CHAPTER 436: CHAPTER 250: BEAST IMMORTAL PILL (PART 2)

"Finally, when it reached the Dubhe Pavilion, the Dubhe Pavilion came forward to seal all entrances, preparing to offer it as a benefit to the nation."

....

The final destination was named Duanshan. With the Immortal Beast crane’s swift travel, Lin Chen and his companions only flew for half a month before arriving at the nearest city, Duanshan City.

This Duanshan City was small in scale, belonging to a small city, and its size was even less than Jiuxing City.

As the Great Elder was about to let the crane land, Wu Chen spoke again:

"Not far ahead is the Eight Trigrams City created by the National Master’s Institute. We still have time; shall we go take a look?"

Lin Chen had heard of the existence of this Eight Trigrams City, located in nine positions in the Cangling Ancient Country, initially said to be used for tourism and deploying troops to guard the territory.

However, the Great Elder knew the real inside story, so when he heard about the Eight Trigrams City, he was somewhat uneasy.

The true purpose of the Eight Trigrams Nine Cities Plan was only known among the upper echelons, and even Wu Chen didn’t know its real purpose.

The Great Elder did not oppose the idea, allowing the Immortal Beast crane to fly there, and soon they arrived near the Eight Trigrams City.

This was the sixth city of the Eight Trigrams City, and viewed from above, one could see that the entire city was nearly circular, with streets and housing arranged in the layout of an Eight Trigrams Array.

At the center was a huge platform where the tallest building stood:

The sixth branch of the National Master’s Institute.

As they approached, the Immortal Beast crane let out a cry, indicating to the Great Elder that it felt a great pressure and could not continue forward.

"It seems this city has been set up with an Air Ban array," Lin Chen said.

"Of course," Wu Chen said excitedly, "The National Master’s Institute stated that once the Eight Trigrams City is completed, it will be the safest city. In the event of turmoil, ordinary people can enter here for protection."

The Great Elder remained silent upon hearing this.

To create such a large plan, the National Master’s Institute surely needed support from all sides, with the Dubhe Pavilion certainly investing money and effort.

However, when the plan was about to be completed, the Dubhe Pavilion started to regret it.

Because they felt that the Institute’s actions were shaking the very foundations of the Dubhe Pavilion’s rule.

Gu Ning’s rise to power was actually just a game of political maneuvering.

The Great Elder was acquainted with Zhong Nan and had numerous past interactions with him.

Even though the truth about Celestial Capital hadn’t surfaced, the Great Elder knew Zhong Nan’s personality well.

Since he had chosen Bai Ling back then, he wouldn’t give up so easily.

The likely truth was:

Dubhe Pavilion stationed its people within the National Master’s Institute, and Zhong Nan, unwilling to abandon his ideal utopian plan, chose to yield.

"Could it be that Bai Ling has always been just a pawn in Zhong Nan’s hand?"

The more the Great Elder thought about it, the more startled he was.

It was very likely.

Others may not know Zhong Nan, but the Great Elder knew him well.

The fact that Zhong Nan could attain his position among many competitors meant he undoubtedly had his means.

Therefore, the real truth might be:

Zhong Nan knew the Dubhe Pavilion would hinder the successful implementation of the Eight Trigrams Nine Cities Plan, so he preemptively chose Bai Ling as a pawn to use as a bargaining chip.

"This Zhong Nan..."

The Great Elder didn’t know what to say.

Zhong Nan’s end was inevitable, so even if the Eight Trigrams Nine Cities gained great power, it wouldn’t belong to Zhong Nan.

The reason Zhong Nan acted was solely for the country.

Yet the Great Elder was equally puzzled: could these nine small cities really possess such strength to guard the entire Cangling Ancient Country?

...

Entering the city, construction was still actively ongoing, with Beastmasters and Spirit Beasts skilled in architecture working everywhere.

The city was open for viewing, as long as one didn’t enter the construction zones.

Most of the construction was already in the final stages.

It could be seen that though the Eight Trigrams City was not completed, sales had already begun, and the prices were quite high.

"Indeed, capital is everywhere..." Lin Chen was somewhat ashamed.

Using the concepts of safety and the presence of the National Master’s Institute as a selling point was enough to attract many to buy houses here, knowing full well that ordinary people couldn’t afford them.

As Lin Chen and his companions were touring, he suddenly felt something strange in his body. Upon closer inspection, he found that the mark left by the Tree Ancestor on him was glowing, which left Lin Chen somewhat astonished.

The pressure mark from the Tree Ancestor was meant to shield him from the Dragon Transformation Skill mark left by Zhong Nan.

But there was no danger now, so why did the Dragon Transformation Skill react for no reason?

Fortunately, the Dragon Transformation Skill mark wasn’t obvious, was covered, and dissipated shortly after.

Lin Chen looked up, only to realize they had approached the central platform of the city, where the sixth branch of the National Master’s Institute stood in front of a lifelike Spirit Dragon statue.

"Obviously, this place isn’t as simple as it appears," Lin Chen pondered, but didn’t say anything explicit.

They walked around and finally left to arrive at Hengshan City.

Hengshan City was bustling, filled with people everywhere.

This time, the relic’s allure was too great, and everyone wanted to partake.

Entering an inn for a meal, Lin Chen and his companions heard rumors about the relic.

"It’s said that this relic was transformed from the Beast Taming Space of the former city lord of Hengshan City."

"Wasn’t that not long ago?"

"What do you mean by not long? He was part of the founding team, reportedly a disciple of National Preceptor Gu Wei."

"How did he die?"

"A normal death, passing away naturally, with no children or heirs, leaving behind a great deal of wealth."

Upon hearing its connection to the nation’s founding, everyone’s eyes brightened.

During the transition to the Celestial Beast Era, it was a new beginning for the Cangling Ancient Country. All those who performed meritoriously in battle received great rewards.

Money, power, and countless resources.

This was a rule set by Gu Wei back then, and it was this rule that enabled the Cangling Ancient Country to win many later wars.

Thus, the resources that a founding-era city lord had control over were extremely terrifying.

Many ordinary people came here not to vie for high-end resources but to find some gold or jewels for peace of mind in later life.

Though Lin Chen had more "ambition" than them, he was just considering going inside to try his luck.

But before they finished their meal, a new rumor spread:

"They say there might be a Beast Immortal Pill in there."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"The legend is that this city lord once had a Spirit Beast that ascended to an immortal grade and used his power to acquire numerous Beast God Pills, among which there was a Beast Immortal Pill."

"Many Beast God Pills?"

Hearing this, many people’s eyes lit up with desire.

Beast God Pills and Beast Immortal Pills serve the same function, increasing the probability of evolution after consumption.

Extracting a Beast Immortal Pill is extremely challenging, requiring a fire attribute Spirit Beast of immortal grade to refine it, using ingredients all of legendary level and above.

According to the Beast Taming Treasure Manual, a Beast Immortal Pill could enhance the evolution probability of an Immortal Beast by 10%.

If consumed during the Sacred Beast stage, evolving to a Divine Beast would be guaranteed.

Hence, Beast Immortal Pills were becoming more famous. To have a Divine Beast level Spirit Beast was already far ahead of many others.

"I don’t need a Beast Immortal Pill, just a Beast God Pill will do."

"Same here."

People chattered excitedly, even more thrilled by the news.

Soon, other rumors spread, such as the city lord being extremely afraid of death for a long time, perhaps hoarding a large number of herbs.

"Reportedly, his Spirit Beasts were all aiming to ascend to Immortal Beast level, so there must be many herbs inside."

"Then it’s strange, why hasn’t anyone excavated his tomb?"

"Legend has it that he found a good hiding spot early on with a Space Spirit Beast, and ordinary people couldn’t find it. Without the opportunistic grave robber this time, it might still be hidden now."

The more people talked, the more excited everyone became, even sparking Lin Chen’s imagination...

Though Lin Chen wasn’t short of Beast Immortal Pills, getting one could fetch a sky-high price on the market, securing his financial well-being.

Even a Beast God Pill could be sold for an exceptionally high price in the market.

"Great Elder, is this true?" Lin Chen inquired.

The Great Elder pondered briefly before finally saying, "It seems there is some truth to it. This person seems to have had some connection with the Spirit Academy."