Just then, a pair of golden eyes forcibly opened within her Divine Sense and rushed out as a streak of flame. A young boy with red hair and golden eyes abruptly appeared in the dungeon, and the surrounding temperature soared.
Vermilion Bird glared viciously at Little Kui. "Tao... tie?"
Seriously? How could a ferocious beast raid his home when he was only halfway through recuperating?!
Vermilion Bird really wanted to cough up blood on the spot.
"I'm begging you, aren't you on the Devil Race's side?!" The cultivation world had four divine beasts, and the Devil Domain had four ferocious beasts. They had always been at odds.
"You dare contract with the same master as me?" Vermilion Bird hoisted Little Kui, who only reached his waist, into the air.
"Got a death wish?"
"Waaah..." Little Kui opened his mouth and let out a child's piercing wail, sobbing, "Master, he's bullying me..."
Vermilion Bird: ?
Vermilion Bird turned to Tang Yao in shock, his expression seeming to say, How is Taotie like this? In his memory, Taotie had been utterly scheming and extremely annoying.
Tang Yao spread her hands, equally helpless. "You might not believe this, but it's cultivation year 2056 now..." She looked at Little Kui with a complicated gaze.
"As for Taotie, I don't know either... It's so weak now? Its mind seems to have been destroyed."
Those few words bombarded Vermilion Bird's mind. He looked around incredulously, then walked up to Xiao Linyu. "Why does he look a bit like Xiao He? Is he Xiao He's elder?"
Xiao Linyu: "?" Wasn't Xiao He his great-great-great-grandfather?
This little fire boy actually knew their Xiao Household's ancestor.
Tang Yao hurriedly explained, "Little Red, he's a descendant of the Xiao Household. He accidentally ended up here with me."
Xiao Linyu was instantly filled with respect for Tang Yao. She had actually subdued two such powerful contracted beasts, and more importantly, one of them even knew the founding ancestor of their Xiao Household. He absolutely had to cling tightly to Boss's thigh and never let go.
After hearing this, Vermilion Bird turned his gaze back to Little Kui, clearly still angry. His golden eyes narrowed as he warned him, word by word, "When the great war comes a thousand years from now, get as far away as you can! Stay away from me! Or I'll beat you up right now!
"Remember, my name is Vermilion Bird!"
Little Kui nodded furiously with tear-filled eyes, terrified that the other boy would beat him if he nodded even a little too slowly. He hastily hid behind Tang Yao, leaving only his head peeking out.
Seeing him temporarily stripped of his true nature and utterly spineless, Vermilion Bird felt as though his punch had landed on cotton.
But Vermilion Bird had not forgotten the important business. There was another unpleasant smell here, and it wasn't Taotie's. Following it to its source, Vermilion Bird reached the depths of the cave. With a wave of his little hand, Li Fire sprang onto his fingers, illuminating the divine flower's roots and stems poking their little tips out.
"This is the Fusang Flower, which disappeared long ago. The way to break out of here..."
"Destroy it."
Vermilion Bird voiced his conjecture.
Tang Yao hesitated, looking at Vermilion Bird in confusion. "How do we destroy it?"
Vermilion Bird's flames suddenly transformed into a crimson sword. The innate sword bone held a fatal attraction for swords, and the crimson sword let out a ringing cry.
"This is the Crimson Flame Sword, third on the sword rankings. The reason no one can find it is that it's formed from my Li Fire. It can restrain evil."
"My previous master used it on the battlefield during the great war, too, but right now, you can only use it for two hours. I can't sustain it for too long."
After sensing the presence of the innate sword bone, the Crimson Flame Sword flew toward Tang Yao's hand like an utter simp.
The moment Tang Yao grasped its hilt, she felt the Crimson Flame Sword's excitement. Rather than draw it, she handed it to Vermilion Bird. "Keep it with you. Give it to me when it's needed."
Vermilion Bird shook his head and did not take it, gesturing for Tang Yao to tuck it at her waist or put it into her storage space. "The time starts counting from the moment you draw it. Keep it."
"If I go into secluded recuperation in the future, you can use this sword for two hours a day." He believed that his judgment today was also why the Fusang Flower had inexplicably disappeared in the legends.
So this sword-or rather, he-had always been fated to meet Tang Yao. Everything was destined!
Tang Yao lightly gripped the Crimson Flame Sword at her waist. This feeling held a fatal attraction for a sword cultivator.
The person and sword understood each other's hearts. This was probably the benefit of an innate sword bone.
But faintly, she sensed another sword stirring restlessly-
Underground.
Tang Yao closed her eyes. She could feel that sword growing frenzied, but a presence was blocking it.
It was Devil Qi.
She suddenly had a bold idea, but did not know whether it was right or wrong.
If she snatched this sword, it should help her destroy the Fusang Flower...
Tang Yao took out her remaining Spirit Restoration Pills and had Xiao Linyu take out all of his as well. Together, the pills formed a small mountain.
Then she began using her Spirit Root to convert Devil Qi and push that strand of Devil Qi aside.
Fortunately, Xiao Linyu was a fool. He could not sense where the Devil Qi was coming from at all. He only felt the surrounding Devil Qi making him frown, and silently squatted in a corner.
This was a silent contest.
The difference was that Tang Yao had a mountain of cheats on her side.
Seeing his master emitting a presence he liked, Taotie obediently sat beside Tang Yao, while Vermilion Bird helplessly squatted beside Xiao Linyu-
The spot farthest from Tang Yao.
Vermilion Bird admired Tang Yao's all spirit root while finding the Devil Qi somewhat unbearable, his expression extremely complicated.
Naturally, Xiao Linyu did not dare move a muscle. He had heard it just now-the one beside him was Vermilion Bird!
What was Vermilion Bird? A divine beast!
Ever since these two had appeared, the Winged Python within his Divine Sense had refused to show itself no matter what, saying things like whether the divine bird and Taotie would eat a little snake like it. It absolutely refused to come out.
The small mountain of Spirit Restoration Pills had been eaten until barely any remained.
Tang Yao was fighting a protracted battle this time. The underground Devil Qi had also been nearly exhausted. After Tang Yao pushed it aside despite its extreme reluctance, the sword underground instantly surged like a wild horse freed from its reins, breaking through its underground restraints and bursting through the soil to fly before Tang Yao.
The sword's body was black and exuded a presence that made one's heart quail.
Tang Yao reached out to put the sword into her Storage Bag, but this devil sword cunningly pressed itself against the spot Taotie had just bitten and rubbed against a tiny trace of blood. What an utter green tea.
Seeing the light of a successful contract appear on Tang Yao's wrist, the devil sword was extremely satisfied with the master it had chosen this time. Not only did she possess abundant Devil Qi, but she also had an innate sword bone!
It was secretly laughing itself silly!
As for that old man underground-sorry, who were you again?
Seeing the contract formed, Vermilion Bird could no longer squat there calmly. He leaped over, and Li Fire instantly enveloped the devil sword.
The devil sword let out a pained ringing cry.
Vermilion Bird said, "You'd better behave from now on, or I'll burn you to death!" With that, he remembered Taotie beside Tang Yao and casually delivered a heavy slap. "You too!"
Little Kui pursed his little lips, buried his head in the hem of Tang Yao's clothes, and whispered, "Why did you hit me..."
Even that tiny voice reached Vermilion Bird's ears. "My hand was right there. You're no good either!"
Taotie covered his face. "..."