Beast Tamer Ascension

Vol 3 Chapter 105: Return of Senior Pine

Several months after the chaos in Qingzhou…

A crack tore through the void in a corner of Qingzhou.

And then… a pinecone popped out of the rift.

"This is it."

Senior Pine took a deep breath after emerging from the void.

Back during the Great Transfer incident, it had gifted Lin Jing a leaf capable of concealing fate.

Besides hiding Lin Jing from Fate & Destiny, that leaf also had a tracking function—allowing Senior Pine to pinpoint his location.

"This place… is it Qingzhou?"

Qingzhou was nothing like the Ancient Celestial Kingdom. It was overrun with demonic beasts and teeming with demonic cultivators. Lin Jing, a mere Longevity Body at the Foundation Establishment Stage, could easily end up as beast chow if he wasn’t careful.

"He should be in that direction!"

Though it could still sense the position of the leaf it gave Lin Jing, Senior Pine was panicking. The leaf might be intact, but that didn’t guarantee Lin Jing was still alive.

"Please don’t be dead…"

Senior Pine sped off toward the sensed location, flying at incredible speed. Just as it was nearing the Wood Dragon Clan’s territory—

BOOM!

A terrifying spatial force suddenly surged toward it, locking down the area and making Senior Pine tense up.

"F**k! Who the h*ll is this Void Mystical powerhouse?!"

It was scared out of its bark. Qingzhou really was as dangerous as rumored. Barely arrived and already being targeted by a peak Void Mystical Realm Demon Ancestor!

"A tree demon? They say the old Wood Dragon Ancestor and the Forest Sea Dragon Emperor were of the same lineage… So, now that the Holy Son has taken over the Wood Dragon Clan’s land, the Forest Sea Dragon Emperor really did send someone to stir up trouble… Tch, bold move—even knowing the Holy Son’s identity!"

In the void, the Kirin Ancestor, who had come on Xu Qingyao’s advice to seek the Transformation Technique from the Holy Son, let out a cold snort. He prepared to capture this intruder and offer it up as a greeting gift.

He was intimately familiar with all the plant-type Void Mystical spirits in Qingzhou—but this pine tree was a stranger. That left only one possibility—it had to be from the Misty Forest, under the Forest Sea Dragon Emperor.

"Wait, this is a misunderstanding!"

Dodging the Kirin Ancestor’s spatial seal, Senior Pine shouted, not wanting to get dragged into a random fight.

"Misunderstanding? You sneak onto the Holy Son’s land and expect me to believe that? What’s your purpose?"

The Kirin Ancestor found that while this pine tree’s cultivation wasn’t high, its spatial affinity was surprisingly advanced. He manifested his true form—his colossal figure blotting out the sky.

"Demon Court? Ah—then it’s definitely a misunderstanding! I’m one of your own, one of your own!" Senior Pine quickly changed his tone.

"You know someone named Xu Qingyao? Is she part of the Demon Court? I watched that girl grow up!"

Then it hit him—back when he was at the Beast Taming Sect, a few powerful demon beasts had shown up and taken away the Sect Master's adopted daughter.

That group had been members of the Demon Court!

He didn’t know how far Xu Qingyao had risen in the Demon Court, but that was the only connection he could think of right now.

The Kirin Ancestor furrowed his brows. "Who are you, really? Are you a cultivator from the Tianyuan Realm?"

"Oh come on—" Senior Pine was startled again. Why did it feel like everyone could tell he was from the Tianyuan Realm? That shouldn't be so easy to see through.

What he didn’t realize was that Xu Qingyao becoming the personal disciple of the Demon Court’s ruler was hardly a secret to ancient old monsters like this one.

But Senior Pine quickly recovered—clearly the Kirin Ancestor was just suspicious, not certain. "I’ve been in secluded cultivation too long, out of touch with the world… Wait, you’re telling me Xu Qingyao's got that kind of status in the Demon Court now?"

"That’s right. Back then, they said she had traces of demonic bloodline, so they took her away…"

"You really know Her Highness the Holy Maiden?" the Kirin Ancestor asked, skeptical but curious. "Could you be from the Ancient Kingdom?"

"More than that—I’m the Guardian Pine of the Beast Taming Sect! I can't believe that little girl actually became the Holy Maiden of the Demon Court!!" Senior Pine was stunned.

The Demon Court—the top faction among demonic beasts.

That adopted daughter of Xu Xiaoyao really hit the jackpot.

If that was the case, then had the Beast Taming Sect settled in Qingzhou under Xu Qingyao’s banner?

And what about Lin Jing?

Had he also taken refuge under his Senior Sister?

"No—wait—this is bad." Senior Pine’s expression changed. He realized something.

If Lin Jing was desperate, he might’ve really gone to the Demon Court for protection.

But the Demon Court’s internal politics had to be messy as h*ll.

Lin Jing had the Longevity Body—if a high-ranking beast took a liking to that physique, not even Xu Qingyao might be able to protect him.

Just now, this Kirin Ancestor said the place ahead belonged to the Demon Court’s Holy Son.

And in that territory, Senior Pine had sensed the presence of the item he left with Lin Jing.

A terrible thought crossed his mind—what if his “little Longevity rascal” had been captured by the Holy Son… and turned into blood food?

The Demon Court’s Holy Son could definitely rival or even overpower the Holy Maiden.

"Whether you're one of us or not… I’ll have to check with His Highness the Holy Son first." The Kirin Ancestor pulled out a token. A moment later, an image appeared on the token—Lin Jing’s projection.

"Kirin Ancestor?" Lin Jing’s image spoke.

At the time, Lin Jing had been guarding the Ice Soul Gu in seclusion. But then Xu Qingyao messaged him saying the Kirin Clan wanted to quickly obtain the Transformation Technique.

Considering they’d gifted him the crucial Heavenly Thunder Flame, Lin Jing had opened a back door, letting them come retrieve some Transformation Pills in person. He had originally planned to have one of his clones receive them.

He hadn't expected the Kirin Clan to send the Ancestor himself.

Now it felt improper to send just a clone to greet him.

After all, the Kirin Ancestor was practically one hoof away from the Dao-Seeking Stage—a peak Void Mystical Realm demon ancestor.

"Your Highness, this tree here was acting suspiciously near your domain. I found it rather suspect," the Kirin Ancestor reported, glancing over at the stunned Senior Pine.

At that moment, Senior Pine stared blankly at Lin Jing’s projection, who the Kirin Ancestor had respectfully addressed as Holy Son.

Wait—what???

Lin Jing is the Holy Son?!

"Senior Pine?!" Lin Jing also noticed the familiar figure beside the Kirin Ancestor, his face lighting up with surprise and joy.

"You finally made it! I was just about to send someone out to search for you. Wait—hold on!! You—You actually broke through to the Void Mystical Stage?!"

"Why the h*ll are you so shocked?!" Senior Pine barked. "And since when did you become the Holy Son of the Demon Court?! I get it now—it’s a dmn heart tribulation. I must not have fully passed the Void Mystical Tribulation yet!"