I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

Lin Che's expression remained unchanged, but he was quite surprised.

Unexpectedly, there are hidden benefits to concealing one's cultivation. Now that one no longer hides what one cultivates, there are also benefits, as even the remnants of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect have come to join.

If future expansion is carried out under this banner, the resistance to expansion will be much smaller, and those old tribes still wandering deep in the Fulong Mountains may also reunite under this banner.

Thinking of this, Lin Che raised his eyes to look at the other party: "If you submit to my Lin family, you can make a condition."

"Lord Sherin is so kind. I don't need much, just a place where we can live and multiply in peace. I have no other conditions!" Its voice carried an urgency that had been suppressed for too long.

Lin Che nodded: "We will build a new city 600 miles south of Qingfeng Gorge, and we can plan a territory for you then."

After a pause, Lin Che continued, "However, I want you to return to your old profession and join my Lin family's spirit beast scout force. That's where you can best utilize your abilities. What do you think?"

The Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beast leader lowered its head slightly: "I will obey True Lord Lin's orders!"

"Okay..." Lin Che's voice paused slightly, "There's one more thing. I heard that you know some details about the destruction of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect back then."

The Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beast remained silent for a moment, something slowly sinking into its eyes: "My ancestors witnessed the final battle of a mountain range belonging to the Myriad Beasts Sect."

"The battle took place at night. The army of the Great Qian Dynasty launched a surprise attack at midnight. Those vassals who had once knelt at the gates of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect pointed their swords at the same gate at that moment."

Our ancestors left the mountain gate with a migrating herd of spirit beasts, so they did not witness the moment the main hall fell.

When he returned the next day, all he saw was ruins; the buildings that had stood for countless years were reduced to charred remains by fire and the flash of blades.

Lin Che didn't interrupt, but listened quietly.

It seems this Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beast clan doesn't know much either. Well, what could they possibly know? Instead of asking them, we should just ask Venerable Bai Ze next time.

"I understand." Lin Che nodded. "Your people can stay in your territory for now. We will make unified plans after the new city is built. Also, for the tribes of you who join the scout team, our Lin family will guarantee their cultivation resources."

"Thank you, True Lord. I will organize my people to cooperate actively and join the scout team as soon as I get back!" The leader of the Azure Scale Wind Patrol Beasts stood up and bowed respectfully.

Just as he was about to see the guest off, Lin Che suddenly remembered something and called out to it again: "By the way, do you know if there's anything worth looking for in the middle section of the Fulong Mountains? Recently, a group of monsters with unknown motives have infiltrated this area."

The Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beast leader paused in its gesture of returning the greeting, its emerald green eyes narrowing slightly: "Yes! In the middle section of the Fulong Mountains, there is a spirit beast breeding base of the Myriad Beasts Sect!"

"A spirit beast breeding base?" Lin Che's finger stopped at the edge of the teacup. "Be more specific. Where is that base located?" He put the teacup back on the table and leaned forward slightly.

The Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beast leader sat back down, a more complex expression appearing in its dark green eyes, like a memory, or like an old wound being reopened.

"Deep in the middle section of the Fulong Mountains, about four thousand miles south of Qingfeng Gorge, there is a valley surrounded by three ring-shaped mountain walls. That was the base that the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect used to breed mount-type spirit beasts."

"A mount or spirit beast?" Lin Che's gaze froze slightly.

"Yes." The leader of the Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beasts nodded slightly. "Back then, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had a very detailed division of labor among spirit beasts. There were specialized breeding grounds for combat spirit beasts, flying spirit beasts, and aquatic spirit beasts."

This base is a breeding ground for spirit beast mounts, encompassing both land-based and low-flying mounts. It covers a vast area with abundant spiritual veins, and was once one of the core sources for the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect to export its spirit beast mounts.

Lin Che was silent for a moment: "That place... is it still usable now?"

"When the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was destroyed, most of the facilities at that base were sealed off by the garrison at the time, leaving none for the army of the Great Qian Dynasty." The Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beast leader lowered his voice a few decibels. "I don't know much about it, because even my ancestors only saw those sealing ceremonies from afar and never actually entered the interior."

Lin Che nodded slightly: "Go back and prepare first. I will send someone to your territory to contact you in three days. At that time, I will assign a team of scouts and formation masters to accompany you, led by a member of your clan who is familiar with the terrain, to find out the situation of that base."

"Yes." The leader of the Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beasts stood up, bowed solemnly, and then turned and left. His hooves moved silently as he was led through the courtyard by his guards, his figure gradually disappearing into the shadows of the porch.

Lin Che picked up the half-cooled spiritual tea, took a sip, then took out a communication jade slip and sent a message to Lin Xuanqi: "Xuanqi, have Xinqing come back. I have something to entrust to him."

…………

Three days later, at the Dawn Army camp.

The morning light had not yet fully illuminated the shadows deep in the canyon. The rock walls, soaked with dew, were slowly brightening, changing from dark gray to light gray, and then from light gray to a warm color bathed in sunlight.

Lin Xinqing was already standing on the Dawn Army's temporary training ground. The morning breeze swept past him, causing the straps on the edge of his dark blue spirit armor to sway slightly.

A scout and two array masters stood beside him.

Behind him were five members of his tribe personally brought by the leader of the Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beasts.

They were slightly smaller than the leader, but moved much faster. Their dark green scales shimmered in the morning light, like leaves soaked in dew.

Their breathing is so light that it almost blends into the sound of the wind, and with each blink they take in the changes in the wind direction, smell, and light around them.

One of the larger Wind-Traveling Beasts was crouching low, its nose close to the ground, as if confirming the invisible veins between the wind and the earth.

"The patriarch has already sent definite instructions." Lin Xuanjing stood in front of Lin Xinqing and handed him a pure silver jade slip. "The target location has been marked on the jade slip. The Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beast clan members will guide you. Your mission this time is only one: confirm whether that base still exists."

Lin Xinqing took the jade slip. When his fingertips touched the jade surface, his spiritual energy fluctuated slightly. The silver light on the surface of the jade slip spread outward along the fine lines like activated water, imprinting a miniature map into his sea of ​​consciousness.

He closed his eyes, letting the lines linger in his mind for a few breaths, comparing them one by one with his knowledge of the terrain in the middle section of the Fulong Mountains. Then he opened his eyes and firmly stored the map deep in his memory.

"Understood." He nodded, without saying anything more.

"Let's go." Lin Xuanjing took a half step back, making way for them. "Be careful on the road, prioritize intelligence gathering, and don't linger in battle."

He paused, his gaze lingering briefly on the scout and the two array masters: "You three's task is to ensure his safe return; nothing else matters."

"Yes!" the scout and the two array masters replied in unison.

Lin Xinqing turned around and nodded slightly to the five Azure Scale Wind Patrol Beasts: "Thank you for leading the way."

The leader of the Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beasts stepped forward and whispered, "I will have my people take you directly to the vicinity of the destination. The terrain there is complex, and after a thousand years, it should have long been covered by dense forests. There may be some demonic beasts lurking on the outskirts, so you need to be extra careful."

"Okay." Lin Xinqing gripped the short blade in her hand tightly.

The nine figures disappeared into the morning mist outside the walls of Qingfeng Gorge, like a thread being slowly pulled into the dense forest, quickly blending into the morning mist, tree shadows, and rock walls.

…………

Three weeks later, deep in the middle section of the Fulong Mountains.

Lin Xinqing lay on a branch of a giant tree covered with vines, his gaze falling through the gaps in the layers of leaves onto the entrance to the valley surrounded by three ring-shaped mountain walls.

The leaves formed a natural barrier in front of him, completely merging his silhouette into the shadow of the tree canopy.

It was more difficult to approach than he had anticipated.

Since setting off from Qingfeng Gorge, they have traversed twelve mountain ridges, two turbulent underground rivers, a swamp covered in poisonous fog, and bypassed three monster lairs in the dense forest before finally reaching the outskirts of their destination.

The terrain along the way was more complicated than he had expected, but the Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beast's reconnaissance ability made him feel quite at ease.

They can detect claw marks invisible to human cultivators, smell the lingering hostility in scents diluted by rain, and judge whether there is a moving entity ahead based on the direction of the wind.

The three Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beasts took turns walking at the front. Each time they stopped, they would prick up their ears, turn their heads, and gently sniff the air before conveying their judgment to the group with a short, low growl.

The other three are positioned on either side, protecting the entire group in the middle, and will give warnings in advance of any unusual sounds or smells.

There is a tacit understanding among them, honed over a long period of time. They don't need to shout, gesture, or even look at each other. A low hum of varying length is enough to make the whole team make the corresponding adjustments.

A green-scaled wind-patrolling beast silently passed through the bushes and landed beside him, whispering, "The base entrance is two hundred feet ahead. There are no signs of large-scale destruction, and there are still restrictions at the entrance. We can't smell the spiritual energy fluctuations of the array, but the arrangement of those stones and vines shows signs of human intervention, like some kind of ancient restriction that is still in operation."

Lin Xinqing did not respond immediately, her gaze remaining fixed on the entrance to the valley as she pondered.

"Let's go take a look from the front."

A moment later, the Azure Scale Wind-Patrolling Beast stopped and pointed with one of its front paws at the rock wall covered with vines and moss.

That rock face didn't look much different from the other places; it had the same grayish-brown stone, the same dense vegetation, and the same vines trembling slightly in the night breeze.

Even experienced scouts wouldn't give it a second glance unless someone pointed it out to them.

Lin Xinqing took two steps forward and placed her palm on the surface of the rock wall.

The texture to the touch is rough, warm, and has a lingering warmth like that of a rock wall that has been thoroughly exposed to sunlight, just like a real rock wall.

He frowned slightly and glanced back at the array master behind him.

The two array masters were personally selected by Lin Xuanqing from the array cultivators of Chuyang City. One was skilled at breaking arrays, and the other was skilled at identifying ancient arrays.

They walked up to the rock wall, each took out a spirit-testing stone and an array pattern imprinting talisman, and began to examine the patterns on the surface of the rock wall inch by inch.

The spirit-testing stone made a very soft rustling sound as it slid across the rock surface. The talisman was stuck to the rock surface for a moment and then peeled off, examined from all angles.

"Found it."

The array master, skilled in identifying ancient arrays, spoke first. His finger stopped on a rock surface that was smoother than the others, the edge of his fingertip perfectly aligning with an almost invisible arc.

"The array structure here is double-nested. The first layer is a common illusion disguise array, and the second layer is hidden below. The runes are arranged in a very complicated way, probably at the fourth level. That's all I can see. There's no way I can crack it."

Lin Xinqing then looked at the array master who was skilled at breaking arrays.

The latter also shook his head, his expression becoming more serious than before: "The logic of this formation is too different from the formation system we commonly use now. The connection method of each node is different. Forcibly breaking it is easy to trigger a countermeasure. If we are not careful, it may cause the residual energy to backfire."

Lin Xinqing remained silent. This was just an illusion array; there might be defensive arrays inside, which their team couldn't possibly break.

"Choose a secluded spot to set up camp. I will report the situation here to the head of the family and await his instructions. Stay vigilant, take turns on guard duty, and do not reveal our location."

"Yes!" After assigning reconnaissance tasks, everyone dispersed to their respective positions.

The two array masters retreated to a rock crevice a hundred feet away and began to organize the array pattern sketches and notes they had just copied. The copied symbols were carefully put away, and each one was marked with a number and location.

Several scouts set up three ring-shaped sentry posts along the edge of the valley, each equipped with a quick retreat route.

Lin Xinqing immediately released a Green Puming Toad from his spirit beast pouch to transmit information.

"We have reached the outer perimeter of the target and confirmed the existence of the entrance. The exterior is covered by a high-level illusion array, far exceeding the team's ability to break through it. We are awaiting further instructions. No signs of enemy activity have been detected nearby."

This place is too far from Chuyang City; the communication talisman simply cannot transmit over such a distance.

We can only rely on the small outposts that Qingpu Mingchan has built along the way to transmit intelligence.

These small outposts were set up along the way, and each one was equipped with a green toad for long-distance intelligence transmission, which would also be useful for future expansion.

Less than half an hour later, a message came back from the family.

Using the Heart of Ten Thousand Beasts to communicate with the Azure Toad, Lin Xinqing learned the specific instructions.

He listened in silence, then nodded, put the Green Toad back into his spirit beast pouch, and turned to look at the team members behind him who were on guard at their respective positions.

"We've received news from the family. We need to wait for now and be careful of potential crises. Not only are there people watching this place, but we must not be careless. The family will send people to meet us in the next few days. What we need to do is guard this place, watch the entrance, and make sure no one else gets there first."