Chapter 796

·

·

·

Main Character:

Shen Yao

"Host, the Spirit of Shanglu has gone mad!"

The System shrieked in alarm, then fell abruptly silent like a chicken with its throat gripped, its piercing voice cut off instantly.

Shen Yao paid no heed to the System's words, because she had already sensed pressure bearing down from all directions and danger rushing at her at high speed.

The cultivators in the Secret Realm were all frightened by this sudden oppressive pressure; many had already fainted, and only a few could endure it and continue forward.

Among them was Lu Yan. He spat out a mouthful of congested blood welling up in his throat, raised a hand to wipe the corner of his mouth, and then had the Gale Wolf carry him. "Go to where the oppression is greatest."

"Awoo"

"Roar"

"Hiss hiss hiss"

The three contracted beasts did not understand but excelled in obedience. The Gale Wolf, which had been shrinking its size, abruptly swelled large; its ice-blue fur fluttered in the wind, and like a streak of blue light it vanished from the spot.

"Host, run!"

Even if she would not run, she had to prepare in advance. The enraged Spirit of Shanglu's combat power was off the charts. Although their own Host probably wasn't afraid of it, a clash between the two sides would still result in injuries.

While observing the Spirit of Shanglu drawing ever closer, and the unmoving Host, the System was like a eunuch spinning in frantic circles, while the Host was that unhurried Emperor.

Taking advantage of the Spirit of Shanglu's delayed arrival, Shen Yao carefully examined the strange treasure in her hand.

It was a small bell, entirely golden-yellow, that could be held in one hand and was still functional.

The instant the multicolored crystal ball shattered, Shen Yao thought this strange treasure was done for; who could have guessed that inside the crystal ball there was actually a bell, entirely golden-yellow, and that the bell was the true body.

Hm

She also didn't know what shaking the bell might summon. Shen Yao felt a bit curious; she wanted to give it a try.

Just as Shen Yao raised the bell in her hand, intending to test its effect, a beam of light flew toward her from not far away.

Shen Yao could only dodge aside, but the incoming beams of light grew more and more numerous, so she put the bell away.

"Give it back to me!"

The Spirit of Shanglu appeared before Shen Yao, puffed up with anger, looking as if it wanted to pounce and bite her to death.

Shen Yao thought to herself that this Spirit of Shanglu really had energy to spare — attacking nonstop while still finding breath to speak — just how much did it look down on her.

"No giving back. Finder's keepers. What? The previous Secret Realm you stirred up so much, surely you didn't come away empty-handed."

Shen Yao spoke with a smiling expression, and unsurprisingly infuriated the Spirit of Shanglu once again.

The Spirit of Shanglu was a five-colored deer, its outward stature no taller than a person. However, as a living being that had existed for many years, the Spirit of Shanglu had no clear concept of what belonged to it; as long as something was advantageous to it, it would obtain it by any means.

The Earth Roar Bell right now was a treasure that could help the Spirit of Shanglu break free of its current shackles.

To get the Earth Roar Bell, the Spirit of Shanglu chose to catalyze the Secret Realm prematurely, even at the cost of wasting its own energy, yet in the end it still let Shen Yao pick up the bargain.

"The Earth Roar Bell is of no benefit to you whatsoever. Give it to me!" The Spirit of Shanglu's words were blunt and decisive, its tone even carrying a lofty, contemptuous sense of entitlement.

Another cultivator might have been provoked into a daze by the Spirit of Shanglu and lunged straight into a fight, but Shen Yao was not affected in the slightest; she merely glanced at the stored-away Earth Roar Bell and remarked that the bell's name sounded quite nice.

A nice-sounding Earth Roar Bell was impossible to hand back to the Spirit of Shanglu just like that; after all, this was a treasure she had gone to great lengths, back and forth, to find.

"No need for such empty gestures. If you want it, either make a move to snatch it back, or offer something of equal value in exchange."

Wanting to talk it back without offering anything — Shen Yao felt her persona must be flawed, for the Spirit of Shanglu shouldn't be this naive.

Spirit of Shanglu: …

"Hmph! Greedy thing!"

The words barely fell before the Spirit of Shanglu teleported instantly to Shen Yao's front and attacked with its antlers.

The lush, branch-like antlers flashed with five-colored light at their tips; being struck would not only restrain the body but also control the mind.

Shen Yao turned and retreated, leaping upward, and before the Spirit of Shanglu could react she hurled a stack of talisman papers downward.

As both sides unleashed their full attack power, the site they occupied was wrecked into a mess.

Spiritual pressure continuously radiated outward in all directions, and at the same time this pressure drove away the cultivators who were ignorant of death.

Lu Yan sensed a familiar aura within the spiritual pressure — Shen Yao had made her move.

Nothing in this Secret Realm could force Shen Yao to act except... they had interacted for this stretch of time, and Lu Yan still had some understanding of Shen Yao.

Recalling the conversation Shen Yao had spoken of when he entered, Lu Yan frowned. Was she clashing with the force behind the strange treasure?

After all, it wasn't only cultivators who wanted the strange treasure. The earlier huge commotion — the Secret Realm shattering, a new Secret Realm appearing — although he had entered at the first moment, as more and more cultivators were sucked in afterward, Lu Yan had learned the situation outside.

There was definitely still a hidden force in Shanglu City; they also wanted the strange treasure, and their methods and capabilities far surpassed those of the cultivators.

"Speed up!"

Lu Yan urged the Gale Wolf beneath him not to stop. Even if his arrival might not help Shen Yao much, he absolutely could not just let Shen Yao face the enemy alone.

"Awoo"

The Gale Wolf gave a howl, then accelerated with all its might.

A contracted beast's speed is simply faster than a cultivator's, let alone a wind-type exotic beast famed for speed, and one that had undergone potential enhancement — it could be said to comprehensively crush most cultivators and contracted beasts in the Secret Realm.

On the other side, Shen Yao and the Spirit of Shanglu had already grown more and more heated in battle; they shattered mountain ranges, toppled woods, overturned the ground, and smashed out deep pits.

They slowly worked up a fighting fury; Shen Yao no longer held back in her strikes, and the Spirit of Shanglu also used all its strength.

The energy shockwaves they generated grew larger, rippling outward in waves.

On the road rushing over, Lu Yan spat another mouthful of congested blood; though he looked rather pitiful, these few mouthfuls of blood happened to break through the shackles that had long hindered his breakthrough, raising his cultivation.

Lu Yan, who gained a blessing from misfortune: …

Other cultivators who shared the same direction but different purposes stopped their steps one after another, using the residual waves of the energy shockwaves to cultivate themselves. In their view, going further meant only enduring greater energy shockwaves; with their current cultivation ceilings, biting off more than they could chew was unwise. Better to stay put and strive to absorb it, and not waste having been sucked into the Secret Realm.

"Roar"

"Howl"

The Flaming Lion and the Gale Wolf persuaded Lu Yan to stay; going further wouldn't help the Demon King at all, so better to focus on improving their own strength first.

Lu Yan: ……

"Let's find the person first, then talk."

Touching her inexplicably relaxed chest, Lu Yan still resolutely had the Gale Wolf hurry on their journey.

…………

'Return the Earth Roar Bell to me!'

No matter how the Spirit of Shanglu attacked, it couldn't injure Shen Yao, let alone snatch the Earth Roar Bell back from her hands.

Shen Yao wasn't intent on entangling with the Spirit of Shanglu either; she still spoke kindly, 'We'll make an equal exchange. You also said the Earth Roar Bell is of no benefit to me, but this is what I obtained — giving it to you for free is even more impossible.'

The Spirit of Shanglu didn't believe Shen Yao's words, 'You're so insidious and cunning — would you be this kind-hearted?'

Hmph!

It simply didn't believe her.

Shen Yao: ……

What a tremendous injustice — her reputation is perfectly fine; has this deer been deceived before?

'Believe it or not, it's up to you. Anyway, I've said my piece. Continue fighting me, and you won't gain any advantage either.'

Shen Yao was quite confident in her own strength; never mind that the Spirit of Shanglu is currently just a spirit body — even if it had flesh and blood, it couldn't do anything to her.

Just what kind of strange treasure the Earth Roar Bell is — during the time they were fighting, Shen Yao had already instructed the System to find this world's World Consciousness and ask.

Although the process cost a tiny bit of a price, fortunately Shen Yao indeed learned that while the Earth Roar Bell is a strange treasure aimed at opening Secret Realms, its main function is still to substitute for Earth Veins, liberating living beings deeply bound to Earth Veins.

The Spirit of Shanglu possesses Shang Lu Cheng, and the city's establishment is indeed connected to Earth Veins; moreover, Shanglu is in Qingchuan, where Secret Realms have always been abundant — no matter how the Spirit of Shanglu hides, it can't escape the predicament of being watched over by Earth Veins.

Therefore the Spirit of Shanglu desperately wants the Earth Roar Bell — it wants to use the Bell's ability to completely peel itself away from Qingchuan.

'What do you want?'

The Spirit of Shanglu chose to compromise, because it indeed couldn't do anything to Shen Yao.

'Stop. Let's talk?'

Seeing the Spirit of Shanglu lower its head, Shen Yao lightly floated down again.

'Less nonsense. If you're deceiving me,' the Spirit of Shanglu angrily pawed the ground with its hoof, 'even if I have to chase you to the ends of the earth, I won't let you off.'

Shen Yao: ……

Spoken so resolutely, but in reality without the Earth Roar Bell it can't even leave Qingchuan — as long as she runs fast enough, what can the Spirit of Shanglu do to her?

The truth is often cruel; fortunately Shen Yao has no hobby of exposing people's weaknesses. She helplessly waved her hand, 'I've always kept my word.

Since we're going to talk properly, the people aren't all here yet — let's wait a bit more.'

Spirit of Shanglu: ……

'You're deliberately deceiving me?' What people not all here — besides the two of them, who else is coming?

'Why would I deceive you? Didn't I say before — I'm a companion-born entity,' one with an Awakener, mind you.

Rolling her eyes at the Spirit of Shanglu with its poor memory, Shen Yao simply took out a small wooden stool from her ring and sat down to rest.

Aiyo

Just now they fought for so long — Shen Yao deeply felt that moving her muscles and bones wasn't supposed to be this exhausting; she really was a bit tired.

Hearing this, the Spirit of Shanglu hmphed, looking down on Shen Yao's delicate appearance, feigning pitifulness to deceive others.

Shen Yao felt the Spirit of Shanglu was just jealous — understandable, a deer of unknown classification trapped here for hundreds of years, momentarily unable to accept it and becoming psychologically twisted is a common thing.

Just as the Spirit of Shanglu couldn't endure it and prepared to provoke Shen Yao a few more times, Lu Yan, hurrying with all speed, finally appeared in their sight.

'This is your Awakener?' So weak — such a weak human actually awakened a great killing weapon, tsk tsk tsk, the Spirit of Shanglu felt a bit sour.

Shen Yao rolled her eyes at the Spirit of Shanglu, telling this deer to watch its proportions when speaking — humans fundamentally can't be compared with them on equal terms; moreover, for Lu Yan's age to have her current strength already counts as a one-in-ten-thousand genius.

'Heh! Truly a genius!'

The Spirit of Shanglu continued its yin-yang sarcasm, thinking: it can't bully Shen Yao, but surely it can't handle this ordinary human either?

Standing firm with composure, the Spirit of Shanglu turned its gaze toward Lu Yan, "What do you want?"

Lu Yan: …… Huh?

Me?

Lu Yan, baffled, simply shifted her gaze to Shen Yao's place.

"I got the Earth Roar Bell — it's a strange treasure related to Secret Realm opening. That deer opposite wants it. We plan a normal transaction."

Lu Yan understood the implicit meaning in Shen Yao's words, but she had nothing she needed here; moreover, with her limited insight, her own choice would be inferior to the other party actively offering something.

Quickly running through the thoughts in her heart, Lu Yan arrived beside Shen Yao with three contract beasts whose fur was already standing on end, and the two of them just quietly watched the Spirit of Shanglu like that.

Spirit of Shanglu: ……?

May I ask if there's some major problem? Staring at it silently without a sound.

"Transaction — willing on both sides," Shen Yao spoke as she took out the stored Earth Roar Bell, tossing it up and catching it repeatedly before the Spirit of Shanglu, "What do you think — what kind of transaction would be suitable? We've never done this kind of big deal; we really need a reference."

Spirit of Shanglu: ……

Aaaah! Truly despicable!

"I'll trade the entire Shanglu with you."

"Refused. We don't lack a city either. Moreover, Shanglu are all ordinary people — once we manage them, we'd be bound here."

"The Alliance Association here can help you. Besides, Shanglu has so many spirit resources — they'd be very beneficial to that stupid wolf."

"Awoo!"

The Gale Wolf's Eldest Brother was displeased — it thought: you speak, just speak, why must you insult it!

Shen Yao refused, "Too troublesome, just bring out the Spirit Resources directly. If suitable, we'll trade right now," but if not suitable, she could only take the Earth Roar Bell and leave first.

Shanglu Spirit:...

The Shanglu Spirit reluctantly brought out a pile of Spirit Resources, among them were not a few extremely rare Spirit Resources, and there were even Spirit Resources suitable for the Flaming Lion.

Goodness, looks like the Shanglu Spirit is truly rich. She doesn't need to feel heartache for the other party at all!

Shen Yao blinked at Lu Yan, and the two people with three Contract Beasts discussed animatedly right in front of the Shanglu Spirit.

As long as it's useful, take it all; even if temporarily unusable, can store it first anyway. Lu Yan isn't limited to contracting only three Strange Beasts; when cultivation advancement comes later, who knows, these Spirit Resources might find their use.

The Shanglu Spirit felt these two people were excessive, not considering its identity at all, and actually still unrelentingly making it continue to bring things out, hmph!

"These are far from enough. Do I need to repeat the Earth Roar Bell's value again?"

The Shanglu Spirit's treasures accumulated over who knows how many years — actually, if not plucked now, when?

Shen Yao felt the Shanglu Spirit bringing them out was also letting these Spirit Resources circulate. What use could a spirit body have for them? Hoarded and hoarded, they all became a pile of useless objects.

Hard-mouthed yet reluctantly reaching out several times, torturing the Shanglu Spirit like this for a long while, until the Shanglu Spirit was about to explode, Shen Yao opportunely laughed and tossed the Earth Roar Bell in her hand to the Shanglu Spirit.