Divine Level Witch Doctor

After a frantic sprint of over forty minutes, Zhao Yuan arrived at Shikan Cave.

Under the cloak of night, the surrounding mountain range resembled a colossal beast lying prone on the ground, and the cave in the cliff face ahead was its gaping, bloody maw.

The cave’s depths were unknown, and it was pitch-black inside, utterly devoid of light. Even though Zhao Yuan’s vision was comparable to that of a hawk, he would be completely blind if he went in. So, he didn’t rush into the cave. Instead, he stood his ground outside and retrieved the Bronze Ring from his Storage Ring Space.

This Bronze Ring was covered in mottled green patina, but one could still faintly make out some simple, ancient patterns carved on it, along with a strange character.

Zhao Yuan examined it closely and identified the character. It was the word for ”Imprison,” written in ancient oracle bone script.

The Information Leaf provided a description of the Bronze Ring: ”Demon Capturing Ring. A torture-type Magical Artifact. When used in conjunction with specially forged iron chains, shackles, and other such items, it can imprison Demon Beasts and Spirits, forcing them to serve its wielder. However, this is ultimately a lesser art; it can only control Demon Beasts and Spirits through physical torment and cannot win their true loyalty. If the Demon Capturing Ring is lost or stolen, control over the Demon Beasts and Spirits will be lost, and there is a danger of backlash!”

After reading the description, Zhao Yuan sighed. ”So this ring is called the Demon Capturing Ring. Hmm, looking at the iron chains nailed to Xiaoyang’s shoulders, they really do look like instruments of torture. The person who came up with this kind of Magical Artifact was both a genius and a madman!”

Wasn’t it true? To imprison Demon Beasts and Spirits with torture devices and force them to serve you. The audacity of the idea was staggering, yet someone had actually put it into practice and succeeded... It was simply unbelievable.

After a moment of reflection, Zhao Yuan continued reading the rest of the description on the Information Leaf: ”A trace of the previous owner’s aura remains within this Demon Capturing Ring. To use it, you must first erase this residual aura. The specific method is as follows...”

’So that’s how it is!’ Reading this, Zhao Yuan finally understood why Mage Zhang couldn’t use the Demon Capturing Ring but could still make Xiaoyang obey him. It turned out he was relying on that residual aura!

With the previous owner’s aura lingering in the Demon Capturing Ring, Xiaoyang had mistaken Mage Zhang for an emissary sent by its former master and had obeyed him without daring to defy or resist. But it didn’t know that its former master was already dead, and Mage Zhang couldn’t use the Demon Capturing Ring at all. He was simply borrowing the tiger’s might!

Mage Zhang had been incredibly lucky. If the previous owner’s aura hadn’t remained in the Demon Capturing Ring, he would have been devoured the very first time he met Xiaoyang! And as so many years had passed, the residual aura in the Demon Capturing Ring had grown weaker and weaker. In a few more years, the aura would have dissipated completely. Even if Zhao Yuan hadn’t eliminated him today, he would have eventually ended up as a meal in Xiaoyang’s stomach!

After carefully reading the method for erasing the aura on the Information Leaf several times and memorizing it completely, Zhao Yuan closed his eyes. He channeled his Wish Power into the Demon Capturing Ring and began to erase the previous owner’s residual aura.

Because the previous owner had been dead for several years, the aura he had left in the Demon Capturing Ring was much weaker than before. Zhao Yuan erased it completely without much effort.

Next, Zhao Yuan left a sliver of Wish Power in the Demon Capturing Ring, then raised his right index finger, bit the tip open, and dripped a drop of scalding-hot fingertip blood onto the Demon Capturing Ring.

Blood from the tip of the index finger is also known as Heart Blood. It contains a person’s essence and can not only be used to dispel evil and block maleficence but also to make a Magical Artifact recognize its master.

The moment the Heart Blood landed on the ”Imprison” character, the Demon Capturing Ring let out a soft BUZZ and burst forth with a faint green glow that enveloped Zhao Yuan.

Luckily, no one was around, or they would have definitely mistaken Zhao Yuan for a goblin!

The sound and the green light came and went quickly, disappearing in just a second or two. The surroundings returned to their previous state of pitch-black silence.

But a strange feeling arose in Zhao Yuan’s mind—he now shared a special connection with the Demon Capturing Ring in his hand.

He knew this was the sign that the Magical Artifact had successfully recognized him as its master. This Demon Capturing Ring was now officially his Magical Artifact, and he could fully unleash its power.

Zhao Yuan slipped the Demon Capturing Ring onto his right thumb, took a deep breath, and commanded in a loud voice, ”Xiaoyang, where are you? Come and see me at once!”

The Demon Capturing Ring responded by emitting specks of green light.

Meanwhile, deep inside the cave, Xiaoyang was treating its wounds with some medicinal herbs it had gathered from the mountains. Beside it, a fox it had captured was trembling in fear.

Xiaoyang grabbed the fox and was about to tear it to shreds to use its blood with the medicine when suddenly, the iron locks on its shoulders began to move on their own, shaking violently and yanking at it, causing it to grimace in excruciating pain.

At the same time, a voice exploded out of thin air beside its ear: ”Xiaoyang, where are you? Come and see me at once!”

The color drained from Xiaoyang’s face.

It knew its master was summoning it with the Demon Capturing Ring. If it didn’t reach its master’s side within the specified time, the damn chains nailed to its shoulders would inflict a torment worse than death!

Xiaoyang had no choice but to stop treating its wounds. It threw the fox aside and followed the guidance of the chains on its shoulders to find its master.

On the way, it couldn’t help but wonder. ’My master hasn’t appeared in several years, only sending his emissary to give me orders. Why has he come to see me in person today? Could it be that he found out about my failed assassination and has come to punish me?’

At this thought, Xiaoyang, a Mountain Spirit, couldn’t help but tremble.

Meanwhile, the little fox that had escaped its doom, after making sure Xiaoyang was gone, quickly scurried away to save its life.

Xiaoyang quickly rushed out of the cave and sprinted toward Zhao Yuan. When it got closer and saw Zhao Yuan’s face clearly, it was stunned. The thought, ’What is this powerful person doing here?’ flashed through its mind, and it immediately turned to flee.

This scene left Zhao Yuan at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. He rubbed his nose and gave a wry smile. ’Am I really that scary? I even managed to frighten off a Mountain Spirit?’ Then, he took a deep breath and shouted, ”Come back!”

The chains locked to Xiaoyang’s shoulders responded instantly. As if yanked by a pair of invisible hands, they snapped taut and forcibly jerked the fleeing Xiaoyang to a halt.

Xiaoyang froze for a moment, then immediately understood: Zhao Yuan had obtained the Demon Capturing Ring and had already made it recognize him as its master!

This time, Xiaoyang didn’t dare to run again. It turned around and fell to its knees with a THUD, its face ashen as it trembled uncontrollably.

It wasn’t Zhao Yuan it feared, but the Demon Capturing Ring in his hand!

Because the Demon Capturing Ring could not only control it but also held its life and death in its grasp!

Although Xiaoyang was a Mountain Spirit, it wasn’t stupid. It understood the concept of settling old scores. It had attacked Zhao Yuan before, and now here he was with the Demon Capturing Ring. If this wasn’t for revenge, what else could it be?

”You’re afraid?” Zhao Yuan guessed Xiaoyang’s worries and chuckled in amusement, shaking his head. ”Don’t worry. I’m not going to kill you.”