The moment the feeling of weightlessness hit, Sheng Ning subconsciously summoned the Eight-Star Kunwu Sword.
She heard Bai Ze's scream and grabbed the back of his collar, which stopped the two of them from falling flat on their faces.
"Ahhhh—"
"Sheng Ning! This place seems bottomless—"
"What the hell is this place?!"
The screams continued unabated. Sheng Ning grabbed him by the back of his collar and pulled him in front of her. "Lord Bai Ze..."
"Ah—, Sheng Ning, aren't you scared?!"
"Lord Bai Ze, we have stopped, but it's too dark around us, so we can't see what's underground."
Upon hearing this, Bai Ze immediately shut his mouth.
He kicked his limbs in mid-air and looked around.
The surroundings were pitch black, which caused the entrance to the tatami mat where they fell to be covered again.
The pitch blackness, where you can't see your hand in front of your face, is even more frightening.
Moreover, the surroundings were not only dark, but also very empty.
Bai Ze's scream and Sheng Ning's reminder echoed around them.
He took out the luminous pearl he had used in the illusion last time from his mustard seed bag, and used it to barely illuminate the surrounding scenery.
They were indeed about to land, but the ground, about half a person's height, was filled with short swords with their tips pointing upwards.
The moment the light from the luminous pearl in Sheng Ning's hand fell upon the short sword, the chilling gleam nearly blinded the two of them.
Upon seeing the short sword buried in the ground, Bai Ze gasped in shock, "This...this..."
Sheng Ning's gaze fell on the tips of those swords.
If she hadn't summoned the Eight-Star Kunwu Sword, she and Bai Ze would have fallen onto these short swords together.
They'd probably turn into char siu right away.
Moreover, beneath these short swords lay two or three skeletons, suggesting that someone had fallen down early on and was unable to escape the swords.
This is a very large room.
Aside from the spot where they had just fallen, where there was a short sword, there was nothing else in the remaining space.
Sheng Ning did not give up flying on her sword immediately, but instead put a spirit-replenishing pill into her mouth.
"Where is this place?"
Upon hearing Bai Ze's question, Sheng Ning changed from lifting him to carrying him, and flew around the entire space with him in her arms. "Lord Bai Ze, can you still sense the aura of the divine beast Vermilion Bird?"
It's chilly here; even the air is filled with icy shards.
Sheng Ning was just an ordinary person and could not smell the aura of the divine beast.
Bai Ze sniffed the cold air around him, and after a moment, he frowned and shook his head. "No."
"Nothing?" Sheng Ning raised an eyebrow. "Could this be just an ordinary dungeon?"
Even the dungeon was set up too secretly.
Qiu Wenxuan set up the dungeon beneath himself, wasn't he afraid of accidentally falling in one day?
She turned her head to look at the skeletons under the short sword behind her. Seeing these skeletons, Sheng Ning was puzzled.
After all, if the flesh can be corroded in such a cold winter, it's either because too much time has passed, or the short sword has been poisoned.
However, the clothes covering these bones did not weather.
"You cunning frog, it keeps touching your belly!"
Sheng Ning's sudden words startled Bai Ze, causing him to shrink back.
He hugged Sheng Ning tightly, puzzled, and asked, "What are you talking about? What frog touching belly? Is it a spell?"
"Next time, could you please say hello before speaking? You almost scared the crap out of me."
Sheng Ning smiled upon hearing this.
She patted him on the back and laughed, "Sorry, I startled you. Can I talk now?"
Bai Ze tucked his head into her neck, nodded, and braced himself for being frightened.
But Sheng Ning didn't scare him; instead, she gave him an analysis.
"This is indeed not the place where the divine beast Vermilion Bird is imprisoned, but it must be related to the Vermilion Bird."
She pointed to the pile of bones and said, "These bones are wearing different clothes, so they must not be disciples of the Burning Heaven Palace."
"Therefore, there is only one truth: they also came for the divine beast Vermilion Bird."
Sheng Ning held the luminous pearl in her hand. This time, she carefully observed the surrounding walls and asked Bai Ze a question.
"Lord Bai Ze, besides signing a contract with a divine beast to share its abilities, are there any other ways for cultivators to do so?"
Without hesitation, Bai Ze said, "Take the heart's blood."
Realizing he had revealed the secret of the divine beast, Bai Ze immediately covered his mouth with his small hand.
He glanced at Sheng Ning warily, and seeing that she didn't show the greedy look that other cultivators had, he felt a little annoyed.
He has been with Sheng Ning for some time now.
He saw her character very clearly.
He had subconsciously been wary of her, even suspecting that she might attack him after learning the secret of the divine beast.
Lowering his eyes to hide the disdain in them, Bai Ze answered again, "As long as one consumes the essence blood of a divine beast, a cultivator can share the divine beast's abilities for a short period of time."
"For example, the Vermilion Bird Divine Fire?"
Sheng Ning, who was searching for the laser, did not see the defensiveness that flashed in his eyes.
Having voiced her question, and after hearing the response beside her, she said, "Divine beasts wouldn't easily form contracts with cultivators, would they?"
"Of course!" Bai Ze nodded without hesitation. "Unless the cultivator is no ordinary person, divine beasts will not sign a contract with them."
"That Qiu Wenxuan is the same. Zhuque is proud. Even if Qiu Wenxuan forces her to sign a contract, she would rather kill herself than agree."
Not just Suzaku.
All mythical beasts possess pride.
Unlike ordinary spirit beasts and pets, once they sign a contract with an ordinary cultivator, it will definitely cause the cultivator's cultivation level to skyrocket.
Such cultivators are generally looked down upon by divine beasts, and they will only bow down and submit if the cultivator can defeat them.
If the cultivators use force, they will commit suicide, preferring to die rather than sign a contract.
Bai Ze rested his chin on Sheng Ning's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "But if you want to sign a contract with me, I'm willing..."
Sheng Ning is such a wonderful person; it would be wonderful to be her partner.
Before he could finish speaking, a hand slapped him on the back of the head.
"What do you mean by signing a contract? If you sign a contract, I'll die and you'll die with me. Have you had enough of living?"
"You are my partner, my friend, not a servant I can order around. If the pillar of heaven really collapses in the future, I will still have to cling to your leg to save my life."
A cultivator can sign contracts with more than one beast in their lifetime.
Once a spirit beast, a spirit pet, or even a divine beast signs a contract with a cultivator, it is for life.
Signing Pigworm was a complete accident.
If the worm hadn't bitten her hand, she would have raised it as her son.
Now that Bai Ze said he was willing to become her contracted beast, Sheng Ning couldn't help but pat his head.
"Every person, every mythical beast, is an independent individual, and everyone is free."
"You can do whatever you want instead of always staying by my side and waiting for my call."
"Bai Ze, your mission is not to become my contracted beast, but to become the best version of yourself."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
