The city walls had largely collapsed, leaving behind ruins and rubble. Outside the walls, a giant white tiger, still in its cubhood but ferociously powerful as any adult beast, was locked in combat with an ancient demonic beast cloaked in dark energy.
On the city walls, a man and a woman stood side-by-side. In front of them, a middle-aged male cultivator lay on the ground, utterly defeated and cursing incessantly. Behind them, the East Gathering City, home to several hundred residents, remained untouched by casualties. Shielded by a massive barrier, even brave citizens peeked out, watching the unfolding events as if at a spectacle.
This was the scene that greeted Venerable Fei Yun upon his arrival.
Not far away, the female cultivator beside the man cast a casual glance in his direction before quickly looking away.
Venerable Fei Yun, however, felt a jolt of surprise.
Although he hadn't ascended to the Mahayana stage, he had been stuck at the peak of the Soul Transformation stage for years, possessing profound cultivation. Normally, even if he deliberately concealed his presence, his own junior brother, Daoist Master Hong Yi, wouldn't have been able to detect his whereabouts.
It was for this very reason that fifty years ago, some had even called him "the foremost figure below Daoist Masters."
"Venerable Fei Yun, what brings you here?"
During Venerable Fei Yun's momentary distraction, the fierce battle had concluded. The clouds dispersed, the wind died down, and the clear sunlight streamed down.
Venerable Fei Yun narrowed his eyes. "Congratulations, junior niece. It seems you've had a separate fortuitous encounter abroad these past fifty years. Your cultivation has already reached the peak of Mahayana. However, have we met before?"
A cultivator's memory was exceptionally sharp. Venerable Fei Yun was certain that he had never interacted with Bai Shengyi.
Although Bai Shengyi was his master's granddaughter, to him, who had lived for so many years, she was merely a junior.
Of course, this junior's talent was truly exceptional. In such a short time, she had surpassed him.
Bai Shengyi smiled. "Grandfather mentioned you before."
This was not the time for pleasantries. The white tiger and the ancient divine beast were locked in an evenly matched struggle, but the ancient demonic beast was fighting while retreating. Nearby, the Heavenly Dragon Serpent also appeared to be on the verge of escaping. Bai Shengyi and Qin Si attacked simultaneously, one flying towards the ancient demonic beast, the other towards the Heavenly Dragon Serpent.
"Roar!"
Upon seeing Bai Shengyi, the white tiger's fierce beastly eyes suddenly lit up, gazing at her with a pleading, dog-like adoration.
"Master~"
Its voice, soft and fluffy white, was intimate, its demeanor endearingly naive. Bai Shengyi's heart trembled, nearly causing her to lose her footing.
"Master!" Qiong Meng Teng, having been an observer in Bai Shengyi's hand since emerging from the formation, suddenly felt a sense of urgency. Without any prompting, it immediately declared, "Master! That white tiger is Yue Miaomiao! Don't do anything rash!"
If it were a spirit beast, a gentle pat would be fine, at most a contract. But if it were a demonic beast, it would be troublesome!
One had to admit, Qiong Meng Teng understood Bai Shengyi well.
The moment she heard that the white tiger was an acquaintance in disguise, Bai Shengyi's initial excitement plummeted like a roller coaster.
She calmed herself, slashing her sword at the peculiar, short horns on the ancient demonic beast's head, and inwardly asked Qiong Meng Teng, "Why does Yue Miaomiao call me Master?"
"That... you forgot? You contracted her."
"Hiss..."
Bai Shengyi gasped.
She immediately recalled the new contract she had discovered when she arrived in the Green Glory Minor World to tend to her injured body, and felt completely numbed.
"Wasn't that contract a trade contract from Er Gou?"
What was all this! When had she ever signed a contract with Yue Miaomiao?
"It wasn't that trade contract," Qiong Meng Teng muttered, but it quickly thought that Bai Shengyi likely didn't know that these special spirit bodies could be contracted through a unique method.
Bai Shengyi didn't hear Qiong Meng Teng's murmurs. Although her eyes were fixed on the ancient demonic beast and her hands were busy helping the white tiger deal with it, her mind was in turmoil as she continued to question.
"Can the contract be dissolved?"
She could contract with an unknown demonic beast.
But contracting with a friend, and having her call her "Master" every day... Bai Shengyi couldn't bear to imagine the scene.
Qiong Meng Teng hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping itself.
Before it could, the berserk ancient demonic beast, risking a pounce towards Bai Shengyi while clawing the white tiger's eyes, spat out another stream of black mist!
"Master, be careful!" the Reincarnation Brush and the white tiger exclaimed in unison.
"Ah, I'll help you!" The Sui Xing Divine Fire could no longer stay put. Disregarding Bai Shengyi's orders, it flew directly from her sea of consciousness, igniting with a whoosh and engulfing the black mist. "What potent demonic aura! Bai Shengyi, this demonic beast must have killed millions."
Bai Shengyi rolled to dodge the beast's claws. The Reincarnation Brush inscribed a single character in mid-air: "Bind!"
Upon its release, the character transformed into a flowing emerald silk ribbon, weaving and binding the ancient demonic beast.
"Serve you right for being fierce! For being evil! For wanting to kill Master!" The moment the ancient demonic beast was bound, the white tiger pounced, swiping at it with its claws. In no time, the entire demonic beast was covered in bloody scratch marks.
Bai Shengyi, Sui Xing Divine Fire, and Qiong Meng Teng were all stunned into silence.
"Master..." Qiong Meng Teng fell silent, then silent again, before finally murmuring, "Little Vine Leaf thinks, perhaps, you shouldn't dissolve the contract?"
This white tiger truly lived up to its reputation as a female tiger; its combat prowess was formidable.
Bai Shengyi knew that with her current abilities, the Reincarnation Brush wouldn't be able to bind the ancient demonic beast for long. Fortunately, Qin Si had already finished dealing with the Heavenly Dragon Serpent and walked over, using a slender golden rope to bind the entire demonic beast.
Although the rope appeared extremely thin, when applied to the demonic beast, it caused all the demonic aura on its body to vanish, after which it shrunk to a normal human size.
"Immortal Binding Rope!"
Venerable Fei Yun cried out in surprise.
Bai Shengyi glanced at him. When they were all fighting earlier, this disciple of her maternal grandfather had been observing from the sidelines.
Of course, he had no enmity with Li Tingyun, so observing was understandable. However, in contrast to Li Tingyun and others who were doing their utmost to assist, his passive observation was rather thought-provoking.
After all, not only were Li Tingyun and his companions demonic cultivators, but Venerable Fei Yun's own identity also meant they were distantly related.
However, Bai Shengyi only considered these matters in her mind. She had always been clear-headed; no one in this world was inherently obligated to help another.
"Master~"
The giant white tiger raced down from the sky and slumped at Bai Shengyi's feet, licking her hand with exhaustion.
"She calls you Master?" Venerable Fei Yun, his surprise at seeing the Immortal Binding Rope gone, instinctively questioned, "Bai Shengyi, what did you do to her?"
His tone was unfriendly, and his expression displeased. Qin Si and the others immediately turned to face him defensively.
In an instant, the atmosphere, which had relaxed after the battle, tensed up once more.