Dual Cultivation

After confirming that their leader, Xu Xuan, the master of the Autumn Phantom Manor, was still alive through her life tablet, the Silver Phantoms turned to look at Xiao Rong with puzzled yet intrigued gazes.

They gathered around her like a group of curious children who had never seen a certain animal before.

"Maybe she's not a Phantom Cat like we thought?"

"No, that's not possible. She's definitely a Phantom Cat."

"The aura she gives off is similar to Senior Sister Xuan, too."

"But how is this possible? I have never heard of two Phantom Cats existing at the stime."

"Hey, little sister, where did you cfrom?"

Xiao Rong shook her head, "I don't remember."

"You don't remember? Do you have amnesia?"

"I think so."

"She doesn't have any memories prior to entering the spatial device I found her in." Su Yang said.

The Silver Phantoms turned to look at him with a deep frown and said, "You're still here? Hurry up and leave already."

"I cannot leave without her." Su Yang pointed at Xiao Rong, causing their frowns to deepen.

"That's not happening," one of them said.

"Do you have any idea what kind of miracle we're witnessing right now? Only one Phantom Cat can exist at any given time, yet she's here when there is already another Phantom Cat out there."

"Her existence is extremely special and must be protected at all costs—even if we have to force her to stay here."

"That other Phantom Cat… it's Xu Xuan, correct?" Su Yang had to confirm his suspicions even though he was almost certain about it.

Suddenly, the Silver Phantoms' eyes brimmed with immense killing intent. The revelation that the master of the Autumn Phantom Manor was a Phantom Cat remained a heavily guarded secret. Exposing such sensitive information would inevitably draw countless troubles to their doorstep, threatening the stability and peace of the Autumn Phantom Manor.

Sensing their obvious bloodlust, Su Yang sighed out loud, "Relax, I won't tell anyone. In fact, I am a close friend of Xu Xuan."

"Do you think we're stupid or something? Senior Sister Xuan has no friends, and even if she did, it certainly wouldn't be a mortal like you."

"How dare you try to trick us… That alone is punishable by death!"

Su Yang shook his head and reached for his black pouch, retrieving a crimson medallion with the words 'Xu Xuan' engraved onto it.

He didn't want to reveal this medallion since it would instantly reveal his identity, but he had no choice at this point.

The Silver Phantoms' eyes widened with shock after seeing the medallion, and one of them exclaimed, "That's Senior Sister Xuan's medallion!"

Not daring to believe their eyes, the Silver Phantoms reached into their storage rings and retrieved an identical-looking medallion.

"It's the same! Why does he have our family medallion?!"

"It must be fake!"

One of the Silver Phantoms appeared in front of Su Yang like a ghost and grabbed his medallion.

After taking a moment to inspect it, she muttered in a low voice, "I-it's real…"

"What?!"

However, despite the authenticity of the medallion, none of the Silver Phantoms knew when or why Xu Xuan handed out their family medallion to someone who was clearly not a Ghost Cat.

"H-how did you get this medallion?" one of them decided to ask him.

"How else? It was given toby Xu Xuan herself."

"That doesn't make any sense! You're not even a Ghost Cat! And I have never seen you before!"

"Does that really matter?"

"Then you can ask Xu Xuan when she returns… Speaking of her, where did she go? She rarely goes out." Su Yang started speaking more casually, almost as though he was at home.

The Silver Phantoms were irritated by his behavior, something punishable by death, but none of them dared to actually kill him, as killing someone with their family medallion was strictly prohibited, regardless of how he acquired it.

However, they could deny him answers.

"Why should we tell you?"

"If you leave the Phantom Cat with us, we will tell you."

Su Yang sighed, "I understand why you want Xiao Rong to stay here, but that's not possible. Our lives are bound together by a Blood Contract."

"What?!" The Silver Phantoms exclaimed in a shocked manner.

They turned to look at Xiao Rong for confirmation.

"Y-you made a Blood Contract with a mortal human?!"

Blood Contracts represent a sacred ritual reserved for spiritual beasts, an irreplaceable ceremony that can only be conducted once in a lifetbecause once broken, the spiritual beast would lose its life.

Such contracts were exceedingly rare, with most spiritual beasts preferring death over entering into such a binding agreement, as they were essentially giving their life away. Seven saw it as enslavement.

"You bastard! Did you force her to form a Blood Contract with you?!" The Silver Phantoms' gaze shifted towards Su Yang, their expressions contorted with intense anger.

They harbored a burning fury towards Su Yang; if he had coerced her into forming the Blood Contract, they vowed to take his life, even if he possessed their family medallion.

"Do you really think a mortal likehas the power to force a Blood Contract upon an Ancient Realm spiritual beast? In fact, I am the victim here since she forced it upon me."

The Silver Phantoms gritted their teeth in frustration. They could tell that he was telling the truth.

"Aiya… little sister, what a foolish and reckless thing you've done…" They looked at Xiao Rong with pitiful faces.

Blood Contracts are irreversible and permanent until the end of tor the spiritual beast's death.

"Now that you understand why we cannot be separated, and since Xu Xuan isn't here, we no longer have any reason to stay." Su Yang said a moment later.

"Of course, you can still make her stay here, but who else will protectin this dangerous world? If I die, she also dies."

"Despicable!" they shouted.

He shrugged and turned around to face the exit.