To negotiate, both sides must, of course, possess independent intellect. For a transcendent spirit beast like the Jiu You Sparrow, there was nothing to worry about, as its intelligence was even higher than that of humans.
Mu Chen focused his gaze on the Jiu You Sparrow, trapped within the flower cage. Its eyes were extremely fierce and malevolent, staring at Mu Chen as if it wanted to devour him alive. With such an aura, Mu Chen was certain that once released, the first thing the Jiu You Sparrow would do was tear him into a hundred pieces.
To subdue such a high-level spirit beast, it seemed only possible in a dream.
"Ahem..."
Under the fierce glare of the Jiu You Sparrow, Mu Chen cleared his throat, trying his best to convey a friendly thought:
"That one... hello there..."
But contrary to his friendliness, the Jiu You Sparrow remained completely indifferent, its malevolent expression not diminishing in the slightest.
"I know you can hear and understand what I'm saying..."
Mu Chen said helplessly, "You are in this situation, which is actually a case of you reaping what you sow. I didn't provoke or anger you, yet you hid inside my body and even plotted to erase my consciousness..."
The Jiu You Sparrow still glanced coldly at Mu Chen, then retreated slightly, elegantly stretched its wings, and lay down in the flower cage.
"This stalemate isn't good for either of us. Why don't we negotiate a bit and see how we can make it mutually beneficial?"
Mu Chen persisted.
Suddenly, the Jiu You Sparrow's ferocity was tinged with a hint of mockery and sarcasm, completely dismissive.
"Hey, aren't you going to show me any respect? No matter what, this is my territory. Do you believe I can use this thing to clean you up right now?"
Mu Chen saw that the Jiu You Sparrow completely ignored him, and the more he spoke, the more annoyed he became, so he flared up.
Upon hearing this, the disdain in the Jiu You Sparrow's eyes deepened. As Mu Chen became enraged, it transmitted a thought:
"Despicable human, if you could control it, would you be saying such meaningless things to me?"
"You really do understand, you can talk!"
Hearing that thought, Mu Chen was delighted. Regardless, the Jiu You Sparrow had spoken, even if its words were full of contempt and disdain.
"You humans are a treacherous species, your tongues are like springs, greedily coveting my essence and plotting to refine it. Such methods are extremely vile."
The Jiu You Sparrow continued coldly.
"Hmph, you act all righteous and honorable, but weren't you also plotting to erase my consciousness? This situation came about because you were greedy and choked. If you didn't have ill intentions, how would you have ended up trapped in my body?"
Mu Chen sneered in response.
"Do you think you can trap me forever? Our Jiu You Sparrow clan possesses the bloodline of the ancient immortal bird. With your strength, you fundamentally cannot eliminate me. My power will recover over time, and by then, the first one to die will be you!"
The Jiu You Sparrow threatened Mu Chen, filled with killing intent.
"Then just try it, let's see who can endure to the very end!"
Mu Chen became furious. He knew that negotiating with the Jiu You Sparrow was already impossible. This arrogant feathered beast would fundamentally never agree to negotiate, let alone discuss mutual benefits.
Mu Chen gradually withdrew his consciousness, his eyes also opened, and he pouted, cursing under his breath:
"That damned roasted chicken Jiu You Sparrow... I must find a way to resolve this trouble. If left for too long, it will surely cause disaster."
Mu Chen pondered silently. He didn't have much knowledge about the Jiu You Sparrow. If what it said was true, then sooner or later he would be in trouble. Therefore, the sooner this hidden danger was resolved, the better.
However, Mu Chen couldn't come up with any solution. The only thing that could suppress and imprison the Nine Netherbird was the mysterious black paper within his body, yet that was another headache that had plagued him for so long, and he still didn't know what it was. Perhaps his strength wasn't sufficient, so he couldn't yet grasp the profound meaning within that mysterious black paper.
So be it, the matter of the Nine Netherbird was temporarily set aside.
A few days later, Mu Chen was still recuperating. He hadn't given up hope of re-entering and communicating with the Nine Netherbird, but that bird paid no attention, remaining elegantly still within the Mandala flower, its icy gaze teasing, as if watching Mu Chen sing folk songs for it.
It was like this for several days, and Mu Chen reluctantly gave up. It seemed that trying to reason with the Nine Netherbird was like throwing salt into the sea; he could only quickly increase his strength. Once he reached the Divine Soul Realm and gained the ability to refine spirit beast souls, perhaps he would pose a slight threat to the Nine Netherbird.
Perhaps then that hairy beast would pay him a little attention.
Temporarily setting aside the Nine Netherbird issue, two days later, Mu Chen went to study with Master Wen Ling. Mu Feng had said that Master Wen Ling might soon reach Level 2 Spirit Array Master. If successful, it would be extremely good news for the Mu Territory.
After all, throughout the entire Northern Spirit Realm, the number of Spirit Array Masters who could reach Level 2 would not exceed the fingers of one hand. The Mu Territory had never before been able to invite a Spirit Array Master of that level, so if Master Wen Ling succeeded, the reputation of the Mu Territory would greatly increase.
And Master Wen Ling, who was usually unsmiling and serious, was now quite gentle towards Mu Chen. He had undoubtedly heard the news of Mu Chen's recent competition for the quota. In that battle, Mu Chen used a spirit array to defeat Liu Mubai, which made his teacher quite proud.
In the quiet, shaded courtyard, hurried footsteps suddenly approached. Wen Ling, who had been cultivating with his eyes closed, opened them and smiled faintly. Everyone in the Mu Manor knew that he disliked being disturbed during cultivation, so normally no one came to this place, especially not running and making noise like that, except for Mu Chen.
"Hehe, Master Wen, I've come to see when you'll break through."
Mu Chen appeared just as Wen Ling had predicted, standing at the door, cupping his hands in greeting, and smiling.
Wen Ling slightly curved his lips into a smile, looking at the young man, and shook his head helplessly:
"You little devil, use those flattering tricks less. If you want array diagrams, just say so directly. You bother me every day; even if you don't find it troublesome, I do."
Mu Chen stuck out his tongue and scratched his head, feeling embarrassed when he saw that Wen Ling had seen right through him. Array diagrams were what Spirit Array Masters valued most, and he kept coming to pilfer Wen Ling's treasure trove of array diagrams, truly leaving nothing more to be said.
Seeing Mu Chen's embarrassment, Wen Ling also smiled happily, beckoned him over, and said:
"Tomorrow, I will begin secluded cultivation to break through the bottleneck to Level 2 Spirit Array Master. If successful, those old array diagrams won't be quite suitable for me anymore, so teaching them to you is no problem."
Mu Chen heard this, grinned broadly, his smile stretching from ear to ear.
"How many spirit seals can you condense now?"
Wen Ling looked at Mu Chen and asked.
"Eighteen."
Mu Chen said immediately. Due to his diligent cultivation, the spiritual energy in his body had rapidly strengthened, and the number of condensed spirit seals had also increased.
Although Wen Ling had long been mentally prepared to be startled by that fellow, he still jumped when Mu Chen spoke, stammering and shaking his head. Mu Chen's talent in cultivating spirit arrays was truly astonishing. With eighteen spirit seals, he was already close to entering the ranks of high-level Tier 1 Spirit Array Masters.
"The Tiger Flame Spirit Devouring Array I taught you before, its power is enough to rank among the top three of my spirit arrays..."
Wen Ling smiled, clenching his hand. An array diagram with lightning bolts streaking everywhere appeared in his palm:
"This array diagram is called the Nine Heavens Lightning Array. It is the strongest Tier 1 array diagram I possess to this day."
Mu Chen's eyes lit up when he heard this. The strongest spirit array of Master Wen Ling?
"This spirit array requires exactly twenty spirit seals. Among Tier 1 array diagrams, I dare guarantee it ranks as a top-tier masterpiece. Of course, precious items are also difficult to use. The complexity of this spirit array can be compared to some simple Tier 2 array diagrams. Currently, you are not yet capable of touching it, but you are quite proficient in the Heart Array state, so the difficulty will be greatly reduced."
As he explained the spirit array, a look of pride and endless admiration appeared on Wen Ling's face. That state was coveted by all Spirit Array Masters.
"Once the Nine Heavens Lightning Array is successfully deployed, those in the Spirit Wheel realm will be unable to resist it. Even early-stage Spirit Soul realm experts would not dare to show contempt."
Mu Chen's heart burned with excitement as he listened to the explanation. The Nine Heavens Lightning Array was truly that powerful.
"This array diagram is for you, but remember, if you don't feel confident, don't get involved, lest you encounter a spirit array backlash."
Wen Ling handed the array diagram to Mu Chen, not forgetting to remind him sternly.
"Yes!"
Mu Chen quickly agreed, carefully accepting the array diagram. He slowly opened it, and mighty lightning gleamed into his eyes. The chaotic, dazzling patterns that would make an ordinary person dizzy, were, in the hands of a Spirit Array Master, profound array diagram trajectories that deeply penetrated Mu Chen's pupils.
Mu Chen stood still, still intently reading the array diagram in his hand, his expression one of fascination, as if he were immersed in it. Wen Ling smiled as he watched him, then quietly stepped out.
When Mu Chen emerged from his state of deep immersion, the sky was already twilight, almost dark, so he quickly returned to his room. For the next few days, he completely focused his mind on the Nine Heavens Lightning Array. However, the more he contemplated it, the clearer it became that even with the assistance of the Heart Array state, he could not deploy this spirit array. Therefore, he did not act rashly, only striving each day to memorize and deeply engrave the array diagram's trajectories into his brain.
For five days, Mu Chen remained deeply engrossed in studying the spirit array. On the sixth day, he suddenly heard a commotion outside the courtyard. Frowning slightly, he went out and saw several guards rushing from the front courtyard, the atmosphere seeming unstable.
"What's going on?"
Mu Chen called a guard over and asked in a deep voice.
"Young Master!"
The guard saw Mu Chen, quickly bowed in salute, and reported:
"Something major has happened. One of our Mu Domain's cities has been attacked, and the City Lord, Chen Xiong, has been killed."
Mu Chen's expression changed dramatically upon hearing this.