Ancient Soul

"A mouse?"

Inside the mysterious Stone Talisman Space, Lin Dong stared at the black mouse before him in astonishment. He never expected that what was hidden within this mysterious space would actually be a mouse.

Upon hearing Lin Dong's exclamation, the black mouse's fur stood on end. Its eyes, no larger than grains of rice, glared fixedly at Lin Dong as it shrieked in exasperation.

"You bastard! You're the mouse! Your whole family is mice!"

"A talking mouse?"

Lin Dong was struck by another wave of wonder; it was his first time seeing a mouse capable of speech. The black mouse grew even more annoyed at these words, yet it seemed quite wary of Lin Dong, so it could only shout.

"Lord Marten is the renowned Heavenly Demon Marten! Do you understand? Heavenly Demon Marten! I am not a mouse, you ignorant kid!"

Seeing that this mouse—which claimed to be a Heavenly Demon Marten—was embarrassed and angry but dared not approach him, Lin Dong felt his confidence grow and spoke softly.

"You seem afraid of me?"

"Afraid of you? Hahahaha, ha... gah!"

The little black marten laughed toward the sky as if it had heard the greatest joke in the world, but in the next moment, upon seeing the invisible needle hovering before Lin Dong, its laughter came to an abrupt halt.

After a swish as it put some distance between itself and Lin Dong, the little black marten stared at him nervously, its voice becoming significantly sharper.

"What are you trying to do, kid? Even though you obtained this mysterious Stone Talisman, Lord Marten was its previous owner. Living here doesn't hinder you, so don't you dare push Lord Marten."

Lin Dong couldn't help but stare at the Heavenly Demon Marten with a half-smile upon hearing this; he had not expected that this creature was the former master of the mysterious Stone Talisman.

Feeling thoroughly uncomfortable under Lin Dong's gaze, the Heavenly Demon Marten retreated two more steps. Only after reaching a distance it deemed safe did it sit down on its haunches and say, "What exactly do you want, kid? Although I only have a Demonic Spirit left, if you push Lord Marten too far, believe me, I'll blow myself up along with you!"

"Demonic Spirit?"

Lin Dong had heard that some incredibly powerful demonic beasts could condense a Demonic Spirit. Could it be that this so-called Heavenly Demon Marten before him was truly such a formidable existence?

If that were the case, perhaps it was worth a try; this Heavenly Demon Marten might have a way to deal with the impending Blood Robe Sect.

Thinking of this, Lin Dong suddenly asked the Heavenly Demon Marten, "I must have been the one who awakened you, right?"

The little marten curled its lip upon hearing this and said with great disdain, "Pfft, stop trying to flatter yourself, kid. If it weren't for that Ancestral Fire Demonic Flower, you would never have seen Lord Marten in your entire life."

"So, you awakened because of me. Since that's the case, it shouldn't be too much to ask for your help, right?"

Lin Dong seized the loophole in the little marten's words immediately. The little marten grew vigilant at once, eyeing Lin Dong suspiciously as it spoke.

"Kid, you aren't planning on targeting Lord Marten's Demonic Spirit, are you?"

"Demonic Spirit? What use does that have?"

Lin Dong asked out of curiosity. The little marten seemed to realize it had made a slip of the tongue and hurriedly waved its little claws.

"Uh, that, nothing, it's useless..."

As it spoke, the little marten saw that Lin Dong truly seemed ignorant and let out a sigh of relief in its heart.

Lin Dong didn't dwell on it, instead looking at the little marten with curiosity. His expression turned serious as he asked softly, "Why are you here? Don't try to lie to me. I think it's best if we are honest, trusting, and helpful to one another—that will be better for both of us."

"Fine, what you say makes sense, kid."

The little marten nodded gently. Its Demonic Spirit was indeed very weak right now, and it truly needed someone to help it recover.

Furthermore, if something happened to Lin Dong and the mysterious Stone Talisman fell into the hands of someone else, the little marten couldn't guarantee that the next person wouldn't covet its Demonic Spirit.

"I was the previous master of this mysterious Stone Talisman. However, not long after I obtained it, I was hunted down and forced to self-destruct, hiding my Demonic Spirit within the Stone Talisman and tearing through space to escape."

"Then you must have been very powerful in the past?"

Hearing the phrase "tearing through space"—a feat he couldn't even begin to imagine—Lin Dong's eyes lit up, and he looked at the little marten with a hint of anticipation.

The little marten waved its claws dismissively, as if it didn't care, and said quite casually, "I was just average. In my prime, Lord Marten could have wiped out ten thousand of someone like you with a single fart."

Lin Dong rolled his eyes. He didn't fully believe it, but he did believe that this Heavenly Demon Marten must have been far stronger than his grandfather while it was alive—perhaps even a powerhouse of the Three Realms of Creation.

Operating on the principle of treating a dead horse as if it were still alive, Lin Dong asked the little marten with a glimmer of hope, "Do you have any way to help me defeat a powerhouse at the Lesser Perfection of the Yuan Dan Realm?"

"A Lesser Perfection of the Yuan Dan Realm is worthy of being called a powerhouse? And why are you, with your measly strength, going around provoking people?"

The little marten rolled its eyes. Lin Dong had no choice but to explain the grudge between the Lin Family and the Blood Robe Sect, which made the little marten's heart turn cold.

Judging by Lin Dong's description, that Wei Tong of the Blood Robe Sect was no good person. If this foolish kid were killed, its own Demonic Spirit might not be safe either.

"You were so strong in your prime—didn't you say you could wipe out a Yuan Dan Realm expert with a fart? Surely you have a way to deal with that Wei Tong?"

If Lin Dong had said this to him earlier, the little marten would have been bubbling with joy, but now, only embarrassment remained on its face.

"That... well, that was my strength when I was alive. But now, I only have this Demonic Spirit, and I've only just awakened..."

Lin Dong's expression dimmed. He didn't even bother to scold the little marten for bragging; he simply sighed in disappointment.

Yet it was precisely this sigh of disappointment that stirred Little Marten's indignation. Driven by the attitude that he wasn't doing this to save the kid, but rather to prove a point for himself, he spoke with great dissatisfaction.

"What do you mean by that, kid? You don't trust Lord Marten?"

"You have a way?"

Lin Dong was taken aback, quickly looking up at the Little Marten before him, his eyes filled with a newfound sense of anticipation.

"Nonsense. Deep within this Stone Talisman Space sleeps an Ancient Soul. Try to see if you can awaken him first; if that doesn't work, then at worst, Lord Marten will risk his life to help you force back that son-of-a-bitch Wei Tong."

Little Marten was going all out now. If Lin Dong were finished, his own demon spirit would likely be devoured by that Wei Tong character as well. Since that was the case, he might as well gamble everything.

Lin Dong gazed at Little Marten's seemingly indifferent expression, a wave of emotion surging in his heart as he said in a low voice.

"Don't worry. If it truly doesn't work, I'll flee. Once we've grown stronger, we'll come back to take revenge on that son-of-a-bitch Wei Tong!"