Lian looked down at the black Jiao coiled on her shoe, feeling a bit at a loss.
Previously, she could only summon black-spot monsters, with the strongest being at the seventh stage. But now, she could feel that the power contained within Jiao Mu Jiao was far greater than any ordinary black-spot monster she had ever summoned.
To put it somewhat treasonously, it even felt stronger than the Lord.
“Lord...” she whispered. “Is it really okay to give me something this powerful?”
Chen Zhou glanced at her. “What would be the problem?”
Lian opened her mouth but didn't know how to explain. She was worried she wasn't worthy of it.
“I’m afraid I don't deserve it. I haven't been of much help since coming to Tianchi Province. Nie Chaoxi has been doing all the purification work, and I didn't even go underground when we fought the Wing-Fire Snake. I—”
Chen Zhou interrupted her. “Whether you are worthy or not is for me to decide.”
“Your current combat power ranks among the top three under my command.”
“You just don't know it yet. A good horse deserves a good saddle, and a precious sword belongs to a hero. It’s only logical.”
“So you don't need to belittle yourself.”
“I’m giving this to you because you can use it, and you can use it well.”
Beside them, Wu Gou leaned in, staring at the black Jiao for a long time.
“Big Demon, where did you get this thing?”
Chen Zhou briefly explained the situation beneath the Royal Capital.
Wu Gou nodded thoughtfully after listening. “So this black Jiao is that Jiao Mu Jiao?”
“Yes.”
“You turned it into a summon?”
“Something like that.”
Wu Gou watched for a bit longer and suddenly laughed. “Interesting. Then what about the one in your hand? Is that the Wing-Fire Snake? Did you enslave the Wing-Fire Snake too?”
“Essentially, but this one is a bit special. It seems to have retained a portion of its consciousness.”
Wu Gou raised an eyebrow. “Retained its consciousness?”
Chen Zhou said, “Yes. It has its own will and has kept many of its combat instincts. It’s not like other skeletons that only follow orders, requiring manual operation for every step and strike.”
Wu Gou clicked his tongue in wonder. “That is quite rare.”
He reached out, wanting to touch the Bone Snake. The Bone Snake suddenly raised its head, the flames in its eye sockets flickering as it let out a low hiss.
Wu Gou quickly pulled his hand back. “Whoa, quite fierce.”
Chen Zhou patted the Bone Snake’s head, and only then did it lie back down.
Wu Gou stared at the Bone Snake for a moment and said, “This thing doesn't seem like a dead object.”
“Ordinary summons are just puppets, no matter how powerful they are. But this thing is different; it has its own thoughts.”
Chen Zhou nodded; he had discovered this long ago.
The Wing-Fire Snake had its own mind, making its own judgments and taking its own actions.
“It’s hard to say if it will develop its own thoughts and emotions in the future, but it shouldn't be a bad thing. I’ll raise it well.”
“This black Jiao is similar. Neither of them are ordinary puppets. Perhaps they’ll even be able to cultivate on their own later.”
Lian became even more anxious upon hearing their conversation.
She looked down at the black Jiao and whispered, “Lord, perhaps... I should return it to you?”
Wu Gou chuckled and asked on Chen Zhou’s behalf, “Why?”
Lian pursed her lips. “I... I’m afraid I won't be able to take good care of it.”
Wu Gou stated generously, “You don't need to take care of it. Something with spirituality can take care of itself.”
Lian wanted to say more, but Chen Zhou had already turned to look at Wu Gou.
“Since you’re so interested, do you want it? I could give it to you instead.”
Wu Gou immediately waved his hands in distaste. “That won't be necessary. This monk is not skilled in such arts. Let Little Lian keep it as a plaything. This monk has his little baby Diting, and that’s enough.”
“If I bring in another Jiao, my little baby will get jealous.”
Chen Zhou nodded and didn't say anything more.
He truly didn't care how it was distributed.
In any case, they were all working for him, so it was the same no matter who held it.
Both Wu Gou and Lian had reached the level of Saint, where their faith transcended everything else. He had nothing to worry about.
They were his own people, after all.
Listening to their conversation, Lian looked down at the black Jiao. After a moment of hesitation, she crouched down and reached out to stroke its head.
The black Jiao opened its eyes, its amber vertical pupils glancing at her before it nuzzled her palm.
Lian’s heart instantly softened.
She tried injecting a sliver of death qi into the black Jiao.
The black Jiao reacted immediately.
It swam up from her foot, circled her arm once, and then stopped on her shoulder, nuzzling its head against her cheek.
Lian couldn't help but smile.
She began directing the black Jiao to perform some difficult movements. The black Jiao immediately jumped from her shoulder, did a somersault in the air, and landed steadily.
Lian’s eyes lit up. This was much more interesting than the black-spot monsters. When she went back to the City of the Wrongfully Dead and showed it to Xiaoyun, Xiaoyun would definitely love it.
Seeing Lian playing happily, Chen Zhou didn't interrupt her. He called Chan Yi over from among the little demons and asked, “How is your recovery?”
Chan Yi quickly bowed in respect.
“Reporting to the Lord, the pine nut soup brought by Master Wu Gou was very effective. I feel much younger.”
He licked his lips, savoring the memory. The pine nut soup was indeed exceptionally delicious and its effects were remarkable. He had never even heard of such a miraculous item, let alone seen it.
Tianchi Province was barren. In the eight hundred years he had lived, he had never heard of anything that could replenish one's lifespan.
Lifespan was determined by heaven; once it was gone, it was gone. How could it possibly be replenished?
But the Lord had done it, casually giving him a bowl.
Chan Yi felt that he had truly followed the right master.
The Lord even took a small character like him into consideration.
In the old Tianchi Province, who would have cared about the life or death of a weak demon race?
Chan Yi felt a warmth in his heart and said earnestly, “Whatever the Lord commands, I shall not hesitate even in the face of ten thousand deaths.”
Chen Zhou waved his hand. “It’s not that serious.”
He turned to Wu Gou. “Did you bring the tortoise shell?”
Wu Gou nodded and pulled several palm-sized tortoise shells from his robe.
The tortoise shells were black, their surfaces covered in fine cracks that resembled an ancient map.
This was the shell of a Wanshou Tortoise, an auspicious object that contained the fortune of Heaven and Earth.
Chen Zhou asked bluntly, “See if it can be used. Perform another divination for me to find the location of the Eternal Scars.”
Chan Yi swallowed hard. He didn't know what it was, but anything in the Lord’s hands was certainly no shoddy goods.
One look at these shell plates showed they were rich in spiritual rhythm. He couldn't even imagine what kind of great demon could have shed such a tortoise shell.
“It... it can be used!”
“Please wait a moment, Lord. I will gather my clansmen immediately.”
Chan Yi turned around at once, took a deep breath, and then puffed out his abdomen.
“Buzz—”
A crisp cicada cry rang out, instantly echoing through the stone forest.
Soon, a response came from deep underground.
“Buzz, buzz, buzz—”
Hundreds and thousands of cicada cries converged, responding to the call of the Mingchan Ancestor.
Holding the tortoise shell, Chan Yi began to sing an ancient ballad.
His voice was desolate and distant, like the wind blowing across a wilderness or water flowing through a valley.
Members of the Mingchan clan crawled out from underground one by one, surrounding Chan Yi and singing along with him.
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