Tenth Grade High-Rank

Meanwhile, hundreds of feet away, a figure silently flitted through the darkness, heading rapidly towards a hidden area in the distance.

—Chu Ning!

At this moment, he was using the movement technique of the Sky-Rending Shadow Flight Technique to traverse the night, evading the sight of all Wang Family patrols.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he felt the surging aura within his body.

His stamina and true qi had been heavily depleted by forcefully using the flying martial art, but fortunately, he had succeeded.

It's just...

His gaze subconsciously fell to his embrace.

The Little White Fox was curled up tightly in his arms, its fur disheveled and its aura weak.

"I need to find a place to rest."

His heart sank, and he no longer hesitated, quickly searching for a hidden spot.

A moment later, he found a natural cave deep within a dense forest.

The cave was secluded, its entrance covered by vines, and the interior was dry and relatively safe.

He walked into the cave, took out the Void Spirit Bell, and gave it a gentle shake.

A strange fluctuation spread from the bell, covering the entire cave and completely masking his presence.

"This way, even if the Wang Family searches the entire cliff bottom, they won't find me."

He breathed a sigh of relief and gently placed the Little White Fox on the ground.

Faint moonlight filtered into the cave, and the Little White Fox lay still on the ground, unmoving.

"Stupid thing," a broken laugh rumbled in his throat, and a drop of blood seeped from between his teeth, landing on the Little White Fox's increasingly cold nose. "Who gave you permission to take a knife for me?"

Chu Ning squatted down and gently brushed aside the Little White Fox's fur.

His fingertips touched something cold. The Little White Fox's breathing was as faint as a thread. Its once fluffy, snow-like fur was now matted together, with black and red scabs seeping through.

Chu Ning gently placed his hand on the Little White Fox's chest, feeling its weak heartbeat.

His heart trembled slightly.

This little creature had saved his life at a critical moment.

Without it, he might have already died at Eagle Beak Cliff.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he tremblingly took out a treasured jade box he kept close.

The moment the lid was lifted, a golden light burst forth, illuminating the cave walls as if they were submerged in a furnace.

The Nine Revolutions Profound Sun Fruit pulsed warmly in his palm, as if he were holding a miniature sun.

The Nine Revolutions Profound Sun Fruit, containing pure yang energy, was a rare heavenly treasure.

Originally, he had saved it for his own breakthrough.

But now...

He glanced at the Little White Fox, his eyes firm.

"Forget it."

He gritted his teeth and brought the Mysterious Sun Fruit to the Little White Fox's mouth.

"Eat it!" He pressed the fruit against the Little White Fox's cracked lips, gently pried open its mouth, and stuffed the fruit inside. "You stubborn little thing, live for me!"

The moment the flesh touched its tongue, a drastic change occurred.

In an instant, the Little White Fox's body trembled violently.

The residual demonic energy within it seemed to ignite, and streaks of golden light spread along its fur.

The entire cave was instantly filled with a powerful spiritual energy.

"Buzz—"

An invisible wave spread out, and the Little White Fox's body actually began to float slowly.

The Little White Fox's back arched like a full moon, and nine phantom images shot out from its tailbone, casting the image of a giant fox onto the cave ceiling.

Mysterious cyan runes extended from the Golden Cudgel Spell markings. Where they passed, scorched skin peeled away, and newly grown fur emitted a cold light like moonlight.

Chu Ning was pushed back three steps by the surge of energy, staring blankly at the small beast floating in mid-air. A crystal-like vertical pupil had appeared between its eyebrows, and as its gaze shifted, loose stones in the cave rose without wind, coalescing into star formations in the air.

Chu Ning's gaze sharpened slightly.

Is this... a precursor to a breakthrough?

"This Mysterious Sun Fruit... can actually help a demonic beast break through its realm?"

He took two steps back, staring intently at the scene before him.

The Little White Fox's body was enveloped by the power of the Mysterious Sun Fruit, and a faint golden halo appeared around it.

Its original injuries healed at a visible speed, broken bones reconnected, and scorched fur shed, revealing snow-white, jade-like fur.

"Awooo..."

The Little White Fox suddenly let out a soft whimper, and its tightly shut eyes slowly opened.

Within its pupils, as brilliant as sapphires, faint golden flames were burning!

Chu Ning's eyes widened slightly.

"Its pupil technique... is also evolving?"

Just then, the golden halo suddenly pulsed, transforming into a beam of light that shot straight towards the cave ceiling!

Fierce demonic energy swept through the surroundings, causing the rocks in the cave to tremble.

Chu Ning was startled and quickly activated the Void Spirit Bell, preventing this power from leaking out.

At that moment, the Little White Fox suddenly flipped over and lunged at Chu Ning, its sharp teeth biting down hard on the back of his hand.

"Hiss—!"

Chu Ning frowned. Just as he was about to break free, he felt a sudden jolt.

"Boom!"

A surge of wild, scorching energy instantly flowed into his body from the wound.

His meridians felt as if they were being burned by fierce flames, his blood boiled, and his internal organs resonated.

His meridians felt as if they were being scorched by fierce flames, every inch of his flesh seemingly being refined, impurities incinerated in the roaring inferno.

"This... is the medicinal power of the Mysterious Sun Fruit?"

The next moment, his true qi surged and churned within him, washing over his meridians like a raging tide.

"Is this... I'm about to break through?"

Chu Ning sat down cross-legged, frantically circulating the Primordial Qi Cultivation Method. All his pores opened, greedily absorbing this pure yang spiritual energy.

Chu Ning suddenly raised his head, feeling an unprecedented surge of power throughout his body. The qi and blood within him flowed like a rushing river, pouring into his limbs and bones.

Tenth-grade mid-tier, breakthrough!

Chu Ning's muscles trembled faintly, and his bones crackled like steel being forged.

Golden radiance flickered across his skin, and a power he had never felt before surged within him.

He suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of lightning streaking through them.

Tenth-grade upper-tier!

"Could it be that Li Jing'an's breakthrough was also due to the residual medicinal power of the Mysterious Sun Fruit in this little one's mouth?"

Chu Ning looked at the Little White Fox with a wry smile. The Little White Fox, however, proudly raised its head, flicking its tail lightly, as if to say, "Don't thank me, thank your luck."

Chu Ning took a deep breath and clenched his fist.

He was stronger now than before!

After a long while, the light gradually receded.

The Little White Fox slowly landed and stood before Chu Ning.

It shook its head slightly, its white fur now even more lustrous. The golden flames in its pupils gradually subsided, but the hidden power within them made even Chu Ning feel a sense of dread.

The Little White Fox blinked, looked at Chu Ning, and suddenly let out a low cry.

Chu Ning's heart relaxed, and a smile appeared on his face.

"You're finally awake."

The Little White Fox tilted its head, then suddenly leaped onto Chu Ning's shoulder.

Then, it gently nuzzled Chu Ning's face with its head.

Chu Ning froze, then chuckled, "Alright, alright, I know you're awake, stop being clingy."

He reached out and stroked the Little White Fox's head.

The Little White Fox narrowed its eyes, looking extremely pleased.

"However... you seem to have gotten a lot stronger now?"

Chu Ning examined the Little White Fox closely, sensing that its aura was stronger than before, even more pure than that of ordinary demonic beasts.

The Little White Fox blinked, not responding, merely licking its paw mysteriously.

Chu Ning's lips curved slightly.

"It seems this Mysterious Sun Fruit was quite a windfall for you."

Inside the cave, the spiritual energy slowly dissipated.

But Chu Ning's gaze gradually turned cold.

"Wang Family... you thought I was dead?"

The Void Spirit Bell in his palm let out a clear, resonant hum as Chu Ning slowly walked out of the cave.

The morning mist parted before him, revealing piles of white bones at the bottom of the cliff.

The gold-inlaid carriage that had fallen last night was now in pieces, with several fresh corpses still maintaining a posture of climbing upwards.

His toes lightly touched the ground, and the airflow bloomed into lotus-shaped ripples beneath his boots.

As he ascended into the air, he saw Wang Zheng on the cliff top holding a torch and roaring, "Alive, I want to see the person; dead, I want to see the corpse! Give me the grappling hooks—"

The rusty saber choked as it was drawn from its sheath.

Wang Zheng's roar abruptly ceased.

He blankly looked down, seeing half a blade protruding from his chest. What danced on the blade wasn't lightning, but killing intent solidified into substance.

"I heard," Chu Ning whispered by his ear, his afterimage yet to dissipate, "you were looking for a corpse?"

Chu Ning's figure split into seven afterimages within Wang Zheng's pupils, the blade, wreathed in lightning and fire, piercing his torso from all directions.

Amidst Wang Zheng's wails, the bronze nails shattered inch by inch, and the nine living corpses in the blood pool at the cliff's bottom simultaneously exploded into dust.

"Tell Wang Lin—" Chu Ning crushed the last piece of skull, his fury burning in his eyes, "I will personally take his life!"

Twenty feet away, the Wang Family martial artists watched in terror as Wang Zheng turned into a rain of blood.

And that ghostly figure had long since vanished into the horizon, leaving only a snowy fox silhouette streaking across the crescent moon, scattering a clear, resonant howl.