“Uncle Fox, you can just ask me directly, there’s no need to spend so lavishly.”

“You know you’re a descendant of Taotie?” the Six-tailed Demon Fox asked in surprise.

“I know!” Qu Ruyan nodded, continuing to munch on her meat.

“Do you realize how extraordinary your bloodline is?”

Recalling Lin Mo’s words, Qu Ruyan slowly replied, “Yes, Master said I’m super amazing.”

The Six-tailed Demon Fox fell silent.

From their conversation, it was clear the little one had no idea what being a Taotie descendant truly meant; she was just an innocent and kind-hearted child. But that human knew everything.

“Then why did you sign a master-servant contract with that human?” the Six-tailed Demon Fox asked.

“Because Master treats me very well and often gives me delicious food,” Qu Ruyan answered honestly.

Already biased against humans, hearing that Lin Mo had lured a Taotie descendant into a master-servant contract using food, the Six-tailed Demon Fox immediately concluded Lin Mo was a sly and sinister individual.

“Little one, your true place is among the demon clan; that’s your rightful home.”

“No human deserves to be your master.”

“I hope you’ll return to the demon clan, train diligently, and someday lead us back to greatness.”

Qu Ruyan, busy eating happily, paid no attention to the Six-tailed Demon Fox’s words and just nodded vaguely.

The Six-tailed Demon Fox wasn’t worried. He patiently allowed Qu Ruyan to enjoy the demonic beast meat, having already decided to pass down his legacy to her. As for that master-servant contract, he believed he could use his remaining soul power to erase it entirely.

…

Meanwhile, Lin Mo had already fought his clone for several thousand rounds without any clear winner.

He couldn’t help it—the clone was ridiculously powerful. Sword spirit root, clear sword heart constitution, and a flawless Golden Core—there were absolutely no weaknesses to exploit.

[Host, could you please stop praising yourself shamelessly? Have some dignity. These achievements are thanks to this system!]

[This system recommends spending 10,000 regret points for a hundred years’ worth of sword intent, quickly resolving this battle.]

“You think I’m stupid?”

“Spending 10,000 regret points on a hundred years of sword intent just to defeat myself—what kind of madness is that?”

Moreover, since the clone matched his strength precisely, even a slight increase would tip the scales.

Thinking this, Lin Mo spent a mere 100 regret points for one year’s worth of sword intent.

The system secretly sighed:

“Tsk, he’s figured out the trick…”

“This host is really stingy with his regret points.”

After spending 100 regret points for the one-year sword intent, the battle immediately shifted in Lin Mo’s favor.

Once he defeated the clone, the surroundings drastically changed.

His vision became clear again, and Zhu Shiyao stood before him.

Curiously, Lin Mo asked, “Fellow Daoist Zhu Shiyao, how long have you been out?”

Zhu Shiyao smiled gently:

“Only about half an incense stick’s time earlier than you.”

Lin Mo estimated his time spent fighting in the illusion—indeed, not much longer than half an incense stick’s duration.

In other words, Zhu Shiyao had barely spent any time defeating her own clone.

Her talents and achievements were truly monstrous.

If someone said Zhu Shiyao was the protagonist of this world, Lin Mo would absolutely believe it.

Suddenly, Lin Mo sensed the disappearance of the master-servant contract between himself and Qu Ruyan.

He froze.

Had something bad happened to Qu Ruyan?

Could the Six-tailed Demon Fox have harmed her just because she’d eaten flood dragon meat?

A trace of guilt rose in Lin Mo’s heart, prompting him to rush outside immediately.

When he exited the cave and saw Qu Ruyan and Gu Qingxue safe, he finally relaxed.

“Senior Brother, look how big I’ve grown!” Qu Ruyan called out excitedly.

Lin Mo approached her and realized he could no longer perceive her cultivation level. Even her size had grown impressively, now reaching three to four meters tall.

Clearly, Qu Ruyan had inherited the Six-tailed Demon Fox’s legacy.

But why had their contract disappeared?

At this moment, the Six-tailed Demon Fox’s figure had become somewhat transparent. He tossed a storage ring each to Lin Mo and Zhu Shiyao, saying, “As promised, these are part of my legacy.”

Most of his remaining treasures had gone to Qu Ruyan.

Knowing that Qu Ruyan would eventually return to strengthen the demon clan, he had no regrets.

“Human child, I’ve erased your contract with this young demon. She’s a descendant of Taotie; she can’t be a mere spirit pet for a human.”

Hearing this, Lin Mo finally understood why their contract vanished. He wasn’t concerned—his only worry had been their safety.

The Six-tailed Demon Fox’s form was gradually fading.

Qu Ruyan stepped forward, gratefully saying, “Uncle Fox, thank you for giving me such a good meal. I’ll practice diligently, as you said.”

With a satisfied look, the Six-tailed Demon Fox’s figure faded further.

Qu Ruyan then hurried over to Lin Mo, saying urgently, “Senior Brother, our contract is gone! I don’t know what happened—let’s form another!”

Lin Mo gave her an odd look. “Yanyan, didn’t you hear what senior said? He erased our contract because he thinks I don’t deserve to be your master.”

Qu Ruyan tilted her head in confusion. “But Senior Brother, you’re so good to me—why wouldn’t you deserve it?”

Lin Mo pointed at the fading Six-tailed Demon Fox. “You can ask your Uncle Fox.”

“Uncle Fox, why can’t my Senior Brother form a contract with me?” Qu Ruyan asked innocently.

The Six-tailed Demon Fox stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Had this little girl been so absorbed in eating that she hadn’t heard a single word he said?

But now his figure was too weak to respond.

Seeing no reaction, Qu Ruyan turned confidently to Lin Mo. “Senior Brother, Uncle Fox didn’t object—he must be fine with us making another contract.”

Lin Mo glanced at the Six-tailed Demon Fox’s constipated expression, uncertain what to say.

Since Qu Ruyan initiated the contract this time, Lin Mo ultimately decided to accept.

As soon as the contract was successfully re-established, the Six-tailed Demon Fox’s face completely collapsed in despair.

But something even worse was coming.

Qu Ruyan pulled out the storage ring the Six-tailed Demon Fox had given her—

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother! Uncle Fox gave me this inheritance. Can I exchange it with you for candy?”

Hearing Qu Ruyan’s words, the Six-tailed Demon Fox used every last bit of strength to shout out a single word: “No!”

Then he vanished completely along with the secret realm.

“Little Senior Brother, what did Uncle Fox mean by ‘No’?” Qu Ruyan asked innocently.

“He probably meant he didn’t want you exchanging his legacy for candy,” Lin Mo replied with a smile.

Qu Ruyan tilted her small head, puzzled, unable to comprehend why Uncle Fox wouldn’t want her to exchange his inheritance for candy. Sometimes, she really had a knack for driving others crazy.

Lin Mo, however, had no intention of taking the storage ring left by the Six-tailed Demon Fox. He wasn’t one to seize his own pet’s resources for cultivation. Besides, wasn’t a stronger spiritual pet essentially increasing his own power indirectly?

“Keep this ring safe. The things inside will be useful for your cultivation. I’ll explain it all to you later.”

“But the candy…” Qu Ruyan trailed off sadly.

Lin Mo chuckled, randomly drawing a packet of candy from the system and handing it to her.

Meanwhile, Zhu Shiyao was still focused on their earlier match. “Fellow Daoist Lin, about our duel—”

But the secret realm was finished, and Lin Mo had already obtained what he needed, so he had no desire to continue their sword fight.

He quickly made up an excuse: “We’re out of the secret realm now, and any duel here would surely cause a huge disturbance. Perhaps we can resume it another time.”

“I see…” Zhu Shiyao looked visibly disappointed, but she knew it wasn’t right to insist.

“When the opportunity arises, I’ll visit Qingling Sect and continue our duel,” she said.

Lin Mo readily agreed, though he already planned on leaving Qingling Sect after settling some affairs. By the time Zhu Shiyao arrived, she probably wouldn’t even find him.

…

After exiting the secret realm, Jiang Yanran didn’t return to the Jiang family. Instead, she headed straight for the Ice Palace.

At first glance, Gu Qingxue immediately noticed her disciple’s situation. “Yanran, why is your Golden Core shattered?”

Jiang Yanran recounted everything that had happened in the secret realm to her master. Gu Qingxue’s expression gradually turned strange, eventually growing quite agitated.

“You mean to say that the senior disciple I sent with you ran off with your fiancé?”

“Yes, Master. After entering the realm, not only did Senior Sister lose her cultivation, she seems to have lost her memory too,” Jiang Yanran replied bitterly.

Recalling this, Jiang Yanran felt even more irritated. Her master’s senior disciple had failed to protect her and had even joined Lin Mo in teasing her, leaving her utterly frustrated.

“Alright, I’ll find a solution for your condition. You may go now,” Gu Qingxue said with a sigh.

“Yes, Master,” Jiang Yanran responded obediently, swallowing down her grievances as she withdrew.

Gu Qingxue rubbed her temples. She had never anticipated her external incarnation running off with Lin Mo. Moreover, she still couldn’t sense the whereabouts of that incarnation, let alone regain control of it.

“It seems I’ll have to personally pay Qingling Sect a visit,” she murmured.

…