Soon, a gigantic white elephant appeared in the distance, its massive form thundering toward the group. It was even larger than the bull demon, but where the bull demon was rough and fearsome, this elephant had a gentle, almost cute appearance.
Perched comfortably on the elephant's back was a little girl, her face calm. Drowned in an oversized white hoodie, she looked like a fluffy cotton dumpling.
The young lady's three guards immediately moved to shield her, their eyes fixed warily on the approaching creature.
"Relax, it's my bloodline spirit," Draven said calmly. Hearing this, the group let their guard down. The white elephant came to a halt before Draven, and the little girl, Little Su, hopped down nimbly.
"So you're Little Su? Though I think I should call you Big Su," the young lady said, cautiously stepping closer to the white elephant. When it didn't object, she reached out and gently stroked its trunk. The white elephant, Little Su, and Draven all looked at the young lady with puzzled expressions.
The young lady sensed something was off. She turned and found Little Su looking back at her with a pair of bright purple eyes. The sight of the little girl's puffy, rose-colored cheeks and innocent gaze immediately made the young lady's heart melt.
"You said you were the only human here besides us. So, who is this adorable little girl?" the young lady asked, squatting down to pinch Little Su's cheeks affectionately.
"Little girl, I am Su. I'm not a human; I'm Papa's bloodline spirit. But I do agree that I'm cute," Little Su replied with a cheerful giggle.
The young lady's smile stiffened. She looked at Draven in disbelief. "She's joking, right? How can a spirit take the form of a human?"
Draven shook his head. "Her original form was destroyed in a battle four years ago. I had to reconstruct her spirit using my magic cores as a vessel, which resulted in this human form."
The young lady and her guards stared at Little Su in stunned silence. Unfazed, Little Su simply smiled and waved at them.
"By the way, did you retain your previous innate abilities?" Draven asked, his gaze shifting to the placid white elephant standing beside them.
Like the phoenix chick's innate talent for reversing yin and yang, Little Su had possessed two abilities before her dragon form was destroyed. One was the power to control other animals, and the other was the ability to open a small space within her shadow, allowing her to summon shadowy entities to fight for her.
Little Su nodded. "After I absorbed the bull demon's blood essence, I could feel my innate powers returning. But they feel different now. I can communicate with animals, whereas before I could only control them by overpowering their will. As for the shadow space talent, it's also changed. It's still developing, so I'm not sure exactly how yet."
Draven frowned thoughtfully. "I can see how you regained your animal-taming ability, and its change could be linked to the giant turtle's influence. But your shadow space talent should have vanished since you no longer have a space core."
To demonstrate, Little Su lightly stomped her foot. From the depths of Draven's own shadow, a humanoid figure made of black mist emerged. It held a neatly folded set of clothes in its hand, a white shirt and loose black trousers.
"I can summon my shadows through both of our shadows now," Little Su explained.
Draven wiped his blood-stained hands on his torn shirt and took the fresh clothes from the shadowy servant. The summon bowed respectfully before melting back into the shadow.
"Little Su, take them to our mountain cave. I'll join you after I've bathed. And have the white elephant bring this hammer back to the peak," Draven instructed before turning to walk toward the mountain stream.
The sky was deepening into twilight, and a chill was settling in the air. Little Su glanced at the white elephant, which seemed to understand without words. Wrapping its trunk around the massive hammer, it lifted the weapon effortlessly. The group then began their trek toward the mountain peak.
"Hey, Little Su, where are the pills?" Draven called back after walking a short distance.
Little Su waved her tiny hand, and another shadowy figure emerged from Draven's shadow, holding two glass bottles.
"Well, that's convenient," Draven remarked, taking the bottles of red and purple pills before continuing toward the stream.
"Papa told me you're from the outside world. What's it like compared to here?" Little Su asked the young lady, her curiosity sparkling.
The young lady thought for a moment. "It's wonderful in many different ways. We have aircraft that fly through the sky like beasts, devices called communicators that let you talk to people far away, all kinds of delicious foods, and warframes that let ordinary people battle magical beasts without needing energy from magic cores..."
Little Su's eyes shone brighter with each new marvel the young lady listed.
"When I was small, the village elders used to tell stories about those things. I absolutely have to experience everything once we get out of here," Little Su declared with determination.
The young lady looked at her curiously. "Now, tell us what's special about this world."
Little Su thought it over. "According to the stories from our village's first-generation ancestors, there are holy lands of cultivation here: the Shrine of Wisdom, where 5,600 ancient characters are inscribed; the Forging Hall of Legends, which holds records of all types of forging techniques; the Medicine Library, filled with medicinal knowledge; and the Ten Battle Art Caves, where ten types of battle art cave paintings are preserved."
She then rested her chin on her hand, adding with a bored look, "But Papa and I have been there millions of times, so I don't think they're that great anymore. Just hearing their names makes me sleepy."
The warrior woman's interest was piqued, especially at the mention of the Battle Art Caves. She stepped forward and asked Little Su respectfully, "Young Miss, is that where Senior learned his battle arts?"
"You can just call me Little Su," the girl said, blushing at the formal address. "As for Papa's battle arts, their foundation came from the Ten Battle Cave murals. But over the years, he's modified them so much they're now completely different from what's painted there."
Grace also chimed in, "Young Miss Su, would it be possible for us to see those places?"
Little Su nodded. "We can, but we'll need to bring Papa. Those places are guarded by powerful beasts. If one of them were to wake and attack us, we wouldn't be able to escape on our own."
As they continued their journey, chatting and laughing, the little phoenix chick remained stubbornly perched on Little Su's shoulder, refusing to return to the young lady. Little Su was delighted; after so long, she finally had new friends, and the little chick had already become inseparable from her.