Under All Things Exploration, the Moon Eyes Bellflower’s stats appeared.

[Guardian Beast Name]: Moon Eyes Bellflower

[Guardian Beast Species]: Flower Spirit Species/Plant Demon Species

[Guardian Beast Level]: Mortal Beast Level (1/10)

[Guardian Beast Type]: Demon Spirit Element

[Guardian Beast Quality]: Unranked

Skills:

[Eyes Reflecting the Waning Moon]: With the target’s soul open, this skill imprints the target’s Soul Core into a Moon Eyes Bud. Once the Moon Eyes Bud is shattered, the imprinted Soul Core within it will also shatter and vanish like a reflection of the waning moon.

With its skill, Eyes Reflecting the Waning Moon, the Moon Eyes Bellflower could control the Bizarre—or rather, it could control the Bizarre, the combined form of a Deceit Beast Master and a Deceit Beast, as if it were a Guardian Beast.

The Moon Eyes Bellflower’s method of controlling the Bizarre was different from how the Soul Contracting Gu Mother controlled other Guardian Beast Masters.

The Soul Contracting Gu Mother controlled other Guardian Beast Masters by directly seizing control of the individuals themselves, thereby gaining command over their Guardian Beasts.

It was just like how Zhong Yi, using the Soul-Catching Gu Mother’s Insect Eggs, could control Zhao Kai’s life and death at will.

However, a Guardian Beast like the Soul Contracting Gu Mother couldn’t control a Deceit Beast Master. A Deceit Beast Master’s Soul Base was different from that of an ordinary Guardian Beast Master.

It was common knowledge that once a Guardian Beast Master became one of the Bizarre, they could no longer form a Contract with any more Guardian Beasts.

The reason for this was that after a Deceit Beast awakened, it would fuse intimately with its Deceit Beast Master’s Soul Base, transforming the environment within it.

This turned the Deceit Beast Master’s Soul Base into a paradise completely under the Deceit Beast’s control, making it impossible for something like the Soul Contracting Gu Mother’s Insect Eggs to survive inside.

Controlling the Bizarre was out of the question.

When a Deceit Beast was born, its soul would fuse with its own abilities, forming something called a Ghost Core.

The Ghost Core was the core of a Deceit Beast’s energy and soul.

The ability to form a Ghost Core was the advantage the Bizarre held over an ordinary Guardian Beast Master’s Lifebound Guardian Beast, and it was the fundamental reason they could devour them.

It was also the key to how the Moon Eyes Bellflower controlled the Bizarre!

The Moon Eyes Bellflower controlled the Deceit Beast to counter the Deceit Beast Master, thereby achieving control over the Bizarre as a whole.

In Zhong Yi’s eyes, this method of control was rather clever, but with the skill Eyes Reflecting the Waning Moon, the Moon Eyes Bellflower could guarantee absolute control over the life and death of the Bizarre.

However, since the Moon Eyes Bellflower was a Demon Spirit Element Guardian Beast, one first needed an affinity for Demon Spirit Guardian Beasts to form a Contract with it.

Secondly, one also needed a Soul Talent far beyond that of an ordinary person to enable the Moon Eyes Bellflower to bloom as many flowers as possible.

For someone like Zhong Ling, who used her Guardian Beast Master Talent, Mother’s Cocoon Room, to anchor the Soul Vein Mother Butterfly, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to make the Moon Eyes Bellflower bloom fifteen Moon Eyes Flowers once the Soul Vein Mother Butterfly reached the Mythical Tier.

If it weren’t for the fact that Zhong Ling didn’t have an affinity for Demon Spirit Guardian Beasts, she would have had the ability to win Starlight City its thirteenth Deceitful Moon Badge.

But even if Zhong Ling did have an affinity for Demon Spirit Guardian Beasts and could form a Contract with the Moon Eyes Bellflower, Zhong Yi wouldn’t let her.

This was because contracting the Moon Eyes Bellflower required dedicating all of one’s Soul Energy to it, feeding it so it could bloom.

Furthermore, a Demon Spirit Guardian Beast like the Moon Eyes Bellflower was extremely possessive; once contracted, it wouldn’t allow its Guardian Beast Master to contract any other Guardian Beasts.

Otherwise, the Moon Eyes Bellflower would feel its affection was being divided and choose to wither away on its own.

To ensure the Moon Eyes Bellflower could bloom more flowers and control the Bizarre with its skill, Eyes Reflecting the Waning Moon, the Contractor was also forbidden from raising the Guardian Beast’s Tier and Quality.

Otherwise, if the Moon Eyes Bellflower’s Tier and Quality were raised, the amount of Soul Power required to bloom a single Moon Eyes Flower would increase.

Having Zhong Ling spend her entire life contracted to a mere Mortal Beast Level Moon Eyes Bellflower just to control the Bizarre was far inferior to her current path of commanding Butterfly Guardian Beasts in battle.

A Guardian Beast Master contracting and raising a Guardian Beast had always been a win-win situation, as an increase in a Guardian Beast’s Tier and Quality would in turn benefit the Guardian Beast Master.

Not only would their physique be strengthened through the Beast Pattern, but their lifespan would also be extended.

But the Deceit Holders who contracted the Moon Eyes Bellflower received no such benefits, essentially sacrificing decades or even centuries of lifespan and a powerful physique.

A Deceit Holder’s control over the Bizarre via the Moon Eyes Bellflower wasn’t as precise as a Guardian Beast Master’s command over their Guardian Beast; they could only control its life and death.

If one of the Bizarre was unwilling, the Deceit Holder couldn’t force it to do anything.

There were many kinds of Demon Spirit Element Guardian Beasts, and every Guardian Beast Master with a powerful Soul Talent compatible with them was destined for a bright future.

Choosing to contract a Moon Eyes Bellflower was the worst possible option for personal development. In Zhong Yi’s view, it was a form of sacrifice for Starlight City, the Xin Xia Federation, and the entire Guardian Beast Master community.

It was also a form of redemption for the Bizarre, giving the ones that hadn’t devoured other Guardian Beast Masters’ Lifebound Guardian Beasts a pass to live among the normal Guardian Beast Master community.

Although Zhong Ling couldn’t contract the Moon Eyes Bellflower, Zhong Yi could use a Soul Taming Seed from his Soul-Controlling Flower to form a Contract with it.

Then, the Moon Eyes Bellflower would share the Soul Power of the Soul-Controlling Flower, and the Soul-Controlling Flower’s Soul Power was so immense it was practically immeasurable.

After all, the Soul-Controlling Flower had been constantly devouring the Soul Energy of other creatures to strengthen itself.

As for the Moon Eyes Bellflower’s peculiar traits, the Soul Taming Seed Contract would correct them when it induced a bloodline evolution.

Zhong Yi grew curious. If he used a Soul Taming Seed to contract the Moon Eyes Bellflower, just how many Moon Eyes Flowers could he make it bloom?

Since Zhong Yi was now thinking of contracting the Moon Eyes Bellflower to control the Bizarre, the best way forward was naturally to speak directly to Lin Zhuo.

"Sister Zhuo, my Guardian Beast Master Talent is a bit special. I think I can contract the Moon Eyes Bellflower and make it bloom a lot of Moon Eyes Flowers."

Hearing Zhong Yi’s words, Lin Zhuo subconsciously took a step forward with her left foot, stepping right on the Three-legged Red Crow’s wing bone.

The pained Three-legged Red Crow let out a sharp cry. It turned its head, its sharp, fierce eyes now filled with grievance as it looked at Lin Zhuo, attempting to appeal to her motherly love.

But at that moment, Lin Zhuo’s gaze was fixed intently on Zhong Yi.

"Xiaoyi, can you really contract the Moon Eyes Bellflower?"

"I don’t know what your Guardian Beast Master Talent is, or how many Moon Eyes you can make it light up."

"But whether or not you become a Deceit Holder isn’t important. You need to stay away from a Guardian Beast like the Moon Eyes Bellflower that will become a burden to you."

"Besides, the Moon Eyes Bellflower’s situation is special. Since you’ve already contracted that Human-shaped Guardian Beast, you can’t contract the Moon Eyes Bellflower."

Deceit Holders were extremely important to a city. Otherwise, the Xin Xia Federation wouldn’t officially award a Deceitful Moon Badge to Deceit Holders who could make the Moon Eyes Bellflower light up more than fifteen Moon Eyes.

A Deceit Holder with a Deceitful Moon Badge didn’t just control a dozen or so of the Bizarre; it was far more than that.