The Nine-Tailed Protector

After the collision that warped space, Da Qiao rolled onto the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood. She lay motionless for a long time, unable to get up.

System: [Host! Host! Wake up quickly! This place is full of man-eating monsters!]

In the darkness, something was slithering forward. Just as it was about to pounce on the young girl lying on the ground, a snow fox suddenly leaped out and swept it away with its tail!

"Yip!"

Two flashes of green light flickered, followed immediately by the sound of flesh tearing.

The majestic snow fox: "Yip!"

System: [Host! Get up quickly!]

Da Qiao's fingers twitched. She coughed a few more times, wiping the warm liquid sliding from the corner of her lips onto her sleeve with a tilt of her head. Gathering her remaining strength, she sat cross-legged to meditate.

In the pitch-black abyss, her palm throbbed with pain from the earlier dagger wound. She chanted a simple blood-stanching spell and swept two fingers across her eyes. As spiritual energy flowed through, her purple eyes flashed, allowing her to see clearly in the darkness.

Then, she saw the brave snow fox. It had lost its noble and elegant appearance; its white fur was stained with blood, its back arched as it panted heavily, baring its teeth to threaten the contaminated creatures before it.

"Yip!"

The snow fox let out a sharp cry, its four paws scratching the ground as it growled threateningly. Though it looked fierce, it was actually cornered. Its pristine white fur was covered in wounds of various sizes, its nine tails drooping weakly behind its back, and its entire body was shrouded in heavy filth. Even its breathing grew increasingly rapid, wheezing like a rusty chimney.

Perhaps sensing Da Qiao's gaze, the snow fox turned its head to look at her, lifting its chin to urge: "Whimper!"

It was urging her to run.

Da Qiao sighed. What a foolish fox.

She placed her uninjured hand on the hilt of the sword at her waist. Spiritual energy surged through her body as she commanded, "If you want to live, get behind me."

The snow fox tilted its head in confusion: "Whimper?"

In the blink of an eye, a violent explosion rang out!

Da Qiao drew her sword and sheathed it in a flash!

The contaminated creatures behind the fox were slashed into ashes by a single Yinyue Slash!

The snow fox's eyes widened: "Whimper?!"

How could there be such a powerful Guide!

After unleashing the slash, Da Qiao's head throbbed with pain again. She staggered a few steps before steadying herself. "Damn it, the mental pressure in this Contaminated Abyss is too strong."

The urgent matter now was to find Xi Youzhi, gather enough humiliation points, and destroy this Contaminated Abyss.

Da Qiao knelt on one knee, gently stroking the back of the fox's neck, her voice softening significantly. "Hey, where is Xi Youzhi?"

The fox's ears drooped as it rubbed against her palm, closing its eyes in sheer enjoyment. Hearing her question, it seemed to snap out of it, letting out two soft whimpers before scrambling away on all fours. It took three steps and turned back three times, its nine long tails swaying back and forth like drifting clouds.

Walking in the darkness for an unknown amount of time, the surrounding space grew increasingly compressed, making movement harder. Her internal organs felt squeezed, making it difficult to breathe.

Finally, she found Xi Youzhi sealed within a pile of corpses inside a crevice.

His eyes were tightly shut, his breathing weak, and his face pale. Only the bright red flower mark between his brows remained unusually dazzling. The faint light emitting from the Origin Core in his palm illuminated a face so beautiful it looked like a divine statue carved from flawless jade.

Da Qiao rarely dazed out, but her footsteps slowed, and her heart trembled slightly.

"Yip!"

The snow fox anxiously bit her pant leg, pulling her toward the crevice.

Da Qiao drew her sword and shattered the petrified corpses. The crevice exploded and collapsed as she rushed in to catch Xi Youzhi in her arms.

His body was ice-cold and stiff, like a corpse.

Da Qiao's expression turned solemn. She pried open his wrist to check; the Riot Index on his optical computer had reached 99%!

The Origin Core in his hand still glowed faintly, struggling to suppress the energy in his body to prevent him from entering a 100% state of mania and facing death.

Da Qiao fell silent for a moment, her trembling hand reaching out to touch Xi Youzhi's forehead. "...Too similar."

System: [What's wrong, Host?]

Da Qiao lowered her eyelashes, her usually calm eyes flickering with emotion. "I once had a Junior Brother..."

System asked curiously: [Junior Brother? Is he very similar to Xi Youzhi?]

Da Qiao did not answer. Her fingertips gently traced the pattern between Xi Youzhi's brows, caressing it meticulously, her gaze as gentle as rippling water.