The Master of Beasts-Chapter 656 - 185

"Screech"

The sharp cry of an eagle echoed through the sky, its azure wings leaving only a blue shadow for the disciples riding the immortal cranes, startling the cranes into swaying erratically.

"Who is this person, acting so bizarrely!" a disciple complained.

"Shh, that's Chen Jiuge, Elder Lou's disciple!"

"Hiss, is this the Chen Jiuge whose beast taming ability surpasses the entire new generation of disciples?"

"Indeed, that roc must be the latest creature he's nurtured!"

"Truly majestic, I wish I had one like it."

"You, ha!"

"Hey, what do you mean, am I not good enough?"

"Hahaha, did you look closely? That roc is at least at the Heavenly Immortal cultivation level, is that something a mere True Immortal could dream of?"

........

The gentle breeze brushed against his face, as Chen Jiuge stood with his hands behind his back. The Shadow Demon peeking out from his shadow glanced around timidly.

"Master!" The Shadow Demon seemed a bit at a loss.

Having hid in Chen Jiuge's shadow for years, the Shadow Demon had become thoroughly socially anxious.

Indeed, a person's character is unrelated to their cultivation.

"Xiao Ying, you should come out more often!" Chen Jiuge patted its head.

"But..."

Seeing the Shadow Demon unsure where to place its hands and trying to hide its body as much as possible behind itself, Chen Jiuge shook his head in resignation: "Alright, back you go."

"Many thanks, Master."

With a "whoosh," the Shadow Demon vanished, though Chen Jiuge's shadow now appeared even darker.

"Fellow Daoist up ahead, please wait a moment!"

"Hmm?"

Chen Jiuge turned his head to see an elderly Taoist riding an immortal crane, with an immortal demeanor, anxiously chasing after him. However, the Wind God Roc's speed was too fast for the crane to catch up.

"Hold on a moment!"

"Fellow Daoist, thank you." The elderly Taoist cupped his hands in gratitude.

"Fellow Daoist, why did you call me to stop?"

The elderly Taoist, Lin Zhengzheng, first scrutinized Chen Jiuge's attire, then said joyfully, "I'm Old Daoist Lin Zhengzheng. Fellow Daoist, are you from the Five Elements Sect?"

"Yes," Chen Jiuge nodded somewhat coldly.

Lin Zhengzheng didn't mind Chen Jiuge's aloof demeanor. His expression shifted from joy to distress as he said with a tinge of sorrow, "Fellow Daoist, please save me. Our Lin Family is an affiliate of the Five Elements Sect, having been loyal for tens of thousands of years!"

"This?" Chen Jiuge felt a bit reluctant to get involved.

Although he'd just contacted Tian Yue while on the Wind God Roc, confirming that the situation at Purple Sun Mountain was stable and not too urgent, he thought twice about his responsibilities. As an Inner Sect Disciple of the Five Elements Sect and holding the title of Great Steward, it wouldn't be easy to refuse. If this old Taoist complained to the sect, it might indeed become troublesome.

"Tell me, what exactly is the situation?" Chen Jiuge sighed internally, deciding to listen first before deciding whether to intervene.

"It's like this....." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

The old Taoist efficiently summarized the situation: The Lin Family, a small clan with a cultivation level only up to True Immortal, had its strongest members only at the Little Heavenly Immortal level. Due to the Underworld invasion, most of their True Immortals and the only two Little Heavenly Immortals were conscripted.

During a time when the family was left defenseless, an unknown ghost monster invaded. Although its power seemed average, it had strong transformative abilities, and the immortals in Lin Family couldn't discern it!

After hesitating for a moment, Chen Jiuge nodded: "Lead the way!"

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist!"

Lin Zhengzheng hesitated briefly and awkwardly asked, "Fellow Daoist, may I boldly inquire about your cultivation level?"

"Screech!"

The Wind God Roc let out a thunderous cry, its Heavenly Immortal Spiritual Beast aura emanating fiercely, frightening the feathers of Lin Zhengzheng's immortal crane upright.

"That's enough, that's enough!" Lin Zhengzheng grabbed the crane's feathers in panic.

"Alright, lead the way!"

"Certainly!" Lin Zhengzheng said with some excitement.

Heading out this time, Lin Zhengzheng's highest expectation was to find a Little Heavenly Immortal from the Five Elements Sect. As for a Heavenly Immortal, that was beyond his dreams. After all, the Lin Family, aside from treasures that stabilize the family's luck, had nothing to attract a Heavenly Immortal!

.........

The Lin Family's origin is quite inspiring. Their ancestor was originally a Loose Cultivator but managed, through immense hardship and near impossible odds, to cultivate into a Little Heavenly Immortal.

During a secret realm expedition, the Lin Family ancestor rescued a disciple from the Five Elements Sect. If it had ended there, the Lin Family might have only received some Heaven and Earth Spiritual Materials in return.

Yet, the rescued disciple was extraordinary. After experiencing a near-death crisis, his cultivation soared upward, and his standing within the sect climbed continuously. To repay the Lin Family ancestor's life-saving grace, the small Lin Family became an affiliate of the Five Elements Sect.

But due to the ancestor's very low aptitude, even with ample resources, the best result for later generations was reaching only the Little Heavenly Immortal stage. In tens of thousands of years, not a single Heavenly Immortal has emerged.

Especially after the Lin Family ancestor and the Five Elements Sect disciple perished together ten thousand years ago, the Lin Family became completely marginalized.

"Clang"

Lin Zhengzheng somewhat smugly pushed open the Lin Family's gate and stood still.

For quite a while, no clan members came to greet them, making Lin Zhengzheng's face somewhat uneasy. He apologized courteously to Chen Jiuge, "Immortal, please wait a moment."

"No need, something's clearly wrong!" Chen Jiuge swept his Divine Sense and discovered that many Lin Family members had gathered in the backyard, with a Spirit Wood coffin in the center.

The two walked through the main hall to the backyard. Seeing the courtyard filled with white banners, Lin Zhengzheng was taken aback: "What happened?"

An upright-looking middle-aged man, likely the highest-ranked present, stood up and said, "Condolences, the patriarch has passed away!"