Chapter 249: Listening

When the unconscious Fish King was lifted by the scruff of its neck and thrown onto the cart, its body was still covered in viscous, cold blood. Its heart was already torn. Although its physique remained hard and strong from years of hunting, the rest of its body was riddled with wounds, and its spiritual power was completely depleted.

It was originally a cat without talent, incapable of ever forming a demon core in its life. That year, it killed the old fish and took out the ancient scroll. It studied it for a very long time; even as the old fish's corpse began to rot in front of it, it couldn't understand a single word on the scroll. The stench of the rotting fish and its fishy smell irritated its nose, and the chaotic script on the scroll seemed to mock it. Then, it heard the voices of demons talking in the distance. Terrified, its fur stood on end, and it swallowed the ancient scroll whole.

The ancient scroll later became its demon core. That was also the closest it had ever come to death.

At this moment, the unconscious Fish King saw that scene again. When it swallowed the ancient scroll that year, everything went black before its eyes. But it could clearly feel that this darkness wasn't the darkness of fainting, but a black realm pressing against its eyeballs. It couldn't see anything, yet it could feel that the place was crowded with all kinds of creatures. They clung to its demon eyes like insect shadows, resembling a vast, dark army, kneeling neatly before a distant throne. The throne was a magnificent divine pillar, large enough to support the entire underworld. Wrapped around the pillar was a creature resembling both a dragon and a python. Its scales opened and closed with each breath, emitting a metallic sound. Behind it, vast wings, made of countless white feathers, spread out, glowing with a sacred light, like an envoy from a divine realm.

At this moment, it found itself in that darkness again, but it wasn't dead. The tearing pain in its body continued to torment it. It was as if a tangible hand was dragging it back from that underworld hall.

After repeatedly drifting between sleep and wakefulness, the Fish King finally opened its eyes. It felt as if a steel needle were stuck in its brain. The slightest thought caused intense pain.

"Hey, wake up." Someone nudged it.

The Fish King opened its eyes. Its vision was as if covered by a layer of dust. It took a while for it to clearly see the shadow in front of it.

It was a large black dog.

The Fish King shakily got to its feet, only to be pushed back down by the large dog. The dog stepped on its body, and declared haughtily, "I'm the boss here. From now on, you'll obey my every command, or I'll bite you to death."

With the dog's paw on it, the Fish King looked back. It saw a chaotic enclosure. Inside were chickens, ducks, several scrawny dogs, and a few ugly cats. They were all animals that couldn't be sold at the shop. If they weren't sold soon, they would all be sent to the slaughterhouse.

This big dog wouldn't be mighty for much longer either. That's why it grew more irritable each day.

The Fish King listened to its tone of voice. It thought the dog was even dumber than the most foolish demon it had ever killed. It ignored it.

Seeing the white cat remained silent, the dog's expression grew even fiercer. "Stupid cat, do you understand?!"

The Fish King spoke coldly, "Take your paw off me."

The big dog paused, surprised. It hadn't expected this sickly cat to speak like that. It snapped angrily, "Are you tired of living, you miserable cat? If your meat wasn't so unappetizing, you cats would have been sold to the market and butchered long ago. What right do you have to lie around here?"

The Fish King remained still. It knew cat meat wasn't tasty; its former mistress had told it so many times while beating it. It was precisely because of this that it had survived until today. This was its only gratitude to the Creator.

"Take your paw off me, mongrel," the Fish King repeated.

Behind the big dog, the chickens, ducks, and geese erupted in a commotion, sending feathers flying everywhere. Several skinny cats also watched with cunning, mocking eyes.

"Shut up, I'm a wolf!" the big dog barked wildly. "What do you know, you stray cat? Have you ever seen a wolf? I'm a wolfdog, the biggest wolfdog here."

"A wolfdog is still a dog," the Fish King said.

The big dog sneered, "Is a panda a cat, then?"

The Fish King knew the creature it was talking about. It was the mount of the Wilderness King in ancient times. After the Wilderness King died and transformed into a Taotie, its mount was also suppressed beneath Xuanming Mountain.

"No matter what you are," the Fish King said, "as long as you are still a dog, you cannot escape the fate of being controlled."

The big dog said, "In your current state, what are you talking about fate for? I could gouge out your eyeballs with one paw, and then with another paw..." Its words stopped.

The white cat, with its scorched fur, managed to break free from its claws and stood up from the ground, exuding a wild, bestial aura. An ugly, fatal wound gaped on its chest, continuously oozing blood. The big dog felt a trace of fear. It had never seen a creature survive such severe injuries. It even felt that attacking now would be taking advantage of the cat's weakened state. It wanted to watch the cat die, to see its body slowly rot and fill with maggots. That would be the ultimate torture for it.

But the white cat crouched down, in an attacking posture.

The big dog roared angrily, "Don't you dare be so ungrateful!"

When the woman in cotton clothes entered the dusty gray enclosure, she smelled the pungent scent of blood. She frowned, immediately realizing that the big wolfdog might have killed the white cat. Such things had happened before, and she hadn't paid much attention. However, this stray cat could snap its fingers, and its agile claws might fetch a good price if cut off...

She came to the enclosure that used to house pigs, and found all the chickens and ducks huddled in a corner, shivering as if drenched in rain. In the center was a pool of blood. The big wolfdog lay in the pool of blood, its body still twitching. On top of it, the white cat, its fur matted with blood, lay as if dozing.

The woman in the earthy-colored cotton clothes couldn't comprehend the scene before her. The chickens and ducks couldn't comprehend it either. They clearly knew what had happened. The big wolfdog was still barking fiercely, but the white cat shot out like an arrow. It was as if it were a born hunter; its wildness and hunting skills were etched into its very bones. Before the big dog could react, its neck was clamped in the Fish King's jaws. What followed was a bloody struggle. The big dog instinctively retaliated in pain, its sharp claws tearing into the cat's flesh. But the cat seemed oblivious to the pain, holding fast to the dog's neck until it suffocated.

The woman poked the white cat with a stick. She had considered its ferocity, but never imagined it would be this extreme. "It seems keeping it will only cause trouble."

The woman looked at the big wolfdog and sighed. This dog was originally meant to be a guard dog, but it had unfortunately been killed like this.

The woman's stick poked its wound. The Fish King opened its eyes in pain. It was intent on dying. Dragging its exhausted body, it lunged at the woman. The woman in cotton clothes frowned. She showed no fear and swung her fist at the white cat. She had studied martial arts since childhood, and the Fish King, now devoid of any cultivation, was naturally no match for her. Its face was distorted by the woman's punch. It fell to the ground with a thud, its body twitching twice. The blood flowing from it mixed with the wolfdog's blood.

People outside heard the commotion and came in. They asked the proprietress what had happened.

The proprietress pointed at the Fish King and said, "Break its front teeth, wash its body, wake it up, and then take it to Clothes Street to sell it. If it's not sold within seven days, kill it."

The person received the order. Looking at the cat in the pool of blood, they wondered if it could still live in such a state.

Ning Xiaoling was studying her lessons in the hall. She recited mental cultivation formulas aloud, while her hands practiced the hand seals for spirit and soul manipulation techniques. Whenever Yu Jin saw this scene, she would marvel at the difference between people.

"How did you master the skill of doing two things at once?" Yu Jin couldn't help but ask.

Ning Xiaoling didn't hear clearly, because she was still mentally reviewing the sword movements and trajectories of various sword arts. It was a pity that the gap between the Longevity Realm and the Purple Court Realm was immense; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't possibly cross it in just one or two months.

Seeing that Ning Xiaoling ignored her, Yu Jin regretfully mused to herself, "If it weren't for Minglang, Xiaoling would surely have taken first place."

Ning Xiaoling heard this clearly. She said, "My senior brother always says never to blame your opponent for being too strong."

Yu Jin pouted and said, "Just how powerful is your senior brother, anyway? Is he even more formidable than Minglang?"

"My senior brother has even killed great demons at the Fifth Dao realm," Ning Xiaoling said. "What do you think?"

Yu Jin didn't believe it for a second. "You're talking nonsense again. Fifth Dao realm... Even in a sect as large as ours, only two people have truly entered the Fifth Dao realm, right?"

In the Central Lands, if a sect had two great cultivators at the Fifth Dao realm, it could be called a Divine Sect. This condition was singular yet demanding. In the vast Central Lands, among hundreds of millions of people, there were millions of cultivators. Most of them could never pass the Immortal Ascension Realm in their entire lives. For most, living two hundred years in the Longevity Realm was the greatest aspiration of their cultivation path. Those who could reach the incredible Fifth Dao realm numbered no more than thirty across the entire Central Lands. They were truly individuals who could rival the ancient gods hidden deep within the mountains and old forests.

The era when ancient gods dominated the world had ended among mortals. The twelve strongest among them, in a new and more powerful form, invisibly presided over the heavens and earth. These twelve, upon their initial ascendance, did not pay much attention to humans or demons. They regarded their former brethren as potential enemies, so the surviving ancient gods faced even greater oppression. Some were killed by the divine lords under various pretexts, while others dared only to lie low in ancient forest secret realms, not venturing out. This was also one of the reasons why humanity flourished after the catastrophe.

Ning Xiaoling had experienced the changes at the Sword Saint Sect, and knew how difficult it was to enter the Fifth Dao realm. Sometimes, to help one person achieve it, a sect's centuries of accumulated resources would have to be expended.

"Anyway, Senior Brother is just powerful," Ning Xiaoling said, wanting to end the conversation and focus on her revision.

But Yu Jin didn't let her off, pestering her with strange questions about her senior brother. Finally, Ning Xiaoling, usually very easygoing, got so annoyed that she rolled up her sleeves. Only then did Yu Jin relent, quickly saying, "Actually, I have something important to tell you."

Ning Xiaoling crossed her arms, signaling her to continue.

Yu Jin said, "Come with me to Clothes Street, and I'll tell you."

Ning Xiaoling said impatiently, "Are you ever going to stop? Didn't we agree after the Spiritual Valley Competition?"

Yu Jin saw her fierce expression and compromised, "Alright, alright. Actually, something big happened in Nanzhou, and many teahouses are talking about it. I figured since you're from Nanzhou, you'd be interested, right?"

Ning Xiaoling frowned. "Nanzhou? Why would they care about Nanzhou?"

"It's related to the Thunder Kingdom, of course," Yu Jin said. "The Thunder Kingdom incident caused quite a stir earlier."

"Thunder Kingdom..." Ning Xiaoling vaguely guessed something.

Yu Jin continued, "At that time, the empress of the Thunder Kingdom was killed, and the killer fled to Nanzhou. It seems she has a grudge against empresses, because she killed another empress in Nanzhou."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Ning Xiaoling sharply interrupted. "How could Sister Xiang'er be dead?"

"Sister Xiang'er? So Xiaoling knows her," Yu Jin had never seen her so fierce. She became quiet and said, "How would I know? I'm just relaying hearsay. If you really want to know, shall I go with you to Clothes Street to ask around?"

Ning Xiaoling glared at her, fuming, then finally nodded.

Clothes Street was not far from Guling Sect. It was precisely due to the Guling Sect's protection that it flourished. Ning Xiaoling accompanied her for a while. She wasn't interested in the colorful array of goods on the street. She remained distracted the entire time.

"This dress suits you. I'll buy it for you."

"No, the sect robes are comfortable enough."

"How about this jewelry?"

"No."

"They're selling small animals over there. Want to take a look?"

"No, I hate cats and dogs the most."

Ning Xiaoling refused repeatedly.

Yu Jin said, "How can you not be happy when we're out having fun?"

"You're here to play; I'm not," Ning Xiaoling said.

Yu Jin meekly said, "Oh," and led her to the largest teahouse on Clothes Street. She enthusiastically pulled Ning Xiaoling to a seat. The storyteller adjusted his clothes, slammed the gavel, and then... the entire building shook.

Ning Xiaoling looked at the storyteller and sincerely praised, "Clothes Street truly hides dragons and crouches tigers." Then, she realized something was wrong. She turned her head, only to see Yu Jin, her face pale with fright, staring out the window, and saying tremblingly, "It seems... something has happened."

What crashed into the teahouse was a huge, black carriage. The wooden side wall of the teahouse was smashed. The horse was injured and fell to the ground. With a jolt of its iron-clad wheels, the carriage tipped over onto the ground. From inside the dark carriage, a muffled thumping sound emanated, as if a beating heart were wrapped within.

This scene caused great chaos in the street. The coachman was struggling to help the large horse to its feet. He was plainly dressed and unremarkable in appearance, yet his strength was astonishing. The teahouse manager stepped out of the building. As he was about to discuss compensation, he glanced at the coachman, and was startled by his gloomy expression.

"You... you..." The manager looked at the coachman. Having lived for many years, he could tell at a glance that this coachman was no ordinary person.

The coachman looked up, instantly becoming much more amiable. He pulled many silver ingots from his pocket, thrust them into the manager's hand, and offered several apologies.

The manager's expression softened considerably, and he asked, "What business are you in?"

"We're traveling merchants," the coachman said. "Today, the horse somehow went crazy and crashed into the building." As he spoke, his eyes darted around, searching. He himself didn't want to admit that his horse had lost control earlier because a damned white cat had charged at it...

The coachman quickly helped the horse up. Then he glanced at the iron-clad carriage, confirming there was no leakage. Before his expression could relax, a group of officials in uniform surrounded him, demanding to see his cargo permits. The coachman smiled broadly, took out the documents, and handed them over. Then, several officers looked at the sealed carriage and demanded to inspect its contents.

The coachman looked troubled. He said that the contents belonged to a dignitary and couldn't be easily opened. The officials didn't back down. Upholding their duty, they insisted on inspecting it. The coachman's eyes darted about, as if contemplating a solution. Suddenly, Yu Jin crouched down, pointed under the carriage, and quietly mumbled, "It looks like there's a cat there."

The coachman's eyes lit up. He glared fiercely at the spot Yu Jin pointed to, cracked his whip, and said, "It's it! That's what overturned the carriage!"

Everyone looked in that direction. They then saw a white cat crouching under the carriage. The white cat was digging its claws into the iron plating of the carriage, its expression fierce.

Just a little more... almost there... The Fish King's heart pounded with fervor. It had been brought to Clothes Street to be sold, confined in a cage. It had considered escaping, but knew its body wouldn't survive much longer even if it did. So, it had stayed in the cage, conserving its strength, planning to just get by for a few days and then sneak away on the sixth day. But today, when this black carriage passed in front of it, it could no longer hold back.

It had caught a special scent. It had dealt with this scent for thousands of years. It would never mistake it, even if it were wrapped in layers of iron plating.

It was the aura of an ancient god! Inside this carriage was actually an ancient god's embryo! What a rare divine object! Why was it being brazenly transported in a carriage? It had no time to think further. It knew this was a fleeting opportunity... As long as it could consume that ancient god's embryo, its cultivation path would have a chance to start anew.

Its sharp teeth had been clipped by pliers, but it still brute-forced its way to bite through the cage, and burst out recklessly. The Fish King successfully stopped the carriage. It feigned disappearing into the crowd. A moment later, it secretly returned, sneaking under the carriage to scratch through its bottom and the embryo's outer shell. But just as it was on the verge of success, the coachman's whip lashed out. The coachman was a master hiding his abilities. The whip strike was as fast as lightning, knocking the cat directly from under the carriage to the ground. Before the officials could react, the coachman swiftly mounted his horse, and rode away with a crack of his whip amidst the horse's neighs.

Clothes City also hid many masters. Since this carriage entered the city, they had been watching it closely. The moment chaos erupted, those hiding in the shadows revealed themselves. The glint of blades and swords flashed without warning.

The Fish King was whipped off and fell to the ground. It wanted to give chase, but its paws were covered in blood, and having taken another whip strike, it struggled to move. Meanwhile, the carriage, under the cover of many hidden figures who had arrived, sped wildly towards the city center.

Ning Xiaoling and Yu Jin exchanged a glance. Neither of them had fully processed what had just happened.

In the distance, a woman in cotton clothes spotted the Fish King from afar, and walked over, grumbling curses. The Fish King knew it was surely going to die today. It ignored the woman in cotton clothes, glaring fiercely at Yu Jin. This woman was the one who had ruined its hope of rebirth. It gathered its strength and lunged at Yu Jin.

A white shadow flashed. Its body stopped in mid-air. A hand had grabbed it by the scruff of its neck. The Fish King looked back angrily. It was a delicate, petite young girl. She wore a white dress. Her lips were red, her teeth white, and her apricot-shaped eyes were bright and lively. Long black hair flowed down her slender, elegant back. Her youthful, beautiful figure stood straight and graceful.

How was this aura so similar to that woman's? The Fish King involuntarily thought of Lu Jiajia.

The Fish King's front paws shot forward, scratching frantically, wanting to mar the pretty young face. But Ning Xiaoling didn't even blink. She simply held the enraged cat calmly, keeping it at a distance. She looked at Yu Jin.

Yu Jin was still shaken. She pointed at the cat, but instead of cursing, she just said, "This cat... it's so ugly..."

Hearing this, the Fish King let out a miserable cry. It stopped struggling, and its paws dropped. It felt its life was somewhat laughable. Fortunately, the joke was almost over.

Behind them, the woman in cotton clothes approached. She angrily carried a broken cage. "This is our lost cat," she said.

Ning Xiaoling handed it over. "Then it's yours again."

She took the cat. Instead of putting it back in the cage, she violently slammed it onto the ground.

Ning Xiaoling frowned and interrupted, "Why are you killing it?"

The woman angrily retorted, "Are you going to tell me how to discipline my own cat? Not only did this stray cat kill my dog, it ate seven days' worth of food for free and couldn't be sold, and it even bit my cage! This worthless thing, if I don't beat it to death, who will?" Saying this, she stomped on the cat's head again.

Even with the Fish King's tenacious vitality, it couldn't endure such abuse. At this moment, it couldn't even recall its own life, and it passed out, being crushed under the woman's dirty shoe. Its breath was fading.

Yu Jin pulled her hand and said, "Let's go."

Ning Xiaoling thought for a moment, hummed in agreement, and turned to leave. The sound of the woman abusing the cat continued behind them. Ning Xiaoling finally stopped. "Stop."

The woman asked, "What's wrong? A little girl like you can't stand the sight of blood?"

Ning Xiaoling said seriously, "I want to buy it."

The woman coldly refused, "Not selling. Today, I'm just going to beat it to death to vent my anger!"

Ning Xiaoling frowned and said, "We are..."

Yu Jin stopped her. Only then did Ning Xiaoling remember that Guling Sect had a rule: when traveling alone, one must not easily reveal the sect's name unless absolutely necessary. This was to prevent disciples from abusing their authority with their sect identity.

Yu Jin asked her, "What's so good about this cat, being so fierce?"

"Because when I was little, my mother also said I was a worthless thing," Ning Xiaoling said.

Yu Jin stared at her for a moment. Seeing Ning Xiaoling's melancholic expression, she suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

"Is that all?"

"Mm-hmm."

Ning Xiaoling carried the dying white cat back to the sect.

"I didn't expect your family background to be so prominent," Ning Xiaoling said.

Yu Jin sighed and said, "Do you think the Guling Sect is so easy to get into? For me to be able to come here and just coast along, my family paid a considerable price." Earlier, Yu Jin had pulled out her waist token. The woman, upon seeing the Yu family's token, was so frightened that she fell to her knees, repeatedly apologizing for not recognizing her importance. In Clothes Street, if one offended the Yu family, they wouldn't have an inch of ground to stand on.

Ning Xiaoling asked, "Does our sect allow keeping cats?"

"Of course not," Yu Jin said.

"Then let's release it in the back mountains; there are fewer people there," Ning Xiaoling said.

"Let's see if it can even survive first," Yu Jin said.

The Fish King didn't know where it found the belief to go on. Its teeth were shattered, its ribs all broken. The meridians in its limbs were fractured, and its heart was split like a garlic clove. Yet it was not dead.

At this moment, it suddenly understood. It wasn't that it was simply lucky to be alive. Lord Baizang must be manipulating something from the shadows. But what was the reason for its survival? What use did it still have?

In its dazed state, it heard the conversation of two young girls by its ear. They seemed to be discussing a name for it. Naming a cat... only young girls would do such a boring thing. The Fish King scoffed inwardly.

"What should we name it?"

"You're Xiaoling, so how about we call it Xiaobai?"

"That's too casual."

"Hmm... it's so resilient, how about Xiaoqiang?"

"Ugh, that's ugly..."

"If neither is good, then you name it yourself, hmph."

Ning Xiaoling looked at it, thinking seriously for a moment. An idea struck her.

"We are from Guling Sect, and this is the old site of the Underworld. So, why don't we call it..."

"Diting!"

This phrase exploded like a prophecy in its ears, instantly making its fur stand on end. It abruptly opened its eyes, staring at the young girl's face. At this moment, whether it was an illusion or not, it once again saw the divine pillar in the darkness... and the feathered serpent, ruler of the underworld, coiled around it.