Hearing Ling Luochen's shout, the exhausted Song family head had no time to look over. He couldn't dodge the phantom beast's attack either and could only try to minimize the damage taken.
Ling Luochen took out a small sphere, about the size of his thumb, from the storage ring given by Ling Luoyi. He injected spiritual energy into it and threw it directly.
The small sphere hit the phantom beast's head, and a small barrier instantly opened, enveloping the phantom beast.
The phantom beast didn't react and its hand directly struck the barrier, making a 'bang' sound.
Then they heard a faint 'crack' sound, followed by the phantom beast's pained howl.
They looked over and saw the phantom beast's left hand hanging at an unnatural angle; it must have been fractured.
Ling Luochen rushed over, pulled the Song family head back a few steps, and away from the phantom beast.
"Uncle, why are you here?"
Song Jingshan, the Song family head, came back to his senses and asked, "Chen'er, why are you here?"
"I brought the family disciples out for training. When we were resting downstream, we rescued someone from the river. A disciple said he was from the Song family, and I feared he was from your manor, so I brought the disciples here."
"What's going on here?" Song Jingshan pointed at the trapped phantom beast and asked.
"This is something Luo'er gave me. It can form a small barrier when spiritual energy is injected into it."
"Luo'er is here too! Where is she?" Song Jingshan had never met Ling Luoyi but had heard her name and asked curiously.
"Luo'er left for a moment and will be here soon. However, Uncle, why did you come here?"
Speaking of this, Song Jingshan remembered the people he brought with him and walked over, asking, "Are you all alright?"
While the two were talking, the Ling family disciples had already come to give them pills, and they were now meditating to recover.
Seeing them recovering their spiritual energy, Song Jingshan felt relieved. He then looked at the deceased people and felt a pang of sadness.
"Uncle..."
The phantom beast in the barrier looked at itself being ignored by everyone, its pupils began to turn red, and finally, it let out a long howl to the sky.
Everyone looked over, not knowing what it meant.
On the other side, Ling Luoyi, who was looking for them, also heard the howl and murmured, "This is a call for companions. Who is doing this?"
Ling Luoyi flew rapidly towards the source of the sound. Within a few breaths, she found them, landed, and walked towards them.
"Brother, why are you here?" Ling Luoyi asked.
"Luo'er, you're here. This is..." Ling Luochen's words were interrupted by Ling Luoyi.
"Don't say anything for now, let's go quickly. The sound just now was it summoning its companions, and you can't defeat them."
Hearing this, Ling Luochen ordered, "Take them and go quickly."
Everyone quickly took the people and ran back to their original location.
Song Jingshan was a bit confused and asked, "Chen'er, this is..."
"Uncle, don't ask for now. We'll talk when we reach a safe place."
Song Jingshan fell silent, and the group ran back to their original spot. Ling Luoyi opened the barrier.
Everyone was panting from exhaustion.
"What's wrong with you all?"
Ling Luoyi didn't understand. She had only been gone for half an hour.
"Luo'er."
"Yes."
"Luo'er, this is the Song family head, and also my great aunt's husband. Uncle, this is Luo'er." Ling Luochen introduced them to each other.
"Luo'er greets Uncle." Ling Luoyi respectfully performed a junior's courtesy.
"So you are Luo'er. Your name has been quite famous recently, and I've always wanted to meet you. I didn't expect to see you here."
Ling Luoyi smiled and said, "May I ask why Uncle came here?"
"I had a sudden impulse to capture a phantom beast as a contract beast, and I didn't expect to encounter you all."
"Capturing contract beasts," Ling Luoyi became interested at this, saying, "Brother, let's go capture a few contract beasts too."
"Luo'er," Ling Luochen said helplessly, "aren't we still supposed to be training?"
"We are training, and capturing contract beasts can be done along the way."
"Luo'er, a contract beast isn't yours just because you capture it. You still need to go to the Beast Tamer Guild to have them help you contract it."
"I know," Ling Luoyi said, "Uncle, do you want the one from just now? I'll go get it."
After Ling Luoyi finished speaking, she disappeared.
Ling Luochen looked at Song Jingshan and explained, "Uncle, please don't mind, Luo'er's personality is a bit impetuous."
Song Jingshan smiled and said, "I don't mind. Luo'er is a very good girl. And your training this time has indeed yielded great results."
"Indeed, everyone's cultivation has advanced, and their combat skills have also improved significantly."
"I'm not talking about that. Don't you see? Every one of your disciples has become much more steady. They are like sharp swords suppressed by their sheaths, just waiting to be unsheathed." Song Jingshan looked at Ling Luochen and said, "If I'm not mistaken, your sword will be unsheathed at the genius selection, right?"
Ling Luochen looked at Song Jingshan, not surprised. After all, he had been the family head for over a decade, so it wasn't difficult to guess.
"Luo'er said so. We just don't know if this sword is sharp enough."
"It should be enough to cut through your current crisis. But what are you tying to your limbs? They look like sandbags, but sandbags aren't that small." Song Jingshan asked curiously. He had noticed it earlier and had wanted to ask.
"This was prepared for us by Luo'er. They are like sandbags, but they are filled with stones, not sand."
"Stones? Can I see them?"
"Luo'er doesn't allow us to take them off," Ling Luochen said apologetically.
"It's alright."
Just then, everyone heard the sound of demonic beasts approaching them.
Before Ling Luochen could give an order, everyone had already entered combat mode.
After a while, they saw the phantom beast from before running towards them quickly, and their eldest miss, Ling Luoyi, was sitting on the phantom beast's back.
"Luo'er?!"
"Eldest Miss!"
The phantom beast stopped a few steps away, and Ling Luoyi dismounted.
"I'm back!"
"Luo'er, what is this?" Song Jingshan pointed at the phantom beast and asked.
"Didn't Uncle want it as a contract beast? I brought it here," Ling Luoyi said, clapping her hands.
"You want to make it a contract beast for me?" Song Jingshan couldn't believe it.
"Yes, what's wrong?" Ling Luoyi asked, confused.
"Nothing, it's just that you said earlier that it was summoning its kind, and it was done so quickly?"
"Oh, I just told it to disperse. Uncle, didn't you want a contract beast? I think this Black Armored Demon Bear is passable. You can contract it."
"Luo'er, contracting a phantom beast is not that easy. You need to take it to the Beast Tamer Guild for them to help with the contract," Song Jingshan said.
Ling Luoyi was stunned and waved her hand, saying, "Why bother with all that trouble."
As she spoke, a talisman appeared at Ling Luoyi's fingertips.
"Uncle, drip a drop of blood on it," Ling Luoyi handed it to Song Jingshan and said.
"Luo'er, what is this?"
This is a talisman! What's carved on it is a formation!
"Uncle will know when you drip your blood," Ling Luoyi didn't explain.
"Alright."
Song Jingshan didn't ask further and dripped a drop of blood on it.
Ling Luoyi then took the talisman to the Black Armored Demon Bear and said, "You drip a drop of blood too."
The Black Armored Demon Bear was reluctant to contract with Song Jingshan because the human was too weak. However, under Ling Luoyi's threatening gaze, it dared not disobey.
The Black Armored Demon Bear reluctantly dripped a drop of blood, stepped back a few steps aggrievedly, and lay on the ground.
The moment the Black Armored Demon Bear's blood dripped onto the talisman, a five-pointed star light formation appeared beneath Song Jingshan and the Black Armored Demon Bear. Then, the talisman turned into two streams of light and flew towards the foreheads of Song Jingshan and the Black Armored Demon Bear, entering their consciousness.
Song Jingshan felt a connection suddenly appear in his consciousness. It was the Black Armored Demon Bear!
This is...
Contract successful!
So easy?!