Chapter 83: The Little Spirit Demon

Turning toward the source of the voice, Zhang Kai saw a tiny figure. Truly tiny—no bigger than a palm. It appeared to be a girl of ten or so, clothed in garments woven from green leaves, much like a fairy from legend.

This sight made Zhang Kai’s eyes gleam with delight.

What an exquisite little thing!

So adorable, I could gobble her up in one bite.

"And who might you be, little demon?" Zhang Kai grinned, asking in return.

The little girl glared at him, hands on her hips, and declared with great pride, "I am the Grass Sprite, and this is my domain."

"Grass Sprite? Are you a proper kind of grass?" Zhang Kai continued to smile, his gaze softening.

After all, when a man sees something cute, he can’t help but be like this.

Men are broad-minded and skilled at teasing, after all.

The little girl was momentarily stunned. "What do you mean by proper?"

"It’s the difference between good and bad. A good spirit is a proper spirit; a bad one is not. And improper spirits must be spanked until they cry out," Zhang Kai explained, feigning seriousness.

The little girl seemed to understand and replied decisively, "Then I’m a proper Grass Sprite."

Zhang Kai laughed.

Such an innocent spirit of grass and wood.

From a glimpse, one can guess the whole picture; it seemed this demon realm was far more harmonious than he’d imagined.

"Very well, little Grass Sprite, nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself: I’m Diga. I’m just passing through on a journey, and when I saw how beautiful your place is, I had to come over," Zhang Kai fibbed.

The little girl’s eyes sparkled with delight. "Really? You think my place is beautiful?"

"Absolutely," Zhang Kai replied. "The scenery is lovely, the vegetation abundant, and with a charming spirit like you, it’s truly the finishing touch—a masterpiece."

The little girl beamed at the praise, her joy evident. "You have good taste! Well, since a guest has come, as the host, I must entertain you. Come with me. I’ll treat you to flower nectar."

With that, a green glow shimmered about her. She leapt up and fluttered ahead.

A kind word can change everything.

Zhang Kai followed with a smile.

Before long, they arrived at a large tree.

The tree was massive, though not particularly tall—barely a hundred meters in height, which, in a forest where trees reached several hundred meters, was not remarkable. But its trunk was thick—five or six people would be needed to encircle it, much broader than the surrounding trees.

At the tree’s base, it had been hollowed and transformed into a living space, adorned with all manner of rare flowers and grasses. The spiritual energy here was seven or eight times richer than in the most vibrant places of the human world.

Zhang Kai realized that even his own cultivation felt loose here, as if he might break through to a new level.

The little girl flitted inside the tree and soon emerged with delicate wooden bowls, exquisitely crafted.

However, she looked a bit embarrassed. "I’ve never had anyone as big as you visit, so I don’t have larger bowls. Wait here, I’ll make one for you."

"No need," Zhang Kai replied. "I can make myself smaller."

With that, he let his thousand-year cultivation envelop him, and his body began to shrink.

This was an Ultraman ability—now, unrestrained by the human world, he could use his power to simulate the art of size manipulation.

Soon, he was about the same height as the little girl. "Now it’s perfect," he said with a smile.

The little girl’s eyes widened in awe. "You’re amazing! You can get so small, or so big. I can’t do that. Grandpa Tree says I need to cultivate more spirit flowers and rare herbs before I can grow. I’ve worked so hard for so many years and I’m still this small." She pouted, clearly a little upset.

"Smallness is nothing to be ashamed of—it only makes you cuter," Zhang Kai comforted her.

"Hehe, I think so too," the little girl giggled, her mood restored.

Then she poured a green liquid from a wooden bottle. "This is my Wood Spirit Essence. It takes a whole year to make just one bottle—it’s a lot of work. Try it and see if you like it."

She looked at Zhang Kai expectantly.

Zhang Kai lifted the bowl, inhaling deeply.

A rich vitality filled the air, brimming with spiritual essence. There was a fresh, grassy fragrance—inviting in every way.

He smiled and drank it down in one gulp.

"What a marvelous essence! For you to cultivate such a thing, you must be truly skilled," he praised.

The little girl giggled. "Not really—it’s Grandpa Tree who gathers the earth’s energy to create it. I just help collect it. As long as you like it!"

"You keep mentioning Grandpa Tree, but I only see you here," Zhang Kai observed.

The little girl pointed to the massive tree behind her. "That’s Grandpa Tree. I’ve been with him since I was born. In this whole area, he’s the best. He’s always protected me. There’s a big tiger outside, too, that wants to eat me, but it doesn’t dare come near."

"Is that so? Then if I help you deal with the big tiger, you’ll be able to take care of even more flowers and grasses, won’t you?" Zhang Kai asked with a smile.

The little girl’s eyes lit up, but then she shook her head. "No, the big tiger is very fierce. It likes to eat the other spirits. One of my friends was eaten by it. You mustn’t provoke it—it would eat you too."

"Actually, I’m pretty fierce myself—but only to bad guys. That’s why all the baddies fear me," Zhang Kai said, making a funny face.

The little girl burst out laughing. "You’re so much fun!"

"Do you want to play too?" Zhang Kai raised an eyebrow.

"Play what?" she asked.

"Let’s see if your poison can kill me," Zhang Kai went on, still smiling.

The little girl froze. "What did you say?"

"I thought you were simple," Zhang Kai said. "But I was wrong. You’re even better at pretending than I guessed. If I hadn’t been cautious, by now I’d—hmm?"

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly gagging and spitting out a glowing orb—a ball of spiritual energy, wrapped around that green liquid.

But a green hue was already spreading over his body.

The little girl giggled. "That’s not poison—it’s real Wood Spirit Sap. Very delicious, though living beings shouldn’t drink it. But the bowl you drank from was made from Ancient Blackwood, imbued with Blackwood’s spirit energy. Once it touches you, it uses your flesh and blood as nourishment to blossom into the most beautiful flower. Hehe, where should I plant you?"

Watching her innocent expression as she pondered, Zhang Kai sighed. "Damn, demons truly are devious. Even after all my caution, I still fell into a trap. Well, there’s no other way. Looks like I have no choice but to destroy the demon realm in utter despair. It’s not what I want, but you’ve forced my hand."

He flipped his hand, producing his phone, swiping the screen to reveal a paused video—a cosmic science documentary. At its center blazed a massive sun.

"Wait!"

Just then, a voice rang out. In a flash of thunder from the distant sky, a figure appeared beside Zhang Kai, watching him with anxiety.

A woman—voluptuous and dressed daringly, her cleavage deep enough to suffocate a man, her long legs deadly enough to crush him.

But atop her head was a crown of multicolored feathers.

"Don’t be rash. The demon realm is innocent," she said earnestly, clearly worried about what Zhang Kai might do next.

The little girl was stunned, glancing from the woman to Zhang Kai, her mouth drooping in fear. "I think I’ve made trouble… What should I do now?"