Reincarnated as a Divine Tree

Ji Yang withdrew his consciousness and stopped observing.

He had already understood the specific function of the divine ability.

However, he then pondered—if he truly wanted to use this ability to build a fierce beast army for the clan, what kind of beasts should he choose?

Ideally, they should have long lifespans, not be too weak, and be obedient. Such creatures were not easy to find in the Chaotic Burial Mountain.

Moreover, after awakening their spirits, how could he be sure they wouldn’t, like the Spirit-Tailed Chicken, become dissatisfied with a peaceful life and seek freedom? Creatures with awakened spirits were often difficult to control.

As he considered this, Ji Yang abandoned his original idea and continued absorbing the moonlight and spiritual energy from the heavens and earth.

On the third day, many clan members gathered at the clan hall, though some were sent away by Chen Xingzhen.

These were the younger members of the clan, and he had done this on purpose.

Today was the agreed-upon time with Zhou Huai’an.

Even though the arrangement had been made in advance, now that the day had arrived, Chen Xingzhen felt a little apprehensive. Their strength was inferior, after all. If Zhou Huai’an had ill intentions, the clan would need to preserve a spark of life.

Of course, that was the worst-case scenario.

“How is it? Is the blood rice ready?” Chen Xingzhen asked Chen Tianyu beside him.

“Clan Leader, it is ready.”

“Good.”

“Clan Leader, it looks like they’ve arrived.”

Chen Tianjing pointed to several small black dots in the distant sky.

Many of the clansmen turned to look.

As the dots approached, they gradually took shape—giant birds, similar to the one Zhou Huai’an had ridden last time, though slightly smaller in size.

On top these flying beasts were several figures dressed in brocade robes embroidered with white butterflies.

At first, Chen Xingzhen had thought the design was merely decorative, but now it seemed the white butterfly was likely the Zhou clan’s totem.

In no time, the giant birds arrived above the clan hall. After circling twice, they slowly descended to the designated area in the clan courtyard. As they landed, a cheerful voice rang out from the sky.

“Clan Leader Chen, long time no see.”

A figure gracefully leaped from the back of one of the birds, landing lightly as if unaffected by gravity. It was none other than Zhou Huai’an.

“Master Zhou, you have finally arrived. It must have been a long journey. Why not rest for a while?” Chen Xingzhen said with a smile, gesturing toward the blood rice.

Zhou Huai’an smiled back. “Very well.”

Then he turned to the others who had accompanied him. “First, load up the blood rice. We’ll leave for the clan soon.”

The dozen or so people nodded and quickly began loading the blood rice. They looked ordinary, but most of them were at the Blood Coagulation Realm, with some even at the late stage of that realm. In the Chaotic Burial Mountain, such a group could have formed a formidable clan. Yet here they were, simply loading blood rice.

Inside the clan hall, Zhou Huai’an smiled and spoke casually.

“Clan Leader Chen, I am pleased with your decision.”

Chen Xingzhen could only smile bitterly in response.@@novelbin@@

Although Zhou Huai’an hadn’t brought many people, the dozen or so giant birds alone would have been difficult for the clan to handle.

He chose not to dwell on the subject and instead had someone pour the wine.

“Master Zhou, this is a special rice wine brewed with blood rice by our clan. Please have a taste.”

“Oh?”

Zhou Huai’an’s expression showed interest as he swirled the ceramic cup, gently sniffed the aroma, then took a sip.

The rice wine flowed down his throat, and he closed his eyes, savoring the taste.

After a moment, he slowly said, “This wine has a refreshing taste. Although it lacks strength, it has a unique rice fragrance, which is quite nice. However, the blood rice used in this wine seems impure, which lowers its quality.”

He set the cup down, “That said, considering it can help low-level martial artists temper their bodies, it’s still acceptable.”

Chen Xingzhen was slightly surprised and quickly explained, “Master Zhou, you are right. The blood rice used in this wine was grown during the Natural Blood Spring’s dormant period. To ensure the rice’s yield, we used the blood of wild beasts to stimulate its growth.”

“I see.”

Zhou Huai’an nodded slightly and took another sip before turning his gaze to Chen Xingzhen.

With a smile, he said, “Patriarch Chen, I doubt you invited me here just for a drink. Now that the Chen clan has joined my Zhou clan, feel free to speak your mind.”

Chen Xingzhen smiled bitterly.

“I can’t hide anything from you, Lord Zhou. In fact, I have a request. When you return to the clan this time, could you take one more person with you? Chen Qingyu from our clan has long yearned to see the world beyond the Chaotic Burial Mountain.”

“You mean your clan’s natural martial artist?”

“Exactly.”

Zhou Huai’an smiled faintly. “This is a small matter. Consider it done.”

“Thank you, Lord Zhou. This is a small token of our clan’s appreciation. Please accept it.”

Chen Tianyu, who had been standing nearby, stepped forward with two jugs of rice wine.

“Very well. Since it’s Patriarch Chen’s kind gesture, I’ll accept it.”

Zhou Huai’an rose from his seat. “That’s about it. There are still important matters in the clan, so I won’t stay any longer.”

“Please, my lord.”

Outside, the blood rice had already been loaded onto the giant birds.

Just as Zhou Huai’an was about to leave, he suddenly turned back.

“I almost forgot.”

He reached into his robes and tossed something toward Chen Xingzhen.

“This is the Zhou clan’s token. You must take good care of it. If any other clan comes asking for blood rice in the future, you can show them this.”

Chen Xingzhen caught the token.

It was made of white jade, with the character Zhou engraved on the front and a four-winged white butterfly on the back, poised as if ready to take flight.

He quickly put it away.

One Zhou clan was enough. If more came, the clan wouldn’t need to develop any further.

Zhou Huai’an and his entourage arrived quickly and left just as swiftly. This time, Chen Qingyu also departed with them.

As Chen Xingzhen watched the black dots fade into the distance, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Things hadn’t turned out as bad as he had feared. At least, the current outcome was something he could accept. However, this was only the first step in expanding the clan’s prospects. Many matters still needed to be addressed.

That said, Zhou Huai’an’s visit had given him a boost of confidence. At the very least, judging by the strength the Zhou clan had displayed, they weren’t weak. On the contrary, they were formidable.

For now, pledging temporary loyalty to them wasn’t too much of a loss. Although they had sacrificed some blood rice, if it paved the way for the clan to connect with the outside world, it would be invaluable for their future.

After all, the clan couldn’t remain stagnant forever. He firmly believed that they would continue to grow stronger. And once they did, they wouldn’t have to be subordinate to anyone.

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