14: Chapter 14 Successfully Contracting a Soul!

"Benefactor, my arms are so sore!"

"My legs too... they don't feel like my own anymore."

"Huo Yuhao, they are so pitiful. Why don't we rest for a day?"

"Rest?"

Beside the morning stream, Huo Yuhao's voice broke through the complaints of Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan, as well as Tianmeng's plea.

He inserted a freshly whittled wooden stick beside the campfire, skewering a cleaned, plump river fish.

Only then did he turn his head, looking at the two girls who were exhausted to the point of collapse with his deep, emotionless eyes.

"Do you think that if yesterday's Iron-Skin Rhino hadn't been scared off by my Spiritual Shock, it would have given you time to rest?"

The two girls' complaints ceased abruptly.

"You have improved quickly, but that is only in comparison to yourselves."

Huo Yuhao's tone was calm, yet it made them feel an invisible pressure. "The Spirit Beasts in the outer perimeter of the Sunset Forest are mostly ten-year level and relatively mild in temperament.

But starting today, we are entering the central region; that is the territory of century-level Spirit Beasts."

Watching their faces turn serious instantly, he continued: "Remember, from now on, every encounter could be a life-or-death battle.

Soreness means you are still alive. Go wash up in the stream, loosen your joints, and we will depart in five minutes."

"Yes, Benefactor!"

Watching the two girls immediately perk up and run to the stream to massage each other's arms and legs, Tianmeng, perched on Huo Yuhao's shoulder, muttered, "Huo Yuhao, you are so strict with them."

Huo Yuhao did not answer, simply turning the grilled fish in silence and sprinkling some of his own spices on it.

Beside them, Gu Yuena opened her purple eyes and glanced indifferently at Huo Yuhao.

Then she glanced at the two girls by the stream, the corners of her mouth seemingly curling into an imperceptible arc.

She said nothing and closed her eyes again, continuing to sleep.

An hour later, the group had ventured deep into the dense forest.

The trees here were taller, the light dimmer, and the scent of Spirit Beasts permeating the air was significantly stronger and more dangerous than in the outer perimeter.

"Stop."

Huo Yuhao, who was walking at the front, suddenly raised his hand.

Jiang Nannan and Tang Ya, following behind him, immediately stopped, standing back-to-back and vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

After these few days of training, they had already developed basic combat instincts.

It was very quiet around them; even the chirping of insects and birds had vanished.

This silence itself was the greatest signal of danger.

"On the left, in the tree canopy at the ten o'clock position," Huo Yuhao reminded them in a very low voice.

The two immediately cast their gazes in that direction, but only saw dense leaves; in the dim light, they couldn't see what was there at all.

Suddenly, the leaves moved.

No, it didn't just move.

It was a black shadow that detached itself from the shadows and landed silently on a branch twenty meters away.

It was a lithe leopard, pitch black, without a single streak of other color, as if condensed from the purest darkness.

Its body had smooth muscle lines, filled with explosive power, and a pair of golden vertical pupils were coldly staring at the four uninvited guests below.

"It's a Shadow Leopard!"

Tang Ya exclaimed in a low voice, "Look at its size, it has at least three hundred years of cultivation!"

A century-level Spirit Beast!

And it was a Shadow Leopard, which excels in both speed and stealth!

Jiang Nannan's heart rate accelerated instantly, and her palms began to sweat.

"Grrr." A low, threatening sound came from the Shadow Leopard's throat.

The next second, it moved!

No charge, no roar.

Its figure disappeared directly from the branch, as if it had merged into the air.

"Careful!" Huo Yuhao warned.

But before his words had faded, the black shadow had already appeared at Tang Ya's side like a ghost!

Its speed was extreme; the naked eye could barely track its trajectory, seeing only a blurred black line!

A sharp claw flashing with cold light, accompanied by a shriek that tore through the air, slammed viciously toward Tang Ya's head!

Too fast!

Tang Ya's pupils contracted violently; her brain couldn't even react in time, but her body's instinct made her raise her scabbard to block.

But this hasty defense was as fragile as paper in front of a three-hundred-year Spirit Beast.

Jiang Nannan wanted to help, but she was still a few steps away from Tang Ya; it was simply too late!

It's over!

This was the only thought left in Tang Ya's mind.

Just at this critical moment.

A hand.

A hand that didn't look very sturdy, even possessing the delicacy of a youth.

Appeared out of thin air, grabbing the Shadow Leopard's powerful, steel-whip-like tail with extreme precision.

"Bang!"

A dull, loud noise.

The Shadow Leopard's lightning-fast forward momentum was forcefully stopped in mid-air by an irresistible, immense force!

Its sharp claws, capable of shattering rocks, were less than three inches from Tang Ya's cheek.

The fierce wind even made her cheek ache.

Time seemed to freeze at this moment.

Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan were stunned, looking at the scene before them in disbelief.

Huo Yuhao held the Shadow Leopard's tail with one hand, his arm extended horizontally, his expression unchanged.

As if what he was holding wasn't a fierce century-level Spirit Beast, but just a disobedient wild cat.

"Roar!"

The Shadow Leopard let out an angry and terrified roar, struggling frantically in mid-air, attempting to kick Huo Yuhao with its hind claws.

Huo Yuhao's eyes turned cold.

An indescribably vast Mental Energy, like an invisible iceberg, descended with a crash, pressing down fiercely on the Shadow Leopard's soul!

The Shadow Leopard's struggle stopped instantly.

Its body froze in mid-air, its golden pupils filled with unprecedented fear and horror.

In its perception, the human youth before it was simply not human!

Deep within his soul seemed to lie a dormant ancient Divinity, billions of times more terrifying than the emperor in the deepest part of the Star Dou Great Forest!

That was an absolute suppression originating from the level of life!

Huo Yuhao held it by its tail, lifting it in front of himself, meeting those terrified golden vertical pupils.

He spoke slowly, spitting out two cold words.

"Cease fire."

Huo Yuhao ignored the two girls behind him who were completely petrified. He carried the motionless Shadow Leopard to the clearing beside the stream.

He threw the Shadow Leopard on the ground. The century-level Spirit Beast that had been so fierce a moment ago was now like a frightened kitten, curled up on the ground, shivering, lacking even the courage to run away.

[Don't kill me...]

A thought filled with fear was transmitted to Huo Yuhao's mind through a spiritual link.

Huo Yuhao did not respond to it, but said to Electrolux in his Spiritual Sea: "Elder Yi, the contract formation, please."

[A small matter.]

The next moment, a faint gray light lit up on Huo Yuhao's fingertip.

Using his finger as a pen and his Mental Energy as ink, he quickly drew in the air.

Ancient, complex runes filled with the aura of death and order took shape under his fingertip.

Then they combined into an arcane formation, slowly imprinting onto the Shadow Leopard on the ground.

This was the Spirit Contract of Necromancy magic taught to him by Electrolux.

Of course, after Electrolux's modification, it was no longer the evil magic of forced enslavement.

Instead, it was an equal contract built on the foundation of spiritual resonance between both parties, though the process of signing it was usually not very "equal."

[What is this? What are you doing to my soul?!]

The Shadow Leopard felt that pressure from deep within its soul and instinctively began to resist.

Huo Yuhao shot a mental thought directly into its mind:

[I give you two choices. First, death. Second, become her partner and grow with her. I will grant you the possibility to break through your bloodline shackles and move toward greater strength.]

Huo Yuhao's thought pointed toward Tang Ya, who was still in a daze.

A flash of struggle crossed the Shadow Leopard's golden pupils.

The pride of a Spirit Beast made it unwilling to submit to a weak human, but the power deep within Huo Yuhao's soul, vast as a sea of stars, made it unable to harbor any thoughts of resistance.

In the end, the fear of death and the desire for strength overcame its pride.

[I... am willing.]

When this thought of submission came, the gray formation in the air shone brightly, instantly turning into countless runes that merged into the bodies of the Shadow Leopard and Tang Ya.

Tang Ya only felt her body jolt; a cold and swift power surged into her Spiritual Sea, connecting tightly with her soul.

She seemed to be able to feel the Shadow Leopard's fear, awe, and that longing for speed and shadows.

"Hum."

A bright yellow spirit ring slowly rose from beneath Tang Ya's feet.

The light of the spirit ring was very solid, far exceeding an ordinary century-level spirit ring.

A three-hundred-year spirit ring!

At the moment the contract was completed, the Shadow Leopard on the ground let out a low roar, and its entire body began to become illusory.

Finally, it turned into a mass of pure dark shadow, silently merging into the shadow beneath Tang Ya's feet.

Tang Ya subconsciously looked down; her shadow seemed a bit darker than usual. Looking closely, she could even see a vague leopard-shaped outline swimming within it.

She could feel that as long as she had a thought, this partner named "Shadow" could leap out from the shadow at any time to fight for her.

"Is... is this a Soul Spirit?" Tang Ya caressed the bright yellow spirit ring on her body, her voice trembling with excitement.

"Next, it's your turn." Huo Yuhao's gaze turned to Jiang Nannan.

With Tang Ya's successful case, what followed went much more smoothly.

Huo Yuhao's Spiritual Detection was fully deployed, like the most precise radar, scanning everything in the forest.

He spent another two days leading them to avoid some territories of overly powerful thousand-year Spirit Beasts.

Finally, near a damp swamp, he found a perfect target for Jiang Nannan.

It was a giant python over eight meters long, covered entirely in snow-white scales.

A four-hundred-year Spirit Beast, the White-Scaled Python.

Its scales had extremely strong defense, its body was incomparably flexible, and it was best at using its body for Binding and strangulation.

This characteristic perfectly matched the path Huo Yuhao envisioned for Jiang Nannan to use a soft whip for crowd control and combat in the future.

The process of the battle had no suspense.

Under the suppression of Huo Yuhao's absolute strength, this four-hundred-year White-Scaled Python couldn't even put up a decent resistance before signing the soul contract.

A bright yellow spirit ring also rose from beneath Jiang Nannan's feet.

After the contract was completed, the giant White-Scaled Python's body shrank rapidly.

Finally, it turned into a small snake, only as thick as an arm and crystal clear like jade, which affectionately coiled around Jiang Nannan's wrist, occasionally rubbing its little head against the back of her hand.

Night.

The campfire crackled, dispelling the chill and darkness of the forest.

Tang Ya and Jiang Nannan sat side by side, their faces overflowing with undisguised excitement and joy.

Tang Ya would look down at her shadow from time to time; with a thought, the Shadow Leopard in the shadow would poke its head out, looking at her curiously with its golden pupils, then retract.

Jiang Nannan reached out, carefully stroking the little white-scaled snake coiled around her wrist.

The little snake seemed to like her stroking, comfortably narrowing its eyes.

This feeling was too wonderful.

They not only obtained the spirit rings they had dreamed of and greatly increased their strength, but they also possessed a Spirit Beast partner that they could communicate with and grow together with.

Moreover, all of this involved no killing.

Jiang Nannan looked across the campfire at the youth who was resting with his eyes closed.

His profile, illuminated by the firelight, appeared exceptionally tranquil and mysterious.

She hesitated for a long time, finally summoning the courage to ask in a low voice: "Benefactor, why... why has no one on the continent ever used this kind of... non-lethal contract method?"

Tang Ya also looked over curiously.

Huo Yuhao slowly opened his eyes.

He did not answer immediately, but silently watched the flickering flames before him.

In those deep eyes, it seemed as if thousands of stars were reflected, and as if endless vicissitudes were hidden.

After a good while, he said softly in a tone that was almost a sigh:

"Because the hatred between Spirit Masters and Spirit Beasts is too deep, just like how carnivores must eat herbivores."

"Human Spirit Masters must rely on hunting Spirit Beasts to increase their strength."

His voice was very light, yet it weighed on the two girls' hearts like a heavy boulder.

After Huo Yuhao finished speaking, he said no more, simply casting his gaze toward the distant south.

The training in the Sunset Forest had come to an end.

In a few more days of travel would be the largest and most mysterious Spirit Beast paradise on the Douluo Continent.

The Star Dou Great Forest.

There lay his final destination for this trip, as well as a... destiny that he was fated to face.