I'm Just a Beast Tamer

At this point, Jiang Zuo had no more lingering attachments. He could now head to the overseas Mysterious Island and promote to the Innate realm.

If he had any regrets, there were a few.

He had waited more than ten years beyond the anticipated century, but in the end, he still hadn’t seen the fruits on the Divine Tree ripen.

Then there was the matter of his Divine Sense cultivation.

He had thought he was just one step away from unlocking the virtual world of visualization.

But who would have known that this one step would hold him back for nearly forty years, barring his entry?

Jiang Zuo was getting an early taste of what it felt like for a Cultivator to be stuck at a bottleneck.

Jiang Zuo and Liu Hongshang had already said their goodbyes many times, so there was no need to say more.

Jiang Zuo collected the four Valley Rats, placed them in the Cultivation Beast Cage, and then tossed them into the Pet Beast Spirit Garden.

The cultivation of the Valley Rats was just one final batch away from developing a talent.

Leaving a simple letter for Huangfu Xi, Jiang Zuo grabbed Mo Daoist and left the Imperial Palace.

Liu Hongshang watched Jiang Zuo’s receding figure, her fingers tracing the Jade Pendant he had left her, her eyes filled with confusion.

Although she had been thinking about it for half a year, she still didn’t know what she would do after Jiang Zuo was gone.

Or perhaps...

Martial arts!

’If I just keep walking down this path, I might have a chance to see him again!’

Liu Hongshang’s gaze gradually grew firm and determined.

Eunuch He received a letter from a little eunuch. Realizing it was the letter Jiang Zuo had left for the emperor, he was startled and hurried to find Huangfu Xi with it.

Over the past year, Huangfu Xi had gradually returned to his old self. To make up for the mistakes he had made, he often worked late, reviewing memorials.

After silently reading the letter Jiang Zuo left, Huangfu Xi let out a soft breath and gazed at the starry sky outside his window.

Memories from his childhood flooded his mind.

There was one thing Jiang Zuo had guessed wrong.

Although Huangfu Xi had acquired his eye ability from a Venus Fish when he was very young...

...it wasn’t until he was gravely injured, on the verge of death, and saved by Jiang Zuo that the ability actually began to work.

Back then, Jiang Zuo had seen him looking dazed, which was because he hadn’t yet adapted to his new eyes.

The reason he had managed to stumble to Jiang Zuo’s courtyard before collapsing was that he knew of Jiang Zuo’s reputation.

Recalling all the little moments from the past, Huangfu Xi was suddenly struck by a great sense of regret.

’If I had been completely honest with my teacher back then, would my life have been completely different?’

Huangfu Xi couldn’t help but wonder.

But he didn’t know the answer.

In his eyes, his teacher was a man of feeling, yet also a ruthless one.

If he had revealed everything, would his teacher have helped him, cast him out, or simply left quietly as he had now? Huangfu Xi had no idea.

Alas, what’s past is past.

...

Jiang Zuo sprinted through the night, carrying Mo Daoist.

Held by Jiang Zuo, Mo Daoist was terrified and didn’t dare make a sound.

It wasn’t until dawn, a considerable distance from the Venus Kingdom, that Jiang Zuo finally released Mo Daoist in a deep mountain range.

"Go on."

Jiang Zuo said to Mo Daoist.

"Imperial Physician Zhou is truly a man of his word! Thank you, Imperial Physician Zhou, for sparing my life!"

Mo Daoist hastily thanked him.

As for the matter of his storage pouch still being in Jiang Zuo’s possession, he didn’t dare bring it up.

After thanking him, Mo Daoist flew away, terrified that Jiang Zuo would go back on his word.

Seeing Jiang Zuo simply watch him leave without making any other moves, Mo Daoist breathed a sigh of relief.

’That guy... he must not know that I’ve already figured out his identity! How dare you covet my storage pouch! The Divine Wood Sect will make you pay tenfold!’

Mo Daoist thought to himself.

But at that very moment, a Cyan Light from ahead suddenly filled his vision.

This is...

Mo Daoist’s eyes went wide.

He wanted desperately to dodge, but his instincts told him he couldn’t.

’What a despicable bastard!’

He glanced back at the unmoving figure watching him silently from behind, Mo Daoist thought.

The next moment, his body was struck by the Cyan Light.

BANG!

And just like that, Mo Daoist’s soul was scattered, and not even a trace of his body remained.

Great Black then leaped out and unleashed a torrent of flames on what was left of Mo Daoist’s corpse, completely destroying all evidence.

Only then did it run back to Jiang Zuo, carrying Xiaoqing.

Jiang Zuo nodded and recalled Xiaoqing and Great Black.

He always kept his promises. He said he would let Mo Daoist go, and he did.

It was just that Xiaoqing and Great Black, it seemed, were unwilling.

After all, the man had surely guessed his identity. If he was allowed to leave, Liu Hongshang and Huangfu Xi would be implicated.

After dealing with Mo Daoist, Jiang Zuo sprinted toward the East Sea without a second glance.

「One month later.」

Jiang Zuo was already riding a Seated Mountain Eagle, flying toward the Mysterious Island.

This Seated Mountain Eagle was currently at the mid-first-tier, roughly equivalent to the fourth layer of Qi Cultivation. Among Jiang Zuo’s twelve Seated Mountain Eagles, it had the highest cultivation.

Compared to when it flew back before, its flight speed was naturally much faster.

Jiang Zuo stroked the stiff feathers on the Seated Mountain Eagle’s back with a hint of regret.

This was a third-generation mutated Seated Mountain Eagle. It was the youngest of all the Seated Mountain Eagles and had the best aptitude.

But even so, in the hundred-plus years since it had Awakened its Spirit Root, its cultivation had only just entered the mid-first-tier.

It was now over 150 years old and had about 150 years of life left.

But in the next 150 years, Jiang Zuo couldn’t say for sure if it would be able to break through to the late-first-tier.

Although the Pet Beast Spirit Garden had no shortage of Spiritual Qi for first-tier Spirit Beasts to cultivate, only this one among the twelve Seated Mountain Eagles had broken through to the mid-first-tier.

The other Seated Mountain Eagles were still hovering at the early-first-tier.

The reason was that the Seated Mountain Eagles had poor aptitude and lacked a corresponding Bloodline Breathing Technique.

There was nothing Jiang Zuo could do about these things.

Great Black’s situation was better. It was naturally intelligent, and by following Jiang Zuo’s guidance and studying Xiaoqing’s Bloodline Breathing Technique, it had actually managed to figure some of it out.

Its cultivation was now at the peak of the mid-first-tier, not far from the late-first-tier.

As for Xiaoqing, with the dense Spiritual Qi in the Spirit Garden, its cultivation had advanced rapidly. It was now at the mid-second-tier.

And this was despite the fact that the amount of Spiritual Qi it required was terrifyingly large.

「Two months later.」

"We’re here!"

Jiang Zuo had arrived outside the Mysterious Island once again.

There was still nothing unusual to be seen ahead, but Jiang Zuo knew that another two or three hundred meters would bring him within the range of the Mysterious Island.

Jiang Zuo recalled the Seated Mountain Eagle and donned the Ten Thousand Beasts Armor.

With a flap of the wings on his back, Jiang Zuo flew forward.

After flying two or three hundred meters, the scenery before him abruptly changed.

Jiang Zuo saw a vast island appear before him.

Countless birds were flying all over the island.

The island was surrounded by trees of all colors, bearing all kinds of fruit.

The birds that were reluctant to leave could survive on the island by eating these fruits.

Some birds could also fly out over the sea to catch fish.

And in the very center of the island stood a gigantic fruit tree, one that Jiang Zuo had seen many times in the memories of numerous birds.

Surrounding the base of the tree were massive, upright skeletons, and the tree itself was laden with fruits of various colors.

A large number of birds had already gathered around the tree, waiting.

The fruits were not yet ripe, but some birds were already fighting fiercely from time to time.

However, most of the birds were just watching from the sidelines.

Jiang Zuo flew in cautiously. When he saw that he hadn’t triggered any restrictions, he let out a sigh of relief.

Jiang Zuo flew closer to the giant fruit tree and looked toward the black fruit on the Seventh Layer.

Compared to over a hundred years ago, the black fruit had grown quite a bit.

It was now the size of an egg, plump and a tantalizingly glossy black.

But he had no idea how much longer he would have to wait for it to fully ripen.

Jiang Zuo had come here thinking that if it was about to ripen, he wouldn’t mind waiting a few more years.

After all, he had already waited for over a century; he certainly had the patience for a few more years.

However, seeing that the black fruit showed no sign of ripening soon, Jiang Zuo was naturally not going to wait any longer.

Flapping his wings, Jiang Zuo flew toward the black fruit.

Seeing Jiang Zuo about to pick the fruit, two Innate Flying Birds appeared from out of nowhere to stop him.

But Jiang Zuo merely circulated his Cultivation Technique slightly, releasing a bit of his aura, and the two Innate Flying Birds were so frightened they turned and fled.

Under the gazes of countless birds, Jiang Zuo flew to the very top of the giant fruit tree.

As Jiang Zuo drew near, he felt a faint voice warning him not to approach, urging him to leave.

A normal bird would truly not dare to get any closer.

But Jiang Zuo could ignore this warning.

At the very top of the tree was a single black fruit.

But when Jiang Zuo reached out to pick the black fruit, he grabbed nothing but air.

The black fruit was just an illusion!

’It’s fake?’

’I’ve been planning for so many years, waiting for this final step, and the black fruit is fake?’

Jiang Zuo was instantly enraged and on the verge of rampaging, ready to completely destroy this damn fruit tree.

’No! A black fruit must exist in this place, just not on these giant fruit trees!’

But Jiang Zuo quickly calmed down.

The black fruit had to exist. Otherwise, there would be no reason to go to such lengths to set up a place like this, luring birds from the Mortal Territory to fight over fruits and die here as fertilizer.

’First, I’ll see if I can find the other islands.’

Jiang Zuo moved, preparing to fly across the island and out the other side to search for the other islands.

All the birds entered from a nearby location, so the other five islands should not be far.

However, as Jiang Zuo flew across the sky above the island, the scenery suddenly changed again. He found himself outside the island, back over the open sea.

Jiang Zuo flew around frantically but was unable to enter any other island.

It seemed that apart from this one open island, the other five were all inaccessible.

’If I can’t do it from the surface, I refuse to believe it’s the same underwater!’

Refusing to give up, Jiang Zuo flew back to the open island and descended into the water below.

He went deeper and deeper.

For the first two or three hundred meters, Jiang Zuo looked around at the seawater but couldn’t find anything unusual.

But when he reached a depth of nearly four hundred meters, Jiang Zuo finally made a discovery.

In the distance, deep beneath the waves, the faint outlines of several massive pillars appeared.

’Heh heh, you little thing. Let’s see you try to hide now!’

Jiang Zuo immediately swam toward the shadowy forms of the giant pillars.

One, two, three, four, five, six...

Seven!

Then, Jiang Zuo swam a full circle around them.

He discovered to his astonishment that there were seven giant pillars on the seabed.

The six outer pillars surrounded a central location, where a seventh giant pillar stood!