The Dawn of the New World Chapter 1607

Ryuk looked far and wide while Hao Xuan searched the area within his immediate vicinity.

But the sand was colder than ice and full of Yin energy which made it difficult even for him to dig for too long with bare hands. He did what he could before the Yin Qi began to overwhelm his senses.

Hao Xuan took a seat on a random mound while rubbing his hands to get some feeling back in his fingers.

*Sigh*

Subconsciously taking out the rock once more, Hao Xuan was about to levitate it when he paused to look at it.

Glancing between the swathes of sand around him and then at the rock in his hand, Hao Xuan casually reached out and swiped from the left to the right.

Nearly half of the sand was pushed away but-

'Phew, that took ten times more soul power to accomplish...'

Fortunately for him, there was nearly an inexhaustible amount of it so Hao Xuan closed his eyes to focus and slowly extended both hands forward.

Golden threads of spiritual sense pierced through the veil to create a net that extended outwards. All the sand was pushed aside leaving behind a small four-legged body underneath.

Hao Xuan got up to inspect the animal.

It was frozen solid, belonging to some canine offshoot. It was quite small, not much larger than a chihuahua back from earth but somehow even uglier with long flappy ears and a vicious-looking set of teeth.

Ryuk returned just as Hao Xuan was finishing his examination.

[There is only- those! Little things like that buried under the sand]

"Like this beast?"

[Mhm]

"Huh..." Hao Xuan scratched his chin while putting together all the facts.

"Doesn't look like a species adapted for surviving in the desert. Must have come along with the guests and patrons they picked up along the way and either got lost or were abandoned here. They probably dug into the sand to get some cover from the heat after the barrier went down but couldn't survive for long."

[Are they what you were looking for?]

"No, of course not," Hao Xuan was confident in that statement but Ryuk did not understand why.

[Why not??]

"What do you mean why not?" Hao Xuan was annoyed he even to explain something so obvious, "They are living beings. How can a living being be an anchor for a- oh my god!"

Hao Xuan's mouth fell open when he realized he had been looking at it the wrong way all this time.

"Damnit!" he cursed in frustration from missing such an obvious point.

"I heard anchor and all I could think of was a strong heavy object that could weigh Cerberus down but right now he is essentially a demonic spirit. And a spirit- a 'demon' can possess living beings so what could be a better anchor than a creature born within this timeline with strong ties to the people and the places that exist in the present?!"

Hao Xuan wanted to punch himself in the face for not seeing this earlier.

*Siiigh~*

[So...you were wrong?]

"....yeah."

[And I was right?]

Hao Xuan threw him a glare, "Don't push your luck."

[Sorry. What now?]

"Now I need to find a living creature like that. But it can't just be any old stray, there needs to be a solid connection between the creature and the people around it- stronger the better!"

[What kind of a connection?]

"ANY- must I point every little detail out?" Hao Xuan furiously retorted but Ryuk could not be any calmer.

[Yes, more the better!]

*Siiiigh~*

"A pet. Look for someone's pet, the more it is loved and cared for the stronger its connection to the timeline will be."

Seeing how easily Hao Xuan made such a request Ryuk couldn't help but point it out.

[That sounds like something the other you would say]

"You- I know, but it is a small sacrifice."

[I do not think so. Most humans love their pets like their own family, I saw many that died for them]

But Hao Xuan couldn't care less at the moment and rightly so.

"I am trying to save the abyss from Maymun and a whole planet in the future. Excuse me if taking a few pets away from their owners is crossing the line for you. Are you going to do this or not??"

[....I will]

Ryuk disappeared into the ground leaving Hao Xuan shaking his head as an irritating feeling continued to build up within his chest.

"He's worried about a fucking pet when we are sitting ducks here," Hao Xuan spat at the ground while pacing back and forth, "Everyone could be dead in a matter of days and- argh! So STUPID!"

He punched a nearby wall obliterating it into dust.

There was a burning sensation inside of him, a fire itching to get out and burn it all down. In this unexplained wrathful state Hao Xuan lost control over his spirit power and popped the rock that was hovering above his palm.

"Huh?"