Of course, things did not go nearly as well as this Long Shiqian might have hoped.
True to its name, in order to become a cultivator's guardian spirit, the corresponding entity had to first become a spirit. This meant that they would have to lose their physical bodies, be it willingly or not, and either submit or have their spirits subjugated by the cultivator.
Who in their right mind would be willing to do that for a complete stranger?
Unsurprisingly, what ensued was a fierce battle with the twelve beasts on one side, and Long Shiqian on the other.
With the laws and principles exhibited during the battle far exceeded his understanding, Zhao Yunxiao could not tell exactly what realms they were at. He could somewhat recognise a few techniques of the Armed Ape Tower, but even those appeared to be slightly different from the ones he had seen in the past.
That said, he had to say that techniques executed by Long Shiqian were clean and sharp, clearly without any wasted movements.
Considering he was the direct disciple of the progenitor Kui Shou, that much was understandable.
Yet despite not being able to fully grasp the underlying concepts, Zhao Yunxiao knew just how much of an opportunity it was to not only witness such a high-level battle from the front-row seat, but also experience it through a first-person perspective.
He dared not get distracted, and tried his best to remember everything that was happening during the battle.
Even if he could not fully comprehend the underlying concepts now, just remembering the sensations would surely be of help in his cultivation path. By using this experience as a foundational reference, it should make things easier for him when trying to understand similar concepts in the future.
Just trying to remember everything was not a simple task, though.
After all, this battle was by no means a short one.
Despite both sides using all the means at their disposal without holding back, the fierce battle still lasted three full days.
It was only then that Long Shiqian finally remained as the last one standing.
"Hah... hah... hahaha! What a fight!" Long Shiqian laughed through his heavy breathing. "You guys are just as amazing as I have thought!"
His disciple robe had been completely ripped away, revealing his firm muscular body in its entirety – a majestic painting that was now vandalised with all sorts of injuries. His long brown hair stuck to his skin, relying on a combination of sweat and blood as adhesive.
Yet even then, he had a satisfied smile on his face.
"Stop wasting time!" the tiger spirit shouted in anger as it lay limply against a tree. "You might have won, but we will never submit to you. If you want to take our lives, just go ahead!"
Huu-!
Long Shiqian shook his head in response. "Yes, I can forcibly subjugate your souls, turning you into my guardian spirits. But what I want are partners, not servants. In order to take on the world, I need your help!"
"You want us to willingly submit to you? Dream on!" the dragon spirit scoffed.
"Let's not be hasty. After all, you are becoming my guardian spirits today, whether you like it or not. I just want you to do this willingly so that we can have a healthy relationship in the future," Long Shiqian shrugged. "Tell me, what can I do to convince you to do this willingly?"
"Nonsense!" the tiger spirit sneered. "I might not be able to get away anymore, but I can always choose to detonate my soul. You won't be able to stop me!"
"Oh shit, I didn't think of that!" Long Shiqian revealed a genuine look of shock.
He had never even considered the possibility that the zodiac beasts would rather disappear for good than become his guardian spirits!
"Brother Tiger, wait!" the dragon spirit interjected before looking at Long Shiqian. "What are you able to promise us?"
"The world," Long Shiqian answered without hesitation.
These words that echoed through the prairie sounded like nothing but a naive dream of a clueless child. However, the determination in his eyes seemed to have the power to make others think otherwise.
One could not help but feel that if it was him, conquering the world might not be entirely impossible.
"The world, eh? Hahaha! How I wish I can be as confident as you!" the dragon spirit laughed after a moment of surprise. "Well, I don't need the world. But if you are willing to promise even that, then what I am about to ask for should not be something that is beyond you."
"Just say the word, and I will make it happen," Long Shiqian replied.
"Prosperity," the dragon spirit replied. "The Bloodwind Forest is a place with danger lurking around every corner. Even with our combined strength, we are only capable of occupying this small prairie. What I want is a path for our offspring to become strong. They don't have to reach the level of the Kings of Bloodwind Forest, but they need to at least be able to obtain enough strength to hold up a kingdom of their own!"
"A path to strength?" Long Shiqian was surprised to hear that. "And for your offspring?"
"That's right!" the dragon spirit answered. "If you can promise this, then I am willing to submit and serve you as your guardian spirit from today on!"
"Brother Dragon..." the tiger spirit hesitated for a moment before steeling his resolve. "Damn it, I'm in as well! If you are able to promise this for our offspring, I am willing to submit and serve you as your guardian spirit from today on!"
"Me too!"
"I'm in!"
The dragon spirit's words seemed to have triggered a domino effect, with the other zodiac beasts immediately starting to agree to the same condition.
"Fine! I promise this!" Long Shiqian answered with conviction. "Not only will we conquer the world together, but we will also forge a path for your offspring to gain strength to hold their own in this vicious Bloodwind Forest!"
***
"You really managed to convince all twelve zodiac beasts to submit and become your guardian spirit?" the old man in front of them exclaimed in surprise. "If forcibly subjugated, the spirit might lose some of its potential due to the struggle, so this is wonderful!"
"Yes, Master," Long Shiqian answered, with the twelve zodiac beasts standing behind him in a semi-translucent form. "I will not let down the expectations that you have of me. Just watch; I will definitely help you bring the Armed Ape Tower to greater heights!"
Master?
Zhao Yunxiao carefully engraved the appearance of this old man in his mind.
As the master of Long Shiqian, this person had to be none other than the progenitor of the Armed Ape Tower, Kui Shou!
***
"You have two options – surrender or die!" Long Shiqian's voice reverberated across the battlefield, with an entire army of Armed Ape Tower disciples holding up banners behind him.
"That's the Zodiac General! Run!"
"There's no winning!"
"Go! Capture the valley! But make sure not to harm anyone who surrenders!" Long Shiqian ordered.
Zhao Yunxiao felt awed by such a grand disposition.
After countless instances of showing off his might, just his presence alone was now sufficient to strike fear into his enemies, claiming victory without drawing a single drop of blood.
***
"This is it! This is truly it!" Long Shiqian cheered in excitement – an excitement that was clearly shared by the avatars of the twelve zodiac spirits watching not far away. "By cultivating this technique in parallel with the body strengthening system, forming the Four Seals of Heaven and Earth would no longer be as huge a hurdle as before. With just a bit more refinement, perhaps even walking the Nine Paths of Dominion would not remain as just a distant dream!"
"After refining it further, we can finally pass the complete version to those brats who are still at the Zodiac Prairie!" the dragon spirit exclaimed.
"Finally!" the tiger spirit clenched its fists.
"That's right! So, don't complain that I did not fulfil my promise to all of you!" Long Shiqian smirked. "Now then, what shall we call this technique? Ah, I know. Let's call this technique... the Zodiac Scripture!"
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but feel surprised.
The Zodiac Scripture!
So, it was originally created with the intention of passing it on to the offspring of the zodiac spirits?
That was an interesting bit of news that he had never heard of.
Unfortunately, these scenes that were flashing across his mind were very fragmented in nature, so he did not get to witness the entire process from conceptualisation to development, and finally to the completion of the technique. Otherwise, it would have been great reference material in developing his own techniques in the future.
But this much was already more than enough.
Because he had still managed to witness Long Shiqian record the end product in its entirety!
***
"Don't worry, our offspring can wait. We have already survived this long, so what is one or two more decades?" the tiger spirit said. "If they can't even wait this small amount of time, then they never deserved to receive the Zodiac Scripture in the first place!"
"Tiger Brother is right," the dragon spirit agreed. "Getting rid of the Soul Devil is more important. If you don't participate and he manages to get away this time, who knows how many more will die as a result?"
"But everyone has been waiting for the completion of the Zodiac Scripture all this time. Now that it is finally complete, don't you want to go teach it to your offspring immediately?" Long Shiqian asked.
"Teaching the technique is not something that can be rushed. Even the greatest of geniuses would probably take centuries to fully master it. You know just as well that we cannot afford to wait this long," the dragon spirit said.
"If you feel bad, then let's just get rid of this Soul Devil quickly and continue with our business!" the dragon spirit said. "Going back to the prairie wouldn't be too late at that point."
"...Right! Let's just get rid of him fast!" Long Shiqian nodded. "Thank you for understanding."
***
"What are you doing? Wake up!" Long Shiqian roared in anger as he pinned down the man he once regarded as a brother.
"It's over for me... please, just kill me!" the man begged in despair as his body continued to move against his will, repeatedly trying to attack Long Shiqian.
"Damn it!" Long Shiqian cursed. "I will avenge you!"
The twelve zodiac spirits behind him shot forward to deal the final blow, putting an end to the life of his ex-comrade.
"Ahhhhhhh!" Long Shiqian looked up and shouted in indignation. "Luo Qin, you bastard!"
"Maybe it's time we retreated as well?" the dragon spirit advised solemnly.
"Retreat? What do you mean, retreat?" Long Shiqian's voice was trembling in rage. "How can we retreat without taking the head of Luo Qin? How can we do that when everyone is willingly putting their lives on the line for the cause?"
"You must have already realised," the dragon spirit continued. "Your soul has been corrupted as well. If we don't find ways to suppress it soon, you might just be the next one to lose your mind."
"Hah, so what if I am? I am fine now, aren't I?" Long Shiqian scoffed. "As long as my heart is true, there's no way this soul corruption nonsense can work on me! As long as Luo Qin exists in this world, I swear to never return!"
***
"The Zodiac General has returned! The Soul Devil is finally gone!"
"The hero of Armed Ape Tower is back!"
Cheers filled the entire sect as Long Shiqian flew down from the skies. But unlike the numerous disciples who were shouting with all their might, there was no hint of joy on his face.
And much to the disappointment of the other disciples, he made his way straight back to his residence without even greeting a single person. The moment the door shut behind him, he bent over and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Are you all right?" the dragon spirit asked.
"Do you really need to ask?" the tiger spirit scoffed. "His soul has already been corrupted to such an extent. How can he be all right?"
"I-I am sorry," Long Shiqian said weakly. "It is my stubbornness that has brought this upon you... upon us."
"What's the big deal? Isn't it just a bit of corruption?" the tiger spirit looked at its blackened arm and shrugged. "This is hardly enough to take us down. If you really feel bad, then it's time to start thinking of a way to solve the problem for us."
"That's right," the dragon spirit glanced at its blackened tail and snorted in disdain. "You are someone who is destined to take over the world. Solving something as simple as soul corruption will be easy enough for you!"
"Hah, is that so?" Long Shiqian let out a self-deprecating chuckle, his eyes devoid of light. "How I wish I can be as confident as you..."
Zhao Yunxiao sighed in his heart.
How a great genius had fallen.