Chapter 50: Foxy’s Aid
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
All at once, every strand of the black spiderweb tightened. The enormous Flesh Monster let out a muffled, earsplitting roar. Irene strained with every bit of strength she had, controlling those dark, thread-like strands. Her tiny body seemed to glow with eerie determination as she wove the threads through the air, pulling them tight like ropes. Slowly, inch by inch, she dragged the monstrous creature toward the strange, wide-open doorway that Yu Sheng held in place.
Yu Sheng stood beside the door, trying to hold it open as wide as possible. The door’s power allowed it to isolate the world on one side from what lay beyond on the other. Yet merely opening it wasn’t enough to spill the dangers from that distant place into their own. To burn this horrible creature, they would have to shove it completely through to the fiery world on the other side.
Under normal circumstances, this careful separation was a blessing. It ensured that Yu Sheng couldn’t cause disasters simply by peering into places of lava, poison, or worse. But now, he desperately wished he could merge both sides—just imagine: if he could open the door to a pool of molten magma and let it flood out, it would solve everything in an instant. He could roast this monster alive without lifting a finger.
But Yu Sheng knew that was just a hopeless dream. He could barely manage to place the door’s opening where he wanted it. Asking it to become a direct gateway for dangerous things to flow freely was far beyond his skills right now.
As these frustrated thoughts whirled through Yu Sheng’s mind, the Flesh Monster inched ever closer to the door. Irene’s threads pulled it relentlessly, and now some of its many flailing limbs were already forced inside. Yu Sheng glanced beyond the door and saw that the parts of the monster that had crossed through were shriveling and charring in the blazing heat. Bits of its flesh went from slimy red to dry black before crumbling into ash. The sight made Yu Sheng’s stomach twist. He even imagined for a moment that his own limbs were burning, and he shuddered.
The Flesh Monster sensed the scorching danger. Its mindless hunger, once without fear, now felt something like terror. Its body shook violently. Cracks split open across its flesh. Out of these splits, eyes and mouths, fangs and distorted human-like features emerged, all twisting and contorting. Its roar was deafening, rattling Yu Sheng’s ears and making his head swim. But he held fast to the door’s handle, determined to force the monster fully through the gateway into a blazing inferno.
Suddenly, he heard a harsh cracking sound and quickly looked around for the source.
To his relief, it wasn’t Irene’s threads that were breaking. The doll was giving her all, and not one black strand had snapped. Instead, the cracking came from the Flesh Monster itself. It had begun tearing off its own limbs and flesh, pulling apart its body to free itself from the sticky web. It seemed to feel no pain. Wherever a limb was trapped, it simply ripped that piece away and sprouted fresh ones. It clung to nearby rocks, pulling itself out of the web like slimy dough squeezed through a strainer. Its body lost shape, becoming almost fluid, slipping through gaps in Irene’s carefully woven net. It was learning, adapting, changing shape to escape her trap.
Irene’s voice rang out, trembling with panic: “I can’t hold it any longer! My body’s falling apart! Do something, Yu Sheng!”
Yu Sheng turned to look at her. Cracks had formed on Irene’s porcelain-like arms and even across her cheeks. She was breaking apart before his eyes.
“Damn it!” he snarled. He kept one hand on the door, while the other reached toward the monster, though he had no idea how he might help.
Before he could even attempt anything, a sudden gust of wind rushed past his ears. He froze. Was that the howl of a wolf?
Looking up, he saw shadows racing through the night sky. They took the shape of wolves formed out of darkness, a pack of phantom beasts. They charged straight at the Flesh Monster, their teeth tearing into its flesh. They didn’t kill it, but they slowed it down, bought precious moments of time.
Then a deep, booming voice called from behind Yu Sheng: “I’ll help you!”
A huge figure, nearly two meters tall, burst forward. He moved like a whirlwind, then sprang into the air and delivered a mighty kick that struck the Flesh Monster as heavily as a falling boulder. The impact was a thunderous crack.
The massive blow sent the Flesh Monster tumbling toward the door. Its attempts to squirm free were disrupted, and for a moment it couldn’t resist as it slid closer into the inferno beyond.
The large man twisted gracefully in midair before landing, then turned to look at Yu Sheng. “Just in time…” he began. But as soon as his eyes fell on Yu Sheng’s face, his expression changed completely. His jaw fell open, and he stared at Yu Sheng as if struck by lightning. He looked like a soldier who had just been told he was off to fight yet another hopeless battle because of some clueless commander.
Yu Sheng had no idea why this new ally looked so shocked, and he couldn’t spare a thought to wonder about it. He felt the Flesh Monster twisting again. Although half of its body had already burned to charcoal, the other half was still gripping the temple floor, new limbs forming to anchor it in place. It was regenerating at a terrifying speed.
A chill ran through Yu Sheng’s mind. He felt something like a connection to the creature’s frantic eyes. Within those trembling eyes, he sensed a flicker of emotion—anger, hate, perhaps even the spark of thought.
The large man spotted this as well, his face paling. “Oh no! It’s still resisting!” he shouted.
At the same time, Irene’s scream broke the night: “The threads are breaking!”
In an instant, the black strands snapped. Her delicate arms, cracked and damaged, could hold no longer. With a sharp series of pops, the web disintegrated, falling into nothingness.
The monster was free again.
Yu Sheng’s heart sank. He was about to shout for everyone to retreat before it was too late, when something caught his eye. A brilliant blue flame shimmered in the darkness.
Foxy, who had been hiding behind a crumbling wall, now stepped forward, trembling but determined. She stood low to the ground like a predator about to pounce. Her silver fox tail fanned out behind her, its tip wreathed in bright blue spirit fire. She fixed her gaze on the horrible thing at the door. Her eyes were sharp, filled with fierce resolve.
Just as Foxy made her move, black spikes and shards of bone tore from the ground, trying to trap her in place. Yu Sheng gasped in alarm, shouting: “Forget about this—” He wanted to tell her to run, to stay safe.
But before he could finish, Foxy yanked herself free. She snarled, defying the pain, and took a single brave step forward.
In that instant, her foxfire flared brilliantly. A dazzling burst of silver and blue exploded outwards, a streak of blazing light shooting straight at the Flesh Monster. For a fraction of a second, Yu Sheng couldn’t understand what he was seeing. The silver cone of fire hurtled forward, trailing blue sparks, and then smashed into the monster’s back. Though Foxy seemed to hold back some of the explosion’s force, the shockwave still hit Yu Sheng like a punch to the chest. He staggered, feeling as though his bones might rattle apart.
The Flesh Monster lurched under the blow, finally losing its grip and toppling completely through the open door. Its last roar faded as it vanished into that scorching, faraway world.
Yu Sheng took a trembling breath and let go of the door’s handle. The phantom doorway vanished at once, sealing off that deadly place. They were back in the ruined temple, which fell into a silence so heavy it felt unreal.
Irene, drained and damaged, collapsed onto the ground, her arms limp at her sides. Outside the ruined walls, a girl wearing a red dress rode closer on one of the phantom wolves, her face shocked and uncertain. Next to her stood a young man with ordinary black hair, who paused as he spotted Yu Sheng. His eyes narrowed slightly, and a strange look crossed his face.
The massive man who had helped earlier still stared, stunned, at the empty space where the door had been. His face showed deep confusion, like someone who had just woken from a dream.
Yu Sheng didn’t pay them any mind. All he cared about now was Foxy. He looked around and found her struggling to stand. The brilliant glow of her foxfire had faded, and she looked weaker, but she was alive. Relief washed over him.
As he studied her, something seemed off. He realized that Foxy had one fewer tail than before. Yu Sheng froze, understanding now what that silver cone of flame had been. She had launched her own tail like a fiery projectile!
For a moment, Yu Sheng couldn’t speak. He was so astonished that the victory itself felt secondary. Since when did fox creatures fight by firing their own tails as missiles? He had never heard of such a thing. Celestial arts, fox magic—none of his limited knowledge matched what he’d just witnessed.
But Foxy didn’t seem to care about his stunned look. She stumbled forward, reached for Yu Sheng’s arm, and spoke urgently, “Benefactor…”
Yu Sheng stepped in to support her. “You should rest—” he began, voice full of concern.
Foxy cut him off, her tone anxious, “No time to rest, Benefactor, it’s not over yet!”
Yu Sheng’s eyes went wide with surprise.