Convinced of the Ten-Thousandfold Reimbursement's authenticity, Jiang Ling's eyes practically glowed green as he stared at Jincancan.
He showered the chick with everything edible and usable he could get his hands on.
Nourished by a steady stream of spiritual energy, Jincancan's transformation was nothing short of miraculous.
In just one day, it grew noticeably bigger—from the size of a fist to two fists put together.
Its once pale yellow down turned glossy, shifting into a brilliant, pure gold that shimmered faintly in sunlight.
Those glazed eyes became even livelier and sharper. When it flapped its tiny wings, it stirred up a faint breeze, lifting its little body off the ground for short moments at a time.
Jiang Ling watched, nodding approvingly to himself.
So what if his disciple was a chicken?
Once it joined the Primordial Beginning Sect, even a chicken would become extraordinary!
But for now, the beast tide was the most pressing concern.
No one knew when the monsters from the Vast Mist Mountains would go on a rampage.
Jiang Ling spent a restless night in the main hall, his heart in his mouth the whole time.
Thankfully, the night passed without incident.
But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, the peace was shattered completely at dusk the next day.
Rumble! Rumble!
The ground began to shake violently!
On the distant horizon, a tide of dust rolled forward like a raging storm, blotted out the afterglow of the setting sun.
Deafening roars of beasts surged closer, like thousands of thunderclaps exploding in the air, thick with a ferocious, bloodthirsty aura.
In the mountains, countless birds fled in panic, while wild beasts ran for their lives with mournful cries.
They're here!
The vanguard of the beast tide!
Jiang Ling's scalp went numb instantly, his heart leaping into his throat.
He scooped up Jincancan, who was still pecking at the spiritual rice, and forced himself to stay calm as he dashed out of the hall toward the mountain gate.
Jincancan heard the terrifying roars too. Its golden feathers stood on end, and it let out nervous, agitated cheeps.
Standing beneath the dilapidated archway of the Primordial Beginning Sect, Jiang Ling hugged Jincancan tightly, trying to straighten his back—but his trembling legs betrayed the fear gnawing at him.
Through the sparse forest, he could already see the figures of the leading monsters.
They were massive wolves, as big as calves, with gray-black fur and blood-red eyes.
Their limbs were thick and powerful, their claws sharp as refined iron, glinting with a cold, menacing light. Each time their paws struck the ground, they sank deep into the rock.
Ironclaw Wolves—renowned for their ferocity and impenetrable defenses!
Hundreds of them, packed tightly together like a moving wall!
A wave of suffocating demonic energy and the stench of blood washed over him.
The wolf pack soon spotted Jiang Ling at the gate. They let out excited, bloodthirsty howls, their speed suddenly increasing as they charged toward the gate like a gray steel flood.
"It's over… it's all over…"
Jiang Ling's hands and feet turned cold. His first instinct was to turn and run, but his legs felt as heavy as lead.
He clung to Jincancan for dear life, as if the little chick was his last lifeline.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The first few Ironclaw Wolves slammed into Jiang Ling with the force of a thousand jun.
Jiang Ling flinched, paralyzed by terror, unable even to close his eyes.
But the expected scene of him being trampled to a pulp never happened.
Just as the wolves' claws were about to reach the gate's stone steps, a layer of imperial yellow light suddenly flashed to life. Dragon-shaped runes swirled across its surface, exuding a majestic aura as heavy as a mountain range.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Dull, drum-like sounds of impact rang out.
The wolves that had charged hardest slammed into an invisible barrier, as solid as an ancient divine mountain.
Their prized iron claws twisted and deformed instantly, the sound of cracking bones making one's teeth ache.
The massive recoil sent them flying backward, crashing into the wolves behind them. Limbs were broken, tendons torn, and wails of agony filled the air.
As for the imperial yellow light barrier? It merely rippled slightly before settling back into place, as solid as a rock.
Not even a speck of dust was shaken loose from the age-old gate archway.
"The celestial array… it actually works!"
A flood of overwhelming security washed over Jiang Ling, banishing his fear in an instant.
In its place surged an unprecedented urge—to show off!
His spirits lifted, he straightened his back in an instant. The panic vanished from his face, replaced by an aloof, disdainful expression that looked down on the world.
Clearing his throat, Jiang Ling widened his star-like eyes and shouted in a thunderous voice:
"Begone, you vile beasts! How dare you trespass on the territory of the Primordial Beginning Immortal Sect? Retreat at once! Take one more step forward, and I will annihilate your bodies and scatter your souls for eternity!"
His voice rolled out like divine wrath, echoing through the mountains and forests.
The wolf pack was stunned by this sudden turn of events and the booming voice, their charge grinding to a halt.
Their blood-red eyes filled with confusion and fear as they stared at the human standing with his hands behind his back, looking utterly calm and composed.
Wasn't this ragtag Primordial Beginning Sect so poor it could barely afford to eat? Wasn't the only one left a decrepit old man stuck at the Third Layer of Qi Refining?
When did such a powerful human show up?
Awooooo!
The alpha wolf let out an angry howl, scraping at the ground with its claws as if preparing to pounce again.
Jiang Ling looked calm as a cucumber on the surface, but inside, he was panicking like crazy.
Jincancan was also stunned by the array's power.
But sensing Jiang Ling's tension, the little chick suddenly lifted its head, a strange glint flashing in its glazed eyes.
It puffed out its fluffy little chest with all its might, and let out an angry chirp at the ferocious, howling wolves outside the gate.
Cheep!!!
The sound was still tender, yet surprisingly clear and resonant, carrying a strange penetrating power that drowned out some of the wolves' howls.
The restless wolf pack fell silent for a heartbeat. Fear flickered instinctively in the eyes of many Ironclaw Wolves, and they took a step back unconsciously.
Jiang Ling froze.
Looking down at the tiny chick in his arms—standing tall, trying its best to protect him—a warm current surged through his heart, dispelling the last traces of his nervousness.
He stroked Jincancan's increasingly smooth feathers gently, his gaze softening.
"My good disciple…"
he murmured.
After that, no matter how hard the Ironclaw Wolves charged, they couldn't even scratch the celestial array.
In the end, the pack gave up on attacking this weirdly unbreakable target.
They let out a few unwilling roars, circled around the Primordial Beginning Sect's gate, and continued their rampage toward other directions.
The dust cloud drifted away, and the beast roars faded into the depths of the mountains.
Calm returned to the area inside and outside the gate.
Only the lingering demonic energy in the air, and a few twisted wolf corpses on the ground, bore witness to the thrilling ordeal that had just unfolded.
Jiang Ling let out a long, shaky breath, realizing his back was soaked with cold sweat.
Although this wave of the beast tide had passed, the Primordial Beginning Mountains were too close to the Vast Mist Mountains. There was no telling if a second wave would come—he couldn't let his guard down.
He spent another night on edge.
Thankfully, nothing else happened.
The next day, the sun rose brightly.
Jiang Ling finally relaxed his tense shoulders after a sleepless night. He quickly ate his fill, then collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Before drifting off, he made up his mind: once he woke up, he would go down the mountain to recruit more disciples. The more, the better—so he could trigger the Ten-Thousandfold Reimbursement as often as possible!
Especially that one perk—the sect master's strength being a hundred times the combined cultivation of all disciples. Just thinking about it made his mouth water.
Jiang Ling smacked his lips greedily, then drifted off into a deep slumber.