Xie Zhaolin slowly exhaled a mouthful of turbid breath, the black qi at her fingertips fading away bit by bit.
Shuang Ling trotted over and affectionately rubbed against her wrist. Xue Xiao folded its wings and obediently perched on her shoulder. Bing Jing, Dian Diao, and Teng She also gathered around, their eyes glowing with respect.
She looked at the five beast souls surrounding her, a rare warmth flickering in her eyes. This battle hadn't only proven their strength, it also showed off their incredible teamwork.
"Clean the battlefield," she ordered softly.
Shuang Ling instantly understood, leading the other four beast souls as they began gathering the scattered soul power. That pure yin qi was a great supplement for them, but without her command, they didn't dare absorb it.
Seeing how obedient they were, she didn't hold back. With a wave, the refined yin qi they'd collected condensed into five clusters of ghostly light.
She tapped her finger, splitting them evenly between the five.
Xue Xiao's golden pupils grew even brighter, Shuang Ling's tail-tip shimmered with silver light, Bing Jing's armor gleamed more brilliantly, Dian Diao's body crackled with stronger arcs, and Teng She's fangs glowed with eerie green venom.
"Well done." She took out five small fragments of yinsha core from her storage ring and fed each one to them. At her current stage, these didn't matter much for her, but giving them to strengthen her beasts was far more useful.
After a thought, she pulled out a jade box. Inside were a few drops of crystal-clear spirit honey.
"Feng Wang, this is for you," she said gently.
Feng Wang flew out from her hair and happily landed on the box's edge, savoring the rare reward. Even though the queen bee's strength was the weakest compared to the five little ones, it had always worked diligently to keep guard for her. Its contributions weren't small.
Looking at this strange team of yin souls before her, a surge of drive welled up in her chest.
With their help, most yin souls in this passage shouldn't pose a threat anymore. Still, she decided to move steadily.
"From now on, we'll switch tactics," she sent through the contract. "Shuang Ling and Dian Diao will lure. Bing Jing Hu and Teng She will ambush. Xue Xiao will support from above. Each time, lure two or three. Humanoid yin souls, kill on the spot. Beast-type yin souls, capture if they're worth it."
They understood immediately. Shuang Ling and Dian Diao darted into the passage, while Bing Jing and Teng She hid within the shadows on either side. Xue Xiao silently took to the air, circling above.
Not long after, Shuang Ling returned, luring a pitch-black wolf soul and a green-eyed golden toad. Her divine sense swept over them—decent strength in the wolf, but the toad was ordinary.
"Keep the wolf, dispose of the toad." Her tone was calm.
Bing Jing burst from the shadows and bit the wolf's neck. Cold spread instantly, freezing it solid.
Teng She coiled around the toad, its fangs piercing deep. In a blink, the toad turned into an empty shell. The wolf tried to struggle, but Xue Xiao dove, claws clamping down on its head as a contract brand was forced into its soul core.
The whole thing took barely three breaths.
Just like that, the five beasts worked in perfect sync, quickly clearing most of the tunnel.
Sometimes Dian Diao would lure back a deer soul and a pair of ape souls. Sometimes Shuang Ling brought a python soul and a flock of bird souls.
She judged their strength and value, either enslaving or destroying them. The efficiency was leagues beyond before.
Before long, the high-rank yin souls were wiped out. Only mid and low-rank ones remained. She waved her hand.
"Go, they're all yours."
The five rushed forward with glee.
Shuang Ling targeted agile bird souls, Xue Xiao swooped down to intercept fleeing ones, Bing Jing chased massive prey and always let out a triumphant roar after a kill. Dian Diao zipped like purple lightning through the crowd, souls dropping in its wake. Teng She slithered silently in the shadows, striking at loners.
She sat cross-legged in the array's center, meditating while monitoring them through the contract.
She could clearly feel their strength rising as they devoured soul after soul.
Xue Xiao especially changed rapidly. After swallowing several avian souls, its damaged wings were fully restored, even more dazzling than before.
When Dian Diao devoured the last low-rank yin soul, the cavern finally fell quiet. The oppressive aura scattered, and even the air felt cleaner.
She rose to count her gains.
First, her five main contracts.
—Xue Xiao soul, a top-tier avian yin soul. Its combat power was ferocious, and it could carry her in flight. After recovery, its wingspan reached seven feet, speed thirty percent faster than before. Most surprising of all, its intelligence had risen, faintly matching Shuang Ling.
—Shuang Ling, her very first follower, now had strength equal to a late Foundation cultivator. The silver pattern had spread across its entire tail, and its fox fire burned hotter. Most importantly, her bond with it had reached the point of heart-to-heart understanding.
—Bing Jing, its body a whole size larger, its ice armor nearly twice as tough. What delighted her most was its self-learned Ice Burst Art, able to detonate its armor mid-fight to wound enemies.
—Dian Diao, now more than twice as fast, its lightning stronger. Even better, it seemed to have awakened a spatial gift, able to blink short distances. Only about three feet at a time, but deadly when used well.
—Teng She, its venom many times stronger, its scales tough as iron. Even more unusual, it could control other snake-type yin souls within range, up to two or three at the moment. A handy support ability.
Besides them, she'd captured a dozen lesser beast souls—three wolf souls, two ape souls, a pangolin soul, and a few bird souls.
Not main fighters, but useful for scouting, guarding, or fodder.
She nodded in satisfaction. This trip into the Blackwater Abyss had yielded far more than she'd hoped.
With this yin soul army, her strength had soared to a whole new level. Even against an early Golden Core cultivator, she could fight head-on.
Her fingers unconsciously rubbed her storage ring as she recalled the gray-robed man's words.
"One month's time…" Her lips curved into a cold smile.
That deadline had long passed. He must've thought she'd died. With her Qi Refining cultivation back then, the chance of surviving a month in the Blackwater Abyss was next to none.
The fragment sealed deep within her sea of consciousness trembled faintly, as if echoing her thoughts.
Her divine sense swept over it, confirming the seal still held firm.
She'd kept that fragment not only to study the gray-robed man's methods, but also so one day she could use his own tricks against him.
"If he thinks I'm already dead…" A sharp light flashed in her eyes. "Then that Rebirth Flower's mine."
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Pets name time!!!
紫电貂 (Zǐ Diàn Diāo) - Violet Lightning Marten
冰晶虎 (Bīng Jīng Hǔ) - Ice Crystal Tiger
螣蛇 (Téng Shé) - Teng Snake
雪枭 (Xuě Xiāo) - Snowy Owl
蜂王 (Fēng Wáng) - Queen Bee