The Divine Dog howled in agony as he was consumed by a black inferno when my arrow exploded against his head. He fell to the ground, thrashing about wildly. I quickly seized the chance to rform my shadow chains and bind him once more, pinning him to the ground.
"You…!" The Divine Dog coughed, flecks of blood dotting his jaws, and clear lines of red trickling down his mouth. He glared at me, though fear was mixed with the fury in his yellow eyes. He was staring especially at my bow. "Why do you…?"
"Why do I what?" I asked, readying another arrow. In addition to my shadow chains, the Divine Gaia Golem was holding the Divine Dog down, and though its stony skin was scorched by the black flames, it was otherwise unscathed.
He Shan Jie was concentrating hard, his hands held up as he infused his spirit puppet with more qi, repairing the superficial damage and channeling more strength to help me hold the Divine Dog down. Chi Yan and Hong Yao Yao didn't waste the opportunity he afforded them, already conjuring ferocious flames and butterflies to bombard the poor Divine Dog.
These did some damage, but none were as potent as my arrows. Firing off a second shot, I blasted the Divine Dog to near oblivion, sending him rocking back. Even my shadow chains were unable to withstand the power of my Hou Yi bow's arrows, the Nine Suns Slaying Arrows disintegrating them.
Fortunately, the Divine Dog was in no condition to move despite being free of his restraints. In any case, the Divine Gaia Golem – who had earlier used the Divine Dog as a shield to absorb most of the impact of my arrows – moved forward to wrestle the greatly weakened divine spirit beast down, pressing him against the ground. Incapacitated, the Divine Dog just lay there, seemingly stunned.
He was still somehow able to look up groggily, his bleeding gaze falling upon my Hou Yi bow.
"Why…do you have that bow?"
"Why indeed, I wonder?" I responded enigmatically with a shrug. Then I smirked, raising my Hou Yi bow and approaching him. "You recognize this bow? What of it?"
"Master Hou Yi's bow…" The Divine Dog swallowed and glared at me. "Why do you have my master's bow?"
"He gave it to me, obviously," I replied sarcastically. The Divine Dog scoffed and shook his head, but didn't object. Instead, he had a wry look of resignation, slumping down as if in defeat.
"Of course there's no way I would win against someone wielding my master's bow."
"Your master's bow?" Lan Bei Er echoed. She had been wanting to ask about it earlier, but had kept silent because she was waiting for me to explain. When I didn't, she was unable to suppress her curiosity any longer and stared at me quizzically. "What's going on?"
"This is Hou Yi's bow," I explained finally, unable to bear the thought of upsetting my wife. "Hou Yi is the master of the Divine Dog, according to the legends anyway. He's a hunter who was…hired to shoot down the nine suns, and the Divine Dog was supposed to be his hunting hound who accompanied him faithfully. Since the legend's somewhat related, the Divine Dog ended up being blamed for causing the eclipses – they reckoned that he was the one who devoured the sun or the moon during the solar or lunar eclipses."
"I thought you were just an otaku," Hong Yao Yao said rudely. "Why do you know so much about folklore as well?"
"Who says an otaku can't know anything about folklore?" I retorted, annoyed.
"Can the both of you stop using weird, foreign terms for once?" Chi Yan snapped, exasperated. Hong Yao Yao and I pointedly ignored him, focusing instead on the Divine Dog, who was flailing weakly against the Divine Gaia Golem. However, his heart was no longer into it.
"The Divine Dog…or?" He Shan Jie asked. We all stared at him. He cleared his throat. "You're calling this spirit beast the Divine Dog, I mean?"
"Yeah."
"Well, he seems to have admitted defeat. My Divine Gaia Golem can hold him down, but I don't think it's capable of delivering the finishing blow." He Shan Jie watched me. "I think your arrows are the only thing that can kill him for sure. At least quickly. I can have my Divine Gaia Golem pummel him to death, or senior Chi Yan or lady Hong can incinerate him with their essence flames or butterflies, but it'll be a slow, painful and drawn out death for him. I don't think it's…ethical to kill him in such a manner. I would rather we mete out a swift death."
The Divine Dog cursed under his breath, but he couldn't do anything except eye my Hou Yi bow.
"How frustrating," he growled. Then he sighed and shook his head weakly. "I guess it's not bad to die under my former master's bow. Do your worst."
"Why should we kill him?" I asked. Everyone stared at me in surprise. I shouldered my bow instead and slowly approached the Divine Dog. Shadow chains emerged from the dark spots to wrap around him. The Divine Dog struggled, but between my shadow chains and He Shan Jie's Divine Gaia Golem, he couldn't move at all.
"You…! What are you planning?!"
"I just think it's a waste to kill you like this. So I intend to offer you a way to live." I shrugged and then stared at him keenly. "Or would you really prefer to die?"
"No…" The Divine Dog gulped. "But I'm not a coward! I do not fear death! I would rather die than be dishonored!"
Typical.
I gripped the Hou Yi bow a little more tightly, an action that was not lost on the Divine Dog. He snarled at me and tried to lash out, only for his paws to be held back by my shadow chains. The Divine Gaia Golem, under He Shan Jie's silent command, placed its hands around his waist and yanked him back, causing him to yelp.
"Careful," the Elemental Mountain Sect disciple warned me. I nodded in what I hoped was an appreciative manner, and then focused on the Divine Dog before me.
"I don't think it's a coincidence that I inherited your former master's bow, and then was sent here by his majesty the Emperor to deal with you." a smile crossed my face. "It almost seems like fate."
"I thought you don't believe in fate or destiny," Lan Bei Er remarked, confused. I nodded.
"You're right, I don't. But I don't believe in coincidences either. It's almost as if this whole encounter was intended."
"So what?" Chi Yan crossed his arms, tapping his foot impatiently. He had plunged his black broadsword into the ground for now, aware that there wasn't much likelihood that we were going to continue fighting. "What do you want to do with this dog?"
"Tame him," I replied. Everyone gaped at me in disbelief.
"Tame him?" Hong Yao Yao repeated incredulously. She waved her fan at the incapacitated Divine Dog. "We're talking about a divine spirit beast here! One at Saint Realm right now, but a legendary divine spirit beast who used to be on the level of gods! The Divine Dog himself, who is known for devouring the sun and moon! How are you going to tame him?"
"Watch me," I replied with a grin and stepped forward. I clamped my hands together to strengthen my shadow chains, which coiled tighter around the Divine Dog. He grunted when he was pressed close to the ground, unable to resist despite his best attempts to flail about. His jaws opened wide to unleash flames, but I swiftly snuffed them out by tying up his mouth. He glared at me, his eyes filled with hatred, fury and no small amount of fear.
Then I proceeded to set up a spirit formation. Taking out talismans and spirit stones from my spatial pouch, I lined them up in a circle around the Divine Dog while everyone watched. Hong Yao Yao wasn't completely comfortable with this, so she maintained her butterflies as a swarm around her, ready to unleash them with a flick of her fan if the Divine Dog so much as showed a sign of breaking free. He Shan Jie continued to cooperate without protest, his Divine Gaia Golem still pressing down on the Divine Dog's body and restraining him with his sheer weight.
Lan Bei Er looked as if she trusted me completely, a stark contrast to Hong Yao Yao's attitude. On the other hand, Chi Yan was bored. He remained wary of the Divine Dog, but unlike Hong Yao Yao, he didn't raise his broadsword and stay vigilant. He simply sat down on the ground and began doing his own thing.
What the fuck…was he actually meditating right now? Oh, right. He was like one of those typical cultivation protagonists who never missed an opportunity to cultivate and raise his level. Or maybe he was just checking his cheat system for any new upgrades, mission rewards or lottery nonsense. Judging from how he was flicking his hand across the air as if swiping an invisible screen, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
No wonder Chi Yan could defeat people who was above his cultivation realm…
Returning my attention back to the Divine Dog, I completed my spirit formation. Going back to the front and avoiding the Divine Dog's strike when he suddenly lurched forward to smack me with his head – only to fail because I was prepared for a stunt like that – I tapped my foot against one of the spirit stones that I used to draw a rune…and activated the spirit formation.
A blinding light erupted from the runes, spirit stones and other materials that I used to set up the array. It suffused the shadow chains, which thickened and lengthened, binding the poor Divine Dog more tightly than before. He let out a muffled howl, unable to roar his frustration and fury because I still had his jaws chained up, and then was slowly dragged down into the shadows.
Wise to what was was going on, He Shan Jie hastily withdrew his Divine Gaia Golem. The titanic spirit puppet lumbered backward after letting go of the sinking Divine Dog, and both master and golem watched the final struggling throes of the divine spirit beast.
"Do you really think I will suffer the indignity of becoming your contracted spirit beast?!" He yelled, his words muffled because his jaws were clamped shut by my shadow chains. I simply grinned.
"No. You'll suffer the indignity of becoming my pet dog."
Perhaps he wanted to shout something, but his words were too muffled this time for me to make them out. Not that it mattered. The Divine Dog flailed about one last time before he vanished into the shadows. With a gesture from me, the spirit formation faded away, leaving burned out spirit stones and stuff. Not that it mattered, for the deed was already done.
"Where did the Divine Dog go?" Lan Bei Er asked, flustered. I grinned.
"He now belongs to me."
"A spirit beast contract, huh?" Hong Yao Yao shook her head in amazement. "I didn't think you would be capable of such a thing…and with the legendary Divine Dog, no less."
"I mean, I already possess the Hou Yi bow." I raised my bow to emphasize my point. "I honestly don't think it's that much of a stretch."
"No, it's not." Hong Yao Yao shook her head as she stared at me in awe. Then she sighed. "I just dread to think what sort of heights you will attain now that you have a divine spirit beast under your control. If you're somehow able to restore his divine powers…you might be able to challenge the heavens themselves."
"Let's not get too ahead of ourselves now, shall we?"
"Honestly, you shouldn't be scared," Chi Yan chided Hong Yao Yao, snorting with laughter. He turned to me with an excited grin, rubbing his hands in glee. "I actually look forward to seeing my bro here become a force to reckon with."
"Isn't he already a force to be reckoned with?" He Shan Jie asked mildly. Chi Yan scowled.
"You know what I mean. At the rate he's going, he might actually become a major power in his own right, able to challenge the six major sects. Maybe even replace the Azure Water Sect as a new major power all by himself."
"I wouldn't go that far…"
Feeling exhausted, I shook my head and trudged back toward the double doors that had led out to the mountain peak. Wielding a formation of such capabilities took a tremendous toll upon me, after all. I wanted nothing more than to return to the inn, collapse on the bed and sleep the rest of the day off.
"I just want to keep a low profile and live happily with my wife."
"The only problem is that I doubt that other people will allow us to live happily and peacefully," Lan Bei Er muttered darkly as she followed me, rushing to my side to help me up before I could keel over. She caught my puzzled expression and shrugged. "After all, in this world, you'll always find people looking for trouble for no reason other than to…stir up pointless conflict."