Binding Liu Erlong

Liu Erlong found a nearby hotel, requested a private room, and locked the door tight.

She retrieved the spirit bones from her spirit tool—nine in total, each varying in color and luster. They were all drops from spirit beasts the Red Flame Earth Dragon had slain over the years, ranging from three thousand to six thousand years in age.

Black Venom surged directly from her chest, coalescing into a pitch-black, dragon-headed maw that snapped onto a spirit bone the moment it opened.

Crunch, crunch. Amidst the bone-chilling sound of chewing, the spirit bone was pulverized and swallowed whole.

"There is indeed energy, but compared to the ten percent conversion efficiency I get from devouring spirit beast carcasses, this only yields two percent."

"Better than nothing." Liu Erlong pushed the remaining spirit bones toward it.

The pitch-black Venom dragon head devoured the bones one by one, the crunching sounds enough to send a shiver down anyone's spine.

"All finished. It increased my age by about a thousand years in total." Jiang Ce's voice carried a hint of satisfaction. "My main body has now reached four thousand eight hundred years."

He had started at a thousand years; with Liu Erlong's power sharing and the eight hundred years gained from devouring the Red Flame Earth Dragon, he had reached three thousand eight hundred.

Though this thousand years wasn't much for him, the stability was a plus.

"I suspect it's because I'm still in my initial stage. If I can evolve once more, my devouring conversion efficiency will increase significantly."

"You can evolve again?" A flash of joy crossed Liu Erlong's eyes.

The original Jiang Ce could already grant her a triple boost to all attributes, allowing her to fight entirely across a major realm.

If he evolved again, would he become even stronger?

"That's right. As I continue to evolve, the boost I provide you will only grow stronger."

Liu Erlong nodded subconsciously.

"Wait—you can even read my thoughts?"

"We are one, symbiotically." The black bodysuit on her body suddenly surged, transforming into tentacles that bound her tightly. Liu Erlong lost control of her body and collapsed onto the seat.

She looked like a helpless young girl.

"You have no secrets from me."

"Don't squeeze so tight..." Liu Erlong had anticipated this situation.

This guy could change his form at will, and his consciousness was clearly still male—

She just hadn't expected him to have so many tricks up his sleeve.

"Heh heh, I have plenty of tricks. You'll have plenty to deal with in the future. For now, let's go get that Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue."

The Venom reverted into a skin-tight black bodysuit.

Liu Erlong's body went limp as she collapsed onto the bed, her cheeks still flushed, her legs rubbing together involuntarily.

A moment later, she rolled over, tidied herself up, and headed straight for the auction house.

Liu Erlong verified her funds and entered. About a hundred people were already seated in the brilliantly lit hall.

The auctioneer was hammering away on stage, currently auctioning a thousand-year spirit bone. Bids were flying back and forth from the floor, the price already pushed to six hundred thousand gold spirit coins.

Liu Erlong looked at that spirit bone, then thought of the nine Jiang Ce had just chewed up like snacks, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.

She had little interest in the next few lots, until the auctioneer unveiled another red cloth.

"The next item—" On the tray lay a palm-sized, gelatinous object, pitch-black all over, shimmering with an oily luster under the lights. "Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue. Efficacy... er, refreshing and invigorating. Starting bid, two thousand gold spirit coins."

The auctioneer wore a meaningful smile, and the crowd erupted into laughter.

A man in the audience whistled: "It makes your blood boil, so isn't that refreshing and invigorating? Eat one bite and you'll be boiling with heat all day long."

His companion chimed in: "Eat? A hundred-year Whale Glue is enough to make you boil. If you eat a ten-thousand-year one, could you even handle it?"

Liu Erlong raised her paddle.

Two thousand gold spirit coins.

The men in the room looked at Liu Erlong's explosive figure and clicked their tongues in wonder.

"No way, this little girl is actually buying this? Could it be that some noble sent her to buy it?"

"Possible. Otherwise, why would a girl buy this stuff?"

"Tsk tsk, such a great figure. Those nobles are really lucky."

Several men muttered among themselves.

No one competed with Liu Erlong for the item—

In everyone's eyes, it was just a sex toy. Who would spend two thousand gold coins on an aphrodisiac?

A hundred-year one was enough; who could digest a ten-thousand-year one?

One bite and you'd be boiling for days without relief; the potency was just too much.

Liu Erlong sat there, suppressing the urge to curse.

If she weren't at an auction, she would have loved to beat all these damn men to a pulp.

The auctioneer brought the hammer down, and Liu Erlong rose to settle the payment backstage. When she slammed two thousand gold spirit coins onto the counter, the manager took an extra look at her.

A twelve-year-old girl, not buying pills or spirit tools, but specifically bidding on a piece of Ten-Thousand-Year Whale Glue—what kind of game was this?

He slowly shook his head afterward, guessing it was just another noble looking to harass some neighbor's little girl.

Liu Erlong couldn't be bothered to explain. She tucked the whale glue into her soul tool and turned to walk out.

The moment she stepped out of the auction hall's main entrance, Jiang Ce's voice rang out in her mind.

"Wait. Someone is tailing you."

Liu Erlong didn't stop, though her pupils constricted slightly, her expression remaining calm. "How many?"

"Only one detected for now, fifty paces to your right, leaning against the pillar. Judging by his aura, he should have been sent by that group you beat up."

They just won't give up.

She turned into a nearby dark alley without changing her pace.

The sound of footsteps followed her in, and the mercenary tailing her chased into the alley, only to freeze in confusion when he found it completely empty.

"Huh? Where did she go—"

A hand reached out from the shadows, fingers clamping onto his head like iron pincers, and wrenched him around with brute force.

"Are you looking for me?"

The mercenary's pupils shrank to pinpricks, his mouth opening to scream—

Black liquid surged from Liu Erlong's body, wrapping tightly around him to stifle all sound while simultaneously beginning to infiltrate his memories.

A moment later, the Venom retracted, and the mercenary collapsed limply to the ground.

"Ma San's base is at the abandoned warehouse in the East City. There are about ten others, led by his cousin, a level 41 Soul Ancestor."

"Level 41." Liu Erlong repeated, a cold smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Let's go."

Abandoned warehouse, East City.

Ma San had a bandage wrapped around his head, his nose bridge was smashed, and he was missing a few teeth, causing him to whistle when he spoke.

His cousin, Ma Biao, sat across from him—

A level 41 Battle Soul Ancestor who had been active in the Heaven Dou City mercenary circles for over a decade, with twenty-some men under his command; he held a fair amount of influence in this area.

"Brother Ma, that wench went into the auction house. Zhao Qing is still watching her, so I came back first," a mercenary reported as he pushed the door open.

"The auction house? Does she have that kind of money?" Ma San cursed with a nasal drone. "Some bastard child, no telling where she stole that money from."

"Maybe she got it by selling her body," another mercenary whistled. "That chick has an explosive figure."

Several mercenaries joined in with jeers and laughter.

"Keep a close eye on her. Once she comes out, corner her somewhere deserted."

Ma Biao toyed with a short blade in his hand. "If she could easily floor a group of you Soul Elders at twelve years old, it at least means she's above the Soul Elder rank herself."

She was barely a Great Soul Master before; to improve this quickly—

She definitely stumbled upon some kind of opportunity. This time, we're going to pry it out of her.

The eyes of the men lit up. "Right, Brother Ma is always so thoughtful—"

BOOM!