"Save my life?"
The Dark Gale Leopard sneered, "Are you joking?"
Zi Linling shook her head and said seriously, "No, no, no! I'm not joking with you. If you agree now, we can talk about anything, and I won't plant a slave seal on you. But if you force me to act, you'll suffer quite a bit!"
The Dark Gale Leopard was furious!
"Hmph! All you're saying is you want this beast to be your mount! Do you know that's an insult to me?"
Zi Linling shook her head again, "No, no, no, it's not an insult. I never insult my companions!"
"Hmph! Sweet talk! Watch this!"
The Dark Gale Leopard lunged at Zi Linling again.
Zi Linling's expression turned cold, and she said indifferently, "Since that's the case, I hope you don't regret it!"
She put strength into her waist, arched her back, and leaned back sharply, dodging the Dark Gale Leopard's pounce. She then seized its hind legs.
With a heave of her arms, she swung the Dark Gale Leopard in three full circles, throwing it heavily to the ground.
The Dark Gale Leopard was dazed by the fall. It took a full five breaths before it managed to stagger to its feet.
It looked at Zi Linling in surprise and said, "I didn't expect you, with your skinny arms and legs, to have so much explosive strength! This beast was careless. Let's go again!"
The Dark Gale Leopard shook its head, flicking away the golden light in its eyes. It gathered its strength and charged at Zi Linling again.
Throughout this process, Zi Linling remained still. She simply watched, allowing the Dark Gale Leopard to complete its series of actions.
But the moment the Dark Gale Leopard pounced, Zi Linling moved. Her gaze sharpened, and she employed her Dragon Step. With her bare hands, at an uncanny angle, she once again grabbed the Dark Gale Leopard's hind legs, gave a forceful pull and release, and the Dark Gale Leopard flew out again.
Her movements were fluid, perfectly embodying the phrase "striking after being attacked."
The Dark Gale Leopard's momentum couldn't be stopped. It slid across the ground again, plowing a shallow trench.
"Roar, roar, roar!"
It let out a roar, spitting out the dirt from its mouth. However, a significant amount of fur on its chin had been scraped off?
"How is it? Does the dirt here taste good?" Zi Linling stood there, a smirk on her face.
The Dark Gale Leopard, having been thrown three times in a row, was utterly enraged. Especially the last time, its posture was incredibly undignified. How could its pride tolerate this?
"Hmph! Again!"
It said, turning and charging at Zi Linling once more.
Zi Linling made no extra movements and was too lazy to use her spiritual power, engaging in a pure physical confrontation.
The human and the beast made a tremendous commotion in the darkness-shrouded abyss. However, magical beasts generally had territorial awareness and wouldn't cross boundaries without reason. This was the Dark Gale Leopard's territory, so no matter how loud the commotion, no one, or rather, no other magical beast paid any attention.
An hour later, Zi Linling was panting. The Dark Gale Leopard was in a far worse state. Its chin was bloody and mangled, and a large lump had formed on its forehead. It lay in the trench it had repeatedly plowed, its body trembling violently. Its hind legs were clearly limping, and each bore a distinct bruise. The bruises were from Zi Linling grabbing those same spots every time she threw it.
"Well? Are you convinced?" Zi Linling panted. For a full hour, continuously throwing a magical beast had completely drained her stamina. Not only that, but her arms, wrists, waist, hips, thighs, calves, and ankles ached terribly. This was because each time the Dark Gale Leopard was thrown, these parts of her body had to exert force simultaneously.
"Hmph! In a fight, this beast admits defeat to you, but don't even think about making me your mount!" the Dark Gale Leopard said without even lifting its head. It wasn't looking down on Zi Linling; it simply couldn't lift its head anymore. At this moment, its entire body felt as though it was falling apart, especially its neck, which felt as if it would break.
"Hmph! If that's the case, then you're useless!" Zi Linling's eyes turned cold, and she said icily, "Little Tiger, come out. This one is for you!"
As her words fell, the Wind Wing Phantom Tiger leaped out from the contract space, lamenting, "Master, this guy doesn't have much meat, it's not filling to eat, and it's hard on the teeth. Why not just kill it directly?"
This remark was clearly a retort to the Dark Gale Leopard's earlier taunts at Zi Linling.
The moment the Wind Wing Phantom Tiger appeared, the Dark Gale Leopard trembled all over. It was important to note that the Wind Wing Phantom Tiger had been transformed by the White Tiger bloodline to about ninety percent, thus possessing the aura of a divine beast. This was also why it had been able to invade the Dark Gale Leopard's mind earlier. The Dark Gale Leopard could not withstand the pressure of its superior level and could only tremble.
Zi Linling silently praised the Wind Wing Phantom Tiger in her heart. This tactic of intimidation was spot-on, scaring away the Dark Gale Leopard's last shred of pride. No matter how proud the Dark Gale Leopard was, it didn't dare to act arrogant in the face of the Wind Wing Phantom Tiger's divine beast bloodline.
"Great Lord, spare me! I am willing to become her mount!" The Dark Gale Leopard caved. It had no choice but to submit! Wasn't it evident that divine beasts were Zi Linling's pets?
Zi Linling smiled cunningly, "Let's forget it! I don't want someone who is unwilling."
The Wind Wing Phantom Tiger chimed in, "Since Master doesn't want it, then let's kill it!"
One played the good cop, the other the bad cop; their coordination was seamless.
"Great Lord, spare me! Great Lord, spare me! I am willing! I am truly willing!" The Dark Gale Leopard prostrated itself on the ground, assuming a posture of willing submission. The Wind Wing Phantom Tiger glanced at it with disdain, then respectfully looked at Zi Linling, awaiting her command.
Zi Linling, suppressing her joy, raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you truly willing to submit?"
The Dark Gale Leopard quickly replied, "I submit with all my heart. Please plant the slave seal, Master!"
"Since that's the case, let's begin!" Zi Linling said, forming hand seals.
The light in the Dark Gale Leopard's eyes dimmed slightly. It now regretted its actions intensely. If it had submitted from the beginning, it would have avoided this physical torment and the planting of the slave seal. But it was too late now. Once the slave seal was planted, freedom would be a distant dream, and its life would no longer be its own.
Just as the Dark Gale Leopard was filled with immense remorse, Zi Linling suddenly dispersed the hand seals and said, "Little Tiger, go back to the contract space first!"
The Wind Wing Phantom Tiger responded and vanished from sight. Zi Linling then said, "I won't plant the slave seal on you!"