God of Pets

Zhang Chunxiang was also taken aback when she saw the pet split from one into two, her eyes widening in disbelief.

Yang Hu was both surprised and delighted: "There really is such a Treasure Basin in this world. Boss, we've struck it rich!"

Fu Tianji, however, said calmly, "We've only found it now. Whether we can take it with us is still an unknown. We can celebrate once it's truly in our hands."

"Yes, yes, Boss, quickly subdue it." Yang Hu nodded repeatedly, reaching out to summon back the two Earth Drilling Demons.

The two Earth Drilling Demons also heeded the call and returned to Yang Hu's side. He looked them over excitedly and said, "With such a treasure, ruling the Divine Land won't be a difficult task for us in the future. The Ten Great Families are nothing before this divine artifact."

What he said wasn't wrong; war is essentially about resources. With this Treasure Basin that can duplicate and clone, they could have whatever resources they wanted, as much as they wanted. If that were truly the case, the Ten Great Families indeed wouldn't be much.

"You..." Zhang Chunxiang was initially looking at the two Earth Drilling Demons and saw that under Yang Hu's command, they performed various actions, all of which were real and not illusions.

Just as she was marveling at the sight, she glanced up at Yang Hu, and that one look left her somewhat taken aback.

Yang Hu originally seemed to be in his twenties, full of youthful vigor. Previously, Zhang Chunxiang had also seen Yang Hu looking like a lively young man.

But now, Yang Hu's black hair had turned gray, the wrinkles on his face were deep enough to squash mosquitoes, his skin dry and parched, with many age spots, and even his back had become stooped.

Yang Hu, completely unaware of these changes, was still controlling the two Earth Drilling Demons.

Hearing Zhang Chunxiang's voice, Yang Hu frowned and yelled coldly, "What are you shouting about...shout again and I'll kill you..."

As soon as he spoke, Yang Hu was stunned. The voice that was full of youthful vigor just now became hoarse and raspy, devoid of any strength, like an old man on his deathbed.

"What's going on..." Yang Hu instinctively looked at his hands and saw that they were withered like chicken claws. He was so frightened that he took two steps back, eyes wide open, staring intently at his hands, rubbing them together as if trying to determine if this was just a dream.

"How to return...what's going on...is this your doing...change my hands back...or I'll kill you..." Yang Hu angrily advanced toward Zhang Chunxiang.

"It has nothing to do with me. This should be the price you pay for using the Treasure Basin to clone the Earth Drilling Demons." Zhang Chunxiang spoke as she took out a compact mirror that she carried with her and showed it to Yang Hu, allowing him to see himself in the mirror.

At the moment Yang Hu saw his reflection in the mirror, he recoiled as if he'd seen a ghost, falling to the ground; that terrified expression stayed with Zhang Chunxiang, imprinted in her memory.

"Boss, what's happening? How did I become like this?" Yang Hu got up and, stumbling, ran to Fu Tianji, grabbing his arm and asking excitedly.

"Using any Secret Treasure requires a price. The ability of the Secret Treasure varies, and so does the price you pay."

Fu Tianji looked at the floating Treasure Basin and said, "Just like when you use a knife to cut vegetables, it seems the knife doesn't wear out, but in reality, the wear is simply too small for you to notice. Moreover, when you use the knife, you also exert strength, which is a cost in itself."

"I think the price of using this Treasure Basin is your lifespan. The Earth Drilling Demons are your pets; when they were cloned, it consumed your lifespan."

"Then what should I do? I can't live like this...Send the cloned Earth Drilling Demons back...let them return my lifespan." Yang Hu's eyes were filled with tears, his nose running, body trembling violently from fear.

He stood up, trying to command the Earth Drilling Demons to return to the Treasure Basin.

"Stop." Fu Tianji slapped the Earth Drilling Demon away, preventing it from flying into the Treasure Basin.

"Boss, I need to live!" Yang Hu sobbed heavily, tears and snot flowing.

"It's precisely because you need to live that you can't send it in. If it goes in, it will be cloned again, not only failing to return your lifespan but also draining more of it, completing a new clone, and then you'll die instantly." Fu Tianji said coldly.

"Boss, am I doomed?" Yang Hu stood there, dumbfounded, feeling despair settling in his heart.

"I don't know much about the Treasure Basin and didn't know that using it requires such a cost. But since it's been used, I fear there's no reversing it." Fu Tianji paused, then continued, "Now that it's come to this, there's only one way left."

"Boss, you have a way?" Yang Hu was overjoyed.

Fu Tianji's gaze shifted to Zhang Chunxiang: "Your lifespan has just been taken, and your body isn't truly aged. If you replenish your lifespan immediately, even if you can't fully restore it, you can recover about seventy or eighty percent."

Zhang Chunxiang's heart skipped a beat, and she took two steps back involuntarily.

Yang Hu also understood Fu Tianji's meaning, and his gaze shifted to Zhang Chunxiang, initially filled with excitement, but quickly turned to panic: "She is a descendant of the Celestial King Zhang, favored and likely a core member nurtured by the Zhang Family. If we harm her, the Celestial King Zhang won't spare you. We can't touch her."

Speaking, Yang Hu began to retreat, saying, "Boss, I can hold on. When we get out, we can find someone else. I can wait."

"Yes, yes, we'll find someone after leaving, plenty of people outside." Zhang Chunxiang quickly added.

Fu Tianji shook his head: "It's too late. An apple that has begun to rot will only rot more severely over time until it's inedible. If you replenish your lifespan now, you can recover about seventy or eighty percent, but if you wait, even one-tenth or one-hundredth won't be recoverable."

As he spoke, Fu Tianji lifted the Soul-Calling Banner in his hand.

Zhang Chunxiang immediately turned to flee, but it was as if she was under some restraining spell, running like an ordinary girl with no cultivation, unable to run fast.

"No...Boss...last time you offended that Celestial King...the price was already too much...if you offend Celestial King Zhang now...you might lose your life..." Yang Hu grabbed the hand Fu Tianji was using to hold the Soul-Calling Banner.

Fu Tianji chuckled, "I, Fu Tianji, have always lived my life without worrying about so many things. You accepted me as a brother and wandered the world with me. You've never wronged me, so how can I wrong you?"

Saying this, he waved the Soul-Calling Banner, and from within, strands of black mist flew out, instantly traversing the void, wrapping around Zhang Chunxiang's body.