As he walked deeper into the cave, the roars became more frequent and, at the same time, they sounded louder, indicating he was approaching its source.
However, what surprised Yueshi was that in the cave walls cracks were growing in blue, faintly illuminating the interior.
He had prepared to light a torch; however, he gave up on the idea. The light inside was a bit dim, but it was better than a torch that would restrict him if anything happened.
As he walked deeper in, however, the light started to become brighter.
Yueshi was amazed at the cave's size, since even after walking for ten minutes he did not reach its end - nor did he met the roaring beast and the cause of the commotion in the qi.
Nonetheless, he was sure that he was approaching it, as the roar became fiercer and seemed to come from not too far away.
Not long after, he reached a zone with glowing, blue crystals. They shone brightly while illuminating the surrounding region, and Yueshi also finally saw what had been roaring at him – a massive bison with glowing, pale blue eyes.
The creature was immersed in a pond of crystal clear water, and its eyes looked at Yueshi with a sharp, dangerous light.
Yueshi stopped for an instant. 'This one is dangerous…' He could feel a chill spread through his body, his hairs standing on end. Moreover, its body cracked with lightning all around, particularly so between its horns.
It was easy to guess that it had activated a portion of its bloodline, and from what Yueshi could see, it was an even stronger awakening than the Sky Wolf from before.
Because he did not visit the library while he had time, he could not recognize what creature this was and what sort of bloodline it had, but it was easy to tell it was strong.
'I will just call in Thundersky Bison', its fur was a mix of dark and light gray, and the shadows made it resemble thunder clouds. Its pale blue eyes seemed like two balls of lighting, fierce and sharp.
However, Yueshi did not have time to admire the creature. Seeing that Yueshi had come all the way here, the beast stepped out of the pond with what Yueshi perceived as an unwilling expression.
Yueshi did not doubt that, if he got too close, he would – in the best case scenario – be paralyzed by its lightning.
'Man and spear as one! One point of extremity destroys the firmament of heavens!'
Knowing he could not conserve energy this time, Yueshi immediately used the strongest move he could. It was a pity that his Dragon Seal was still restoring its energy, so he could not use it to amplify his attack.
As the spear traveled forward the roar of a dragon echoed inside the cave, reverberating for a long time; even the bison revealed a scared look, before turning angry and madly rushing forward, charging at Yueshi with all he got.
The pale blue lighting encompassed the creature like a veil as it charged, to the point Yueshi could not see its body.
However, that didn't change a thing. His spear flew forward like a dragon, unafraid and unhesitant, leaving an azure glow where it passed.
It was with a powerful bang that the impact of the clash sent Yueshi tumbling backward, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of his lips.
The bison also retreated a few steps, shaking his head from one side to another. Immediately after, man and beast gazed at each other once more.
And despite being sent back, Yueshi was thrilled. From the mad charge of the creature that did not leave any path for retreat or defense, Yueshi felt some sort of inspiration… it was still faint; however, if they continued fighting, he was sure he would be able to grasp it!
"Man and spear as one! One point of extremity destroys the firmament of heavens!" Not holding back, he rushed forward once more. At his challenge, the giant bison, as big as five or six men, madly charged straight ahead too – it could not stand its dignity being challenged!
Like that, the battle lasted for a long time.
Their strikes caused a lot of damage to the cave - not only had several areas of the ground cracked and caved in, but even the walls and ceiling were filled with holes.
There were even some places that been burnt by the bison's lighting, while some rocks were turned into dust by Yueshi's spear.
Sitting to one side, Yueshi was leaning against his spear as he looked toward the creature not too far away. The beast was panting while lying on the ground. If comparing injuries, the bison was the one that had been hurt the most.
Yueshi had a few burnt marks here and there, and a hole on his arm from when the creature managed to hit him with one of its horns.
The bison, however, was also in bad shape. It not only had one of its horns broken off, but, also, had a hole a few centimeters deep on its side, and one of its legs had also been broken, leaving it incapable of moving.
Because the demon beast was in no condition to fight, Yueshi was not in a hurry to kill it.
Sitting where he was, he closed his eyes and rested for a moment, taking this moment of respite to restore whatever qi he had lost, to calm his heart, and to rest his tired mind. Because he used his spear arts continuously, he had drained a lot of his mental power.
After a long while, the bison whimpers faded away, and it seemed to have lost strength. It was only lying there, motionless, staring at Yueshi with apathetic eyes.
Yueshi could swear that it seemed to know of its fate, yet there was no hate or unwillingness, only a sense of… acceptance. It was as if dying by Yueshi's hand was an honor.
In the end, Yueshi had to admit it looked quite valiant, like a knight that had lost on a duel and instead of fostering a grudge and sorrow, admired his opponent's skills.
However, that was not enough for Yueshi to spare it. Moreover, he felt that any notion of sparing it would be disrespectful.
An opponent that fought with its all in a battle of life and death would not be willing to bow its head and just accept being spared in the end.
After resting, Yueshi walked toward it, getting ready to end its life. The demon beast only closed its eyes, waiting for the moment of its demise. Yet, just as Yueshi's spear was coming down to claim its life, a sound echoed in the cave.
Yueshi frowned for a moment, feeling annoyed. However, the sound was quite familiar… after thinking for a moment, he sighed.
The sound he heard was that of a stone hitting the rocky wall and ceiling, the same sound he had heard when he threw pebbles in.
Without a choice, Yueshi left the beast alone for a moment, turning toward the path from where he came from.
He could kill the creature at any moment, but he did not want to leave any opening; he had taken a while to arrive here, that didn't mean it would be the same for the newcomer.
Seconds passed by, and he heard the sound of footsteps.
Yueshi had been cautious when entering, this person, however, was quite bold. Well, in his or her defense, Yueshi had heard the bison's roar, while this newcomer heard nothing as the beast had no more strength to do so – and Yueshi, obviously, would not roar like an animal too.
A foreboding sensation seemed to spread across his body as he waited, and even the path leading to this place seemed to become dimmer under his intense gaze. A drop of sweat fell from his temple, flowing down his face and falling to the ground with a pat.
Yueshi gripped his spear tightly, as the newcomer steps sounded closer and closer… he even felt as if he could feel it walking in his direction, slowly… slowly approaching to challenge him just like he had challenged the Thundersky Bison.
From where he was standing, Yueshi would be able to notice the newcomer before he could spot him.
Then, another few seconds later, a pair of milky white legs walked out from the shadows. The person's upper body was obscured by shadows… yet, as it walked another few steps forward, Yueshi was finally able to see the face of his challenge…
"Yuan Yue?" He was astounded for a moment, calling aloud.
At his words, the girl turned toward him, her browns arching in confusion. It wasn't until seeing him standing there, with a shocked face, that she relaxed. If before she had been afraid it was an enemy, now she was happy that it was Yueshi.
"Hahaha, seem you found this place first." She spoke approaching, looking around curiously. The glowing crystals were beautiful beyond compare, and so was the crystal clear pond.
"Hm." Yueshi nodded. "Care to tell me what you are doing in the forest?" After that intense battle, she had immediately gone to the forest – though he was not one to speak.
"Hey, don't nag at me, aren't you here too?" She flashed a smile at him.
She was also a genius, and the humiliation from before had also made her desperate for more power. Even the others were, by now, exploring the forest's depths, searching for preys and treasures.
Muu…
Just as Yueshi was going to retort, the bison behind him made a sound. This time it was the sound one would expect to come from a bison, instead of a roar that seemed to come from a lion's mouth.
Looking back, the beast's eyes were flashing with a strange light as it looked at Yuan Yue. Yueshi was not sure, but he felt as if it was looking at his own kin, and as if what it was seeing was not a human, but another Thundersky Bison.
It was… strange.
Yuan Yue also approached it slowly, and though Yueshi wanted to stop her, he did not do so in the end. He only watched as Yuan Yue patted the beast's head and the enormous bison close its eyes, appreciating her touch.
Yueshi even wondered if it was some sort of perverted bull that liked human women.
A second later, however, all his presumptions were thrown out of the window.
From the bison's big body, a pale white aura started to emanate, overshadowing the crystals by far.
It glowed with such intensity that both the two humans were forced to close their eyes, and when the light disappeared, it took them a while to recover from the blindness.
When their vision finally recovered, a small, white mark was flashing on the bison's head and another at Yuan Yue's palm.
Yueshi was confused by what was happening, wondering what all that meant; he could even see the bison's wounds slowly closing, and did not know for sure what he should do.
"Spiritual pact?" Suddenly, Yuan Yue's incredulous voice sounded, attracting his attention.
"Spiritual pact? What is that?" Yueshi was, after all, a newcomer to this world and there were many things he did not know nor had the time to learn.
"A spiritual pact is, basically, a contract between two entities where one recognizes the other as the master." Her voice was tinged by surprise she could not hide. "It is just that, for one to take place, one of the individuals must be willing to serve the other completely…" In short, it meant turning into another person's servant, or even a slave.
Once a spiritual pact was established, the one that had been taken as a servant could be ordered to do anything, and he would not be able to refuse such orders.
Because of that, the two found it hard to understand what had happened just now.
"Maybe he is a perverted bison?" Yueshi commented, unsure. Well, Yuan Yue's body was really voluptuous and she was truly charming, still…
"Yeah, I am a beauty, after all." Hearing her words Yueshi facepalmed. However, knowing she was playing around, he did not say anything, only gazing at the bison.
At his words, the beast made an aggrieved expression as if it was being slandered.
Well, with that taking place, Yueshi did not bother with it anymore and looked toward this disciple sister of his, her face still painted in surprise and also glee by the mysterious event.
"Well, how can we understand how fate works?" Yueshi spoke to her, receiving a small nod in answer. "Since he has submitted, he has submitted. There is no need to think why; he is yours now and that is all."
The beast was not overly strong, however, its power was around the fourth stage, and it could be of great help to Yuan Yue.
Today's surprise had not ended, however, and when Yueshi asked her about the mysterious glowing crystals and the pond, her answer astounded him.
"Those glowing crystals are precious resources, they are stones and gems that have resident in a place with a lot of qi for a long time, and because of that acquired mystical properties." However, that was not the end. "And this pond… it should be a qi spring, I think."
A Qi Spring was, at its name indicated, a fountain of qi.
The water inside of it contained concentrated amounts of energy that had accumulated over the years for some reason, and they were extremely beneficial to anyone at the Body Refinement Realm.
Just when he was thinking about how they could share it, Yuan Yue looked at him with a smirk.
"I already got this big guy for free, how can I ask for more?" She was playful and loved to tease him, however, she also had her pride and morals.
Yueshi had found this place first and had fought against the bison by himself. In the end, however, she was the one to whom the beast submitted for some motive. If she had any ideas about the pond she would be shameless beyond words.
At the same time, saying she didn't want to soak in it would be a big lie. She was also pursuing a broader sky, so there was no way that she did not want an opportunity to get stronger.
However, since it belonged to her friend, there was no way she would vie for it.
Yueshi understood her way of thinking just as she understood his, and therefore, he nodded and thanked her.
"Go on, go on… or are you afraid of baths?" The slightly more serious atmosphere was broken by her teasing. "You can rest assured that this big sister here will guard you, so there is no need to fear!"
Yueshi rolled his eyes at her. Seeing she sat to the side of the big bison, caressing its head, he looked toward the pond.
The water glowed in a faint blue light, and at the bottom of the pond, there seemed to be a single, bright azure crystal.
After wondering for a moment, Yueshi stepped inside. Because Yuan Yue was there he did not take off his clothes, which would also allow him to be ready to fight at any moment.
The pond had space for almost ten people, so he could lay comfortable inside of it while leaning against its edge.
He had to admit that the sensation that spread through his body when he set foot inside was extremely pleasant. It felt like a warm and cozy flux of energy was spreading through his body from the soles of his feet.
And when he submerged everything but his head in the limpid water, his entire body experienced a miraculous sensation and relaxed almost instantaneously.