The silence upon the mountain lingered.
Gu Ruan's gaze never left the tiny Nascent Soul hovering before him.
His brows gradually furrowed.
"...What..."
"...Could possibly reduce a Nascent Soul cultivator..."
"...To such a state?"
His voice remained calm.
Yet there was unmistakable gravity beneath it.
"You're only at the early stage of the Nascent Soul Realm."
"...Even so..."
"...Against an ordinary Mid Nascent Soul cultivator..."
"...You should still have been capable of holding your own."
A brief pause.
"...At the very least..."
"...Escaping shouldn't have been difficult."
His eyes narrowed.
"...Unless..."
Before he could finish—
Zuo Qia quietly spoke.
"...It was..."
"...The demon beast."
Gu Ruan blinked.
"...What?"
"The one..."
"...I went after."
For a moment—
the mountain fell completely silent.
Then—
Gu Ruan slowly frowned.
"...That demon beast?"
He searched his memory.
"...If I remember correctly..."
"...It was only a Mid Golden Core spirit beast."
His expression grew increasingly puzzled.
"...How could such a beast..."
"...Reduce you to this state?"
His thoughts raced.
"...Did it conceal its cultivation?"
"...A Nascent Soul beast disguising itself..."
He slowly nodded to himself.
"...That's the only reasonable explanation."
The tiny Nascent Soul remained silent for several breaths.
Then—
Zuo Qia slowly shook her head.
"...No."
Gu Ruan's expression froze.
"...No?"
"...Its cultivation..."
"...Was exactly as reported."
"...Mid Golden Core."
Silence.
The surrounding forest seemed to lose all sound.
Gu Ruan stared at her.
His eyes searched her face—
looking for even the slightest sign that she was joking.
There was none.
"...Impossible."
His voice had become noticeably heavier.
"...A Mid Golden Core spirit beast..."
"...Cannot defeat a Nascent Soul cultivator."
"...Even if it possessed an extraordinary bloodline..."
"...That kind of gap..."
"...Cannot simply be crossed."
Zuo Qia slowly closed her eyes.
"...I know."
"...Because I believed the same thing."
She opened them once more.
Within those eyes—
the lingering shock remained.
"...I'll explain everything..."
"...Exactly as it happened."
A brief silence followed.
"...But first..."
She looked down at her increasingly translucent body.
Tiny fragments of spiritual light had already begun drifting away from her.
"...I need a vessel..."
"...Before my soul..."
"...Completely dissipates."
Gu Ruan immediately understood the severity of her condition.
His expression became solemn.
Without another word—
he turned toward the bamboo courtyard.
"...Come."
"...I'll stabilize your soul first."
"...Everything else..."
"...Can wait."
The tiny Nascent Soul silently followed him.
Drifting through the quiet mountain.
Behind them—
the ancient forest returned to silence.
Only the faint rustling of bamboo echoed beneath the setting sky.
---
Several hours after the battle—
High above the endless sea of clouds—
an invisible figure silently crossed the heavens.
No aura escaped.
No shadow appeared beneath the drifting clouds.
A pair of golden eyes remained fixed upon a single direction.
Unwavering.
Hours quietly passed.
Mountain ranges drifted beneath him.
Forests.
Rivers.
Until—
a familiar valley finally came into view.
The invisible figure descended.
Whoosh—
Without the slightest hesitation—
the small white-scaled lizard plunged directly into the earth.
There was no impact.
No resistance.
The soil parted around him as though it had become water.
Stone.
Roots.
Ancient bedrock.
Everything yielded before him.
He traveled swiftly through the underground darkness.
Soon—
a familiar cavern appeared ahead.
The vast underground chamber remained exactly as he had left it.
At its center—
the Crimson Vein Blood Tree stood in absolute silence.
Its crimson veins pulsed faintly beneath its bark.
The entire cavern was illuminated by its blood-red glow.
Off to one side—
the fox remained curled into a small ball.
Countless spirit stones surrounded her.
The pile had grown noticeably smaller.
Yet hundreds still remained.
Dense spiritual qi continuously flowed from the stones into her body.
Her cultivation had never stopped.
Lizarius' golden eyes quietly swept across the cavern.
Everything remained peaceful.
Nothing appeared disturbed.
He slowly drifted toward the Blood Tree.
His tail flicked once.
Space rippled.
One after another—
the corpses of powerful spirit beasts fell onto the cavern floor.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Massive wolves.
Gigantic serpents.
Mountain bears.
Spirit birds.
The corpses rapidly formed a small hill before the ancient tree.
For only a brief moment—
nothing happened.
Then—
the Crimson Vein Blood Tree awakened.
Its roots burst from the ground.
Shrrk!
Like countless crimson spears—
they pierced through every corpse simultaneously.
Blood.
Essence.
Spiritual energy.
Every trace of nourishment was extracted.
The shriveled bodies visibly collapsed.
Their flesh withered.
Bones cracked.
Within moments—
nothing remained except dried husks.
The crimson veins running throughout the tree glowed noticeably brighter.
Lizarius quietly watched.
Only after confirming everything had been absorbed—
did he turn away.
He descended toward a familiar corner of the cavern.
His claws gently touched the stone floor.
Silence.
Then—
a soft voice suddenly echoed directly within his mind.
"...You certainly took your time."
The voice carried unmistakable relief.
"...For a while..."
"...I thought you weren't coming back."
A brief pause.
"...I even wondered..."
"...If you'd abandoned me."
Another moment of silence followed before the voice grew quieter.
"...I don't know..."
"...What I would've done..."
"...If you really had."
Lizarius slowly turned his head.
The little fox remained curled into a ball.
Her eyes were still closed.
She hadn't moved in the slightest.
Dense spiritual qi continued flowing around her as she cultivated.
Yet—
the voice transmission had unmistakably come from her.
His golden eyes rested silently upon the little fox.
She still appeared completely immersed in cultivation.
As though she hadn't spoken at all.
The small white-scaled lizard slowly became visible.
The concealment surrounding his body quietly faded away.
Across the cavern—
the little fox remained curled among the pile of spirit stones.
Her eyes never opened.
She continued cultivating.
Only her voice echoed directly within his mind.
"...Alright..."
"...Little White."
"...Here's the situation."
A brief silence followed.
"...I've already reached..."
"...The late stage of Foundation Establishment."
"...Only one step..."
"...Remains before reaching the peak."
"...I've deliberately stopped cultivating."
Lizarius silently listened.
"...I could've continued..."
"...Broken through..."
"...Then immediately suppressed my cultivation..."
"...To delay the Heavenly Tribulation."
"...But..."
Her voice became noticeably more serious.
"...The moment I begin breaking through..."
"...The tribulation clouds will gather."
"...Any cultivator..."
"...Would recognize those clouds with a single glance."
"...Once that happens..."
"...They'll begin searching."
"...And it'll only be a matter of time..."
"...Before they find me."
The cavern fell silent.
"...I don't want to gamble on that."
"...So I stopped..."
"...One step before the peak."
"...I've been waiting..."
"...For you to come back."
A brief pause.
"...When I begin my breakthrough..."
"...I need you here."
"...Protect me."
"...Stop anyone..."
"...Who tries to interfere."
Silence answered her.
The fox's ears twitched slightly.
"...Hey."
"...Do you understand?"
"...This is serious."
The small white-scaled lizard finally spoke.
"...I do."
The fox visibly relaxed.
"...Good."
"...At my current pace..."
"...It should happen within a month."
"...Maybe even sooner."
"...So..."
"...Stay here."
"...Don't leave."
Another pause.
"...And don't fall asleep either."
No reply came.
The fox pouted slightly, despite keeping her eyes closed.
"...You'd better stay awake."
"...I'm trusting you."
Her voice gradually faded.
Once again—
only the gentle flow of spiritual qi remained within the cavern.
The fox continued cultivating.
As though she had never spoken.
Lizarius quietly watched her.
His golden eyes remained unreadable.
The cavern returned to silence.