Chapter 60: Ungrateful Heartless Immortal Venerable Part 2

But he still slammed the cage door shut with a resounding “bang,” sealing Hu Wu inside completely.

Hu Wu shuddered. Only after Zhou Si left did he begin sobbing louder and louder within the cage.

Zhou Si returned to the stone platform in the Sleeping Palace as usual, sitting cross-legged in an attempt to meditate.

Yet the cries echoing from the Back Mountain pierced his ears like demonic incantations, relentlessly disrupting his mind.

No. Zhou Si finally opened his eyes.

Why was this fox so noisy?

Even stranger, a inexplicable pang twisted in his chest.

Zhou Si parted his wide robes. His once-flat abdomen now bore a clear bulge, and the stagnant, alien demon power within churned restlessly.

Pain beaded cold sweat on his forehead.

He had no choice but to rise and stride back to the cage.

Spotting Zhou Si’s return, Hu Wu fell instantly silent in fright.

Zhou Si yanked open the cage door and dragged Hu Wu out.

Uncertain of his intentions, Hu Wu squeezed his eyes shut in terror. Moments later, he felt a familiar, oppressive surge of power.

Hu Wu looked up. They were so close now that he caught sight of Zhou Si’s swollen belly and understood at once.

Zhou Si’s stomach pained him, the demon power within roiling. He was using Hu Wu as an outlet—or rather, a tool to vent the demon power.

Yet because the demon power mark originated from Hu Wu himself, even Zhou Si’s spiritual power felt like a great tonic to him. He sensed no pain at all.

Hu Wu reacted swiftly, without a second’s hesitation. The instant the power flowed in, he let out a agonized scream and thrashed on the ground, his performance utterly convincing.

Zhou Si directed the power, but his heart stirred. This transfer… felt exceptionally smooth.

With the unintelligent demon foxes before, forcing cultivation into them had been like pushing water through a needle—immense resistance. But with this shapeshifting fox demon, it flowed as easily as pouring water from one cup to another, with almost no obstruction.

Could it be… because this fox had awakened intelligence and taken human form, making it closer to the source of the demon seal in his body, thus greater compatibility?

Was that why the herbs it had touched allowed him to refine the demon power more precisely?

This realization temporarily quelled Zhou Si’s irritation. For now, this fox held considerable value to him. He decided not to dwell on it further.

Still, the amount of cultivation transferable through mere skin contact remained limited. For someone whose cultivation ran as deep as an endless sea, it was merely like ladling out water one scoop at a time.

Zhou Si maintained the posture of pinching the scruff of Hu Wu’s neck for a long time, until even Hu Wu grew tired of pretending to be in pain.

Zhou Si himself found the position quite awkward as well, making it impossible to settle his mind and focus.

He desperately wanted to sit in meditation and adjust his condition, but he nearly ended up pressing the fox’s head onto his own knee. Realizing how improper that would be, he furrowed his brows deeply.

Finally, beneath Hu Wu’s incredulous gaze,

Zhou Si actually lifted his robe, crouched down, and sat right on Hu Wu’s back, treating him like a living cushion.

“……”

“?”

Hu Wu froze completely. This person had sat on him before, but this “sit” was nothing like the previous one.

Was he supposed to keep wailing while being used as a seat cushion? The difficulty level was simply too high.

Feeling utterly aggrieved, Hu Wu simply squeezed his eyes shut, lolled his head to the side, and “fainted” on the spot.

Two hours passed. Zhou Si opened his eyes after finishing his meditation.

For some reason, this fox’s breathing felt steady and even, almost as if… he had fallen asleep?

Something didn’t seem right.

Just as he prepared to inspect more closely, the Little Attendant outside bowed and announced that the Sect Master had summoned him.

Zhou Si had no choice but to release Hu Wu. His figure blurred in a flash, transforming into a streak of flowing light. In almost an instant, he arrived outside the Soaring Firmament Treasure Hall where the Sect Master resided.

Straightening his robes, he strode inside.

“Shizun.”

The Sect Master nodded and got straight to the point, issuing his instructions.

The new edition of the Cloudmist Secret Realm was about to open, and the sect required Zhou Si to lead the team once more.

The secret realm’s opening was a grand event across the entire Cultivation World. Rising disciples from all the major sects would participate, engaging in covert rivalries that affected their sect’s prestige and future resource allocations.

As Xuanxiao Sect’s most dazzling genius of the younger generation, Zhou Si symbolized the sect’s strength. The Sect Master needed him to make an appearance, proclaiming to the whole Cultivation World that this genius had not fallen in the Human-Demon War and that Xuanxiao Sect remained as prosperous as ever. It would give them a crucial edge in the battles for resources to come.

Yet the Sect Master’s gaze toward Zhou Si held a trace of worry. “And how is your body holding up? Secret realms are full of unpredictable dangers.”

Zhou Si’s expression remained calm, his wide robes artfully concealing the anomaly in his abdomen. “Thank you for your concern, Shizun. Disciple has preliminarily controlled the snake venom within. I can now access roughly fifty percent of my cultivation, more than enough to handle the secret realm affairs.”

The Sect Master pondered briefly before cautioning him. “Even so, exercise utmost caution. Overexerting your spiritual power could hasten the venom’s spread.”

He shifted topics. “I’ve heard you’ve been imprisoning quite a few demon foxes in the Back Mountain lately, rather than slaying them outright?

In my opinion, since we know fox demons are behind this mischief, exterminating every last one in the area should uproot the problem entirely. Once the host perishes, the demon seal will naturally dissipate.”

Zhou Si paused at those words, struck once more by that inexplicable palpitation in his heart.

It happened every time he tried to kill a fox demon. It compelled him to delay instinctively, hoarding them in the Back Mountain like some obsessive collector.

But he had never breathed a word of this to anyone—not even about his gradually swelling belly.

Zhou Si replied measuredly, “Disciple has found that this demon seal… appears to have a slight suppressive effect on the snake venom. That’s why I’ve spared their lives for now…”

The Sect Master was already at his wits’ end over Zhou Si’s injury, having exhausted every method with scant results. Hearing the conviction in Zhou Si’s voice, he chose not to probe further and simply sighed.

“Very well, then. Use your judgment. If you require any spiritual materials or rare treasures, speak up. The entire sect will scour heaven and earth to procure them for you.”

“Thank you, Shizun.” Zhou Si bowed deeply. “If there’s nothing else, Disciple will take his leave to prepare for the secret realm.”

~~~

Meanwhile, Hu Wu huddled miserably inside the cage, performing some desperate calculations.

If Zhou Si truly treated him like a “cushion” every single day, force-feeding him that lethal cultivation at this pace, the demon power building up inside him would hit the sect’s Demon-Slaying Formation threshold in a matter of months—he wouldn’t last.

The memory of that golden thunderbolt crashing from the heavens, instantly charring the giant fox to cinders, sent an involuntary shudder through him.

Right then, Zhou Si returned.

Hu Wu immediately fixed him with the most pitiful, innocent stare he could muster, but Zhou Si’s eyes showed not the slightest ripple. Without a second thought, he unlatched the cage and hauled Hu Wu out.

Hu Wu drew a deep breath, steeling himself to wail.

He’d barely gotten half a howl out when he realized Zhou Si wasn’t pinning him down to transmit cultivation this time. Instead, the man produced a rope shimmering faintly with spiritual light and slipped it around his neck.

Even a rope warranted a cry?

Zhou Si eyed him oddly. The fox snapped his mouth shut in guilty haste, managing only a pathetic whimper.

This fox was far too chatty.

Zhou Si was growing accustomed to it and paid him no mind.

He rummaged briefly in his Storage Ring and withdrew a crystal-clear pearl the size of a longan fruit.

Swirling mists churned within the pearl. Before Hu Wu could identify the artifact,

Zhou Si’s fingertip gleamed with spiritual light. Hu Wu’s vision swam, and in the next breath, he found himself trapped in a cramped, empty space ringed by transparent barriers.

It was the pearl’s interior.

Panicking, he pounded frantically on the glassy walls, watching Zhou Si’s figure loom enormous and hazy outside before the man casually pocketed the pearl in his voluminous sleeve.

Wait—this had to be one of those Spirit-Nurturing Pearls, made specially for transporting spirit beasts!

Damn it… animal treatment no matter what. Hu Wu deflated utterly and shifted into his fox form, ears drooping limply.

Through the pearl’s walls, he could vaguely sense the outside world.

Zhou Si seemed to be finishing his pre-departure preparations; faint vibrations rippled through the sleeve space as other items were stowed. Then powerful spatial fluctuations erupted outside as Zhou Si became a brilliant streak of flowing light, soaring skyward.

Hu Wu tumbled wildly inside the sleeve pocket with the momentum. He finally righted the pearl and strained toward the sleeve’s mouth, desperate for a glimpse outside.

Zhou Si was hurtling toward the sect’s edge, straight at the formidable Guardian Formation.

Hu Wu’s heart shot into his throat. He squeezed his eyes shut in terror, bracing for the Demon-Slaying Divine Thunder to shatter the pearl and obliterate him.

But Zhou Si’s spiritual power enveloped both him and the pearl. The formation’s glow flickered past, and they emerged unscathed!

Once things steadied, Hu Wu peered out again. Zhou Si wasn’t traveling alone. Flanking him were several cultivators clad in Xuanxiao Sect elder robes, along with a throng of young disciples in matching uniforms—their faces alight with excitement or taut with nerves.

They rode an array of flying artifacts, some borne by the elders, advancing in a mighty procession.

A spark of realization hit Hu Wu. He recalled Ji Huai mentioning this secret realm expedition before.

And sure enough, amid the sword-riding crowd below, Ji Huai stood out prominently.

Ji Huai gazed upward at Zhou Si’s distant figure, radiating its signature icy, overwhelming aura. His emotions churned in a tangled mix.

Although Ji Huai had long since forced himself to separate the legendary Immortal Venerable Zhou Si of the sect from the Zhou Si etched in his memories, every encounter still left him uneasy—especially when he remembered that 05’s life still hung by a thread.

Zhou Si paid no attention to the group trailing behind him. With a wave of his magic, he tore open a rift in the void ahead and led everyone through.

In the blink of an eye, the entrance to the Secret Realm appeared before them—a swirling vortex of bizarre, kaleidoscopic lights.

Zhou Si settled his disciples in a safe spot near the entrance, then alighted on a tall outcrop of mountain rock. He sat cross-legged, closed his eyes to meditate, and quietly awaited the arrival of the other sects’ teams.

Ji Huai’s gaze drifted once more, unbidden, to the solitary, imposing figure atop the rock.

During one casual sweep of his eyes, he suddenly noticed something clutched in Zhou Si’s hand, dangling idly at his side—a crystalline pearl that he toyed with absently.

Ever since embarking on the path of cultivation, Ji Huai’s vision had far surpassed that of any mortal. Focusing intently, he peered closer, and a tempestuous wave crashed through his heart.

Trapped inside that pearl… was there a fox with fur as fiery red as flames?

05?

No. It couldn’t be.

Yet the Immortal Venerable had no known spirit beast companions, and spirit foxes were invariably snow-white.

Ji Huai grew deeply unsettled, a cold sweat breaking out across his skin. At last, he seized on an excuse—asking the sect elders about precautions for the Secret Realm—and slipped into their midst, edging subtly closer to Zhou Si’s perch.

Meanwhile, Hu Wu, imprisoned within the pearl, had locked eyes on Ji Huai amid the crowd below.

Overjoyed, he spun in frantic circles inside his confinement.

They had finally escaped that infernal grand formation of the Xuanxiao Sect. If only he could seize the right moment, he might slip free from Zhou Si’s clutches and reclaim his freedom!

He desperately hoped Ji Huai would spot him and lend aid. In his frenzy, he battered the inner walls with his paws—

Only to look up and see Zhou Si gazing down at him with lowered eyes. The Immortal Venerable then glanced toward the elders below, his brows knitting faintly.

Terrified, Hu Wu curled into a tight ball.