Chapter 8: Gong Lianyue’s Escape Route
“Look at her ugly ass! She should go home and look in the mirror!”
“Hahaha, does she really think she’s one of us?”
“A toad lusting after a swan!!”
The chattering mockery of the Snow Fox girls echoed through the cave like a demonic chant, causing the little fox to hang its head, its face flushed crimson as it covered its face in shame.
Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river. Don’t bully the young and poor. The classic saying popped into Gong Lianyue’s mind. She hadn’t expected such a classic trope to appear in the story of a fox.
Of course, the little fox’s pitiful and aggrieved appearance was also quite endearing. She couldn’t bring herself to laugh at it.
“So, Saintess, do you have any other business here?”
“If you wish to form a contract with a Snow Fox—normally it’s not allowed, but considering your status as Saintess, we can make an exception and offer you the most outstanding female of this generation.”
“Eh…?” Gong Lianyue was slightly taken aback.
Although the little fox’s courtship had ended in tragedy, she hadn’t expected to achieve her original goal so easily.
The proud and beautiful Snow Foxes were offering themselves up just like that?
And the most outstanding one at that, meaning she had the potential to evolve into a high-rank spirit beast?
Could she actually possess a high-rank spirit beast?
“I… I don’t have such intentions.” Looking at the dejected little fox, Gong Lianyue hesitated for a moment before declining, her expression remaining cold and indifferent.
She just felt that if she agreed here, the little fox would be even more heartbroken. Moreover, the haughty behavior of those Snow Fox bitches also irritated her.
Although she felt a twinge of regret, she didn’t change her mind.
“Oh, then please return.” The three-tailed Snow Fox drooped its tail listlessly and walked back to a nearby ice cave.
With the passing of the first Palace Master of the Sea Concubine Palace, the Snow Foxes’ status on the Ice Plains had gradually declined, far from their former glory. Relying solely on past bonds and relationships wouldn’t last much longer.
It was rumored that the current Saintess was extremely powerful. That was why the Snow Fox had lowered itself to offer a contract, hoping to restore its former glory. It hadn’t expected to be rejected. The Snow Foxes’ pride had suffered a heavy blow.
Following the three-tailed Snow Fox’s departure, the other Snow Fox maidens, after pointing and gossiping about the little fox for a bit, also returned to their nests, leaving Gong Lianyue and the little fox alone in the vast ice cave.
“Chirp…” Gently held in Gong Lianyue’s arms, the little fox drooped its ears and tail listlessly. However, as it glanced furtively at the blue-haired girl, a hint of gratitude and glistening tears appeared in its heart-shaped eyes.
Carrying the little fox out of the Snow Fox nest, Gong Lianyue was curious about the Snow Foxes’ attitude towards it. What kind of fox was it that could elicit such disdain and mockery from the Snow Foxes? Was it truly, as she had initially described, a poor, lowly, smelly fox…?
“I’m going back now. You should also give up on your dreams and return to where you belong.” After walking for a while, Gong Lianyue gently placed the little fox on the snow and patted its head. Since she had even given up on the Snow Foxes’ offer, she naturally wouldn’t consider the small amount of money she could get from selling the little fox.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!” The little fox nodded obediently, preparing to return the way it had come. However, as it looked towards the distant Ice Plains, its heart-shaped pupils suddenly constricted.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp!” The little fox ran back, biting and tugging at the blue-haired girl’s skirt, pointing anxiously towards the distance.
Gong Lianyue looked over, puzzled. Several hundred meters away, the icy ground was cracking and shattering, snow flying and scattering as if some giant creature was speeding beneath the surface, heading straight towards them.
Such a powerful aura! She could feel the ground tremble even from several hundred meters away. But the spirit beasts in this area of the Ice Plains wouldn’t attack humans. Their ancestors had all signed contracts with the higher-ups of the Sea Concubine Palace. It should just be passing through…
Gong Lianyue, carrying the clueless little fox, retreated a few steps, deliberately avoiding the unknown beast’s path.
However, just as the cracks reached the blue-haired girl’s vicinity, they abruptly stopped.
Staring at the fractured ground beneath her feet, Gong Lianyue’s ice-blue, teardrop eyes widened.
Boom!
The next second, a deafening roar erupted, and the snow exploded.
A violent, dark figure burst from the ground, swallowing the spot where the girl had been standing. Its terrifying fangs bit into the hard ground as if it were tofu, ice and gravel shattering instantly.
Gong Lianyue, holding the little fox, rolled across the ice several times. At the very last moment, she was blasted away by the Water Element’s water cannon, her entire body soaked, looking utterly disheveled.
The Water Element, standing its ground, was left with only half its body. Fortunately, the core in its chest was undamaged, and the missing water was slowly replenishing.
Gong Lianyue looked up, shaken and incredulous.
“Ooo!!!”
A massive, pitch-black beast leaped dozens of meters into the air, its smooth whale fins flapping as it circled before slowly descending, preparing to bite down towards the Water Element again.
“A mid-rank Black Mud Whale!!!”
Gong Lianyue’s expression turned grave. Judging by its size of more than ten meters, this Black Mud Whale should have reached Level 2, far stronger than her Level 1 Water Element. Even ten Water Elements combined wouldn’t be a match for it.
But Black Mud Whales weren’t native to the Ice Plains. This shouldn’t be a wild spirit beast, but someone’s companion…
She looked in the direction the Black Mud Whale had come from and spotted a cloaked figure approaching in the distance. So it was a targeted attack?
Boom!
Just as the Black Mud Whale descended to swallow the Water Element whole, the Water Element disintegrated on its own, spraying its core more than ten meters away, landing near the blue-haired girl.
Then, a few swirling streams of water enveloped Gong Lianyue and began to flee, the practiced movements so smooth that the Black Mud Whale didn’t even have time to react.
Spirit beasts couldn’t stray too far from their masters. As long as she escaped a certain distance from that cloaked person, she would be safe. This was her escape route!
Despite facing such a terrifying attack, Gong Lianyue wasn’t particularly panicked, but rather incredibly calm. Perhaps it was all the years of being praised and touted that had made her believe her own hype.
Jolted by the rushing water, the little fox, pressed against Gong Lianyue’s flat chest, felt its gums almost bleed from the pressure.
As she expected, the Black Mud Whale only chased underground for a few seconds before stopping and turning back towards the cloaked figure.
“Strange, why is she running?” A puzzled female voice came from beneath the black cloak.
“If it really were that legendary Variant Water Emperor, even at Level 1, the Black Mud Whale would be too terrified to move.”
“Could it be she’s trying to lure me to a deserted place to kill me? To hide her true strength?”
The cloaked figure glanced at the nearby Snow Fox nest, a thoughtful expression on her face.
No matter what, attacking the Saintess was a one-way ticket to death. She had already prepared herself for this.
“Chase her.”
“Ooo!” The Black Mud Whale opened its massive jaws, swallowed the cloaked woman whole, and then dived into the ground, rapidly pursuing the blue-haired girl.
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