Ling Yun suddenly straightened himself. With a lightning-sharp gaze, he looked to the opposite bank of the stream. Beside the Shichiyou herb was a snow-white fox.
The dainty white fox was snow-white through and through. There was not a single strand of stray hair on its body. It had two pointy ears. From its ears down to its nose, it was like an elegant awl. With its gently streamlined body, it was naturally seductive.
To say that it was dainty was in comparison with the human body. Compared to a normal fox, this white fox was slightly larger than usual. Sitting there, its height actually reached about one meter.
The two front legs of the white fox were elegantly long and looked beautiful. Its luscious and long snow-white tail was even longer than its body. Intentional or not, it laid on the floor, circling the Shichiyou herb, as if building a curved snow wall for it.
Different from ordinary white foxes, the nose-tip that laid at the front of this white fox's face was not black, but a pale pink. It was as if a red strawberry was embedded in the fluffy snow. It was very beautiful.
The thing that attracted Ling Yun's attention the most was the pair of pearl-black eyes that grew on the white fox's charming face. The pair of eyes was very round. The edges of the white fox's eyes were elongated, increasing its charm.
Ling Yun was speechless. He thought that if this white fox could transform into a human, it would seduce every living thing. In terms of charm, it would not lose to Su Daji, the mythical fox spirit concubine who disillusioned the last king of the Shang dynasty.
"It must be very wise, to be actually breathing the spiritual energy given out by the Shichiyou herb…."
Ling Yun stared at the white fox, and the white fox stared back at Ling Yun. A tinge of misery and sense of begging emitted from its pearl black eyes, making it look very pitiful.
This white fox did not run away, for it was at its most crucial moment of cultivation. It could not even move its body, let alone escape.
The corner of Ling Yun's lips curled as he smiled knowingly. He swept his gaze from left to right and realized that there were no cars in this darkness, let alone pedestrians. He nodded his head slightly and used his Phantom Ichthyosaur Step, crossing the stream in the blink of an eye and coming beside the white fox.
It actually suffered internal injuries? Ling Yun lowered his head and scrutinized the practicing white fox. He could not help but furrow his brows as he sat down cross-legged near the fox.
He did not harbor any ill intentions towards this white fox. Ideas of doubting other species did not apply to Ling Yun, who felt that it was worse than absurd.
After sitting down cross-legged, Ling Yun said calmly, "Cultivate however you like. I'll protect you."
Seeing Ling Yun come to his side so suddenly, the fox initially thought that it would meet its doom. Its pair of pearl-black eyes were filled with fear and despair, growing more and more pitiful. It almost wanted to give up on cultivating.
However, after hearing Ling Yun's reassuring words, the fear in its big seductive eyes slowly faded away, turning into looks of gratitude. It began to focus on huffing and puffing again.
Ling Yun's body was filled with plenty of spiritual energy now. Since he was not struggling to reach Level Four of Physique Tempering, he did not even need the Shichiyou herb's spiritual energy. Hence, as this white fox had reached the crucial moment in its cultivation, Ling Yun did not fight with it for spiritual energy, but silently watched the fox huff and puff as it practiced cultivation.
"It can already understand human speech. Seems like its door of wisdom has already opened. It could transform into a human very soon…."
He quickly saw the reason behind this and could not help but think. What this white fox is cultivating is not the techniques for beasts, but that for humans. And it's very strong!
This… this fox, where did it learn such techniques?
Not only did this fox not have any fox stench, but spiritual energy emitted from around it. Furthermore, it had human cultivation techniques. This filled Ling Yun with interest.
I must count how many tails it has later. If there are less than three, it has limited potential and it definitely can't go far….
Three-tailed foxes were not easy to find in the cultivating world, let alone on Earth.
However, Ling Yun had seen too many weird beasts of all sorts within the cultivation world. Foxes with less than three tails? They did not catch his eye.
After watching the white fox huff and puff for a little while, Ling Yun stopped focusing on it. He sat down cross-legged on the grass and started to practice the Yin-Yang harmony balance
Level four to level six of Physique Tempering were considered the intermediate stages, and the main focus was the energy dantian. Currently, Ling Yun was at level three and was only such little effort away from level four. Hence, he chose not to worry, but to firm up the cultivation of his current level, so that he may build a firm foundation for future cultivation.
Currently, he could already easily transfer the spiritual energy in this body from one place to another. At will, the spiritual energy from inside his body was continually directed towards his dantian. The concentration of spiritual energy in Ling Yun's dantian grew stronger and stronger, and the density of spiritual energy grew more and more as well. Gradually, it even reached the point of concentration that a fog was formed!
At last, Ling Yun's dantian was already filled with such thick concentration of spiritual energy that it literally became a milky white mixture. Even with divine sight, it was not easy to see through it.
However, nearing the end, Ling Yun found it increasingly difficult to transfer the spiritual energy around. It was not as easy as when he had first begun. It was just like pumping a car tire; there was only so much capacity, and one had to fork out greater strength towards the end.
Luckily, Ling Yun did not lack patience. He was not anxious at all, and as usual, he continued to squeeze the spiritual energy out of his body like toothpaste, shifting the spiritual energy and gradually delivering it to his energy center.
While he was doing so, he churned the first stage of the Yin-Yang harmony balance using his strength. After some struggle, the spiritual energy in his dantian finally settled and stopped spilling out. Once the spiritual energy thoroughly filled his dantian, it was the best opportunity for him to aim for stage four of strength training.
It had just passed midnight. Ling Yun stopped cultivating and slowly opened his eyes. Unknowingly, the white fox had already stopped huffing and puffing and came beside Ling Yun. Its pearl-black eyes shone with gratitude and astonishment.
Seeing Ling Yun open his eyes suddenly, it turned around rapidly and dashed a few meters out, like a bolt of white lightning.
Ling Yun did not get up. He stared at the white fox for a long while and then smiled slightly. "Since you were already done cultivating, why didn't you leave?"
The big black eyes of the white fox turned in its socket. Surprisingly, it sat down on its hind legs and hugged its two front legs together, clasping its paws and greeting Ling Yun. A big fluffy tailed wagged behind it. It was very cute.
Ling Yun knew that the white fox was thanking him for not killing it and even protecting it. He waved his hands casually and laughed. "Your wisdom has already bloomed. Your cultivation can be considered successful. In the future, if you are able to transform into a human, you must remember that you shall not harm the mortal world. With that, you may go."
The white fox gave Ling Yun a questioning look, tilting its head as if it is pondering about something. Following that, it approached Ling Yun cautiously, raised its head and looked at Ling Yun pleadingly with its seductive fox eyes.
Foxes are very suspicious by nature. Hence, it was praiseworthy for this white fox to have the courage to approach Ling Yun within such a short period of time.
Seeing the fox approaching him, Ling Yun suddenly grinned mischievously. With the speed of light, he reached out his right hand and grabbed the white fox's tail, taking it into his embrace.
"Wow, you're quite heavy, huh…." The fur of the white fox was long and thick. It was flexible and unusually sleek. As Ling Yun ran his palm through its fur which felt just like a piece of silk.
The white fox instinctively tried to shun away while it was brought into Ling Yun's passionate embrace. However, it was no match for Ling Yun's agility and still ended up in his arms.
Flustered, the white fox struggled. A look of shyness flushed upon its seductive white face.
The big bushy tail of the white fox swept against the backdrop the dark night sky. From afar, it looked surprisingly like someone dancing with a meter-long white satin ribbon.
"Don't move! You've suffered internal injuries. Let me see if I can cure you…."
While Ling Yun said that, he raised his right hand, which was grabbing on to the white fox's tail and slid his hand towards the base of its tail.
Following that, Ling Yun was shocked stiff!
"A Nine-tailed Celestial Fox?!"
It was impossible for Ling Yun not to be amazed. The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox was the top beast in Cultivation World. A countless number of cultivators had dreamt of meeting one, but alas, it was more difficult than it seemed, let alone catch one.
In actual fact, Ling Yun had not found the white fox's other eight tails. He had only found one other tail that was just beginning to bud. Aside from this little white furry tail that was just starting to grow, there were seven other spots that had little bumps. Seven little bumps, evenly distributed on the end of the white fox's tail.
Even though Ling Yun could only see one big tail and one small tail now, there was no doubt that this was a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox. Ling Yun was absolutely sure of it.
The Nine-tailed Celestial Fox. Once all nine tails grow, it would be comparable to the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise - the Four Symbols of the Chinese Constellations. It could penetrate both the sky and ground, and its illusion techniques were incomparable. Its abilities were even greater than those of those sacred Four Symbols!
It would be stranger if Ling Yun did not feel amazed. He had not felt such astonishment before, not even when he had been on the Tiger Cliff on Dragon Mountain, where he had found out that there were really dragons in this world. Finding dragons was easy, but finding a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox? That was difficult!
As this white fox was still not able to transform into a human, it could not talk yet. However, it was clear that it was already at the same level of intelligence as an adult human.
The white fox's expression turned strange when it felt Ling Yun stroking the base of its tail in all directions thoughtlessly. In its pearl-black eyes, there was a tinge of slightly seductive shyness.
"No wonder you weren't able to move just now! So that was the crucial moment when your second tail was forming..."
Ling Yun did not know to be amused or to be angry. He asked faintly: "Your internal injuries are very serious. Why did you rush to grow your second tail?"
The white fox raised its face and looked up at Ling Yun. Curled up in Ling Yun's arms like an injured kitten, its tail did not sway but was resting against its snow-white body. There was a deep sadness in its eyes.
Needless to say, Ling Yun could understand it. This fox had definitely been bullied in the past. It was trying to raise its level of cultivation as quickly as possible to take its revenge.
"What you meant is that you want me to heal you, am I right?" asked Ling Yun plainly.
The white fox nodded gratefully.
Ling Yun shook his head slowly. "Now isn't the time. I'm at a crucial moment of cultivation as well and my spiritual energy isn't sufficient. If I try to heal you now, I wouldn't only harm you but also harm myself."
Although Ling Yun's Nine Needles of the Spiritual Pivot could heal the white fox's injuries, this was a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox. It couldn't be compared to a normal spiritual beast, much less a normal human. Healing this white fox couldn't be done in a day. Hence, Ling Yun could only decline for now.
If it hadn't been a Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, Ling Yun would have taken his needles out and healed it by now.
When the white fox heard that, its hopeful gaze fell into despair instantly. Its white fox face looked very pitiful.
Ling Yun thought to himself. This fox has a fox's spirit after all. He laughed. "No need to give me that face. I can only keep your injury from getting worse for now. In two days, after I break through the third level of Physique Tempering, I'll heal you."
After saying that, Ling Yun put down the curled up Nine-tailed Celestial Fox and started to absorb the Shichiyou herb's spiritual energy.
He wasn't lying to the white fox. Previously, for more than an hour, Ling Yun had been practicing his Yin-Yang harmony balance and his spiritual energy had all accumulated in his dantian. Now, his spiritual energy had all been used up as if he had just done sprints in the river. Apart from his dantian, his entire body was drained of spiritual energy.
This was the advantage of being able to meditate and it was one of the benefits of achieving level four of Physique Tempering as well. In the future, he wouldn't have to torture himself in order to use up his painstakingly absorbed spiritual energy before starting to absorb more.
When that white fox heard that Ling Yun could help to maintain its injury, it didn't leave. It sat beside Ling Yun and waited for Ling Yun to treat it.
After another two hours, Ling Yun had completely filled his body with spiritual energy and he opened his eyes. He looked down at his white fox and smiled thinly. "Lie down. I'll treat you now."
When the white fox heard that, a glimmer of shyness like that of a young lady flashed across its eyes, revealing its bewitching characteristic.
It laid on the ground obediently, then turned over. It even closed its fox eyes shyly.
Ling Yun knew that this white fox just had to grow its third tail in order to take the form of a human. Hence, he wasn't surprised that it had human-like emotions.
Ling Yun took out his leather pouch and took out nine golden needles speedily.
Then, he held his breath in concentration and started to perform the Nine Needles of the Spiritual Pivot on the white fox.
The white fox's internal injuries were more severe than he had thought. This time, Ling Yun really used his best effort. He even lost count of the number of times he performed the Nine Needles of the Spiritual Pivot and the spiritual energy in his body was all spent. Towards the end, he had to absorb the Shichiyou herb's spiritual energy while simultaneously using it to treat the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox's injuries.
After more than an hour, Ling Yun was so tired that his head was covered in sweat and he finally stopped.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then furrowed his brows. "Whoever injured you has very powerful abilities. You're lucky to have survived."
"Still, the good thing is that your injury has been put under control by me. It won't get any worse for now."
The white fox had golden needles on its body and it couldn't move about yet. It could only nod profusely and gratefully at Ling Yun.
Ling Yun continued absorbing the Shichiyou herb's spiritual energy for another half an hour to gradually recover his energy. Then, he removed the nine golden needles from the white fox's body and said, "Alright. You can go now. When I break past my current level in a few days, I'll heal your injury."
After saying that, Ling Yun put back his needles and kept the pouch. Then, he absorbed more spiritual energy until his body was full before standing up.
After all of this, the time was already around 5 AM. This was the darkest moment before dawn.
Ling Yun turned his head and saw that the white fox hadn't left yet. It still stood quietly next to him, its big snow-white tail dancing about in the air.
Ling Yun smiled. "I have to go, so you should go too! I can't use up the Shichiyou herb's spiritual energy all by myself, so if you're cultivating, feel free to come here."
However, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox shook its head.
Ling Yun tilted his head, then spoke to the white fox in a negotiating tone, "Why don't you follow me for now? After I completely heal your injury, we'll go and look for your enemy and take revenge."
The white fox nodded instantly and let out a pleasant shriek. Its burst into a sprint and went more than ten rounds around Ling Yun at lightning-speed, creating a white trail around Ling Yun.
Very clearly, it was elated.
Ling Yun shook his head helplessly. After waiting for the white fox to stop, he smiled calmly. "Since you'll be following me for now, I have to give you a name. Since you're so white, I'll call you Little White from now on!"
The Nine-tailed Celestial the tilted its head and thought for a long time before finally nodding obediently at Ling Yun.
Ling Yun thought that he would probably disturb Zhuang Meifeng's rest if he were to go home now, so he said to Little White, "Where do you live?"
When Little White heard that, it looked at Ling Yun alertly, which caused Ling Yun to think. I used so much effort to keep your injury under control but you're still so defensive against me.
If I wanted to kill you, I could have killed you a hundred times just now!
However, Little White was a fox. It was naturally suspicious, so Ling Yun didn't really blame it.
Little White only hesitated for a while before going in front of Ling Yun and biting Ling Yun's sleeve. Then, in an instant, it started dashing away at the speed of light.
Ling Yun knew that Little White wanted to bring him to its home.
Ling Yun activated the Thousand Miles Godly Steps and quietly followed behind Little White.
Ling Yun and Little White were moving at an insane speed. They had left the river very soon and were going in the Southwest direction.
Could it be near Qingshui Lake? Ling Yun wondered.
Indeed, in seven or eight minutes, Little White had brought Ling Yun to the ravine between Dragon Mountain and Southern Jade Peak.
Although it was a ravine, it was actually over a hundred meters higher than Qingshui Lake. This place was outside the tourist attraction area and was completely uninhabited. After a while, there were basically no paths left.
Little White led Ling Yun into a dense forest and then stopped in front of a thick old tree.
Ling Yun stopped and went around the old tree leisurely. Then, under the old tree, be saw a thirty-centimeter wide hole.
"So this is where you live…" Ling Yun muttered to himself. Then, he was lost in thought as he gazed at the humongous pit two hundred meters away.
The three hundred meters wide pit, under the darkness, was like a ferocious monster's mouth, swallowing the night sky.
"This is interesting…"
After getting an understanding of the terrain around this ravine, Ling Yun's gaze was filled with thought and glimmered with interest!