Celestial Beast Taming

This revealed the Night-Cutting Spider to Shi Mi, a quarter of its body battered and broken.

Shi Mi instantly realized that Qin Ruyue, who had taken the initiative to cooperate with him, must have suffered heavy injuries while fighting experts from Starlight City’s official forces.

When she sought his cooperation, she was already just putting on a brave front!

’If I hadn’t been tricked by Qin Ruyue back then and had chosen to attack instead...’

’The Rule Deceit Embryo and the Emperor’s Tool inside her Night-Cutting Spider...’

At this thought, boundless greed surged in Shi Mi’s heart.

As if reading his mind, Qin Ruyue shot him a cold smile.

"We’re still partners. Don’t look at me like that."

"If you get any funny ideas and cause the Mysterious Night Shadow-Piercing Corridor to collapse, we’ll both be exposed right at the entrance to Starlight City’s Central District."

"You don’t actually think you can escape from there, do you?"

"Even if my Night-Cutting Spider is severely injured, it’s not like it can’t fight."

"If you want to test that theory, I don’t mind obliging you."

Qin Ruyue’s words did make Shi Mi abandon some of his thoughts, but they also enraged him further.

"Qin Ruyue, if I were to attack you and we both ended up outside, do you really think you would survive?"

"Your Night-Cutting Spider has scattered so many Child Gu spiders all over Starlight City. The city must have already designated you as their number one threat."

"If it weren’t for you, I would never have gotten into all this trouble in Starlight City in the first place."

Qin Ruyue first checked on her Night-Cutting Spider’s condition, her gaze pained as she looked at its wounds. Then, she spoke with an air of indifference.

"Do you really think those Celestial Destiny Seekers from Starlight City care about the full story?"

"If they find out you possess a Rule Deceit Embryo, do you think they’d let you leave, even if you hadn’t killed a single person in the city?"

"Shi Mi, you really are an idiot!"

"I am a Moon Judge of the Purifying Moon Sect. Three months ago, the Crying Moon Goddess herself personally summoned me."

"I was given the honor of becoming one of the three candidates for Moon Listener Apostle."

"With this token, as long as I’m willing to pay a sufficient price, the Celestial Destiny Seekers of Starlight City won’t make things too difficult for me."

As she spoke, a curved Crescent Token appeared in Qin Ruyue’s hand.

A flowing, deep red luster floated across the token’s surface, as if a crescent moon were endlessly weeping tears of blood.

The moment he saw this token, Shi Mi bristled like a cornered cat.

"Qin Ruyue... you actually qualified as a candidate for Moon Listener Apostle!"

"I..."

Before he could finish, Shi Mi deflated like a punctured ball.

His eyes instantly grew bleak.

Seeing this, the corners of Qin Ruyue’s mouth curved into a slight arc.

"I don’t want to use the Crying Moon Blood Token that the Crying Moon Goddess granted me to buy my way to freedom."

"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have bothered cooperating with you!"

"My Night-Cutting Spider’s Origin is damaged. Shouldn’t that be good news for you?"

"My Purifying Moon Mother Gu has already severed its connection with the Child Gu inside your body."

"My strength is not at its peak, so you don’t have to worry about me turning on you after we escape Starlight City."

As she said this, Qin Ruyue’s voice turned frigid.

"A moment ago, I told you to make a move. You blamed me for being unwilling to act, for missing the perfect opportunity to take the new-generation Celestial Destiny Seeker in that vehicle hostage."

As Qin Ruyue was speaking, a brilliant burst of crimson red flame erupted on the Night-Cutting Spider, from which Yellow Springs Source Water was endlessly seeping.

Qin Ruyue had no choice but to make her already Origin-damaged Night-Cutting Spider use its Mysterious Night Rule to extinguish the flames.

Scorched by the fire, the Mysterious Night Shadow-Piercing Corridor began to shake violently, as if on the verge of collapse.

Seeing the faint cracks appearing on the Silent Night Enigma in her hand, Qin Ruyue gritted her teeth and had the Night-Cutting Spider continuously channel its Power of Rules into the artifact.

She fought to maintain the stability of the Mysterious Night Shadow-Piercing Corridor.

"Dammit!"

Qin Ruyue cursed, unable to hold back her frustration.

This was the first time since her Night-Cutting Spider had acquired its Rule Authority that she had encountered a Celestial Destiny Seeker whose Ability countered it so perfectly.

’He dismantled all the countermeasures I had in place so easily!’

Qin Ruyue had only shown the Crying Moon Blood Token to intimidate Shi Mi; she had no intention of actually using it.

’Otherwise, if word of this reaches the Crying Moon Goddess, I’ll lose my eligibility to become a Moon Listener Apostle.’

’And if I don’t become a Moon Listener Apostle, a true core figure in the Purifying Moon Sect, I’ll never be able to uncover that secret.’

"Since they’re leaving the Central District, they’ll have to come back."

"The one driving that Guardian Beast Vehicle is the Deputy of Jing Shui, a Mythical Tier Celestial Destiny Seeker."

"You help me stall Jing Shui’s Deputy, and I’ll capture this new Celestial Destiny Seeker."

Upon hearing this, Shi Mi glanced at the Night-Cutting Spider behind Qin Ruyue, which was still leaking a steady stream of yellow fluid.

He then activated his Soul Base and retrieved a round, white Bone Pill.

"This Bone Pill contains the life force from half of my Centipede Bone Tomb Princess’s corpse-shedding. It should be enough to help your Night-Cutting Spider accelerate its molting."

"I know that every time your Night-Cutting Spider molts, it heals the majority of its injuries."

"At the very least, you need to force that special Anomalous Water out of its body."

"Otherwise, the moment we get outside, you’ll be a sitting duck, unable to even hide."

As he spoke, Shi Mi tossed the Bone Pill to Qin Ruyue.

He didn’t seem to care whether she trusted him or if she would even use it.

Qin Ruyue clutched the Bone Pill, her heart torn with conflict.

This Bone Pill was formed from half of the Centipede Bone Tomb Princess’s bones each time it underwent a full skeletal replacement.

Just as Shi Mi had said, it contained immense Life Force.

The Bone Pill from the Centipede Bone Tomb Princess was considered one of Shi Mi’s healing abilities.

As a Shadow Purifier, Shi Mi had used it on other Shadow Purifiers in his squad during past missions.

’But for him to give me this Bone Pill right now... his intentions are definitely not as simple as just healing my Night-Cutting Spider.’

This Bone Pill was one of Shi Mi’s overt schemes!

But as Qin Ruyue weighed her options, she realized that if she wanted to avoid using her Crying Moon Blood Token...

...she had no choice but to use this Bone Pill.

Zhong Yi had no idea that he was already being targeted by the very spider-like Bizarre that had him in its sights.

Driving the vehicle, Xu Anjun felt an ominous premonition arise again and again.

’Is something terrible really going to happen in the Exotic Beast Garden?’

For this trip to the Exotic Beast Garden hosted by the Senhe Commerce Association, Zhong Yi was not using his identity as a Healing-type Celestial Destiny Seeker.

Therefore, he wasn’t wearing the mask ground from an Illusory Scale Crystal Dragon Crystal.

Zhong Yi planned to use his true identity.

For Zhong Yi’s safety, when Starlight City submitted his potential rating, they had actually submitted two separate ratings for him.

Although Zhong Yi only received the Potential Points for a Triple S potential rating as a Healing-type Celestial Destiny Seeker, he usually operated under the identity of an S-rank Combat-type Celestial Destiny Seeker.

As he was getting out of the car, Zhong Yi made sure to inform Xu Anjun of the plan.

Xu Anjun’s form of address for him also changed from Lord Su Sheng to Lord Zhong Yi.

In Xu Anjun’s eyes, it was an excellent choice for Zhong Yi not to use his identity as a Healing-type Celestial Destiny Seeker when visiting the Senhe Commerce Association, a place where many different factions converged.

Just as he stepped out of the Guardian Beast Vehicle, Zhong Yi heard a middle-aged man’s voice from behind him—steady, yet tinged with pleasant surprise.

"Lord Zhong Yi, I never expected to run into you here at the entrance of Senhe Hall."

"Meeting you twice in one week... it seems you and I are truly fated to cross paths."

Zhong Yi turned and immediately saw a stern-faced, impeccably dressed middle-aged man striding toward him, an attendant in tow.

Zhong Yi recognized him. This was Fu Hongning, the president of the Zhenchong Commerce Association, whom he had met before at the Star Law Hall.

Fu Hongning’s use of "Lord" immediately drew the attention of everyone at the entrance.