Free Web NovelChapter 439: Chapter 48: I, Little Holy Spirit Qinghui, Can’t Beat Him?
’You’ll be in for a rude awakening soon enough.’
Westheid grumbled to himself, shaking his head and saying:
"As long as you’re not against it. But there’s no need to relocate just yet. Save your exit for last. Let’s eliminate the other Demons first."
Anise leaned back and said:
"Of course. But let me make one thing clear first: if you don’t come to support me, I’ll have to relocate to the Qinghui Territory ahead of schedule."
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
The Enchanter Maiden twirled a lock of hair by her temple and smiled.
"Because I can’t win. Just before you arrived, I had to evacuate one-fifth of my domain and surrender the City in the Lake to the enemy."
"Huh? There’s a Demon that can push you into such a corner?"
Westheid said in surprise. In the Demon’s Frenzy Banquet ravaging the Thousand Laws Royal Court, dozens of Demons were slaughtering one another. But even among the shadows unleashed by Emperor Qianlu, there was a clear hierarchy.
Without a doubt, Anise was one of the standouts. Beings who could be called a "Great Demon" were typically Powerhouses far surpassing their peers. She was practically guaranteed a spot in the final circle.
The act they had put on earlier also proved this point. No matter who Westheid wanted to kill, Anise would go first and beat them to a pulp, leaving them weakened and with low health for Westheid to finish off.
They repeated this process, moving with the ease of a stroll in the park, never once failing.
Yet this very same Great Demon was now admitting her own weakness to him, saying she was getting hammered by someone else.
"Who is it... No, wait, I saw the map earlier. The Great Demon next to you... I think they occupy a corner on the edge of the Land of Rhythm..."
Before Westheid could recall any more, the Enchanter Maiden shrugged and spoke first:
"The Master of Armor Tomb... That’s its honorific as a Celestial God’s Shadow. But I’m more used to calling it the Woodland Immortal."
"Before its Soul Fusion with Father, it was a Holy Spirit born and nurtured in this Land of Thousand Lakes... Come to think of it, perhaps it has some connection to the Holy Spirit from the Land of Yuanxi?"
Anise said, looking toward Luyetan.
Luyetan crossed her arms and shook her head.
"I once heard the Holy Spirit Ancestor mention that the oldest Holy Spirits in the world are the Imperial Divine Ancestor, the Radiant Holy Tree; the Feast Fire Holy Spirit; and a Holy Spirit from the Land of Thousand Lakes. But that last one had no interaction with the Void Law Holy Spirit. It was a Holy Spirit born in the Land of Thousand Lakes a very long time ago."
"So I have to fight a former Holy Spirit..."
Westheid clicked his tongue. He wouldn’t underestimate such beings just because of a certain useless Holy Spirit he knew.
The gap between Holy Spirits can be bigger than the one between a man and a dog!
Don’t forget, the Radiant Holy Tree is also a Holy Spirit. And even if you don’t count out-of-spec Celestial Gods, the Feast Fire Holy Spirit is a powerful Demigod-Level existence.
Anise twisted a strand of her hair and recalled,
"The Woodland Immortal is different from other Demons. Very different... Father used temptation, deception, and even coercion to merge one Extraordinary Holy Spirit after another into his shell. But the Woodland Immortal approached Father on its own initiative and demanded the Soul Fusion. In fact, even Father’s initial starting resources were provided by the Woodland Immortal."
"It and Father were partners. Their goals were the same. Even now, today, as a Celestial God’s Shadow that despises Father, its ideals have never changed... In fact, they’ve become even more extreme."
The Enchanting Demon spread her hands. "If it really comes to it, just give up on the Royal Court. The Woodland Immortal will never take a single step outside the Land of Thousand Lakes anyway. It can even help you block the invasion of Chaos. What’s not to like?"
Even though she was the native of the Thousand Lakes, Anise’s words boosted the enemy’s morale while deflating her own.
’You defeatist counselor!’
Westheid frowned in displeasure.
"Oh... so the Master of Armor Tomb is that strong? You think my Little Holy Spirit Qinghui can’t beat it?"
"...Can’t beat it."
Anise carefully sized Westheid up from head to toe, then nodded and said:
"But, well, we have to at least try. Next, I will muster all my forces to confront the Woodland Immortal. We’ll see if you join in then. Anyway, once I’ve lost everything, I’m taking a group of my loyal followers and getting out of here. Su Yue, you say... I’ve never actually been anywhere else. I haven’t left the Land of Thousand Lakes since I became self-aware. I’m actually a little excited."
They hadn’t even fought yet, but the Demon Maiden was already thinking about what to do after she ran away.
Westheid couldn’t do anything about it. The Master of Greedy Banquet was already being friendly and sincere enough; he really couldn’t ask for more.
"...Let’s sign the contract first. That way we’ll have an agreement to fall back on, even if you decide to leave."
Duke Qinghui thought for a moment and decided to go along with Anise’s will. So, they began preparing the contract on the spot.
This wasn’t the first time Westheid had signed a formal contract with a Demon. The drafting of the contract was a joint effort between him and Anise, with the Witches of the Ring of Clear Skies assisting from the side. It was settled quickly.
"Oh, right. When we form the contract, try to be gentle. I have another contract on me already."
Westheid reminded her before they made contact.
"Hmm? A Demon wants a contract these days? I bet it’s not one of the shadows Father released."
The silver-purple-haired Demon raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
Then, her palms met Westheid’s. The Sub-Deity Power belonging to the Master of Greedy Banquet seeped into him, combining with the Evil Magic Vein in the man’s body. An Evil Magic Vein created by a Demon Practitioner was naturally very receptive to a contract established by Sub-Deity Power.
Anise probed deeper. As she wove the contract, she finally touched the mystery hidden within Westheid’s Evil Magic Vein.
"Inside your body... Mmm, what an ancient and profound aura..."
The Enchanting Demon grew solemn, closing her eyes to carefully perceive the Evil Magic Vein within the man’s body.
Westheid could feel Anise’s Subdivine Power shift from unbridled to cautious, deliberately avoiding the presence of Wan Qi’s Divine Power.
But she didn’t need to be so careful. Wan Qi was naturally aware of Westheid’s situation and wouldn’t attack Anise.
After successfully forging the formal contract, Westheid and Anise were now unshakeable allies. For a contract built with Divinity, anyone who tried to break it would suffer extremely severe consequences.
The Enchanter Maiden let out a sigh of relief, grabbed a glass of strong liquor from the side, and gulped it down. Only then did she pat her chest meaningfully and say:
"I never thought you’d be connected to a Great Demon like that. Even though I only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, I can tell it’s far more powerful than the Woodland Immortal. No wonder you’re so confident about dealing with a Holy Spirit."
"No... I can’t actually borrow much of her power. If I had to say, at most I can barely protect myself."
Westheid shook his head and told the truth. "So I still need your help. Tell me the specifics about this Master of Armor Tomb. After I go back, I’ll immediately muster my troops and push over to support you."
Anise swirled the empty glass.
"There’s not much to say, really. You all certainly know more about Holy Spirits than I do. But what’s special about the Woodland Immortal is that it’s not just a Holy Spirit, but also a Demon corrupted by an Ascension Ceremony. Add the two together, and its Holy Spirit abilities and Demon abilities stack. The authority of its Domain has reached an unbelievable level."
If you were talking about a Holy Spirit tainted by Chaos Corruption, Westheid could understand that. But a demonized Holy Spirit... that was truly in a blind spot of Duke Qinghui’s knowledge.
So he listened intently to Anise’s explanation.
"The Woodland Immortal is an intangible Holy Spirit with no followers. Its manifestation in reality relies on the Armor Tombs."
"Armor Tombs?"
Anise glanced at the confused Westheid and smiled.
"After the Heroes of the Land of Thousand Lakes of the past lived out their lives and died, the Woodland Immortal would collect the pasts of these Heroic Spirits and shape them into unique cenotaphs. These are the Armor Tombs."
"To birth a Holy Spirit, you first need a Holy Land. That much is easy to understand, right?"
