Protect Our Patriarch

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Meanwhile, Wang Zongsheng and Yuwen Jianye hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects: "Greetings to Fourth Uncle the Patriarch."

Wang Shouzhe raised his hand in response and exchanged a few pleasantries with Yuwen Jianye before turning his attention to Wang Zongsheng: "Well, well, it hasn't been long since we last met, and you've grown much more robust. It seems your 'Nine Revolutions Body Refining Technique' has improved again. If it were purely a contest of strength, I'm afraid even I wouldn't be your match."

"Thank you for the compliment, Fourth Uncle." Wang Zongsheng scratched his head sheepishly, "With Fourth Uncle stepping in, the issue with the six-tailed fire fox should be resolved."

In Wang Zongsheng's eyes, his Fourth Uncle Wang Shouzhe was omnipotent. With him taking action, success was naturally guaranteed.

"Zongsheng, you're exaggerating," Ji Mingyu said with a slight dissatisfaction, "Brother Shouzhe is indeed extraordinary, but the pickiness of that six-tailed fire fox is truly worrisome."

"Actually, I'm not entirely confident myself," Wang Shouzhe said indifferently, "We can only try and see. Whether it works or not, it will repay Lady Bilian's favor."

Having said that, Wang Shouzhe calmly walked into the Heavenly Fox Pavilion.

As he approached the Heavenly Fox Pavilion, the fiery energy hit him like a wave, and the heat was like being in a volcanic cave.

Inside, the temperature soared even higher, and even with Wang Shouzhe's formidable physique, he could feel his skin burning and his vision blurring. He circulated his profound energy, and the thick energy immediately surged, isolating the heat wave, and instantly he felt cool all over.

He took a quick look around, and the Heavenly Fox Pavilion was the epitome of luxury, furnished with fire-elemental spirit wood, various fire crystal bricks, and some fire-elemental spirit stones.

"Goodness," even with Wang Shouzhe's wealth, he couldn't help but marvel. The Yuwen's Clan was truly a long-established noble family, with the Hundred Flavors Pavilion's business spread throughout Longzuo Commandery, indeed very profitable.

Just this Heavenly Fox Pavilion and various facilities were probably worth millions of Top Gold, all for the sake of serving this one six-tailed fire fox. However, as long as the six-tailed fire fox advanced to a seven-tailed fire fox, it would all be worth it.

"Squeak~" A crisp fox cry rang out.

Wang Shouzhe looked up to see a not-so-large crimson fox lying in a nest made of fire-elemental spirit stones, its six flame-like tails held high, swaying gently as if they were burning bonfires, bright and fiery.

This was the six-tailed fire fox, and it was clearly in a bad mood, lying there lazily with precious spirit food and pills for advancement scattered in front of it.

"Another one who doesn't get it, how many times have I told them, I want a handsome..." The six-tailed fire fox lazily glanced at Wang Shouzhe, then suddenly, its eyes widened.

This young man is quite handsome... But being handsome is not enough; he must also have charisma.

Hmm? This young man has quite a good aura, standing there with an extraordinary demeanor and a profound presence. But, just having charisma is not enough; he must also have a certain scent.

"Squeak!" The six-tailed fire fox's nostrils flared a few times, and it became excited, pouncing towards Wang Shouzhe like a streak of flame. Its nostrils kept fluttering, enjoying the scent, which seemed to be the preferred fragrance of Yimu (Ethereal Wood) spirit energy.

No, no, Yimu spirit energy definitely doesn't smell this good.

The six-tailed fire fox kept circling Wang Shouzhe, its thoughts drifting endlessly. What is this scent? It's so nice. It really invigorates me.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak." The six-tailed fire fox, though not lacking in spiritual intelligence, had not yet reached seven tails and its throat's invisible bone had not yet been refined, so it could not yet speak human language.

But with gestures and squeaks, Wang Shouzhe easily understood its intentions. It wanted him to cuddle and lift it high.

It's worth mentioning that although the six-tailed fire fox liked to be fed by handsome guys, it had never had such a demand for cuddling and lifting before. But the scent on this person was too tempting, like the scent it smelled in its mother's belly.

Seeing the six-tailed fire fox looking very cute and pretty, like a cuddly pet, Wang Shouzhe was quite pleased and said: "Cuddling is fine, but first eat up all that spirit food and the pills for advancement. These were not easy for the Yuwen's Clan to gather."

"Squeak!" Although the six-tailed fire fox was somewhat impatient for a cuddle, it obediently ate up the spirit stones and pills. In fact, it wasn't unwilling to advance; it had just become habitually haughty over time.

It quickly devoured the spirit food and pills and then, as if to show off its achievement, threw itself into Wang Shouzhe's arms.

Wang Shouzhe intended to stroke its fur, but unexpectedly, a blazing aura of flames burst forth from the fox. At the same time, in the sky above the Yuwen's Clan's backyard, massive clouds surged in an instant, churning like the waves of the sea.

Especially centered around the Heavenly Fox Pavilion, a vortex of cloud and energy formed.

"The six-tailed fire fox is about to advance," Lady Bilian's face lit up with joy, but before she could get excited, a fierce gale enveloped the entire Heavenly Fox Pavilion.

They, standing on the edge of the gale, were blown about, unable to stand firm, and as time went on, the gale grew more and more violent.

"The tribulation for advancing to a seventh-rank spirit beast is too fierce; the peripheral sea of clouds and gale is not something we at the Spirit Platform realm can withstand," Lady Bilian said urgently, "Everyone, evacuate."

"What about my Fourth Uncle?" Wang Zongsheng was sweating profusely with anxiety, "He's trapped in the sea of clouds and gale, doesn't the Yuwen's Clan have a Celestial realm cultivator? Quickly send someone to rescue my Fourth Uncle."

"It's too late, the tribulation vortex has already formed; no one can enter or leave," Lady Bilian said with a slightly heavy expression, "The tribulation for a sixth-rank spirit beast advancing is comparable to the power of the Purple Mansion realm. But don't worry too much, Wang Shouzhe is in the center of the tribulation vortex, which is actually the calmest and safest place. As long as he doesn't act rashly, there won't be a problem."

Ji Mingyu, also from a sixth-rank family, understood some of the intricacies and quickly pulled the agitated Wang Zongsheng: "Lady Bilian is not lying, with the six-tailed fire fox resisting the heavenly thunder, the center of the vortex is indeed the safest. Let's go, it's not safe here."

As they spoke, a gust of wind swept by, tearing some of the wooden buildings into pieces.

Ji Mingyu dragged Wang Zongsheng away, shouting loudly: "Brother Shouzhe, stay put in a corner, don't make any moves, and don't interfere with the tribulation!"

At that moment, the wind howled, and it was uncertain whether Wang Shouzhe could hear them. Everyone could only mutter to themselves, hoping that Wang Shouzhe would be wise.

***

Faced with the sudden formation of the terrifying heavenly tribulation, Wang Shouzhe was speechless. How long had this six-tailed fire fox been dragging out the seventh-rank tribulation?

Once the breakthrough occurred, the tribulation came so swiftly and fiercely that he was caught off guard and trapped in the middle of the tribulation vortex.

However, Wang Shouzhe, as the head of a family and with far-reaching ambitions, had already learned through the knowledge of the academy about the common sense of breaking through each rank. A sixth-rank fierce spirit beast, when breaking through to the seventh rank, faces what is known as the Spirit Transformation Tribulation. Once it successfully breaks through to the seventh rank, its spiritual intelligence will truly flourish, refining the invisible bone in its throat, capable of recognizing characters, reading books, and speaking human language, with extremely high intelligence.

At that time, their wisdom would be no different from humans, and even higher than many ordinary humans. In the wild lands beyond the domain, they would be a formidable demon with great influence.

Faced with this situation, Wang Shouzhe immediately judged the situation. That is to stay true to oneself, stand firm, and pretend to be non-existent, not to interfere with the tribulation. Otherwise, once interfered with, he would be regarded as an enemy by the tribulation, and a bolt of heavenly thunder would be directed at him, which he would not be able to withstand.

The clouds of tribulation were dense, and the thunder roared as it brewed.

The six-tailed fire fox chattered as if instructing Wang Shouzhe not to move rashly, lest it harm both of them. It leapt into the sky, its form growing larger, bracing itself against the heavenly thunder.

"Boom!"

The first bolt of heavenly thunder struck, and the six-tailed fire fox, after withstanding it, merely swayed a bit, as if it had not been hurt.

What followed were the second and third bolts of heavenly thunder.

Inside the Heavenly Fox Pavilion.

Wang Shouzhe was also silently counting in his heart. According to the rules of the heavenly tribulation, it should withstand six bolts of thunder. In this regard, humans and spirit beasts were not much different.

When advancing from the Spirit Platform realm to the Celestial realm, one needs to endure three bolts of heavenly thunder, and six for the Purple Mansion realm. However, fierce beasts are unluckier than humans; the power of the heavenly thunder seems to be much greater. The number of fierce beasts that fall during the tribulation is far greater than that of humans.

Back then, when Ancestor Long Yan advanced to the Celestial realm, she passed the tribulation with ease.

The fourth!

"Boom!"

Under the flash of lightning and thunder, the six-tailed fire fox staggered after withstanding the fourth bolt, nearly falling from the sky.

Wang Shouzhe thought to himself that this was not good. The fox was already struggling with the fourth bolt, how would it withstand the even stronger fifth and sixth bolts? If it were any other time, he, Wang Shouzhe, would not care about this.

But once the tribulation formed, regardless of whether you could withstand it or not, it would proceed as if completing a task, and not a single bolt of the six would be missing. If the fox couldn't withstand it, wouldn't he be the one to suffer...

At this moment, the six-tailed fire fox seemed to know that it was difficult for it to survive the tribulation. Facing the fifth bolt of heavenly thunder, it opened its mouth and spat out an inner core like a red fireball, its fiery aura surging as if it was making a desperate attempt.

"Boom!"

The power of the fifth bolt of heavenly thunder was even more ferocious than Wang Shouzhe had imagined.

"Crack!" The six-tailed fire fox was struck by the heavenly thunder, turning black all over, and the inner core it spat out was cracked. It fell from the sky, and the huge body of the six-tailed fire fox shrank more and more.

"Boom!" It returned to its original small and exquisite form and was thrown back into the Heavenly Fox Pavilion.

In the sky, the most powerful sixth bolt of heavenly thunder was brewing, as if ready to shatter the Heavenly Fox Pavilion along with it.

"Uh... okay then." Wang Shouzhe was speechless. Today's task, which originally seemed extremely simple, was just to coax a spirit beast to eat. But unexpectedly, a routine task turned into an epic one.

The six-tailed fire fox looked at Wang Shouzhe, its expressive eyes seemingly filled with apology, as if conveying that it had implicated him. However, immediately after, its eyes showed some joy, as if saying, having such a handsome young man to accompany it... it didn't seem to have any regrets.

No regrets, you bastard?

Wang Shouzhe helplessly moved to its side, picked up the charred six-tailed fire fox, and then the profound energy within his body surged wildly, pouring into its body.

Under the highly healing profound energy of Wang Shouzhe, the injuries of the six-tailed fire fox recovered at a visibly rapid pace. It was very surprised, and in its crystal-like fiery eyes, there was also some bewilderment.

But Wang Shouzhe's actions were clearly interfering with the operation of the heavenly way.

The clouds of tribulation in the sky became even more turbulent, and the lightning of the brewing heavenly thunder flickered, seemingly becoming even stronger.

"Little fox, our fates are now completely entwined," Wang Shouzhe said as he tried his best to heal it, "You must withstand the sixth bolt of heavenly thunder, otherwise, we're both done for. You must persevere, for the both of us~~"

"Squeak! Squeak!" The six-tailed fire fox chirped excitedly twice, then seemed to shyly burrow into Wang Shouzhe's arms, softly chattering as if telling him something.

This left Wang Shouzhe utterly baffled. What's going on? I'm telling you to brace yourself for the heavenly thunder, and you're acting coy? Is this the time to be coy?

Fortunately, Wang Shouzhe's own bloodline, which he didn't quite understand, had a healing ability that was extremely strong and terrifying. In not too long, its injuries seemed to have recovered by half.

But just then.

The sixth bolt of heavenly thunder, which had been brewing for some time, finally came crashing down, much stronger than the fifth bolt.

The six-tailed fire fox suddenly leapt from Wang Shouzhe's arms and flew into the sky against the gale, letting out a heaven-shaking screech with a "squeak," as if it had dispersed much of the tribulation clouds.

Wang Shouzhe encouraged loudly: "That's right, that's the spirit! Believe in yourself, you can definitely withstand it." He joked, if you can't withstand it, we'll have to die together!

"Squeak!"

The six-tailed fire fox revealed a body several zhang in size, its reddish fur burning like a peerless fierce beast treading the air, facing the heavenly thunder with a demeanor as if the wind was cold and the water was chilling.

"Boom!" The sixth bolt of heavenly thunder struck it as expected.

But at the same time, a small "branch" of heavenly thunder split from the sixth bolt, aiming precisely at Wang Shouzhe. It seemed as if the heavenly way had recognized Wang Shouzhe as the "criminal" interfering with its operation.

"Come on! Must it be so vindictive?"

Wang Shouzhe hadn't cursed in a long time, feeling a tingling all over, cold and clammy. The power of this level of heavenly thunder, especially the last few bolts, was far beyond the full-strength strike of an ordinary Purple Mansion realm cultivator.

The Purple Mansion Sword Talisman that Wang Shouzhe had used at the time was far less powerful than the last few bolts of heavenly thunder. Especially the sixth bolt, even if it split off a "branch," its power was extremely terrifying, making Wang Shouzhe instinctively feel a numbing sense of impending doom.

Now, the six-tailed fire fox was surely unable to help, and everything depended on himself.

All these thoughts were just in an instant, and Wang Shouzhe immediately made various arrangements and preparations.