Chapter 33
Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Little Hoo (2)
Right after the soul contract was complete, I immediately summoned Hoo from the Spirit Root.
As soon as I called it out, Hoo appeared, its body now bearing dragon horns and mane, whiskers, scales, tail, and claws on what was once a dog's form.
Hoo had shrunk to about a quarter of its original size—roughly twice that of an average large dog.
Its body, formed from Wood Element energy, had shifted from its original green hue. Having absorbed my Single Element spiritual power, it now sported orange scales, with a shining mane and whiskers, and above all, a single long, curved horn protruding from its forehead gleamed white.
Most notably, its power had diminished greatly.
Well, a normal Hoo would have absorbed the world's vital energy even in its egg, growing until it reached the Nascent Soul Realm before hatching. But this one had grown on my Single Element spiritual power and been repeatedly interrupted by me along the way, so it hadn't received enough spiritual energy for proper development.
As a result, it only possessed the strength of the late Foundation Establishment Realm.
A bit disappointing. But I've acquired a spirit beast that can at least grow to the Nascent Soul Realm, so I should be satisfied with that.
Krrrng.
Hoo suddenly let out a growl upon appearing, startling Wi Ahan so much she nearly toppled over. I caught her and turned to Hoo.
"You've gotten smaller, so let's call you Little Hoo from now on."
Hoo let out a dissatisfied rumble at my words, but I ignored it completely and gave it an order.
"Go fetch your corpse. We need to take that too."
I still hadn't forgotten the sight of this thing lunging to swallow my head whole.
The robe Hyang-ah gave me was reduced to rags, and the sect-issued enchanted robe had its shoulder torn badly, severely impairing its function. That irked me too.
In any case, if Little Hoo hadn't been a congenital Nascent Soul-grade spirit beast, I wouldn't have bothered with the soul contract—I'd have just used it for training fodder until it dropped dead.
"Ahan, little one, it became your slave later than you, so make good use of it from now on."
At my words, Wi Ahan's eyes widened before she broke into a joyful smile and nodded vigorously.
"Y-yes... Um, Young Master."
"Yeah?"
"It's a girl. This Hoo."
"......"
Thanks to leaning against my arm, Wi Ahan had a view between Little Hoo's legs and pointed out its gender.
Hearing that, I crouched down with her to check Little Hoo's underbelly.
"Huh. You're right."
It was a girl.
Guess I'll call her a bitch then.
"Take care of this bitch for me... Teach her the precautions for being my slave."
"Yes! Don't worry! Little Hoo, I look forward to working with you."
Little Hoo bared its teeth as Wi Ahan reached out, but obeyed my command and shrank back. Wi Ahan gleefully stroked its mane, which offered no resistance.
"Oh my gosh! Me, petting a dragon!"
"It's half-dragon, half-dog."
Wi Ahan called it a dragon, so I asked if she thought it was born from a dog and dragon mating, but she just kept petting it, saying half-dragon was still impressive.
"Dragon horn! Dragon whiskers! Dragon scales!"
Little Hoo flew off in a panic to escape Wi Ahan's grasp, vanishing toward the warehouse with its corpse. Wi Ahan and I inspected the storage pouch while waiting for it to return.
"Oh. Flying treasure."
"Wow! Young Master, you used the bronze vessel?"
"Yeah. As a decoy... Damn."
"What's wrong?"
"Some Foundation Establishment kids had it in their pouch, but the owner's divine sense imprint is Core Formation grade. Even in fights, he lent it to his juniors."
Seems I can't the owner imprint on the flying treasure alone right now. If my divine sense were early Core Formation level, I could brute-force it.
I tucked the flying treasure back into the storage pouch obediently and checked the other items.
They looked like junk to me, but Wi Ahan's eyes widened in reaction.
"Young Master, these are all for formations. The talismans, brushes... This banner's especially good."
"Like it, Ahan little one?"
"Pardon? Oh... Yes."
I smiled at Wi Ahan, who hesitated before answering honestly, and handed her both storage pouches.
"Then take them all, pouches included. I have too many and no use for them."
Just like Hyang-ah once told me, ever since becoming Elder Geum's disciple, storage pouches kept rolling in—I had more than I could use and just let them rot unused.
I didn't need new ones, and since I had no talent for formations, array tools were useless to me anyway.
Better to give them all to Wi Ahan and nurture her talents—it'd benefit me more.
"Pardon? But there are training tools too..."
"Take those too. You need to cultivate to raise your realm."
"Cultivate...? Can I... as a cultivator?"
Her words made me pause and look at her, recalling how she'd only trained as a formation master by my side until now.
"Ah... Yeah. What else would a cultivator do? Cultivate as much as you want."
Wi Ahan gazed at me with strangely wistful eyes before bowing deeply.
"Thank you, Young Master."
"Enough."
As we waited, Little Hoo came rushing back with its old corpse and a few treasures and artifacts.
"Ah, right. Those too."
Those were the artifacts and treasures used by the black-robed man and woman to enhance their spells.
Like the flying treasure in the pouch, no one but the owner or permitted users could wield them, but if I took them to the sect and found a way to remove the owner imprints, they'd be a huge help.
Everything went into the storage pouches.
But the real prize wasn't these artifacts or treasures—it was Hoo's corpse right in front of me.
Hoo's corpse was a monstrous bulk over fourteen-and-a-half chi tall at the shoulder—about 4.89 meters.
Regrettably, it had lost much of its spirituality when the nascent soul escaped without us killing it together, but it was still unmistakably the corpse of a spirit beast with half-dragon blood.
I'd have to remake the damaged enchanted robe and other treasures from this corpse.
With Hoo's corpse included, I'd gathered all the spoils from the sect ruins. I resealed Little Hoo into my Spirit Root and set off back to High Heaven Sect with Wi Ahan.
Two years before Yong Yoo left the sect ruins.
The blood-red robed man, bereft of both arms, gritted his teeth as he flew into the sky after exiting the ruins.
In desperation, he'd unleashed a Water Escape Art, but once his spiritual power ran dry and he tried to retrieve his flying treasure, he remembered his junior brother and sister had taken it separately since they'd entered the ruins first.
Thinking of that flying treasure now in the hands of the sleazy-faced man in the light pink robe made rage boil up. Ye Gaseok ground his teeth, etching deeper hatred into his heart.
"By the name of Ye Gaseok of the Ye Clan, I swear... I'll find you, grind every part of you into spirit pills, and devour them!"
Ye Gaseok swallowed a Vital Flesh Pill as he vowed revenge.
The healing pill, made by grinding ten humans with spirit roots, was reliably effective. It swiftly mended the wounds on his arms, replenished his lost blood, but couldn't regenerate the missing limbs. He stared bitterly at the empty sleeves flapping below his elbows.
First, form my nascent soul. I've waited this long to become Single Element... but I can't wait anymore!
Too impatient to return to the sect, Ye Gaseok plunged into the deep mountains nearby.
His divine sense confirmed no one around. Unable to form hand seals without arms, he chanted an incantation to cast a spell, digging a cave in the eastern slope. He sealed the entrance with a massive boulder and prepared for his nascent soul breakthrough inside.
He always carried the necessary materials.
Falling Star Sect had once allied with Golden Realm Sect and Dragon Dissolution Sect to attack High Heaven Sect from behind.
They'd succeeded in capturing one of High Heaven Sect's Nascent Soul elders alive, grinding him into pills for storage, then distributing them over centuries to their five most outstanding disciples.
Fortuitously, Ye Gaseok was one of those five.
Forcibly infusing Nascent Soul spirituality via the pill: 10% chance of heart demon possession leading to madness; 50% chance of failing to withstand it, collapsing the Dao heart and dying as a cultivator; 20% chance of nothing happening; and 20% chance of grasping the breakthrough clue.
Grasp the clue and survive the impending heavenly tribulation, and one could break through to Nascent Soul.
Ye Gaseok wrapped himself head to toe in defensive treasures to ward off the tribulation.
They required tedious pre-activation and consumed vast spirit stones, impractical in combat but perfect for tribulation defense.
A few days after Ye Gaseok finished preparations.
A massive heavenly tribulation struck the mountain where he resided.
At the very moment Ye Gaseok attempted his nascent soul breakthrough, Ping Yuran—who had also left the sect ruins—wore an unexpectedly nonchalant expression despite missing out on the Wood Spirit Lotus right before her eyes.
With her Earth and Fire dual-element spiritual root, even if she'd obtained the Wood Spirit Lotus, she'd only trade it for other heavenly treasures; it wouldn't aid her cultivation progress.
She'd reached Core Formation perfection 200 years ago.
Born in the war-torn Blue Armored Divine Realm, she'd fought endless battles against its people, rising swiftly to Core Formation perfection—but then endured a long stagnation thereafter.
Judging new experiences and fortuitous encounters necessary for Nascent Soul, she'd left Blue Armored Divine Realm 30 years prior for the nearest Central Divine Realm.
A realm famed for sects founded by enlightened masters—it seemed a place where opportunities would come easily.
"High Heaven Sect."
Despite being swept into wars simply for being born in Blue Armored Divine Realm, Ping Yuran—who had lived her life as a hermit—thought of Yong Yoo.
Not just his beauty, but his powerful spells, Nascent Soul-grade spirit beast, and combat prowess that turned the tables against two Core Formation perfection foes stood out.
A sect that could produce such a cultivator... might be worth joining.
As a Blue Armored native, she couldn't help being instinctively drawn to such formidable Dao combat skill.
Having memorized the locations of major sects upon arriving in the Central Realm, Ping Yuran turned toward High Heaven Sect without issue.
En route, four cultivators flying nearby surrounded her.
Four Core Formations...
"Hey, fellow Daoist heading that way—you wouldn't happen to be flying from that newly discovered sect ruins nearby, would you?"
One of the four smiled as he asked. Ping Yuran, still venting her frustration over the sealed storage pouch that had prevented her from using her true name treasure, drew a sword from it.
The blade was over twice her height—a massive greatsword exceeding three meters.
Flames then erupted from the pouch, coiling around her shoulders like a fairy’s winged robe.
The cultivators' expressions soured at her donning treasures without answering, but Ping Yuran laughed in exhilaration and swung the sword wordlessly.
Just like when she'd spotted the Hoo guarding the Wood Spirit Lotus.