Black Bear Monster

Hey... was that really necessary?!

Lin Jing stared speechlessly at the monster that had entered.

It wasn't a fairy of the righteous path storming a Corpse Yin Sect stronghold, but... a monster drawn here by his constitution?

A black bear that swallowed demonic Foundation Establishment cultivators in a single gulp...

Honestly, given the choice, he wasn't particularly keen on a long-term partnership with a Demon Beast.

Even if the other party was reasonable and agreed, he would still be the one suffering the pain.

Out of the wolf's den and into the bear's jaws. Lin Jing was utterly exhausted.

Feeling the foul breath pouring from the Black Bear Monster's mouth, Lin Jing sorted out his thoughts and prepared to explain the proper way to eat him.

Meanwhile, thump, thump... his heartbeat kept accelerating, and his rigid body seemed able to move again. But even if he could move, he didn't think he could escape.

"Your Majesty, please hear me out..." Lin Jing began, determined to appeal to its emotions and sway it with reason.

But the next second, a familiar voice reached him, leaving him with rather mixed feelings.

"Elder Black Bear."

At some point, the man with the primordial yang body had emerged from the collapsed cell. Brushing dust off himself, he respectfully cupped his hands toward the Black Bear Monster. "He's still only a mortal. Please don't frighten him. What if he dies prematurely?"

"Roar?" The Black Bear Monster raised a paw to wipe away his drool, rolled his eyes toward the man with the primordial yang body, and said, "You've rendered a great service this time."

"I've already dealt with all the demonic cultivators in this Corpse Yin Sect stronghold..."

"We can leave the cleanup to the Demon-Slaying Bureau now. But this fellow..." The Black Bear Monster looked at Lin Jing and licked his lips.

"I know." The man with the primordial yang body laughed heartily.

Then he turned a friendly gaze on Lin Jing.

At that moment, Lin Jing had nothing but silence to offer.

This was...

The man with the primordial yang body smiled at Lin Jing. "Brother, I know you have many questions. Allow me to answer them."

"I'm Ouyang Hao, an inner disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. To assist with a sect mission, I deliberately disguised myself as prey and infiltrated this Corpse Yin Sect stronghold to provide intelligence to my sect."

"This was meant to be a long-term mission, baiting out bigger fish. But I couldn't bear to see you die in a monster's jaws, so I contacted the sect early to draw in the net."

"Now that this Corpse Yin Sect outpost has fallen, you no longer need to fear for your life."

Lin Jing raised his head.

He looked at the other man.

Then he looked at the Black Bear Monster beside him, who had produced a Daoist robe from somewhere and draped it over himself.

On the back of the robe were three large characters that appeared to read "Beast Taming Sect."

An undercover agent?

"Of course, our meeting must be fate. I imagine you stumbled into the Corpse Yin Sect while seeking immortality. Would you be interested in returning to the Beast Taming Sect with me, becoming a disciple, and cultivating immortality through beast taming?" Ouyang Hao invited him.

"The Beast Taming Sect?" Lin Jing had known it...

He wasn't meant to die here!

"Yes, the Beast Taming Sect!" As though he had noticed Lin Jing's caution, Ouyang Hao said solemnly, "Rest assured, the Beast Taming Sect is a legitimate sect, a righteous immortal cultivation school officially recognized by the Heavenly Origin Ancient Kingdom."

Lin Jing nodded, but he didn't think the Black Bear Monster's drooling earlier had been an act.

Besides, the Beast Taming Sect.

It sounded like a sect that raised plenty of Demon Beasts.

Since his longevity body was a tremendous tonic to Demon Beasts...

Would he really enjoy peaceful days in a sect like that?

Lin Jing had his doubts.

At that moment, the Black Bear Monster in the Daoist robe turned his head and spoke. "Kid, do you still want to cultivate immortality? If you do, joining the Beast Taming Sect is your best choice."

"Although the longevity body grants a long lifespan, its cultivation speed is incredibly slow. It offers no divine ability bonuses either, and its combat strength is nothing special. Following ordinary cultivation methods, you'd take ages to reach Foundation Establishment even with ample resources."

"This constitution gradually disappeared not only because the Demon Race hunted its bearers, but also because cultivation was too difficult."

"So even when an ordinary sect discovers someone with a longevity body, it can't afford to support them. The requirements for their cultivation are far too demanding!"

"But the Beast Taming Sect is different. Our cultivation method involves cultivators forming contracts with Spirit Beasts and Demon Beasts, relying primarily on their beasts in combat. As they nurture those beasts, a portion of the beasts' cultivation gains also feeds back into the cultivators themselves."

"So for cultivators whose talents or constitutions make their cultivation too slow and leave them unsuited to mainstream cultivation methods, seeking the Dao through beast taming is the best choice."

"The Beast-Taming Path suits your longevity body better than spell cultivation, sword cultivation, or body cultivation!"

"What do you think?" Elder Black Bear stared at Lin Jing, laying out the pros and cons.

"I see." Lin Jing understood.

No wonder Brother Cultivation Cauldron had abandoned his mission to call in a bear to save him first.

Put that way, the longevity body was indeed a good match for the Beast Taming Sect's cultivation methods.

With his long lifespan... raising one beast after another and lying low behind the scenes while his cultivation grew sounded pretty good.

"Seniors... I'm willing to join the Beast Taming Sect," Lin Jing said at once. Reliable or not, if he didn't join now, he had no other options.

He couldn't just keep being a mortal.

After being trafficked to the Corpse Yin Sect, Lin Jing no longer wanted to wander blindly around the outside world.

Human hearts were treacherous.

Beast hearts were treacherous.

His longevity body made him a walking piece of Tang Monk's flesh. It was far too dangerous.

Besides... these people had just saved his life.

A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring, let alone the kindness of saving his life.

He would join the sect... and seek a chance to repay them!

"Good, good, good." Hearing Lin Jing's answer, Ouyang Hao smiled again. "In that case, just call me Senior Brother Ouyang from now on. Let's return to the sect!"

Finding the sect a promising cultivation seedling with a special constitution would earn him a far richer reward than this mission.

As Ouyang Hao looked at Lin Jing, he seemed as pleasing to the eye as gleaming white Spirit Stones.

"All right, Senior Brother Ouyang... Oh, right!" Lin Jing suddenly remembered something. "There's also the Daoist temple that tricked me into coming here!"

Recalling that old Daoist riding an ox, Lin Jing felt particularly vindictive.

The grudge of being trafficked was one that couldn't exist beneath the same sky! If he hadn't met an undercover agent from the righteous path, he would have been done for! He would remember this grudge, and the Corpse Yin Sect too... he would remember them!

Kindness had to be remembered, and so did grudges. Once he became a mighty immortal cultivator, he would wipe out this trafficking organization.

"You don't need to concern yourself with that. The Demon-Slaying Bureau will handle it," the Black Bear Monster said, surveying their surroundings. "We shouldn't linger here. We don't know whether the demonic cultivators at this stronghold passed information about your longevity body to higher-ranking Corpse Yin Sect cultivators. To be safe, we'd better return to the sect first."

"My master, Elder Mo Wuyou of the Beast Taming Sect, is already waiting for you. He's responsible for scouting special disciples for the sect. Ouyang Hao, for instance, was discovered and recruited by him. You're both geniuses with special constitutions. Once you enter the sect, you'll receive better treatment than disciples admitted through normal channels!"

Lin Jing nodded. Still, with his longevity body, he couldn't shake the feeling that danger would follow him into the cultivation world.

Given my character setup, should I raise a monkey to protect me...?