A warm, familiar thought drifted out from within, as if eagerly waiting for her to open it.
After carefully setting up the formation plate, Song Wanníng returned to the box and cautiously placed her hand on it.
The box gave a sudden jump, quivering with excitement, bouncing about as though it could barely contain itself.
Her lips curved in a faint smile as she gently picked it up.
The box had no keyhole, its sides perfectly even and square, without a single latch or seam. Only intricate patterns sprawled across its surface, hinting at its mystery and extraordinary nature.
Recalling the way she had obtained it, Song Wanníng did not hesitate to draw out the aura of the Demon God's origin.
Sure enough, the box that had been firmly sealed began to change.
A line of light flashed across the patterns above, and then the surface began to crumble apart. In just a few breaths, it opened on its own.
A surge of dense Yin energy burst forth, followed by a small black-and-gray figure darting out. It was a tiny mass, its body formed entirely of Yin energy, without any true physical form.
Yet the aura it exuded was terrifying. The moment it appeared, Long Ling squeaked and dove straight into the sea of consciousness, trembling in fear.
"Master, I've been waiting for you to come back!"
The Yin creature spoke in a clear, childlike voice, zipping toward Song Wanníng and wrapping around her in a display of affection.
But without a contract, its overwhelming Yin energy froze her limbs, the cold sinking into her bones and making them ache faintly.
She quickly pushed it away.
"Master, you don't remember me? Are you going to abandon me?"
Even without a face, it somehow gave the impression of pouting miserably.
"Were you raised by the Demon God?"
Song Wanníng voiced the question in her heart.
If it truly had been nurtured by the Demon God, then this Yin creature must have been around for an incredibly long time. No wonder Long Ling had been so frightened.
"Yes, yes! Master, I finally waited for you!"
It had been locked inside the box for so long that it no longer knew how many years had passed.
But it had never stopped hoping its master would return for it. It had waited, and waited, until finally—today—it had happened.
"I'm not your master."
Song Wanníng did not hide the truth and told the Yin creature about the Demon God's fall. Though its abilities were remarkable, there was no reason for her to deceive it.
Upon hearing the news, the Yin creature was silent for a long time. Then, its voice firmed. "Since the Demon God's origin is with you, then you are my new master. Master, take me in. I'm really good in a fight!"
Eager to prove its worth, it squirmed anxiously. It knew too well that most people saw Yin creatures as ominous, even evil. It scampered to Song Wanníng's feet, rubbing against her like a little puppy wagging its tail.
With such a treasure in front of her, Song Wanníng naturally wouldn't turn it away.
Smiling, she formed a contract with the Yin creature. She wasn't worried about anyone else discovering it—she could simply store it in her internal world, where no one would find it.
Besides, its combat power was likely terrifying.
It had existed since ancient times, absorbing Yin energy for countless years.
No wonder Jiang Cen had considered it a rare treasure.
Only now, that treasure was hers.
The thought of Jiang Cen's future frustration made her mood all the brighter.
After a bit more conversation with the Yin creature, she placed it into her internal world and left the cave.
…
To prevent Xiao Heyun's plan from succeeding, Song Wanníng decided to meet Yun Yunzhu—and expose Xiao Heyun's true identity to Yunshang Sect.
At the same time, Xiao Heyun remained unaware he was being watched. He was busy showing off, doing everything he could to draw Yun Yunzhu's attention.
Unlike the women he'd charmed before, his first attempt with her had failed, and the setback made him impatient.
In Yun Yunzhu's eyes, that impatience only confirmed he had ulterior motives, deepening her dislike.
After all his effort, her favorability toward him had dropped to -50.
Xiao Heyun nearly cracked his Dao heart, wondering if he'd lost his charm.
"Host, this won't do. You're being too impatient!"
"But if I'm not, how will I find treasure? You think I like acting like some lapdog?"
Xiao Heyun was fuming.
When he first got the system, he thought he'd struck gold—improving his cultivation while winning over women sounded like a perfect deal.
But after binding to it, he realized he was nothing more than an endless sycophant, forced to fawn over one woman after another. It was suffocating.
Meeting someone like Yun Yunzhu only made the frustration burn deeper. Now he even felt the system was more trouble than it was worth.
The system, sensing his change in mood, began to panic. "Host, don't rush. The more anxious you act, the more she'll think you have a hidden agenda.
Besides, with the system's aura boosting your Luck, you can find treasures without using the "wooing" mode at all. As for Yun Yunzhu, you can come back for her later."
If it came to it, they could skip her for now. Once the host was powerful and famous, winning her over would be easy.
"Really? And you couldn't have told me this earlier?!"
Xiao Heyun's temper spiked again. If he could rely on his own Luck to find treasure, why bother chasing after her?
Without another word, he turned on his heel and left.
His sudden arrival and equally sudden departure made Yun Yunzhu even more convinced he was mentally unstable. Her opinion of him fell further.
Xiao Heyun: "…"
Damn this woman!
Insufferable!
He stormed off even faster, anger radiating from him.
But while he was set on chasing his grand ambitions, Song Wanníng had no intention of letting him succeed.
Keeping a good distance, she shadowed him. She watched as he found several treasures over the next few days, but she didn't strike just yet.
It wasn't until he arrived at a remote mountain range that she made her move.
"According to the records, this place is crawling with beasts. Very dangerous. But someone once found a Bodhi Tree here…"
Xiao Heyun's voice carried both caution and barely contained excitement.
A Bodhi Tree—one of the legendary aids for enlightenment.
If he could achieve sudden enlightenment, his cultivation might leap several levels at once.
With it, he could break through to the Out-of-Body stage and become one of the top geniuses of the Spirit Realm, perhaps even surpassing cultivators from the Central Domain.
"Hmph."
He gave a low snort and quickened his pace.
Bodhi Trees grew slowly and needed Dao essence to nourish them, often found only in silent, uninhabited places.
They could even subtly shift their location over time, making them harder to find.
Searching for one would take patience.
As he combed the area, he unexpectedly ran into several other cultivators, all clearly here for the same thing.
The moment they met, expressions darkened all around. But since no one had spotted the Bodhi Tree yet, no one made a move.
===
After this I will call the Yin Creature (阴物, Yīn wù) as Xiao Yin (小阴), just like her companions that have name.