A thousand li away from the Zhang family estate, Gu Han sat cross-legged inside a secluded mountain cave. He stuffs a divine, extraordinary saint herb with nine leaves into his mouth. A stream of pure soul power surged into his consciousness space, repairing his damaged divine soul. The law fragments contained within the herb slowly merged into his divine soul bit by bit.
He hadn’t expected that going to the Zhang family estate would bring an unexpected bonus. Though there were no Soul Crystals to be found, he’d gained a soul-replenishing saint herb! Mending his divine soul while advancing his cultivation was basically killing two birds with one stone!
***
Out in the wilderness, silence stretched everywhere. Within the shadows of the grass and trees, Ah Gou’s shadowy figure melded into the darkness, moving forward slowly yet steadily. After awakening fragments of his memories, he vaguely recalled that his home wasn’t here. He felt torn between returning to the Hehuan Sect to uncover his origins and finding that home.
Just then, his aura shuddered. In the next moment, he reverted to his human form and flew through the air. He crashed heavily to the ground as blood spilt from his mouth.
At the same time, the Hehuan Sect Master descended slowly before him. “Wretched beast! Where do you think you’re going?!”
Completely devoid of its earlier seductive allure, her voice was cold and shrill, laced with murderous intent. The red jade talisman trembled faintly in her hand. As long as she had that thing, finding Ah Gou was not a problem at all.
Suppressing her killing intent, she glared at the boy. “Speak! Did you pass information to that man?!”
Ah Gou struggled to his feet, staring blankly at her.
She clenched the jade talisman tightly. “Kneel!”
For the first time, Ah Gou didn’t kneel. In his dazed eyes, a hint of stubbornness emerged as he earnestly said, “I want... to be a person, not... a dog.”
The Hehuan Sect Master laughed coldly and waved the jade talisman. “The moment he carved that Slave Seal into your soul, you were destined to be a dog. You’ll never become a person in this life!”
Ah Gou fell silent for a moment. “But... My mother said... to be a person... Do you... know her?”
With a glimmer of hope in his eyes, he presented the colorful thread to her, as if seeking answers. “This is... what she gave me...”
The Hehuan Sect Master waved her hand, snatching the colorful thread. “Why would I know anything about your mother?! Remember this. As a dog, your eyes can only see your master. Nothing else! Including this!”
She pinched the thread, reducing nearly half of it into dust.
Ah Gou’s dazed eyes flickered with savagery. A towering demonic qi surged from within him, spreading to the horizon. As his eyes turned red, he roared like a wild beast, “Give... it... back!”
His demonic qi coalesced into a hundred-zhang-tall great demon projection. Mighty and imposing, it resembled a giant wolf with a single horn sprouting from its head.
The giant wolf raised its head and howled at the heavens, threatening to devour the sky and earth. Two pitch-black eyes, filled with endless violence and ferocity, fixed upon the Hehuan Sect Master. Even with her cultivation at the third stage of the Feather Transformation realm, an involuntary shiver ran through her heart.
She suddenly remembered the time when Ling Ya’s disciple had handed Ah Gou over to her. He repeatedly warned her that although she could command Ah Gou as she pleased, under no circumstances should she touch his colorful thread. Otherwise, Ah Gou would go completely berserk.
Though she’d followed those instructions, she’d never understood what they meant. Only now did she truly grasp the purpose of that colorful thread. It wasn’t given to Ah Gou out of kindness, nor to give him something to hold on to, but to suppress the ferocity buried deep within him.
She froze, then waved what remained of that colorful thread. “A-Ah Gou... I was only joking, don’t take it seriously.”
Ah Gou’s eyes remained bloodshot as the demonic qi around him slowly dissipated.
“H-how about I become your mother?”
Ah Gou remained unmoved. The Hehuan Sect Master didn’t dare act rashly either. Her right hand secretly formed a hand seal and channeled it into the jade talisman.
The boy convulsed violently, his eyes filled with pain and struggle. The great demon projection vanished. In the end, he clutched his head and rolled on the ground, unable to stop. After a moment, he gradually calmed down. All emotion in his eyes had vanished, leaving only blankness and a hint of ferocity.
After exhaling deeply in relief, the Hehuan Sect Master tested. “Ah Gou?”
Ah Gou kneeled immediately, as if nothing had ever happened. “Master.”
The Hehuan Sect Master patted her chest. “Good.”
This technique had also been given to her by that disciple. He said that if anything abnormal occurred, she could use the Slave Seal to erase all the emotions Ah Gou had developed and make him obedient once more. Even so, he still stared blankly at that colorful thread, as if this was the only thing he couldn’t forget.
“Do you want this thread back?”
Ah Gou nodded. “Yes.”
The Hehuan Sect Master was completely at ease, returning to her previous domineering demeanor. “Then find that man and that rooster for me, and I’ll return this to you!”
A glimmer of light flickered in Ah Gou’s eyes. “Yes, Master.”
Then, he transformed into a shadow, melting into his surroundings.
The Hehuan Sect Master immediately followed. “Just wait! This time, I’ll make sure you’re dead!”
***
As time passed inside the cave, Gu Han’s divine soul had already recovered by more than seventy percent. As more and more law fragments integrated into his divine soul, he grew stronger. The power of heaven and earth he could draw upon also increased.
Even among saint herbs, their quality differed, their growth periods varied, and the number of law fragments they contained also differed. An ordinary saint herb could advance a Saint realm cultivator by one minor realm. Meanwhile, a top-grade saint herb could advance a Saint realm cultivator by at least two to three minor realms.
Undoubtedly, that saint herb from the Zhang family estate was the latter. This was exactly why Elder Zhang had been so furious to the point he’d coughed up blood.
When Gu Han opened his eyes, his gaze was like lightning. A hint of boundless sharpness and fierceness flickered within, only to be completely concealed a moment later, returning to ordinary.
Though no Saint might manifested when he clenched his fist, it still shook the cave violently. “I feel great!”
Now, not only had his divine soul been restored by ninety percent, but his cultivation had already reached the fourth stage of the Saint realm. For the first time in a long while, he felt the peak of his former strength.