C33 Flee

Chen Wu hadn't expected to find a recently birthed female fox in the cave. Despite her apparent weakness, he had no doubts that she could snap off his head with a single bite!

"I've miscalculated, miscalculated!"

Before Chen Wu could ponder his next move, the female fox ferociously swiped its claws against the energy cage surrounding him, shaking the cage violently and nearly causing it to collapse!

The Prison of Land Light was a formidable Middle-grade Secret Art, but the Spiritual Energy required to sustain it was immensely draining!

Even with Chen Wu's ever-growing Spiritual Energy, he could only maintain it for a minute at most. Each attack from the female fox accelerated the depletion of his energy. He had to find a way out within that minute, or else he would be done for!

Blood Rain, aware of its master's predicament, dared not fly too close. Its task was even more daunting, for if the three female foxes returned, Chen Wu would be utterly doomed!

At that moment, the female fox began to relentlessly slam into the cage, its drooling maw and teeth sending shivers down Chen Wu's spine for the first time.

Chen Wu wasn't without a plan, however. As the female fox charged once more, he abruptly dropped the barrier of The Prison of Land Light and scattered a generous handful of powder!

The female fox recoiled in rage, its eyes clogged with dust, whimpering in pain as its steps grew increasingly unsteady.

Chen Wu rolled aside, narrowly avoiding a blind swipe from the fox, and bolted towards the den!

Luckily, Chen Wu had come prepared. He covered his nose to avoid inhaling the powder, which contained not only the intensely irritating chili powder but also a small vial of paralyzing and hallucinogenic powder he had scraped from the corpse of an Illusory Flower-demon.

While it was unlikely to put a Grade 4 firefox to sleep, it was effective enough to temporarily rob it of its ability to attack and see!

"This is my chance!"

Chen Wu sprinted towards the straw nest, his eyes gleaming as he focused on the bewildered firefox cubs. With the system's help, he quickly discerned which cubs had the most promising talents.

[Creature]: Firefox

[Attributes]: Beast, Fire (Innate Evil-fire)

[Type]: Evolvable

[Skills]: Bite, Iron Claw

[Potential]: Silver Level

[Bloodline]: Nine-tailed Fox (Diluted)

[Level]: Unknown

[Status]: Healthy

Chen Wu instantly spotted the pick of the litter. Among the five cubs, only one had perfectly inherited its father's genes and possessed the Nine-tailed Fox Bloodline. The others didn't even come close, indicating their Nine-tailed Fox Bloodline was so diluted it was almost negligible.

The Nine-tailed Fox... This creature is renowned in the world of Ten Thousand Demons for its notoriety!

Ranked at the top of the Variant Beast Ranking, every Variant Beast boasts the pinnacle of strength in the world, each one an Emperor Of Demon ruling over Myriad Demons!

While Everyman might only hear of such ancient Mutated Beast Bloodline in legends, Chen Wu, a descendant of the firefox with the Mutated Beast Bloodline, naturally took precedence in choosing. Moreover, the little fox's unique attributes piqued Chen Wu's curiosity.

"What's 'Innate Evil-fire'? Does this little fox have a fever or something?"

No big deal if it's overheated. A dose of cooling medicine should do the trick!

These thoughts were fleeting as Chen Wu scooped up the cub, whose small eyes were fixed intently on him, and nestled it in his arms.

Suddenly, the hair on his back stood on end, prompting Chen Wu to roll away swiftly. The mother firefox's razor-sharp claws sliced through the air, and in her fury, she let out a piercing Fox Call, gouging a massive claw mark into the deepest rock.

Perhaps cautious of the cub's scent, and despite knowing the despicable intruder coveted her child, she refrained from unleashing her fiery attack, affording Chen Wu a precious moment to catch his breath and make a mad dash for the cave's entrance.

The mother fox, though dazed, was driven by a deep-seated rage to staggeringly pursue, leaping five or six meters at a time, forcing Chen Wu into a serpentine escape pattern!

Just as he emerged from the cave, the Blood Rain dove down from a distance. Master and servant, connected in thought, recognized this as the prime moment to flee!

"Chirp!"

Blood Rain emitted a piercing screech and dove down determinedly. Despite the three mother foxes realizing that their den had been infiltrated and attempting to angrily intercept Blood Rain's descent, spewing out flames in the process, Blood Rain did not halt its rapid plunge. It knew that if it couldn't rescue its master in time, its master would surely perish!

In an instant, Blood Rain reached a low altitude, just three meters below the cave entrance. Chen Wu, adept at escaping, didn't hesitate for a second and leaped out, his hand firmly grasped by Blood Rain's Iron Claw.

With a powerful flap of its wings, Blood Rain created a gust that propelled them skyward!

The very next second, two interlacing flames streaked just beneath Chen Wu's feet, setting his shoes ablaze!

Chen Wu was drenched in sweat, his heart pounding as if it would burst from his chest. He had narrowly escaped death!

The four female foxes, upon realizing that their leader's cub was in the hands of this thief, let out cries of shock and fury, especially the most frail among them, whose wails were the most heart-wrenching.

They were signaling the danger and relaying the message to the Three-tailed Fox Chief, calling for the male foxes to return posthaste.

Alas, it was all too late. By the time the Three-tailed Fox Chief could arrive, Chen Wu had already been whisked away by Blood Rain, flying out of the valley and landing on a distant hillside.

Given Blood Rain's current strength and size, carrying Chen Wu, a full-grown man, had been an exhausting feat. Chen Wu, feeling a pang of sympathy, gently stroked its head and offered it a Demonic Core before returning it to the Beast Pet space.

The reason he didn't flee the area directly, choosing instead to land on a hill outside the valley, was due to Blood Rain's depleted energy. The struggle with the three Grade 4 fire foxes and the harrowing evasion had sapped all of Blood Rain's spiritual energy. It had reached its limit by saving Chen Wu from the fox den.

Moreover, on the journey back, they would still face numerous Demonic Beasts. If Chen Wu couldn't maintain Blood Rain in a state of readiness, he would be facing grave danger.

Furthermore, the Fox Clan's sense of smell is incredibly keen. Chen Wu, carrying the scent of the Little Flame Firefox, wasn't certain whether the frenzied Fire Fox Clan might track him down and tear him to shreds. While uncertain, one thing was clear: the Three-tailed Fox would never forgive the thief who stole its cub.

After careful consideration, Chen Wu allowed Blood Rain to rest before he busied himself with opening the market.

Chen Wu was not one to take risks without certainty. He had anticipated this and had prepared by collecting an abundance of Hundred Flower Pollen, which he ground into perfume. Discarding his old clothes, he donned a fresh set and liberally applied the perfume. He then dug a pit on the hillside to catch some sleep until dusk. Even if the Nine-tailed Fox went mad searching for him all day, it would eventually have to give up and return to its clan. They had their own survival to consider, and the Little Flame Firefox needed care.

Once Blood Rain was awake, Chen Wu set out for home. Along the way, he showed no mercy to the Demonic Beasts he encountered, slaying them all. He collected their Demonic Cores and racked up Exchange Points.

"Ding! By killing a Bronze Grade 3 Demonic Beast, you have earned 3 Exchange Points!"

"Ding! By killing a Bronze Grade 2 Demonic Beast, you have earned 2 Exchange Points!"

...