Chapter 125: Tao Yaoyao, the Demon Catcher

"Chirp!"

A flash of emerald blue streaked across his vision. As the heavenly lightning descended, a bolt as thick as a bowl was blocked by that tiny form, absorbing a fifth of the strike.

"No!"

The hummingbird fell to the ground, charred and lifeless. Yet, Eight-Tails could not spare a shred of energy to mourn, for four-fifths of the heavenly tribulation still awaited him.

Exhausting every ounce of his strength, the clouds finally dispersed, and the sky cleared.

His red fur regained its luster, and his various wounds began to heal. A golden light descended, and Eight-Tails transformed into human form; his red fur manifested as crimson robes. Alas, she could no longer see him.

Eight-Tails carefully picked up the hummingbird, gently wiping the scorched earth from her body.

Only a moment ago, she had been calling out so vibrantly.

Having endured the eighth lightning strike, Eight-Tails had no strength left to maintain his protective barrier, yet the little creature had unhesitatingly charged in to shield him from the fatal blow—she, who was always so timid.

"Why couldn't you have been even more timid? Timid enough to hide away..."

"You were the one who helped me endure the tribulation. Now that I have successfully transformed into a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, why won't you wake up and call me 'Brother Eight-Tails'?"

"I truly loved hearing you call me Brother Eight-Tails..."

A wild thought flashed through Eight-Tails' mind.

In his inherited memories, upon becoming a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox, all spiritual power converges into his tails, each one being his very life force.

Eight-Tails' eyes turned blood-red. With a single thought, nine magnificent, heavenly tails appeared behind him. How beautiful they were...

With a surge of spiritual power, one tail detached, falling to the ground and transforming into a crystalline orb of pure energy.

Eight-Tails sealed a drop of the hummingbird's essence blood within it. Then, parting his thin lips, he spat out a smooth, glowing red bead.

As his demon core was expelled from his body, Eight-Tails could no longer maintain his human form and reverted to his original shape: a fox with eight tails.

He channeled his spiritual power to infuse the demon core into the hummingbird. Her chest, once still, gradually began to rise and fall.

Regrettably, this was not a true resurrection. Damage from heavenly lightning requires the intervention of a true deity to be fully undone.

Having lost his demon core, Eight-Tails' power was greatly diminished.

"Later, I feared my demonic power would not be enough to sustain her until the arrival of a Goddess, so I created this illusion."

Eight-Tails spoke softly, as if narrating something mundane, yet ripples of emotion stirred in Lian’s heart.

A tiny hummingbird had been willing to shield Eight-Tails with her fragile body against the heavenly tribulation, and Eight-Tails had not failed her, willing to use his own demon core to protect her heart and his own life force to seal her essence, all to pave the way for her resurrection.

"Do you know that this goes against the laws of the heavens?"

"I know."

Watching Eight-Tails’ resolute expression, Lian could not help but recall the past with Zhong Li:

Young Lian, flipping through the *Record of Demon Beasts*, had been captivated by a tall, beautiful Nine-Tailed Fox. "Master! Look! A fox! So beautiful!"

At that time, Zhong Li wore a heavy cloak, and Lian could not discern his expression. She continued to read, "Below the nine-tailed level are demon foxes; solitude, coldness, and cunning are their nature. Once they pass the tribulation and become Nine-Tailed Celestial Foxes, they remain aloof, disliking interaction with other demon tribes... Master, why are such beautiful foxes described as aloof? Won't they have no friends?"

Back then, Zhong Li was a man of few words and did not respond immediately. After a long while, he finally said, "Foxes are not aloof. They value relationships deeply, but only with the people or demons they have chosen."

Those words echoed in her heart. Seeing Eight-Tails now, Lian seemed to suddenly understand.

"Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

Seeing Lian agree, Eight-Tails’ face—still covered in fur—nonetheless radiated an emotion Lian could clearly feel.

"Thank you! I only need you to stabilize Tao Yaoyao’s condition with your spiritual power when I dispel the illusion. I will also need a drop of your essence blood as a catalyst."

[Wow! A drop of essence blood! Essence blood is the concentration of spiritual power; a person only has seven drops!]

Eight-Tails lowered his head in embarrassment. "I know, but... Goddess..."

"No need to explain. If it were me, I would also cast aside my pride and dignity to ask. When do we begin?"

Tears welled up in the fox’s eyes. So, there were those who understood their kind.

The tears did not fall. The fox set aside his gratitude. "Tomorrow is a rare solar eclipse. It is the day when demonic power surges; it is the most suitable time!"

Lian nodded, signaling her understanding.

Eight-Tails returned to the forest. Lian looked at the starry sky within the illusion; everything felt incredibly real—perhaps even more beautiful than reality, perhaps because it existed solely for a certain hummingbird.

The next morning, following the plan, Lian put Tao Yaoyao into a deep sleep so Eight-Tails could dispel the illusion.

"Goddess, I am ready. Are you?"

On the bed, Tao Yaoyao slept peacefully. Though she looked seventeen or eighteen, she still possessed a trace of baby fat, a rarity.

"No problem."

Outside the dilapidated hut, a ghostly blue light flashed in Eight-Tails' pupils. The surrounding space began to twist and shatter.

Lian cut her index finger, channeling her spiritual power. A drop of essence blood, containing a portion of her strength, rose into the air, hovering before Tao Yaoyao’s brow.

"Eight-Tails!"

Hearing the call, Eight-Tails instantly teleported into position, took the hummingbird’s essence blood sealed by his tail, and cast it toward Tao Yaoyao’s brow.

The spiritual barrier formed by Eight-Tails' tail began to crack. The essence blood within it started to swirl around Lian’s essence blood, and then, slowly, it was absorbed by Tao Yaoyao.

Having lost a drop of essence blood, Lian felt unusually weak. Being a soul entity, forcing out such blood was no easy task.

"Eight-Tails, the rest is up to you."

Lian’s soul form was now as transparent as paper, as if it might dissipate into thin air at any moment.

Xiao Jianjian did not hesitate this time, pulling out pills for Lian to consume. With the support of the medicine, Lian’s complexion gradually improved, and her soul form began to solidify.

"Thank you, Jianjian."

Xiao Jianjian’s small face turned red. He curled into a ball and retreated back into the space.

Watching Xiao Jianjian share stories with the Bone-Growing Grass inside the space, Lian felt a sense of relief.

Now that Xiao Jianjian could enter and exit freely, he felt sorry for the Bone-Growing Grass; after all, seeing a medicinal herb with legs running around was likely quite startling.

The little Mirage Spirit, to keep the Bone-Growing Grass company, had voluntarily given up leaving the space. Seeing them cooped up inside every day made Xiao Jianjian feel a bit stifled.

"Goddess!"

"Hmm?"

Lian turned to see Eight-Tails, now ten times his original size, carrying a person on his back. She frowned. "Can you not transform into a human?"

Eight-Tails merely smiled. "Human form is unimportant. The fortunate thing is that she has returned. This time, she has returned whole."

Lian was happy for him, too. After all, this was someone she had snatched back from the King of Hell with a drop of her essence blood, and someone Eight-Tails had traded a thousand years of cultivation and his demon core to reclaim.

Little hummingbird, Tao Yaoyao, you are truly lucky.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Eight-Tails began to shake violently. The fox stumbled, and Lian quickly cast a barrier to protect Tao Yaoyao on his back.

She wasn't taking any chances; after all the trouble to save her, she wouldn't let a mere earthquake ruin it.

Clearly, this was no ordinary earthquake. The ground shook more and more intensely. In the distance, trees were toppled one after another, and fissures began to tear through the mountains!

"Run!"