Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 330 - 195 White Fox Acknowledges Its Master

Chapter 330: Chapter 195 White Fox Acknowledges Its Master

Purple Flame continued to burn in the Void for quite a long while before stopping, Zhou Yan and White Fox Bai Ying also remained on alert for an extended period before they finally sighed in relief.

Both of them retracted their Cultivation Technique, their bodies almost staggering unstably as if about to fall.

What seemed like a simple strike was actually the most terrifying attack both could muster.

The turbulence in the Void, in this already immense Secret Realm, was directly suppressed, the shattered Void instantly restored to its original state.

But now, the light screen and Runes had disappeared, a gentle sunlight seemed to fly from the distant heavens.

In this sunlight, an exceptionally handsome apparition of a man in white appeared.

"Yingying, we meet again."

The apparition of the man in white called out gently.

White Fox Bai Ying trembled instantly, almost immediately about to kneel to the ground.

But she couldn’t kneel, because a force prevented her from doing so.

"You have a new master, and that enemy has been sneakily killed by me when you joined forces; otherwise, your efforts would not have been sufficient to kill him outright.

But I am gratified. Your new master will surely follow in my footsteps and lead you to higher and farther realms."

"Although ’he’ has tortured me for many years, I do not suffer, because I know, you are still foolishly waiting. And now, I have finally waited for the day of liberation.

Thunder Flame Breaking Path Mountain, in truth, isn’t dangerous at all.

Danger has never come from the environment, but from the human heart. Therefore, besides your new master, you should not believe anyone else’s words."

"Yingying, our fate has ended, farewell forever."

...

The apparition of the man in white dissipated bit by bit.

Bai Ying ran over, stretching her hand to grasp, but she couldn’t catch it. Her hand passed directly through the apparition, which at that moment, looked at Zhou Yan with a wisp of a relieved smile, a gaze filled with warmth and affection...

And then, the man in white disappeared completely.

"Master..."

Bai Ying cried out in sorrow, but could no longer feel that familiar presence.

The apparition in white was gone, just as if it had never existed.

The light screen was shattered, the sunlight faded.

Not far away, many Thunderflame Soul Crystals appeared, a tremendous fortune.

These things, just like the Thunderflame Soul Crystals that disappeared from Zhou Yan’s Purple Flame Void, piled up like mountains.

Further away, stars twinkled, a miasmic light occasionally appeared, with top-grade Elixir and Artifact Refining materials seemingly available in abundance.

But Bai Ying just stood there motionless, not taking another step.

Zhou Yan went to her side, patted her shoulder to comfort her.

White Fox Bai Ying, however, plunged into Zhou Yan’s arms, crying incessantly.

Her tears were so hot they even dampened Zhou Yan’s Spirit Armor.

White Fox cried bitterly, as if thousands of years of waiting had been for nothing, filling her heart with grief.

Zhou Yan indeed wanted to find the Magic Treasure of the Crossing Void as soon as possible, but he did not rush at this moment, and instead patiently waited.

Perhaps this was the only time Bai Ying could throw herself into his embrace and weep unrestrainedly.

Afterward, as per the commands of her master, she must act only as a ’Servant.’

Zhou Yan didn’t know why he felt this way, but when he saw the smile of the man in the Scholarly Robe, he had such a realization.

And that apparition in white, seemed to recognize him, Zhou Yan. But Zhou Yan did not know him.

Behind Bai Ying, the purple-clothed girl Zi Chen also looked on with unsettled surprise, taking a good while to calm down.

However, each time she looked at the series of Soul Crystals piled high, her gaze grew eager.

But she did not lose her senses due to this and just quietly stood behind the two, not daring to act rashly.

After a long time, White Fox Bai Ying left Zhou Yan’s embrace, collected her emotions, and suddenly knelt before Zhou Yan, saying, "Subordinate Bai Ying, greets the new master."

Zhou Yan had already known it would come to this, but he was still somewhat taken aback when Bai Ying knelt down.

He gazed at Bai Ying, saying, "Bai Ying, please rise. You really don’t have to acknowledge me as your master. Your master has left, and you are free now."

"No, this is not only the dying wish of my old master but also my own conviction; please accept me," she said determinedly.

Zhou Yan didn’t quite understand the connection between her and the apparition in white, but he could feel the sincerity from White Fox.

He was inclined to refuse, but seeing Bai Ying’s earnestness, and considering that the inheritance here could only be claimed by becoming Bai Ying’s master... Based on these considerations, Zhou Yan nodded, saying, "If that is the case, then I accept."

"Afterwards, as long as I, Zhou Yan, am still alive, I will certainly not mistreat you."

Zhou Yan said so.

Only then did the White Fox kowtow three times and stand up.

Following that, she no longer existed in the form of a human woman, but directly transformed into a four-tailed white fox, one much larger than the one from before.

This white fox stood as tall as one and a half meters, much like the size of a steed.

"Master, from now on, Bai Ying will be your mount."

"Hmm? This..."

Although Zhou Yan knew that the White Fox followed him loyally due to the orders of her previous master, the idea of her transforming into a mount... was something Zhou Yan had never considered.

At this moment, seeing the White Fox do so took Zhou Yan by surprise, but he quickly came to terms with it.

"Um, there’s no need for this right now, remain in your human form for the time being. When I need you, you can transform into a mount then."

Zhou Yan unconsciously stroked the head of the White Fox, speaking gently.

Hearing Zhou Yan’s words, the White Fox did not hesitate, and once again transformed into the form of a celestial-like human woman.

Behind Zhou Yan, Zi Chen watched this scene unfold, almost unable to believe her eyes.

To say she did not envy Zhou Yan would be false, but Zi Chen also knew her current state and strength were incomparable to Zhou Yan’s. So she dared not harbor even a glimmer of covetousness, for fear she would meet her end here.

Previously, Zhou Yan had spared her on account of the White Fox, but now that Zhou Yan had become the master of the White Fox, it was likely she would not stop him if he wished to kill her.

Because of this, Zi Chen became even more compliant.

Zhou Yan, accompanied by the White Fox, approached the pile of Thunderflame Soul Crystals; his expression turned somber.

The White Fox had said that only those with a constitution like the Thunderflame Sword Body could condense Thunderflame Soul Crystals, yet there were so many here... This implied that the white-clothed apparition was a Thunderflame Sword Body.

Or rather, the enemy who had killed the previous master of the White Fox was a Thunderflame Sword Body.

But Zhou Yan was more inclined to believe the former possibility because that enemy indisputably practiced Evil Cultivation, his aura sinister, unlikely to be a Thunderflame Sword Body.

However, the White Fox had claimed that her last master was not a Thunderflame Sword Body.

What secret lurked within this?

Zhou Yan couldn’t help but reflect deeply. Why had that white-clothed apparition smiled at him?

"This..."

The White Fox Bai Ying was also shocked to see these Thunderflame Soul Crystals.

She appeared to be in disbelief, incredulous: "How could there be so many Thunderflame Soul Crystals here? The enemy who murdered my former master—obviously a practitioner of Evil Cultivation—should not have been able to condense Thunderflame Soul Crystals... Could it be that my former master was not only a Heavenly Dao Body but also a Thunderflame Sword Body? How is this possible?"

Bai Ying was visibly puzzled.

"Can you tell me about your last master? What exactly was his situation?"

Zhou Yan thought deeply, his mind turning to Yanyan’s constitution. Yanyan once muttered to himself about a ’Void Thunderflame Emperor Sword Dao Body,’ a four-in-one constitution.

Who exactly was this person?

"The matters of my last master now hardly qualify as secrets. If you wish to know, it’s no harm for Bai Ying to share.

But in truth, I don’t know much either. I only know his surname was ’Li,’ but I don’t know his given name.

My former master’s strength had reached the Peak Realm of Nine Refinements of Sword Tribulation; he was very powerful. I also know he was naturally an Enlightenment Body, that is, a Heavenly Dao Sword Body, but as to whether he had other constitutions, I don’t know.

When I followed him, my clan was being hunted and slaughtered by human cultivators; it was desperate. Nearly my entire White Fox clan was being exterminated, and it was he who saved me, who saved our clan.

At that time, with nothing to offer in return, I could only serve as his mount. But he never made me do so, treating me instead like a sister and showing me great affection."

"He was very scholarly and had an air about him, and he was also very gentle, very kind. However, he suffered much from his past, which he never shared with me, but often I’d see him gaze up at the sky. He seemed very lonely at those times.

He used to say he had no home, that his home was at the end of the sky, a place he couldn’t return to."

"Sometimes, he would also speak bewildering words, saying how his wife had just become pregnant, and how he was terribly upset and guilty for not being by her side..."

"Due to fortune he obtained the Vitality Sword Dao. He said it was the Ancient Emperor Sword Dao, which, if mastered, would lead to becoming an ancestor or a saint. But he never truly committed to cultivating it, treating it all with an indifferent attitude."

"Later, it appeared he knew his end was near, and he started to make arrangements for himself, choosing his legacy. That Heavenly Dao Soul Stone, although I didn’t know how it came into being, now seems to contain the extracted essence of energy from these Thunderflame Soul Crystals."

"I don’t know his name; he never told me, and even his surname I learned by chance."

"I was injured very early on and had never fully recovered, and because of me, the former master suffered much. I never expected that this time, thanks to your help in overcoming a major tribulation, Master, I would recover sixty percent..."

Bai Ying recounted a series of events that left Zhou Yan somewhat perplexed.

Zhou Yan could not help but engage in careful contemplation: Ling He and Ni Chang both appeared in the Spiritual Lotus Secret Realm, which should be the domain of the Evil King.

The Evil King was likely named ’Ji Xie’, the one who had killed Li, the White Fox’s last master.

Ji Xie had been gravely injured by Zhou Yan’s master.

Zhou Yan also knew his master had the surname ’Li’, as did this White Fox’s previous master. Even the ’True Self’ of his that appeared in Ling He’s memory also had the surname ’Li’.

Could there be a connection among these three entities?