40: High Priest Xingche

Looking at her fragile appearance, Xuan Mo unconsciously tightened the arm he was holding her with. A strange emotion called “panic” gnawed at his mental defenses.

Before long, he carried her to the mountaintop. The view here was vast, and the rising sun cast golden rays across the continuous sea of forests.

The vibrant scene, however, could not penetrate her unfocused eyes.

Carefully placing Bai Yao onto the meadow dampened by morning dew, the sunlight immediately enveloped her thin body.

“So warm...”

Bai Yao sighed softly, “If only things could be like this forever, how wonderful that would be.”

Her words carried an almost undetectable regret.

As soon as she spoke, Xuan Mo's expression darkened, “Don't talk nonsense. I will definitely make you better.”

Then, he remembered she couldn't hear.

He pressed his lips together, and finally, carefully grasped her cold hand, trying to let her feel his presence through the warmth of his palm.

The sunlight outlined her fragile silhouette. A thought he had never had before suddenly struck Xuan Mo's heart—perhaps keeping a person should not involve tying them down with ropes, even if the initial intention was protection.

He had previously adhered to the laws of plunder and possession belonging to the Wandering Beasts, but in front of her, that belief fractured for the first time.

Unfortunately, she could not see the struggle in his eyes, nor could she feel the iceberg within his heart quietly melting.

She merely whispered very softly, “Just like this, it seems quite nice...”

Xuan Mo silently lay beside her. As they lay side by side in the morning light, he felt for the first time how insignificant his strength, which he had always been proud of, was before fate.

After an unknown amount of time, Xuan Mo propped himself up and gently touched her hand. “Yao Yao, it's time to go. We're going to Hundred Beasts City.”

Bai Yao showed no reaction whatsoever. She remained lying quietly, her eyelashes motionless, as if all vitality had been drained from her.

Xuan Mo's heart skipped a beat. He gently shook her, “Yao Yao?”

There was no response.

She was like a doll, soft and pliable in his hands.

“Yao Yao? What's wrong?”

Xuan Mo checked her breathing. The faint airflow was almost imperceptible; life was rapidly receding from her pale face.

“No—”

Xuan Mo dared not delay any longer. He scooped her up, his body moving like lightning, rushing straight toward the Witch Doctor's dwelling deep in the forest. He didn't even wait to knock, charging straight inside.

The elderly Witch Doctor was startled by his terrifying aura and took a step back. After a trembling examination, a grave expression appeared on his wrinkled face:

“The toxin has entered her heart meridian. Coupled with the cold air that invaded her body last night, she... is at the end of her rope.”

“What do you mean, 'at the end of her rope'?”

Xuan Mo violently grabbed the Witch Doctor's collar, his eyes bloodshot. “She was just talking and basking in the sun! How can she be dying?”

The Witch Doctor shook his head helplessly. “I have done my best. If you still want to fight for a sliver of hope, go to Hundred Beasts City immediately. Perhaps... there is still a chance. You cannot delay any longer!”

Xuan Mo knew that arguing was useless. Finally, the Witch Doctor gave him a treasured life-saving pill to feed Bai Yao, though he knew it would only delay things for a moment.

Without another word, Xuan Mo picked up Bai Yao and transformed into a black gust of wind, desperately rushing toward Hundred Beasts City.

“Yao Yao, hold on!”

Outside Hundred Beasts City.

The towering city walls, constructed of massive stones, stood majestically, symbolizing order and inviolable authority. As soon as Xuan Mo approached, several powerful auras immediately locked onto him.

The City Guards saw him, especially the barely breathing Female in his arms. Just as they were about to step forward, they were forced back by Xuan Mo's gaze, which contained unconcealed killing intent.

“Call Caesar out.”

Overwhelmed by his aura, the soldiers dared not delay and quickly reported the matter.

Before long, the Young City Lord Caesar appeared, surrounded by a team of elite guards. His golden hair was dazzling, and he wore different attire than last time—exquisite leather armor symbolizing status and power.

His gaze first fell upon Xuan Mo, carrying scrutiny and a hint of unconcealed distance—he maintained a noble's vigilance and subtle contempt toward a powerful yet lawless Wandering Beast.

However, when his eyes landed on the Female in Xuan Mo's arms, who was so pale she was almost lifeless, the contempt vanished, replaced by a solemnity rooted in responsibility.

“Where is the High Priest?”

Caesar wasted no words. His gaze briefly clashed with Xuan Mo's before he stepped aside to clear the path. “Follow me.”

He personally led the way, proceeding without hindrance straight to the core area of the City Lord's Residence.

City Lord's Residence, Council Hall.

The Beast King did not appear, but Caesar was sufficient to represent the will of Hundred Beasts City.

He looked at Xuan Mo. “Xuan Mo, Hundred Beasts City can help you this time, but you need to remember this favor.”

Xuan Mo's attention was entirely on Bai Yao. He didn't even look at Caesar, merely repeating, “Where is the High Priest?”

He carefully placed Bai Yao on the couch covered with thick, soft animal hide, his movements gentle, completely contradicting the sharp aura surrounding him.

Caesar understood his urgency but still maintained the necessary decorum. “The High Priest will arrive immediately. You've traveled a long way; why not go tidy yourself up first?”

He pointedly looked at Xuan Mo's slightly disheveled robes and the dust he had accumulated from rushing here.

Xuan Mo did not move a muscle.

Caesar frowned slightly, offering a reminder befitting a host, “Xuan Mo, if she wakes up and sees you looking so travel-worn, she might become uneasy.”

Only then did Xuan Mo look down and examine himself.

Indeed, at this moment, he was far from the composure expected of a powerful individual.

He took one last look at Bai Yao, who lay frighteningly still on the couch. Finally, Caesar's words took effect. He could not let her see his distressed state.

“She is safe within Hundred Beasts City.”

Caesar added, making it a promise.

Xuan Mo nodded silently, finally following the Attendant to temporarily leave.

Just as the room became empty for a moment.

A figure silently appeared beside the couch.

The newcomer had fiery red hair and wore a large, dark wizard's robe, which accentuated his tall, slender figure.

A pair of slightly upturned peach blossom eyes held a probing smile as they rested upon Bai Yao.

“To make that solitary Snake Emperor humble himself and rush into this Dragon's Den... I truly wonder what kind of Female she is.”

Having said this, he extended a slender finger, the tip wreathed in a faint, invisible spectral light, and gently touched Bai Yao's glabella, attempting to glimpse the trajectory of her fate.

The next moment, the relaxed smile on Xing Che's face suddenly froze, turning into unbelievable astonishment.

In his perception, Bai Yao's past was not any known scene of the Beast World, but a bizarre, colorful realm filled with strange rules and creations (fragments of modern society).

And her future was an even more chaotic mist, impossible to see clearly, as if she herself were a massive “variable” who had completely broken free from this world's web of destiny.

He abruptly retracted his hand, as if burned by an invisible force. This was a situation he had never encountered since mastering the ability to divine.

“Soul from Another World... chaotic fate line...”

He murmured, and his usually smiling peach blossom eyes were now filled with intense interest and shrewd calculation.

“So that's it... No wonder Xuan Mo is acting this way. Interesting, truly interesting...”

Just as he couldn't resist his curiosity, and his fingertip was about to touch Bai Yao's cheek, wanting to feel this variable more tangibly—

“Get lost!”

An extremely violent aura descended with a roar, carrying killing intent, instantly forcing Xing Che back several steps.

Xuan Mo had returned, moving so fast he was only a blur.

He appeared before Xing Che like a phantom, one hand gripping Xing Che's collar like an iron vise, his eyes churning with bloodthirsty cold light. “What are you? Who allowed you to touch her?!”

Caesar followed closely behind. Seeing the scene, he immediately said, “Xuan Mo, let go! This is High Priest Xing Che!”

Xuan Mo's icy gaze swept past Caesar, then returned to Xing Che's face, which had quickly regained its composure. He slowly released his grip, but the muscles all over his body remained taut, ready to attack.

“Do the priests of the Fox Tribe all enjoy showing up uninvited and acting furtively?” he asked sarcastically.

Xing Che calmly adjusted his robe sleeves, a playful smile curling his lips. “I was merely concerned about the patient and came ahead of time to examine her. No one was attending just now, and perhaps my method was inappropriate in my haste. Please forgive me.”

Although he spoke of forgiveness, his eyes held no apology, instead carrying a hint of provocation.

Caesar stepped forward, separating the two, and looked seriously at Xing Che. “High Priest Xing Che, now that you've examined her, what is the condition of the Female Bai Yao?”

As the topic returned to Bai Yao, Xuan Mo immediately fixed his gaze on Xing Che, all his attention drawn away.

Xing Che suppressed some of his mockery. After a moment of silence, his gaze swept over the faintly breathing Bai Yao on the couch, then glanced at the tense Xuan Mo, and finally exchanged a knowing look with Caesar.

He chose to conceal his astonishing discovery, speaking only of the injury:

“The toxin in her body is very troublesome. It has damaged her foundation, and her heart meridian is injured.”

He paused deliberately, sensing Xuan Mo's almost explosive anxiety, before slowly stating, “However, it is not entirely without hope.”

“Can it be cured?”

Xuan Mo asked urgently, every word squeezed out between his teeth.

He possessed great power, yet at this moment, he could only place his hope in this fox whom he disliked.

Xing Che smiled slightly. “It's just that the price... may be considerable.”