"That's my secret," Jiang Chen said with a faint smile.
"Secret?" The Spirit Grade beast chuckled. "You've entered my territory, a mere human, and you dare speak of secrets to me?"
"That's right — a secret. Either way, I'm already in here, and I never expected to leave alive. You don't even need to lift a finger; those Sword Birds could finish me off easily enough." Jiang Chen was past caring — like a dead pig that no longer feared scalding water.
"Ha ha, you humans are truly amusing. In all the past ages, every human who's set foot in my domain — unless I couldn't defeat them, naturally — not a single one has left alive. But you… I don't plan to kill."
"Because I understand the ancient Beast Language?" Jiang Chen asked in a low voice.
"No." The Spirit Grade beast shook its head. "Because from the moment you entered my territory, there's been a certain power lurking within you — a terrifying power. I can no longer sense it now, but I'm certain that an unimaginable force is slumbering somewhere inside you."
"Oh?" Jiang Chen was thrown off by the remark.
If the beast had said he was full of knowledge and theory, he'd agree without hesitation. But hidden, terrifying power? Where had that come from?
"Don't bother doubting it. You haven't even entered the Spirit Realm yet — your Spirit Sea hasn't opened — so of course you can't perceive that kind of aura."
Only by entering the Spirit Realm could one unlock the Spirit Sea and begin cultivating spiritual energy.
Of the four Divine Abilities that complemented the Moon-Shattering Flying Knife, one was called the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance, and it too required the Spirit Realm before it could be practiced.
"So you're afraid of this power in me?"
"Heh, afraid?" The Spirit Grade beast laughed. "As you yourself said, those Sword Birds could destroy you ten thousand times over. What would I have to fear from you?"
"If you're not afraid, and I've trespassed into your territory, what reason could you possibly have for letting me go?"
"Human, don't try to provoke me. I've been here for untold ages — do you really think some mere mortal could rile me up so easily? It's simply that I sensed a mysterious power in you, one that seems to transcend the laws of this plane. And that very power is what we've been waiting for through millennia of slumber — it's a kind of hope."
"Hope?" Jiang Chen was more confused than ever.
"Yes, hope — the hope of leaving this place!" A look of ancient, weathered sorrow flickered through the Spirit Grade beast's eyes.
"Leaving? Don't be ridiculous. With your kind of power, leaving shouldn't be difficult at all."
"That just goes to show you're still a mortal. You haven't cultivated spiritual energy, so how could you possibly detect the inescapable web of formations that blankets this endless cavern?"
"This Endless Cavern was carved out by some powerful being from another plane, using immense Divine Ability. It contains formation arrays of terrifying prohibition. Those below the Spirit Realm can come and go freely. But every one of us inside bears a seal imprinted to resonate with the formation — the moment we try to leave, we trigger the array, and heavenly fire and lightning strike simultaneously, killing us on the spot."
"So the Endless Cavern is open to the outside world, but those of you trapped inside can never leave?"
"Not entirely. Those below the Spirit Realm — like these Sword Birds — can still come and go as they please." The Spirit Grade beast let out a soft sigh, its gaze tinged with melancholy.
Jiang Chen fell silent. In the beast's eyes he read a weariness born of countless ages confined — an emptiness not unlike the million-year void of his own previous life. Loneliness. Helplessness.
"Human, most of the time I spend here is in slumber. I don't want to stay awake — wakefulness burns through my spiritual energy, my mental strength. And in this Endless Cavern, we can't cultivate at all. So most of the time, we'd rather sleep. Unless some oblivious fool stumbles in and disturbs us. Do you know why almost no one who enters here ever makes it back out?"
"I know. Because they disturb you and drain your spiritual energy and mental strength." Jiang Chen understood.
"You're sharp. That's exactly why you're the only human I don't want to kill. Because I'd like to make a deal with you."
"A deal?" Jiang Chen blinked.
"Yes." The Spirit Grade beast sighed again. "I know this is a bit absurd. But in that moment, I genuinely felt a trace of power in you that doesn't belong to this plane. Perhaps, someday, something incredible will happen through you — some miracle beyond imagination. Consider it the ravings of a lonely old beast, or perhaps just a delusion. But even if it is, I don't want to let the chance slip…"
There was no denying it — the Spirit Grade beast had been trapped for far too long and had developed quite the tendency to ramble.
"Get to the point," Jiang Chen urged.
"Mm. The deal is simple. I'll let you go — I'll even pledge my loyalty to you — as long as you swear an oath that when you have the power to break the seal inside me, you'll get me out of this place. You have no idea how suffocating it is being stuck in this wretched realm. I'd rather be your servant out in the world than endure this endless solitude."
"That's it?" Jiang Chen could hardly believe it could be so straightforward.
"That's it." The Spirit Grade beast nodded, and genuine sincerity shone in its eyes.
It seemed that loneliness and emptiness truly could break anything — even a mighty Spirit Beast like this.
"Heavenly Oaths are absolutely binding. Think carefully before you speak," the Spirit Grade beast reminded him once more.
Jiang Chen smiled. He was the reincarnated son of the Heavenly Emperor — he knew the weight of a Heavenly Oath all too well. Not even the Heavenly Emperor himself would dare defy one.
The Spirit Grade beast stared fixedly at Jiang Chen, a flicker of anxiety crossing its features, afraid the human might refuse.
Jiang Chen rubbed his stomach and grinned lazily. "If you can find me something to eat right now, we've got a deal."
"Really?" The Spirit Grade beast's eyes lit up.
"I can swear the oath, but I can't guarantee a timeline. When it comes to formations and your seal, I'm completely in the dark as of now."