Beast Tamer Ascension-Chapter 40Book 4: : Martial Emperor City

Vol 4 Chapter 40: Martial Emperor City

"Your Highness Holy Son, th-this..."

As the Artifact Ghost rode the space-attributed Mechanical Turtle into the void, Thunder Dragon Ancestor's first instinct was to chase after it, but he also worried the enemy might circle back and harm Lin Jing, so he was frozen in place, unable to decide.

"Senior, where’s your external incarnation?" Lin Jing asked.

"It died long ago!" Thunder Dragon Ancestor replied, understanding that Lin Jing had wanted his clone to give chase.

But having such a convenient tool like an incarnation, any cultivator would use it recklessly until it was gone. How could it possibly still be intact?

Those who reached a high cultivation stage and still had an intact incarnation were extremely rare.

Lin Jing: "...Forget it."

"But Your Highness Holy Son’s turtle..."

"No worries, we’ll just snatch it back later. It's just a turtle made purely from mechanical materials without any independent intelligence. No need to worry about it being tortured. As long as the parts aren't damaged, even if it's dismantled, I can reassemble it." Lin Jing shook his head.

He had originally planned to simply report the Artifact Ghost’s information to the Sky-Splitting Sword Ancestor, but now it seemed that grudge was officially settled.

......

Meanwhile.

Bodhi Temple.

The Abbot of Bodhi Temple had been experimenting with the effects of the Mutated Bodhi Leaf.

According to Lin Jing's description, this Tier-3 Mutated Bodhi Leaf could generally last for a year on cultivators of the corresponding level, but if used by cultivators with higher cultivation, the duration would be reduced.

Although the Abbot wanted to personally test it, he worried the Tier-3 Bodhi Leaf might not last long on him, so he decided to grant this opportunity to his disciple.

"Master, I..."

At this moment, a young monk was cultivating a strange technique under the Abbot’s protection.

"Master, it worked, it worked, I think I’m really pregnant!"

Feeling the movements of the embryo, the little monk showed a look of pure joy.

"Good, good, good."

The Abbot was quite surprised—this Mutated Bodhi Leaf was indeed as useful as the Holy Son of the Demon Court claimed.

"This time, you should be able to sever your worldly attachments."

"Thank you, Master." The little monk bowed deeply. Born an orphan, he had entered the temple as a child and was meant to become a Buddhist prodigy. However, due to his deceased parents' last wishes, he had always harbored a persistent obsession.

His late parents had hoped he would carry on the bloodline of their destroyed clan and rebuild it.

Yet the Buddhist techniques he cultivated forbade intimacy with women.

This obsession had blocked his advancement in the Dharma.

Under such circumstances, the only solution was to reproduce asexually, without male-female union.

Few demon beasts even had this ability.

Among the human race, only some rare talents could barely cultivate the ancient secret art for self-reproduction.

This secret art was easier for women to learn but extremely difficult for men.

Only a few men with extraordinary talent could manage it.

Clearly, the little monk was not among them. Despite years of effort, he had made no progress.

Now, with the help of the Mutated Bodhi Leaf, he had finally conceived a bloodline offspring. His joy was indescribable.

In this way, not only would he fulfill his deceased parents' wishes and revive his clan’s bloodline, but he could also continue to advance in the Dharma without breaking his vows.

"Looks like the Holy Son of the Demon Court spoke the truth," the Abbot muttered as he continuously fiddled with his prayer beads, lost in thought.

"However, since this involves the sacred tree of the Buddhist Sect, I must consult the Buddha Lord..."

............

"So, you're here for the Bodhi Tree."

Under a Bodhi tree, Lin Jing and Gao Sheng drank tea and casually chatted about their recent experiences.

"Truly, the ways of the world are unpredictable," Gao Sheng sighed.

"Even if you had become the Holy Son of the Gu God Sect, I would have thought it more likely than you becoming the Holy Son of the Demon Court."

"Come on, I didn't expect it either. Back then, you were just a second-generation kid who stole a token to go demon-slaying. Now you’ve actually dug up intel capable of shaking the entire Ancient Kingdom," Lin Jing chuckled.

Gao Sheng sighed, "Honestly, I wish I didn’t have this luck. You have no idea how conflicted I am... But forget it, since the decision's made, I can only walk this path to the end. I just hope I chose right."

"If I were you, I would’ve made the same choice. Don't burden yourself too much," Lin Jing comforted him.

"You really get me," Gao Sheng downed his tea. "At first, I didn’t feel it much, but after all these years working in the Demon-Slaying Bureau, after seeing so many cases of 'demon cultivators' being judged, I’m increasingly convinced the Ancient Kingdom has gone wrong."

"The First Ancient Emperor founded the kingdom not for his own cultivation, but because he couldn't bear to see the human race suffer in chaotic times. The fortune of the kingdom came later, not the other way around."

"But now... the cause and effect have reversed. Stability of the kingdom trumps everything. To keep the kingdom’s fortune intact and constantly supply it to Ancient Clan prodigies, sacrificing low-level cultivators and commoners is no longer rare.

Even those whose crimes weren’t severe get labeled as 'demon cultivators' and disposed of. The laws of the Ancient Kingdom have long been corrupted.

I might be considered a 'beneficiary', but this wasn’t why I joined the Demon-Slaying Bureau in the first place."

"The demons I wanted to slay were those who harmed the innocent. The monsters I wanted to kill were those who brought chaos, not the so-called 'demons' defined by the Ancient Kingdom."

"That’s why I didn’t want to hand over the Artifact Ghost intel to the Ancient Kingdom. But now, by giving it to the Heavenly Sword Sect... maybe the situation will change a little."

Gao Sheng suddenly found the tea flavorless and asked Lin Jing if he had any wine.

"I'm still a kid. I can't drink," Lin Jing said slowly. "You shouldn't drink either. Save your worries for later. Once you’ve reached a higher cultivation, it'll be easier to act. No matter how the world is, small characters like us can only survive in the cracks for now."

"Don't worry. I've already sent people to find Cold Moon Sword Immortal..."

"Huh?"

Lin Jing suddenly froze.

"Found her."

"That fast?" Gao Sheng was surprised.

"Strictly speaking, we’ve just gotten her whereabouts," Lin Jing said. "A beast clan on the edge of the Western Desert reported that they saw Cold Moon Sword Immortal heading toward Martial Emperor City.

She should have left the Western Desert, though it’s unclear whether her destination is Martial Emperor City or returning to the Ancient Kingdom."

"Leaving so soon? No wonder I couldn't find her in the Western Desert!" Gao Sheng was speechless.

Martial Emperor City.

Eight great martial families.

The Feng family.

Cold Moon Sword Immortal Feng Ning didn’t really want to return to her family, but she couldn’t withstand the Ghost Bride’s pestering.

The Ghost Bride insisted on seeking portraits or relics of the Feng family's ancestor.

Feng Ning felt helpless—did this Ghost Bride think her ancestor was her fiancée?

Even if so, the person’s been dead for countless years...