Chapter Eighty: The Snow-White Beast

Black Desire City was vast. Wang Changsheng led the disciples of the Corpse Refining Sect through the city, but they dared not travel openly. If they were recognized, it could spell trouble. It took them two and a half days to reach the city center, where a gigantic teleportation array immediately came into view.

The array pulsed with a mysterious aura, with many cultivators coming and going, busy as could be.

“I’ve never seen such a huge teleportation array before,” Wang Changsheng murmured.

Soon it was their turn.

“Teleport us to the Southern Domain,” Chen Shangyi said to the array’s controller.

“The Southern Domain?” The controller frowned, speaking in a low voice, “It’s been a long time since anyone teleported there.”

Before anyone could reply, the controller continued, “To teleport to the Southern Domain, it’s ten mid-grade spirit stones per person—there are twelve of you, so that’s a hundred and twenty in total.”

“So expensive?” Wang Changsheng exclaimed in surprise.

He was no longer the novice who had just left the Corpse Refining Sect; he understood the value of spirit stones now. Ten mid-grade stones equaled a thousand low-grade ones—enough for a rogue cultivator to scrape by for decades!

“Can we pay with low-grade stones?” Chen Shangyi asked, frowning as well.

His storage ring held no mid-grade stones; he could only hope to pay with low-grade ones.

“No,” the controller said, shaking his head. “Mid-grade only.”

“You think that’s expensive?” the controller said. “Teleporting to the Wilds costs even more, and there are cultivation restrictions—it’s not just a matter of paying.”

Wang Changsheng’s brow furrowed further; he had no idea there were so many requirements for traveling to the Wilds.

“You’re heading for the Southern Domain. Your backgrounds must be extraordinary; coming up with some mid-grade stones should be no trouble,” the controller said.

Low-grade spirit stones were the standard currency among cultivators, and most could only afford those. But anyone teleporting from Black Desire City to the Southern Domain would surely have no difficulty producing mid-grade stones.

Wang Changsheng said no more, simply taking out the required hundred and twenty mid-grade stones.

Soon after, they stepped onto the teleportation array and immediately felt the mysterious energy envelop them.

At the same time, Wang Changsheng’s face betrayed a hint of unease. He still harbored misgivings about using teleportation arrays. The first time he’d used one, traveling with his second uncle, the sensation of being torn apart had nearly made him pass out from pain.

A hissing sound rose as the array activated, and they were wrapped in the arcane force. Wang Changsheng immediately felt a powerful wrenching force grip him.

“Catch him—don’t let him escape!”

“He’s entered the array—stop the teleportation, quick!”

“Damn, it’s a cross-domain teleportation...”

Just as Wang Changsheng spread his true essence through his body to resist the rending force, a flurry of shouts reached his ears. In the next instant, a beam of white light shot toward him. He wanted to defend himself, but it moved so quickly that before he could react, it had plunged into his arms.

“What in the world is this?” Wang Changsheng cried out in alarm.

At that moment, the teleportation array activated, and Wang Changsheng and the others vanished from sight.

A few armored cultivators rushed to the array, their faces dark as they stared at the empty space where Wang Changsheng’s party had been.

“Where were they headed?” the leader demanded in a low voice.

“To the Southern Domain,” the controller replied, frowning.

“The Southern Domain?” The leader looked thoughtful. “Good—at least it wasn’t the Wilds.”

“Activate the array immediately. We’re going to the Southern Domain as well!” the leader ordered, tossing spirit stones to the controller.

The controller took the stones and replied, frowning, “No can do—at least not until tomorrow.”

“What?” the leader roared. “Who made that rule? Why wasn’t it like this before?”

“It was just made,” the controller said darkly. “By me. What, do you have a problem?”

“You—” The leader made to take action, but another armored cultivator stopped him. “Brother, calm down... This is the teleportation array...”

The leader nodded, regaining his composure. “Fine. Tomorrow, at the earliest possible hour, I want to go to the Southern Domain.”

With a cold snort, he led his men away.

Only after the armored cultivators had left did the controller display a look of disdain, before turning to the next teleportation.

Within the passage of the array, the wrenching force nearly made Wang Changsheng cry out, but he managed to endure. Once he adapted, he looked down at what lay in his arms.

“What is this thing...?” he muttered, frowning.

In his embrace lay a small beast, its fur snow-white, resembling a little fox, yet not quite the same. Most striking of all, golden liquid was continuously seeping from the beast’s mouth.

“Golden blood? That can’t be...” Wang Changsheng mused, uncertain if it was blood or something else.

He sent a stream of true essence to envelop the beast, then focused again on resisting the pain of the rending force.

“At last, it’s over!” Wang Changsheng exhaled heavily, immensely relieved.

“Deacon Wang, what happened?” Chen Shangyi’s voice came just as they stepped out of the array, his gaze falling on the beast in Wang Changsheng’s arms.

“Let’s leave first, then talk,” Wang Changsheng replied gravely.

He led the Corpse Refining Sect members away from the array.

They soon found themselves on another vast plaza, not much different from the one in Black Desire City, though the crowds here were thinner.

With no time to get his bearings, Wang Changsheng wrapped his hands around the little beast, covering it. “Let’s find an inn and lie low, in case those pursuers catch up,” he said.

The others nodded.

They found an inn near the array, with a view of the teleportation plaza.

“This place is outrageously expensive!” Chen Shangyi complained as soon as he entered his room.

“Don’t whine,” Wang Changsheng replied. “Post a lookout on the teleportation array. If any of those men appear, let me know immediately.”

Only then did he place the beast on the table.

“What in the world is this?” Wang Changsheng examined it closely.

Chen Shangyi and the others gathered around, thoughtful expressions on their faces.

“Never seen or heard of such a creature.”

“I’ve read many records—never encountered anything like it.”

“Unfamiliar, I don’t recognize it.”

The group offered their opinions.

“Shangyi, those armored pursuers—what level are they?” Wang Changsheng asked.

“All at the Core Formation stage,” Chen Shangyi replied in a low voice. “The leader is at the second level, the rest at the first.”

Wang Changsheng nodded.

“What should we do, Deacon Wang?” Chen Shangyi asked, frowning. “We’re on a mission. This creature’s origins are unknown, and it’s being hunted by Core Formation cultivators. Best not to invite extra trouble... Maybe we should... just leave it somewhere?”

Wang Changsheng nodded. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to intervene, but any beast that could draw the pursuit of Core Formation experts and escape from them was surely extraordinary. Not to mention, the golden blood made it all the more mysterious. Their own situation was already precarious—enemies could come after them at any moment. If they harbored the beast, they might attract another group of powerful foes. It was too risky.

“Get up!” Wang Changsheng tapped the table, his voice stern. “I know you’re awake!”

When Chen Shangyi had suggested abandoning the beast, Wang Changsheng had noticed its eyelids twitch. He wasn’t the only one; the others had seen it too.

The beast still lay motionless, feigning sleep.

“Shangyi, skin it. I think its pelt would make a fine coat,” Wang Changsheng said, signaling with his eyes.

“Understood,” Chen Shangyi replied, catching on at once.

He drew a short blade and approached the beast.

The closer he got, the more obvious its trembling became.

Clearly, the beast was awake and understood their conversation, though it still pretended otherwise.

As Chen Shangyi’s blade was about to touch it, the beast could pretend no longer. In a flash of white light, it darted straight into Wang Changsheng’s arms—so fast that Wang Changsheng didn’t even react in time.

He saw the beast bury its head inside his robe, half its body exposed and shivering.

Wang Changsheng stared at it, speechless.

“What on earth is going on...?” he muttered.

He pulled the creature from his arms and set it back on the table. “Don’t move,” he ordered.

The beast gazed at him with pitiful eyes, its limbs trembling as if it had suffered a terrible fright.

“Speak. Who are you?” Wang Changsheng asked sternly.

The snowy white beast looked back at him without answering, still shaking, its eyes flicking nervously from person to person.

Wang Changsheng frowned. “I just saved your life, and you still won’t talk?”

“Fine. At least tell me—who’s after you?” he pressed.

At that, the beast seemed to collapse, slumping limply onto the table—clearly, the question had reminded it of those armored pursuers, and it was so terrified that it could hardly stand.