An existence that defies common sense

"Why should I tell you?" The white cat raised its fluffy little head, its amber eyes filled with disdain and arrogance. "How could I, a dignified guardian elder of the Nine-Tailed God Clan, be coerced by a mere mortal like you?!"

Yun Qian looked at its attempt to maintain its dignity, a faint smile still lingering on her lips. She reached out and gently stroked the white cat's soft, smooth fur. Her tone was as calm as if stating a simple fact: "Because I placed a symbiotic talisman on you."

The white cat blinked its round, bright eyes, momentarily speechless.

Yun Qian continued slowly and deliberately, her voice devoid of emotion, as if discussing the weather: "Symbiosis, symbiosis. As the name suggests, if I die, you will die too."

She leaned forward slightly, her gaze meeting that of the white cat. "What if, I mean what if, Lin Huaiyu, who inherited the power of the gods, changes his mind one day and insists on taking my life? With my meager cultivation, I wouldn't have the slightest power to fight back against him."

She paused, her fingertips unconsciously stroking Zhihua's back fur, her tone carrying an almost cruel honesty: "Tell me something about him now, about you two, so I can understand him better. If we really clash in the future, maybe I can struggle a little longer and die a little slower. Wouldn't that be a good thing for you?"

The white cat was stunned by her straightforward and realistic analysis, a struggle flashing in its eyes. After a few seconds of silence, it spoke in a muffled voice, with a hint of reluctance but certainty: "He won't kill you."

It raised its paw and licked it, as if organizing its thoughts, before slowly adding, "He likes you, so how could he bear to kill you?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Qian raised an eyebrow slightly. She could naturally sense Lin Huaiyu's unusual interest in her, but being so bluntly pointed out by this cat still stirred a subtle unease within her.

The white cat didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with what it said. It adjusted to a more comfortable position and began to seriously consider what she had said.

Symbiosis.

That's true.

Since their lives were already intertwined, it didn't seem like a big deal to talk about some trivial matters concerning Lin Huaiyu, since that guy had ridiculed it quite a bit anyway! Thinking of this, the little bit of guilt in the white cat's heart instantly vanished.

"My name is Zhihua," it finally spoke slowly. "I am the guardian beast of the Nine-Tailed God Clan." It glanced at Yun Qian, with a hint of barely perceptible pride. "You should have heard that every hundred years, a chosen one of the Nine-Tailed God Clan will appear, possessing the qualifications to inherit the power of the God Clan. And I am the guardian beast born specifically to protect this chosen one. I am very powerful; I am a cat that possessed divine power from the moment I was born."

It paused, then continued, "Lin Huaiyu is the only one in the Nine-Tailed God Clan in the past nine hundred years who has successfully overcome all tribulations and truly inherited the power of the God Clan—a person destined by heaven."

Yun Qian listened quietly, and then asked a question at the right time: "Isn't the destined person supposed to appear once every hundred years? Why is it that in nine hundred years, only he has succeeded?"

"Do you think the power of the gods is so easy to inherit?" Zhihua scoffed, a hint of mockery on its cat face. "It's not a blessing at all, it's more like a sacrifice! Within the Nine-Tailed Clan, no one wants to be the chosen one. The process of inheriting divine power is far too harsh, practically a matter of life and death, no, a matter of life and death! Over thousands of years, countless brilliant talents have fallen on this path. But once you truly succeed..." Its voice carried a complex sense of awe, "it's like being reborn, joining the ranks of demigods, ageless, immortal, possessing a vast cultivation that others cannot even imagine."

It flicked its tail and added in a flat tone, "Anyway, it's not easy for Lin Huaiyu to survive. I've seen too many so-called destined people die under those eighty-one heavenly lightning strikes at the last moment when they returned from their tribulations."

Eighty-one heavenly lightning bolts?!

Yun Qian's heart jolted, and her pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

Inheriting the power of the gods really requires enduring a full eighty-one heavenly lightning strikes?

When she advanced to the Nascent Soul stage, the lightning tribulations she endured still haunted Yun Qian; those heavenly lightning bolts nearly annihilated her body and soul. How exactly did Lin Huaiyu survive those eighty-one heavenly lightning strikes?

It seems that behind the glamour and power of this so-called chosen one of the Nine-Tailed God Clan lies a cruelty and price that is unimaginable to ordinary people.

Zhihua, oblivious to Yun Qian's momentary lapse in concentration, continued in a detached tone, "Don't be too surprised. I've lived for hundreds of years and am used to seeing those who are struck by heavenly lightning and reduced to ashes. Inheriting the power of the gods is inherently a rebellious act against the heavens. Those eighty-one bolts of heavenly lightning, to put it bluntly, are punishments bestowed by the heavens to completely obliterate such illogical beings. Lin Huaiyu is incredibly lucky to have survived."

Yun Qian snapped out of her shock. She knew very well that surviving such a desperate situation and successfully inheriting divine power was not something that could be summed up by mere luck.

What kind of unwavering will and terrifying strength would that require?

She dared not think about it in detail.

As Zhihua said, the existence of the Heavenly Tribulation is precisely to eliminate abnormalities.

Therefore, those who can survive such extreme divine punishment must have transformed into even more powerful and transcendent beings.

Lin Huaiyu not only withstood eighty-one heavenly lightning strikes, but also successfully inherited the power of the divine race. His cultivation level has probably already reached a realm she cannot reach. If he truly harbored malice towards her, given the vast difference in their strength, she would probably have died thousands of times over in such a long period of time, utterly powerless to resist him.

So... what exactly does Lin Huaiyu want?

Is it really just that I like her?

Yun Qian didn't believe it.

This reason is too weak, and it is too inconsistent with the temperament he should have after undergoing the tempering of heavenly tribulations.

She looked down at the unusually docile white cat in her arms. After a long while, she gently pulled it closer, feeling the warmth emanating from its soft fur under her fingertips. She changed her approach, trying to find more clues: "Since Lin Huaiyu brought you out of the Nine-Tailed God Clan, didn't she mention anything to you along the way? About Tianyan Mountain, about me?"

"I secretly followed him here on my own!" Zhihua corrected, her tone tinged with dissatisfaction at being looked down upon. "He never intended to take me with him! Besides, he was only focused on getting back to see you as quickly as possible. We barely exchanged a few words the whole way." As she spoke, she found a more comfortable spot in Yun Qian's arms and snuggled against her affectionately.

Yun Qian listened to its words and made her own judgment.

What the cat said was probably only half true, so she couldn't believe it completely.

Would someone who could withstand the baptism of eighty-one heavenly lightning bolts be someone who indulges in romantic love and acts solely based on likes and dislikes?

Of course not.

However, as things stand, Lin Huaiyu does seem to have no intention of making an enemy of Cangmin Mountain.

This can be considered a good thing, for the time being.

Yun Qian's palm lingered on Zhi Hua's soft, warm fur, stroking it gently. She looked down at this obedient guardian beast nestled in her arms, a beast said to possess divine power from birth.

Could such an extraordinary divine beast really be so easily subdued by her symbiotic talisman, utterly powerless to resist?

This in itself seems to be a rather illogical thing.

However… Yun Qian gently closed her eyes, temporarily suppressing the fleeting doubt that crossed her mind.

She already has too many things to think about and worry about every day, and she doesn't want to think about them now.