The Master of Beasts

Chapter 1023 - 366: Cooperation with the Yue Family

"I know you might be holding onto a sliver of unrealistic hope, but the possibility of Yun Yan returning safely is very slim!"

Hearing news about Yun Yan for the first time, and that it was bad news, left Chen Jiuge feeling quite uneasy.

"What does the Yue Family mean? Recruiting me?"

"Exactly!"

Yue Zexuan nodded and said, "Although the Yue Family has weakened significantly, it is still a family that has existed since the beginning of the city, and the heritage within is beyond your imagination!"

"At least for recruitment, protecting you is very simple!"

"As for the conditions, whatever the Yun Family offers you, our Yue Family can provide double. And as your abilities grow, our Yue Family can offer even more!"

Yue Zexuan’s sincerity was evident, or rather the Yue Family’s sincerity was; Chen Jiuge acknowledged that he was tempted, but when he thought of Seventh Master Yun, who was always watching him, Chen Jiuge couldn’t help but remain silent.

Shaking his head slightly, Chen Jiuge refused, "No way!"

Though he refused with his words, his fingers quickly left a line of words on the table.

Yue Zexuan’s pupils slightly contracted, "What a pity, this is my message, Master Chen, you can tell me when you’ve thought it through!"

"No need, I will not betray the Yun Family!"

After speaking, Chen Jiuge flicked his sleeves and left, leaving Yue Zexuan with an ashen face.

After a long while, the door closed.

Yue Zexuan’s expression returned to calmness, a trace of puzzlement on his scholarly face: "Does someone in the Yun Family have their eye on him?"

"It’s unlikely, the Yun Family’s main research is Breeding Armor, they don’t research much on Fierce Beasts, so why would they watch him?"

"Could it be..."

Recalling a rumor from hundreds of years ago, Yue Zexuan’s body trembled slightly: "Could it be that the Yun Family really developed the Biological Breeding Armor."

Biological Breeding Armor was a research project from the Yun Family back then. Breeding Armor itself is a peculiar Magic Artifact that can greatly enhance a cultivator’s individual strength, even enabling them to fight across levels.

This kind of effect was already quite astonishing, but the Biological Breeding Armor proposed by the Yun Family was even more outrageous.

Not only does it have stronger amplification effects, but it can also cultivate like a living person, even nurturing itself into another avatar of a cultivator, so even if the main body perishes, it can be revived on the Breeding Armor!

However, such outrageous Biological Breeding Armor did not succeed, and even led to significant mishaps. Yun Yan’s parents were the ones who had an accident at that time, resulting in foundational damage that prevented further cultivation, and thus Yun Yan’s birth came about.

"Right, Biological Breeding Armor must be living, so aren’t Fierce Beasts most suitable!"

Thinking of the impact the development of Biological Breeding Armor by the Yun Family could have, Yue Zexuan couldn’t help but feel a chill. This was extremely terrifying news for the Yue Family, and even other families, as Dusk Main City certainly couldn’t have another top-tier family.

"Perhaps I’m overthinking it, but what needs to be reported should still be reported!"

"Reaching a cooperation with Chen Jiuge can be considered a good beginning!"

As an elder assigned to the Outer Circle for many years, Yue Zexuan decided to let the old family members worry about this headache-inducing matter, while he would just manage Swan Lake well.

........

The carriage slowly passed along the road, with pedestrians dodging aside, even the seemingly arrogant Hunters did the same.

"Master, were you not wronged in any way?" Lie Guang cautiously asked.

"Ah?" Chen Jiuge was taken aback, then chuckled: "How could I have been wronged in any way!"

"As long as that’s okay, but I noticed, Master, that your expression didn’t look good after coming out!"

"It’s nothing, just ran into a bit of trouble."

"By the way, Lie Guang, do you know who is behind Swan Lake?"

Lie Guang shook his head and said, "This subordinate does not know. Master, you know I was just an ordinary person from the Inner Circle before, this cybernetic modification was even on loan, how could I know about the Outer Circle’s matters."

"True."

Third floor of the Hundred Beasts Pavilion.

Lying on the soft bed, Chen Jiuge, for a rare moment, didn’t cultivate, choosing instead to empty his mind.

Seven years have passed, breaking through from the Third Level to the Sixth Level. Although aided by a vast amount of resources, Chen Jiuge’s own efforts were also indispensable.

"Should I seek refuge with the Yue Family?"

Chen Jiuge was indeed tempted. The conditions offered by Yue Zexuan were alluring, making the Yue Family an excellent choice for him.

The Chen Family itself is an expert on Fierce Beasts, with a considerable number of powerful Beast Masters. The sheer number of powerful Fierce Beasts accumulated over the years is simply not something Chen Jiuge could shake with just a few years.

Conversely, the Yun Family is entirely different. They lack research on Fierce Beasts; Chen Jiuge’s joining filled their gap, but the Yun Family wouldn’t place too much importance on Chen Jiuge.

No, it should be that most people don’t pay much attention, but Yun Cheng’s Seventh Master Yun is different; his attention toward Chen Jiuge is somewhat extraordinary.

Only the Yue Family, this family currently on the downturn, is most suitable for Chen Jiuge.

"Not to mention, although Yun Yan can’t return now, and her chances later aren’t great either, she’s not dead. If I were to switch allegiance to the Yue Family now, it would only provoke hostility from Yun Cheng. And if Yun Yan were to return, it would be troublesome."

As for the Yue Family’s claim of protecting him, Chen Jiuge felt a bit skeptical.

The Yue Family is likely assuming the Yun Family wouldn’t make a fuss over a single Beast Master, essentially putting his life at the mercy of the Yun Family’s stance, which Chen Jiuge simply couldn’t accept.

Going straight to allegiance won’t do, so starting with cooperation is the only option.

"The cooperation isn’t a big problem, but it must be kept within a reasonable scope, so it doesn’t harm the business of the Hundred Beasts Pavilion."

"While stabilizing the business of the Hundred Beasts Pavilion, cultivate some Fierce Beasts to use in cooperation with the Yue Family!"

Chen Jiuge’s thoughts slowly became clearer.

*beep*

Opening the Mechanical Heart, Chen Jiuge began investigating information about the Yue Family.

The Fierce Beast industry is one of the main pillars of the Yue Family, and simple information could be directly retrieved from the Mechanical Heart, which was quite convenient.

"Moonlight?"

"The Fierce Beasts cultivated by the Yue Family primarily absorb Moonlight Essence? Suitable for night battles, huh?"

Now Chen Jiuge understood why the Yue Family was willing to offer such attractive benefits to recruit him.

Because the weaknesses and strengths of their cultivated Fierce Beasts are too obvious.

They are suited for night battles, with limited direct combat strength, making them suitable for ambushes. In contrast, Chen Jiuge’s cultivated Blood Flood Dragons are completely the opposite, best suited for group direct combat, perfectly covering the Yue Family’s Spiritual Beasts’ shortcomings.

"However, cooperation with the Yue Family can’t be so straightforward, as it might easily raise suspicions."

"I can enhance the current abilities of the Yue Family’s main Fierce Beasts, focusing on concealment and speed."

With this in mind, Chen Jiuge couldn’t help but place an order on the Mechanical Heart to purchase ten of the top-selling Fierce Beasts by the Yue Family—Moon Shadows!

Currently, Moon Shadows are one of the Yue Family’s best-selling Fierce Beasts, and the strong rise of the Hundred Beasts Pavilion hasn’t impacted their sales.

This is because Moon Shadows are humanoid Fierce Beasts, with snow-white skin and exquisite features. Apart from the tail like a blade at their rear, they are not much different from humans!

Most buyers are affluent males, though for what reasons, Chen Jiuge neither knew nor wanted to know.

"The Moon Shadows excel in ambushes, their speed is fast, and it only increases under the moonlight, with decent concealment skills. But their lethality is a bit lacking, making them suited for assassinations, while simultaneously being unsuitable."

"If I can enhance the already fast speed of the Moon Shadows, or increase their lethality, they will become more popular."

Any original buyers won’t want to miss out on an upgraded version of the Moon Shadows."

"The Moon Shadows will only serve as an experiment. If the Yue Family is genuinely cooperative, I can also gain more resources."

Cooperating with the Yue Family, aside from guarding against Yun Cheng, also serves to acquire more resources and cultivate his own subordinates.

Even though Lie Guang and others appear very respectful toward Chen Jiuge, in the end, they are Yun Family people. If things were to turn sour with the Yun Family, they wouldn’t side with him.

"Leng She and the others are loyal, but the Yun Family has given them considerable grace. While they can be trusted, not too completely."

"Oh right, there’s another person!"

Chen Jiuge’s eyes flashed with a glimmer, and a long unseen person popped up in his mind.

"If it’s him, he probably harbors considerable resentment toward the Yun Family, which could be leveraged."