"Are you trying to kill me, you brat? Woof, woof, woof!" The despicable donkey landed hard, its rear hitting the ground with a thud. It angrily charged at Ling Feng, ready to retaliate.
Ling Feng quickly stepped aside and shouted, "Stop messing around, despicable donkey! I need you for something important!"
The donkey glared at Ling Feng with narrowed eyes and then complained, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to pick out treasures? You've ruined my mood completely!"
Lin Xian'er and Jiang Xiaofan stood dumbfounded.
A black donkey, standing upright like a human and talking just like one too!
Not only that, but this black donkey was adorned with a flower crown and a floral skirt, and its expressions were disturbingly human-like.
Was this donkey enlightened?
"B... Big Brother!" Jiang Xiaofan stammered, his eyes twitching. "A... A... A donkey!"
"Donkey, your ass!" The black donkey swung on its hooves and turned to face Jiang Xiaofan, gnashing its teeth. "You ignorant boy, I am a divine donkey! If you call me a donkey again, I'll give you a face full of gold!"
As it spoke, it even turned its rear end towards him, flicking its tail, and wore an expression that could only be described as outrageously shameless.
Jiang Xiaofan's face twitched, silently questioning how someone as serious as his big brother ended up with such a despicable donkey...
Lin Xian'er, with her broader knowledge, suspected that this strange donkey might be Ling Feng's spirit pet. Still, she wondered how Ling Feng, of all people, ended up with a donkey as his spirit pet. What had he been thinking?
"Ling Feng, why did you summon a donkey?" Lin Xian'er asked, completely speechless as she observed the scene.
"Woof!" The despicable donkey barked again. It hated being called a donkey and immediately turned its anger towards Lin Xian'er.
"Alright, enough, despicable donkey. I have something serious to discuss with you," Ling Feng intervened, stepping in front of the donkey and directing its gaze to the Xuanwu Wall. "You claim to be a divine beast. Surely you recognize the aura of the Xuanwu?"
"Xuanwu?" The black donkey's eyes narrowed as it stared at the Xuanwu Wall. It initially looked puzzled but then its expression turned unusually serious.
"Indeed, this is the Xuanwu Cave, a sacred place of the spirit tortoise clan."
"Xuanwu Cave?" Ling Feng, Lin Xian'er, and Jiang Xiaofan exclaimed in unison.
"Fascinating!" The despicable donkey looked around at the trio, finally settling its gaze on Jiang Xiaofan. It let out a sinister laugh. "Who would've thought? This kid has Xuanwu vigor!"
"What is Xuanwu vigor?" Ling Feng asked, puzzled.
"It's a type of bloodline power," the donkey explained. "It seems that his ancestors received some treasured Xuanwu blood, which has allowed a portion of the Xuanwu bloodline to be passed down. Normally, this kind of bloodline would diminish over generations until it eventually disappears.
"However, there's always a chance of atavism, where ancestral traits reappear. Xuanwu vigor is a sign of such a return. It means this kid might have the potential to develop a Xuanwu battle body, making his physical form comparable to that of a Xuanwu divine beast!"
The despicable donkey's eyes gleamed as it looked at Jiang Xiaofan, but then it sighed, saying, "But it's a pity. Your Xuanwu vigor is so weak that it's almost negligible. Otherwise, I would have snatched it for myself."
"W-What?" Jiang Xiaofan was taken aback, instinctively stepping back.
"Hehe, just kidding!" The donkey's large ears flopped like fans. "Even if it were stronger, I wouldn't bother. A mere Xuanwu bloodline isn't worth my attention."
Ling Feng rubbed his nose, starting to believe that this despicable donkey might actually be a divine beast. Its knowledge about Xuanwu treasures and Xuanwu vigor seemed too accurate to be mere bluffing.
"So, what exactly is this Xuanwu Cave?" Ling Feng asked again.
"Ha! Now you see the wisdom of this divine beast, don't you?" The despicable donkey's tail wagged proudly as it imitated a duck's quack in delight.
"Yes, yes, you're amazing. Now, spill it!" Ling Feng rolled his eyes.
"Hmph, information isn't free, you know!" The despicable donkey raised a hoof, eyes gleaming with mischief. "I want ten times the resources from the Five Elements Heavenly Palace!"
"Why don't you just rob me?" Ling Feng shot back. "Three times, take it or leave it."
"Eight times!" The despicable donkey's eyes darted around, unwilling to back down.
"Two times!" Ling Feng lowered his offer, holding up two fingers.
"What?" The donkey nearly jumped up in outrage. "Five times at least!"
"One!" Ling Feng snorted. "Despicable donkey, if you keep haggling, I'll never let you into the Five Elements Heavenly Palace again."
"Fine! You win this time!" The donkey fumed, glaring at Ling Feng. "One it is!"
With that, the despicable donkey swished its tail and turned to Jiang Xiaofan. It grabbed Jiang Xiaofan's right hand with its hooves while focusing intently. A drop of blood seeped from one of Jiang Xiaofan's fingertips.
In an instant, the drop of blood shot toward the Xuanwu Wall. A brilliant light burst forth, and the wall split open, revealing a swirling vortex-like portal. It quickly sucked everyone inside.
Gu Tengfeng and Yun Yiyi retraced their steps through the tunnels and emerged back at Xuanwu Village.
The village was still in ruins and resembled a scene from hell.
"Captain, what do we do now?" Yun Yiyi asked nervously, clearly uneasy with the surroundings.
Gu Tengfeng sighed, regretting bringing Yun Yiyi along. He hadn't anticipated this level of destruction.
Yun Yiyi had volunteered, hoping to help Jiang Xiaofan and share some of his burden. Losing her father at a young age had given her a sense of shared sorrow with Jiang Xiaofan.
"We need to look for clues," Gu Tengfeng said after a moment's thought. "The Demon-Masked Man might still be around. If we can't find any leads, we shouldn't waste more time here."
Gu Tengfeng pondered and then added, "Let's search near the forest outside the village. The Demon-Masked Man often retreats to the forest after slaughtering villages to refine essence and blood for his demonic arts. The area with the strongest scent of blood should give us some clues and might even lead us to him."
"How do we find the scent of blood?" Yun Yiyi asked, blinking in confusion.
Humans weren’t demonic beasts. Even the strongest martial artists couldn’t track by scent like demonic beasts.
"I've already thought of that."
Gu Tengfeng formed a hand seal, causing the air to ripple. A moment later, a yellow dog at the height of half a grown man emerged from a space within his pact.
"This is my spirit pet, the demon hound, Duke!"