Chapter 576: Returning the Favor

“Not bad!”

Chen Che scrutinized the Little Chick and nodded in satisfaction.

After it consumed the Illusion Beast Fruit, the Little Chick showed little outward change, but Chen Che could clearly feel that its Qi and Blood had grown much more vigorous. Its once-brilliant feathers now shimmered with the luster of the night stars.

Its aura, at least, had grown considerably.

‘No wonder Demon Beasts go crazy for the Illusion Beast Fruit.’

‘A single glance was enough to see the difference in the Little Chick. If any other Demon Beast consumed this fruit, their probability of reaching Core Formation in the future would increase to a ninety-percent chance!’

The Little Chick folded its wings, hopped in front of Chen Che, and began rummaging through his sleeves.

Clearly, it was still after the other Illusion Beast Fruit.

“Stop looking. That one is for the Juvenile Turtle,” Chen Che said, patting the Little Chick’s head. “Besides, you just had one. If you take a second one so soon, the effects will be diminished.”

“I’ll be sure to give you the next fresh one I find.”

The Little Chick rolled its eyes and preened its feathers with a claw.

‘The corner of Chen Che’s mouth twitched. The intelligence of a High-tier Demon Beast really was something else. The chick obviously knew how rare the fruit was and was showing clear disdain for his empty promises.’

“Jingfeng, how much has your strength improved since you ate the Illusion Beast Fruit?”

Chen Che’s eyes flickered as he quickly changed the subject.

“I haven’t had a chance to feel it out yet…”

The Little Chick’s eyes lit up at his words. Just as it was about to test its new strength, Chen Che held up a hand to stop it. “This isn’t the place. Making a scene will attract unwanted attention. Here, try lifting this instead.”

With that, Chen Che waved his hand, and the Thunder Jade Gourd landed gently on the ground.

“I’ll give it a try.”

The Little Chick landed on the Thunder Jade Gourd. It gripped the gourd with its talons, gave a flap of its wings, and effortlessly lifted it into the air.

“Not bad at all.”

Chen Che was taken aback, an eyebrow involuntarily arching in surprise.

After all, he knew the shell of his gourd was half a man’s height. Aside from the palm-sized core within, the rest was forged from compressed heaps of the heaviest Tier Three and Four metals.

Its weight was in the millions of pounds, comparable to a small mountain.

And yet the Little Chick, still in its sparrow-sized form without revealing its true body, had lifted it so effortlessly.

Its strength was clearly immense.

Ordinary Demon Beasts didn’t possess such terrifying physical power.

“Master, you can make it heavier,” the Little Chick called out casually as it hovered in mid-air.

“Alright, I’m increasing the weight. Be careful.”

As he spoke, Chen Che slowly pointed at the Thunder Jade Gourd. A purple light suddenly flowed over the gourd, and faint electrical patterns even began to trace the designs on its surface.

These electrical patterns gradually formed an Array.

Though it was just a simple Doubling Weight Array, the effect was terrifying when compounded with the inherent weight of the Thunder Jade Gourd’s shell. Its weight alone could easily crush a cultivator of the Same Tier.

As Chen Che injected his True Essence, the Little Chick, still flapping its wings, remained suspended in mid-air with incredible ease.

Twenty percent, thirty percent…

Fifty percent, sixty percent…

Only at seventy percent did the Little Chick finally begin to struggle, slowly descending.

“That’s enough!”

Sensing the Little Chick was about to reveal its true form, Chen Che gestured for it to stop, feeling utterly incredulous.

‘This is just ridiculous!’

‘The physique of a Demon Beast is truly formidable. He suspected that even with his Flame Emperor Body Forging Technique, he might not be able to handle seventy percent of the Thunder Jade Gourd’s weight, yet this bird had done it with ease.’

And that wasn’t even its full strength, which would only be revealed once it assumed its true form.

‘This is what you call talent!’

‘In other words, the Little Chick could now hold an absolute advantage against any Golden Core cultivator of its tier.’

“I think I can condense my feathers faster now, too.”

The Little Chick raised a wing, showing it off as if presenting a treasure.

Chen Che nodded slightly.

He noticed the Little Chick’s feathers now possessed a certain indescribable quality they lacked before. The feathers were part of the chick’s Talent Divine Abilities; he hadn’t expected them to be enhanced as well. The benefits from this single Illusion Beast Fruit were far greater than he had imagined.

‘I owe Qiu Tianshui for this one.’

Pushing aside his stray thoughts, Chen Che considered for a moment, then took out three Fierce Beast Pills. He placed them in a Jade Bottle and handed it to the Little Chick. After another moment of thought, he also passed over the brocade box containing the other Illusion Beast Fruit.

“This is a return gift for Qiu Tianshui, and the other Illusion Beast Fruit is for the Juvenile Turtle. Don’t you dare sneak a bite on the way, or I’ll pluck you bare.”

The Little Chick, sensing its intentions had been exposed, couldn’t help but shrink its neck.

「A moment later.」

The Little Chick landed before Qiu Tianshui and spat a Jade Bottle out of its beak.

“Three… three of them!”

He took out a Spirit Fruit to send the satisfied Little Chick on its way. Then, Qiu Tianshui uncorked the bottle and was shocked to find three Pills inside. An expression of utter delight spread across his face.

‘Giving him that Illusion Beast Fruit was well worth it!’

Qiu Tianshui nodded in satisfaction, feeling increasingly glad that he hadn’t stubbornly followed Duobao’s path to the bitter end.

…

「Jinghai Island Reef.」

The Little Chick opened its beak wide and spat out a brocade box. It watched the Juvenile Turtle eat the Illusion Beast Fruit before flapping its wings and leaving, satisfied.

Yuchi Hao, the one responsible for guarding the Juvenile Turtle, was wide-eyed with shock.

Clearly, he recognized the fruit as well.

At the same time, he became even more diligent in his watch over the Juvenile Turtle. Even an ordinary Demon Beast’s potential would multiply after eating an Illusion Beast Fruit, to say nothing of a Dragon Turtle. If anything were to happen to the Juvenile Turtle, the entire Yuchi Race probably couldn’t afford the compensation.

…

「Three days later, at Wei Yanzhou’s Cave Mansion on Primordial Mountain.」

“Chief Chen, in the two months since you took office, the atmosphere in the Pill Hall has completely changed. I truly didn’t misjudge you!”

Wei Yanzhou nodded in satisfaction from his seat on the circular stone platform at the head of the hall.

As the Sect Leader, he was well aware of any atmospheric shifts within a major Hall. The recent reports from the Internal Affairs Hall, in particular, were full of praise for the Pill Hall. The numbers of completed Pills and the volume of transactions with its subordinate branches were all recorded and submitted, making the improvements clear at a glance.

He had originally recruited Chen Che merely to replace Huang Shiwo.

This was a truly pleasant surprise.

Chen Che cupped his hands, his tone neither servile nor arrogant. “I would not dare to disappoint the Sect Leader…”

‘In reality, he just wanted to make his own life a bit more comfortable. If he had acted like Huang Shiwo, he feared he would have had little time left for his Cultivation.’

“Hmph.”

Duobao snorted, shooting a cold, sideways glance at Chen Che. He didn’t forget to glare at Qiu Tianshui as well.

The other Chiefs present also seemed lost in thought.

Ignoring Duobao’s antics, Wei Yanzhou tapped his fingers lightly. “In seven days, the three-month deadline will arrive. The Star-Picking Sect’s Right Protector, Jiang Shaotian, came for an audience yesterday. Do you Chiefs have any proposals?”

“Sect Leader!”

Duobao’s eyes darted about as he rose to his feet.

“I recommend Chief Chen for the vanguard. During the battle for Primordial City, he already demonstrated incredible strength. With his Jinyun Valley, we can both strike a blow to the Mist Rain Tower’s morale and probe their true capabilities.”

“Hmm.”

Wei Yanzhou remained seated at the head of the hall, slowly surveying the other Chiefs.

“Any other suggestions?”

Chen Che caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye: several Chiefs who had looked ready to speak up suddenly fell silent, while a few others seemed deep in thought.

‘Clearly, these were the ones planning to side with Duobao and kick a man while he’s down. He could guess their motives, of course—they wanted revenge for him severing their chain of interests in the Pill Hall.’

But as soon as the Sect Leader spoke, they knew better and kept their mouths shut.

It was Qiu Tianshui who finally spoke, cupping his hands.

“That would be unwise. With the Star-Picking Sect at our flank, we must remain vigilant. Sending one person in alone risks encirclement. The Primordial Sect has already suffered through one war and lost several Chiefs; we cannot afford any more losses.”

“Furthermore, the Mist Rain Tower took the offensive, which clearly indicates they don’t want an all-out war with us. They’re waiting to establish an advantage before forcing us to the negotiating table.”

“What’s more, the Star-Picking Sect’s territory is at our back. A single strategic blunder would immediately put us on the defensive. We might even see a repeat of the Star-Picking Sect and the Mist Rain Tower carving up the Primordial Sect.”

Duobao’s face darkened at these words.

Chen Che, for his part, remained impassive.

‘It seems that extra Fierce Beast Pill paid off.’