Yang Shining explained: "It contains a mustard-seed space within, capable of storing items and living creatures. It is one of the few mustard-seed space artifacts our Jiuli Sect possesses."
A mustard-seed space artifact?
But Bai Jie already had the Wu Gu Clan's Qiankun Pouch, so whether or not it had this bracelet made little difference. Moreover, it worried that Yang Shining might have tampered with the bracelet.
It suddenly thought, perhaps it could give it to Lin Binbin...
Let him use it for a while and observe before deciding whether to keep it — that would be more prudent.
"Where did this bracelet come from?"
"According to the elders of the sect, it was obtained from a ruin."
"What is a 'ruin'?"
Yang Shining shook her head: "A place where mysterious remnants awaken and revive. Beyond that, I don't have any more specific information."
Suddenly, she took two slight steps back, looking at the enormous spider toying with the bracelet, and asked, "I wonder... are you satisfied with the gift I've presented?"
Bai Jie replied unhurriedly: "Not satisfied."
"Do you truly think that this paltry offering alone can atone for the offense of disturbing my secluded cultivation and making such an impertinent request of me?"
Yang Shining retreated another half-step, thinking to herself: I just answered so many of your questions, and yet you don't mention a single one of them.
The exquisitely beautiful young woman smiled apologetically: "Since you're not satisfied, I still have other things to offer."
The demon spider said nothing more. Its eight deep blue-violet eyes radiated intimidating pressure, curious to see what other treasures the woman might produce.
Suddenly, the black crystal pendant hanging at the girl's chest glowed once more, floating up of its own accord. At a speed the demon spider could not possibly react to, it shot out a beam of light that pierced into the demon spider's body.
Bai Jie was inwardly alarmed — not only because of the incredible speed, but also because Spider Sense had given no prior warning!
In the next instant, it heard a system notification:
[Detected unknown domination contract force — Blocked]
Bai Jie immediately understood — that black crystal pendant had attempted to control it, to turn it into Yang Shining's contracted demon beast.
And even though Yang Shining had repeatedly claimed that the so-called Jiuli Sect's contracts with demon beasts were all based on equal-status methods, whether from the term "beast dominion" or "domination contract," Bai Jie could roughly deduce that "equality" was only relative to the Wu Gu Clan. Between anomalous humans and demon beasts, true equality simply did not exist.
"No, Bai Zhi, you must listen to my explanation — this was not my intention." Yang Shining hurriedly explained.
She could sense that the spider before her was radiating a dangerous aura...
After the black crystal pendant glowed, the pressure of Skill: Advanced Intimidation had already been withdrawn. She abruptly scooped up the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, her figure retreating explosively, covering ten meters in the blink of an eye.
"Wait."
The demon spider uttered a commanding word.
"I still have matters to verify with you."
No sooner had the words fallen than an extremely fine, snow-white strand of spider silk shot forth through the air without warning, piercing into Yang Shining's pale wrist.
Almost simultaneously, a sky-covering white net descended from above, enveloping her entire body and tightening. No matter how the Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox in her arms gnawed and bit, the silk net could not be damaged in the slightest.
"You..."
Yang Shining was both shocked and furious, yet dared not speak further, sinking into the unknown terror of not knowing what she was about to face.
Then, beneath Yang Shining's slightly resentful gaze, a droplet of liquid emitting a pink-purple glow followed the silk thread and dissolved into her wrist.
It was precisely Skill: Mutagenic Venom.
In an instant, heaven and earth reversed, the stars shifted, time and space warped, the cosmos collapsed into silence — Yang Shining's consciousness returned to a dark, chaotic void.
Seeing Yang Shining close her eyes in a daze, Bai Jie quietly waited for the transformation to occur.
The reason for injecting Yang Shining with Mutagenic Venom was that Bai Jie still retained its vigilance — toward this woman who was the only one who knew Bai Jie's specific hiding place and could track its movements.
But in the next moment, something Bai Jie had never anticipated happened.
That black crystal pendant hanging at Yang Shining's chest floated up on its own once again, glowing with radiance, its light reflecting upon Yang Shining's face.
Bai Jie could clearly see that reason was returning to Yang Shining's eyes, consciousness was reawakening!
And its connection with the drop of Mutagenic Venom inside Yang Shining's body had also been severed!
"What's going on?"
This was the first time Bai Jie had encountered such a situation, and it was somewhat caught off guard.
But it quickly made up its mind: "If one drop won't do, then two. If two won't do, then three!"
Bai Jie sent out three more drops of Mutagenic Venom in one breath, then stared intently at Yang Shining, its entire spiritual power enveloping her, carefully sensing her changes.
Fortunately, the black crystal pendant's glow did not last long before dissipating. The pendant dropped back down, returning to its original state.
"Success."
Bai Jie couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. After all, Mutagenic Venom was at Lv.10.
At the same time, it couldn't help but sigh with amazement — this Yang Shining had far too many mysteries about her. She actually had "resistance" to it!
When it first discovered that Yang Shining had found the back mountain, Bai Jie had not been without the thought of simply taking her life and silencing her for good.
But after learning of Yang Shining's identity, background, and resources, Bai Jie had changed its mind.
Since this woman wanted to be its master, it might as well let her have a taste of what it felt like to be controlled by a demon spider — to experience the reversal of master and servant.
...
It took a full dozen seconds before Yang Shining awakened, staring blankly at Bai Jie.
The little fox looked uneasily at its master and then at the demon spider, its ice-crystal-like eyes glimmering with panic.
"Wh-what did you just do to me..."
Her voice trembled, her tone filled with complex emotions.
She was afraid, she was confused, she was lost,
She... craved...
For a moment, her soul was utterly shaken.
She actually felt a sense of craving for that sensation just now?!
But she was the Saintess of the Jiuli Sect, the idol worshipped by thousands of followers, the genius recognized by numerous seniors, an anomalous human who appeared only once in a century...
Why... would she so desperately want that mysterious and eerie pink-purple liquid? Why?
Why did her heart keep involuntarily giving rise to feelings of admiration and submission toward the demon spider before her?
Yang Shining had awakened, but not completely.
Her expression was no longer confident and composed. She had fallen into a state of dazed loss, long immersed in a train of thought she could not accept as reality.
She would never have imagined that the demon spider possessed not only devastating thunderous methods but also the eerie power to manipulate the human heart.
"Woman, wake up."
When the enchanting voice rang out in the deepest part of her mind, her unfocused eyes barely regained a trace of life.
Though separated by ten meters, her nose could still catch the strange fragrance emanating from the demon spider.
The demon spider transmitted a question: "Tell me, who am I?"
The young woman answered in a soft, thin voice: "You... you are Bai Zhi... Lord Bai Zhi."
"Very good. Now, who are you?"
"I... I don't know..."
"Oh? It seems you don't quite remember your dream. Allow me to remind you, then," the demon spider said darkly.
"You are my contracted human, my mortal attendant. Do you understand?"
"I... I..." Yang Shining's expression flickered with painful struggle.
But as a pink-purple glow suddenly flashed through the depths of her eyes, she became dazed once more, then spoke in a muffled, halting voice:
"I understand... I am... Lord Bai Zhi's... attendant..."
"Meow—!"
The Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox cried out in dissatisfaction, but a single glare from the demon spider silenced it completely. It dared make no further sound.
"Now that my 'Spirit Fluid' flows within your body, you can no longer lie to me, nor can you defy my will. Should I perish, you too shall not survive."
"Next, I will ask you a few more questions. If your answers are unsatisfactory, or if I sense you lying..."
"There will be punishment," the demon spider said melodiously.
Hearing this, the young woman's breath caught, and she bit her moistened lips.
At that same moment, the sky darkened, and faint thunder rumbled.
Lightning plasma was actually churning amidst the clouds!