God of Pets

"The Holy Horned White Deer requires me to exchange the Celestial Immortal Peony for the remaining Vermilion Fruit. This Vermilion Fruit must either have a particularly special effect or be addictive, forcing me to return to exchange for more," Chen Guan pondered, summoning Ming Fei.

Generally, Chen Guan was reluctant to call upon Ming Fei, but this was an exception.

"Do you recognize this?" Chen Guan queried Ming Fei, holding up the Vermilion Fruit.

At a glance, Ming Fei's alluring eyes with water-like pupils immediately contracted. She asked, her voice trembling, "Where did you get this Vermilion Fruit?"

"Does this Vermilion Fruit have any special properties?" Chen Guan instantly realized that Ming Fei knew something about it.

"It's not just special," Ming Fei took a deep breath and said, "Since you could acquire the Vermilion Fruit, then you must be aware of the Spirit Devouring God, right?"

"The Spirit Devouring God is reputed as the Secret Realm Gardener, skilled in planting Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to lure and hunt Secret Spirits. I believe nobody is unaware of it," Chen Guan replied.

"Then do you know why it's called the Spirit Devouring God?" Ming Fei gazed at the Vermilion Fruit in Chen Guan's hand with an odd expression.

"That's not too clear. There isn't much information about the Spirit Devouring God in textbooks. Most of the time, it's just mentioned alongside other Secret Spirits, indicating that the Spirit Devouring God would plant certain Heavenly and Earthly Treasures to lure and kill such Secret Spirits."

"It's a god born from devouring Secret Spirits, one of the most mysterious Secret Spirits in existence. Because of its unique attributes and abilities, almost all Secret Spirits fear meeting it. Even Secret Spirits within the Great Cave Heaven would tremble before it, fleeing upon hearing its approach," Ming Fei explained.

"Is a First Awakening Spirit Devouring God really that formidable?" Chen Guan was somewhat skeptical. Any Secret Spirit within the Great Cave Heaven should be able to crush a First Awakening Spirit Devouring God with a flick of a finger, so how could they fear it?

"Not formidable? Have your humans ever killed a Spirit Devouring God?" Ming Fei retorted.

"I haven't heard of that," Chen Guan thought. Indeed, there seemed to be no records of anyone killing a Spirit Devouring God, only sightings. There were not even any records of hunts against it.

"The Spirit Devouring God's bloodline is unique. Before it fully matures, its strength might not be much to a High-Level Cultivator. However, no creature dares to provoke it because each Spirit Devouring God is protected by a terrifying Secret Spirit servant, and this guardian spirit is invincible."

"Just like how humans let their offspring train at grassroots levels, the Spirit Devouring God is among the noblest of Secret Spirit bloodlines. Neither humans nor Secret Spirits dare touch it, nor can they, otherwise, why would these Spirit Devouring Gods consider World-Defying Secret Spirits as their food?"

Ming Fei stared at the Vermilion Fruit in Chen Guan's hand and said, "The Vermilion Fruit you're holding is stained with the blood of a Spirit Devouring God. This is not just an ordinary Vermilion Fruit, nor is it on par with mutated Vermilion Fruits cultivated with Red Refining Demon Blood. I don't know what happened, why a Spirit Devouring God would bleed, which theoretically shouldn't happen, but the fact is that it did. The Vermilion Fruit in your hand is stained with its blood, and that's truly incredible."

"Is that so? How can you tell? Have you seen the blood of a Spirit Devouring God?" Chen Guan was skeptical.

"Such a being as the Spirit Devouring God, how could it bleed? Naturally, I haven't seen it, but its bloodline is distinctive. Even without prior sight, a mere glance is enough to identify it," Ming Fei pointed at the bloodstains on the Vermilion Fruit. "Look closely at the bloodstains; they seem random, but on closer inspection, you'll find that these bloodstains actually form a map."

"A map? What map?" Chen Guan thought Ming Fei's words were becoming increasingly unreliable.

"A map of the Celestial Secret Realm, the divine abode that all Secret Spirits long for, with the Spirit Devouring God clan serving as its guardians. When a Secret God's abilities peak and become unrivaled, the Spirit Devouring God will find it and use its own blood to guide that Secret God into the Celestial Secret Realm," Ming Fei's eyes shimmered longingly. "If it weren't for that bastard, the Emperor Ancestor, I should have long entered the Celestial Secret Realm."

"Is the Celestial Secret Realm you're referring to the same one the Emperor Ancestor went to?" Chen Guan mused aloud.

"I don't know. I haven't seen the Celestial Secret Realm you're talking about, so how would I know if it's the same place your Emperor Ancestor went to? But I've never heard of a second Celestial Secret Realm," Ming Fei stated.

Chen Guan didn't pursue the topic further, as it had little to do with him.

"So, there's no issue with this Vermilion Fruit?" Chen Guan pondered how to handle the Vermilion Fruit.

"More than just 'no issue.' I don't know what exactly happened to taint the Vermilion Fruit with Spirit Devouring God's blood. That's among the noblest of Secret Spirit bloodlines, far beyond what Red Blood Demon's blood could compare to. This Vermilion Fruit's effects surely far exceed a normal Vermilion Fruit with astonishing potential effects. Though the blood of the Spirit Devouring God on it is scant, it might enable a First Awakening creature to directly achieve a Second Awakening. This is my own speculation, and its effects might be even greater, given it's the Spirit Devouring God," Ming Fei fixedly stared at the Vermilion Fruit, visibly desirous, but hesitated to ask for it again after the last time.

Chen Guan now understood why the Holy Horned White Deer was so confident he'd exchange the Celestial Immortal Peony for the Vermilion Fruit, given its extraordinary origin.

Chen Guan weighed whether to consume the Vermilion Fruit himself or give it to his pet.

If the Vermilion Fruit could help him directly achieve a Second Awakening, it would spare him the trouble of finding a Secret Spirit for the awakening base.

But Chen Guan was unsure whether such a Second Awakening might destabilize his foundation.

Typically, a Cultivator's Second Awakening involves a breakthrough of the Secret Technique itself. With a Vermilion Fruit-induced awakening, Chen Guan couldn't be certain if the Secret Technique would also advance.

If he gave it to his pet and the pet achieved a Second Awakening, but he hadn't, the pet would be temporarily unusable.

After much deliberation, Chen Guan decided to feed the Vermilion Fruit to Yan Zhi, unwilling to take the risk himself.

Even if he needed the Vermilion Fruit for a breakthrough later, he could exchange for another with the Holy Horned White Deer, as there were over a dozen remaining.

Moreover, since Yan Zhi's own technique is the Vampire Technique, and the Vermilion Fruit contains Spirit Devouring God blood, feeding it the fruit would maximize benefits.

With a thought, he summoned Yan Zhi and handed it the Vermilion Fruit.

Ming Fei stood watching, her heart aching but unable to protest, simply brooding inwardly, "Such a worthless Unparalleled Pet, undeserving of consuming such divine treasure."