41: Chapter 41 The Cat God's Blessing

Wu Xi suddenly felt the hair all over his body stand on end!

A scent, without any warning, pierced through his nasal passages, mixed with the cold, fishy stench unique to feline predators, rushing straight to his crown!

Behind him, on the black stone floor, came an almost imperceptible sound.

The six Tentacles behind Wu Xi instantly tightened like fully drawn iron bows! Every suction cup on the Tentacles gripped the Void Realm tightly, muscles knotted and bulging, even the fine hairs on the tips of the Tentacles stood straight up!

He twisted his waist, his whole body turning like a cannonball fired from a chamber!

A woman stood just three steps behind him.

A pure black cat head, with fur like black jade, without a single speck of other color. Gilded slit pupils contracted into two needle points in the dim light, shooting out cold light. The moment they swept over, even the Void Realm seemed to be torn into fine openings by cat claws.

Her human body was wrapped in a gilded robe, the full moon patterns on the robe brightening and dimming with her breath, as if real full moons were rising and falling on the fabric. The hem of the robe trailed, sweeping over the cold black stone floor; wherever it passed, even the dust that had accumulated for ten thousand years retreated automatically, not daring to stain it in the slightest.

Behind her, a pure black cat tail extended from under the hem, swaying lazily, the fur at the tip puffed up, carrying the languor of a predator.

With every step she took, a delicate silver lotus would suddenly burst open on the black stone beneath her feet, silver light rippling, carrying a divinity that purified everything, yet hiding a chill that could freeze a Divine Soul.

This face, this figure, was exactly the same as the Cat Goddess phantom he had seen before! But this existence before him had a fiercer aura, heavier pressure, and every wisp of Divine Power radiating from her was incomparably majestic!

Liao Su and Qi Ling, these two guys, were currently kneeling dead on the black stone floor, their foreheads pressed against the icy stone surface, not even daring to raise their eyelids!

Their whole bodies were trembling like fallen leaves in an autumn wind, the sound of chattering teeth tightly suppressed in their throats, not daring to let out even a trace.

Just at this moment, those gilded slit pupils suddenly locked onto Wu Xi!

Boom!!!

The overwhelming pressure, like the Nine Heavens galaxy pouring backward, smashed onto Wu Xi instantly! Without any buffer, without any warning, it was pure, crushing ancient Divine Might!

The black stone beneath Wu Xi's feet exploded on the spot, gravel flying everywhere! The six taut Tentacles behind him were pressed insanely downward by this immense force, muscles snapping and cracking, every fiber wailing, as if pressed by a hundred thousand ancient sacred mountains, ready to snap at any moment! Cracking sounds came from within his bone joints, a fishy sweetness surged up his throat, which he forcibly swallowed back, biting his gums until they bled!

Yet his spine remained straight, like a javelin stuck in the black stone floor, not bending even a fraction!

The silver lotus beneath the woman's feet flashed, and she took a step!

Space was folded directly by her step; one second she was three steps away, the next, she was standing right in front of Wu Xi! She raised her hand, her fingertips glowing with a faint pearlescent light, without any fluctuations of Divine Power, and slapped Wu Xi firmly on the shoulder!

Slap!

A crisp sound! The force was ridiculously great; Wu Xi was sent staggering forward a step, the black stone beneath his feet crumbled again, and his six Tentacles almost failed to stabilize his body!

Immediately after, a crisp female voice exploded, carrying a bit of wilfulness and a bit of roughness, completely different from her extremely luxurious and majestic ancient god appearance!

"Not bad, young man!"

The six Tentacles behind Wu Xi, poised for action, suddenly paused at their tips!

He had prepared himself to withstand a full-force blow from an ancient god, his Divine Soul tightened to the extreme, only to be met with this?

That cat head leaned forward, the gilded slit pupils sweeping over the sacred fork bell clutched in his hand, and the tail whipped out with a "snap," striking the black stone beside them, sending stone chips flying and sparks splashing!

"Not bad! To be able to dig this thing out of that old geezer Mnomquah's mouth, even I have to look at you with new eyes!"

"Luck." Wu Xi stabilized his body, his voice steady, without a ripple.

"Luck my ass!"

"It's been so many years since that old geezer stole the sacred fork bell from me. I tried everything to send cat cubs to take it back, but couldn't. You took it back—that's called capability, not luck!"

Wu Xi raised his eyes to glance at the two still kneeling beside him. Liao Su and Qi Ling still had their heads buried in the stone, their breathing even quieter than a mosquito's buzz, afraid to make even the slightest noise and provoke this capricious ancient god.

He turned back, bowed to Bastet with cupped hands, his voice steady: "This sacred fork bell was originally your possession; I just happened to retrieve it."

"Cut that fake, pretentious crap!" Bastet waved her hand impatiently. "If you retrieved it, it's your skill! I acknowledge it!"

As soon as the words fell!

Bastet took another step forward! That pure black cat head was almost pressed against Wu Xi's face! The gilded slit pupils suddenly contracted into two fine needles, staring fixedly at the sacred fork bell in his hand!

Boom!!!

"Warning! Divine consciousness dropping rapidly! Current: 63%... 48%... 30%..."

"Warning: High-dimensional pollution detected... Pollution neutralized..."

The pressure, ten times more terrifying than before, surged without warning! Like an ancient star crashing down directly, the entire black stone space shook crazily, and the Void Realm was pressed and twisted out of shape!

The black stone beneath Wu Xi's feet exploded into powder filling the sky! The six Tentacles behind him were pressed directly into the shape of a full moon by this immense force, the flesh on the Tentacles splitting inch by inch, blood dripping down the Tentacles, instantly accumulating into small blood puddles on the ground!

The sound of bones breaking exploded crazily inside his body, the fishy sweetness in his throat could no longer be suppressed, and with a "puff," a mouthful of blood sprayed out, splashing onto the gravel in front of him, red and eye-catching!

His Divine Soul was pressed to the extreme, like a bowstring pulled to its limit, ready to snap at any moment, and fine cracks had already appeared deep within his Divine Soul!

That overwhelming pressure suddenly retracted completely! Not even a shred remained, as if that world-destroying power had never appeared!

Bastet suddenly burst into loud laughter, laughing until she swayed back and forth, her cat tail lashing loudly, even the gilded robe on her body swaying along, and the silver lotuses beneath her feet flashing with chaotic silver light!

"Yo! You still have some ability! Not bad, not bad! I like your type! If it weren't for being used to that old thing Atal, you would make a pretty good priest for me!"

Wu Xi raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, casually flicking away the blood bead stuck to his fingertip.

He did not speak, still keeping his spine straight, looking calmly at the capricious ancient god before him.

The next second, he raised the sacred fork bell in his hand, the bell glowing with faint silver light, his voice steady, without a moment's hesitation, every word clear, exploding in the silent black stone space:

"Cat Goddess, I would like to borrow this sacred fork bell for a few days, if I may."

When these words came out, Bastet froze on the spot.

"Borrow?! Others, when they see my things, dodge as fast as they can, terrified of getting even a speck of it on them, and you—you actually open your mouth to borrow it from me?!"

After laughing enough, she waved her hand, her gilded slit pupils showing a hint of undisguised appreciation: "Fine! This thing recognizes its master; when you're done using it, it will fly back to find me on its own, no need for you to run back and deliver it!"

Wu Xi's pupils moved slightly, then he bowed deeply to Bastet, his movements meticulous, without any perfunctoriness: "Thank you, Bastet."

"Don't call me that bullshit 'Goddess'." Bastet sneered, flicking her tail, the tip gently brushing his shoulder with a cool touch, "It sounds annoying. Just call me Bastet."

She walked around Wu Xi, her gilded slit pupils looking him up and down, sweeping over the Qunang Realm aura radiating from his body, scanning the six retracted Tentacles behind him, nodding from time to time, making clicking sounds.

"Dealing with you is much more interesting than those idiots who only know how to kneel and lick."

She stopped, standing in front of Wu Xi again. She raised her hand, her fingertips glowing with faint silver light, and without any warning, pointed directly at the center of Wu Xi's brow!

A bone-chilling coldness drilled through his Sea of Consciousness instantly from his brow! There was no pain; instead, it carried a power that soothed the Divine Soul. Within the Sea of Consciousness, an endless wilderness under a full moon instantly spread out! On the wilderness, shadows were heavy, and a giant, pure black cat walked with silent steps, passing through one shadow after another.

It took a step and passed directly through the hard stone wall; another step, and it crossed the boundary between wakefulness and dreams. Wherever there was a shadow, it could travel freely, unconstrained!

"I'm rewarding you with a life-saving trinket." Bastet's voice exploded directly in his Sea of Consciousness, steady, carrying the unquestionable Divine Might of an ancient god, "Until we meet again. Kid, don't die too early."

Bastet withdrew her hand, flicked her tail, and turned to walk into the endless shadows behind her.

As the words fell, that bone-chilling coldness followed the Sea of Consciousness and merged directly into the depths of his Divine Soul, perfectly fusing with his Qunang Realm power, without any stagnation!

[Shadow Travel]: Can shuttle between the lands of wakefulness and dreams, jumping freely in any shadow gap; arrive wherever there is a shadow!

Wu Xi opened his eyes abruptly.

At this moment, he clearly felt that all the shadows around him had become open doors, waiting for him to step into them at any time. Even the shadow beneath his own feet had become a passage he could travel through at will; as long as he wanted, in a single thought, he could appear in any place with a shadow!

The moment the voice fell, the Cat Goddess's figure melted into the shadows, not even leaving a trace of aura, as if she had never been there.

Only the silver lotus imprints on the ground still glowed with faint silver light, clearly proving that the ancient god's appearance just now was not a hallucination.

Wu Xi stood on the spot, his five fingers closing, and the sacred fork bell spun in his palm, emitting a crisp bell sound. The sound rippled, and even the surrounding Void Realm rippled slightly.

He turned around and looked at Liao Su and Qi Ling, who were still kneeling dead on the ground.

The two of them finally dared to tremble and slowly raise their heads. Their faces were covered in cold sweat, their lips as white as paper, and the look in their eyes as they watched Wu Xi was full of incredulous awe!

Liao Su and Qi Ling scrambled to get up from the ground, their legs as soft as overcooked noodles; they almost knelt down again as soon as they stood up.

Their minds were blank, leaving only the world-destroying pressure from just now, and Wu Xi's spine that had remained straight throughout!

That was the legendary Cat Goddess Bastet! An ancient god from primordial times! They didn't even have the courage to raise their heads, yet Wu Xi not only dared to face the pressure head-on, he even dared to ask an ancient god to borrow a supreme treasure! He was crazy! Truly crazy!