Inheriting a Spirit Beast

A sea of golden-red clouds enveloped the end of the mountain range.

As the sun rises, revealing most of its outline, it casts countless golden rays, illuminating the entire Soaring Cloud Peak in a dazzling golden glow.

A Spirit Boat pierced through the clouds and sped towards them, but its speed suddenly decreased as it approached.

On the Spirit Boat, all the cultivators, led by Ye Jingcheng, appeared extremely solemn at this moment.

Even though they had recently experienced a chase and an overwhelming victory.

Soaring Cloud Peak remains beautiful. As far as the eye can see, the brilliant golden sunrise shines on the snow-white peak, and a faint mist rises up, hazily enveloping most of the mountaintop.

Even the tip of the nose is filled with the crisp fragrance of bamboo shoots and the aroma of camellias, and the splendor of early spring has already been revealed on the mountain peaks.

Ye Xingliu alright, but he couldn't help feeling a little sad about Ye Jingyu, Ye Xingyi, and the others who had long since left.

As for Ye Jingcheng, he was even more dazed at this moment. His gaze seemed to pierce through thousands of feet, and he saw a quiet, ancient courtyard. He also smelled the astringent fragrance of apricot blossoms.

In his ears, he seemed to hear the sound of flames burning the Pill Furnace. The hissing and imperfect explosions finally surged towards Ye Jingcheng that morning.

Ye Jingyong and the others looked at Ye Jingcheng.

They also fell silent. Ye Jingcheng dared not use his Divine Sense to see, but they could see clearly with their Divine Sense that what landed in that courtyard was only a Soil-Turning Earthworm and a white apricot blossom that was half in bloom.

There were no elderly people, nor any eagerly awaiting the departure of their clansmen.

Clearly, it was too late.

Ye Jingcheng didn't have time to see it one last time.

All the members of the Ye Family were filled with grief at this moment. Ye Jingcheng was someone Ye Haiyun had watched grow up, and they, too, had spent their innocent yet passionate childhood under Ye Haiyun's protection.

Ye Jingcheng stopped the Spirit Boat at the foot of Soaring Cloud Peak, muttering to himself:

"Fourth Grandfather, I'm back!"

That short sentence almost brought tears to Ye Jingcheng's eyes.

He stepped onto the mountain peak, and all he saw was familiar land and trees, but in just over three years, he felt a sense of estrangement.

"Let's go to the Lineage ancestral hall first!" Ye Xingliu, seeing Ye Jingcheng's attitude.

According to Lineage rules, all Ye Family cultivators who go out must return to the Lineage Council Hall immediately to hand over all their tasks and record the reasons for their departure.

But seeing Ye Jingcheng in such a state, he felt a pang of pity.

Cultivating immortality is ultimately not about cultivating indifference.

This is especially true for Lineage.

"Third Uncle, let's go to the Council Hall first and hand over the mission and the reason!" Ye Jingcheng shook his head, looking somewhat determined, and walked step by step towards the mountain peak.

He guessed everything from the looks in other people's eyes.

Whether it was out of tribal rules or to retain the last glimmer of hope, it was all for the sake of the clan.

He had to go to the Council Hall first.

The Lineage's Soaring Cloud Peak has grown much taller in recent years due to the upgrade of its Spirit Veins.

The Spiritual Qi atop the mountain peaks was even more abundant, and even ordinary trees grew extremely lush and tall, some of which had already surpassed the height of ordinary trees.

In the past few years, the Council Hall has been renovated and made even more magnificent. There are also more Lineage cultivators. Those immortal children who came up the mountain three years ago have now cultivated quite well and are using lightness and object manipulation techniques in the mountains.

Ye Jingcheng also saw in their eyes a radiance like that of the golden sunrise.

Ye Haiyi was still in charge of handling the affairs in the Council Hall.

However, Ye Haiyi now appears somewhat aged. Although he is Body Cultivator, he cannot escape the lifespan of 120 years.

If one fails to Foundation Establishment, one will ultimately live no more than two cycles of sixty years.

Ye Haiyi seemed to have seen through Ye Jingcheng's thoughts. All the records were contained in a Jade Slip, and Ye Jingcheng only needed to inscribe the three years of Taichang Market into it.

It was all done in a quarter of an hour.

The Ye Family group headed towards the Lineage hall again, with Ye Haiyi following along.

The Lineage hall was also much larger, filled with memorial tablets.

Of course, among these memorial tablets, some are real and some are fake. Most of the real ones have incense burners full of ash, while the fake ones mostly have empty burners.

The one whose name is now glowing with the brilliance of sandalwood incense is Ye Haiyun, who belongs to the "Hai" generation.

Ye Jingcheng landed on the foremost prayer mat and began to kowtow.

The others did the same.

After kowtowing three times, Ye Jingcheng took out the second-tier spiritual incense he had unexpectedly acquired and lit three sticks for Ye Haiyun.

"Jingcheng, this is what Lao Si asked me to give to you!" Ye Haiyi stepped out from the side and handed Ye Jingcheng a Storage Bag.

Ye Jingcheng was taken aback, but then Ye Haiyi continued speaking:

"The Fourth Elder has no direct descendants, so he has designated you as his heir. He has transferred 8,000 contribution points to you, along with his remaining research and some treasures to leave you."

Ye Jingcheng was somewhat surprised. He took the Storage Bag and infiltrated it with his Divine Sense. The first thing he saw was two spirit peaches, which were still intact in the jade box and sealed with a talisman to preserve their Spiritual Qi Spirit Talisman. Next to the jade box was a basket of spirit apricots.

That was clearly the newest spirit apricot, but due to the trip to the secret realm, it hadn't been given to Ye Jingcheng yet.

Besides the spirit apricot, there were also many alchemy materials and several Jade Slips.

The Jade Slip contained summaries of Pill Formulas and Ye Haiyun's insights over the years on deducing Pill Formulas and refining Demon Beast Core.

This was also Ye Jingcheng's parting instruction.

Ye Haiyun did it, but he didn't consume the spirit peach.

The last Jade Slip also contained Ye Haiyun's message to him:

"Jingcheng, you should be a second-tier high-grade Alchemist by now. It's a pity that your fourth grandfather won't live to see you reach the third-tier Alchemist. I heard you've already broken through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage and tamed several Spirit Beasts. But remember, everything must prioritize cultivation. It's better to have a high-quality beast than a large one, and the Beast-Link Mark will become a heavier burden as your cultivation level increases!"

"If I had the eye to see the heavens, I would surely witness the Yun Fusheng!"

"Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality—only by seeing it in the end can one have no regrets!"

"But your fourth grandfather doesn't have much to leave you, only some spiritual fruits, some Pill Formulas, and a Soil-Turning Earthworm as your inheritance Spirit Beast."

These few words brought tears to Ye Jingcheng's eyes several times.

He recalled how, over the past few years in Taichang Market, every time a member of his Lineage came, they would bring him spirit apricots and some insights.

However, from this day forward, no one will send him spirit apricots anymore.

No one would leave the alchemy room with the door slightly ajar so he could peek inside.

"Third Uncle, I want to observe three days of mourning here!" Ye Jingcheng said.

In the Ye Family, since everyone shares the same blood, observing mourning is perfectly normal. When Ye Jingcheng proposed it, Ye Xingliu and the others naturally agreed.

They stayed at the Ancestral Shrine for a long time before leaving.

Ye Jingyong and Ye Jingli personally carried Ye Jingyu's memorial tablet and placed it on the altar, next to Ye Jingfeng.

After several years, the number of memorial tablets for the Jing generation has increased.

They were arranged in a small row.

However, Ye Jingcheng knew that many of them were heading to Hidden Peak and the Eastern Sea.

But what remains also shows that the Ye Family's development has not been so smooth sailing.

Three days is not a long time. Ye Jingcheng stayed in the Ancestral Shrine. In addition to remembering Ye Haiyun, his determination to achieve immortality became even stronger.

Ye Haiyun naturally regretted not being able to Foundation Establishment, not being able to see the process of refining second-tier spirit pills without relying on external forces.

For the Yu Family cultivators, they are both Lineage and a cultivator, unlike Rogue Cultivators.

More benefits come with more burdens.

As dawn broke once more, Ye Jingcheng kowtowed again.

He then walked towards the courtyard.

He wanted to go and see the Soil-Turning Earthworm.

He couldn't help but feel emotional at this moment. The Soil-Turning Earthworm that he once thought was particularly strange had become his first inherited Spirit Beast, and would also become his memory today.

From Ye Haiyun's Jade Slip, he learned that this Soil-Turning Earthworm was no ordinary creature.

It is not only a peak first-tier Demon Beast, but also Spirit Beast capable of giving birth to Spirit Soil.

It can absorb ordinary soil and produce Spirit Soil.

Spirit Soil is a higher-level spiritual substance than ordinary soil. Any Spirit Plant will grow better with the addition of some Spirit Soil, and even the effects produced by the Spirit Plant will be slightly higher.

Of course, Spirit Soil is also divided into natural and acquired Spirit Soil, and it is also divided into grades just like cultivation level.

The Spirit Soil produced by Soil-Turning Earthworm is naturally only first-tier Spirit Soil.

But this Soil-Turning Earthworm might be more than that; according to Ye Haicheng, Soil-Turning Earthworm growth potential is quite considerable.

Ye Jingcheng naturally wanted to go and see it too, as he possessed Treasure Book.

Of course, it's very likely that the Treasure Book won't reveal anything, since the Soil-Turning Earthworm must have been quite old.

It's quite normal for it to exceed the level one can advance to.

Ye Jingcheng pushed open the familiar courtyard door. The protective array in the courtyard was still there, and the furnishings were as usual.

However, the apricot tree bloomed sadly, with many white flowers falling onto the table, and Soil-Turning Earthworms crawling out from a small patch of soil in the yard.

This time, he emerged completely from the ground, no longer with a head that was indistinguishable from a rear end.

Because their two ends are so similar.

Today, Ye Jingcheng finally saw the full appearance of the Soil-Turning Earthworm. Its body was about three feet long, and its aura was that of a peak first-order cultivator.

Of course, there is a peak level, but the actual combat power is probably quite underwhelming.

But for Ye Jingcheng, this Soil-Turning Earthworm was extremely suitable for his Grotto-Heaven.

Although there is Spirit Eye Spring in the Stone Spirit Grotto-Heaven, for Ye Jingcheng, more Spirit Soil would allow his Spirit Plants to grow better.

It even made the Peachwood Demon grow better.

At this moment, to Ye Jingcheng's surprise, the Treasure Book also lit up.

There were two possible advancements mentioned above.

Clearly, the Soil-Turning Earthworm has real potential, and even without external forces, its chances of breaking through to the second tier are quite high.

The second-order Soil-Turning Earthworm produces second-order Spirit Soil, so Ye Jingcheng naturally had some expectations.

Soil-Turning Earthworms are very intelligent, as can be seen from the past, so when Ye Jingcheng forced out his Essence Blood, the other party cooperated exceptionally well.

Soon, a connection was formed between Ye Jingcheng and the Soil-Turning Earthworm.

Ye Jingcheng tossed out several Spirit Nurturing Pills for the Soil-Turning Earthworm to consume.

Upon seeing the Spirit Nurturing Pill, the latter swayed from side to side before finally burrowing back into the spirit soil.

However, Ye Jingcheng stopped him. He took out the Grotto-Heaven and put Soil-Turning Earthworm inside, along with the apricot tree from the courtyard.

After finishing these tasks, Ye Jingcheng cleaned the courtyard thoroughly, inside and out. He remembered that Ye Haiyun paid special attention to these things. After finishing, he took out a pot of Floating Cloud Tea and poured a cup in front of the apricot tree.

He then took a sip himself, letting the aroma of the tea fill the air.

The aroma of the tea is even richer and more mellow, intertwined with the remaining apricot blossoms, creating a truly delightful experience.

After a long while, Ye Jingcheng stood up and murmured to himself.

"Fourth Grandfather, I'm going to succeed as the head of the family!"