Death… And Me

Chapter 4466: Understood!

Celis kept a close eye on the fox. ”The Godly Energy of the Godly Predator Crystal is being absorbed effortlessly by her body. No, not her body, but her eyes.”

He could clearly sense the energy circulating through the fox before it eventually converged into her Red Eye and Golden Eye. Both absorbed nearly the same amount of Godly Energy, but that’s only after her body made use of quite a bit of it.

*Awooooo!!!*

Suddenly, she howled like a wolf, and her entire white fur changed into a deep golden-red color.

*Fuvash!*

Flames erupted from every part of her body, forcing everyone in the room to retreat several steps. They spiraled around her like a raging tornado before compressing into a blazing sphere that completely enveloped her small figure. Even then, the flames continued rotating at frightening speed, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

Fortunately, the phenomenon didn’t last long.

*Vush!*

The flames vanished as abruptly as they had appeared, leaving not even a spark behind. The fox landed lightly on the ground, her fur gradually fading back to its usual snow-white color. Only her mismatched eyes continued to shine with a brilliant golden and crimson glow for a few more seconds before they, too, returned to normal.

*Rawr!*

As if nothing unusual had happened, she immediately leaped toward Rean.

Rean caught her in midair and lifted her with both hands, carefully examining her from every angle. He could already tell something about her had changed. ”That was... interesting. Senior Tobao, you said the Sacred Relic considers her a powerful Godly Creature. Could it be that it isn’t because she’s strong, but because she has immense potential? I can clearly feel that she became stronger just now.”

*Rawr!*

The little fox nodded as though she had understood every word.

Only then did Tobao finally lower his guard. Just moments earlier, he had been prepared to unleash everything he had if the fox had shown even the slightest sign of hostility. Fortunately, nothing of the sort had happened. The entire incident had also remained contained inside the room, so no one outside had noticed anything unusual. Aside from the scorched table, ceiling, and floor, the rest of the room was perfectly intact.

”Immense potential...” Tobao muttered.

*Yawn...*

The fox simply curled up inside Rean’s arms and fell asleep again.

”Now that’s what I call having absolutely no worries in the world,” Rean said with a bitter smile.

Tobao stepped closer and observed her once more. ”I think... I can feel a tiny amount of Godly Energy inside her body now. Or perhaps I’m imagining it. It’s so faint that I can’t even be certain.”

Celis nodded. ”You’re not imagining it. There really is a tiny amount of Godly Energy stored inside her body. More specifically, it’s concentrated in her eyes. They seem to function as her energy pool.”

”But they definitely aren’t Godly Crystals,” Kentucky added. He then turned toward Tobao. ”Senior Tobao, does the Besgol Region have any records of this kind of two-tailed white fox?”

Tobao shook his head without hesitation. ”Our records contain countless ordinary animals living throughout the Godly Creature Territories, including several fox races. However, none of them possess two tails, and none have eyes with two different colors. There are a few white-furred ones, though. In any case, I genuinely have no idea what race she belongs to.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

”Still... one thing is undeniable. The Sacred Relic has absolutely no effect on her... and that gave me an idea.”

”What idea?” everyone asked almost at the same time.

”Maybe she is an ascender,” Tobao explained. ”There are countless different cultivation methods in existence, but one thing is certain: even after consuming the Godly Predator Crystal, there was no release of Godly Pressure. Since she can get stronger by consuming Godly Crystals and doesn’t have Godly Pressure, she is basically the same as any other cultivator.”

Everyone fell silent as they considered that possibility. Tobao’s reasoning made sense. No matter how different cultivation methods were, cultivators all relied on Godly Crystals to become stronger in the Celestial Plane, and none of them were weakened by the Sacred Relic. Looking at it from that perspective, the theory that the little fox was some kind of ascender wasn’t far-fetched at all.

Roan, however, remembered something else. ”The flames just now...”

Everyone immediately looked toward him.

”Lukay,” Roan said, ”bring the soft red rocks out.”

Without hesitation, Lukay opened his Spatial Ring, and the two large crimson rocks appeared in the middle of the room.

The moment they did, something changed.

The fractured surfaces where the two pieces had once been connected began to emit a gentle mixture of golden and crimson light. At the same time, the snow-white fur covering the fox’s body also gained a faint reddish-golden sheen.

Rean instinctively stepped closer to one of the rocks while still holding the fox. As the distance shortened, the glow from both the rock and the fox intensified simultaneously.

That alone was enough.

”Whether she is an ascender or not, I’m not sure,” Roan said. ”But I’m convinced she’s the thing that came out of this red rock. Or... perhaps we should call it an egg.”

”No,” Celis corrected immediately, shaking his head. ”Not an egg.”

Everyone looked at him.

”Do you remember the countless strands of Fire Element, Celestial Energy, Godly Pressure, and Yang Energy beneath the lake, spreading everywhere, especially deeper underground? They gathered together into those tube-like streams before entering these rocks. They weren’t simply surrounding them. They were nourishing them.”

Celis placed one hand on the soft material.

”They supplied energy continuously over who knows how many years. An egg carries everything necessary for life inside itself from the beginning. This didn’t. It was constantly being fed from the world around it.”

He looked back at the fox.

”This wasn’t an egg.”

”It was a womb.”

The room became silent once more.

Lukay’s eyes lit up as another possibility crossed his mind.

”So... she was born directly from the environment.” He folded his arms while studying the fox carefully. ”Could she actually be a Spirit? Blood-and-flesh Spirits aren’t common, but they certainly exist. Faeries are a perfect example. Most Spirits possess a Core. If that’s the case, perhaps her eyes are the cores of her race.”

The more he thought about it, the more the theory seemed plausible.

”It would also explain something else,” Lukay continued. ”Those Magma Drakes settled inside the ruins for a reason. Maybe this place benefited their cultivation because of her existence. When we eliminated them...” He paused, deliberately leaving out the fact that they had also killed a Godly Horror Magma Drake. ”...we may have unintentionally triggered whatever process finished her birth.”

”Her race must be extraordinary,” Rean commented while gently rubbing the fox’s head. ”Perhaps even a Divine Spirit.”

Clasou turned toward Lukay. ”What do you think?”

Lukay gave an honest answer. ”I can’t be certain. She’s definitely unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Still, it isn’t impossible.”

He continued after thinking for another moment. ”If Senior Tobao is right and she’s also an ascender, then perhaps her race exists somewhere in the Great Voids below. Maybe individuals of her race ascend inside these wombs before emerging in the Celestial Plane.”

He smiled helplessly. ”Or perhaps someone intentionally sent her here to mature. There are simply too many possibilities.”

While everyone else discussed those theories aloud, Celis contacted Rean through their soul connection. ’Rean, I want to take her outside the Besgol Region.’

Rean blinked. ’Why?’

’There’s something I want to verify.’

’What is it?’

Celis remained mysterious. ’I’ll explain after we leave the Sacred Relic’s influence. I need to confirm it first.’

Rean trusted Celis enough not to press further. ’Alright.’

Returning his attention to the others, he smiled at Tobao and Clasou. ”Whatever the truth is, we won’t figure everything out today. At least we know she doesn’t appear to be dangerous. Let’s finish discussing everything else from this exploration before wrapping things up.”

”Oh!” Celis suddenly remembered something and looked at Clasou. ”And don’t forget our rewards. We brought back a ridiculous amount of new information during this Elite Exploration.”

Clasou could only smile helplessly. ”Yes, yes... I know. I won’t disappoint you.”

Tobao rubbed his forehead before giving up on arguing. ”Very well. Keep her with you for now.” He glanced at the fox sleeping peacefully in Rean’s arms before adding, ”But don’t lower your guard. If she ever becomes a threat to the Besgol Region...”

He didn’t finish the sentence.

He didn’t need to.

Rean understood exactly what he meant.

”I understand,” he replied with a nod.

Only then did Tobao finally relax.

For now, at least, the mysterious little two-tailed fox would remain under Rean’s care.