I Will Be Back

After activating Blood Frenzy, Grantis's overall strength at Bronze Rank 5 should have approached the high Bronze tier.

The hyena bared a contemptuous, vicious grin. It withstood the blood arrows head-on, opening its gaping maw to swallow Grantis whole.

The sharp blood arrows could barely pierce the hyena's fur. This fierce beast's hide was exceptionally thick.

Its enormous teeth gleamed with an icy light. Grantis looked on coldly and let out a soft, sinister chuckle.

Blood Manipulation!

The blood swirling around her surged, transforming into a pair of wings that abruptly halted Grantis in midair.

Blood arrows shot forth, tearing through the flesh inside the hyena's mouth. Then Grantis thrust in a blood spear and viciously twisted it.

Roar! Roar! The hyena let out a heart-wrenching scream, blood spraying wildly from its mouth. Its gaping jaws suddenly snapped shut, crushing the blood spear to pieces.

Wind Blades!

Cold light flashed in every direction, intent on shredding Grantis alive. Terrifying sharpness enveloped her in an instant.

At that moment, Grantis seized the blood spilled by the hyena. The blood formed a spherical shield around her, protecting her from all sides.

Drawn from the hyena's mouth, this blood was of exceptionally high quality. It forcefully blocked the attack, leaving Grantis completely unharmed.

She drove the blood sphere forward, breaking through the encirclement of wind blades.

The mother fox let out a shrill cry. Now that the wind blades restraining the hyena had been dealt with, she fired a barrage of fur needles that flooded toward it.

The fur needles poured down amid icy rain. The hyena cried out as tiny wounds appeared across its body. The icy rain seeped into them, slowing its movements.

[Holy Light]

Holy light shone down as Su Li activated the card once more, restoring the mother fox's injuries.

The hyena roared. In its blood-red pupils was reflected Grantis's blood sphere, which had already escaped the wind blades' encirclement.

An icy silver gleam rose from its claws as they tore through the air, seeking to kill Grantis first.

Its claws ripped apart the blood sphere, and a severed arm flew into the air. Grantis's blood sphere exploded, and the white-haired girl retreated rapidly, her face turning even paler.

She opened her mouth and swallowed the remaining blood, activating Blood Conversion. A new arm grew out.

Now!

Su Li murmured inwardly. Victory was already assured.

When it had knocked Grantis back, the hyena had briefly caught its breath—but that was also the moment it came closest to death.

Atop an ancient tree, a graceful figure suddenly vanished.

Shadow Leap!

Su Miaohan shot up from beneath the hyena's shadow!

Shadow Assassination!

Dark energy erupted. The dagger in her hand transformed into a venomous snake, its cold gaze fixed ahead as it flicked its tongue.

The sharp Viper's Kiss instantly pierced the spotted hyena's thick hide. Su Miaohan slid beneath it, slicing open its belly.

The hyena screamed as the mother fox's fur needles rained down like a storm, piercing it until it resembled a hedgehog.

It still had the strength to attempt a desperate counterattack, but the paralysis toxin and deadly poison on the dagger, mixed with dark energy, invaded its vitality through its blood.

Thud!

The vicious high-Bronze beast collapsed, meeting a miserable end.

Su Li's face was pale, and his spiritual jade had dimmed. This battle had nearly exhausted his mental power.

He had used too many cards.

After Su Miaohan advanced to Bronze Rank 8, even though her compatibility with him was extremely high, the mental power she consumed was still far greater than Grantis's.

Especially for that final Shadow Leap, which had nearly drained all of Su Li's remaining mental power at once.

He drew out a card.

[Mental Recovery]

The card took effect immediately. His mental power instantly recovered by a quarter, and color returned to Su Li's face.

This card was restricted by time and could only be used once a day.

He took a deep breath and recalled all his cards, but kept Grantis standing at his side in case of any sudden danger.

The mother fox looked at him gently and slowly walked over.

Her entire body was covered in wounds, blood having flowed over nearly every inch of her.

Pfft!

Suddenly, one of her wounds split open, and thick black blood flowed out from it.

"Is that... poison?" Su Li's pupils contracted. The mother fox's aura rapidly weakened, and she was on the verge of death!

He drew the card [Holy Light].

The mother fox made a sound and shook her head at him. Holy Light could not take effect. This was the Mantis Tyrant's deadly poison; she had endured it for so long that there was no saving her now.

Su Li fell silent, his nose stinging. The fox mother was about to die, and the poor little white fox would lose both its parents from this day onward.

The little white fox had fallen asleep, its snow-white fur dancing in the wind as a faint layer of white light covered its body.

The fox mother slowly came to the little white fox's side. She looked at Su Li with pleading eyes.

Su Li understood what she meant. The fox mother was entrusting the little white fox to him, hoping he would help it.

He nodded and let out a soft sigh, sitting beside the little white fox as he watched the fox mother's life ebb away.

The fox mother looked at the little white fox tenderly in gratitude, and then died.

Time flew by, and evening arrived.

At dusk, White Fox slowly awakened.

Su Li was the knot in its heart. His reappearance allowed it to temporarily break free from the hatred of losing its father. Because of this, it underwent a transformation and unlocked the fox clan's genetic lock.

Silvery-white radiance shimmered around it. The little fox looked as though it had stepped out of a painting, flawlessly white.

It opened its eyes, and tears immediately rolled down as it sensed the fox mother's life force fading away.

"Whimper..." The little fox sobbed as it went to the fox mother's side and gently licked its mother's fur.

Su Li merely watched in silence.

Several hours later, White Fox walked up to Su Li.

"H-hello..." A little girl's voice appeared in Su Li's mind.

Su Li jumped in fright. He looked around, but there was only the desolation left after the battle. There was no one in sight.

"It's me." White Fox nudged Su Li's leg with its head.

Su Li was astonished. Telepathy? Even the fox mother had not possessed such a skill.

His spiritual power spread out, and he discovered that the little white fox's life force had already approached that of the injured fox mother. How many ranks had it skipped at once?

"My genetic lock has partially opened, so I can use telepathy," the little white fox explained.

Su Li stroked its head and said softly, "Let's bury your mother first."

"Mhm..." The little white fox's emotions fluctuated, and the voice in his mind was filled with sorrow.

Grantis acted, manipulating blood and turning it into a massive shovel that dug out a pit.

White light suddenly burst from the little white fox's body. Its size actually began increasing at a visible rate, and in the blink of an eye, it had grown to six meters tall.

"Is this also a new skill gained after unlocking the genetic lock?" Su Li was shocked.

After one final kiss, the little white fox buried the fox mother with its own paws.

"I want to become stronger!" The little white fox let out a long howl through the forest.

"Let's go. You're still far from being strong enough to kill it," Su Li said.

The little white fox trembled as white light surged around it. Its body began to shrink, eventually returning to the little fox form Su Li had first seen. It leaped into Su Li's arms.

"My name is Su Li." Su Li stroked its fluffy head.

"I don't have a name." The little white fox looked downcast. Within the fox clan, one could only receive a name after unlocking the genetic lock and gaining telepathy.

But its parents had already passed away.

"Then I'll call you Xiaobai." Su Li struggled to come up with a name.

"Alright. From now on, I'll be called Su Xiaobai!" the little fox said.

Two days later, Su Li brought the little fox to a mountain stream.

"You're leaving me again, aren't you?"

"Become stronger, Su Xiaobai. When you need me, I'll come back."