Chapter 235: Chapter 207: Subduing the Local Forces, Hunting Tier 2 Demon Beasts

One day later, outside Lu Zhao’s cave residence in Broken River Castle.

Patriarch Hann Song of the Hann Family, Patriarch Xu Kui of the Xu Family, Patriarch Wang Zhen of the Wang Family, and several other influential leaders of the Broken River Plains’ Qi Cultivation factions stood with their hands lowered in respectful silence.

The stone door of the cave residence was shut tight. Even through the Restriction, the oppressive presence unique to a Foundation Establishment Cultivator weighed heavily on them, and they subconsciously found themselves breathing more shallowly.

The stone door slid open without a sound, revealing a deep and dark corridor within.

"All of you, come in." Lu Zhao’s placid voice echoed from the depths.

The group filed in. The cave residence was as spartanly furnished as ever. Lu Zhao sat cross-legged on the sole meditation cushion, his eyes half-closed, not bothering to rise and greet them. Seeing this, they dared not show the slightest disrespect. They quickly took their places on either side, holding their breath. The vast cave was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, the only sound being the faint hum of Spiritual Qi.

The silence lasted for a few minutes before Lu Zhao slowly opened his eyes. His calm gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on the Hann Family’s Patriarch, Hann Song.

"Patriarch Hann," Lu Zhao began, his voice low yet clear enough for everyone to hear. "I trust you’ve already explained everything to them?"

Hann Song hastily bowed. "Reporting to Elder Lu, I have made everything clear. The whole of the Broken River Plains looks to you, Elder."

Lu Zhao gave a slight nod, his gaze shifting to the others. "I only have one requirement for all of you."

He paused, his tone flat yet allowing no room for argument. "Obey."

"As for the existing division of profits within the castle—the Marketplace’s cut, the mining of ore veins, the ownership of herb gardens... everything will remain the same. You can continue to operate according to your old rules. As long as you don’t cause trouble or delay my orders, I have no intention of interfering."

At these words, the tense atmosphere in the cave residence visibly eased. Though the leaders did their best to maintain their respectful expressions, an imperceptible flicker of relief passed through their eyes.

What they feared most was this new Foundation Establishment Commander reshuffling the deck and shattering the existing balance of power. From the looks of it, this Elder Lu valued absolute control far more than petty, immediate profits.

"Rest assured, Elder!" the Wang Family’s Patriarch, Wang Zhen, spoke first, his voice tinged with excitement. "We shall follow your every command and would never dare to be disloyal!"

"Exactly! It is our great fortune to have you presiding over the Broken River Plains, Elder. We will of course do our utmost to lighten your burdens!" Xu Kui’s voice followed right after.

"We await your command, Elder!"

"We swear our loyalty!"

For a moment, they all scrambled to pledge their loyalty, their words earnest and their postures utterly subservient.

Lu Zhao’s expression remained unchanged as his gaze swept slowly across their faces. He didn’t care whether their loyalty was genuine or feigned. All he wanted was results—for his orders to be followed to the letter. As long as they completed the tasks he assigned, what they truly thought was irrelevant.

"Very good." Lu Zhao nodded and issued his first order. "Within three days, I want all of you to compile everything you know about nearby Tier Two Demon Beasts into Jade Scrolls and deliver them here. Include everything, from hearsay to firsthand experience."

Hearing this, the group was momentarily stunned, then visibly relieved. ’Gathering intelligence? That’s far safer than anything else he could have asked us to do!’

"Yes! We will do our utmost to gather everything and will not dare to omit a single detail!" the group chorused, having no further objections.

「Three days later.」

A small mountain of Jade Scrolls was piled on the stone table in Lu Zhao’s cave residence, far more than he had anticipated. It seemed these local bigwigs had really put in the work to make a good impression.

For the next five days, Lu Zhao remained in his cave residence, immersing his Divine Sense into one Jade Scroll after another. The information was vast and fragmented, filled with repetitive, contradictory, and even utterly absurd rumors.

One report claimed a giant python occupied a certain valley, another that a Profound Turtle lay dormant in a Cold Pool, and a third spoke of terrifying roars echoing from a dense forest at night. It was difficult to separate fact from fiction.

However, amidst all the dross, there was a good deal of valuable information to be found.

The information from factions with older lineages—or from families and Demon Hunting Teams led by Late-stage Qi Cultivators—was particularly detailed. Their records noted the suspected lairs of powerful Demon Beasts, their territories, and rough estimates of their strength. Some even described the beasts’ habits, attack patterns, and weaknesses.

Lu Zhao combined this newly collected intelligence with the general information on the Broken River Plains’ Demon Beasts that Brother Liuu had given him, cross-referencing, filtering, and piecing it all together.

A rough map of the Tier Two Demon Beasts around the Broken River Plains gradually took shape in his mind.

Ultimately, he locked onto a target: a Tier Two Lower Grade Demon Beast known as the Red-Feathered Black-Footed Bird.

He chose it for three reasons:

First, its assessed strength was relatively average. Based on multiple reports, while the bird was Tier Two, its methods of attack were quite simple. It relied mainly on its sharp beak and claws and its innate Fire Magic. Its Defense Power was not exceptional for its tier, and it appeared to be poor at close-quarters combat.

Second, its habits were predictable. A large volume of intelligence pointed to the same conclusion: the bird’s territory was extremely small. It was found almost exclusively in the area of Crimson Flame Gorge, with a particular preference for a region deep within the gorge active with lava and Earth Fire. It seemed to treat that place as its permanent nest or territory and rarely ventured far.

Third, its materials were a perfect match. The Tier Two Puppet Atlas that Lu Zhao had inherited from the Puppet Bead happened to contain a design for a Puppet called the "Red Feather Fire Sun Bird."

This Puppet was designed to be crafted with a Fire Attribute Demon Bird as its Main Material. If he could hunt the Red-Feathered Black-Footed Bird, its Demon Pill, Feathers, and even its entire Skeleton would be ideal for crafting this Puppet.

While a Tier Two Puppet Master could make minor adjustments to a Puppet Atlas based on the materials available, he had not yet been promoted to that rank. His chances of success were much higher if he followed the schematics exactly rather than trying to improvise.

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