"Roar—!!!"
The Vicious Beast let out an earth-shattering roar, its voice filled with pain and struggle!
Its massive body convulsed violently, its head thrashing wildly, its sharp claws digging deep furrows into the ground!
It was resisting!
Resisting the restraint that tried to invade its Soul!
Chen Lin only felt as if his Divine Sense had been thrown into a raging furnace, violently tearing and clashing with the Vicious Beast's fierce and chaotic will!
Each impact made his head throb, his vision darken, and blood seep from his nose and mouth!
He desperately held onto his mind, the warm current in his Dantian circulating frantically, pinning all his will on that blood talisman seal!
A tug-of-war! A frantic battle of wills!
After an unknown amount of time, the Vicious Beast's struggles gradually weakened, and its frantic roar turned into a painful whimper.
In its crimson beast eyes, the violent ferocity slowly receded, replaced by a sense of confusion, exhaustion, and finally… complete submission.
Its massive body finally stopped struggling and slowly lowered itself.
Its huge head rested on the cold rocky ground, and a low, whimpering sound came from its throat, directed towards Chen Lin.
It's done! The Spirit Contract is formed!
Chen Lin's taut nerves suddenly relaxed, and a strong sense of dizziness and sharp pain engulfed him like a tide.
He leaned against the rock wall, gasping for breath, cold sweat and blood mixed as they streamed down his cheeks, his entire body depleted of strength, unable to even move his fingers.
Only his heavy breathing and the Vicious Beast's low whimpers remained in the Immortal Cave.
After a good while, Chen Lin finally caught his breath.
He struggled to sit upright and looked at the Vicious Beast prostrate on the ground.
The wound on its flank was still bleeding, a large patch of its iron-grey fur stained red.
Its huge body trembled slightly, and when its emerald beast eyes looked at Chen Lin, the ferocity was gone, replaced only by the weakness of submission and… a hint of inexplicable dependence?
"Hoo…"
Chen Lin let out a long, turbid breath, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
The relief of surviving a disaster, the excitement of taming a Vicious Beast, and a touch of… inexplicable pity for this powerful creature.
He tried to communicate with the Spirit Contract seal he had planted in his mind.
A vague, chaotic intention, filled with hunger, pain, and obedience, was transmitted intermittently.
"Hungry… hurt… Master…"
Chen Lin's mind stirred, and he tried to transmit a comforting thought:
"Don't be afraid… From now on, follow me."
He struggled to move over, tore off the relatively clean hem of his inner clothing, and, enduring the pain, carefully helped the Vicious Beast press down on the gruesome wound on its flank.
"From now on… you'll be called 'Ji Leopard'."
He whispered, both to comfort it and himself,
"Surviving a great disaster means future blessings… Be auspicious."
Ji Leopard seemed to understand, its huge head rubbed against Chen Lin's hand, and a low, cat-like purr came from its throat, carrying a hint of fawning.
Looking at this giant leopard, which had been incredibly fierce a moment ago but was now as docile as a cat, Chen Lin finally showed a tired but genuine smile on his face.
His first Spirit Beast! It's done!
After comforting Ji Leopard, Chen Lin began to examine the Immortal Cave that had almost taken his life.
The space inside the Immortal Cave was not small, twice the size of his family's main hall, but the smell was truly uncomplimentary.
There were scattered beast bones, dried, blackened bloodstains, and filth everywhere, and in a corner, there was even a pile of dried feces, emitting a pungent, foul odor.
"This place… needs a good clean-up."
Chen Lin frowned, enduring the nausea.
He rested for a while, regaining some strength, then carefully climbed down the cliff along the original path.
The stream water was clear.
Chen Lin first washed the blood and sweat from his face, then cupped his hands and gulped down several mouthfuls of water; the cold stream water refreshed him immediately.
He looked around and began to collect dry branches and relatively soft dry grass.
Soon, he had collected a large bundle.
Looking at the steep ten-zhang rock wall, Chen Lin found it difficult.
It was already hard for him to climb up, how could he go up carrying such a large bundle of things?
His gaze turned to Ji Leopard, who was lying on the platform at the Immortal Cave entrance, peering down.
This fellow was huge, its strength must be considerable… A thought popped into his mind.
"Ji Leopard!" Chen Lin called out in his mind.
The huge leopard head immediately extended further, its emerald eyes looking at him.
"Come down!"
Chen Lin transmitted the thought, pointing to the two large bundles of dry branches and grass on the ground, then pointing to his back and gesturing,
"Carry these up!"
Ji Leopard seemed to be stunned for a moment, a human-like confusion flashed in its huge beast eyes, but it still obediently descended the steep rock wall with a few agile leaps.
It lowered its body, and Chen Lin laboriously tied the heavy dry branches and grass, securely binding them to Ji Leopard's broad back with the beast sinew rope he had brought.
The dry grass was piled high, almost covering Ji Leopard's entire upper body, leaving only its furry head exposed, looking somewhat comical.
"Go up! Slowly!" Chen Lin patted it.
Ji Leopard whimpered, seemingly a bit displeased with this "labor," but it still carried the heavy burden and began to climb upwards with slightly clumsy movements.
Chen Lin also quickly followed.
One person and one leopard struggled for a long time before finally getting the two large bundles of fuel onto the platform.
Chen Lin was exhausted, and Ji Leopard was also panting heavily on the ground.
Next was the most arduous task: cleaning the Immortal Cave.
Without tools, Chen Lin could only use his hands and the hunting knife he had picked up, enduring the nausea, to gradually clear the broken bones and filth to the edge of the Immortal Cave entrance platform, then push them off the cliff.
Ji Leopard seemed to understand its Master's intention and clumsily helped by raking with its claws.
One person and one beast worked for nearly an hour before they managed to clear a habitable space inside the Immortal Cave, and the stench also significantly lessened.
Chen Lin collapsed onto the cold rocky ground, exhausted. The cold wind blowing inside the Immortal Cave made him shiver involuntarily.
It was then that he suddenly remembered—he hadn't brought bedding!
He had even forgotten to bring a tinderbox or flint!
"Tsk!" Chen Lin slapped his forehead in annoyance.
After going through a life-and-death struggle and working for half a day, he had completely forgotten about this.
His Physique had indeed strengthened, but the cold in these mountains, especially after nightfall, would be absolutely unbearable if he only relied on a single layer of clothing.
"Forget it, I'll make do tonight."
He shook his head helplessly and looked at Ji Leopard, who was lying beside him licking its wound,
"Ji Leopard, go get some food! The bigger, the better!"
Ji Leopard's emerald eyes instantly lit up!
Its hunting instinct was awakened! It let out a low growl, and its agile figure, like a grey lightning bolt, disappeared into the dense forest below with a few astonishingly fast leaps.
Not long after, the sound of heavy dragging came from outside the Immortal Cave. Ji Leopard returned, dragging a wild deer even larger than itself!
The deer's neck was broken, and blood was still gushing out.
"Well done!"
Chen Lin praised. He had Ji Leopard drag the deer to a corner of the platform, while he took out a wooden basin to collect the blood.
"Senior, let's get to work!"
Chen Lin called out to the Refining Demon Furnace in his mind.
"Mm." The Refining Demon Furnace's voice carried a hint of sleepy laziness, "Although this deer blood is far inferior to that bear, it's better than nothing."
Chen Lin skillfully inserted his hand into the thick, warm deer blood, concentrating on operating the Qi Guiding Technique.
The furnace mark on his chest once again glowed with a dark golden light, devouring, refining, purifying… Pure blood essence surged into his body along his arm, flowing into his Dantian.
That familiar warm current grew a little stronger again, nourishing his damaged body.
After Cultivating, the deer blood in the basin became thin and clear.
Chen Lin withdrew his hand, feeling that his strength had recovered significantly, and the dull pain in his chest had also lessened a lot.
"The rest is yours."
Chen Lin said to Ji Leopard.
Ji Leopard had long been drooling with desire; upon receiving permission, it immediately pounced on the deer and devoured it, the sound of its sharp teeth tearing through hide, flesh, and bones especially clear in the silent Immortal Cave.
Chen Lin watched this scene of eating raw meat and blood, his stomach churning a bit.
He walked to the Immortal Cave entrance platform, looking at the gurgling stream below and the vast mountains shrouded in twilight in the distance.
The cold wind was biting, making him shrink his neck.
"Hiss… It's really cold…"
He rubbed his arms, watching Ji Leopard chew raw meat inside the Immortal Cave, then looked at his own empty hands,
"Fire… Tomorrow, when I go back and bring my elder brothers, I must remember to bring flint… and a quilt!"
As night deepened, the cold air, like an icy tide, surged into the Immortal Cave from all directions.
Chen Lin could only sit against the Immortal Cave wall, hugging his arms, and operating the faint warm current in his Dantian to barely resist the cold.
Beside him, Ji Leopard, full and content, curled up, its huge body radiating a little warmth.
Listening to the howling mountain wind and the rustling forest outside the Immortal Cave, feeling the coldness of the rock beneath him and the breathing of the Vicious Beast beside him, Chen Lin closed his eyes wearily.
This day, from taming the Vicious Beast to cleaning the Immortal Cave, had been thrilling and utterly exhausting.
He had forgotten the flint, so he would have to endure the cold tonight.
He hoped this bit of warmth in his Dantian… could last until dawn.