

"The Purple Dragon Blood Tree and Blood Locust must have been discovered by the Great Steward, don't you think?" Zhong Ning mocked.

Stopping Duan Xu from speaking, He Li calmly said, "Those things were yours, weren't they? You were also the one who traded with us back then, right?"

"So what if they were? So what if they weren't?" Zhong Ning responded indifferently.

"You planted the Purple Dragon Blood Tree and raised the Blood Locusts. What do you think the Great Steward will do when he finds out?"

Duan Xu's face was sullen, and He Li shook her head slightly before saying coolly, "What do you plan to do?"

"Simple. The sect's tasks still need to be completed. I think just handing over the Purple Dragon Blood Tree and Blood Locust should be a small request the Great Steward would agree to." Zhong Ning said calmly.

"A coup?" He Li's face turned somewhat sour, sensing that it was a terrible idea.

"So, what do you think?" Zhong Ning asked expectantly.

"Roar!"

A ferocious roar came from outside, the massive sound wave sweeping up a gust of wind, causing everyone's steps to falter.

"What's that?" A Spiritual Plant Master exclaimed.

A massive Mutant Spirit Sheep slowly approached under everyone's gaze.

"What are you discussing? Do I have the right to eavesdrop?" Chen Jiuge asked with a half-smile.

"Great... Great Steward?" Many honest Spiritual Plant Masters looked terrified, stumbling backward in fear of being resented by the new Great Steward.

"So, what exactly are you doing? And about that summoning order, I remember only the Great Steward is supposed to use it, isn't that right, Senior Brother Zhong Ning?" Chen Jiuge said, looking down from above.

"Great Steward, perhaps we should talk!" Zhong Ning said, trying to steady his mind.