An Unexpected Bonus

Xiao Ling looked at the Purple Sable King, which had fully revealed its form and was glaring at him furiously. Without wasting a word, he stepped forward and appeared in front of it in an instant.

The Purple Sable King jumped in fright and reflexively backed away.

But it was nowhere near as fast as Xiao Ling. A Bagua Seal appeared in the palm of his right hand and shot out like lightning. Before the Purple Sable King could react, it had already stamped itself onto the creature's brow.

The Purple Sable King was instantly rooted to the spot. Xiao Ling grabbed it by the neck, and as he watched it struggle in his hand, a pleased smile appeared on his face. He silently asked the system,

"System, about how many years of lifespan could I plunder from a Da Dou Shi-level magical beast?"

[Beep. That can't be estimated. Host, would you like to plunder its lifespan?]

"Then..."

Xiao Ling had just started to speak when a voice suddenly sounded in his mind, cutting him off.

"Spare me... Master, please spare me..."

Xiao Ling: "???"

He stared at the Purple Sable King in surprise. A third-tier magical beast shouldn't have this much intelligence, much less a low-tier magical beast like a purple sable.

"Could there be a treasure here?"

But when had his luck ever been this good?

Why hadn't he been this lucky the last time he came out?

Xiao Ling looked at the Purple Sable King in his hand, which was repeatedly bowing and begging for mercy. He decided to scare the creature a little first. Once he had the treasure, he'd decide what to do with it...

"Master, please spare me..."

The Purple Sable King looked fearfully at the White-robed Youth before her. She repeatedly pressed her tiny forepaws together, hoping he would let her live.

It had taken her so long to gain intelligence. She had never even left the Magic Beast Mountain Range, and she didn't want to die.

"Do you have any value? If not, then you can die."

Xiao Ling made no effort to hide his words. There was no need to. These magical beasts only believed in the law of the jungle, so the best approach was to be blunt and make them afraid.

"V-value? M-Master, what does value mean?"

"???"

Looking at the Purple Sable King's bewildered expression, Xiao Ling couldn't help thinking, It looks like this creature isn't very intelligent, about as smart as a human child of three or five.

Guess I still wasn't direct enough!

A few thoughts flashed through his mind. Xiao Ling looked at the other party coldly and threatened her.

"I'll give you two choices. First, hand over the treasure that gave you your intelligence, and I'll spare your life. Otherwise, I'll make sure not even your bones remain."

Fear shone in the Purple Sable King's tiny eyes. This time, she understood: the human wanted her treasure, and if she didn't hand it over, he would kill her. She hurriedly replied,

"Please spare me, Master... I'll take you to it right away."

Looking at the little creature's repeated bows, Xiao Ling spoke in an even tone.

"As long as you behave, I'll 'let' you go once I get the treasure."

"As long as you... spare my life, Master, I'll give you all the treasures."

The Purple Sable King hurriedly promised.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling nodded in satisfaction. As far as he was concerned, this find was an unexpected bonus. Whether he let her go would depend on whether the treasure was worth more than her life.

By then, Kagang and the others had finished gathering the spoils and quickly came over. Everyone looked at the White-robed Youth before them with respect for the strong in their eyes.

"Brother Ling Xiao, should we head back now or check out the next den?"

At that, Xiao Ling lifted the Purple Sable King by the scruff of the neck and turned to Kagang with a smile.

"No need. Big Brother Kagang, come with me. Mo Yang, take the others and guard the valley."

With that, Xiao Ling carried the Purple Sable King toward the depths of the valley. Following her directions, they soon reached her lair.

The cave before them was exceptionally tidy, without the slightest animal odor. Clearly, the little creature was usually very clean.

"M-Master, the treasure is underground. There's a passage leading down beneath my bed..."

When the Purple Sable King saw the White-robed Youth looking at her, she quickly replied telepathically.

Xiao Ling nodded slightly, then raised a hand and used a Sword Finger to blast the stone bed to pieces. The sight terrified the Purple Sable King; her tiny pupils were filled with fear.

She silently breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, everything she'd said was true. Otherwise...

Seeing the little creature's reaction, Xiao Ling knew she hadn't lied. He picked her up and strode toward the opening the blast had made.

Kagang glanced at the hole. He could more or less guess there was a treasure down there.

But he was smart enough not to ask about it. Instead, he looked at the White-robed Youth's back and said,

"Brother Ling Xiao, I won't go in. I'll keep watch here for you."

Xiao Ling was about to explain, but the voice interrupted him.

"Master, he really can't go down. There's a natural barrier below, and anyone under the second tier can't get through."

Hearing the voice in his mind, Xiao Ling swallowed the words he'd been about to say and replied instead,

"In that case, sorry for the trouble, Big Brother Kagang. If the treasure turns out to be useful to me, I'll compensate you with other things of equal value. If it isn't, we'll divide it up according to our usual arrangement."

After speaking, Xiao Ling didn't give the other man a chance to respond. He headed straight down the steps inside the opening.

Kagang could only smile helplessly. A trace of gratitude appeared in his eyes. He had no designs on the treasure; after all, if it weren't for Xiao Ling, he'd already be dead.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ling made his way down the stone steps. At the pace he was going, he must have already descended dozens of meters, yet he still hadn't reached his destination.

According to the Purple Sable King, the steps went down about three hundred meters.

He had to admit, treasures really were abundant on the Dou Qi Continent.

But what puzzled him was that, with so many resources, it hadn't been invaded by the Outer Realm Evil Clan. It was practically a miracle.

As Xiao Ling continued downward, the sound of dripping water gradually began to fill the air. His spirits lifted. He knew he was getting close.

I hope the treasure is useful to me, he thought. He rounded a bend, and the view suddenly opened up before him.

A vast underground cavern appeared in his sight. Enormous stalactites, dozens or even hundreds of meters long, hung from the rocky ceiling in such dense clusters that he couldn't see where they ended. The dripping sound came from water trickling down the stalactites.

"This..."

Xiao Ling stared at the underground world for a long while before finally coming back to his senses. He looked at the Purple Sable King in his hand, his tone softening considerably.

"Take me to the place where you gained your intelligence. If I can get what's there, I'll let you go."

"Chirp, chirp..."

The Purple Sable King cried out happily twice and pointed in a direction with one tiny paw. Xiao Ling immediately dashed that way, changing direction several times along the way.

At last, after passing an enormous stalactite that had weathered away long ago,

he stopped before a pool of milky-white liquid that shimmered with a faint glow.