The four sacred beasts were happily sent into the Veluriyam Palace.
When they saw the Amaranthine Clouddew Tree for themselves, they were astounded to see the tree for themselves and take in its grand aura.
They also respected Jiang Chen all the more.
Now that they had consumed one fruit, they were connected to the tree in a way. A treasure of the heavenly planes allowed only a single such tie; further consumption would have no effect. The manifold fruits upon the tree’s boughs held no allure for them.
The four sacred beasts were uniformly pleased to cultivate within the palace’s secret realm, but Jiang Chen couldn’t do the same. The situation outside demanded his appearance and intervention.
Before he left, he picked three more fruits and set them aside. He had a purpose in mind for them.
He was needed everywhere, and countless tasks awaited him.
Reactivating the Great Formation of Heavenly Soul Confinement was his first priority.
Hunting down the troublesome factions was another.
Finding materials for the Divine Transcendence Pill was a third.
The pentacolor crystals from Eternal Divine Nation’s Cloud Camel Mountain would be very useful when forged into weapons. That was another thing he had to attend to.
Refining the Great Veluriyam Lamp was yet another.
With regards to his private life, he hadn’t yet heard from his brother. Though many people in many places had been tasked to help in the effort, Jiang Chen couldn’t just ignore it himself.
The demonic invasion was nigh. If he couldn’t find his younger brother before the land descended into outright chaos, he would have an even harder time after.
Alas, actually finding him was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Thankfully, he had a good number of subordinates to call on. The new followers from Myriad Abyss Island were especially capable, having already rooted out several conspiratorial factions. Unfortunately, none had to do with the demons.
Of the three fruits he had picked from the palace, one was for Huang’er. Another was for his younger sister, Xu Qingxuan.
The last was for the king of the Goldbiter Rats.
The rat king had served him loyally over the years, making contribution after valuable contribution. In the current human domain, the rats were more useful than ever before.
Jiang Chen saw no reason to withhold anything from his furry friend. The Goldbiter Rats were different from the others.
They were timid and demure, loyally following any expert they attended.
These Goldbiter Rats had accompanied Jiang Chen for a long time, receiving from him innumerable prizes and dividends, which further enhanced their loyalty. Every rat had benefited in some way from their allegiance.
Though some rats died with each mission, survival of the fittest was a law of nature. The rat pack had always been this way, even without following Jiang Chen.
Conversely, the rats had grown in strength hundreds of times over since coming under Jiang Chen’s wing. This was a much more exciting prospect compared to losing a few rats.
Hearing that the Amaranthine Clouddew Fruit would help it attain divinity, the rat king was overjoyed.
“Young master Chen, you know I’m not a good talker. If you need me for anything, just say the word. I’ll happily oblige even if you want to kick my head around like a ball. I’ll dive into any oceans of water or fire that you want me to.”
Jiang Chen didn’t know whether to laugh. “I thought you were bad with words? That’s nice, but I think actions speak louder than words.”
“No problem! We’ll show you what we can do! We only got this far only because of your help, young master Chen. Without you, we’d just be trash tunneling around in the dirt!” The rat king grew a little emotional.
“Yes, I understand. No need to get too hysterical. Perhaps it was fate that brought us together. Make good use of the Amaranthine Clouddew Fruit, so you can ascend into G.o.dhood and demonstrate prowess equal to that of the ancient Goldbiter Kingrats.”
The Goldbiter Rats were descended from Goldbiter Kingrats in blood. The latter was a species famous in the heavenly planes, boasting incredible breeding speed and the ability to eat absolutely everything. A plague of them was a fearsome calamity in its own right, and normal people steered clear of them.
These Goldbiter Rats didn’t have particularly pure blood, and were considerably inferior in terms of strength and prestige.
Still, if they kept evolving, they would eventually be able to undergo bloodline reversion. The possibility of growing back into Goldbiter Kingrats wasn’t too far off.
When that time came, these rats would be a force to be reckoned with.
Jiang Chen very much hoped that this would happen, but he wasn’t going to be so blunt about it. For the time being, it was enough to encourage the rat king to keep doing a good job.
The rat king nodded and murmured a.s.sent.
It took the jobs that Jiang Chen gave it with even more gravity than before. Its master was hardly the miserly type, either. All of the corpses from a fight, including divine cultivators’, were left as food to the rats to increase their strength.
Huang’er was very surprised to learn of the Amaranthine Clouddew Fruit.
“Brother Chen, have you given one to Sister Dan Fei?” she asked.
“Dan Fei’s cultivation isn’t at the point to need one yet. Nian’er as well. When they come to that point, I will give them their own fruit.”
Jiang Chen hadn’t meant to show any bias, but cultivation was a gradational thing. There was an order that everyone had to follow.
“What about Qingxuan?”
Jiang Chen chuckled. “If I say she doesn’t have one, are you going to give yours to her?”
Huang’er blinked, then giggled. “I didn’t want anyone to call you unfair, Brother Chen.”
Her sincerity caused Jiang Chen to laugh. “You’re the most selfless person I’ve met, Huang’er.
Don’t worry, Qingxuan’s cultivation is nearly there. I’ve set one aside for her already.”
Huang’er let out a sigh of relief.
“Don’t you worry about any of that. This Amaranthine Clouddew Fruit is for you, and that won’t change even if you try to pa.s.s it off to someone else. I know what I’m doing, alright?” Jiang Chen felt that he had to take the initiative here. If Huang’er kept making suggestions, when would she get to herself?