Chu Yi wandered around until he arrived at a secluded graveyard on the outskirts of the city.
WHOOSH…
A cold wind brushed against his coat, gently caressing his handsome face. The outskirts were sparsely populated, especially this graveyard, which felt eerie and sinister.
Inside the graveyard, the trees were so dry that only a layer of brown bark remained. A few branches stubbornly clung on, trembling and emitting a haunting wail that was quite chilling. Many gravestones of various sizes stood crookedly, and wild Pet Beasts such as Stone Rock Mice, Big-Mouth Bats, and Scavenger Mice moved about freely.
"EEK?" Bika poked out its tiny head, fox ears twitching. It placed its little paws on Chu Yi's pocket, looking extremely frightened.
SQUEAK.
A large black rat swiftly scurried past his feet. Bika was so startled that it shrank back into the pocket, only its tail visible, wagging back and forth.
Chu Yi was speechless. The courage of this Pet Beast really needs improvement.
"However, there's a rich concentration of souls in this graveyard. In this environment, the evolution of [Ghost Hand] will be twice as effective with half the effort," Chu Yi mused.
After comforting Bika, Chu Yi kicked away a Scavenger Mouse that was biting his shoe. He immersed his consciousness in his mind and opened the evolution compendium.
[Evolve?]
"Yes."
Awaken, my King's Power! he mentally declared.
In an instant, the moonlight turned crimson, and a blood moon hung high in the sky. The lingering souls in the graveyard were drawn out, thread by thread, transforming into fireflies that merged into Chu Yi's left hand.
"The moon has turned red!?"
Before Chu Yi could get a good look at the blood moon, his left hand became warm, then searing hot, as if a raging fire were licking his palm. More Power of the Soul surged forth, streaking like brilliant fireflies, interweaving into a splendid tapestry that sank into his palm. This time, it wasn't just licking; it was gnawing.
His left hand, as if it had grown a mouth, greedily devoured this Soul Energy, conveying a sense of pleasure.
Will it undergo a mutation? Chu Yi's scalp tingled as he thought of the indescribable gods and demons from the game. If the only things I can form contracts with are my own organs… following the progression of this Underworld cultivation game, will I eventually become the most terrifying anomaly imaginable?
FWOOSH—
The intense extraction of Power of the Soul stirred up a violent vortex of air around him. Bika was flung out of his pocket by the vortex, its little paws gripping the fabric tightly, its face a mask of fear. It shivered uncontrollably.
[Progress: …5%…]
[Progress: …10%…]
[Progress: …20%…]
At this moment, Chu Yi finally saw it clearly: a Star Orbit Array was being constructed from Soul Fire within his left hand.
Just as Chu Yi was wondering about this, the blood moon in the sky above began to writhe, as if a majestic being was descending.
"…Chaos…Ignorance…Beyond…"
A string of whispers stirred up a terrifying storm, carrying an indescribable, incomprehensible informational contamination that began to erode this plane, using the blood moon as a conduit.
Instantly, the world fell into chaos.
Countless Pet Beasts merely caught a glimpse of this majestic phantom. Instantly, their flesh and spirit began to mutate. They darted around uncontrollably, transforming into Demons—becoming frenzied, mad, ignorant, and bloodthirsty.
Yaoguang City, a place of utmost importance, immediately activated its City Defense Array to obscure the phantom of this ancient entity. High-level Beast Tamers mobilized in full force.
"Oh my god, what kind of Demon is this? The frontline has fallen!!"
"Don't look at it!"
"They've gone mad! They've all gone mad!"
"Damn it, my dog is spouting nonsense about wanting to assault me!"
"Can someone tell me what happened? I just fainted… abububu…"
"…"
Witnessing this sudden catastrophe, the entire city was thrown into disarray. The fact that the highest-level City Defense Array had to be activated was enough to show how perilous the situation had become. The stationed city army began organizing the evacuation of the populace.
Extraordinary Life forms gave birth to Pet Beasts, but they also gave birth to Demons. Demons originated from Pet Beasts that had been contaminated. The source of this contamination was the Abyss.
Since the dawn of the Beast Taming era, Beast Tamers had taken their place on the world stage, their primary adversaries being the Demons invading from other planes. One of their greatest enemies was the entity known to countless planes as the Abyss.
According to historical records from the Dark Age, an ancient entity from the Abyss could, with a single thought, unleash a cataclysm in the universe capable of destroying entire planets.
And now, it seemed a being related to an Ancient One had descended, an event bound to trigger a catastrophe. This was because such beings were themselves the greatest sources of pollution; without even trying, they could corrupt Pet Beasts, turning them into extremely ferocious Demons.
「Yaoguang City, Special Operations Command Center.」
"Where did this Ancient One come from!" an officer shouted, his voice laced with fury and panic.
The Federation had troops stationed on front lines across the globe, constantly monitoring known Ancient Ones. Defensive lines were also established beyond the planet, ensuring they would have advance warning if any Ancient Ones awakened. Yet now, an Ancient One had appeared out of nowhere, practically on their doorstep before they could react.
The phones of the high-ranking officials in the command center rang incessantly as they scrambled to contact various parties.
"I suspect this was a sacrifice by the Cult of Flesh that attracted this Ancient One's attention," someone posited. Most cults were remnants from the Dark Age and the Starfire Age, inherently taboo.
"Let's pray… pray that this Ancient One is just passing by…"
"Cowards! Any Beast Tamers at Dawn Star level or above, come with me! We'll give it a glorious fight! Let it taste my Flame Fist!"
"Requesting activation of the Fireseed Protocol…"
The command center instantly erupted into chaos. If mishandled, this would be a catastrophe spreading contamination across the globe.
"Wait… it… it's gone?" someone suddenly exclaimed, noticing that the Ancient One who had arrived with the blood moon had vanished.
The clamor abruptly ceased.
BOOM—
The blood moon writhed. Then, a majestic figure within it was swiftly suppressed by an indescribably large hand. Immediately after, the Demon God struggled fiercely, but it was futile. It was dragged into Chu Yi's left palm. The Star Orbit Array solidified, its Star Chains wrapping around the Demon God and sealing it within Chu Yi's hand.
BAM!
The blood moon shattered. The brilliant fireflies dispersed into nothingness, revealing a handsome youth clad in a Profound Robe.
Chu Yi was dumbfounded.
What the actual fuck, he thought, stunned. Sealing a Demon God? Are you fucking serious with me?!
He had truly sealed a Demon God.
Realizing what had just happened, Chu Yi felt his mind go blank. As for Bika, it had long since been knocked unconscious by the violent vortex of air.
A Servant-grade Pet Beast…sealing a Demon God capable of destroying the world with a single word…
Chu Yi wanted to cry; he truly did. He was almost scared to tears.
A nuclear bomb is terrifying, isn't it? Imagine carrying one around. He felt more terrified than anyone, panicking internally. Not to mention, the Demon God sealed in his left hand was ten thousand times more dangerous than any nuclear bomb. If it were ever released, the resulting contamination and radiation would trigger a worldwide catastrophe.
Chu Yi raised his left hand. His hand, now containing the Star Orbit Seal, looked delicate and beautiful, soft and fair—perfect for playing the violin.
[Deceit Beast]: Ghost Hand (Sealed)
[Grade]: Intermediate Servant
[Level]: 1
[Attribute]: Flesh-type
[Weakness]: Fire
[Skills]: Physical Enhancement, Tearing Claw
[Special Move]: Power of the Demon God
[Status]: Excited to explode
[Evolution Points]: 0