Upon hearing this, the deer-headed monster named “Yang Lu” immediately paled with shock, while the despairing gray giant sparrow suddenly brightened, its gaze toward its former companion turning bloodthirsty and frenzied.
After a brief exchange of glances, the two roared almost simultaneously. One swelled to a hundred times its original size, its body instantly covered in a thick, spiked, earthen-yellow armor. The other flapped its wings, transforming the gray spiritual flames on its body into a torrent of fiery rain that surged toward its opponent.
Amidst their movements, deafening explosions and blasts filled the entire space.
Seeing this, the black-robed youth chuckled darkly, then turned and vanished into the void behind him along with the massive blood-red seal beneath him.
With a soft *poof*, the black-robed youth reappeared amidst spatial fluctuations above a jagged, cratered expanse on the Thunder Continent, holding a faintly trembling dark green vial in his hand. He swept his gaze around, finding no one in sight. With a cold smirk, he flicked his sleeve and shot into the sky as a golden streak.
Half a day later, the golden light descended upon an unremarkable small mountain. As soon as the youth materialized, he tossed the dark green vial forward.
The vial flipped upside down, its mouth releasing a swirl of radiant light as a tall, staggering figure emerged. Though covered in wounds and clad in shattered armor, it was unmistakably the deer-headed, bear-bodied monster.
“I guessed right—it was you who survived,” the black-robed youth remarked indifferently, glancing at the beast.
“Yang Lu pays respects to his master!” The deer-headed monster immediately knelt before the youth without hesitation.
“Good. You’re clever and bold. If not for your early allegiance, I wouldn’t have escaped so easily. Rest assured, since you’ve fulfilled my demands, I won’t break my promise. The True Soul Pill will be yours, and I will take you back to the Immortal Realm. But first, surrender a portion of your primary soul and sign the Spirit Servant Contract. This will also sever your ties to this realm.” The black-robed youth spoke impassively.
“As you command, Master.” Yang Lu hesitated only briefly before opening his mouth and spitting out a faint green orb. Inside, a miniature version of the deer-headed beast could be seen roaring silently.
“Consider this a favor. Once you sign this contract on the Celestial Spirit Tome, you’ll be free from the constraints of this realm and can enter the Immortal Realm without worry. As for me, I’ll need years to refine this treasure anew.” The youth eyed the orb before spitting out a radiant golden scroll.
“Open your mind and don’t resist. Otherwise, I won’t guarantee the consequences.” The youth formed a hand seal and pointed rapidly at the golden scroll.
In the next moment, the scroll erupted with dazzling light, releasing countless golden runes that swirled around the miniature beast inside the orb.
With a low growl, Yang Lu clutched his head in agony as countless foreign thoughts invaded his soul, revealing the scroll’s purpose and the terms of the Spirit Servant Contract.
After enduring the pain and reviewing the contract carefully, the beast’s tension eased.
According to the terms, while a spirit servant was bound to obey, it could refuse life-threatening commands at a cost. Moreover, the contract wasn’t permanent—conditions for termination were listed. Though stringent, they weren’t entirely hopeless.
This secretly pleased the beast.
The black-robed youth seemed to sense its thoughts, his expression unchanging but inwardly sneering.
Once Yang Lu confirmed the contract’s fairness and found it far more lenient than expected, he opened his mind without further hesitation.
Simultaneously, as the resistance from the miniature beast faded, the golden runes vanished into it.
Yang Lu’s body shuddered before he collapsed, unconscious.
Only then did the black-robed youth leisurely retrieve the golden scroll with a sweep of his sleeve.
The orb carrying the miniature beast flew back and re-entered Yang Lu’s body.
After an indeterminate time, the beast staggered to its feet, sensing its soul seemingly unchanged yet subtly bound by an inexplicable force—the contract’s power.
With a silent sigh, it bowed deeply to the black-robed youth, who stood motionless as if he had never moved.
“Good. Now that the contract is sealed, I’ll honor my promise.” The youth waved his hand, and a golden pill the size of a chicken egg materialized before Yang Lu.
Though lifeless in appearance, the pill radiated blinding golden light, wreathed in milky auspicious vapors and exuding an indescribable sandalwood fragrance.
A single whiff sent Yang Lu’s soul into euphoria, as if soaring into the heavens. Overwhelmed with joy, he barely contained his excitement.
“This is the True Soul Pill. You may consume it now or wait until we return to the Immortal Realm. If I were you, I’d choose the latter. While it enhances your soul, it will also draw this realm’s rejection, weakening your power.” The youth spoke calmly.
“Understood, Master. I shall save it for later, so I may better serve you.” After a brief hesitation, Yang Lu replied respectfully.
He then spat out a purplish-red wooden box, carefully storing the golden pill inside.
“Next, I’ll enter the treasure to recuperate. Guard the outside until I emerge.” The youth nodded in satisfaction, issuing his command bluntly.
“As you command, Master!” Though momentarily surprised, Yang Lu complied at once.
The black-robed youth twisted into a ball of light, shooting into the dark green vial above and vanishing inside.
With a thunderous boom, the vial, now weighing like a thousand pounds, plummeted into the earth, sinking deep into the mountain’s core before coming to rest.
Yang Lu wasted no time, forming a hand seal as yellow light enveloped him. He sank into the ground, reappearing near the vial. After a quick glance, he sat cross-legged, expressionless.
Inside the vial’s space, the black-robed youth reappeared, surveying the battle-scarred surroundings with a slight frown before waving his sleeve.
Rolling mist erased all traces of the earlier chaos.
The youth raised a hand, and a seven-colored cloud materialized in the sky, descending swiftly.
With a soft *poof*, the cloud transformed into a luminous meditation cushion before him.
The youth blurred momentarily, reappearing seated on the cushion, eyes closed as he turned his focus inward.
“This is troublesome. First injured by the self-detonation of the Horned Race’s treasures, then battered by the laws of this realm. It’ll take years to fully recover. Fortunately, aside from the talisman, the Patriarch bestowed this replica—though said to be less than a ten-thousandth as potent as the original, it should shorten my recovery tenfold.” He murmured eerily upon reopening his eyes.
Chanting an incantation, he formed hand seals.
The space trembled slightly as emerald mist swirled, conjuring countless illusory spiritual herbs and flowers that soon filled every inch of the space.
The entire area brimmed with spiritual energy, as if brought to life.
The youth ceased his chant, grasping at the air as a phantom of the dark green vial formed in his hand. He flung it skyward, where it vanished into the clouds.
“Rain, come!”
Bathed in golden light, he pointed solemnly upward and uttered a command.
A muffled boom echoed as the clouds churned, revealing a colossal vial shadow a hundred yards wide, upside-down and gaping.
With a *splash*, a deluge of green liquid poured forth, dispersing into a downpour of spiritual rain.
A miraculous sight unfolded—the illusory herbs and flowers grew visibly under the rain, swiftly expanding into bowl-sized blossoms and shrub-like plants.
Now far more tangible, they exuded an intoxicating medicinal fragrance, nearly indistinguishable from reality.
Unfazed, the youth altered his hand seals. Wisps of medicinal qi streamed from the plants, converging upon him like rivers to the sea.
Inhaling deeply, he closed his eyes amidst the swirling qi.
Above, the giant vial shadow burst silently into nothingness.
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