Chapter 516 - 437: The 9-Tails Serves, Swallowing 3 Spirit Fruits

’Right. I had originally thought the Demon Race would build some kind of grand lair. It didn’t have to be a proper building, but they could have at least fixed up a Half-Mountain Castle or something. Instead, they just made the most of what was available and picked a ready-made cave to live in.’

Then again, for a single member of the Demon Race to inhabit such a large space was already a great luxury for the Nine-tailed Fox. Just look at the rabble outside—they didn’t even have decent dens, forced to either dig burrows or crawl into holes fit for dogs.

Of course, Jiang Qiu just felt the contrast was a bit stark; he didn’t actually think the Nine-tailed Fox’s dwelling was too shabby. After all, before coming here, he’d been one of the ones digging holes in the ground...

"My Lord, those are the Spirit Fruits I’ve stored."

A clear, crisp voice entered his ears. Jiang Qiu tugged on the fur on Xiong Batian’s head, signaling him to stop. He looked up and suddenly saw a small cavern chamber. Inside, there was indeed a unique fluctuation of Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, and a faint blue brilliance filled the space, spilling out into the main cave.

Three Spirit Fruits!

Jiang Qiu’s eyes lit up. "You actually have three of them?"

"To answer my Lord, items like Spirit Fruits must be kept hidden. If not, they might be coveted by the other Great Dominators, and even the True Dominator, the Golden Eagle, might try to steal them."

The Nine-tailed Fox prostrated herself on the ground again, her hips subconsciously arching upwards, exposing flesh as fair as white jade.

This was a fox’s instinct, or rather, an instinct of the Demon Race in this world. When expressing submission, they would prostrate themselves, which showed they had no intention of attacking and also helped to earn the other party’s trust.

But she wasn’t purely a Nine-tailed Fox anymore. The moment she struck the pose, Jiang Qiu subconsciously averted his gaze. If not for the cover of her nine fluffy, wide tails, who knew what she would have exposed to him.

’Then again... it might be better if those nine tails weren’t covering anything.’

’Ah, forget it. This way is more... alluring.’

A strange thought flashed through his mind. Jiang Qiu cleared his throat with a light cough, nodded, and praised her, "Very good. Are you really willing to give all three Spirit Fruits to me? I’ve heard that if even a demon without a Spiritual Awakening eats one of these, it will immediately have its Spiritual Awakening, quickly Open its Spirit Veins, and enter the stage of Cultivation!"

Indeed, Jiang Qiu had heard a great deal about the Spirit Fruits on his journey. The lesser dominators were tight-lipped about the Eight Great Dominators, only daring to speak in detail after he had beaten them up a bit.

The so-called Eight Great Dominators were the rulers who lorded over the countless lesser dominators. Their power was beyond question, and the source of that power was the existence of the Spirit Fruits.

As it turned out, the Spirit Fruits of the Eight Great Dominators were all different, but broadly speaking, to the demons outside, they all shared the characteristic of allowing a demon to rise through the ranks in a single leap.

There were even rumors that swallowing a single Spirit Fruit could turn one into a lesser dominator. Some even said that in the distant future, if one of the Great Dominators were to fall, the one who ate the fruit could inherit their position.

Of course, this was just baseless speculation. No one had ever confirmed it, and Jiang Qiu wasn’t sure what the Spirit Fruits truly did.

But there was no doubt that the Eight Great Spirit Fruits were the most famous and, of course, the rarest Treasures of Heaven and Earth in the Land of Golden Eagle.

It could be said that obtaining one of the Eight Great Spirit Fruits was the path to becoming a Great Dominator. After all, anyone capable of acquiring such an item would be anything but weak.

Now, as he sensed the three Spirit Fruits, he could perceive a unique Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm emanating from them. It was profound and mysterious, carrying a faint trace of the essence of an Enlightenment Fruit.

Yes, the very same Enlightenment Fruit that had once helped Jiang Qiu break through to the Peeping Dao Realm and become a Martial Arts Grandmaster of his generation. These Spirit Fruits had that same aura.

However, they also had their own unique qualities and were naturally different from the Enlightenment Fruit. Their rarity probably couldn’t compare to an Enlightenment Fruit, but they were definitely once-in-a-lifetime Treasures of Heaven and Earth. Perhaps their properties were even unique and could not be replicated.

At these thoughts, Jiang Qiu grew eager. He urged Xiong Batian to move forward. "If you’re truly willing to give me the three Spirit Fruits, then I can bestow a Secret Technique upon you in return. How about it?"

"A Secret Technique?" The Nine-tailed Fox’s eyes widened. Though she didn’t fully understand what it meant, her heart instinctively skipped half a beat. "Is that a type of rare legacy? I am willing to follow you, my Lord! I will accept anything you bestow upon me. Everything I have is naturally yours!"

It was true; even though she had never heard of the term "Secret Technique," she knew with certainty that Jiang Qiu’s mind held legacies beyond her wildest imagination—a collection of knowledge so vast it could encompass all known Cultivation Techniques.

’No, "encompass" isn’t the right word. "Crush" would be more fitting.’

She had never met any member of the Demon Race who understood Cultivation on the same level as Jiang Qiu. This was clearly a rare opportunity to follow a true master.

’To hell with the miscellaneous dangers! Nothing was more important than transcending my current Cultivation Realm and ascending to the Second Celestial Realm. For that goal, I would sacrifice everything!’

As a Great Dominator who had lived for over a thousand years, her perspective was far broader than that of most living beings. She knew of the great catastrophe of the First Celestial Realm and understood the splendor of the Second Celestial Realm.

Now that she had finally encountered a strange and mysterious demon like Jiang Qiu, she had to be ruthless and willing to invest in him—even if it meant betraying the True Dominator, the Golden Eagle.

Yes, giving the Spirit Fruits to Jiang Qiu was, in fact, a betrayal of the Golden Eagle. By rights, she was merely a caretaker tasked with cultivating the Spirit Fruits for the Golden Eagle; she had no authority to decide their fate.

’If the True Dominator, with his vast Divine Abilities, discovered that I’d given three Spirit Fruits to a little whelp... my life would be forfeit...’

This was a gamble, a true all-or-nothing gamble. She had already abandoned everything, hoping only that Jiang Qiu would take her with him, that he would recognize her worth. Even just leaving the Golden Eagle’s territory would be a great victory. Then, following the enlightenment Jiang Qiu had given her, she could continue exploring the path of Cultivation and still have a slim chance at transformation.

"Mm," Jiang Qiu sensed the sincerity in her eyes. Her ruby-like pupils were like meticulously carved works of art, bright and glistening. "In that case, I can teach you a Clone Secret Technique. But first, I need to enjoy these Spirit Fruits."

The Clone Secret Technique was the one he had learned from Northwest Martial University back when he first entered the Bright Soul Realm. It used Fiery Flame Spirit Charm to create a false body, but it seemed that Fiery Flame Spirit Charm didn’t exist in this world.

’So, what now?’

’I’ll fuse and create a new one, of course. As a being at the Half-Step Unity Realm, can’t I even modify a common Secret Technique I used back in my newbie stage?’

’What a joke. My manipulation of Spirit Charm has already surpassed normal Cultivation Systems. In the later stages, Secret Techniques are more about the clash of Laws and the Great Dao. The collision of conventional Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm is simple, far from being complex enough to trouble me.’

Therefore, he promised the Nine-tailed Fox he would create a Clone Secret Technique for her and help her cultivate it as a reward for the three Spirit Fruits.

He couldn’t just take her three Spirit Fruits without giving anything in return. Not only would that be risky, but there were few benefits and a heap of disadvantages for Jiang Qiu in doing so.

If he could truly win the Nine-tailed Fox’s loyalty, his understanding of this world would certainly increase. Most importantly, her potential was immense. Placed in the Primordial world-cluster, she would be considered a peerless, untainted prodigy—extremely malleable.

Furthermore, once she transformed and reached the Transformation Realm, she would be practically half a True Dominator, invincible beneath the Golden Eagle. With her as an ally, the path ahead would be much smoother.

It was precisely because he had considered all this that Jiang Qiu decided to bestow the Clone Secret Technique upon her. As for the specifics of its creation, that would have to wait until her Spirit Veins were opened.

Without Opening the Spirit Veins, he couldn’t sense the purest characteristics of the Heaven and Earth Spirit Charm, which meant he couldn’t create a corresponding technique.

And so, he grabbed the three Spirit Fruits the Nine-tailed Fox handed him and began to devour them, one after the other...