Mu Xin could not accept the scene before his eyes.
Yao Ranran lifted her head and nodded approvingly. "Yes, you really did control it very well. I was imagining a toothless little puppy, and you actually made it appear!"
Mu Xin: "…"
This woman… she was just mocking him in a different way!
When his gaze collided with Yao Ranran's clear, innocent eyes, the words he had been about to hurl got stuck in his throat.
"How… did this happen…"
He stared dumbly at Yao Ranran, the earlier violent rage vanishing in an instant, leaving only a dazed expression.
Hearing his words, Yao Ranran stopped playing with the little black dog and looked at him curiously. "What's wrong?"
Mu Xin muttered blankly, "Why… why does the sight revealed after the black mist dispersed look so astonishing?"
"Right? I thought so too!"
Yao Ranran smiled brightly and lowered her head, stroking the little black dog's smooth fur.
"This glossy, silky coat, only when you get close do you realize how pretty it is!"
Mu Xin stiffened at her words, then cast a reluctant glance at the confused little black dog before his expression suddenly changed.
"That thing? Worthy? I wasn't talking about the dog, I meant you, not the dog!"
Yao Ranran froze at his sudden outburst, hugging the puppy as she looked at him in astonishment."You were praising me?"
Her pure gaze crashed into Mu Xin's line of sight.
At once, his face flushed crimson.
"D-don't flatter yourself! There are so many people in this world, why would I praise you?"
Yao Ranran nodded knowingly. "I understand now, you weren't praising me."
"Right, I wasn't praising you!" Mu Xin shouted with a red neck, resisting with all his might.
Yao Ranran laughed softly. "You were only saying that this little black mist really is a dog, not a Taotie. You finally admitted it! Deep down you know it's true, but your mouth is as stubborn as ever!"
"Woof woof woof!" As if sensing Yao Ranran's cheerful tone, the little black dog nestled in her arms barked three silly times.
Mu Xin immediately rebuked, "My arts never fail. I did not admit it is a dog, and I was not stunned by your looks!"
At the edge of the Gu Ling Mountain cliff, two crouching figures exchanged a glance.
"Da Huang, did you hear that clearly this time? Sounds like someone's been captivated by our Fairy's beauty!"
The speaker was Tang Xiangyin.
Opposite her crouched Phoenix, still indignant.
"Cluck cluck cluck! I heard it clearly this time. That man's voice was just flattering the master. Does he want to become a second spirit pet and compete with me for the master's favor?!"
Tang Xiangyin smacked her head in sudden realization. "Right, why didn't I think of that? That strange black shadow, it's trying to compete with you for the position of Fairy's mount!"
"Cluck cluck cluck! I will never let it succeed! For eternity, only I, Phoenix, will be the master's mount and divine beast!"
Its vast wings flared open along with its defiant voice.
Tang Xiangyin gaped at the sight, her mind spinning through the ancient inheritance of the Che Lingzhi.
"That's it! I understand now!"
Her eyes lit up in shock as she looked toward the shadow above. "The Phoenix's Cry of Blood, the vow of eternal companionship as Dao partners! This rite means that no matter how many times Fairy Ranran reincarnates, the Divine Phoenix will always follow her through nirvana and rebirth, protecting its Dao partner for all eternity, through all lives, never abandoning!"
Obscure, mysterious ancient characters fluttered down from the sky. Yao Ranran, Mu Xin, and the little black dog all raised their heads together.
"What's that?"
Yao Ranran stared as the characters fell, landing upon her violet dress and merging into blood-like blossoms. Startled, she exclaimed, "Are people dying in the sky?"
She jumped up in alarm, dodging frantically with every skill she had.
"Why is this thing only floating onto me? Is this some trick of yours?!"
No matter how far Yao Ranran darted around the mountain's base, the blood blossoms never missed, always falling precisely onto her shoulders and melting into her body.
At first Mu Xin sneered, but soon his eyes went wide. "Wait… the color of this blood is wrong!"
"Of course it's wrong, don't tell me it's poisoned?!"
Yao Ranran's eyes widened. Her form flickered like lightning, leaving behind afterimages, but the blood blossoms seemed to predict her every movement, chasing her relentlessly, never once falling to the ground.
Mu Xin raced after her, channeling his spiritual power and shouting, "You're right, the blossoms are poisoned. Don't move, let me save you!"
Yao Ranran faltered. "Did I just hear you say… you're going to save me?"
"Yes! Let me take these blood blossoms for you, don't resist with your body!"
In an instant, Mu Xin was by her side, cloak raised high to shield her from above.
Holding the little black dog, Yao Ranran looked up at his solemn face from close range, and a sudden wave of emotion swelled in her heart.
"You're the first man in this cultivation world to rush out to protect me!"
Mu Xin kept his gaze locked on the ancient characters above, ignoring her words.
"Woof woof woof!" The puppy barked stupidly a few times, eyes shining with what looked like affection as it gazed at Mu Xin.
Mu Xin glanced down and immediately grimaced in disgust. "As a dog, don't act so lovestruck!"
Yao Ranran, however, felt touched. "I didn't think your other half-soul could be this kindhearted. I was planning to hand you to my disciple, but now… I don't have the heart."
Her eyes flickered with emotion, not seeing Mu Xin's upturned face that twisted into a mocking smile.
"Foolish girl, you don't even understand the oldest and truest vow of the Phoenix clan, yet you thank me? Truly ridiculous!"
He laughed wildly in his heart, mocking her ignorance.
At that moment, Tang Xiangyin shouted from the front of the Gu Ling Mountain Daoist temple."Fairy Ranran, don't take it as your mount!"
"Take it as your mount… take it as your mount…"
The vague words reached Yao Ranran's ears, echoing in her mind.
"Right! Why didn't I think of that? If I just take him as my mount, I can protect him for life!"
A sudden realization dawned on her.
Mu Xin had saved her, she couldn't kill him.
But she couldn't let him live freely either.
So taking him as a mount, bringing him straight to the Immortal Realm, was the best solution!
After all, who in this world wouldn't want to simply lie back and ascend directly?
For someone like Mu Xin, who had already died once, his greatest wish must surely be to break through the spiritual world's heavenly tribulation miasma and become a great power in the Immortal Realm.
"Mu Xin's soul fragment, thank you. I've decided to repay you. I'll accept these blood blossoms myself, you step back, I already have a solution!"
Placing the little black dog somewhere safe, Yao Ranran stretched out her hand to receive the falling blossoms of blood.