"This Spirit Beast is called a Nightmare Demon. Its lifespan is nearly spent—three thousand years…"
A deep, rolling voice echoed from the depths of the underground palace.
A massive finger, black as jagged mountains, reached out, tapping the ground again and again.
Each time it tapped, the water mirror rippled, reflecting a hideously ferocious Spirit Beast.
The Divine Butterfly flapped its wings and shook its head.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion followed suit, shaking its head as well.
"This Howling Moon Wolf, ferocious by nature, slaughters its kin and devours its clan. Five thousand years…"
The Divine Butterfly's antennae quivered, still dissatisfied.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion let out a low, plaintive whine in protest.
That majestic voice carried a faint trace of impatience:
"The Black-Armored Crocodile Rhinoceros—defeated in a clan struggle, destined to perish within days. Eight thousand years…"
The Divine Butterfly rejected it once more.
"Roar—!"
A dragon's roar rumbled through the underground palace.
It nearly woke the five peerless ferocious beasts that were still swallowing and exhaling the world's vital lenergy.
Thunderous, heavy breaths echoed like muffled storms.
Each inhale and exhale stirred violent gusts.
"Little one…"
"You promised to cultivate diligently in the future. Only for that promise do I make such concessions."
"If you remain unsatisfied, then this matter ends here."
The Divine Butterfly nodded.
Then gestured to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion to continue ramming the barrier.
"Wait!"
The majestic voice resounded once more—low, yet tinged with resignation.
To think—the mighty Beast God, ruler of the Star Dou Great Forest, was being cornered by two mere younglings.
"…There is one last kind."
"This beast is rather peculiar. If he cannot absorb it, it will only prove his own lack of strength, and no one else is to blame."
The sky-piercing finger clad in black-gold scales suddenly struck down.
RUMBLE—!!!
The earth quaked with a deafening rumble.
The Spirit Power barrier sealing the passage shattered like fractured glass, breaking apart piece by piece.
"Even without the barrier, your path will not be easy."
"The reason I stopped you was to keep you safe."
But with the barrier opened, the Divine Butterfly and the Three-Eyed Golden Lion could no longer contain themselves.
They turned into a stream of golden light and a stream of colorful light, rushing into the tunnel impatiently.
However, the moment they rushed out of the tunnel, they were startled to see that what lay before them was not a smooth path.
Another vast cave yawned before them.
And within—was filled completely with a bizarre kind of plant.
Its roots twisted like coiling dragons, glowing faintly with shifting rainbow hues.
Its stems stood upright like swords, jade-green and straight, rising from the cave floor to the ceiling, leaving no gap.
Atop each plant grew strange leaves, sometimes two or three, sometimes seven or eight.
These leaves were not round or smooth,
but edged with sharp, angular ridges.
Cold light glinted from their tips.
(The Ten-Thousand-Year Calamity Bloom)
The entire cave was occupied by this sword-shaped plant.
Even the hulking Three-Eyed Golden Lion could not move without brushing against them.
And even the small Divine Butterfly had no hope of flying through without touching their blades.
Yet in sensing their aura, apart from the vibrant life-force unique to hundred-year and thousand-year plant-type Spirit Beasts, there was only a faint trace of sword-sharpness.
No other special traits appeared.
"You can touch a three-leaf one. You will know with one try."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion obeyed.
Raising its golden-scaled forepaw, it pressed down on a nearby stalk with three jagged leaves.
The instant its claw made contact, the entire plant shuddered violently.
Hiss—
A concentrated aura of sharpness, tangible as steel, lashed out like lightning toward the lion's paw.
Golden light flickered in its beastly eyes. Without retreating, it roared, summoning golden flames to surge from its claws, slamming down with brute force.
The strange plant shriveled at once, blackened to ash.
Yet just as its life was about to extinguish—
the three leaves atop its stalk suddenly turned blood-red, dazzling and fierce.
Whoosh—!
A surge of sharpness, three times as fierce as before, shrieked through the air.
It pierced straight toward the lion.
The beast raised its paw once more.
But this time—
It howled in pain, jerking its head down to look.
Upon its golden-scaled paw, a single bead of gold-tinged crimson blood welled forth.
The sight left the Divine Butterfly stunned.
A mere three-leaf plant had wounded the Auspicious Emperor Beast.
The butterfly and lion exchanged looks, their gazes filled with disbelief.
From the depths of the underground palace came the solemn voice:
"This Spirit Beast is called the Calamity Bloom."
"It has no spirit, no mind—only the instinct to strike."
"It was born from the blood of my lord, spilled upon this land."
"As fleeting as a bloom—one leaf, one calamity. One calamity, one life."
"The Calamity Bloom has but one chance to unleash its Spirit Ability—when it is on the brink of destruction."
"Just now, you triggered its calamity."
"Count its leaves…"
"Three leaves—threefold backlash."
"Five leaves—fivefold might."
"And so on."
That supreme, majestic voice reverberated across the palace.
"Since that human youth is a sword cultivator, the 'Calamity Bloom' will suit him best."
"This is a Spirit Beast tainted with divinity, found nowhere else in the world. That youth's fortune is extraordinary."
"Little one, since you share a bond with him… pray that when he rises, he does not bring calamity upon my Spirit Beast race."
"Otherwise, the consequences of today's cause will be bitter, and they will be tasted by ourselves."
Upon hearing this, the Divine Butterfly flew up and down, nodding vigorously.
At last, the deep voice declared:
"So be it…"
"For the sake of your bonded one, choose a Calamity Bloom."
The butterfly's slender antennae stirred, its compound eyes sweeping over the cavern's sword-forest.
Finally, they fixed upon the very center—
A stalk as thick as a pillar.
At its crown bloomed twelve razor-sharp leaves, gleaming with a chilling brilliance.
"Little one, are you certain? This twelve-leaf Calamity Bloom holds nearly twenty thousand years of cultivation."
"Are you sure that human boy can withstand it?"
The butterfly nodded firmly, wings trembling with resolve.
—
Star Dou Forest, mid-section.
Li Zhexian sped through the woods, Qian Renxue close behind.
Suddenly—
Boom—!
The ground beneath their feet split open without warning!
Li Zhexian's pupils contracted sharply. He seized Qian Renxue and leapt back dozens of meters.
Almost at the same instant—
His Spirit Power surged violently.
The names "Dugu Bo" and "Yu Yuanzhen" nearly spilled from his lips.
But just then...
Amidst the dust that permeated the air, a strangely shaped plant, with a faint seven-colored halo, slowly rose from the cracked crevice.
At its crown, twelve jagged leaves had already withered, flickering like candles in the wind.
Yet the aura of a ten-thousand-year spirit beast surged across the forest.
Li Zhexian froze mid-step, scanning the surroundings in shock and doubt.
However, aside from the fissure that was quickly sealing up, there were no other abnormal traces to be found.
Before him—
Only the lone plant remained, weak and withered, yet still emanating a sharpness that seemed able to rend the void itself.
The shape of its leaves, the residual aura of razor-edge intent—it struck directly at his soul.
This was—
The Spirit Beast he had long dreamed of.
What made his heart pound even harder was that its variegated roots exuded a faint resonance with the aura of his previous Spirit Ring—the Dragon-Headed Sword Hawk.
"A rare beast—another rare beast tainted with divine aura!"
This chance must not be missed!
Without a shred of hesitation, Li Zhexian bowed deeply toward the ground.
"Li Zhexian thanks Senior for this gift!"
With that—
The Qinglian Sword rang out, cleaving down toward the dying Ten-Thousand-Year Calamity Bloom…