A Bountiful Harvest

After hearing Ten Thousand Demon King's words, the Soul Beast overlords also came to their senses. They looked at Ning Bei with unfriendly expressions, feeling that they had been deceived.

Ning Bei did not panic. He shook his head and looked at Ten Thousand Demon King, whose face was full of mockery.

"Senior is right. I did hunt five Soul Beasts for my Soul Rings, but that is the law of survival for Soul Masters. For now, it cannot be changed."

"Some carnivorous Soul Beasts also hunt other Soul Beasts to fill their stomachs, don't they?"

"As for the companions in my Pill Pagoda, I can swear upon my Martial Soul that I will never hunt them for Soul Rings."

"Of course, if they feel that they can no longer improve their strength or that their end is near, and voluntarily choose to sacrifice themselves to me, that would be another matter. That way, I would also have less reason to come to the Star Dou Great Forest and cause bloodshed."

After hearing Ning Bei's words, the Fierce Beasts' expressions visibly improved. Even Ten Thousand Demon King's bewitching face softened considerably.

"Human, how much can your Martial Soul improve a Soul Beast?"

Ning Bei thought for a moment before answering Ten Thousand Demon King's question.

"At present, I can only help Soul Beasts below forty thousand years improve their cultivation."

"My Pill Pagoda currently has five floors. The first floor can increase a Soul Beast's cultivation by one year per day, and every floor after that doubles the previous floor's effect. By this calculation, the fifth floor can increase a Soul Beast's cultivation by sixteen years per day."

The Soul Beast overlords' expressions changed drastically after hearing Ning Bei's explanation. None of those capable of cultivating to their level were fools. At this rate, once Ning Bei became a Titled Douluo, he would be able to grant Soul Beasts 256 years of cultivation every day. By then, creating Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts out of thin air would no longer be a dream.

Naturally, that excluded Soul Beasts whose bloodlines were fundamentally insufficient to reach the hundred-thousand-year level.

"Kid, you aren't fooling us, are you?"

Ning Bei shook his head and looked at A Bao before him.

"I found A Bao as a companion one year ago. At the time, he had only just been born and had barely reached the hundred-year level. Now, he already possesses four thousand years of cultivation."

The beasts looked at A Bao before them and found that it was indeed true. Their minds immediately began to stir.

"Human, wait for me."

Bi Ji watched Ten Thousand Demon King depart. After thinking for a while, she also left.

"And me. Please wait."

Di Tian and Bear Lord stood there in a daze, unsure what those two were planning.

Before long, Ten Thousand Demon King and Bi Ji returned, bringing back a tree and a swan.

"This is an outstanding descendant of my Demon Eye Magic Tree clan. I'll leave it to you to raise."

Looking at the sapling before him, which had been uprooted and whose branches were constantly swaying, Ning Bei felt speechless.

Wasn't that a little too rough, old man?

Compared to him, Bi Ji was much gentler. She kept speaking softly to the emerald-green swan perched on her shoulder.

After a while, she looked at Ning Bei.

"Child, this is the Little Princess of my Emerald Swan clan. I'll leave her to you as well. I hope you will treat her well."

Ning Bei's expression remained unchanged as he looked at the tree and swan before him, but inwardly, he was extremely excited. With the Demon Eye Magic Tree, his Soul Beast team would gain a primary control specialist. Once the Man Faced Demon Spider reached the ten-thousand-year level and gained its concealment ability, it could switch to being an agility attacker. With A Bao as a powerful attack-type tank and the swan as a healer, his team was complete.

He nodded to Ten Thousand Demon King and Bi Ji.

"Rest Assured, Seniors. I will treat them as my best companions."

The two looked at Ning Bei with satisfaction. They were naturally delighted that the younger members of their clans would receive such good care.

Ning Bei then summoned the Pill Pagoda and approached the two young Soul Beasts.

The moment the two young beasts caught the Alchemy Fragrance of the Pill Pagoda, they became excited. The Emerald Swan flew directly to the top of the tower, her emerald beak continuously pecking at its surface, while the Demon Eye Magic Tree refused to be outdone and controlled its branches to wrap around the Pill Pagoda.

Watching the two young beasts' actions, Bi Ji covered her mouth and laughed softly.

"It seems the two little ones really like your Martial Soul?"

Ning Bei took the two Soul Beasts into the Pill Pagoda and checked their strength. He found that the Demon Eye Magic Tree possessed 1,200 years of cultivation, while the Emerald Swan was somewhat stronger, with a full 3,000 years of cultivation—comparable to Ning Bei's Man Faced Demon Spider.

After making a rough arrangement, Ning Bei decided to place A Bao alone on the fifth floor in the future, allowing him to transform into a Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast first, followed by the Man Faced Demon Spider.

The Emerald Swan and Demon Eye Magic Tree would be placed together on the fourth floor. Though the effect would be somewhat reduced, they could still gain around four years of cultivation per day. Once the other two had both reached the ten-thousand-year level, he would move them into the fifth floor in turn.

After placing A Bao into the Pill Pagoda as well, Ning Bei turned to the Fierce Beasts.

"Then, Seniors, this kid will take his leave first. The elders at home are worried about me; they must be very concerned by now."

The Fierce Beasts nodded, then looked at Di Tian with contempt. Anyone could tell how Ning Bei had been brought here.

Di Tian's old face reddened beneath their stares. He hurriedly grabbed Ning Bei, tore open the space before them, and entered it.

A while later, one man and one beast appeared in the outer region of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Kid, I'll send you this far. Go back on your own."

Ning Bei nodded and bowed to Di Tian.

"Thank you, Senior. I will remember our agreement. We will meet again when I reach the cultivation of a Soul Emperor."

Di Tian nodded at his words, then slipped into space and vanished.

In the Lake of the Core Region at the edge of the Star Dou Great Forest, a massive bull's head emerged from the water and looked toward the enormous giant ape on the shore.

"Er Ming, did you sense that one's aura?"

"Roar."

Er Ming pounded his chest, indicating that he had sensed it.

"That person's strength was truly terrifying. I wonder what happened for them to appear this time."

Meanwhile, the anxious Titled Douluo Sword and Bone, along with Ning Fengzhi, once again searched the place where Ning Bei had been absorbing his Soul Ring. After searching for a while, they still found nothing.

"What should we do, Fengzhi?"

Hearing Gu Rong's question, Ning Fengzhi fell silent and thought for a moment.

"Let's return to the Sect first. I'll have the spies in Spirit City find out whether there's any news of Bei Er. Then we'll decide what to do."

"Sigh, that's all we can do. Let's go."

After leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, Ning Bei found a town nearby. He immediately decided to fill his stomach there and buy a carriage for the journey.

This was a typical Mercenary Town. Large numbers of mercenaries gathered here, forming teams to enter the Star Dou Great Forest for Soul Hunting. Most merchants and inns also catered to these mercenaries.

After finding a clean restaurant and filling his stomach, Ning Bei asked a waiter for the location of a carriage dealership. He left several Gold Soul Coins on the table and departed.

At the carriage dealership, Ning Bei bought the most luxurious carriage available. After hiring a Coachman, the two set off for Seven Treasure City.

However, Ning Bei did not see the greedy face emerging from the shadows between the buildings after the carriage left the town. Watching the carriage disappear into the distance, it licked its lips.