Chapter 28: The Nine-Headed Serpent

I dashed forward at a speed that defied belief—clearly the inner elixirs of the Nine-tailed Fox and the Yin-Yang Fiend had greatly enhanced my strength. There was no time to ponder this now; Yu Jing and Xiao Xiang Ke'er were in grave danger, and I could not allow harm to befall those dear to me again. With that thought, I quickened my pace—what had taken me half an hour before, I now covered in just ten minutes.

The small hill had been leveled to the ground. Scorching magma surged from the shattered rocks. Yu Jing and Xiao Xiang Ke'er were locked in a desperate struggle with the Hydra, both of them barely dodging its relentless attacks. But the hydra had too many heads; evading them all was nearly impossible. In a fateful instant, one of those monstrous heads seized Xiao Xiang Ke'er in its jaws.

The Hydra raised its head high. Yu Jing, seeing his beloved on the brink of death, rushed to her aid, but the creature’s massive bulk kept him at bay. With a terrible roar, the Hydra prepared to swallow Xiao Xiang Ke’er. I gathered every ounce of my true energy, recalling a technique Yu Jing once used to lighten his body, and surged forward. This time, I succeeded.

When I was still several meters away, I leapt; my body soared over ten meters in the air. Landing atop the Hydra’s enormous head, I snatched Xiao Xiang Ke’er’s short sword and thrust it straight into the monster’s eye. The entire sequence unfolded in an instant—though I recount it slowly now, from the moment I started running to burying the blade in the Hydra’s eye, no more than three seconds passed. Had I been any slower, Xiao Xiang Ke’er would have been lost.

The Hydra, now blind in one eye and writhing in agony, violently shook its head. Xiao Xiang Ke’er was thrown clear, but Yu Jing caught her in time. Seeing her safe, I finally allowed myself a breath of relief. I withdrew the short sword, preparing to leap down, when another of the Hydra’s heads lunged at me, its mouth emitting a foul stench. I cursed inwardly—when had this beast last cleaned its teeth? Swiftly, I flipped and landed on the ground. Before my feet even touched earth, another head intercepted me, and yet another bit deeply into my body.

Yu Jing and Xiao Xiang Ke’er charged to my rescue, but now all three of us were trapped. The Hydra wasted no time as it had before; it swallowed me whole. Instantly, I was enveloped in the viscous slime of its stomach, a burning heat searing my flesh. If this continued, I would surely be digested by this monstrous serpent. The very thought was nauseating—dissolved by the Hydra and reduced to nothing but filth. I dared not imagine it further. Clenching my fists, I steeled myself. I could not accept such an end! Wait—didn’t I still have the short sword in my hand? Gripping it tightly, I stabbed fiercely into the Hydra’s stomach lining. To my shock, the creature’s defenses were formidable; despite all my strength, I could not pierce it. Gradually, my consciousness faded.

When I awoke, I was lying on Murong Xue’s bed, with Xu Qinghuan helping me sit up. My body burned with fever and discomfort. Seeing me awake, Xu Qinghuan exclaimed excitedly, “Thank goodness, you’re all right! I’ve already cleaned you up—you reeked!”

I struggled to sit up. “Where’s the Nine-tailed Fox?”

At my question, Xu Qinghuan’s expression froze. A sense of dread crept over me as I forced myself to leave the room, my steps heavy with anxiety. White Fox, please be safe! My heart pounded furiously in my chest. In a side room, Murong Xue was tending to the Nine-tailed Fox. When she saw me enter, she sighed and said, “She could have been saved, but that woman gave her Heartbreak Grass. Now, even the gods could not rescue her.”

With a thud, I dropped to my knees by the bedside. It was all my fault—if I hadn’t gone to the Infernal Realm, none of this would have happened. If I hadn’t taken that inner elixir, these dire consequences would never have come to pass.

“Is there truly no hope?” I struggled to my feet.

Murong Xue replied, “Her body was weak and her meridians damaged, but it was treatable. However, she once consumed Heartbreak Grass, and now…”

“Heartbreak Grass? Isn’t that a deadly poison?” Xiao Xiang Ke’er asked.

“Yes, that’s right. It’s extremely rare, but can be combined with other herbs to make elixirs,” Murong Xue replied, regret heavy in her voice.

The White Fox slowly opened her eyes, revealing her true form as the Nine-tailed Fox. Murong Xue gazed in astonishment at the fox on the bed. “So it was this fox.”

“You know her?” I asked.

“Yes, I saw her last time I was gathering herbs.”

The Nine-tailed Fox spoke: “Brother Li, I think I’m dying. I’m glad I met you all. When I’m gone, please bury my body at Heartbreak Cliff.”

“Perhaps you don’t have to die,” Murong Xue said. Not have to die? Was there still hope? I hurried forward. “Miss Murong, what do you mean?”

Murong Xue approached the bedside, gently stroking the Nine-tailed Fox. “Last time, she snatched the Fire Dragon Herb I was about to pick. If she ate it less than a month ago, she can still be saved.”

So it was the Nine-tailed Fox who had taken the Fire Dragon Herb from Murong Xue at the cliff—that incident had led to Murong Xue’s fall and her rescue by Iron Hammer. When I understood the whole story, hope blossomed within me. Murong Xue explained that the Fire Dragon Herb was a rare and precious spirit plant, growing only on sheer cliffs and nearly impossible to find. Its medicinal effect lasted a month and was highly beneficial to those who cultivated the Dao. If taken together with Ice Soul Grass, it could bring one back from the brink of death.

“Ice Soul Grass? What is that?” I asked.

“It’s a herb that grows in extremely cold places, even rarer than Fire Dragon Herb. There might be some in the Frozen Gorge to the south,” Murong Xue said.

“Miss Bai, how long has it been since you ate the Fire Dragon Herb?” I asked, sitting by the bed.

“Twenty-seven days,” White Fox replied weakly.

That meant there were still three days left. I would have to set out for the Frozen Gorge at once.