CBGC - ch181

Chapter 181: Fox Odor

Bai Su retracts the Nirvana Fire and asks Su Tingyun to summon her Heavenly Fire again. By its light, he finally sees clearly what lies ahead. 

Deep within the mining pit, there are no spiritual stones nor peculiar artifacts. Instead, a subterranean river flows nearby, and floating on the water’s surface are numerous corpses. While Bai Su’s Nirvana Fire failed to reveal anything unusual, the illumination from the Heavenly Fire exposes the river and its grim cargo with startling clarity.

Su Tingyun notices the same, but she also observes that the subterranean river is separated from their mining pit by a translucent barrier. It’s visible but appears to exist in an entirely different plane. 

The corpses, shrunken and desiccated, drift slowly with the current. Strangely, they do not sink but float upright on the surface, their faces turned upward and their hands folded over their abdomens. Among them are both humans and demon beasts, all uniformly posed. 

“How did they die, and why are they in the river?” Su Tingyun mutters. The sight of the orderly procession of corpses sends a prickling on her scalp. Furrowing her brows, “Could this be some kind of ritual?” 

Even though the barrier blocks any aura or energy from the river, merely observing it from a distance stirs a sense of dread. 

“Let’s keep moving and see where the river carries the corpses,” Bai Su suggests. 

Continuing through the pit, Su Tingyun feels as though she’s walking through an aquarium, staring at water behind glass. It's just that, what floats within are not fish but dead bodies. They walk for a long time, and the pit narrows as the further they go. Eventually, they reach the very bottom. 

Here, Bai Su sets up a formation and tests the area with a magical attack. The sharp tip of the pit remains utterly unmoved. Sitting cross-legged, Bai Su releases spiritual energy, letting it circle the pit. After some time, he opens his eyes and says, “This is the tip of the claw of an ancient Yayu.” 

After this revelation, Bai Su takes out a dagger and scrapes the mottled stone walls for a while before concluding, “It really is a claw.” 

The teeth and claws of spirit beasts are prime materials for crafting artifacts, and the Yayu’s claws are among the finest. However, even with Bai Su’s dagger that's made from real dragon-horn, he can only manage to scrape off a thin layer of powder, leaving the claw itself entirely undamaged. 

As a refining master, Bai Su examines the powder closely, analyzing it in detail before making his conclusion. 

“Your earlier guess wasn’t wrong,” Bai Su says. “The entire Beast Realm exists within the body of an ancient Yayu. We’re currently in the crevice of one of its claws. If not for this discovery, we might never have uncovered the truth.” 

The claw crevice is naturally narrow, and the area lacks powerful shielding arrays. With his dragon-horn dagger as comparison, Bai Su confirms their location. 

In other words, they are inside the ancient Yayu’s body. If not for the Bai Family's array masters temporarily creating a fissure in the horn atop the Yayu’s head and guiding Bai Su through it with spiritual energy, he would never have been able to enter this place on his own.

Now that he knows the truth, Bai Su realizes that breaking the seal of this realm using the Soul Binding Gold Cord is virtually impossible. 

With no way to advance further, Su Tingyun and Bai Su return to the surface. They explore the other mining pits devoid of spiritual energy and confirm that there are a total of five such deep pits, corresponding to the Yayu’s five claws. 

The underground river carrying floating corpses lies beneath a death formation. This formation is insidious; entering recklessly would be a death sentence. 

"Since we’ve confirmed we’re inside the Yayu’s stomach, then what’s the deal with the sun and moon in the sky?” Su Tingyun wonders aloud. 

Jiu Yue still needs the power of a full moon to open the Boundary Lake. Yet now, Su Tingyun can’t even be sure that Jiu Yue will succeed when the full moon comes. Looking up at the bright sun overhead, she feels an overwhelming sense of unreality. Who could have guessed that this place is the belly of an ancient beast? And how did Big Bai even lead them here? 

Could it be that the Yayu transformed itself into a self-contained world, much like the ring she possesses? The ring is made of celestial bones, and within it lies an entire dimension…

She's only had the world for a very short time. After eons have passed, countless beings will definitely populate that realm. Would they, too, remain oblivious to the fact that they exist inside a ring? 

At that moment, Xuanyuan Wentian, who has been silent until now, suddenly speaks. “The Sun-Moon Wheel and the Bodhi Mirror of Reality are celestial artifacts. They once belonged to a legendary ancient god who was also the master of the formerly divine beast Yayu.” 

Xuanyuan Wentian’s fragmented memories stir. Piecing together the clues, he recalls more. 

“Anything swallowed by the Yayu never comes back out.” he pauses briefly before continuing. “The underground river you mentioned is likely the Yayu’s bloodstream. Those corpses are drifting along its veins and will eventually flow into the Temple.” 

“Demonic creatures thrive on the darkness within living beings. I am the Demon Sovereign, yet the darkness in many people’s inner hearts would put mine to shame.”

“Could the Yayu still be alive, merely biding its time to recover?” Su Tingyun asks nervously. “How is it related to the Yayu that was the Beast Saint? Could it be that it was recovering, only for us to inadvertently destroy it?” 

"Hah!" Xuanyuan Wentian sneers but says no more. No matter how Su Tingyun presses him, he adopts the air of a meditative monk and refuses to speak further. 

Seeing that she can't get anything out of him anymore, Su Tingyun relays the conversation to Bai Su. He responds immediately, “Since the Beast Realm is inside the Yayu’s stomach, if the ancient beast was truly destroyed, the surrounding seals would vanish. The so-called Beast Saint must just be one of its descendants.” 

“Oh.” 

It’s just like Su Tingyun’s ring. If it were destroyed, the world inside would either collapse or become exposed to the Three Thousand Realms. 

“If the corpses eventually gather in the Temple, let’s return there to investigate.”

With their plan decided, they return to the Sacred Temple. Su Tingyun has already explored most of it, except for the central altar. This time, she directs her focus there. 

The altar is the core of the Beast Realm, but how can they persuade Jiu Yue to let them examine it? Su Tingyun and Bai Su both know that Jiu Yue’s strength far surpasses theirs. Even if they explain the situation, will Jiu Yue believe them? 

Su Tingyun ponders this dilemma on the way back. However, as soon as they arrive, Jiu Yue dashes over to them, takes a deep breath near Bai Su, and reaches out to hook her arm around his. “Back so soon? Did you miss me?” she teases, batting her eyes. Her fluffy tail swishes behind her, brushing lightly against Bai Su’s back before retreating.

The movement is so swift, and Jiu Yue’s strength so overwhelming, that Bai Su stiffens, caught off guard. 

In Iron Claw Town, it was the Yellow-Striped Tiger who accosted Su Tingyun.

Now back in the Sacred Temple, it’s Jiu Yue’s turn to harass Bai Su. 

Bai Su doesn’t respond to her antics. Instead, he moves Su Tingyun to his side, positioning her to block him from Jiu Yue. 

Su Tingyun glances at Bai Su and notices his expressionless face. He shifts slightly behind her, as if signaling something. 

She immediately understands his intent. 

Back in the Tiger Beasts' Town, she stood behind Bai Su. Now it’s his turn to stand behind her. But given his towering height, what kind of shield could she possibly provide? Jiu Yue is tall, too. Standing between them feels like being caught between peaks and valleys, a comical juxtaposition. 

“Jiu Yue, I need to discuss something important with you,” Su Tingyun says. She knows Jiu Yue isn’t inherently malicious, so she decides to approach the matter honestly. 

"Alright, sister, feel free to speak your mind," Jiu Yue says, winking at Su Tingyun. Clearly, the incident in Iron Claw Town, where Su Tingyun had addressed Jiu Yue as "Sister," has reached her ears. 

Su Tingyun doesn't beat around the bush. She says directly, "Do you know this Beast Realm is inside the stomach of an ancient Yayu?" 

At the mention of a Yayu, Jiu Yue visibly flinches. Her eyes widen in disbelief. "How could that be possible!" 

Su Tingyun explains everything they witnessed in the mines, sparing no detail. At the end, she adds, "We want to take a look at the altar in the Sacred Temple." She meets Jiu Yue's gaze directly, without relying on Xuanyuan Wentian to intimidate her with divine soul pressure. Her words are firm, deliberate: "I consider you my sister now, which is why I’m asking for your opinion first." 

The subtext is clear: If I didn’t consider you family, I’d go in myself. What could you do to stop me?

Su Tingyun was very mysterious at first, and her life-saving act of giving the Demon Core to Jiu Yue at the bottom of the cliff had left a strong impression on Jiu Yue. Furthermore, Big Bai's care of the young beasts had quickly enhanced their intelligence, something previously thought impossible. To everyone, Su Tingyun’s cultivation seems far beyond her apparent Human Immortal level. 

Initially, Jiu Yue was intimidated. Now, with her improved strength, she harbors some doubts but has never sought to confirm them. She hesitates briefly before looping her arm through Su Tingyun's. "Thank you, sister. If you want to see the altar, go ahead. After all, the rules were set by the Beast Saint, and now, I’m the one in charge here. But since we’re sisters..." 

She pauses, pointing a finger with bright red nails at Bai Su. "How about you give me that personal bodyguard of yours?" 

What part of Bai Su makes you think he’s a bodyguard?

"I mean, just look at him—handsome, powerful, resistant to my charms, and oh-so-enticing. Broad shoulders, narrow waist—he’s exactly my type. Judging by his masculine aura, I’d wager his skills in bed are equally outstanding. And the most tantalizing thing? He’s still a virgin. A male cultivator of his age, with his Yang energy intact? Such a rare and delectable treat..." 

Su Tingyun: "..." 

Clearly, Jiu Yue knows Bai Su doesn’t understand the demon language, which is why she dares to be so explicit in his presence. Su Tingyun decides against translating—no need to provoke him into a fit of rage. 

"Well, what do you say?" Jiu Yue blinks at Su Tingyun, then suddenly pauses mid-step, shifting to the side. She looks at Bai Su and declares, "Your formation is clever, but it won’t work on me." 

The next moment, an unexpected stench wafts from above, catching Jiu Yue completely off guard. Her expression twists in horror. "What’s that smell?" 

"Fox body odor," Bai Su replies calmly. Of course, it’s not body odor—it’s a type of toxic mist from the cultivation world, and its smell rivals the worst body odor. The fox clan, regardless of cultivation level, carries a faint natural musk. Whenever Jiu Yue appears, there's always a strange fragrance to her, which is to suppress her original scent. 

Annoyed by her constant pestering, Bai Su had long devised countermeasures but refrained from acting until now… Although he doesn’t understand the complex demon beast language, Big Bai and Little Bai do, and as they're nearby, and through their connection with Xiao Lan, they had relayed everything to him. 

Thus, Bai Su heard it all. His face is livid, though the tips of his ears are a little red. He feels utterly exposed, as though stripped bare and humiliated in front of Su Tingyun. This is the last straw for him. 

... 

He speaks in demon language! He's actually talking in the native demon beast tongue! Bai Su’s words are crisp and clear, leaving Jiu Yue stunned. She bursts into laughter born out of sheer rage. "So, you’re more capable than I thought. I’ve underestimated you."