"Wow, so many Devil Souls!"
"But they don’t look very appealing!"
"You idiot! These Devil Souls aren’t Soul Pets yet, so of course they don’t look good. I heard that after Senior Jiang refines them, their appearance changes completely!"
"Let’s not waste any more time! Hurry up and catch one!"
"Little bunny—your big sister is here for you!"
"Don’t run, little tigey, let mommy love you... hehehe!"
Before long, the group of female disciples returned to Jiuli Hall, each holding a captured Devil Soul.
Jiang Yourong glanced at them and said, "Give me a drop of your Essence Blood."
The girls did as they were told. With a wave of her hand, Jiang Yourong collected the Essence Blood and Devil Souls, leaving them with a single instruction, "Wait here."
She then entered the inner hall.
Jiang Yourong walked to Jiang Ling’er’s door and knocked. "Ling’er, come out! Time to get to work!"
The door opened, and Jiang Ling’er poked her small head out. Her eyes lit up when she saw the Devil Souls in Jiang Yourong’s hands. "Oh, Auntie! Has someone finally come to claim a Soul Pet?"
Jiang Yourong nodded. "Hurry and help me!"
"Coming!" Jiang Ling’er cheerfully took two Devil Souls from her aunt’s hands—one was a fierce wolf, the other a Black Bear.
Upon seeing this seemingly harmless and innocently cute girl, the two Devil Souls erupted in feral rage, howling incessantly.
Jiang Ling’er held one in each hand, pressing down on their heads as she activated the Ming Emperor’s Purifying Soul Chant. She muttered continuously, "Be good, my little cuties. There are no bad people here. Now, become all dopey and sweet for me~"
As the Ming Emperor’s Purifying Soul Chant activated, an immensely pure Yin energy descended, washing over the two Devil Souls and purifying them from the outside in.
Vast amounts of turbid and malevolent Qi were scoured away, leaving them completely cleansed. The forms of the two Devil Souls changed dramatically. The fierce wolf Devil Soul, originally half as tall as a man with ice-cold eyes, transformed into a handsome, imposing creature with silvery fur, yet it was now only the size of two palms. A surprising cuteness was hidden within its handsome appearance.
As for the Black Bear, which had been nearly three meters tall, it shrank into a little bear not much larger than a person’s head. Its belly was round, making it look adorably clumsy as it sat on the ground, gazing around in a daze.
After purifying them completely, Jiang Ling’er activated the Jiuli Demon Refining Technique again, refining the two Devil Souls into Soul Pets. Afterward, she took the two drops of the female disciples’ Essence Blood from Jiang Yourong and dripped them onto the center of each Soul Pet’s forehead.
A ripple of energy spread out from each Soul Pet. A flash of light appeared in their eyes, which now held a more human-like brilliance.
The contract was successfully signed!
The waiting female disciples suddenly shivered. They felt a mysterious connection form, a resonance with another living being.
Jiang Yourong pushed the door open and entered, placing the Soul Pets before them. "It’s done."
"Eee! Little bear, let Mommy hug you!"
"My little treasure, kissy kissy—MUA!"
Seeing their new Soul Pets, the female disciples couldn’t contain their excitement. A light known as maternal love burst forth from their eyes as they snatched up their respective pets, smothering them in kisses, snuggles, and squeezes until the poor creatures were covered in drool.
They were just too cute! How could such adorable creatures exist in the world? And to top it all off, these incredibly cute Soul Pets were actually free!
Boo hoo hoo~ Senior Brother Wang Xiu is the absolute best! Such a great benefactor! Thank you, Senior Brother Wang Xiu! We love you!! MUA!
「Leaving Jiuli Hall.」
The young women were heading toward the exit of the blessed land when they passed near a Spirit Stone Vein and ran into an acquaintance.
"Hey, Sister Lan, Yan’er... you’re out so early?" the female disciple greeted them with a smile.
Liu Yulan, hugging her little bear, walked up merrily. "How did you know I just got a Soul Pet? Come look, isn’t it cute?"
The female disciple was speechless.
"Look at my treasure! Isn’t she adorable?"
"You get news fast! We were actually planning on being low-key about this!"
"Ah, well, I guess the cat’s out of the bag now that you know!"
"You can look, but you can’t touch!"
The female disciple was utterly baffled.
What the hell! When did I ever ask about your Soul Pets? And you wanted to be low-key? Do you look like you’re being low-key at all? Seriously, they’re just a few Soul Pets. Is it really necessary to show them off like priceless treasures?
She scoffed internally. But then, she happened to glance at the cute pets.
Instantly, her expression melted into one of pure delight.
「At the entrance of the blessed land.」
As Liu Yulan and her friends appeared in sight, holding their Soul Pets, a huge commotion erupted among the crowd.
"Wow, someone actually went to get a Soul Pet!"
"Aww... they’re so adorable!"
"Did they really pay back a thousand Spirit Stones already?"
"I heard they just borrowed the money and paid it right back without spending a single stone!"
"Damn, that’s hardcore!"
"Hmph, indulging in such trivial things will be their downfall. What good is a mere Qi Refinement Realm Soul Pet besides looking nice? They would have been better off spending that money to increase their own strength..."
"Exactly! If they used those thousand Spirit Stones properly, those few who are stuck at the eighth or ninth layer of Qi Refinement could easily break through to Foundation Establishment!"
Some in the crowd started making sarcastic and even mocking comments.
Hearing this, Liu Yulan and the others retorted righteously, "We can reach Foundation Establishment anytime! But these Soul Pets... Senior Brother Wang Xiu said it’s first-come, first-served! If you’re late, they’ll all be gone!"
At these words, the noisy crowd fell silent.
Holy crap! She’s right! If we’re late, all the Soul Pets will be claimed!
Besides, the Soul Pets weren’t useless novelties like that one disciple claimed. In a real battle, they could provide significant help to the disciples of the Immortal Sect. This was especially true for those who could repay ten thousand or even a hundred thousand Spirit Stones and claim a Foundation Establishment Stage or Core Formation Stage Soul Pet! Those would become powerful allies, their left and right arms, significantly increasing their safety during missions.
To put it bluntly, a Soul Pet was no less valuable than a well-suited Magical Treasure. The benefits just weren’t as immediately obvious in the early stages.
It was as if a single sentence had awakened them from a dream. The pupils of many disciples who had been sneering just moments before contracted. They immediately broke from the crowd and sprinted toward the loan hall.
"Senior Sister Xiao, I want to repay my loan!"
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The scene instantly became chaotic. Many disciples who had just taken out a "huge loan" and hadn’t even decided how to spend it rushed to pay it back. After receiving their Repayment Certificate, they bolted straight for Jiuli Hall without a second thought to claim their Soul Pets.
The once-deserted core area of the blessed land was suddenly teeming with people. And when there are more people, disputes are bound to arise.
"Little bunny, big bro is here for you!"
"Get lost! I saw that rabbit first!"
"What’s the use of seeing it first? Catching it is what matters!"
"What? You want to fight?"
"Bring it on! Who’s afraid of you?"
"Little mouse, come to big sister’s arms!"
"Don’t go to her, she stinks!"
"Get lost! You’re the one who stinks! Your whole family stinks!"
"Halt, you cat demon! I advise you to know what’s good for you and obediently become my toy... bah, my pet!"
"You pervert! Let go of that cat!"
Perched on a tree branch, a golden, lightning-wreathed Devil Soul mouse clung on for dear life with its tail, its face a mask of sheer terror. Below the tree, a female disciple gripped its leg tightly, her expression ecstatic. "Sisters, I found a lightning-type Devil Soul! It wants to come home with me! Quick, come help me pull it down!"
The Yellow-Skinned Mouse just trembled with indignation.
Although there were many Devil Souls in the blessed land, only a few types were popular: rabbits, cat demons, dog demons, wolf demons, fox demons, and so on. Creatures like worms, centipedes, eels, and scorpion demons were extremely unpopular. Only a few cultivators with peculiar tastes would choose to capture them.
But the number of popular Devil Souls was limited. This often led to situations where a dozen cultivators would be chasing a single rabbit Devil Soul, while a nearby cluster of centipedes and venomous snakes watched the show leisurely, completely ignored.
Lin Yue was a disciple of the Manipulation Sect. He had little interest in fighting and wasn’t particularly moved by things that were "cute." As such, his requirements for a Devil Soul were quite different from everyone else’s.
He wanted to find a chicken, or a similar creature. He needed something that could crow to remind him of critical, time-sensitive steps while he was crafting his Puppets. But after searching for a long time, he couldn’t find a satisfactory Devil Soul. He could only continue to wander the core area of the blessed land, hoping to get lucky.
Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a patch of deep grass. He saw a pheasant Devil Soul with brilliant, five-colored plumage, and his face lit up with joy. He lunged for it immediately, but the pheasant was extremely alert. Before he could reach it, it flapped its wings and vanished.
"Don’t run, Brother Chicken!" he shouted excitedly, giving chase.
Gradually, he moved farther and farther away from Jiuli Hall. Finally, after a monumental effort, he managed to catch the pheasant. He was just joyfully preparing to head back when he heard a faint rumbling sound from the distance.
Curious, he cautiously approached, climbing over a small hill. A dense forest immediately appeared in his line of sight.
The next moment, he was completely stunned.
Within that gloomy forest, countless, densely packed Puppet Birds were flying back and forth. The scene looked like a giant, disturbed beehive, with an endless swarm of bees pouring out. It was truly terrifying.
At the same time, a wide, flat area had been cleared next to the forest. On it were arranged hundreds, perhaps thousands, of massive, furnace-like Puppets in neat rows. It was an incredibly spectacular sight. The Puppet Birds continuously transported unknown objects to the furnaces before turning back, repeating the process in a never-ending cycle.
This place... it was a veritable kingdom of Puppets