Old Kingdom Divine Beast, I'll Call You Little Black

The next moment, Su Yueli felt her vision blur, and the Imperial Mausoleum around her vanished in an instant.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in a boundless, bizarre space, surrounded by nothing but endless white mist.

"This is... the world inside the jade?"

Su Yueli frowned tightly. The Shadow Fist Blade in her palm had not vanished as she warily scanned her surroundings.

Just as she was wondering, a faint sensation suddenly came from behind her. Something lightly tapped her ankle with its claw.

A cold glint flashed through Su Yueli's eyes as she spun around and threw a heavy punch infused with Inch Force.

Whoosh!

The force of her punch stopped dead less than half an inch above the ground.

The white mist dispersed somewhat, revealing a tiny creature squatting on the ground.

It looked somewhat like a miniature Ink Qilin, palm-sized and pitch-black all over, with two underdeveloped little horns on its head.

It was trying hard to look ferocious, but paired with its round, plump body, it looked comical no matter how one looked at it.

Su Yueli withdrew her fist, crouched down, and poked it with her fingertip.

The little creature neither dodged nor fled. Instead, it rubbed its head against her finger, clearly harboring no ill intent.

"Are you the seed of restoration left behind by that fallen kingdom's emperor?" Su Yueli asked tentatively.

The little creature nodded repeatedly, anticipation filling its eyes.

Su Yueli shook her head helplessly. "You've been fed this empty promise for over a thousand years, and you actually believed it. If you had emerged a thousand years ago, you might really have been a cheat."

"But now... the Great Li Dynasty is absurdly powerful. Cultivators are everywhere. Trying to restore a kingdom with nothing but a little thing like you, after being locked up for a thousand years, is simply asking for death."

The Azure Cloud Ancient Kingdom had long since been abandoned by the tides of time. It had no idea what the outside world had become.

Seeing that Su Yueli did not believe it, the little creature grew anxious.

It abruptly stepped back two paces and let out a low growl. A wild, blood-red Killing Intent suddenly erupted from its body.

Though it was still tiny, the pressure emanating from its bloodline made Su Yueli's heart tremble.

This was no ordinary demonic beast, but a spirit beast.

Through a faint mental ripple, Su Yueli understood its bloodline talent: an ancient bloodthirsty bloodline.

The more it killed, the stronger its bloodline would evolve.

It had merely been sealed away for over a thousand years without any replenishment of energy, which was why it had become so weak.

Su Yueli raised a brow, staring at it as she rubbed her chin in thought. "This ancient bloodline sounds quite nourishing... If I slaughtered you and roasted you for meat, could I break through to an even stronger realm right away?"

The little creature sensed the fleeting dangerous gleam in Su Yueli's eyes, and its CPU nearly burned out on the spot.

Its fur bristled all over as it hurriedly shrank far back, trembling in terror.

Su Yueli could not help laughing. "Just kidding. Look how badly I scared you."

However, her expression soon turned solemn, and she still shook her head in refusal. "There's really no use in taking you outside. Cultivators run rampant in the outside world. Once your ancient bloodline is exposed, those lofty cultivators will definitely snatch you away. With my current strength, I simply can't protect you."

The little creature froze, its round eyes filled with conflict.

It had finally waited for a martial artist capable of activating the National Fortune Jade. If it missed this chance, who knew how many more thousand years it would be imprisoned here?

It stared at the Shadow Fist Blade in Su Yueli's hand, determination flashing through its eyes.

The next moment, the little creature transformed into a streak of black light. Without giving Su Yueli any time to react, it slammed straight into the Upper-Grade Earth Tier Shadow Fist Blade.

Bzzzzz—!

A clear, ringing cry suddenly resounded throughout the white-mist space.

Su Yueli discovered in astonishment that the Shadow Fist Blade on her right hand had begun to tremble violently. Dark-red ancient blood patterns emerged across the surface of the black mystic iron that had originally been entirely black.

The aura of the weapon, originally Upper-Grade Earth Tier, began to soar madly.

Breakthrough, advancement!

In just a few breaths, that aura directly crossed the limits of the mundane.

Lower-Grade Heaven Tier!

"It can do that?" Su Yueli parted her lips, utterly incredulous.

The fist blade in her hand twitched gently, as though it had gained a will of its own, softly rubbing against her palm.

A thought filled with attachment, along with a trace of hunger, returned to her mind.

It was that little creature.

It had actually voluntarily abandoned its physical body and forged itself into the weapon spirit of this blade.

Su Yueli carefully sensed the upgraded fist blade and felt greatly satisfied.

No matter how fine a mortal martial artist's weapon was, it was still only ordinary iron.

If she fought cultivators to the death in the future, it could easily be shattered by their spiritual power and magical treasures.

But now that it had a weapon spirit, the fist blade's toughness had undergone a qualitative transformation. She no longer needed to worry about that.

More importantly, having inherited that little creature's talent, this Heaven Tier fist blade now possessed the ability to grow—the more it killed, the more blood it drank, the stronger it would advance!

"Alright, this opportunity wasn't a loss."

In a fine mood, Su Yueli flicked the fist blade with her finger and smiled. "Since you recognize me as your master, I'll take you outside to eat good food from now on."

The moment she said that, Su Yueli suddenly froze.

Eating was one thing.

"So... how are we supposed to get out of this place?"

She called out into the endless white space.

Before the weapon spirit within the fist blade could respond, the white mist before her shattered with a thunderous crash.

A powerful sense of unreality washed over her, and Su Yueli's body shuddered.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself still standing within the Imperial Mausoleum of the Azure Cloud Ancient Kingdom.

The National Fortune Jade in her right hand had completely lost its original verdant luster. It had turned grayish-white, no different from a worthless stone picked up by the roadside.

Crack.

With a light squeeze, the stubborn stone crumbled into dust and completely dissipated.

Su Yueli shook her head helplessly and looked at the fist blade. "By the way, what's your name? I can't keep calling you little thing forever."

Su Yueli tried to communicate with it in her mind.

The Shadow Fist Blade on her hand paused, then actually detached itself and floated in the air. Its sharp tip scratched wildly across the hard black stone floor before finally leaving behind a crooked line of strange, ancient characters:

[Azure Cloud's Imperially Bestowed Supreme Golden Body Great General, Protector of the Nation]

Su Yueli lowered her head to look at it, and the corner of her mouth could not help twitching.

Good grief. It was a palm-sized little thing, yet its official title came in layers upon layers. Its chuunibyou aura practically rushed straight at her.

"If I shouted that name in public, those people from the Pang Family probably wouldn't even need me to act. They'd laugh themselves to death on the spot."

Su Yueli rubbed her temples in speechless exasperation, grabbed the fist blade back in one hand, and said, "Too long. Rejected. Since you're black all over, I'll call you Little Black from now on."

The fist blade trembled slightly, seemingly aggrieved that its Great General title had been stripped away. Yet soon, a cheerful dim glow radiated from it. It clearly liked this simple, blunt new name as well.

Su Yueli smiled. "Fine, Little Black it is from now on."

Setting aside the joke, Su Yueli's expression turned cold.

Though she had now broken through to the Seventh Realm with the blood and vitality of demonic beasts, and gained a Heaven Tier weapon capable of advancing, she was still far from being able to walk out through those doors.

The Pang Family outside was definitely no simple opponent.

Not only did they have Pang Jinbiao, at the Peak Eighth Realm, but they were also connected to cultivation sects with methods like those of immortals.

With her current strength, going outside meant she had only gained a bit of capital to protect herself. If it truly came down to a desperate fight, her chances of victory remained slim.

She did not know how many more years she would have to remain here, but the only way out was to keep growing stronger.

"Since I'm here, I can't leave empty-handed."

A ruthless glint flashed in Su Yueli's eyes. The First Realm demonic beasts in the outer and inner areas had already vanished, but since this core region shrouded in black mist was an Imperial Mausoleum, it likely concealed even more powerful creatures.

She gripped Little Black tightly, stamped her foot, and plunged back into the black mist, beginning her search of the graveyard.

To see whether she could find one or two higher-level demonic beasts to serve as her next experience packs.