At the very least, the sparrow demon could scout ahead and help dodge dangers and trouble.
With that in mind, Shen He smiled and said, “No need to stand on ceremony, Zhang Daoyou. I’m very interested. Please tell me more.”
Cultivator Zhang, named Zhang Sizhe, a disciple of the Han City Zhang Family.
Shen He had no idea where Han City was, but the Zhang Family seemed to be a cultivator clan, and Zhang Sizhe was an unremarkable member.
Though born into such a family granted easy entry into cultivation, resources were limited. Unless one had exceptional talent, most clan disciples had to venture out after Foundation Establishment to seek their own opportunities.
“I once obtained a heritage with insights into caring for and taming spirit beasts.”
As Zhang Sizhe spoke of this, his tense and uneasy expression eased slightly, revealing a small smile that made him seem more approachable.
He reached toward his shoulder, and the sparrow hopped lightly into his palm, pecking gently at his palm.
He continued, “After much investigation, I confirmed that an ancient sect’s secret beast-taming technique exists in the Purple Radiance Mountain Small Secret Realm. But it’s guarded by a Demon Beast Spirit. I can’t get in alone…”
Shen He was puzzled. “With your power over tamed spirit beasts, you can’t defeat the Demon Beast Spirit? Is it at the Nascent Soul stage? If so, no amount of helpers would matter.”
Zhang Sizhe hemmed and hawed for a while before murmuring, “I have a way to make the demon spirit ignore me, but I need someone to draw its attention outside. I originally tamed Little Black—you saw the Azure Flame Leopard—but…”
He was reluctant to risk his leopard, and demon beasts weren’t as quick to react or adapt as cultivators.
Shen He smiled faintly. He understood Zhang Sizhe’s thinking and didn’t comment, simply asking bluntly, “What do I get out of it?”
Zhang Sizhe’s face lit up with relief. He quickly said, “We split everything evenly. Techniques, secret arts—we each copy our own share. Consumables like pills, we divide half and half. How’s that?”
Shen He agreed readily. “Deal.”
Zhang Sizhe let out a breath of relief, and the two set off together toward the southeast side of the secret realm.
According to Zhang Sizhe, the abandoned buildings stretched broadly to the east, growing more chaotic the farther east one went, with spatial rifts that killed anyone who entered.
But spatial rifts meant unstable space, which made it easier to expose small hidden spaces once tucked away in mustard seed realms.
Zhang Sizhe possessed just such a Rectangular Jade Piece, like an identity token.
The piece was pure white throughout, etched with nine yin-script runes, apparently the key to a mustard seed space.
“That spot is in an underground cavern. Use the key to enter, and you’ll find a long, pitch-black corridor leading to a spacious area. The Demon Beast Spirit guards the central courtyard. At that point, trouble Daoyou to lure it away while I rush in to grab the goods.”
Zhang Sizhe’s plan was straightforward. “Then we each flee and regroup at the rendezvous point.”
Shen He objected, “What if you take the loot and run?”
Zhang Sizhe had anticipated this. Reluctantly, he handed over a Beast Taming Bag. “I’ll leave Little Black with you first. It can bring you to me.”
The Azure Flame Leopard was an early Foundation Establishment demon beast. If Zhang Sizhe bolted, the leopard would be Shen He’s, with minimal loss.
Shen He stowed the Beast Taming Bag and inquired about the Demon Beast Spirit.
“What is it exactly? A demon beast’s remnant soul?”
“Sort of, but not quite.” Zhang Sizhe’s tone was hesitant, but he explained in detail. “It’s a special extraction secret art that draws out a demon beast’s demon power, bloodline strength, and even innate divine abilities, then uses the beast’s divine soul as a binder to refine it into a cultivator’s second soul—similar to an external incarnation technique.”
Shen He suddenly recalled the golden demon beast shadow that Le Qingping and the youth had faced. He murmured, “I once saw cultivators trapped on a Beast Fighting Platform…”
“That’s just half-baked.”
Zhang Sizhe seemed well-versed. “Refining a Demon Beast Spirit greatly boosts a cultivator’s power and grants the demon race’s innate bloodline and divine abilities. Naturally, you compare beast strengths, hence the Beast Fighting Platform.
“That platform has a special technique to temporarily imprint a demon beast’s talents onto a puppet. By pitting two demon beast puppets against each other, it selects the strongest.”
Zhang Sizhe’s voice brimmed with longing and envy. “Legend says the mightiest cultivators can refine nine Demon Beast Spirits, fusing ancient demon race bloodline divine abilities into one, making them invincible. It’s exhilarating just to think about.”
Shen He’s heart sank abruptly.
Extracting demon beasts’ bloodline divine abilities? Nine Demon Beast Spirits? Wait—what had Jade Pendant Master said before?
The Nine Spirits Sect had an ancient formula to refine demon beast souls and bloodline power into the Nine Spirits Totem. It was a decent mid-tier immortal sect.
And most crucially, the Nine Spirits Sect had been wiped out by the Silent Night Demon Lord of Silent Night Palace—his own sect’s ancestor.
In an instant, cold sweat drenched Shen He’s back.
Had Zhang Sizhe obtained the Nine Spirits Sect’s heritage?
In a daze, Shen He recalled the Elder’s ramblings during a major lecture.
“…When out and about, unless you’re confident you can face any siege, don’t casually mention your sect or master’s name.
“You never know if your master carries karmic obstacles or bad luck that could drag you down.”
