Chapter 129: Saving the Demon Fox

Pomegranate walked over and stopped beside the fox spirit, propping her chin up with one hand as she gazed thoughtfully at the creature. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. At that moment, Linzi rose from the ground, hurriedly grasping my hand to thank me. His hands trembled; it turned out that Mutou was Linzi’s cousin. After the apocalypse, their village had been overrun by zombies and monsters, forcing them to take refuge in the World Alliance. During their escape, they were attacked by zombies—Mutou was infected, but instead of devolving into a lowly zombie, he evolved. Since then, they had been living within the World Alliance. I smiled and sent Linzi on his way, advising him not to stick with Mutou anymore—evil-doers rarely find good ends.

I wasn’t sure if Linzi would understand my words, but I hoped he might turn over a new leaf. I walked over to Pomegranate. “Pomegranate, what’s on your mind?”

She stared at the fox spirit for a long while. “I feel like I’ve seen this fox somewhere before…”

“Right! The World Alliance—there’s a fox there that looks just like this one,” Pomegranate suddenly exclaimed, slapping her forehead and pointing at the dying fox on the ground.

I asked, “You’ve been to the World Alliance?”

She nodded. “I only went there because I had to face off against their leader. Those two humans stole my Celestial Silkworm Divine Net while I was occupied.”

“The World Alliance has a leader? What’s his name?” I thought of Chu Jun. He was the strongest in the World Alliance and had personally founded it. The one who could rival Pomegranate was likely him.

Sure enough, as I suspected, Pomegranate said, “Yes, I believe his name is Jun. Do you know him?”

“Only by sight. Do you have any grudge against him?” Suddenly, I recalled what Mutou had said earlier—that the Celestial Silkworm Divine Net had been stolen during a battle between two celestial beings. Could Chu Jun be a celestial as well?

Pomegranate said, “It’s because Chu Jun wants to absorb the power inside me that we fought fiercely. His strength is nearly at two stars now. Strange—a human shouldn’t be this powerful!”

I was shocked to hear that Chu Jun wanted to consume Pomegranate’s abilities. It seemed I hadn’t misjudged him—this man’s ambitions were boundless; he dared to prey on the powers of celestial beings, reckless to the point of self-destruction!

I asked, “Chu Jun’s rapid progress stems from absorbing massive amounts of demon crystals from beasts. Between you two, who is stronger?”

Pomegranate sighed softly. “We’re evenly matched, but his techniques are strange. If he grows any stronger, I won’t be able to stand against him. How can a human possess such extraordinary talent?”

He crossed his arms and stared into the distance, clearly worried he might not be able to rival Chu Jun in the future. Indeed, Chu Jun’s rise had been meteoric—from a one-star strength just days ago to nearly two stars now. At this rate, he might soon dominate the human realm.

The fox spirit on the ground twitched, pulling me back from my thoughts. It looked like it was about to give out. I turned to Pomegranate urgently. “Look at this fox—it’s barely holding on. We can’t let it die; it still has a child. We have to find a way to save it.”

Pomegranate squatted down to examine the fox’s condition. He placed the back of his hand against its carotid artery, then shook his head. “Not even immortals could save this one.”

I panicked. The little fox cub nearby kept rubbing against its mother, clearly still nursing. Without its mother, it would starve. Every living thing matters—a tree, a blade of grass, all life is precious. My master’s words echoed in my mind: “Pomegranate, is there truly no way?”

Pomegranate’s expression turned grave. “Brother Li, you’re being too sentimental. That could cause you trouble later. There is a way—if we can find an Ice Soul Herb, it can save her.”

Ice Soul Herb—again. When I saved Ling’er, I used the Ice Soul Herb. I had gathered fourteen of them from a cave near Black Dragon Pool, still stored safely in my spatial ring, showing no signs of withering. It seemed this fox’s life was not yet meant to end. Today, I would show mercy and save her.

I pulled all fourteen Ice Soul Herbs from my spatial ring. As I rifled through it, I noticed the photo of Liu Tingting and me was missing—the one I treasured most. Ever since I had been with Xu Qinghuan, I hadn’t taken it out, and now she was gone. That photo was my only way to remember her, and I had lost it.

I stopped searching. The fourteen Ice Soul Herbs lay on the ground, emitting a crystalline glow. Pomegranate’s mouth dropped open in surprise, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Where did you find so many of these? They’re incredibly rare.”

“Near the Frozen Gorge,” I replied. “But I heard the Ice Soul Herb must be combined with Fire Dragon Grass to save a life.” Murong Xue had told me that together, these two herbs could revive someone on the brink of death and even boost their cultivation. For cultivators, both were treasures that were rarely found. This fox spirit was lucky to have met me.

“Look at this.” Pomegranate pulled from his sleeve two plants glowing with fiery red hues. They were three to five inches tall, their entire bodies burning like flames. I had never seen such a strange plant before, but it must be the Fire Dragon Grass.

“Fire Dragon Grass?”

Pomegranate smiled and nodded. “I searched for a long time to find these. It’s a shame to use them on this fox.”

“Here’s a deal—I’ll trade you the Ice Soul Herbs for the Fire Dragon Grass.”

Without hesitation, Pomegranate began performing his divine technique. With his palms pressed together, he held the Ice Soul Herbs and Fire Dragon Grass between them, rubbing vigorously with his eyes closed. The motion looked oddly familiar… like a gambler at work.

After a moment, he opened his hands. In his palm lay a gray pill emitting a strange fragrance.

“Give this pill to her. I’m leaving now. Brother Li, take care of yourself. And remember—never show a woman’s mercy!”

With that, Pomegranate vanished in a flash, taking all thirteen Ice Soul Herbs with him.

“Hey…” I protested. Those were all my Ice Soul Herbs! But never mind—saving the fox was more important.

I placed the pill into the fox spirit’s mouth and waited quietly. Throughout, the little fox stayed close, nuzzling its mother. It reminded me of my own family—how warm and precious it is to be together.

After some time, the fox spirit gradually regained consciousness. Immediately upon waking, it knelt before me in a human-like gesture. I assumed it was thanking me for saving its life, and as long as it promised never to kill innocents again, I would consider the matter settled. But unexpectedly, it had a request of its own.