Rustle! Rustle!
Within the dense jungle, a red-backed spider lazily crawls by.
It is huge, as large as a millstone, with intricate red patterns covering its back, dazzling and disorienting at first glance. Its two azure fangs gleam with a chilling light, and just a trace of its venom could kill ten strong men instantly.
“Elite variant, mid-tier battle soldier…”
Only after the red-backed spider had moved on did a shadow of a man and a wolf emerge from a banyan tree opposite, their silhouettes stepping out from the massive canopy with an expression of dissatisfaction.
“Still too weak… and the species rank is too low…”
Wu Ming sighed. There were two ways to obtain contracted phantom spirits. One was for novice spirit tamers to directly purchase phantom spirit eggs or cubs and raise them from a young age. As long as they had enough spirit coins, they could choose freely. By nurturing them from infancy to adulthood, they would achieve perfect synchronization, making the spirits as responsive as their own limbs. However, the drawback was that it took a very long time.
The second method was to defeat wild Phantom Spirits and forcibly subdue them!
This approach was significantly more challenging than the first. Even elite warriors or general-level spirit tamers could barely subdue juvenile common-species phantom spirits, necessitating the combined efforts of an entire squad—a cost that hardly justified the outcome.
Hunting in the wild had too many variables, always requiring teamwork and incurring massive expenses.
Even so, a single misstep could lead to the death or severe injury of the wild spirit, rendering all efforts futile, or the spirit tamer might end up gravely wounded in the battle.
Therefore, nowadays, contracting cubs had become the mainstream.
However, Wu Ming hoped his second contracted beast could quickly become battle-ready, so he leaned towards capturing wild Phantom Spirits.
“After all… there’s also some danger in Jia Kongming’s treasure, and even battle soldier-tier spirit tamers are somewhat inadequate. Even for me, I must contract a second phantom spirit as soon as possible to enhance my strength!”
Of course, even among wild spirits, possessing outstanding species and battle soldier ranks were the bare minimum requirements.
Riding on Xie Lang, Wu Ming wandered around, traveling while actively searching, but found nothing suitable. Still, he did not give up and continued exploring.
Along this path, the appearance of battle spirit soldiers has become increasingly frequent, and their ranks are growing higher. It seems we are nearing the core region of the Xing Ying Mountains…
Thinking thus, Xie Lang galloped forward. Suddenly, it leaped over a dense forest and arrived at the edge of a large lake.
Splash! Splash!
On the east side of the lake was a waterfall like a jade belt, with white water splashing violently. On the west side, the lake was as smooth as a mirror, with seven-colored small fish swimming about like brilliant rainbows.
These were Rainbow Fish, with seven color varieties, always inhabiting spiritual mountains and springs. Their meat was tender, juicy, and delicious.
“Woof…”
Upon seeing this scene, Xie Lang’s eyes couldn’t look away, and it raised its paw to dive into the water.
“Wait a moment!”
Wu Ming suddenly grabbed its fur, his eyes suddenly filled with solemnity as he looked up into the sky.
“Chirp!!!”
Accompanied by a piercing cry that pierced the clouds, a massive shadow suddenly fell upon the ground.
A powerful oppressive force, like a king overlooking all beings, caused Xie Lang’s fur to stand on end.
“Quickly, hide!”
Wu Ming urged Xie Lang to hide within the dense forest, his eyes narrowing as he gazed into the distance. His sharp vision immediately spotted a giant eagle with a wingspan of six or seven meters. Its feathers were as hard as iron, and it clutched a wild ox in its talons, diving like an arrow into a cliff beside the waterfall.
“Iron-winged Golden Eagle?”
Activating his Observation Eye, a line of data immediately appeared:
[Iron-winged Golden Eagle (Growth Stage)]
[Race Rank: Outstanding (Yellow)]
[Racial Bonus: +2]
[Attributes: Flight, Steel]
[Stage: High Battle Soldier]
[Talent: Aerial Combat Heart]
[Techniques: Claw Art, Minor Whirlwind, Iron Feather Defense]
[Status: Healthy]
…
“Great… it’s you then!”
Wu Ming’s eyes lit up. This Iron-winged Golden Eagle was an outstanding species with flight ability, which would be of great help to him.
Of course, an outstanding species at the peak of battle soldier was four minor tiers higher than Xie Lang. Added to that the natural disadvantage of ground species against flying ones, Wu Ming estimated that Xie Lang wouldn’t last ten rounds against it.
“Although subduing it might be somewhat troublesome, the benefits are also great…”
His eyes gleamed with determination: “Xie Lang, immediately conceal your aura. From today onwards, we’ll lie in wait here…”
Taming a wild spirit beast, especially a flying one, was naturally extremely challenging. However, Wu Ming had already made up his mind. Even if it meant delaying for some time, he was determined to form a contract with this Iron-winged Golden Eagle.
After all, such a perfectly suited wild spirit beast—if missed—might be difficult to find elsewhere.
…
Ten days later.
“Chirp!”
The Iron-winged Golden Eagle caught a spear-tusk boar and flew into its cave.
At the waterfall of the large lake was a steep cliff, with a platform protruding on the other side, which was the nest of the Iron-winged Golden Eagle.
It dragged its prey back into the cave to feast, unaware of Wu Ming’s hidden figure below.
“Good… it hunts every three days! Time is fixed, and its approximate territory can now be confirmed. Next… depends on Xie Lang…”
“Awooooo!”
At Wu Ming’s mental command, Xie Lang’s shadow appeared atop the cliff, running at top speed, feigning panic, and suddenly leaping off the edge!
Bang!
As it jumped, a dark shadow lashed out, shattering boulders with terrifying destructive power.
“Sssss…”
Atop the cliff, a giant serpent shadow suddenly appeared. Its purple tongue flickered, and its two eyes glowed like lanterns, flashing with fury. Its body was as thick as a barrel, with rows of purple scales standing upright, exuding menace and terror.
[Taipan (Growth Stage)]
[Race Rank: Outstanding (Yellow)]
[Racial Bonus: +2]
[Attribute: Poison]
[Stage: High Battle Soldier]
[Techniques: Venomous Fang Ambush, Death Cloud Breath, Molting]
[Status: Enraged]
…
“Woof!”
Xie Lang ran swiftly, its tail clutching a huge serpent egg. Suddenly, it flashed a very human-like sly grin, slammed the egg fiercely into the cave, and then quickly concealed its aura, even shrinking to the size of a wolf pup, squeezing into a crevice among the rocks at the edge of the cave to hide.
Crash!
The serpent egg smashed against a sharp rock corner, its shell shattering and spilling yolk and egg white in a mess.
Such an outstanding phantom spirit egg, worth at least several hundred thousand, was instantly reduced to nothing.
But Wu Ming’s investment paid off handsomely.
“Sssss!!!”
The Taipan’s purple scales dripped with pus, hissing and forming toxic mist, a sign of its extreme rage. It hissed violently, ready to charge into the cave.
“Chirp!”
Smack!
A massive wing swept down, and the Iron-winged Golden Eagle appeared, its eyes filled with fury at its territory being invaded.
“Sssss!”
Under normal circumstances, the Taipan might have retreated, but the loss of the egg had driven it nearly insane. It bared its fangs at the Iron-winged Golden Eagle, threateningly.
Unlike ordinary snakes, Taipans laid only one egg at a time, with a gestation period as long as two years. During this time, the Taipan would enter a dormant phase, building a nest to guard its offspring.
Now, Xie Lang’s action had destroyed two years of effort in an instant. How could it not be enraged?
“Chirp!”
The Iron-winged Golden Eagle was also a proud spirit beast. Seeing the Taipan not only intrude into its territory but also adopt a threatening stance, it was equally enraged.
It flapped its wings, soaring high into the sky, then suddenly diving down in a spiral, its beak and iron claws gleaming with cold light.
An epic battle between eagle and serpent erupted immediately.
…
“Woof!”
Amidst the continuous explosions, rolling boulders, and toxic mist, Xie Lang quickly returned to Wu Ming’s side, tearfully displaying its wounds.
“There, there, I know you’ve worked hard…”
Wu Ming quickly applied ointment to its wounds, his eyes fixed on the battle atop the cliff without blinking.
Although both were outstanding species, the Iron-winged Golden Eagle had Iron Feather Defense, making it immune to the Taipan’s toxic cloud. It dove down, activating Claw Art, its claws gleaming with enhanced power. Within a few strikes, the Taipan’s body was covered in massive wounds.
“Sssss…”
Spraying blood, the Taipan’s movements became increasingly frenzied. Suddenly, it reared up its front body, a bulge forming beneath its neck scales. Opening its mouth, it spat out a large cloud of purple mist.
Hiss!
The toxins in the mist were astonishing, corroding and melting the rocks into sludge-like substances.
Technique—Deadly Cloud Breath!
“Chirp!”
The Iron-winged Golden Eagle cried out in pain. Its wings flapped fiercely, creating two green whirlwinds that blew away the corrosive poison mist on its feathers. It took flight again, spiraling once more before diving down.
Technique—Minor Whirlwind!
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Green wind blades formed a whirlwind, engulfing the Taipan that had just exhaled its toxic mist.
“Sssss…”
Under the slicing wind blades, the Taipan seemed to finally sense the approach of death. Its scales all stood upright.
It let out a sharp hiss, coiled its body, and suddenly sprang up, filled with determination, like a poisoned arrow shooting toward the Iron-winged Golden Eagle.
“Chirp!”
The Iron-winged Golden Eagle focused intently, its claws reaching out and easily tearing the black shadow in two.
Such a sudden change even stunned the Iron-winged Golden Eagle for a moment, only to realize that its claws had left only a shed skin, with a gap clearly visible behind it, indicating that the Taipan had somehow escaped.
Boom!
At that moment of hesitation, the ground exploded beside it. A Taipan slightly smaller than before, with pinkish flesh, suddenly leaped up and tightly coiled around the Iron-winged Golden Eagle!
Technique—Molting!
Caught off guard by this sudden attack, the Iron-winged Golden Eagle lost balance and fell from the cliff, splashing into the lake with a tremendous wave.
“Now—Beast Fusion!”
Wu Ming roared. Xie Lang transformed into a streak of light, enveloping his entire body.
Boom!
In an instant, he transformed into a werewolf, his speed surging as he shot toward the lake. His sharp wolf claws directly pierced the head of the Iron-winged Golden Eagle.
Boom!
Feathers shattered and blood splattered. Wu Ming’s face turned icy cold as a circle of soul force expanded: “Contract!”
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