Zheng Dong thought for a moment, then looked at Wei Peng again.
Wei Peng was currently severely injured, lying on the ground, unable to move. He posed no threat to Zheng Dong. If Wei Peng were willing to cooperate, dealing with the remaining Grandmaster-level Beast Tamer would be much simpler.
“Old man, do you want to live or die!” Zheng Dong asked.
Wei Peng was not afraid of death; otherwise, he wouldn't be the负责人 of the Shendu Spirit God Cult.
His position in the Spirit God Cult was second only to the Deputy Cult Master, and he was known as a Hall Master. Although his worldview had been shattered by Zheng Dong's clever maneuvers, he quickly regained his composure and said disdainfully,
“Kill me or skin me, as you please!”
Zheng Dong was not surprised. If someone like Wei Peng were to cooperate easily, there would surely be something fishy.
He was too lazy to waste any more words and had the Hell Bull Head Monster deal with Wei Peng.
Although Wei Peng might have been valuable to the Special Operations Bureau if he were alive, he held little significance for Zheng Dong.
Zheng Dong only wanted to resolve the immediate problem.
As Wei Peng fell, the spirit beasts contracted by Wei Peng also suffered backlash and were injured.
Seizing this opportunity, Zheng Dong drove his undead army to launch a fierce assault.
King-level undead creatures one after another besieged Wei Peng's spirit beasts.
Before long, Wei Peng's spirit beasts could no longer hold on and fell one by one.
However, more King-level undead creatures driven by Zheng Dong also fell.
Fortunately, for every spirit beast of Wei Peng that fell, a new undead creature was transformed and joined the battle.
In this way, the Beast Tamers of the Spirit God Cult could no longer hold their ground, retreating continuously and losing the confidence to continue fighting. Finally, led by the last remaining Grandmaster-level Beast Tamer, they fled the valley.
Zheng Dong was too lazy to pursue them. He instructed Little Purple to use the "Booby Trap" skill to destroy all the mechanical equipment that was blocking the Battlefield Eye, thus removing the blockade.
Instantly, alarms sounded at the Beast Tamer Corps' base.
The images transmitted by the Battlefield Eye showed that a large number of undead creatures had awakened, and many of them, under the deterrence of Emperor-level undead creatures, began to gather, preparing to leave the ancient battlefield and once again surround Shendu.
Among them, the undead armies gathered by the Hell Ancient Elephant and the Nether Raven were the largest.
These Emperor-level undead creatures also communicated with each other. Above them were Overlord-level undead creatures and Totem-level undead creatures, but they had not yet awakened.
Seeing this, He Bin, the person in charge of the Ancient Battlefield Beast Tamer Corps, changed his expression drastically.
If it were any later, and the Overlord-level and Totem-level undead creatures awakened, it would be a huge problem.
Immediately, He Bin ordered the use of forbidden weapons and dispatched the Beast Tamer Corps.
Forbidden weapons were launched one after another, locking onto each Emperor-level undead creature.
The Hell Ancient Elephant and the Nether Raven were the primary targets, subjected to the bombardment of five forbidden weapons each.
Instantly, red mushroom clouds rose, and the immense power engulfed all the nearby undead creatures.
The Hell Ancient Elephant and the Nether Raven suffered heavy damage.
However, even so, they did not die. They chose to flee, hide, and continue their slumber.
As the Emperor-level undead creatures were continuously cleared,
the Beast Tamer Corps also deployed their steel torrent. Various mechanical spirit beasts and large mechanical weapons began to clear the undead creatures on the ancient battlefield and rescue the Beast Tamers trapped there.
As for Zheng Dong, he remained in place, not rushing to leave.
He first tallied the spoils left by Wei Peng: a large amount of resources for restoring physical and mental strength, over 240 Void Stones, and three Talent Orbs, along with two Skill Inheritance Orbs.
Among the Talent Orbs, only one had been used to seize a talent; the other two had not been used.
Moreover, the talent that was seized was a non-combat talent, a special beast-taming talent called "Accelerated Evolution," which could speed up the evolution of spirit beasts and increase the success rate of their evolution.
As for the Skill Inheritance Orbs, the skills that could be inherited were the high-level spatial skill "Spatial Cut" and the super-level dual-element skill of undead and mental, "Soul Tracking."
The harvest was quite good, but unfortunately, Zheng Dong wished he had obtained "Spatial Teleportation," a divine skill for survival.
Then, Zheng Dong summoned Xia Mengqiu, Shen Bing, and Shen Xue from the relic space and briefly explained what had happened.
All three were surprised. They hadn't expected the Spirit God Cult to be behind the scheme, nor did they expect Zheng Dong to have succeeded.
“Zheng Dong, are you injured?” Xia Mengqiu asked with concern.
Zheng Dong himself didn't understand his current condition. Although he wasn't injured, he still needed to replenish his physical and mental energy consumption at regular intervals.
He had initially thought this was due to driving the undead and Youyou possessing him, but even after the possession was removed and he wasn't driving the undead, his body remained the same.
“My condition is a bit strange. Sister Mengqiu, do you know any seniors who research mixed-bloods?”
Xia Mengqiu shook her head, saying she didn't know anyone.
“How about I ask my grandmother later? She might know someone.”
Zheng Dong nodded. With Professor Guo Lan's qualifications, she should know someone, but others might not necessarily help him.
He decided to go back and collect some books and information on mixed-bloods to read first.
Afterward, he asked Shen Bing if she had a similar situation, and the answer was negative.
Shen Bing only experienced immense consumption when using the power of the Undying Nether Phoenix bloodline, unlike Zheng Dong, whose body was like a bottomless pit, continuously draining.
After chatting for a while, Xia Mengqiu contacted the Beast Tamer Corps and reported the situation.
Before long, a warship appeared above the valley.
He Bin, after understanding the situation, personally piloted his mechanical spirit beast over.
Subsequently, his mechanical spirit beast transformed into a set of black armor, merging with him as he descended into the valley.
Seeing He Bin, Xia Mengqiu waved and called out,
“Uncle He, why are you here?”
He Bin had a square face and a naturally stern demeanor. Facing Xia Mengqiu, he merely nodded slightly and then looked at Zheng Dong, Shen Bing, and Shen Xue, his brow furrowed.
How could no Grandmaster-level Beast Tamers have disrupted the Spirit God Cult's operation? Was Xia Mengqiu lying?
“Mengqiu, is what you reported true?”
“Uncle He, when have I ever lied to you!” Xia Mengqiu couldn't help but pout.
He Bin pondered for a moment and then said,
“You all go back to the Beast Tamer Corps base to rest. I will notify you. If it's true, you have made a great contribution!”
He Bin prepared to lead his men to capture the fleeing Beast Tamers of the Spirit God Cult.
Otherwise, anyone would dare to cause trouble on his territory in the future.
Although he was not very old, he was a top-tier Grandmaster-level Beast Tamer, which was why he had become the head of the Ancient Battlefield Beast Tamer Corps.
Soon, a Beast Tamer Corps squad was dispatched to escort Zheng Dong and the others.
Zheng Dong was also tired, and it was good to be able to go back and rest.
Moreover, his objective had been achieved.
Although he hadn't contracted an undead spirit beast, Youyou was much stronger than contracting one.
Youyou was a Heroic Spirit, a special spirit beast. After recognizing him as its master, it shared a symbiotic relationship with Zheng Dong, essentially becoming a part of Zheng Dong's body, like his limbs.
This relationship was even closer than a contract.
This meant that Youyou did not occupy a spirit beast contract slot but could still enter the Beast Taming Space.
After all, the Beast Taming Space, in a sense, was an extension of Zheng Dong's body.
However, Youyou was a Lord-level spirit beast, placing a significant burden on the Beast Taming Space, and could not stay there for too long.
Of course, once Zheng Dong's Beast Taming Space's strength improved, this would no longer be an issue.
Therefore, upon returning to the Beast Tamer Corps base, Zheng Dong began to cultivate.
As for the undead creatures he had driven earlier, they were left to fend for themselves. They would disappear after their energy was depleted and had no further value.
He and Xia Mengqiu and the others were perhaps given special treatment by He Bin and arranged to stay in a relatively large suite, with each person having their own room for cultivation without interference.
Zheng Dong took out the Void Stones he had obtained from Wei Peng and began to cultivate directly.
Because his Beast Taming Space was nearly ten times larger than those of others, the resources required and the time spent would also be more and longer.
He estimated that to upgrade his Beast Taming Space to Level 3, he would need over two thousand Void Stones.
In other words, it would cost over 300 million Dragon Yuan.
This immediately made Zheng Dong feel very poor.
Fortunately, Wei Peng's more than two hundred Void Stones were enough for him to cultivate for a few days.
The afternoon of the next day, He Bin found Zheng Dong and the others.
He had already captured the fleeing Beast Tamers of the Spirit God Cult, including that Grandmaster-level Beast Tamer, and through special means, had ascertained the entire sequence of events.
Instantly, he felt a sense of lingering fear.
If Wei Peng had succeeded, Shendu would likely have been drenched in blood again.
However, he was even more puzzled as to how Zheng Dong and the others had driven millions of undead creatures and how they had dealt with Wei Peng and the other Grandmaster-level Beast Tamers.
Thus, He Bin said,
“You have indeed made a great contribution this time, but this matter has a significant impact and will not be disclosed to the public for now. As for the reward, I will definitely apply for it for you.
Also, can any of you explain how you drove millions of undead creatures to help you disrupt the Spirit God Cult's operation?”
Instantly, Xia Mengqiu and Shen Bing and Shen Xue exchanged glances, looking at Zheng Dong.
This also drew He Bin's gaze to Zheng Dong.
Zheng Dong remained silent and summoned Youyou.
Youyou, in its Undead Tower form, appeared on Zheng Dong's right hand, then transformed into its Tower Princess form and sat on Zheng Dong's shoulder.
Immediately after, Zheng Dong also had Youyou release the undead puppets Nine-tailed Ghost Fox, Hell Bull Head Monster, and Skeleton General.
The Nine-tailed Ghost Fox had not recovered and was lying on the ground. The Skeleton General was even broken into several pieces and had not been reassembled; it was unknown if it could be restored. Only the Hell Bull Head Monster was lively.
Seeing the Undead Tower and the undead puppets like the Nine-tailed Ghost Fox, He Bin seemed to understand something.
He believed that possessing an Emperor-level undead puppet and driving millions of undead creatures was not too difficult. The question was, what was Zheng Dong's identity to possess an Emperor-level undead puppet?
He Bin guessed, but did not ask further.
Furthermore, he mistakenly believed that the Nine-tailed Ghost Fox was so exhausted and heavily injured because it had driven millions of undead creatures and faced several Grandmaster-level Beast Tamers.
In this way, he felt that Zheng Dong had suffered quite a loss.
Thus, he asked again,
“What reward do you want?”
Zheng Dong's eyes lit up. Being polite at this moment would be foolish.
Moreover, he was not wealthy to begin with.
He thought for a moment and said,
“Can you give me two thousand Void Stones, and help me heal all these undead puppets? Also, if possible, help me find a master who researches mixed-bloods to see what exactly is wrong with my body!”
He Bin was stunned.
You are truly not being polite, asking for anything and everything!
If it were just two thousand Void Stones, he could grit his teeth and find a way to apply.
But healing an Emperor-level undead puppet and a General-level undead puppet would cost an immense amount of resources.
Furthermore, he did not know any masters who researched mixed-bloods.
He wished he could take back his previous words.
However, considering that Zheng Dong had indeed helped him greatly, he did not explicitly refuse.
Because if the undead army on the ancient battlefield had truly attacked Shendu, not to mention the responsibility he would bear, many of the Beast Tamers under him would have sacrificed.
He frowned and said,
“Two thousand Void Stones is a bit much. I will try to apply for it. As for healing your undead puppets, it might be difficult. I will help you find someone to try.”
In the following days, Zheng Dong and Xia Mengqiu remained at the Beast Tamer Corps, while the Shen Bing and Shen Xue sisters left first.
They hadn't helped much and felt embarrassed to receive rewards.
However, He Bin still granted them special privileges: in the future, they could enter the Undead Battlefield for cultivation without needing to apply.
But not now, as the Beast Tamer Corps was still clearing the undead on the ancient battlefield and it would not be open to the public for a while.
Therefore, the two sisters felt there was nothing interesting about staying and left early.
It wasn't until the morning of the fifth day, past ten o'clock, that He Bin knocked on the door again.
This time, he brought the rewards he had applied for Zheng Dong. In addition to two thousand Void Stones, Zheng Dong could also apply for a super-tier Skill Inheritance Orb from the resource library of the Ancient Battlefield Beast Tamer Corps.
In addition, a white-haired old grandmother accompanied He Bin.
Xia Mengqiu recognized this old grandmother; she was He Bin's mother, Professor Xue Yin, a Legendary-level Beast Tamer.
Although Professor Xue Yin was a Legendary-level Beast Tamer, she claimed to be the weakest Beast Tamer. None of the spirit beasts she contracted were good at combat.
She was one of the heads of the Breeding Bureau and was engaged in research on the breeding, healing, and evolution of spirit beasts.
Upon seeing Professor Xue Yin, Xia Mengqiu happily went to greet her.
“Grandma Xue, why are you here?”
Although Professor Xue Yin was white-haired, her body was agile, and her face was free of wrinkles, making her look more like He Bin's elder sister.
“It’s all because your Uncle He insisted that I come and take a look, saying there was an Emperor-level undead puppet that needed treatment!”
Then, Xia Mengqiu recounted the entire incident again.
After chatting for a few minutes, Professor Xue Yin looked at Zheng Dong.
Zheng Dong's complexion was pale, and he looked sickly, as if he were about to die.
Professor Xue Yin was immediately surprised.
“Student Zheng Dong, how did your body become like this? I think you need treatment more than your undead puppets!”
Ever since the bloodline power of the Azure Dragon suddenly erupted on the ancient battlefield, his body had remained in this state.
Although he looked very unwell, as long as he consumed some resources to replenish his physical and mental strength at regular intervals, he was no different from a normal Beast Tamer.
He was only afraid that one day his body would suddenly collapse, and then it would be beyond saving.
“It's probably a sequela from using the Azure Dragon's bloodline power!” Zheng Dong said.
Although Zheng Dong didn't know if Professor Xue Yin had researched mixed-bloods, he still explained carefully with a wait-and-see attitude.
This piqued Professor Xue Yin's interest.
After carefully examining Zheng Dong's body, she frowned.
“The power of the Azure Dragon's bloodline is too powerful and domineering. It might want to usurp the host, completely transform your body, and turn you into a half-dragon, half-human monster.
As for why your body has not completely collapsed yet, I guess it is because the power of the Azure Dragon's bloodline still needs to grow stronger, and you need to constantly eat and replenish resources for physical and mental strength.”