The Dark Gale Leopard felt as if it had been struck by a pie from heaven.
Its originally dim eyes suddenly lit up, and it asked in surprise, "What did you say?"
Zi Linling said with a hint of annoyance, "What? You don't want to form a slave contract? Are you unhappy?"
The Dark Gale Leopard quickly shook its head, "Of course not, I just didn't hear you clearly."
Zi Linling smiled faintly and said, "Don't worry! Once I leave here, you'll be free!"
The Dark Gale Leopard was stunned, and a flicker of disappointment crossed its eyes.
It had initially strongly resisted becoming Zi Linling's mount. However, after seeing the Wind Wing Phantom Tiger, it suddenly felt that being Zi Linling's mount was not a shameful thing.
After all, divine beasts were following Zi Linling. If it, a mere spirit beast, and a demonized spirit beast at that, had anything to complain about?
Furthermore, someone followed by divine beasts would undoubtedly have good fortune. If it could follow, it would surely not lack benefits.
This could be considered one of the reasons it chose to surrender.
Zi Linling watched the Dark Gale Leopard's eyes go from dim to bright, and then from bright to dim, quickly deciphering its thoughts with about eighty to ninety percent accuracy.
However, she couldn't make any promises.
From the Soul Suppressing Monument in the Ghost Altar, to the sealing of the Ancestral Demon in the Land of Exile, to the strange nascent world in her own dantian, everything indicated that her future path was fraught with peril.
Therefore, to avoid unnecessary casualties, she would not make promises lightly.
Thus, even though she understood the Dark Gale Leopard's thoughts, she did not point them out. Instead, feigning ignorance, she asked, "What? You don't like freedom?"
The Dark Gale Leopard shook its head and said, "Freedom is a good thing. Who wouldn't like it?"
Although it said so, there was a hint of sourness in its lingering tone.
Zi Linling chuckled, took out a Restoration Pill, and threw it into its mouth. "Alright, stop being so glib. Eat this and we'll set off!"
The Dark Gale Leopard smiled and swallowed the Restoration Pill.
In just a moment, the wounds on its body disappeared, and its sore muscles slowly returned to normal.
"This is... a pill?!"
One must understand that in the Dark Abyss, there were only demonic beasts and more demonic beasts. Thus, human medicinal pills had become legendary.
Now, the miraculous effect of the Restoration Pill made the Dark Gale Leopard think of medicinal pills.
Zi Linling nodded and said, "Yes, this is a Restoration Pill. It can restore all injuries in a short period of time and benefits both spirit energy and physical strength."
The Dark Gale Leopard's eyes lit up. As expected of the owner of divine beasts, she could casually throw out something like a medicinal pill.
It had already decided that even if Zi Linling left without taking it, it would still cling tightly to Zi Linling's leg in the Dark Abyss.
"Master, are you going in?"
The Dark Gale Leopard looked at the passage it had just rushed out of and asked.
This time, it no longer felt awkward and directly addressed her as "Master."
Zi Linling nodded. "Yes. I can sense that both paths will eventually lead to the same destination, but I'm not sure which one to take."
The Dark Gale Leopard proudly lifted its head and said, "Master, you've asked the right person, or rather, the right beast. Both paths indeed lead to the same destination, but one path is unobstructed, while the other is fraught with danger."
"Oh!"
Zi Linling raised an eyebrow and said, "So the path you just came out of should be the unobstructed one?"
The Dark Gale Leopard nodded its furry head and said, "Master is indeed smart. Back then, we lost quite a few demonic beasts trying to ascertain the true nature of both paths!"
Zi Linling leaped lightly, landing steadily on the Dark Gale Leopard's back. "I'm in a hurry, let's talk as we go!"
"Alright! Hold on tight, Master!"
The Dark Gale Leopard gave a reminder and then charged towards the path without danger.
Zi Linling sat on its back, only feeling the wind whistling past her ears.
She secretly marveled that the Dark Gale Leopard was indeed a wind-elemental demonic beast, its speed astonishingly fast. Sudan Novel Network
"You said earlier that you lost quite a few demonic beasts trying to scout these two paths. What's going on?"
Zi Linling spread out her divine sense, observing the surroundings while communicating with the Dark Gale Leopard.
The Dark Gale Leopard organized its thoughts and said, "These two paths have existed since ancient times, but they have always been sealed. All of us demonic beasts were sealed deep within and could not come out. Until twelve years ago, a human fell into the Dark Abyss. By the way, the place where that human fell is exactly where I first met you. According to that human, when he fell, he was on the verge of death, his bones shattered and his internal organs completely torn apart."
"Do you know that person's name?"
Zi Linling interrupted the Dark Gale Leopard. Twelve years ago? A human? Zi Linling strongly suspected that the person the Dark Gale Leopard was talking about was her father, Zi Guochang.
The Dark Gale Leopard shook its head and said, "I don't know. Later, that person broke the seal and killed many demonic beasts, terrifying all the demonic beasts in the dark abyss. He never mentioned his name, but he often muttered two names."
"Two names? What names?" Zi Linling interrupted again.
The Dark Gale Leopard thought for a moment and then said, "I think they were called 'Wumei' and 'Lin'er'!"
Wumei? Wu Mei! Lin'er? Lin'er! Zi Linling was now completely certain that the person the Dark Gale Leopard was referring to was her father, or rather, the original owner's father.
"How did he break the seal?" Zi Linling asked curiously. After all, the seals on those two paths had existed for thousands of years and were not easily broken.
The Dark Gale Leopard said, "According to that person, when he fell, he was so disfigured he was unrecognizable. But after an unknown period, he slowly woke up, and his internal injuries were completely healed. Moreover, he could see in the darkness, and his cultivation had greatly increased."
Zi Linling was secretly astonished upon hearing this. One must understand that in this Dark Abyss, if one could not comprehend the dark element, they were no different from a blind person. Yet, Zi Guochang could see here even after nearly dying. If it wasn't for his heaven-defying luck, then he must have harbored an extraordinary secret. Furthermore, a normal person's cultivation would stagnate after being severely injured. Because if one's body was not well, it would be impossible to use spirit energy to circulate throughout the body, let alone increase cultivation. However, Zi Guochang's cultivation had increased even after suffering extremely severe injuries, which made Zi Linling ponder deeply.