"I'm screwed!" Shen Haoran cried out. 'I've been too naive. I thought the Taotie disguised itself as a Sword Spirit because it wasn't sure it could devour me. Who knew it was just looking for the easiest, most effortless way to take me down!'
'It looks like I still have so much to learn!' The prerequisite, of course, was surviving the Taotie… Looking at the aggressive little beast, Shen Haoran didn't know whether to laugh or cry. 'Surviving an Ancient Divine Beast Taotie is going to be a little difficult, isn't it!' But no matter how difficult it was, Shen Haoran would fight with everything he had!
While Shen Haoran was lost in thought, the little beast that was the Taotie shot toward him like a bolt of lightning. Shen Haoran, of course, wasn't just going to wait for death. He tapped his toes lightly on the ground and shot backward.
Seeing Shen Haoran retreat, a cunning, human-like smile spread across the little beast's lips. A moment later, Shen Haoran felt the space around him solidify, and his body became completely immobilized!
'Dammit! It was a trap!' Shen Haoran's heart sank.
BAM! With Shen Haoran's body frozen in place, the little beast instantly slammed into his chest.
The little beast's speed was astonishing. The impact sent Shen Haoran flying over twenty meters! He was lucky this was the Sword Spirit Space and he was only here in his spiritual form. If it had been his physical body, the little beast would have likely blasted a hole straight through him!
But even as a being of Spiritual Thought, Shen Haoran felt awful. Waves of dizziness washed over his mind, and his reactions slowed considerably. After awakening his Chaos Divine Body, the strength of his Spiritual Thought was already comparable to that of Martial Artists at the Eighth and Ninth Tiers of Spirit Pupil, yet he still couldn't withstand the beast's attack. This was a testament to how formidable the Gluttonous Little Beast's Attack Power truly was!
After landing the blow, the Gluttonous Little Beast didn't press its advantage. Instead, it opened its massive maw, unleashing a powerful suction that drew the fragments of Spiritual Thought knocked loose from Shen Haoran into its mouth.
The moment the particles of Spiritual Thought entered its mouth, the little beast grew visibly excited. It swallowed them without even chewing, its eyes gleaming as it stared intently at Shen Haoran. "So pure! Incredibly pure! In all my life, I've never tasted Spiritual Thought this pure! Haha!"
Seeing the Gluttonous Little Beast's eyes glowing with a greedy green light, Shen Haoran was struck by a sudden, ominous premonition. As expected, the next moment he felt his body become immobilized once more. The little beast's head slammed into his chest, and this time, it gave him no chance to recover, ramming into him again and again, striking the exact same spot every time!
BAM! BAM! BAM! The sound of repeated impacts echoed through the Sword Spirit Space. After more than a dozen hits, there was finally silence.
When the little beast stopped its assault, Shen Haoran floated listlessly in the Sword Spirit Space, completely drained of strength. His form had become extremely blurry and transparent, as if he might dissipate at any moment. Countless motes of light drifted around him—the very particles of Spiritual Thought the beast had knocked loose from his body.
The little beast drooled at the sight of these motes of light. It then opened a mouth many times larger than its body and inhaled all the particles of Spiritual Thought in one go.
"Haha! Delicious! It's been millions of years! I haven't been this excited in ages!" the Gluttonous Little Beast exclaimed with glee.
Shen Haoran looked up at the frenzied little beast. He opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. His head drooped again as he lamented internally, 'Elder Yan, where are you? You've really done me in this time!'
What Shen Haoran didn't know was that, at that very moment, Elder Yan was also fraught with worry. Not long after Shen Haoran had entered, he had encountered the Gluttonous Little Beast and been attacked, damaging his Spiritual Thought. The moment his Spiritual Thought was damaged, Shen Haoran's physical body had trembled, his face turning pale. Seeing this change, Elder Yan knew something was wrong. And sure enough, over the next few minutes, the tremors wracking Shen Haoran's body grew more and more violent. His face was now completely drained of color, and his Life Force was rapidly fading.
Seeing this, Elder Yan immediately tried to rush into the Sword Spirit Space, but he was blocked by a mysterious force. With Shen Haoran's life on the line, Elder Yan prepared to forcibly shatter this mysterious barrier to rescue him. But just as he was about to succeed, the Sealing Spirit Pearl hovering above the Broken Sword erupted with a dazzling golden light. An instant later, a wave of energy that made Elder Yan's heart palpitate poured out, completely enveloping the Broken Sword.
The moment the golden energy cascaded down, Elder Yan instantly retreated. The energy gave him the distinct feeling that he might not have been able to withstand it even at the height of his power, let alone now, with less than one percent of his former strength.
That single step back cost Elder Yan his only chance to rescue Shen Haoran. All he could do was stare anxiously at the Broken Sword, now completely enveloped in golden light.
Fortunately, once the golden light appeared, Shen Haoran's body stopped trembling, and the drain on his Life Force ceased. Elder Yan finally breathed a sigh of relief. Then, as he stared at the dazzling golden light, he suddenly realized something and quickly used his Spiritual Thought to conceal the commotion within the room.
Inside the Sword Spirit Space, Shen Haoran and the Gluttonous Little Beast were completely unaware of what was happening outside. Having devoured all of Shen Haoran's spiritual particles, the little beast's form had become extremely solid. Shen Haoran, in contrast, still looked as if he were on the verge of fading away completely.
"I never expected your Spiritual Thought to be this pure. I'm almost reluctant to kill you now," the little beast said, licking its lips.
"Hmph, spare me the act. If you have the guts, then kill me!" Shen Haoran said weakly. 'Being kept as its personal food supply by the Gluttonous Little Beast would be a fate worse than death!'
"Don't worry, I'll grant your wish. But since you gave this lord such a thrill, I'll give you a quick and painless death!" With that, the Gluttonous Little Beast opened its great maw. A powerful suction enveloped Shen Haoran, pulling him toward the beast's mouth.
As he was pulled closer and closer to the Gluttonous Little Beast's mouth, Shen Haoran's heart filled with bitter unwillingness. 'Is this how I die? Father, Mother, I'm sorry. Your son has been unfilial. I can't save you from your suffering, and now our family will never be reunited! Goodbye, Grandpa... Ling'Er!' Then, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness completely.
After Shen Haoran lost consciousness, two drops of golden liquid seeped out from the Sealing Spirit Pearl in the outside world and permeated the Sword Spirit Space. The same golden liquid that had once saved his life when he awakened his Chaos Divine Body had appeared again!
After seeping into the Sword Spirit Space, the golden liquid instantly appeared above Shen Haoran. One drop merged with his Spiritual Thought, transforming into a sphere of golden light that enveloped his spiritual form. The other drop hovered in the air, slowly morphing into a profound, mystical character that floated above the Gluttonous Little Beast.
Once Shen Haoran's spiritual form was enveloped by the sphere of golden light, the Gluttonous Little Beast's Devouring Power became completely ineffective. This sudden turn of events stunned the little beast. It looked toward Shen Haoran, and upon seeing the golden light and sensing the aura it emitted, a familiar figure flashed through its mind.
"Impossible! How can you be here?!" the Gluttonous Little Beast shrieked at the sight of the familiar figure. It instantly forgot about Shen Haoran and turned to flee, as if it had seen something truly terrifying.
But at the very instant the Gluttonous Little Beast turned to run, the mystical character formed from the golden liquid shot down like a lightning bolt and branded itself upon the beast's forehead before slowly fading from view.
"No—!" The Gluttonous Little Beast let out a bloodcurdling scream before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
Within the Sword Spirit Space, both man and beast lay enveloped in golden light, which pulsed faintly in time with their breathing, creating a profound and mysterious sight.
...
Within the Sword Spirit Space, the passage of time was imperceptible. After an unknown period, Shen Haoran finally regained consciousness. As he slowly opened his eyes, he found himself in a world bathed in golden light.
"Where is this? Heaven?" Shen Haoran mumbled, still dazed.
"Heaven doesn't look like this." The words had barely left Shen Haoran's mouth when a resentful voice piped up.
Hearing another voice, Shen Haoran reflexively leaped backward. When he saw who was beside him, he cried out, "Taotie! What are you doing here?"
"Where else would I be?" the Gluttonous Little Beast replied, rubbing its paws.
"Don't tell me you ate yourself?" Shen Haoran asked, confused.
"You—" The Taotie glared at him furiously upon hearing his words, but then its expression seemed to crumble as if recalling something. Its small face twisted into a bitter look as it said, "To answer Master, it's impossible for me to eat myself!"
"Huh? What did you just call me? Master?" Shen Haoran was dumbfounded by the Taotie's form of address. 'When did I become the Taotie's master?'