002 A Spirit Cat with Natural Charm
Those silly rats, even if they really evolved into demon spirits, would probably end up like the caretaker rat, Er Gu, at this mortuary.
So ugly that it's hard to even... hard to even look at.
Xu Chen quickly realized that if he wanted to capture demon beasts, ordinary ancient tombs wouldn't do.
He had to go to those eerie, sinister tombs.
The General's Tomb at Ping Mountain, the Xian King's Tomb in Yunnan's Worm Valley, the Ghost Burial Mound in Dragon Ridge, the Nine-Layer Demon Tower in Kunlun Mountains…
Only in these tombs, overflowing with wicked energy, could he have a chance to catch demon beasts.
So, when Xu Chen heard Chen Yulou, Old Luo Wai, and others discussing the General's Tomb in Lao Xiong Ridge, he immediately agreed.
Nothing else mattered.
Around Ping Mountain, there were plenty of demon beasts and even spirit beasts!
Xu Chen had been waiting for months. He had to capture some demon beasts and see just how powerful they would become after evolving into demon spirits!
Right now, Chen Yulou, Old Luo Wai, Red Lady, and the others were preparing to explore Ping Mountain.
As a fan of tomb-raiding novels, Xu Chen naturally knew how terrifying the ancient tomb of Ping Mountain was.
Not only did it severely damage the strength of the Xieling Lishi clan, but it also caused the warlord force that Chen Yulou had painstakingly built to collapse.
Even the Mountain Movers' Daoist, Zhegu Shao, lost his closest companions, Hua Ling and the old foreigner, there.
The entire expedition to the Ping Mountain tomb could be described in one word—tragic.
Every step was dangerous, and traps were everywhere.
Even with the knowledge he carried from his past life, surviving the pitfalls of Ping Mountain was no easy task.
But for the chance to capture demon beasts, Xu Chen was willing to take the risk.
As the group sat around the fire, drinking, a strange noise came from outside the room.
It was a sharp, grating sound.
Like claws scratching against wood.
The moment they heard it, everyone in the room changed expressions.
Outside, in the main hall, there were over a dozen coffins, most of them sealed.
Which meant there were corpses inside.
The sound was unmistakably that of a corpse scratching the coffin lid.
The mortuary instantly became lively.
Kunlun Molle and Hua Ma Guai immediately drew their short knives, grabbed the cinnabar corpse-binding ropes and glutinous rice, ready to investigate.
But Xu Chen raised a hand to stop them.
"Wait a moment. Look at the ground."
Hearing his words, everyone lowered their gaze.
They all gasped in unison.
Two sets of wet footprints had appeared on the floor.
The door was shut tight from the inside.
The heavy rain outside had started less than half an hour ago.
When they first entered the room, the rain hadn't yet begun.
Which meant these footprints had appeared just recently.
Realizing this, everyone scanned their surroundings—but there was no one in sight.
A chill ran down their spines, and the tension in the air thickened.
Xu Chen stood up and looked toward the ceiling beams.
"How strange!"
Following his gaze, the others looked up as well.
In the dim light above the beam, an old woman stood. She wore a tattered white mourning robe, her figure hunched, her face twisted in a grotesque expression. She stood beneath a dead piece of wood, a broken stone tablet beside her.
Chen Yulou reacted quickly, drawing his prized dagger, Little Divine Edge, preparing to throw it.
Xu Chen saw this clearly and immediately stopped him, pressing down on Chen Yulou's hand without saying a word.
Then he took the leather oil lamp from Red Lady, turned up the flame, and lifted it high.
A moment later, they all saw it clearly.
What they had seen wasn't an actual person.
It was an ancient painting hanging from the ceiling beam.
The eerie old woman and the strange scenery around her were all part of the artwork.
Chen Yulou finally remembered. This mortuary had once been a decrepit temple dedicated to an old deity called Granny Bai.
But as the incense offerings dwindled, the place had been repurposed into a mortuary.
The painting depicted the true appearance of Granny Bai.
No one knew who had hung it up there.
Thankfully, Xu Chen had stopped him.
If he had thrown his dagger at the painting, his men might have thought he was making a fuss over nothing.
Chen Yulou glanced at Xu Chen with gratitude in his eyes.
Xu Chen didn't mind.
He had stopped Chen Yulou partly to save his dignity.
But more importantly, because at that moment, he had heard a system notification!
"System detected a nearby demon beast."
"Demon beast's spiritual energy level: High-Rank Mystic."
"Capturable."
A demon beast!
And it was one he could capture!
Moreover, Xu Chen could already sense the demon beast's location—it was on the ceiling beam.
Moments later, a swift shadow emerged from behind Granny Bai's painting.
A cat.
Xu Chen had somewhat expected this.
In his memories, it had been a three-legged old cat that bit off Er Gu the rat's ear, setting off a series of events.
But when he finally saw the cat on the beam, he was stunned.
It wasn't the three-legged old cat from his memories.
It was a long-bodied, yellow-and-white cat.
Its fur was sleek and gleaming.
The golden patches shimmered under the lamplight.
The white patches were as pure as fresh snow, without a single stray hair.
The boundary between the two colors was crisp and distinct.
Its nose was moist, its eyes bright, its body slender, and its posture agile.
It was clearly not an old cat, and its limbs were perfectly intact.
It walked with the grace of a spirit, as if dancing.
And every movement carried a natural allure.
Xu Chen's heart skipped a beat.
Even as just a cat, it was already mesmerizing.
If he captured it and evolved it into a demon spirit...
A cat demon?
Xu Chen's heart burned with excitement.
His Beast Taming Evolution System had two main functions.
One was the Beast Taming Skillset, which included techniques for subduing and controlling demon beasts.
The other was the Evolution Function, which strengthened and evolved them.
Right now, Xu Chen needed to use his Beast Taming skills.
When he activated his system, he had received a special tool: the Demon-Binding Rope.
It was crafted from a mix of fierce beast fur, black gold silk, and silver thread from the Lan plant, making it incredibly durable.
Not even the sharpest fangs and claws of demon beasts could sever it.
Additionally, the rope was infused with cinnabar and realgar, preventing captured beasts from transforming.
But the most crucial feature of the Demon-Binding Rope was its live knots.
If the beast struggled, the knots would tighten, eventually binding it completely.
Xu Chen took out the rope, aimed at the yellow-and-white cat on the beam, and threw it.
The cat noticed his movement.
But it seemed confident in its agility.
Its eyes even gleamed with amusement, as if mocking Xu Chen.
Xu Chen smirked.
The Demon-Binding Rope may have looked ordinary, but it was a system reward.
And it had one special trait—
Within ten meters, it never missed!