Gift From The Demon Ancestor

• Chapter 1: Gift from the Demon Ancestor

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"Yip... yip yip yip!" Su Mu discovered a tragic fact: he was now genuinely a little fox and had lost the ability to speak human language.

The demon race could transform into human form, but that required passing the Transformation Tribulation. The timing of the Transformation Tribulation was related to one's bloodline. Weaker bloodlines could sometimes transform after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, while stronger bloodlines found it harder to transform, limited by the heavens and earth.

Among the six great demon emperors of Beiyuan County, except for Shuiyi Dragon Lord, all were still in their demon forms.

At this moment, the small amount of spiritual power between Su Mu's tiny paws finally established a connection with the bell. A yellow spiritual seal suddenly flew from the bell and entered Su Mu's forehead.

"Master~"

"Xiao... Xiao Bai?" A joyful voice echoed in Su Mu's mind, and he immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Yip yip yip~"

In the next moment, he dejectedly used his two fox paws to cover his small head. I forgot, I can't speak anymore.

"Master, it's great that you're okay." The girl's clear and soft voice reappeared in his mind. Noticing Su Mu's awkwardness, she continued, "Master can communicate with me by connecting your mind to 'Jingzhe'~"

"Xiao Bai, what exactly happened? How am I still alive..."

"Master, do you remember the box on the altar you were fighting over with that Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivator? That was a legacy left by a great ancestor of my fox clan."

Su Mu was thoughtful, but what followed was a wave of guilt. If it weren't for his momentary clash of will, he wouldn't have fallen into such a desperate situation.

"It doesn't matter, as long as you're okay, Master... it's just..."

Su Mu was still immersed in self-blame and didn't notice Xiao Bai's unusual demeanor. After a while, he asked, "Xiao Bai, where are you now?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, the bell named Jingzhe in Su Mu's hand suddenly twitched twice. "Master, don't worry. Xiao Bai originally just asked the great ancestor to save you. I thought I'd never see you again... but the great ancestor used a wisp of their remnant soul to help me reside in 'Jingzhe', similar to the spirit of a magical artifact, as your master described."

A warm feeling filled Su Mu's heart.

After a long while, Su Mu spoke with a mix of heartache and guilt, "But... Xiao Bai, why were you so foolish to risk your life to save me?"

Xiao Bai's answer was simple and unwavering, "Because Master is the best!"

Su Mu felt a strange warmth spreading in his heart, a sensation both tingly and heartwarming.

Sometimes, unwavering loyalty explained everything. Xiao Bai was never just a pet; she was family. Before meeting his master, Xiao Bai had been the light of his life. During those dark and desolate days, the boy and the fox always depended on each other.

After adapting to his body for a long time, Su Mu, with his head down, lay limply on the ground, dispirited. He then weakly said, "What do we do, Xiao Bai? I've lost all my cultivation. How can I face my master and the others now?"

Su Mu knew that the Yao Guang Holy Land urgently needed new blood. Once the Nascent Soul ancestor passed away, the surrounding forces would undoubtedly become ravenous wolves, devouring the Holy Land completely.

That's why he chose to go out and train, hoping to quickly get accustomed to his level so he could help the sect.

But his master and senior brothers and sisters had protected him too well. They never gave him any pressure, even a little. Especially thinking of his senior sister, Su Mu's now-pink pupils filled with a trace of longing.

...

"It's okay, little Su Su, why train so hard? Your senior sister has got your back! If she can't handle it, there's the second senior brother. If he can't handle it, then there's the first senior brother. And if even he can't handle it... hmm... senior sister will take you and run away!"

"Shi... Shi Jie... I can't breathe..." (Senior sister, I can't breathe.) Su Mu struggled to lift his head from a pair of chests and pointed at the old man not far away who was scratching his toes. "What about Master?"

Jiang Cixue disdainfully said, "He'll run faster than all of us."

...

Thinking of this, the previously melancholic fox eyes filled with a hint of a smile.

"Master, the demon ancestor's legacy is in Jingzhe. Accepting the legacy will dissolve the secret realm, and then Master can go home~ Also, accepting the legacy will help you regain your cultivation faster."

"How do you know this, Xiao Bai?"

"Hehe, it's the message left by the ancestor's remnant soul. Xiao Bai saw it when I just woke up."

"But, Xiao Bai, that legacy... isn't it for your demon..." Su Mu suddenly fell silent.

"Xiao Bai..."

"What's wrong, Master?"

"Nothing! Let's begin! Let's get out first and talk later!"

"Okay! Master, get ready, Xiao Bai will lift the restriction on Jingzhe."

Immediately, the bell floated into the air, and the mountain and river patterns seemed to come to life, spreading like an ink painting. Points of spiritual light scattered like sparks.

For a moment, it was a spectacular scene, like a dream.

When the spiritual light dissipated, the red silk on Jingzhe seemed even more vibrant, and the ancient aura of the bell gradually faded.

Su Mu's fox body also gradually lifted off the ground, sitting cross-legged under Jingzhe. The scene looked somewhat eerie; if seen by mortals, they would surely cry out, "Fox spirit!"

A faint pattern spread across Su Mu's forehead, resembling a blooming flame petal.

The sky brightened, and the vast golden characters poured out from Jingzhe, converging into the mark on Su Mu's forehead.

Su Mu showed no sign of discomfort, entering a state of neither joy nor sorrow.

In the secret realm, with no sight of day or night, time was unknown. Long after, when the last golden character from Jingzhe entered Su Mu's forehead, Jingzhe stopped spinning.

Xiao Bai controlled Jingzhe, letting it fly to Su Mu's neck. The red ribbon tied a knot, and the bell dangled gracefully from Su Mu's furry neck.

At this moment, the secret realm also began to dissolve. As the restriction centered on Jingzhe dissipated, the secret realm would no longer exist, about to merge back into the heavens and earth.

Mist started to rise around them, gradually engulfing Su Mu's figure. Only the flame-like mark on his forehead continued to glow, occasionally absorbing the spiritual mist, converging into Su Mu's body.

Inside Su Mu's body, the last remaining drop of golden yellow blood, upon absorbing this spiritual energy, became plump and full, then burst into a light yellow mist, flowing through his blood vessels.

Su Mu's fox body began to change as well. The fluffy white fur gradually shed, replaced by new fur sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain. The transition was instantaneous, making the fox look even cuter. His pink nose began to gather threads of Qi.

Suddenly, with a pop, a second tail sprouted from Su Mu's body, with both tails much larger than his body, swaying back and forth.

As the spiritual energy dissipated, a light yellow fox shadow appeared above Su Mu's head, with nine tails, two of which were covered in spiritual marks.

Su Mu felt a sense of rebirth, a transformation at the level of life itself. That drop of demon ancestor's blood had awakened the bloodline within his fox body.

Xiao Bai, through Jingzhe, looked at Su Mu with gentle eyes. Her small hand stroked her smooth, soft chin. Dressed in a light pink ruqun, her tender body looked beautiful, with a teardrop mole under her charming peach blossom eyes. Her small feet dangled in the spiritual river. "Master will wake up soon. Let's give him a surprise~" Then, as if thinking of something amusing, her peach-colored eyes filled with mischief...

To be continued.