In the next instant, Su Yueli felt her vision blur as the surrounding royal mausoleum vanished in a flash.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in an endless, eerie space. It was completely empty, surrounded on all sides by a vast expanse of white mist.
“Is this... the world inside the jade?”
Su Yueli furrowed her brows. The Shadow Fist Blades in her hands had not disappeared, and she looked around warily.
Just as she was feeling bewildered, she felt a slight touch from behind. Something was gently tapping her ankle with its claw.
Su Yueli's eyes turned fierce. She spun around and threw a heavy short-range force punch straight at it.
Whoosh!
Her fist wind stopped abruptly, barely half an inch from the ground.
As the white mist cleared slightly, a little creature was revealed crouching on the ground.
It looked somewhat like a miniature black qilin. It was only the size of a palm, pitch-black all over, with two underdeveloped little horns on its head.
Right now, it was trying its best to make a fierce expression, but combined with its round, chubby body, it looked utterly ridiculous.
Su Yueli pulled back her fist and squatted down, tapping it with her fingertip.
The little guy didn't dodge or hide. Instead, it rubbed its head against her finger, clearly harboring no malice whatsoever.
“Are you the seed of restoration left behind by that fallen emperor?” Su Yueli asked tentatively.
The little guy nodded repeatedly, a hint of anticipation in its eyes.
Seeing this, Su Yueli shook her head helplessly. “That empty promise was made over a thousand years ago, and you actually believed it. If you had come out a thousand years ago, you might have really been a cheat code.”
“But now... the Great Li Dynasty is ridiculously strong, and cultivators walk the earth everywhere. Relying on a little thing like you, who has been locked up for a thousand years, to restore a nation is just asking for death.”
This Cangyun Ancient Kingdom had long been abandoned by the eras; the little creature had absolutely no idea what the outside world had become.
Seeing that Su Yueli didn't believe it, the little guy grew anxious.
It suddenly took two steps back and let out a low growl from its throat, a violent, blood-colored malevolent aura abruptly erupting from its body.
Although its body was still tiny, the pressure emanating from its bloodline made Su Yueli's heart shudder.
This was by no means an ordinary demon beast, but a spirit beast.
Through a faint mental wave, Su Yueli understood its bloodline talent: an ancient bloodthirsty bloodline.
The more it killed, the stronger its bloodline would evolve.
It was only because it had been sealed for a thousand years without any energy replenishment that it had become so weak now.
Su Yueli raised her eyebrows, staring at it while stroking her chin in thought. “This ancient bloodline sounds quite nourishing... If I slaughter you and roast your meat, would I be able to break through directly to an even stronger realm?”
The little guy sensed the flash of danger in Su Yueli's eyes, and its brain nearly short-circuited.
Terrified, its fur puffed up instantly, and it scrambled backward a long way, shivering in fear.
Su Yueli couldn't help but laugh. “Just kidding, look how scared you are.”
However, her expression quickly turned serious, and she shook her head in refusal anyway. “Taking you out really is useless. The outside world is teeming with cultivators. Once your ancient bloodline is exposed, those high-and-mighty cultivators will definitely snatch you away. With my current strength, I can't protect you at all.”
The little guy froze, its round eyes filled with conflict.
It had finally waited for a martial artist who could activate the National Fortune Jade. If it missed this chance, heaven knew how many more thousands of years it would remain locked up here.
It stared at the Shadow Fist Blades in Su Yueli's hand, a flash of determination crossing its eyes.
In the next instant, the little guy turned into a streak of black light. Before Su Yueli could even react, it plunged headfirst into the Earth-grade high-rank Shadow Fist Blades.
Weng—!
A crisp, resounding hum suddenly echoed throughout the white-misted space.
To Su Yueli's surprise, the Shadow Fist Blades in her right hand began to vibrate violently. On the surface of the originally pitch-black dark iron, patterns of dark red ancient blood veins actually began to ripple.
The aura of the weapon, which originally belonged to the Earth-grade high-rank, began to skyrocket madly.
A breakthrough, an advancement!
Within just a few breaths, that aura directly transcended the limits of the mortal realm.
Haven-grade low-rank!
“That's even possible?” Su Yueli's mouth fell open, utterly incredulous.
The fist blades in her hand nudged slightly, as if they had gained a consciousness of their own, gently rubbing against her palm.
A wave of deep attachment, accompanied by a hint of hunger, was transmitted back to her mind.
It was the little guy.
It had actually given up its physical body voluntarily to refine itself into the weapon's spirit.
Su Yueli carefully felt the upgraded fist blades, highly satisfied in her heart.
No matter how high the quality of a mortal martial artist's weapon was, it was still just ordinary iron.
If she fought to the death with a cultivator in the future, it would be easily shattered by the opponent's spiritual power and magic treasures.
But now that it had a weapon spirit, the durability of the fist blades had undergone a qualitative leap, completely eliminating this worry.
More importantly, because it inherited the little guy's talent, this Heaven-grade fist blade now possessed growth potential—the more it killed and the more blood it drank, the stronger its advancement would be!
“Alright, this opportunity is indeed worth it.”
Su Yueli in a good mood, flicked the fist blades with her finger and smiled. “Since you've acknowledged me as your master, I'll take you out to feast in the future.”
Just as she finished speaking, Su Yueli suddenly froze.
Feasting was one thing, but...
“So... how do we get out of this place?”
She shouted into the vast white space.
Before the weapon spirit in the fist blades could respond, the white mist in front of her shattered with a bang.
A strong sense of illusion washed over her, and Su Yueli's body jolted.
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself still standing in the royal mausoleum of the Cangyun Kingdom.
The National Fortune Jade in her right hand had completely lost its original green luster, turning a dull grey, no different from a random rotten stone picked up by the roadside.
Crack.
With a gentle squeeze, the stubborn stone turned into a pile of dust and dissipated completely.
Su Yueli shook her head helplessly and looked at the fist blades. “By the way, what's your name? I can't just keep calling you 'little thing' forever.”
Su Yueli tried to communicate in her heart.
The Shadow Fist Blades in her hand paused, then actually slipped from her grip and floated in the air on their own. The sharp tips of the blades scratched frantically across the hard black stone ground, finally leaving behind a row of crooked, strange, large characters:
【Cangyun's Imperially Bestowed Supreme State-Protecting Golden Body Grand General】
Su Yueli looked down, and the corner of her mouth couldn't help but twitch.
My goodness, a little thing the size of a palm, yet its official titles were so elaborate. The sheer chunibyo vibe was practically hitting her in the face.
“If I shouted this name in public, the people from the Pang family probably wouldn't even need me to lift a finger—they'd die of laughter right on the spot.”
Su Yueli massaged her temples, somewhat speechless. She grabbed the fist blades back into her hand. “It's too long. Rejected. Since you're pitch-black all over, I'll just call you Xiaohei from now on.”
The fist blades vibrated slightly, seeming a bit aggrieved that the title of Grand General had been stripped away. Soon, however, a cheerful, eerie glow emanated from them, showing that they actually quite liked this simple and crude new name.
Su Yueli smiled. “Alright, I'll call you Xiaohei from now on.”
Putting her playfulness aside, Su Yueli's expression turned grim.
Although she had now broken through to the Seventh Realm by relying on the blood qi of demon beasts and had acquired an upgradable Heaven-grade weapon, she was still a long way from being able to walk out of these gates.
The Pang family outside was definitely not simple.
Not only did they have Pang Jinbiao at the peak Eighth Realm, but they also had a cultivator sect with immortal methods backing them.
If she went out with her current strength, she would at most have some capital to protect herself. If she really fought them to the bitter end, her chances of winning were still extremely slim.
She didn't know how many more years she would have to stay here, but her only way out was to continue growing stronger.
“Since I've come out, I can't leave empty-handed.”
A ruthless look flashed in Su Yueli's eyes. The First Realm demon beasts in the outer and inner regions had already gone extinct, but since this core region shrouded in black mist was a royal mausoleum, more powerful creatures were likely hidden here.
She gripped Xiaohei tightly in her hand, stomped her foot, and plunged back into the black mist, beginning her search of this graveyard.
She wanted to see if she could find another high-level demon beast or two to serve as her next experience packs.
Rate on N.U.
