Chapter 143: The Pact is Sealed

"But, I... I am a demonic beast..." With a face flushed deep red, the Demon King rubbed his hands together vigorously, stammering, "My lifespan is running out." Indeed, in his heart, he had long regarded Feng Ke'er as his master. After everything they had been through, he was mentally prepared to serve as a slave beast, but he had never dared to covet the position of a life-bound guardian beast.

A sixth-rank demonic beast has a maximum lifespan of forty-five thousand years. He was already over thirty thousand years old. Eleven thousand years, to a high-level cultivator, is truly not a long time. A life-bound guardian beast shares a single life with its master. If they were to form such a bond, should he die, Feng Ke'er would not survive alone. Thinking of how Feng Ke'er had reached the first level of Ascension in less than five hundred years—a heaven-sent talent unheard of in the cultivation world—he truly felt it was a waste for her sake!

"I know." Feng Ke'er furrowed her brows, suppressing her impatience as she replied, "Once you ascend, your lifespan will extend to one hundred thousand years." After saying this, she felt incredibly frustrated: Damn it, the situation makes it look like she's the one begging this guy to form a bond!

The Demon King gritted his teeth, "Perhaps I won't survive the tribulation lightning." He understood what Feng Ke'er meant, but ideals are beautiful while reality is always cruel. Especially in the cultivation world! Thus, as an old demon of over thirty thousand years, he never dared to gamble his life on tomorrow. To stake a noble life on a lowly beast like him—no matter how you looked at it, this was a guaranteed loss.

"With me here, you will!" Feng Ke'er snapped, her voice ringing out with conviction. Damn it, does she need to recite a soulful confession like the male lead in a romance novel?

She had lost all face today. When did she become so virtuous, performing good deeds out of her own wishful thinking?

The matter was grave, and the Demon King felt it necessary to remind his impulsive master once more: "Once the bond is formed, there is no going back..."

Feng Ke'er rolled her eyes and waved her hand, cutting him off: "Since you..." are unwilling. Then forget it, just drop it!

Alas, how miserable! Being a do-gooder to the point of throwing herself at him like this—she had certainly done her duty and more!

Unexpectedly, the Demon King changed his tune, nodding repeatedly like a chick pecking at grain: "Alright!"

Feng Ke'er stared at him, stunned: Alright?

She knew the Demon King was born with the ability to read minds. So, was this "alright" an "alright" to forming the bond, or an "alright" to calling the whole thing off?

As if afraid she would change her mind, the Demon King quickly tidied his appearance, bowed low, and performed a formal salute: "Hu San greets his master!"

Damn it! That wily fox! Watching the fox take advantage of the situation while playing the innocent, Feng Ke'er felt her molars itch. She ground her teeth audibly: "Fox..." Everything that happened before—it was clear she had been sold and was still helping him count the money!

The Demon King remained in his deep bow, though he tilted his head up, his smile as radiant as a flower, full of sycophancy: "Master!"

One cannot strike a smiling face. And truth be told, the guy looked quite handsome when he smiled like that. Feng Ke'er paused for a moment, then lifted her fists, closed her eyes, and took three deep breaths. Finally, she suppressed her anger and said coldly, "Rise."

"Thank you, Master!" The Demon King stood up, beaming.

Just then, a gust of wind struck. Before he could react, his collar was tightly gripped by a slender hand. He felt a buzz in his brain—it exploded! Such a fast Dragon Claw strike, he couldn't react at all!

"Remember, I hate seduction techniques most of all. If there is a next time, I will peel off your fox skin and make it a scarf!" After saying this, Feng Ke'er shoved him away forcefully. Simultaneously, she bit her middle finger and began to draw a talisman in the void with rapid strokes.

This was the servant contract talisman.

A massive force slammed into his chest, sending the Demon King flying over thirty feet. With a dull thud, he crashed heavily to the ground. Dust rose instantly, leaving a human-shaped crater in the earth.

"Cough, cough, cough!" The Demon King climbed out in a disheveled state, grinning at his furious master, "Here, Master!" The sound was filled with joy.

This shove finally made him realize his master's true strength. All in all, a noble person is truly noble. Despite her cultivation being nine levels lower than his, her spiritual energy was many times greater. To be chosen by such a powerhouse—what an honor!

Therefore, even though his master had wronged him, he felt nothing but joy—by the Great God Pangu, he could swear he hadn't intentionally used any seduction techniques. His smile hadn't held a shred of charm. He was born good-looking; his smile had always been capable of toppling cities, after all.

In fact, he didn't feel wronged at all. Why should he? His master was genuinely willing to take him as her life-bound guardian beast; it wasn't something he had forced. Moreover, his master had said she never looked down on demonic beasts. She was of noble status yet had never disdained him! Having obtained what he sought, what was there to be dissatisfied about, and where did the word "wronged" come from?

Feng Ke'er's actions were like a bright torch, instantly dispelling the gloom in the Demon King's heart and illuminating a bright, broad path ahead.

In over thirty thousand years, this was the happiest and most triumphant day of his life. So what if he was a demonic beast? He could still be a life-bound guardian for a noble person!

His state of mind was clearly reflected in their consciousness. Feng Ke'er saw it, and her heart felt as heavy as if it were filled with lead.

Speaking of nobility, she was just a rootless rogue cultivator, living her life with her tail tucked between her legs—where was this "nobility" he spoke of?

Sigh, they were both struggling at the bottom, fellow outcasts in this world. Thinking of this, her anger vanished, leaving only bewilderment.

By now, she had finished drawing the talisman, condensing the human-sized blood-red sigil into the size of a fingernail, holding it in her palm.

"Come here, I have something to ask you." She beckoned to him, speaking calmly.

The Demon King scurried over: "Master."

Used to his usual lazy, annoying expression, seeing him in this new guise felt awkward to Feng Ke'er: This guy was quite sharp before, so why does he look more and more "dim-witted" now...

However, business came first. She suppressed her chaotic thoughts and pushed her palm forward, pressing the binding talisman into his brow.

The Demon King was instantly frozen. A brilliant golden light erupted within his consciousness, and the image of Feng Ke'er appeared in his mind.

"Master!" He touched his warm brow, feeling as if he were in a dream. His master had truly chosen him as her life-bound guardian beast!

"Fox, from now on, you are my life-bound guardian beast." Feng Ke'er had originally intended to tell him this was an improved version of the contract, but she changed her mind: Heh, demonic beasts are born with a rebellious streak. And this fox is crafty; it's better to keep an ace up her sleeve.

"Thank you for the name, Master." The Demon King snapped back to reality, knelt solemnly on both knees facing Feng Ke'er, and raised his right hand, two fingers pointed upward to swear, "By the Great God Pangu, I, Hu Li, hereby swear upon my heart-demon, that I shall be loyal to my master and follow her forever." From this day on, there would be no more Hu San, no more Demon King; there was only Feng Ke'er's life-bound guardian beast—Hu Li. (Ahem, a master has the right to rename their guardian beast. The fox misunderstood, mishearing the 'fox' she had casually uttered as 'Hu Li' and taking it as a gift of a name.)

"Snap," a five-colored light erupted from their brows, and a plump, blue lotus imprint appeared on both—the form of the mark was fixed, determined by the Great God Pangu himself to commemorate the lotus maiden in his heart. The color, however, was determined by the master's cultivation. The Great God's was five-colored, True Immortals and Golden Immortals had gold, False Immortals and Upper Immortals had silver, and all others were blue. Though her spiritual energy and mental sense far exceeded those of the same rank, Feng Ke'er ultimately belonged to the "others" category. The mark would remain for forty-nine days, after which the mark on the master's brow would fade, but for the guardian beast, it would remain branded on their brow.

Thus, the bond was sealed!

After the work was done, Feng Ke'er asked seriously, "Why are you so certain that my status is 'noble'?" Self-awareness had always been her most prominent trait. She was the most pure and genuine grassroots commoner; whether before or after her transmigration, she had never felt any noble genes lurking within her.

Hu Li answered with equal seriousness: "Goddess Nüwa told me." Although a life-bound guardian beast is also a servant beast, because their lives are linked, they do not need to use humble language or honorifics in front of their master; they can refer to themselves as "I."

"Goddess Nüwa?" Feng Ke'er arched a brow, her gaze darkening slightly. Even though she had harbored vague suspicions of this, hearing the truth from his own mouth still caught her off guard. What merit did she have to deserve such favor from Goddess Nüwa?

Hu Li nodded, confirming, "Yes." He then told her the whole story from beginning to end.

It turned out that after he left the Barrier Sea, he transformed into a rogue cultivator, traveling everywhere and secretly inquiring about the five-colored auspicious light.

As it turned out, he didn't learn anything about the five-colored light, but he heard plenty of Goddess Nüwa's great deeds. By then, through the vigorous promotion by the Lihen Heaven and the Feng clan, Goddess Nüwa had become a god-like existence in the lower realms.

Thus, the Demon King went to Mount Kunlun on a pilgrimage—he had hit a bottleneck at the peak of the sixth rank, and for years, despite spending countless energy and resources, the barrier remained solid without a single sign of loosening. Perhaps the all-powerful Goddess Nüwa could help him identify the problem.

The fox had not doubted for a second that he might be turned away. Everyone said that Goddess Nüwa was the most warm-hearted and chivalrous figure in the entire lower realm.

In fact, Goddess Nüwa was exactly as the legends described. The Demon King spent half a month wandering in the sea of flowers at the foot of Mount Kunlun, successfully passing through three maze arrays.

Then, his vision blurred, the scene shifted, and he found himself in a snowy cave.

Countless oil lamps illuminated the cave brightly. The Demon King was blinded and instinctively covered his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Nine-tailed silver fox, water attribute, peak of the sixth rank," a gentle voice echoed above him. "Although your aptitude is a bit ordinary, you are diligent and solid. Diligence can make up for lack of talent; if you grasp your opportunity well, you may yet achieve great things in the future."

The voice was unhurried, warm, and carried an air of unquestionable authority.