Beast Tamer Ascension

Vol 3 Chapter 4: The Portrait

“Senior Brother You, I’ll be relying on your care in Thousand Illusions Mountain from now on.” Lin Jing handed over a small pouch of Spirit Stones, hoping to build a good relationship.@@novelbin@@

After introductions, he learned that the chubby young man was named You Wanli and was from the same cultivation family as Deacon You, who had just overseen the disciple recruitment.

“No problem at all! Junior Brother Huang, you’re too polite.” Senior Brother You was delighted and said, “Honestly, there’s nothing too special to worry about in Thousand Illusions Mountain.”

“Just remember—whenever you go out, if you see disciples from Myriad Beast Sect or Flower Sect, beat them to death and rob them blind!”

“Our Thousand Illusions Mountain has a deep-seated grudge against those two sects! They’ve stolen several of our Spiritual Veins!”

“As for Myriad Beast Sect, they’re beast tamers—brutal and savage! There’s not a single good person among them. Tell me, what kind of decent person tames beasts? Demonic beasts are living creatures too! Unlike us in Thousand Illusions Mountain, who merely use illusions to simulate demonic beasts in battle.”

“And Flower Sect? Even worse! On the surface, they’re a sect that manipulates plants and flowers, but in reality, they encourage their disciples to hide their identities, marry into small sects and cultivation families, drain them dry, scam them out of betrothal gifts, seize family fortunes—even use secret techniques to siphon their Dao partners’ cultivation!”

“Many disciples of our Thousand Illusions Mountain have fallen for their tricks! Ah, the downfall of men—desire!”

“Good!” You Wanli nodded. “Since you just joined Thousand Illusions Mountain, the sect won’t assign you any tasks for the first three years. You’ll have time to switch your cultivation techniques and train in our sect’s arts.”

“Use these three years to strengthen yourself.”

“Besides waiting for sect missions, you can also join one of the sect’s specialized halls. For example, Illusionary Assassination Hall, which specializes in raiding other sects and seizing resources on behalf of Thousand Illusions Mountain.”

“The disciples of Illusionary Assassination Hall enjoy top-tier benefits, but their mortality rate is also sky-high. If you’re not strong enough, it’s best to think twice before joining.”

“Another good option is Demon-Illusion Hall. Our sect has a powerful artifact—the Demon-Illusion Mirror—which records the power of demonic beasts and preserves their images. These can then be used by sect disciples to hone their illusion techniques.”

“However, disciples of Demon-Illusion Hall must infiltrate battlefields of Demon Kings and above, use illusion techniques to conceal themselves, and record their fights. If your mastery of illusions isn’t good enough, you’ll likely be discovered by these terrifying creatures and die on the battlefield…”

“There’s more…”

As the two flew forward, You Wanli continued introducing the various halls of Thousand Illusions Mountain. Lin Jing was intrigued—this sect was truly unique, with many of its branches focused on the art of illusionary beasts.

Their next destination?

The Divine Beast Hall.

“The outermost layer of the Divine Beast Hall holds 300 statues of powerful Demon Kings, carefully selected by our sect. The middle layer contains 36 statues of different Demon Emperor species, while the innermost layer features three primordial ancestral beasts from legendary bloodlines, whose power rivals Void Mystical Stage cultivators.” 𝖗𝘈Ν∅𝐛ĚṨ

“When you enter, you’ll only be allowed to observe the Demon King statues in the outer layer. As for the Demon Emperors and the Primordial Beasts? Forget about simulating them—just looking at them might be enough to shatter a Foundation Establishment cultivator’s soul.”

“Since Second Elder sent you directly to the Divine Beast Hall, you must have some foundation in illusions, right? If you can manifest just 10% of a Demon King’s essence in your illusion within seven days, then this trip will have been worthwhile. Whether it’s the Illusionary Assassination Hall or Demon-Illusion Hall, they’ll be fighting to recruit you.”

“Remember, don’t get greedy! Choose a demonic beast that resonates with you the most and study it thoroughly!” You Wanli reminded.

Lin Jing nodded.

Manifest 10% of a Demon King’s presence?

Hah…

Back in the Qi Refinement Stage, he had already used his Thousand Transformations Technique to perfectly replicate the full presence of a Nascent Soul-level Demon King!

Since that’s the case…

Let’s see if I can imprint all 800 Demon King images from the Divine Beast Hall into my memory in just one day.

Inside a vast palace, an elder of Thousand Illusions Mountain received an official decree. With a flick of his sleeve, the small door to the Divine Beast Hall opened.

“He only has one day.” The elder stated.

You Wanli turned to Lin Jing and said, “Junior Brother Huang, good luck.”

“Many thanks.” Lin Jing cupped his fists and stepped into the Divine Beast Hall.

The hall was enormous. Statues of over a hundred demonic beasts lined both sides of the chamber, while another hundred were depicted in paintings on the walls.

Lin Jing’s gaze landed on the closest bear demon statue.

As he stared at it, an illusion surged in his mind—

A massive Bear King, cloaked in dark golden lightning, raised its enormous paw to swat at him!

The bear’s palm expanded, blotting out the sky, then slammed down—

BANG!

Lin Jing’s consciousness was forcefully pulled back to reality.

Without sufficient mastery of illusion techniques or cultivation, just looking at these statues could cause a mental backlash.

“All the demonic beasts recorded here have at least late-stage Nascent Soul cultivation. Their bloodlines are absurdly powerful. If they didn’t meet these conditions, the elite cultivators of Thousand Illusions Mountain wouldn’t even bother preserving their images.”

Lin Jing scanned the hall.

Even if he perfectly simulated all these Demon King images, it wouldn’t be of much use to him.

After all, his Thousand Transformations Technique could already partially manifest the presence of Senior Thunder Pine, a Nascent Soul Divine Pine. Even if it was just an illusion, it was far more powerful than these Demon Kings.

He glanced toward the deeper layers of the hall.

If he could enter further and observe the Demon Emperor and Primordial Beast statues, that would be far more beneficial.

But with his current status as a mere disciple, there was no chance of stepping past that closed door.

“The technique used to perfectly imprint a demonic beast’s presence into paintings and statues is worth studying. If I can master it, I could create illusions in specific locations to trap or deceive enemies.”

Lin Jing found something worth learning and began to study.

Seven days later.

In Thousand Illusions Mountain—

After escorting Lin Jing into the Divine Beast Hall, You Wanli had returned to his cave abode. His only task left was to retrieve Lin Jing once he was done and send him back.

“Seven days have passed… I wonder how much Junior Brother Huang has gained from this experience?”

Just as You Wanli was about to set out—

A powerful sect-wide decree echoed across Thousand Illusions Mountain.

“All disciples, hear this! If you encounter the man from the painting, report it to the sect immediately. A reward of a magical artifact will be granted.”

“His name is Lin Jing. Foundation Establishment cultivation. A Beast Taming Sect disciple from the Ancient Kingdom. Skilled in Beast Taming Arts, Buddhist techniques, and mechanized constructs. He possesses a pet squirrel, and his body harbors one of Gu God Sect’s Ten Rare Gu—Ice Soul Gu…”

You Wanli looked up.

A massive scroll floated above Thousand Illusions Mountain, displaying a portrait of a young man dressed in white, with a gourd at his waist, an extraordinary aura, and striking features.

Behind him was a faint shadow—his blue-eyed form infused with the Ice Soul Gu.

At that very moment, similar portraits were appearing in multiple sects…

“Hmm?”

Just as Lin Jing stepped out of the Divine Beast Hall, he looked up at the sky—

Where his own wanted portrait was floating.

He fell into deep thought.