Chapter 651: Great Demon 14

When the steward of the Spirit Beast Garden received the eight demon beasts of different species, his face lit up with joy. He immediately began to flatter the disguised demons, "Worthy of Master Uncle Taiyuan! To bring back spiritual beasts of such exceptional quality! I can tell most of them possess the bloodlines of ancient Great Demons."

"If their bloodlines were to be purified..."

"It just so happens the Spirit Beast Garden has a batch that won’t submit to discipline. With this fresh blood, it’s about time we dealt with them."

Cang Long, in his disguise as Taiyuan, twitched his nose as if about to snort in contempt. From behind, Tan You tugged on his belt. Cang Long barely suppressed his anger and merely gave a faint reply, "What do the affairs of your Spirit Beast Garden have to do with me?"

Tan You stepped forward. "I happen to be quite good at taming spiritual beasts. You really have some troublemakers? Why not let me discipline them for a few days? Would that be convenient?"

As she spoke, Tan You shoved a supreme-grade Spirit Stone into the steward’s hand. Her heart stung as she let it go. ’Was it easy for me to build up my savings?’

’Later, once Bai Ze is rescued, I’ll definitely make him pay me back tenfold!’

The steward of the Spirit Beast Garden was reluctant at first, but his expression changed instantly when he saw the supreme-grade Spirit Stone. "Of course, I’ve heard of Master Uncle Taiching’s reputation. In that case, I’ll leave these spiritual beasts to you, Master Uncle Taiching."

Tan You nodded slightly. "Of course. I’ll handle it cleanly and make sure it doesn’t cause you any trouble."

The steward of the Spirit Beast Garden smiled. "When would you like to take this batch of spiritual beasts, Master Uncle?"

Tan You smiled as well. "As soon as possible. I can hardly wait at the thought of having new toys."

The steward of the Spirit Beast Garden bowed. "Yes, I’ll have someone send the disobedient ones over right away."

There wasn’t a hint of pity in his words, which made the accompanying Great Demons feel uneasy. They used to think that the enslaved demon beasts deserved their fate, but now, with a glimpse into the lives they led, they suddenly felt their former selves had been far too presumptuous.

Tan You put on a twisted smile. "Don’t trouble yourself. I’ll go with you. My senior brothers are going to the forbidden area to pay respects to the Supreme Master Uncle. I’m just a nobody; it’s not important."

The steward quickly shook his head. "Master Uncle, your talent is extraordinary! How could you be a nobody? I’ll take you to get those spiritual beasts right now."

Tan You left with the steward of the Spirit Beast Garden, leaving the other seven Great Demons standing there, looking at one another. After a long moment, Cang Long sent a telepathic message, "When she said all that just now, I almost couldn’t stop myself from crushing her to death."

To be fair, while Cang Long was violent, he wasn’t one to kill wantonly. But of all people for Tan You to impersonate, it just had to be the Cultivator who wanted to rip out his dragon tendons.

It wasn’t that Tan You was deliberately trying to spite Cang Long. It was just that among the group of Cultivators who had stormed the Ten-Direction Great Mountain, he was the only one with a cultivation level comparable to hers. The rest were all stronger. What else could she have done?

Besides, this particular Cultivator was well-connected. Otherwise, how could he be so brazen in front of all the senior masters?

The Nine-tailed Fox chuckled, standing to the side with his hands clasped behind his back. "Quite interesting. When it comes to cunning and tactics, I’d say she’s no slouch."

The Chongming Bird gazed at the demon beasts being packed into spiritual beast pouches, a hint of reluctance in its voice. "We really paid a heavy price this time. I even sent my own young’un."

The Golden-Winged Great Peng Bird snorted. "You’re not the only one. My kid is here too."

As it happened, the one he brought was the very same Spirit Beast Egg that had been stolen by the Tianyuan Sect Cultivators. Knowing his father was planning to stir up trouble, the young one had volunteered to be the vanguard.

After all, being stolen by the Human Clan’s Cultivators was the shame of the little one’s life. He had to settle that score.

Truth be told, aside from Cang Long who had no clan and Tan You who was a recluse, the other six Great Demons had each brought a talented junior from their own clan. The plan was for them to infiltrate the Spirit Beast Garden to act as inside support and, at the same time, gather intelligence.

Who said demon beasts were brainless? For a mission this important, it was only natural to stuff in as many of their own people as possible. That way, when it was time to divvy up the spoils, they could claim a larger share of the benefits for their own clans.

Since they were inside a Human Clan Cultivator sect, the Great Demons didn’t dare use telepathy too often, fearing they would be detected. After a brief exchange, the group fell silent.

When they saw Tan You approaching with a small cage, inside which a dozen or so miniature beasts lay sprawled haphazardly, the Great Demons unconsciously straightened their backs.

Cang Long’s voice was hoarse. "So many?"

The Nine-tailed Fox narrowed his eyes. "Their injuries look severe. It looks like their very foundations are about to be damaged."

Tan You glanced at them and simply hummed in acknowledgment. "Let’s go see the Supreme Master Uncle. We shouldn’t keep the other masters waiting. We need to pick up the pace."

The Great Demons’ expressions tightened. ’This isn’t part of the original plan. Did something happen in the Spirit Beast Garden?’

Tan You nodded slightly. "These fierce ones had banded together with some of the other demon beasts inside. They were planning to cause a mass self-detonation... I barely managed to talk them down, but we need to change our plan. We have to act as soon as possible."

"It’s... pretty grim in there."

Even Tan You, who had waded through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, couldn’t accept this utter disregard for the lives of demon beasts. Who knew how many white bones were buried in the Spirit Beast Garden? The moment she stepped inside, she had felt a viscous, bloody aura and a wave of resentment that soared to the heavens.

’Now that I’ve seen this, how can I possibly calm down and patiently gather intelligence? It’s time to do something big. These Human Clan Cultivators need to learn that even if the Heavenly Dao favors them, it doesn’t give them the right to maliciously torture and slaughter demon beasts.’

Cang Long clenched his fists and was the first to turn. "Let’s go. To the forbidden area."

The Great Demons didn’t linger in the Spirit Beast Garden, as they were completely unfamiliar with the place. Tan You, however, had quietly left a little mouse behind. Although the little mouse’s combat abilities were weak, it was a master at concealing its aura.

Tan You wasn’t the least bit worried about sending the little mouse to act as a scout. The little creature was carrying quite a few life-saving treasures. ’Am I the kind of person who would let it risk its life for nothing?’

’I had to make sure it was fully equipped.’

Plus, with the younger generation of demon beasts that had come along, Tan You was confident they could stir up some trouble in the Spirit Beast Garden. As for Tan You herself, she headed to the Tianyuan Sect’s forbidden area with the other Great Demons.

「Deep in the forbidden area.」

Unlike the lavish grand halls elsewhere in the Tianyuan Sect, the depths of the forbidden area were tranquil and secluded. Countless exotic flowers and rare herbs grew here. Towering structures were few and far between; instead, there were only small cottages, similar to the quiet chamber Tan You used for her own cultivation.

Walking among the exotic flowers and rare herbs, Tan You thought, ’These Tianyuan Sect Cultivators are really something else, managing to gather so many plant spirits here.’ Before she could get a clear look at each one, the Great Demons had already arrived before an old Cultivator with a withered, gaunt face.

The old Cultivator sat beneath a tea tree. From a distance, the tree looked infinitely large, but up close, it seemed infinitely small. This effect made the old Cultivator’s figure appear indistinct and flickering, making it impossible to tell if he was real or an illusion.