Chapter 28: The Beast Egg… Hatched??

“It was just a clone!?”

A clone that strong, almost defeating them all—how terrifying would the original be…

The crowd collectively gasped in shock, each gripping their swords tightly, eyes scanning the surroundings, dreading the return of the Demon King.

Chu Sang said, “Don’t worry, he’s not coming back.”

Yan Wangxing had always been insidious and deceitful. A few months ago, he was gravely injured by the Eight Great Immortal Sects and almost kicked the bucket. Anyone with half a brain wouldn’t risk coming to the cultivation world in their true form.

Chu Sang had guessed this from the start. Yan Wangxing likely sent a clone to test the waters and flirt with some girls. Otherwise, why would he self-destruct so readily?

Yan Wangxing wasn’t foolish enough to go down with his enemies.

However, this man had been arrogant and reckless for decades, enjoying smooth sailing. This was probably the first time he’d been humiliated this badly… Uh, Chu Sang figured she’d probably landed on his blacklist. She’d better stay low from now on.

“No wonder he was taken down so quickly. I was beginning to think the Demon Realm had become that weak.” Tantai Ming snorted, regretting that he didn’t manage to sever the guy’s right hand.

“Although we only defeated a clone, it still had the strength of an early Nascent Soul cultivator. This formation can only resist demonic cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage and will hold for at most another half-hour. When are the elders from your sect arriving?”

Chu Sang looked at the disciples of the sect. “If your sect’s reinforcements can’t arrive in time, we must evacuate the civilians outside the city, or else…”

Before she could finish, a crisp “crack!” sounded from her body.

She thought she had misheard, but then a few more cracking sounds followed, as if something was breaking apart.

“What is…?”

What?

She watched wide-eyed as a small black shadow emerged from within her, shooting out like a cannonball, and in the blink of an eye, it rushed into the barrier. Though small in size, it opened its mouth wide and devoured the massive black aura within the barrier in one gulp.

Everyone was stunned.

“What the heck? Did anyone see what just flew past?”

“Did I see that right? It looked like a small beast, and it swallowed the demonic energy?”

“No way! Demonic energy being consumed? This is bizarre, I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

Chu Sang was equally dumbfounded. After the small black shadow swallowed the demonic energy, it licked its mouth contentedly, floated elegantly through the air for a few steps, and then darted into her arms, rubbing against her arm affectionately. In a soft, sticky voice, it said:

“Awoo~”

Mommy~

Chu Sang, now an unexpected mother, “…”

Did she just… understand beast language?!

She stared blankly at the small creature in her arms, no bigger than her palm. Its entire body was pitch black, like fine ink jade, and it looked like a tiny kitten. However, its ears were unusually large, sharp, and upright, with a tuft of white fur at the tips.

It tilted its head, gazing at Chu Sang with a mixture of confusion and joy. Its large, round beastly eyes were a deep, glistening purple, making it irresistibly adorable.

True animal-lover Chu Sang thought,...so cute, I just want to sit on it and squish it.

The little beast blinked its wide eyes, “??!”

She reached out and stroked its head. “You’re so black, I’ll call you Xiao Bai ^[1]Little White from now on.”

“??!”

Xiao Bai stared at his “mommy” in disbelief, thinking that something seemed very off about her.

Since it had just hatched, its fur was still wet. Xiao Bai, feeling a bit uncomfortable, shook its body and stuck out its tiny pink tongue to lick itself. After painstakingly smoothing its fur, Chu Sang’s hand once again ruffled it in the opposite direction.

Frustrated, Xiao Bai opened its mouth and gently bit her finger with its sharp little teeth, leaving only a shallow mark that healed in an instant.

While Chu Sang and Xiao Bai were enjoying their bonding moment, the others had gathered around, their faces full of disbelief.

That little beast had just devoured all that demonic energy? Would it be okay?

“A spirit beast that can consume demonic energy… I’ve only read about it once in the sect’s ancient texts. It’s said that this sacred-level spirit beast, the Devouring Beast, has long been extinct,” muttered Shang Ziling in a low voice. “The Devouring Beast is born from the world’s spiritual energy and can consume all things, transforming them into energy to aid its growth.”

So mere demonic energy was nothing.

Her third senior sister’s “Great black egg” was unexpectedly this powerful—like pulling an SP character from a gacha game!

As for why it hadn’t hatched earlier, it was likely due to insufficient energy. The massive amount of demonic energy, equivalent to a Nascent Soul-level self-destruction, had given Xiao Bai a timely meal, allowing it to hatch.

But before, no matter how many spirit stones she gave it, the egg wouldn’t break. If it needed this much energy to hatch, wouldn’t it require even more spirit stones to grow?

Chu Sang’s joy vanished in an instant. She frowned. This isn’t a treasure—it’s a money pit!

“A spirit beast will only ever serve one master. Even if others wanted to steal it, they can’t. You’re so lucky!” Lin Qi was nearly in tears with envy.

Chu Sang, “Huh? I can’t pass it on?”

This! This was the end of her!

“Congratulations, young friend,” said Cui Xiu, smiling. “Fortune and talent are essential on the path of cultivation, often outweighing mere effort and diligence. You possess both, a true favorite of the heavens. Which sect are you from? If you don’t mind, why not join our Baxiang Sect?”

He had never heard of such a talented female cultivator before. In all the inter-sect competitions over the years, there hadn’t been a single mention of her.

Cui Xiu concluded that Chu Sang was likely a disciple of a small family or an unaffiliated rogue cultivator.

Such talent in a talisman user would be wasted outside of a formal sect.

He had other plans, but he genuinely valued talent.

“Senior brother, she’s just…” Lin Jing tried to interrupt.

Cui Xiu shot him a glance, and Lin Jing immediately fell silent. Turning to meet Tantai Ming and Ling Yu’s subtle glances, Cui Xiu smiled faintly and continued, “The Baxiang Sect may not have the thousand-year foundations of some great sects, but with its focus on talismans, it ranks among the Eight Great Immortal Sects. For centuries, we’ve trained countless talisman and formation masters.”

“The highest authority in talismanic cultivation, Master Zong Yan, is one of our sect’s founding ancestors.”

“With talent like yours, our sect would dedicate all its resources to nurturing you.”

Tantai Ming and Ling Yu pressed their lips tightly together. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t stand by and let another sect openly try to poach their junior sister.

But the truth was, this man was right. With her extraordinary talent, it would be wasted in their declining sect, which didn’t even have a senior talisman instructor.

They couldn’t bear to part with their junior sister, but they hoped even more that she could go further along the path of talisman crafting, something she loved.

A person as outstanding as her should naturally shine in her own right and be known throughout the cultivation world.

“Junior Sister, perhaps you should…” Tantai Ming pressed his dry lips together, his eyes slightly reddening.

“I’m truly sorry, but I already belong to a sect, so I must decline your kind offer,” Chu Sang said, patting Xiao Bai’s head and returning him to the pet pouch. She smiled slightly at Cui Xiu. “Besides, I’m rather rebellious by nature—I like to challenge the impossible.”

“A sect that’s too powerful doesn’t feel challenging enough.” She confidently grabbed her two senior brothers by the arms and smiled brightly.

Cui Xiu’s smile froze.

What kind of twisted logic is that??

[Villain Tantai Ming’s Corruption Level -1. Host gains 1 freely assignable attribute point!]

[Current Corruption Level of Tantai Ming: 9]

[Villain Ling Yu’s Corruption Level -1. Host gains 1 freely assignable attribute point!]

[Current Corruption Level of Ling Yu: 93]

[Two points available for free attribute distribution. Host, please select attribute to enhance—]

Lin Jing crossed his arms and snorted coldly. “You really don’t know what’s good for you. Our senior brother personally came to invite you, and you actually dared to refuse? Do you even know how many talisman practitioners dream of joining the Baxiang Sect?”

Before he could continue, Cui Xiu frowned and scolded, “Enough. No need to say more. Since it’s her choice, we should respect it.”

“My junior brother can be reckless at times. I apologize for the offense,” Cui Xiu said with a polite smile, pausing before adding, “I heard from Lin Qi that your Speed Talisman can increase a cultivator’s speed tenfold, and it works across all cultivation levels. Is that true? Could I take a look?”

To be honest, Cui Xiu hadn’t given much thought to this seemingly crude Speed Talisman before. But now, he had no choice but to take it seriously.

“Sure.”

Chu Sang didn’t mind. Since she didn’t have any spare Speed Talismans, she simply pulled out a yellow talisman paper and drew one on the spot.

Cui Xiu watched her every move intently. While the Speed Talisman was merely a basic talisman, and his success rate for drawing such talismans was nearly 100%, he had to admit that her fluid technique was something even he found challenging.

When she finished, Cui Xiu took the talisman and, after a glance, his smile disappeared.

“…You altered the symbols?”

Even Cui Xiu couldn’t hide his shock.

“Yes, the connection between Water and Earth elements here is overly redundant. It’s too cumbersome, so I changed it as I was drawing,” Chu Sang replied casually.

Her response earned her stunned gazes from all the Baxiang Sect disciples.

Any cultivator with a basic understanding of talisman crafting knew how risky it was to modify an existing talisman’s symbols. One wrong stroke could render the entire talisman useless, or even cause a backlash against the user.

Even the elders of their sect, who were well-versed in talisman crafting, would approach such changes with extreme caution. Yet, she had made the modification so effortlessly?

“I look forward to crossing paths again, to discuss talisman crafting in depth,” Cui Xiu said, though he was clearly unwilling to let go. “If you ever reconsider joining the Baxiang Sect, our doors are always open.”

After the three left, Lin Jing could no longer hold back. He looked dissatisfied. “Senior Brother, why treat her so courteously? She’s just from some minor sect. If she’s succeeded, it’s probably just by luck!”

“Could you, by luck, find the flaw in the Demon Trapping Formation and repair it? Or, by luck, draw a Speed Talisman that increases a cultivator’s speed tenfold?” Cui Xiu sighed when he saw the younger man speechless. “Three years from now, during the sect competition, she will be a formidable opponent.”

Cui Xiu was perceptive. With Chu Sang’s talent and strength, there was no way she would remain unknown forever. Sooner or later, she would shine brightly across the cultivation world.

He had a strong feeling that this wouldn’t take long—it could happen quite soon.

And when that time came, if they weren’t allies, they would be rivals.

A very powerful rival.

If possible, the Baxiang Sect would be wise not to stand in opposition to her.

Cui Xiu had always trusted his instincts.

Meanwhile, the Myriad Sword Sect had also extended an olive branch to Chu Sang, but she declined them as well. Shang Ziling wasn’t too disappointed—after all, Chu Sang was a talisman practitioner, and posed little threat to them. If they could become friends, all the better.

Qin Xixue, however, was feeling miserable. Why could Chu Sang get a sacred-grade beast and be courted by two sects?

“Ah, I almost forgot about you.”

Shang Ziling turned her gaze towards Qin Xixue, her eyes filled with curiosity. “From the way the Demon King spoke earlier, it seems the two of you know each other?”

At her words, everyone suddenly recalled the earlier scene and looked at Qin Xixue with suspicion and caution.

“You know the Demon King?”

Though framed as a question, everyone could tell from the tone that it was a certainty. After all, the Demon King wouldn’t have said what he did if they didn’t know each other.

“I…” Qin Xixue bit her lip, her fingers clenched tightly within her sleeves as panic and fear gripped her heart.

For a disciple of an immortal sect, having ties to the demonic clans was a grave offense, let alone with the Demon King himself. She could very well be expelled from the sect. “Yes, I know him, but I didn’t know he was the Demon King!”

“I met him while traveling recently. He was injured, and I thought he was just an ordinary cultivator!”

Her voice was firm, her eyes welling up with tears. She looked so pitiful and wronged that it seemed as though she had been deceived. “I had no idea he was the Demon King! He concealed his identity and tricked me. It’s despicable!”

Wow. No wonder she’s the female lead. Her ability to adapt to the situation and turn the tables was impressive.

“Are you certain you have no other connection with the Demon King?” Shang Ziling still had her doubts, but Qin Xixue’s explanation left little room for scrutiny.

The Demon King could perfectly mask his aura. Ordinary cultivators wouldn’t be able to discern his true identity.

Mo Qingchen also showed rare displeasure, his voice cold and stern. “As righteous cultivators, we must distinguish between good and evil. We cannot associate with demons. From now on, sever all contact with him and avoid straying onto a dangerous path.”

Qin Xixue lowered her head, hiding the resentment in her eyes. “Yes…”

Mo Qingchen, though still somewhat suspicious, chose to trust her as she was his junior sister. “Good, as long as you understand your mistake.”

Mo Qingchen harbored deep hatred for the demonic clans, as they had been responsible for the destruction of his family. This had driven him to become a righteous sword cultivator, dedicated to eradicating evil. He showed no mercy toward the demons who had ruined his life, killing them wherever he found them.

In the original story, his fierce rivalry with Yan Wangxing was one of the most dramatic conflicts, keeping readers enthralled with their frequent battles.