Divine Level Witch Doctor

The pea-sized candle flame flickered to life once more. It wavered in the cold night wind, adding another layer of sinister horror to the already eerie scene.

Zhao Yuan lit the candle and was just about to stand up when the White Cat suddenly darted to his side. It dipped its head and plucked the Fire Spirit Insect right out of his pocket.

"This is bad."

Zhao Yuan turned to see what was happening and panicked.

The White Cat was a devoted carnivore. While it usually ate small animals like sparrows, mice, and snakes, there was no guarantee it wouldn't eat the Fire Spirit Insect. What's more, the little guy was incredibly shrewd. It could tell the quality of something at a glance and would only eat the best. Back in Jinling, it had even eaten a Qi-containing antique.

Strangely enough, the antique the White Cat had swallowed hadn't harmed its body, nor had it ever been... excreted. The Qi it contained had gradually vanished... It was a mystery whether the White Cat had digested and absorbed it or if something else had happened.

Given its track record, Zhao Yuan's worry was not unfounded.

He shouted anxiously, "Put it down! You can't eat that!"

The White Cat ignored him. With the Fire Spirit Insect still in its mouth, it leaped up and scrambled swiftly into a nearby tree.

Just as Zhao Yuan was about to climb the tree in pursuit, the White Cat spat the Fire Spirit Insect out. It placed the insect belly-up on a branch, then stuck out its small, scarlet tongue and began licking it repeatedly. It didn't look like it was trying to eat the Fire Spirit Insect, but more like it was licking something off its belly.

After a few licks, Zhao Yuan saw a layer of dark green, semi-transparent, membrane-like substance being scraped off by the White Cat's barbed tongue. The cat didn't eat it, instead spitting it directly onto the ground below.

Zhao Yuan walked over for a closer look and realized the membrane-like substance was actually semi-congealed venom!

The Fire Spirit Insect was venomous, but its venom was located in its two large pincers, not on its belly. Clearly, this venomous film was not the insect's own.

After a moment of thought, Zhao Yuan understood. 'I get it. This is venom from the other poisonous insects the Fire Spirit Insect fought. It all collected on its belly and congealed. If this hadn't been peeled off in time, it might not have been immediately fatal, but it definitely would have affected its health. Especially once the venom fully seeped into its body—not only would its power have plummeted, but it also could have gone berserk or even dropped dead!'

The Insect Summoning Array he had just used did have some detoxifying and healing properties, but the layer of venom on the Fire Spirit Insect's belly was an accumulation from thousands upon thousands of other poisonous insects; the Array couldn't cleanse it all at once. And because Zhao Yuan was a novice—not to mention overly excited—he hadn't noticed. It was all thanks to the White Cat and its few licks.

After licking off the venomous film, the White Cat gave the insect a few more licks to clean off any remaining residue. Only then did it stop and meow loudly at Zhao Yuan below, as if to say, 'See now? I was helping you. Don't mistake a kind heart for a bad one, you ungrateful human!'

Zhao Yuan quickly admitted his mistake. He pressed his palms together and bowed to the White Cat a few times. "Alright, my bad. You were right, Cat Immortal. That was brilliant!"

The White Cat lifted its head, puffed out its chest, and meowed, looking incredibly proud and smug.

Although the Fire Spirit Insect was still sound asleep, its condition was clearly much better than before. It even gently wiggled its antennae to touch the White Cat twice, as if trying to memorize the scent of its feline savior. Then it opened its wings, flew over, and settled down on the cat's head, treating the small, furry noggin as a comfortable bed.

The White Cat wasn't annoyed by the Fire Spirit Insect's actions; on the contrary, it seemed quite pleased. It then leaped down from the tree and returned to Zhao Yuan's feet.

Only then did Zhao Yuan finally let his guard down completely.

Seeing the White Cat and the Fire Spirit Insect getting along so well made him very happy. He reached down to scratch under the cat's neck and said with a laugh, "Thanks. I'll buy you some dried fish tomorrow as a reward."

The White Cat meowed twice, as if to say, 'Just one? I deserve at least two!'

After bantering with the cat, Zhao Yuan focused his mind. While the candle was still burning, he walked to the center of the Soul Summoning Array and began to chant the Summoning Spell from the Sheepskin Book.

This Spell was chanted in a special language used by the Witch Priests of Ancient Times to communicate with heaven, earth, gods, and ghosts. The Witch Priests called it the 'Celestial Language.' It was incredibly complex and obscure, long since lost to the annals of history. The language modern Witch Priests used for their Spellcasting Technique was a simplified, incomplete version, its effects a pale shadow of the original.

Though the pronunciation of the Celestial Language was incredibly difficult to master, the legacy left by Wu Peng contained a phonetic guide. For the past two days, Zhao Yuan had been making rapid progress, simultaneously translating the Sheepskin Book and studying Wu Peng's guide. While he hadn't learned the entire language, he knew enough to recite the Summoning Spell.

The strange sounds of the Spell echoed in front of the pitch-black anatomy building.

Luckily, it was the dead of night and no one was near the anatomy building. Otherwise, the scene would have been enough to give an onlooker a heart attack.

Soon, the Spell was complete. Zhao Yuan held his breath, activated his Qi Observation Technique, and scanned his surroundings.

However, his surroundings remained deathly still. No sinister wind howled, and no spectral shadows of Qi resembling Ghost Spirits came floating by.

Zhao Yuan waited for ten minutes, but nothing happened. Even the White Cat, which had been watching the spectacle, seemed to get bored. It yawned, turned, and disappeared into the night with the Fire Spirit Insect in tow—it had decided to go back to sleep, because Zhao Yuan's soul summoning was just too dull.

Watching the White Cat's retreating figure, Zhao Yuan felt frustrated and speechless. He muttered, 'Did I just get snubbed? Snubbed by a cat?'

He knew the White Cat was far from ordinary, but being so thoroughly snubbed still stung.

Shaking his head, Zhao Yuan refocused and began to analyze the situation. 'What happened? Did the summoning fail? Did I mess up a step somewhere?'

He wracked his brain but couldn't figure out where he had gone wrong.

'Should I try again?'

Zhao Yuan pulled out his phone to check the time. It was just after two in the morning—still early. He decided to give it another try.

He first checked the Soul Summoning Array; it was drawn correctly. Then he walked to the center of the Array and prepared to chant the Spell again.

Just then, the candle flame flickered violently, nearly extinguishing. But Zhao Yuan didn't notice, because he had just seen a human figure appear on the path nearby...

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