Beast Tamer Ascension

Vol 3 Chapter 62: The Ancestral Recognition Pact

"Alright, the grand plan for the revival of the demon race has yet to succeed. The Holy Maidens must continue their efforts," said the Kirin Clan Leader before proceeding to the final segment of the Holy Maiden Tea Ceremony.

The three Holy Maidens would compete against each other to assess their progress in strength.

"It's a done deal, a complete victory this time." Senior Brother Ouyang approached Lin Jing, who was replenishing his true energy, and said, "The followers of Her Highness the Holy Maiden may be weak, but she herself is the strongest among the Holy Maidens!"

"Do you know why?" He transmitted his voice to Lin Jing.

"I can more or less guess." Lin Jing kept his eyes closed, showing little interest in this battle.

His task was already complete.

If Senior Sister ended up getting beaten next, there was nothing he could do to help.

Ouyang Hao chuckled. "The First Holy Maiden has given birth to too many children, causing a decline in her physique and, naturally, in her strength. However, while she isn't powerful now, her future is promising. Once her children grow up, they will become an undeniable force—her true followers in the future."

"But our Holy Maiden is different. Her followers are weak—not because they started out that way, but because her strongest ones were directly contracted as her pet beasts, becoming a part of her own strength. They no longer count as mere followers…"

"So, the weakness of her followers has nothing to do with her being new to the Demon Court. It's entirely self-inflicted…"

"With herself and four pet beasts, it's practically a five-on-one situation, making her the strongest among the Holy Maidens…"

Lin Jing fell silent for a moment. As expected of someone from our Beast Taming Sect...

Just as Senior Brother Ouyang had said, Senior Sister fought against the other two Holy Maidens with no regard for fairness, summoning four pet beasts to gang up on them.

A white crane, a phoenix, a golden roc, and a peacock.

The crane was the first pet beast she had contracted at the Beast Taming Sect, while the other three were chosen from the Demon Court for their outstanding talent and potential.

Both the phoenix and peacock had emperor-tier bloodlines.

The golden roc's bloodline was even more terrifying—it was an ancestral-tier bloodline, akin to the Zhuyan, a true ancient beast.

However, while Lin Jing's Zhuyan ancestor bloodline was merely an illusion, Senior Sister had actually contracted a real ancestral-bloodline pet beast.

Across the entire Tianyuan Continent, there were probably fewer than ten Nascent Soul cultivators who could defeat her. The only one Lin Jing could think of was the current top-ranked prodigy on the Ancient Kingdom’s Celestial Rankings, the Ancient Imperial Prince.

Previously, although Xu Qingyao could suppress the other two Holy Maidens, her followers were completely overpowered. But with Lin Jing’s addition, she achieved an all-around victory over them.

Before long, the tea ceremony concluded. The Third Holy Maiden emerged victorious against the other two and received an invitation from the Kirin Clan Leader.

...

Deep in the Kirin Clan’s Void Realm.

The Dark Kirin Clan Leader walked ahead, with Xu Qingyao following behind.

"Ancestor, I have brought the Third Holy Maiden," the Dark Kirin Clan Leader announced.

As his words fell, a golden light flickered in the depths of the void, outlining the ethereal figure of a Holy Light Kirin. Its aged whiskers swayed as its divine eyes gazed at Xu Qingyao.

"Greetings, elder," Xu Qingyao bowed slightly. This being was the lowest-ranking elder of the Kirin Clan, yet its cultivation had reached the peak of the Void Mystical Stage.

"At the Eight Holy Sons’ Hall, he should already know why you’ve come to meet him…"

"Of course, it's about the Kirin that belongs to the Fire Dragon Alchemist." Xu Qingyao lifted her gaze toward the massive figure. "This should be about its ancestral recognition and return to the clan."

"This cannot be done. It is not an orphan and is already properly placed. However, since it still follows the Fire Dragon Alchemist as his companion, it cannot truly return to the Kirin Clan in the strictest sense. It can only be recognized in name," the Kirin Ancestor stated.

"Naturally, the Kirin Clan is a clan of auspicious beasts. As long as it acknowledges its lineage in name, the clan's fortune will rise. And as its strength grows, the fortune of the clan will rise even further."

"However, as a member of our Kirin Clan, it must one day fully return."

"I hope that once the Beast Tamer dies, it will return to the Kirin Clan entirely, and even in death, its bones and soul shall rest in the Kirin Ancestral Land, protecting the clan for a thousand years."

Uh...

Xu Qingyao’s thoughts turned peculiar. She understood the Kirin Ancestor’s intent—he wanted the Dragon Carp to eventually return to the clan and shift its loyalty from assisting Lin Jing to dedicating itself to the revival of the Kirin Clan.

And the Kirin Ancestor was reasonable about it—he wasn’t demanding an immediate return, just waiting for the Beast Tamer to die!

On the surface, this wasn’t a problem. The Kirin Clan had incredible longevity. Outlasting a human cultivator of the same realm was effortless. By the time the Beast Tamer passed, the Dragon Carp might have only used up a fraction of its lifespan.

This was exactly why powerful-bloodline demonic beasts were willing to become pet beasts. They could use their master's resources to grow stronger while knowing they would outlive them in the end.

But the problem was…

Lin Jing wasn’t like her.

Lin Jing had the Longevity Body. Even if that big fat fish died of old age, Lin Jing might not even grow a single white hair.

Seeing Xu Qingyao hesitate, the Kirin Ancestor added, "Of course, during this time, my Kirin Clan will fully support you, Third Holy Maiden. The entire clan will assist in your research on the Transformation Art."

"Alright, deal. I agree on behalf of the Fire Dragon Alchemist," Xu Qingyao finally said. "Once his natural lifespan is near its end and the Kirin loses its master, it will return to the Kirin Clan!"

The Kirin Ancestor nodded in satisfaction.

...

"This is how it is..."

Afterward, Senior Sister explained the agreement between herself and the Kirin Clan to Lin Jing and the Dragon Carp, leaving Lin Jing speechless.

"..."

The Dragon Carp also lacked confidence in its ability to outlive its Beast Tamer.

"It doesn’t matter. Even if the Kirin Ancestor later realizes you and Lin Jing are the same person, it won't be a problem. As long as we can use the Kirin Clan’s position to request more resources from the Demon Court, that’s all that matters."

"Once the Transformation Pill is successfully developed, political allegiances won’t matter anymore. The Demon Emperor once said that whichever Holy Maiden manages to create a Transformation Art will be nurtured as the next Demon Court heir, personally accepted as his direct disciple." Xu Qingyao pursed her lips.

"Becoming the Demon Emperor’s disciple—that’s the real goal."

"Understood. Once we return, I’ll begin refining the Transformation Pill immediately," Lin Jing replied.

After the Sky Lion Clan incident, the Hidden Dragon Fortune he had obtained was many times greater than even winning first place in the Genius Battle—enough for him to help the Pine Leaf Mouse reach the Core Formation Stage.

"Mm. But before that, follow me to meet Gu Qianqiu and plan her cultivation path. Ten years is too short." Senior Sister shook her head.

"It’s fine. Maybe we can first give her an Ice Soul Lesser Gu to freeze her aging, slowing down the loss of those ten years of lifespan and allowing her to become a Gu Master first…" Lin Jing suggested.