Return of the Mythic Bloodline

Gumiho's cries grew louder and louder until they turned into ear-deafening roars. Her hair glowed intensely, her body lifted off the ground, and another tail, a third one, unfurled behind her as a suppressive Soulforce spread throughout the area. Her body transformed; long pink fur flowed gracefully like heaven's will, her ethereal pink eyes shone like beautiful gems, and she took on the holy appearance of a three-tailed divine fox that made every beast kneel before her.

Even Vyomendra, who was still mourning the loss of his dearest friend, was utterly awestruck by her appearance.

"The legends were true. The goddess has really descended," Vyomendra declared as he bowed before her.

"What legends, Father?" Vyaghra asked, confused.

"The Ancestor of the fox clan believed that the legends of the beast goddess were only passed down within his clan. However, there was a similar legend about a multi-tailed fox goddess in our clan as well. When Aruma showed me the book, I was certain that the description exactly matched the appearance of the goddess I had read about. So, we sent messages to the Heads of the other beast clans, and surprisingly, all of them had scriptures mentioning the same goddess. Still, we were skeptical if Ume really was the goddess of legends. But now, there are no more doubts."

Vyaghra, still not believing more than half of it, stared at Gumiho curiously. Before he knew it, he was already on his knees, and a tear rolled down his cheek as he witnessed the unfathomable divinity in Gumiho's cries.

The clouds gathered silently and began pouring rain without thunder.

Vyoman itself began weeping upon hearing the cries of the goddess.

It was then that the most ridiculous event of my life happened—one that, every time I remember it, still sends shivers down my spine.

In the sky, where Gumiho was sobbing, the space cracked and split open like a shattering mirror, and from it, a figure emerged.

Their presence was so colossal that not a single beast dared to move. Vyomendra, who was as strong as Aruma, was terrified beyond reason. His lips trembled, and he was drenched in sweat.

"Father, who is that—"

Before Vyaghra could finish, Vyomendra immediately grabbed his head and slammed him to the ground.

"Forgive me, Lord. My son is young and naive," Vyomendra blurted.

"HAHA, I DON'T MIND," the figure's voice echoed.

I didn't hear the voice coming from him—it felt like he was speaking directly inside my head.

"Who could this person be, that even Vyomendra is trembling before him?" I wondered.

His appearance was glitching and distorted, as if something was deliberately trying to conceal him.

"OY, STOP CRYING, OR YOU WILL BRING CALAMITY UPON VYOMAN," the figure said, moving his hand toward Gumiho's forehead.

The moment his finger touched her, Gumiho's cries stopped, and she began to fall.

The figure then turned his focus to the beasts kneeling below and said, "SERVE HER WELL. SHE IS YOUR GODDESS AFTER ALL."

His tone was calm and nonchalant, yet it carried so much authority that the beasts couldn't help but obey.

"Warning!! The Host's core is 99% destroyed. Vivi can't suppress the cursed Soulforce anymore. The Host will soon face the side effects."

"At the end, I couldn't find anything," I sighed as I looked at myself.

My core was gone. There were only countless broken pieces spreading outward from my dantian, and the veins of cursed Soulforce had already reached up to my chest and below my knees.

"Umm, I know it's useless to ask now, but still, I'm curious. Vivi, who is that person?"

"…"

"Vivi?"

"…"

"Vivi, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Host."

"I'm asking, who is he?"

"Error! Host doesn't have enough authority to get that information."

"DON'T BOTHER HER. YOU CAN ASK ME DIRECTLY."

"Huh? Did that person just talk to me?" I gasped. "Uh no, it's not possible. These are just events of the past, so there's no way he can interact with me," I shrugged my shoulders, speaking to myself.

But then suddenly, a thought popped into my mind. "Wait a minute, Gumiho is already unconscious, so how can I see these memories when Gumiho didn't even witness them?"

I immediately gazed at my surroundings, and the moment I did, it utterly stunned me. Gumiho was mid-air, Vyomendra and Vyaghra were on the ground with the other beasts. However, no one was moving. Everything was still, as if time itself had stopped.

I gulped hard and whispered, my voice barely leaving my lips, "Vivi, get me out of here."

"…"

"Vivi, it's not time for jokes."

"…"

"You stupid, bugging AI," I muttered as I tried to run, but then my head suddenly hit something.

"HAHAHA, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN SOMEONE BAD-MOUTHING YOU, VIVI." The figure laughed as he stood directly in front of me. "YOU TRULY FOUND YOUR MATCH."

"Umm… se-senior, how do you know Vivi?" I asked nervously.

"YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO RUN ANYMORE?"

I had read countless cultivation novels. There was one thing I had learned from them; whenever you face someone of unimaginable power, just try to be as polite as possible, because these old coots love being respected.

"How can a mortal like me outrun a senior of unfathomable power, heavenly beauty, and godly presence?"

"BWAHAHA! YOU HEARD HIM, VIVI? THIS KID KNOWS HOW TO KEEP HIS HEAD ON HIS SHOULDERS!"

"Ha, got you, old fart," I thought inwardly.

"Oh great senior, please pardon my impudence with your utmost generosity as I dare to ask you this question—may you grant me the honour of knowing what your relation with Vivi is?"

"HAHAHA! YOU'RE SHOWERING ME WITH ALL THE RESPECTFUL WORDS YOU KNOW, BUT CALLING ME AN OLD FART INSIDE YOUR MIND?"

"I'm fucked," the words subconsciously left my mouth.

"BWAHAHA! YOU'RE TRULY HILARIOUS. CURSING RIGHT TO MY FACE?"

"I wasn't cursing you, senior," I blurted. "I was cursing myself for daring to think disrespectfully of senior."

"YOU WILL FIND THE ANSWERS YOU SEEK ONCE YOU BECOME STRONGER," he declared, then spoke further, "HMM, YOU ARE MERELY AT THE FIRST STEP OF YOUR JOURNEY AND YOU'RE ALREADY IN THIS CONDITION?"

He touched my stomach, from where the cursed Soulforce was spreading out, and rotated his hand, bringing all the broken core pieces together, suppressing the cursed Soulforce inside them.

Then he lightly tapped, and my broken core turned whole again.

My mouth was wide open the entire time he fixed my core. "Th… thank you, senior, for your help."

"NO NEED FOR IT. YOU ARE GOING TO FACE COUNTLESS HURDLES IN YOUR JOURNEY. NOW RETURN BACK TO YOUR TIME."

"Se… senior, wait. I have another request," I pleaded. "Could you help Gumiho as well? Her lifeforce is consumed, and she's on the verge of death."

"YOU ALREADY KNOW THE METHOD TO SAVE HER," the senior declared and pushed my chest as he ordered, "GO."

The senior's face became slightly visible as I fell backward.

There was a faint smile on his face, and he had a vertical diamond-shaped mark at the centre of his forehead—exactly like mine.