Chapter 289

Chapter 289: Ending the Spirit Pact with Zhu Miao

Shen Sang Ruo nodded and said: “Yes, that’s him, my Master, Immortal Lord Chang Li.” Then she introduced the other side: “Master, this is the Phantom Mirage Domain’s Old Shaman.”

The two men gave brief nods. That counted as greeting.

Shen Sang Ruo got straight to the point and said: “I came to find you, Old Shaman, because of Zhu Miao. I’m hoping you can help handle something.”

The Old Shaman’s heart jumped to his throat as he asked: “What happened, what happened, what’s wrong with my Little Ancestor?”

He fussed with Zhu Miao, lifting its paws and pinching its ears, looking extremely nervous.

Zhu Miao got annoyed and swatted him away with one paw, making Shen Sang Ruo jump in surprise.

The Old Shaman pressed a hand to the claw marks on his face and then laughed, saying: “Good, good. If it can still whack me, nothing too bad happened.”

Zhu Miao stared at him in speechless silence.

He stood up, patted the dust off his clothes, and said: “Let’s talk inside the Floating Cloud Tower.”

The three of them and one bear quickly entered the Floating Cloud Tower.

Shen Sang Ruo explained: “Here’s what happened. There was an accident. When I left the Phantom Mirage Domain before, Zhu Miao forced a Bonding Contract with me, and I didn’t know it at the time.”

She continued: “I knew it was special, but I didn’t expect it to be the Phantom Mirage Domain’s Mountain God. Later I wanted to end the Spirit Pact with it, but I couldn’t find a way. Old Shaman, can you undo this Spirit Pact?”

With no one else in the tower, Shen Sang Ruo spoke plainly.

The Old Shaman’s expression kept changing, wonderfully rich.

To be honest, when the pair had first appeared, he had seen a faint line linking them, but he hadn’t thought of a Spirit Pact.

He poked Zhu Miao’s nose and grumbled: “Day after day, you never let me rest!”

Thankfully, it was Shen Sang Ruo. If it had been someone else, once they guessed Zhu Miao’s identity, they would probably have tried to keep it for themselves.

The power of a Mountain God was tempting to anyone.

Zhu Miao got angry and snapped at his finger. The Old Shaman predicted the move, pulled his hand back fast, and then patted his chest in relief.

He turned to Shen Sang Ruo and said: “On behalf of the entire Phantom Mirage Domain, thank you for not hiding this.”

He paused and added: “But please don’t tell others about Zhu Miao’s identity. Even though it’s a Mountain God, its mind isn’t much different from an ordinary Demonic Beast. Bad people could hurt it easily.”

Zhu Miao was the Mountain God, but it was also a life of the Phantom Mirage Domain. As the domain’s representative, it had kept that simple, pure heart.

Shen Sang Ruo knew the Old Shaman’s worry was not overthinking. Zhu Miao was very strong, but human malice and greed were unlimited.

If its identity was exposed, no one could tell what methods people might use against it. Caution was best.

She said seriously: “Don’t worry, Old Shaman. Zhu Miao has been my Contracted Beast for so long, and it was my first one. I don’t want to see it get hurt.”

She truly treasured the black and white dumpling.

The Old Shaman didn’t add more. He swept his Divine Sense over them and started trying to undo the Spirit Pact between her and Zhu Miao.

Little Zhu Miao was still mad. It curled into a ball and pointed its butt at the Old Shaman.

It looked silent, but Shen Sang Ruo’s mind was full of its questioning voice: [Why, why, why?]

[You changed your heart. You don’t like bears anymore. Did some other beast steal your heart?]

[Why do you want to end the Spirit Pact? I won’t, I won’t, I won’t!]

At first, the little guy had only felt that her body was warm and wanted to hang on her, so it made the pact.

Later, its feelings for Shen Sang Ruo grew deeper, and she treated it so well that it truly accepted her.

Now her Contracted Beasts were growing in number. If it ended the Spirit Pact, it would drop to the bottom of the list with her and be forgotten for good. It refused to let that happen.

Even with a Bonding Contract, it could still guard the Phantom Mirage Domain. It didn’t understand why Shen Sang Ruo insisted on ending the Spirit Pact.

It had said before that its forced Spirit Pact couldn’t be undone, not even by the Old Shaman.

Sure enough, after the Old Shaman tried several methods, none worked.

His brows wrinkled tight as he said: “Still no good. This Spirit Pact can probably only be undone by the little one itself.”

He scooted to Zhu Miao’s side, poked its butt again and again, and pleaded in a near-crying voice, saying: “Little Ancestor, please undo the Spirit Pact.”

Zhu Miao still ignored him, and only Shen Sang Ruo sensed through the pact that the tiny ball’s mood had turned a bit smug.

Now the only way was to persuade Zhu Miao and get it to end the pact on its own.

She picked the little ball up and found that, behind its angry face, the smile it was holding back was about to spill out.

[Zhu Miao: hehe.]

[Old Shaman: not hehe.]

Zhu Miao thought this time would be like last time, that it could get by with acting cute, rolling around, and playing shameless.

But Shen Sang Ruo was determined to end the Spirit Pact. She would not back down.

She said in a firm tone: “Zhu Miao, be serious. You are the Mountain God. The whole Phantom Mirage Domain stands behind you. Your responsibility is heavy, and you cannot be anyone’s Contracted Beast.”

The little dumpling was not happy and asked why it could not make a Bonding Contract. It said the two things didn’t conflict.

Shen Sang Ruo explained one by one: “With this Spirit Pact, you and I are one. We share gains and losses.”

She went on: “Let’s not talk about benefits. What about the harm? If someone hurts me, you will be hurt too. People with bad intentions can target you, and the Phantom Mirage Domain, by targeting me.”

She added quietly: “I’m still not strong enough. It’s easier to target me than to target you.”

She said: “That’s what happened in the Starfield Plain. The Great Devil pulled my soul out, and it affected you. There were no bad consequences this time, but if something happens to me later…”

Zhu Miao pouted and pressed a paw over her mouth to stop her from going on.

[Ptui, ptui, ptui. Not lucky to say that! You’ll be fine.]

Shen Sang Ruo removed its paw and continued: “Right now, the plot of the Heretic Cultivators hangs over the Cultivation World, and it might explode at any time.”

She looked right at it and said: “Zhu Miao, the Phantom Mirage Domain needs you.”

Her voice was more serious than ever. She had never spoken to Zhu Miao like this.

Zhu Miao’s thinking was only a bit simple and stubborn about some things, but that didn’t mean it was dumb.

After listening to Shen Sang Ruo, it understood what mattered most: guarding the Phantom Mirage Domain was its greatest duty.

After a long silence, it finally nodded to her.

Since the Spirit Pact could not be undone, it would have to transform the pact into something else.

Strong reluctance filled Zhu Miao’s eyes. It hardened its heart and started the change.

It kept the Soul-Link between itself and Shen Sang Ruo, so they could still communicate mind to mind, but everything else was separated. They became two independent individuals.

Shen Sang Ruo felt a sudden empty space open in her sea of consciousness. Zhu Miao’s departure was clear and sharp. From now on, it would no longer be her Contracted Beast.

Her chest ached at the feeling.

But this was the only way.