Once the plant stopped growing, it was easily the height of a skyscraper and the length/width of a small building. Truly reminiscent of a bean stalk reaching into the heavens.

The beetle looks at this plant with almost a condescending glance, before shaking its massive head.

“As could be expected, this plant has no brain. Increasing its size against me will do nothing against my abilities and body. In fact, I was raised up on eating plant creatures.”

His gaze turns malicious and hungry.

“You will just turn into another one of my meals.”

He dives at it with a fury, moving in a blur and like a caterpillar on speed, chewing a massive tunnel going all the way up the plant’s body.

Throughout this, my plant creature doesn’t even slightly move.

For the next minute, this continues and the beetles chew tunnels all the way back down to the ground. Once it returns, it comes down heaving and panting. Appearing stuffed.

Seems like this beetle bit off more than it could chew.

However, soon enough, that thought is quickly dispelled, as it takes a deep breath and its body condenses with its breathing stabilizing. It now looks more invigorated than before.

My scan picks up what actually happened.

A conversion of material into qi it can use. An ability that most spirit beasts have that I was aware of, but hadn’t seen done before.

It gives a barking laugh after absorbing it.

“Hahahahaha! I had assumed you would be of a higher cultivation with being this group’s choice, but I guess I shouldn’t have expected that much from such weaklings.”

The people behind me shuffle uncertainly. From a visual perspective, it doesn’t look good, as a good tenth of the plant was chewed.

The next few seconds quickly quelled their fears, as I can feel the plant taking action when the beetle continues to speak.

“A few more bites from me an…. And… ugh. Ughhhh. Bllleeeech.”

A painful looking blood fountain erupts from his mouth in the middle of his words. His eyes swim in confusion as the red liquid streams from his orifices.

He stumbles to the left…. Then to the right. And back again.

“What… is happening? My body… I can’t…”

After these words, his jaws continue to move, but no sound comes out. And then the light in his eyes dims.

The next thirty seconds are filled with silence.

All until his body collapses. Causing everyone nearby to flinch.

Even his allies, who appear absolutely terrified at the sudden and inglorious death of the creature who had recently been the king of their area. Everyone’s eyes immediately turn to the likely culprit, the towering plant.

Whose eaten gaps are regenerating before our eyes, courtesy of both its natural abilities and my healing. Then everyone’s eyes turn to the secondary actor in this.

Me.

Someone from our side speaks out the fateful words.

“… Is it over?”

Scrraaaaaaaape.

As if that was a flag in a movie, the giant beetle immediately stands up, his claws scratching into the stone. Making a horrendously terrifying noise.

But there’s something wrong with it.

I describe the beetle as it… as clearly something has taken over.

Glassy eyes and a gaping mouth. An unsteady gait, as it lumbers toward the plant.

And finally, the most obvious of features, many plant tendrils that slip in and out of every orifice.

… So the plant is a puppeteer, huh?

The body of the beetle is still alive. It’s cultivation… stolen, but kept in the body. Keeping the body, discarding the mind. I don’t believe that would work against anything containing a nascent soul.

I find something interesting from the taming perspective, as well.

Under the plant creature’s taming cost, there is an increased additional amount. About third of the amount that it would have been if I recruited the foundation establishment creature into the group.

This changes the game.

My eyes glance over at the remaining creatures who opposed us and were waiting on the result of the match. Theirs were locked onto the beetle, but as soon as they met mine, I received the notification they accepted the contract at a lesser amount.

They clearly believed it was join the contract… or join the plant.

Ai and Lin cautiously approach me, with even them feeling apprehensive about the technique used. Lin is the one that speaks up first.

“So… is the beetle spirit beast taken care of?”

Everyone leans in. The newly tamed spirit beasts included.

I give a quick nod.

“Yeah. It… won’t be an issue anymore.”

The cautious glances over at it, shows me that this was a resounding success in terms of improving my reputation. But also worsening it, in other ways. Still a net positive.

The vague sense of being watched from the upper parts of the sect from my scan reaffirms that.

It’s not only Sister Nuan monitoring my progress. That means that I’ll need to make some flourishes to keep the full extent of my taming abilities hidden.

I nod at Ai and Lin before moving towards the other spirit beasts. I simply look at them and take out some ingredients from my bag that could be moderately helpful for them.

They move towards me with their heads bowed, as I hand over the items. With that, the bear spirit beast speaks on behalf of their group.

“Thank you, Master, for these gifts. We will represent whatever you wish for our territory. Please direct us, as you wish.”

I turn my head over to the swarms of flying creatures that previously surrounded our group on the edges of the road.

“They’ll be coming with us. I’ll also be having more of my spirit beasts come into this area. Treat them well, as they will be your superiors. Do so, and you will continue to benefit from being with me.”

I activate my healing on them, which immediately causes their eyes to light up.

“Yes, Master!”

All of them, including the flying creatures, respond in unison, shaking the ground from the number of spirit beasts roaring.

“Good. Also, make it your long-term goal to pacify the other local areas under spirit beast control. If you see any good seeds, I want to know, so I can have them join. Keep in mind, those who find good allies will be duly rewarded. You’ll see there are benefits to working with upright cultivators.”

They give a quick nod to this before I quickly dismiss them. With a much quicker and with a completely different attitude than when they arrived, they leave.

All that is remaining of their group here is the assortment of flying spirit beasts. The giant flying insects, birds, reptiles, and weird aquatic abominations all move closer.

Some of my people raise their daggers, but I remind them that these are definitely on our side. I reinforce this with my words to the creatures.

“Protect the carriages and make sure that we aren’t harassed on the way to the towers. I expect you all to work hard at protecting the skies around the towers from now on. Of course, you’ll receive benefits from this and other any other productive activities.”

They immediately fly up and around the carriages, clearly showing obedience and a willingness to prove themselves.

While this will be a further drain on my mana… they are only around the barest level of Qi Condensation, hence them being the cannon fodder creatures they were planning to throw at us. As they and I grow, they will definitely be a force to reckon with.

Especially those abominations.

My eyes land on the creatures, which can be best described as the underside of a jellyfish, with a mass of undulating smooth tentacles coming out of it. Just floating there, by no known force.

Of course, it’s obviously qi that keeps it up, but it is still terrifying.

… I should probably just call them air jellyfish for simplicity’s sake.

I tear my eyes away and move back toward the carriage, speaking out to inform everyone of our next steps.

“Okay, everyone, we should be safe now. Get some sleep, as we still need to travel over to the towers in the morning.”

As an example that it’s safe to sleep, I head to the seat of the front carriage and close my eyes to sleep.

Everyone follows suit, though it takes a while for people to actually relax and sleep.

The sound of the flapping and fluttering wings is both reassuring and frightening.

I notice people are congregating close to the plant and beetle, but still giving it a wide berth.

I don’t blame them. What the plant did would scare practically anyone. Because the implication is still there.

That it may not only be spirit beasts that it can take over…