Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Is what you said true? If I become your spirit beast for a hundred years, you really won't kill me?"
A glimmer of relief flashed in the Nether Fox's eyes, but its tone carried a hint of doubt, as if it feared that Song Wen was toying with it.
"A gentleman's word is as unbreakable as a chariot pulled by four horses," Song Wen declared firmly.
Hearing this, the Nether Fox's eyes darted around.
"A hundred years is too long. How about ten years?"
Just moments ago, it had been trembling with fear that Song Wen might take its life. But upon hearing that Song Wen wanted to form a spirit beast contract with it, its mind began to stir again, pushing its luck and starting to bargain.
The greed of humans knows no bounds, and this was no exception.
Song Wen coldly replied, "It seems you are in no position to bargain."
The Nether Fox's voice trembled as it spoke.
"Fine, I agree. A hundred years it is."
"Open your mind and allow me to form the contract within your soul," Song Wen commanded.
Naturally, the Nether Fox was reluctant to form a spirit beast contract with Song Wen, but given the circumstances, it had no choice but to comply.
The Nether Fox obeyed, opening its consciousness and allowing Song Wen's spiritual sense to invade.
Having cultivated in the Beastmaster Sect for nearly twenty years, forming a spirit beast contract was a trivial matter for Song Wen.
However, the contract he formed with the Nether Fox was not an equal one, but a master-servant contract.
This meant that, until the contract was dissolved, the Nether Fox's life and death would be entirely in Song Wen's hands. With a single thought, Song Wen could obliterate its soul.
Yet, a master-servant contract was not without risks. Under certain circumstances, a spirit beast could potentially turn against its master.
After completing the spirit beast contract, Song Wen pointed to the shattered remnants of the wraith's spirit on the ground and asked, "Do you feed on wraiths?"
Having just been forced into a contract, the Nether Fox was in a foul mood, and its tone carried a hint of displeasure.
"So what if I do?"
"How do you find these wraiths in this Misty Ghost Realm?" Song Wen continued.
This was the real reason Song Wen had contracted the Nether Fox.
From the very beginning, Song Wen had no intention of killing the Nether Fox. He wanted to use it to locate wraiths, then devour their spirits to enhance his own spiritual power.
However, Song Wen was wary of the cunning Nether Fox potentially harboring ill intentions. Thus, he feigned the intent to kill it, forcing it into a master-servant contract.
The Nether Fox twitched its nose and said, "I have an innate ability to detect the scent of wraiths, even from great distances."
"How far can you detect them?" Song Wen asked.
"Several hundred miles, and the density of the ghost mist doesn't affect me," the Nether Fox replied.
Hearing this, Song Wen felt a surge of joy, mixed with astonishment.
He was amazed by the Nether Fox's powerful talent and its unique constitution.
Aside from the Nether Fox, Song Wen had never encountered any other creature that could completely ignore the corrosive effects of the ghost mist.
The "Corpse King's Rebirth Technique" that Song Wen practiced could only mitigate the ghost mist's influence on him, not completely negate it. Prolonged exposure to the ghost mist would still corrode him.
Even artifacts claimed to resist the ghost mist would eventually be corroded over time.
Even malevolent spirits couldn't fully resist the ghost mist's corrosion.
While malevolent spirits had a much higher resistance to the ghost mist compared to other beings, prolonged exposure would still transform them into mindless wraiths.
The black mist in the Misty Ghost Realm, though referred to as ghost mist, was fundamentally different from ordinary ghost energy. They were not the same substance.
Yet, the Nether Fox, a living creature, could completely resist the ghost mist and even detect wraiths from hundreds of miles away.
It was as if the Nether Fox had been specifically created by the heavens for the Misty Ghost Realm.
If Song Wen's earlier speculation was correct—that one day the Misty Ghost Realm would expand to cover the entire Chaotic Sea, the Endless Desert, and even the Tianyuan Continent—then perhaps, by that time, the Nether Fox would be the only creature capable of surviving in the entire Tianyuan Realm.
"Go capture some wraiths," Song Wen commanded in a stern tone.
"But..." The Nether Fox hesitated, stammering slightly.
"What?" Song Wen asked.
"There are no wraiths within several thousand miles around here," the Nether Fox replied.
"Didn't you just say that our battle would attract wraiths?" Song Wen questioned.
"That was a lie I told because I was afraid you would kill me," the Nether Fox admitted.
"Then where are the wraiths nearby?" Song Wen asked.
"I've eaten them all," the Nether Fox said.
At this point, Song Wen recalled that he hadn't encountered a single wraith during his journey here.
"Then go further away and capture as many wraiths as you can. The more, the better," Song Wen said coldly.
"This..." The Nether Fox hesitated, clearly troubled.
Song Wen's expression darkened, and his icy gaze swept over the creature.
"I'll go right away."
The Nether Fox immediately fell silent, then swiftly darted into the depths of the ghost mist, disappearing from sight.
Song Wen made his way to the center of the reef island, where a teleportation array was inscribed.
After confirming that the teleportation array was intact and still functional, Song Wen turned and headed to the western side of the island.
He entered a cave left behind by the Nether Shrine and began to meditate and cultivate.
A full half-month later, the Nether Fox finally returned.
It entered the cave without a word and opened its mouth to release a torrent of nearly a hundred wraiths, which filled the cave with mournful wails and roars.
These wraiths ranged from first to third tier, with the strongest being four peak third-tier wraiths.
The gathering of so many wraiths in the confined space of the cave created an ear-splitting cacophony of screams that could directly assault the souls of living beings.
Song Wen immediately felt a surge of resentment invade his consciousness, causing intense discomfort.
The Nether Fox, however, showed little reaction, clearly possessing a strong resistance to the wails of the wraiths.
It stood quietly to the side, its gaze fixed intently on Song Wen, as if anticipating something.
However, what happened next left it deeply disappointed.
After only a brief moment of discomfort, Song Wen quickly recovered and returned to normal.
His cold eyes turned toward the Nether Fox.
The fact that the Nether Fox had captured so many wraiths alive and then suddenly released them all at once was clearly a treacherous act.
It wanted to kill Song Wen, its master.
If Song Wen couldn't withstand the spiritual assault from these wraiths, his soul would suffer severe damage, leaving him in a state of stupor or unconsciousness.
The wraiths would then seize the opportunity to swarm and devour him completely.
Once Song Wen died, the contract between him and the Nether Fox would dissolve.
However, Song Wen remained unaffected by the spiritual assault of the wraiths.
The Nether Fox's eyes filled with intense fear and unease.
Suddenly, an unbearable, sharp pain erupted in its consciousness.
The Nether Fox's body stiffened, then collapsed to the ground, convulsing uncontrollably.
This was Song Wen activating the soul contract embedded in the Nether Fox's consciousness.
(End of the Chapter)
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