Chapter 377 I Established a Sect in the Cultivation World (6)
Within the valley, only the heavy breathing of the white tiger and the dripping sound of its wounds falling onto the grass could be heard.
Its massive body trembled slightly, one front paw weakly pawing at the ground, and the anger in its golden vertical pupils had faded, replaced by a more complex emotion.
It was fear, it was pain, and it was an unmaskable fear of death.
It never imagined that it would lose.
I never imagined that we would lose so completely.
Cheng Gan and the others gripped their flying swords, forcibly suppressing the surging blood and qi within their bodies, and surrounded the White Tiger in the center, with everyone's nerves stretched to the limit.
Did we win?
It seems like they won.
But how they won was still a complete mystery to them.
Everyone looked at Zhou Jue outside the battle circle.
She remained standing there, her expression calm, as if the thrilling battle just now had nothing to do with her. Only Cheng Gan vaguely caught a glimpse of the truth of that moment.
The White Tiger's stagnation is by no means accidental.
"How is it?" Zhou Jue asked, breaking the stalemate in the valley.
Her voice remained clear and bright, without a trace of murderous intent, yet it caused the white tiger on the ground to stiffen abruptly.
"They are willing to die here, and have their remains refined into magical artifacts by my sect's disciples."
Zhou Jue's gaze swept over the deep, bone-revealing sword wound on Bai Hu's shoulder blade.
"Or are you still willing to share this spiritual vein with my Xuantian Sect?"
The white tiger let out a low whimper, filled with resentment.
It raised its head, first glaring fiercely at Cheng Gan not far away, its eyes seeming to say, "If it weren't for the sneak attack, what are you?", and then turned its gaze to Zhou Jue.
It couldn't understand why this human, possessing such terrifying power, didn't just kill it directly instead of trying to negotiate.
"Your Excellency has occupied this place, presumably to use the spiritual veins to break through your current realm."
Zhou Jue seemed to see through its thoughts and continued speaking calmly.
"But the cultivation of demons is difficult to break through. Without the inheritance of cultivation techniques and without the aid of elixirs, how many more years will you sit here in vain?"
These words pierced the heart of the white tiger. It had been stuck at the seventh level for nearly a hundred years, and no matter how much spiritual energy it absorbed, its cultivation had not improved. This was its greatest worry.
"Our Xuantian Sect is new here and needs a place to settle down and make a living."
"And you need a breakthrough opportunity."
Zhou Jue stretched out one hand, palm facing up.
"Among the disciples of my sect, there are those skilled in alchemy. As long as you are willing to coexist peacefully with my sect, we will not only spare your life, but we can even provide you with elixirs to aid your cultivation."
"A pill that can improve your cultivation, in exchange for a hundred years of peace between you and my sect. Have you thought this deal through?"
Outside the valley, the team members who heard these words were all dumbfounded.
"Sect Master... is this an attempt to recruit us?" A young member asked in a low voice, his face full of disbelief.
Zhao Sizhe adjusted his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses gleaming with a light like a stream of data.
"No, this is a win-win situation."
He analyzed in a low voice, "Killing it will give us materials for a Nascent Soul stage demon beast, which is very valuable, but it's a one-time gain."
"But if we subdue it, we will have a Nascent Soul stage combatant, a 'native' guide familiar with these Hundred Thousand Mountains, and a living, high-level demonic beast sample for our long-term research."
"More importantly, with the sect newly established, having such a guardian spirit beast is itself an invisible deterrent. Moreover, this place is its territory."
"The sect leader sees much further than we do."
After listening to Zhao Sizhe's analysis, everyone suddenly understood.
In the valley, the white tiger's enormous head hung low, its golden pupils flashing with an uncertain light.
Dignity and life.
Pride, and the allure of breakthroughs.
A fierce battle was raging in its mind.
After a long while, it slowly raised its head and looked at Zhou Jue again. In its eyes, there was less ferocity and more inquiry.
It doesn't trust humans, but it believes in power.
The woman before him possessed the power to crush it at any moment, yet she chose to negotiate.
It let out a low growl, as if asking something.
"contract."
Zhou Jue's words were concise and to the point.
“We can sign an equal contract with you, not a master-servant contract. You can choose any of my hundred disciples.”
“You are not a servant of my Xuantian Sect, but an ally of my Xuantian Sect, a spirit beast that protects the sect.”
An equal contract!
These four words completely shattered the last line of defense in Baihu's heart.
For the proud demon race, freedom is more important than life.
It would rather die fighting than serve as someone's mount or servant.
But it can accept the titles of equal ally and guardian spirit beast.
It glanced again at the humans around it who had injured it, a hint of contempt flashing in its eyes.
If you're going to sign a contract, you have to sign with the strongest one!
It made the decision.
The massive body struggled to its feet, ignoring the team members who suddenly tensed up around it, and dragged its injured body step by step to Zhou Jue.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, it slowly lowered itself and gently placed its proud, enormous head, which had never bowed to any living being, at Zhou Jue's feet.
That low, suppressed sob was no longer a sound of pain, but a sign of submission.
A smile appeared on Zhou Jue's face.
She reached out and, without the slightest hesitation, gently placed her hand on the center of the "king" character pattern between the white tiger's eyebrows.
"In my name, I pledge an ancient covenant."
An ancient and mysterious golden rune lit up from her fingertip and silently disappeared into the white tiger's brow.
The white tiger's massive body trembled violently as it felt a gentle yet vast life force flowing into its limbs and bones through the contract rune between its brows.
The deep, bone-revealing wound on the shoulder blade stopped bleeding, scabbed over, and fell off at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing new skin and flesh.
In just a few breaths, his injuries were completely healed! In fact, his cultivation level even advanced a step under the nourishment of his master's spiritual power!
The white tiger moved its shoulder in a daze, no longer feeling any pain.
It raised its head, and the look in its eyes as it looked at Zhou Jue had completely changed.
The fear and apprehension I felt before have transformed into closeness and dependence in this moment.
It stood up and, with its enormous head, carefully, yet with a hint of ingratiation, rubbed against Zhou Jue's arm.
The movement was like that of a docile big cat.
This scene left all the team members in the distance dumbfounded.
"I...I'm not seeing things, am I?"
"That was a powerful demon at the Nascent Soul stage! And just like that... it became our sect's mascot?"
"A mascot? This is called a guardian beast!"
Cheng Gan loosened his grip on the sword hilt, let out a long sigh, and a smile appeared on his face.
Zhou Jue patted the white tiger's head reassuringly, then turned to look at the crowd.
"Come in, everyone."
The remaining team members, with a sense of pilgrimage, stepped into the valley that would soon become their new home.
"From this day forward, this place shall be the mountain gate of my Xuantian Sect."
Zhou Jue's voice echoed in everyone's ears.
"The White Tiger is the guardian spirit beast of my Xuantian Sect, and its name is 'Jingbai'."
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