Source Return

"Jiujiu, you have to be all right. Just hold on a little longer. Your big brother will get you out soon—"

The figure murmured those words, determination shining in his platinum eyes, identical to Sen Lijiu's.

With a whoosh, several streaks of light flashed beside him, and seven figures appeared in a neat row at his side.

The one closest to him asked anxiously, "Eldest Brother, how is our little brother?"

Although the other seven said nothing, their gazes were all fixed on him, waiting for his answer.

Every one of the seven newcomers bore an extraordinary resemblance to Sen Lijiu.

Their auras and attire, however, were all different, making them easy to tell apart.

The first man, Wen Yan, finally spoke. "Jiujiu should be safe for now. I had already made all the arrangements in this world. If not for an unexpected turn of events, he should have returned to the royal clan by now."

Hearing this, Sen Lijiu's second brother, Wen Yan, understood. "It seems some people still refuse to behave. It's time we found an opportunity to purge those parasites. How dare they lay a hand on Jiujiu..."

Their third brother, Wen Yun, was so furious that veins bulged on the backs of his hands. He was usually the most refined of them, with white hair and robes whiter than snow. He rarely lost his temper, much less let his emotions show. For him to look like this, he must have been truly enraged. His voice was hoarse:

"Other races really can't be trusted. We should have wiped them out long ago. Then they would never have caused Jiujiu to suffer fatal injuries and perish in the great war. If our race couldn't use Source Condensation, I'm afraid..."

At that, none of them dared imagine what might have happened. They could not accept that outcome.

The mere thought of it sent their power rampaging out of control. The surrounding space kept collapsing, and a whirlwind of power formed around each of them, signaling an imminent eruption.

But they soon calmed down, and the fifth brother, Wen Jin, the steadiest among them, spoke:

"First, we have to trust that Jiujiu is all right. We can have complete confidence in Eldest Brother's work. Second, we made preparations long ago, didn't we? Everything is in place. All we need is for Jiujiu to leave that small world. Once he does, there will be no reason to keep it around. Just use Source Return."

The others had no objections. They had arranged everything as soon as they learned of the matter; they only needed to discuss the details further and settle on a plan that would bring Jiujiu nothing but benefits. They had always felt reassured for one simple reason: Jiujiu bore their marks, so there was no need to worry. Even so, they still did not want him taking any risks.

Source Return was the best possible outcome for that small world.

Source Return refined a target into energy, or absorbed that target's energy, for a chosen recipient to absorb and strengthen themselves without any side effects. Like Source Condensation, it caused no harm; instead, both the caster and the recipient could grow stronger.

Of course, since it was a punishment, it would not be so simple. Source Return also allowed the caster to choose how the target was refined or absorbed. It could be excruciatingly painful or entirely painless.

Source Return was one of the Nine-Tailed Fox royal clan's innate skills. It cost them nothing to use, could increase their combat capabilities, and kept them in peak condition.

Wen Su spoke. "Who will cast Source Return?"

Wen Yan: "I will."

Wen Yan: "I will."

Wen Yun: "I will."

Wen Ran: "I will."

Wen Jin: "I will."

Wen Ze: "I will."

Wen You: "I will."

Wen Su: ... Actually, I was going to cast it myself...

To help everyone tell the brothers apart, here is a character list.

Eldest brother: Wen Yan

Second brother: Wen Yan

Third brother: Wen Yun

Fourth brother: Wen Ran

Fifth brother: Wen Jin

Sixth brother: Wen Ze

Seventh brother: Wen Su

Eighth brother: Wen You