Shortly after Gao Lan's figure merged with the teleportation light and vanished into the swirl at the secret realm's entrance, a cold, furious thought suddenly emerged from the spiritual contract mark within Bai Hao's body: "All humans in the secret realm have left. You can release me now."
With her strength and domain of authority, she could use her void power to observe the surrounding environment even while inside the mark.
A typical secret realm wasn't overly large—roughly the size of a small county town. As a high-level Holy Spirit, she could essentially monitor every corner with careful observation.
Bai Hao gripped a large, jagged boulder, his sharp gaze sweeping over the rocky hillside below like a hawk's. At her words, a sly yet ruthless smile curved his lips. His climbing movements never slowed—if anything, he moved more nimbly as he shot upward. "Release you? That won't work."
There was a moment of silence from within the mark, then Elisa's voice suddenly rose, filled with unimaginable rage:
"What?! You wretched human! How dare you keep me imprisoned?! Do you think you can stop me from leaving?!"
Bai Hao spun around and leaped onto a platform, landing steadily before sneering:
"Isn't it obvious? From the moment you entered my spiritual bond, whether you can leave or not depends entirely on me. If I let you out and you run away, who am I supposed to complain to?"
The bond's power prevented her from harming him, but it couldn't restrain a Holy Spirit's desire to leave. After all, they'd finally encountered a powerful high-level Holy Spirit—they had to make the most of her, didn't they? Opportunities to form contracts with such beings were rare and hard to come by; once missed, they were gone forever.
When a contracted party wanted to release the spiritual contract mark, the master's consent was required. So long as Bai Hao refused, Elisa would have no choice but to remain obedient inside his body.
Of course, this wasn't entirely beneficial for him either.
The contracted party needed to continuously draw spiritual energy from the contractor to stay within the mark long-term. The higher the contracted party's level, the greater the amount of spiritual energy required. Given the gap in cultivation between Bai Hao and Elisa, if she wished, she could easily leave him weak, dizzy, and unable to gather spiritual energy—without completely draining him.
But it was clear that even if Elisa considered this, she wouldn't act on it. If she drained too much of his energy and affected his normal condition, it would be deemed a threat to his safety. And if she so much as misbehaved, the only option would be to hand her over to the authorities like a "good citizen."
What exactly do you want?
Elisa suppressed her anger, her voice cold.
"Nothing much. The world's too chaotic, and I need a bodyguard for protection—and you just happen to be the perfect choice."
"Ha—protect you?!"
Elisa's scoff was filled with deep disgust and contempt, like a bucket of cold water poured over hot coals. "A lowly human ant, daring to ask me to protect you?!"
Her insulting words didn't anger Bai Hao—they barely elicited a reaction at all. He spoke as if he'd just heard a funny joke, his tone casual and indifferent:
"Stop spouting nonsense like that. Since you can't fight it, you might as well enjoy being bossed around by me."
As Bai Hao spoke, he suddenly caught sight of a mountain ape with its back turned, cowering between some rocks. A beam of light shot out from between his fingers, piercing the creature and turning it into a warm, solid mass.
"Don't worry—so long as you're obedient enough, once I reach the Holy Spirit level and can guarantee your safety, I might let you go. Until then, why not enjoy this rare 'master-servant' moment together?"
Elisa sneered, her voice dripping with mockery. "Holy Spirit? Do you think reaching the Holy Spirit realm is as easy as growing cabbage? That you can just will it into being? With your talent and knowledge, you're just dreaming!"
Instead of getting angry at her harsh words, Bai Hao grinned, his eyes flashing with a dangerous glint:
"You're right. You'd better pray I become a Holy Spirit—otherwise, you'll be stuck with me for life."
Elisa's sarcasm didn't faze him in the least; if anything, it became a weapon he could turn against her. After all, he wasn't actually an eighteen-year-old kid—even if he looked younger, he wasn't to be toyed with.
The spiritual contract mark suddenly trembled violently! It was a terrifying vibration from the depths of her soul—the rage of a high-ranking Holy Spirit roiling within the mark like an impending volcanic eruption. Bai Hao could almost "hear" the sound of clenched teeth, nearly a growl...
But in the end, that fierce will was forcibly reined in, like being pushed back into a frozen abyss—leaving only suffocating silence behind.
Bai Hao's smile widened. He knew this silence wasn't a compromise, but a deeper form of patience. If it weren't for her suspicious identity, if she weren't afraid of her true self being exposed to the world... How could a noble Holy Spirit ever be manipulated by such an "ant"?
Too bad—if he weren't worried she'd run away, he might have let her out and "trained her properly."
Seeing that Elisa had finally calmed down inside him, Bai Hao stopped delaying and focused all his energy on earning points.
The Secret Realm Exit
Groups of students were escorted out one by one. Zhao Yuan had already reported the situation at the exam site to the Suzhou-Hangzhou City Education Bureau and the Extraordinary Incident Emergency Response Office.
Dozens of people in various uniforms gathered at the realm's entrance, while several ambulances waited outside the cordon—ready to provide immediate care to the injured.
Upon learning that two famous war gods from the Xia Kingdom would be arriving, the mayor of Suzhou-Hangzhou had used his extraordinary abilities to rush over immediately—without even waiting for his official car.
Parents and students waited anxiously around the secret realm's perimeter, hoping their children would emerge safely. Each student who came out spared their family from the lingering anxiety that had plagued them.
The female Spirit Emperor—who looked like a bodybuilder—stood with her arms crossed, eyes closed and silent. With her abilities, she could perceive everything around her through instinct, missing no detail. She'd react instantly if any aliens or beasts escaped the realm.
"I told you before: using Weeping Gorge as a martial arts exam site for college applicants is far too dangerous. Director Li, you need to take practical action for these students! I expect to see your report tomorrow so I can sign off on it. From now on, this secret realm must be completely removed from the college entrance exam's martial arts test list."
Director Li's face was pale as paper, cold sweat streaming down his forehead like a broken dam—impossible to wipe away. Under the summer sun, he felt a chill creeping up his spine, his fingers trembling.
"Yes! Yes! Mayor! Of course! Our bureau will work through the night, do everything in our power, and have it done by tomorrow! We'll remove it completely from the list!"
"Good!"
Hmph!
The mayor let out a relieved breath, but his gaze unconsciously drifted to the female Spirit Emperor—who remained with her eyes closed, radiating invisible pressure. He swallowed hard but ultimately didn't dare approach. He was only a high-level Great Spirit Master—insignificant compared to a Spirit Emperor, like a firefly beside the bright moon! Such powerful beings typically required provincial-level leaders to receive them.
Just then, a flash of light appeared in the secret realm. A beautiful figure stepped out, shielding someone beside her.
It was Zhi Youyue, emerging from the realm's entrance with the severely injured Xiao Chunan by her side.
Sensing Zhi Youyue's presence, the female Spirit Emperor opened her eyes and teased: "Did you get her?"
Zhi Youyue remained calm as a deep well, shaking her head slightly. "She managed to escape."
"Heh—how ridiculous that a dignified Spirit Emperor would let a Holy Spirit slip through her fingers..."
"Forget it. You're the one who embarrassed yourself—I don't want the trouble of dealing with it. Is this the Emperor-grade talent Spirit Envoy from Suzhou-Hangzhou?"
Before she finished speaking, her tall figure appeared before Xiao Chunan as if by magic. The overwhelming pressure nearly left him breathless. She leaned slightly forward, her overly stern face close to his, her voice so "soft" it made his hair stand on end:
"Little brother, your injuries are so severe—they must hurt terribly! My heart aches to see you like this~ My name's Qi Mulan, remember that? If you ever run into trouble, just call my name!"
She grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.
Xiao Chunan weakly twitched the corner of his mouth, nearly choking on another mouthful of blood. Compared to the enthusiastic "Sister Kong King" in front of him, he instinctively preferred Zhi Youyue's calm, reassuring aura beside him.
After all... What young man didn't yearn for a cool, aloof older woman?
By this point, Xiao Chunan had deactivated his dragon transformation—with his remaining spiritual energy, he couldn't maintain the state for long. Without the body-strengthening effects, waves of excruciating pain washed over him, leaving him barely able to speak.
"Qi Mulan—if you don't want him to be disabled, you'd better take him to the hospital first," Zhi Youyue said calmly. "I'll leave him in your care. I need to report to headquarters first."
As soon as she finished speaking, the air seemed to tremble for a moment—and Zhi Youyue's figure vanished like smoke.