Furious Rooster Recognizes Master, Hua Ling's Worries

There's no such thing as a free lunch.

While the Furious Rooster was nominally Zhong Bai's at the moment, once it swallowed the Six-winged Centipede's Demon Core, it was very likely to become a Demon Soldier.

At that point, if the Furious Rooster had other ideas and simply escaped when Zhong Bai wasn't around, the world was vast, and what could anyone do to it?

Therefore, a master-servant contract was a must!

Speaking of which, both Taoist Sects and Buddhist Sects had Dharma Protector Divine Beasts. These Dharma Protector Divine Beasts were essentially demons that had signed contracts.

And signing a contract was easy; Zhong Bai only needed to plant a mark deep within the Furious Rooster's soul.

The Furious Rooster stared at the Six-winged Centipede's Demon Core, which was so close. No matter how much it craved it, with Zhong Bai restraining its wings, it couldn't break free no matter what it tried.

It could only obediently wait for Zhong Bai to plant the soul mark.

It was already close to the Demon Soldier realm, and its intelligence was not low; it understood what awaited it.

Seeing the Furious Rooster behave, Zhong Bai immediately cast a minor art recorded in the Beast Taming Chapter of the Divine Firmament Five Thunder Art.

The Divine Firmament Five Thunder Art was not just a Thunder Technique Divine Ability; it encompassed almost all the essential heritage of the Divine Firmament Sect from back then.

The seal for contracting a Dharma Protector Divine Beast was called the Purple Firmament Beast Binding Seal. Once this seal was planted, if the beast dared to betray its master, Zhong Bai could activate the seal at any time to summon divine thunder to punish it!

Compared to the contract seals of other sects, this one was quite overbearing.

After the Purple Firmament Beast Binding Seal was planted, the Furious Rooster clearly felt an increased awe towards Zhong Bai. Even so, it was willing.

What was wrong with becoming someone's spirit beast or even a servant?

As long as there was a chance to climb higher, the Furious Rooster felt it was worth it.

Besides, it had originally been raised by an old man, so it had no aversion to recognizing a master.

When Zhong Bai released the Furious Rooster, it was already impatient, swallowing the Six-winged Centipede's Demon Core in one gulp. Then it went to the Six-winged Centipede's abdomen, dug out its internal organs, and consumed them.

Zhong Bai wasn't worried about this. Although both the Demon Core and internal organs of the Six-winged Centipede were inherently poisonous—if it were a human, even just smelling it would likely cause poisoning—

Of course, protagonists like Partridge Whistle weren't included in that... protagonists were too overpowered.

Laughable, mere core toxins can't kill them.

Ahem, getting back to the point, the Furious Rooster was originally fed on five poisons, so it was almost immune to the Six-winged Centipede's venom as long as it didn't enter its bloodstream.

After finishing its meal, the Furious Rooster became listless, but Zhong Bai wasn't concerned.

The Demon Core contained abundant demonic energy, and there were also toxins that needed to be digested, so the Furious Rooster being listless was normal.

"Uh... Qianhe Daoist, there shouldn't be any danger in this Pill Palace now, right?"

Partridge Whistle asked at an opportune moment. He hadn't forgotten that he and his two junior siblings had come to Bottle Mountain for the Muchen Pearl.

Helping Zhong Bai slay the Six-winged Centipede was just to search more safely, which was why Partridge Whistle asked this question.

Zhong Bai understood and smiled faintly, "In this Pill Palace, the only thing that could pose a threat was this Six-winged Centipede.

As for the rest, it's just some lingering poisonous remnants. For Brother Partridge, that's as easy as picking something out of his pocket.

However... whether the Muchen Pearl can be found is really hard to say."

Zhong Bai didn't directly tell Partridge Whistle that the Muchen Pearl they were looking for wasn't in Bottle Mountain. After all, Partridge Whistle and his two companions had come a long way. If he just said that, it would be a bit hurtful...

Also, its credibility would be low. Zhong Bai hadn't even searched for it himself, so how would he know there wasn't one?

Partridge Whistle might even suspect that he had found it, secretly kept it, and then lied to them.

Never test human nature, because humans are simply not trustworthy...

"In that case, I'll go search first and see."

Partridge Whistle also understood that there was a high probability the Muchen Pearl wasn't in Bottle Mountain. The Muchen Pearl was an object of extreme yang and pure strength; even if placed in a large tomb, it would be difficult to conceal that scorching yang energy.

And from the moment they entered the Pill Palace, Partridge Whistle could only sense an endless stream of yin and poisonous qi permeating the Pill Palace.

Perhaps he still hadn't given up hope...

Soon, Partridge Whistle had searched the entire Pill Palace. During his search, he also discovered the corpse of the Ming Dynasty Mountain Guardian Imperial Guard.

Of course, it wasn't without any gains at all; there were some Taoist scriptures in the main hall.

Although they didn't record cultivation methods, they were still considered treasures. After Partridge Whistle packed some of them, he and Zhong Bai left the Pill Palace.

On the cliff face.

Hua Ling and Old Foreigner had been waiting for a long time.

Looking at the worried Hua Ling, Old Foreigner felt a pang in his heart.

"Junior Sister, Senior Brother and Qianhe Daoist should be fine. Don't worry too much.

Besides, you've seen Qianhe Daoist's Divine Ability Arts. It's just a centipede demon; Senior Brother and Qianhe Daoist should be able to deal with it and return quickly."

It would have been better if Old Foreigner hadn't said anything; his words only made Hua Ling more anxious.

"Second Senior Brother, but Brother Zhong said he wasn't entirely confident, and he'd never dealt with this Six-winged Centipede before, so he doesn't know its strength. What if it's very powerful...

I really can't control myself, Second Senior Brother."

As Hua Ling spoke, her voice trembled slightly, filled with urgency, panic, and deep worry.

Seeing this, Old Foreigner's eyes dimmed further.

"Junior Sister Hua Ling, don't worry..."

After a thousand words, what Old Foreigner finally managed to say was just that simple sentence.

He was afraid that if he continued, his heart would ache even more...

After waiting another half an hour, Zhong Bai's figure, like a specter, easily scaled the cliff face, using it for leverage.

After landing steadily, Zhong Bai saw Hua Ling approaching him, her eyes glistening with tears.

Uh, a girl crying? Zhong Bai was completely stunned, and Old Foreigner beside him was likewise.

Crack! Old Foreigner felt as if he heard his own heart shattering...

"Brother Zhong, you're finally up. You didn't encounter any danger, did you?"

As she spoke, Hua Ling carefully scrutinized Zhong Bai from head to toe. Only after confirming there wasn't a single injury did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"That's good, that's good. Brother Zhong, it seems killing the Six-winged Centipede went very smoothly this time."

Below the cliff, Partridge Whistle, carrying the Furious Rooster, was just about to reach the summit. His speed wasn't slow; even with the Furious Rooster, he was only slightly slower than Zhong Bai.

But at this moment, even though Partridge Whistle's feelings for Hua Ling were merely those of a senior brother for a junior sister, he still felt heartbroken.

Ugh, my junior sister, whom I've doted on for over a decade, is only concerned about Zhong Bai, whom she's known for a few days, and hasn't even asked if I, her senior brother, am safe.

Partridge Whistle was truly speechless...

"Oh, right, Brother Zhong, is my Eldest Senior Brother also uninjured?"

Fortunately, Hua Ling had only asked about Zhong Bai first in her haste; she hadn't truly forgotten her Eldest Senior Brother.

Hearing the question about himself, Partridge Whistle suddenly exerted force, his entire body shooting up the cliff face, landing steadily, his eyes filled with a low-key demeanor.

Ugh, he's really putting on an act...

Zhong Bai didn't expose him. Didn't you see Old Foreigner's heartbroken expression beside him?

Partridge Whistle was the Eldest Senior Brother, after all; he had to cover up his terrible mood, right?