Nothing is as It seems

Li Zhu does not get very far before eating an anti-air explosive shell, knocking her right out of the sky, but thankfully, she is relatively unharmed due to her being a full pledged spirit. Otherwise, little pieces of her would be scattered all over the Valley of the Wind.

The attack is not my doing, at least not directly.

It actually came from an Anti-Air Artillery (AAA) hidden in one of the hills. Just a little gift I had planted for anyone looking too close at the Heaven Tribulation.

While the AAA is not a Sacred Treasure, it is still powerful enough to instantly kill any cultivator in the Martial Realm or less. It is also more than capable of severely wounding anyone at higher realms. This is due to the vast variety of specialized shells that it can deployed.

Explosive shells are not very effective against spirits, as it deals only physical damage. Thus, Li Zhu can be considered lucky. Her luck will run out if she tries to take flight again, as the AAA will use something that is highly effective against spirits.

The AAA is not a dumb gun emplacement. It has an artificial intelligence, and it can certainly determine what its target is and readjust its strategy accordingly.

That is how the AAA can still take out cultivators on Spiritual Realm or higher. Of course, not too high, as there is a limit to its capability. It is just a mass-produced weapon that I deploy and forget.

"You should stay put, little bird. That was a warning shot. The next one will kill you," I point out while Li Zhu struggles to put herself off the ground. Much of her body had been vaporized by the explosion, but her body is regenerating at a rapid pace thanked to her immense spiritual power.

Li Zhu can hear me even from far away due to her racial traits. The same cannot be said for me because I am just a mortal right now. Good thing that I can read lips.

"Why are you doing this!? What do you want from me!?" Li Zhu questions in frustration. Her body has fully recovered along with her clothes. Damn spiritual particles. Ruining my fun.

"Please don't ask stupid question. What do a summoner ever want with a summoned spirit?" I answer with a smile. "Now, be a good bird and fly back here. As long as you do what I say, I will not harm you."

Li Zhu debates with herself for a moment before trying her luck on foot instead.

Great. Just fucking great. I should have planned landmines all over the place just for her, but I haven't expected her to be hot and rebellious. I get the hot part due to her being a Vermillion, but rebellious?

That has to go.

"Are you really sure you want to play hide and seek with me, little bird?" I question and watch Li Zhu until she is out of sight. She does not even look back or responses to my question.

Since that is the case, I will play with her. Just to show her how good I am at seeking. I take out another Sphere of Summoning. With another feather inside the sphere, I can just summon her right back here without her permission. But I am sure she will try to run off again.

Therefore, I also take out a mechanical cube and toss it onto the ground, allowing it to unfold and then assemble into another AAA. The hole that Li Zhu had made when she flies off is perfect for the AAA as it allows the weapon to overlook the Valley.

Once the weapon is in place, I toss the Summoning Sphere out of the hole.

Within the next moment, Li Zhu finds herself tumbling down the side of a mountain. She orients herself quickly before dashing away. She manages to get about a few meters before an explosive shell sends her crashing into the earth.

"Explosive shell only," I order, and the weapon acknowledges me with a whizzing sound. I do not want to kill Li Zhu. Just teaching her a lesson.

The AAA fires again and again with extreme accuracy. Each explosive shell rocks the earth and batters Li Zhu around. I am sure that everyone within the Valley of the Wind heard the commotions, but none will come. This area is forbidden to everyone except the Elders.

The Third and Fourth Elders are not close by, and I kind of wish that they are. Just so I can collect them while beating some discipline into Li Zhu.

As long as there is an abundant amount of spiritual energy, Li Zhu can regenerate fairly fast. Not faster than getting bombarded with explosive shells, however. And she is losing spiritual energy rapidly. She will soon run out of spiritual energy, and with it, she will not be able to resist.

…

…

…

"Please. Just let me go. Please." Li Zhu practically prostrates before me. She doesn't want anything to do with me, considering the fact that I had almost cooked her alive a long time ago. If I knew that she was going to be a beauty, I would have kept her around.

Actually, it is a good thing that I did not. Or she would have not survived until this day. My path towards Godhood was my path alone. Anyone who followed me were bounded to perish, directly or indirectly by my hands.

This time will be different, however.

"Sure, I will let you go," I response, getting her hope up. "As soon as you do what I want. I have plenty of ways to make you submit, but I prefer you retain your freewill since I like you just the way you are."

Li Zhu can only stare. "What do you want?"

"What do a summoner ever wants with a summoned spirit?" I question. "Feel like I have just repeated myself. Anyway, you see that dimensional portal over here. It leads to the Spiritual World. I cannot go there because I don't want to go there, so you will go in my stead. Find and bring back this girl."

I show Li Zhu a picture on my iPhone. I have extracted that image of Zhao Yao from Zhao Liu's mind. I have actually extracted more than that, but that is for my collection.

"That's all?" Li Zhu asks in surprise. It is quite an easy task, considering that she is a spirit. The Spiritual World is practically her home.

"Yes, that's all," I assure.

"You will let me go after I bring back this woman?" Li Zhu wants confirmation. Oh. She is no longer the naïve bird from when I first saw her. She is still not that smart though. If she was, she should not have tried to run. She just lost a bunch of spiritual energy for nothing. Stupid.

"Sure," I confirm.

"You have to say it," Li Zhu tells me.

"Sure, I will let you go after you bring back Zhao Yao unharmed and unmolested," I promise. She wants to hear me say that since she can take me to court with it. Not really, but she can request the present of the Spirit King if I break my promise.

It is a promise between the summoner and the summoned, and I obviously do not want to get into an argument with the Spirit King about my breach of contract. Even if it is a verbal contract.

Li Zhu becomes cheerful afterwards, and she immediately flies into the dimensional rift.

I check my iPhone while she is hunting down Zhao Yao for me. There are several unread messages on the notification window, and I open those messages to have a read. I response to them as well before putting the phone away since Li Zhu is back.

That is pretty fast, as expect of a Billion Years Spirit Beast.

"There," Li Zhu drops the unconscious Zhao Yao on the ground. "She puts up a fight, so I have to knock her out. She is not harmed, and I did not molest her. I can go now, right?"

I chuckle since Li Zhu has took that literally. "As long as you complete your end of the contract, I have no choice but to let you go lest I want to incur the wrath of the Spirit King."

Li Zhu looks at me suspiciously before looking at the idle AAA in sight. "Please let me go! You promise!"

I roll my eyes at that and pay attention to Zhao Yao and confirm my suspicion. Nothing can hide before the Eyes of the Beholder. Certainly not an evil spirit. "How long are you going to play dead?"