Chapter 81

Based on Carami’s advice, the designed decisive first attack inflicted effective damage on the Bear Ghost.

The Bear Ghost struggled even to rise due to its massive body. Nevertheless, Lin did not stop her assault.

Lin held up her index and middle fingers, clasping her hands together. With her gesture, blue foxfire soared into the sky.

The foxfire began to fall one by one, cleaving the air. Blue orbs wrapped in flames poured down, racing through the sky.

As the foxfire descended, its long trail of flames resembled the trajectory of a meteor falling to Earth, bombarding the Bear Ghost like a shower of shooting stars.

Boom!

A blue wave flared, bursting flames in all directions.

At this moment, Lin could control seven foxfires at once. However, with one disappearing and recreating, it was effectively infinite. Foxfire rained down continuously.

Black smoke rose from the Bear Ghost, filling the sky, and the screams were consumed by booming echoes in the gorge.

Just when it seemed the mountains and valleys would turn into plains, Lin stopped her offensive.

Watching the billowing smoke, Lin waited as it slowly began to clear, revealing the Bear Ghost, now collapsed and unmoving. Lin didn’t approach recklessly, only gazing intently.

Suddenly, a new change occurred in the Bear Ghost. Known as the guardian deity of Baeyun Gorge, the Bear Ghost received the grace of the mountains and the earth.

Their essence flowed into the Bear Ghost. The once-blackened fur regained its original color, and the charred wounds began to heal.

This was also part of the strategy that Carami had taught.

It was so-called Phase 2.

In an instant, the Bear Ghost completed its recovery and stood on its feet, exhaling steam like breath.

The Bear Ghost’s Phase 2 went berserk.

Its aggression and agility dramatically increased, and its patterns changed.

As the Bear Ghost clenched its hands and swung its arms as if tearing something apart, the ground was ripped, soaring into the sky. The earth and rock blocked the heavens, creating a spectacle as if a roof had formed over the world.

The ground surged toward Lin as if a force were acting upon her.

The Bear Ghost’s stone sealing sealed the actions of four, for three turns. The way to nullify it was to place Lin in the back row of the 1-4 position and keep the four in front alive until the end.

Since the priority of the stone seal was in the front row, Lin could counter the attack by erecting a scarecrow.

But right now, there was only Lin.

She had to completely bear the attack herself.

This was where Carami and Lin’s devised strategy came into play.

Lin cast sorcery.

Five swaying tails.

A clone identical to Lin appeared.

“If there’s no scarecrow, just make a new one. There’s an old saying about being too attached to things. Would you even know the difference between the original and the clone?”

The prediction was spot on.

Creating four clones, as Lin brought them to the fore, the stones predictably covered the hapless clones. The stones that trapped the clones began to fall to the ground.

This was the pattern that Carami cautioned should absolutely be nullified. From here on, there would only be minor attacks. So now, what was left to do was.

“Beat it the hell up.”

Beat it hard.

Whoosh.

Lin wrapped her fists in flames shaped like foxes. The lazily yawning flaming fox approached for the upcoming play, grinning mischievously alongside Lin.

It was time to dance.

***

The rest was nothing special.

Lin’s merciless barrage masquerading as a massage unleashed sixty-four strikes on the Bear Ghost. It was similar to how men dipping in hot springs would exclaim in relief; the Bear Ghost was no different.

The heat of the fire-imbued enchantment was so soothing that it uttered a “Kgeh!” and crumpled to the ground. It showed no intention of getting back up.

It was dead.

Even if it was a guardian deity of the earth, it wasn’t like it had deposited any fixed amount of essence, and it couldn’t be supplied indefinitely.

In the end, the Bear Ghost could not recover as before and became fertilizer for the earth. No, it was destined to be even less than that.

“Fuu…”

Lin stood on the chest of the Bear Ghost, taking a shallow breath and choosing her timing. The Bear Ghost was not an easy opponent, but Lin had trained steadily with Yu Hwa.

What remained was spirit power, and with Carami’s perfect strategy, there was no way to lose. It couldn’t hold a candle to a regional guardian deity.

Now, it was time to exercise the right of the victor. In a battle against yokai, the winner has the right to claim everything from the loser. With her hand on the Bear Ghost’s chest, Lin began to absorb the essence.

The guardian deity that had protected Baeyun Gorge since ancient times. Its essence, closely linked to the earth, was exceptional. It surpassed any yokai she had absorbed before, both in quality and quantity.

“So delicious…”

Above all, it was incredibly delicious.

So delicious that she almost drooled.

“Should I go hunting for yokai?”

By killing renowned yokai and absorbing their essence, she could convert it all into spirit power. She could become a gumiho much faster.

She’d have to tell Carami about it when she got back.

How much time had passed? After a long while of devouring, she absorbed all of the essence, scraping every last bit clean.

The once-mighty Bear Ghost now seemed like it had been stripped down to nothing but bones and skin. As the Bear Ghost disappeared, the mist began to slowly disperse.

Lin licked her lips contentedly.

“Soon…”

She had a gut feeling that the long-absent sixth tail would soon sprout. Carami would be delighted to hear it.

Sniff, sniff. Lin instinctively sniffed her own scent. Due to her vigorous movements, Carami’s scent had grown faint.

She needed to get back quickly.

Lin scampered back to the fox den with a light, swift gait. However, upon arriving, the atmosphere of the fox den felt strange.

Startled, she faced Rin, who was trying to leave the village with a bundle, like a thief caught in the act.

“Oh, you… you’re back? You came back really early? Did you really catch the Bear Ghost?”

“Where are you going?”

“Oh, I thought since the mist had cleared, maybe I should leave the village.”

It’s surprising to see the usually timid lot, who wouldn’t dare venture out without Lin luring them, leaving the village on their own.

With the Bear Ghost down and the mist cleared, they seized this opportunity to flee. Clever creatures, truly fitting of foxes.

Lin didn’t pay them much mind. She didn’t particularly care where they went. As she passed by, the fox hurriedly exited, and Lin scanned the village.

The fox den felt desolate. Like all the people had hurriedly left like the Hoyo tribe moments ago. Yet it didn’t concern her, as the figure that should have welcomed her was also nowhere to be seen.

They often joke, are childish, and at times untrustworthy, yet in matters like this, they were never one to joke.

“…”

Lin turned around.

“I need to reunite with my party quickly…!”

As the Hoyo tribe scampered away, glancing back at Lin and the fox den, she’d lingered just a moment, yet no one waited for her, and they all left.

She should have returned before the gumiho did, yet fate had them crossing paths. What terrible luck.

She needed to regroup with her party before the gumiho noticed and began to pursue!

Whoosh!

The wind howled through the gorge. A colder and sharper wind blew even more fiercely. Just as that strange feeling prompted the Hoyo tribe to look back…

Crack!

Lin’s new move struck like lightning. She seized the fox by the neck and ruthlessly slammed it to the ground.

“Kyaah!”

So violently was she that the fox’s body bounced upon hitting the ground. Lin gripped tightly as if about to crush its neck.

“Where did you take the master?”

“Wh-what do you mean…”

Crack.

“Speak the truth. Where did you take them?”

“Uh, the elder took them. I don’t even know the location. There weren’t any traces left…”

It was not a lie.

If they had moved as a group, there would have been traces left, but even Lin couldn’t detect any specific signs.

It must be the work of sorcery.

“Well, since I told you, could you let me go now?”

The fox leaned back with a cunning smile, playfully tapping Lin’s arm. Lin, gazing down with a cold stare, tightened her grip, and with a snap, the fox’s neck broke helplessly.

“Crack.”

Lin effortlessly ended the fox’s life, not sparing a single glance. She didn’t absorb its essence either. The thought of their essence mingling within her body was repulsive.

Lin’s gaze turned towards a location not too far away. While family might be difficult to locate once apart, their relationship was more that of a servant and master.

No matter how far apart they were, she would know.

With her focus set, Lin leaped toward that direction.

***

“Meep!”

She passed through a treacherous mountain path, bound by a plant stem at her wrists. The Hoyo tribe thoroughly guarded her backside.

As Lin was enjoying the exciting spectacle of battle, the Hoyo tribe suddenly struck. Had these foxes been after her insides, she wondered, but they instead dragged her outside the village.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To anywhere. We want to keep you far from the gumiho.”

“What for? With the Bear Ghost down, can’t the gumiho just live freely as it wishes?”

“Whatever you plan to do as a gumiho, we can’t let you do it. Whatever it is, it won’t be beneficial for us. The aftereffects will likely affect the Hoyo tribe as well.”

In other words, since they couldn’t match Lin’s abilities, they were trying to take her far away instead. They figured that if she wouldn’t be there to raise the gumiho, it would at least provide some minimal precaution.

The reason they didn’t kill her could be viewed as insurance against the day Lin might chase after them.

Meanwhile, they affixed talismans with incomprehensible symbols onto trees at intervals. Naturally, she couldn’t interpret them but guessed they were meant to obstruct tracking.

On top of that, they also set up moving barriers that blocked sounds and traces, clearly well aware of what would happen if Lin caught up.

“How thorough…”

At this rate, she doubted even Lin could find her. What would happen then?

“Oh? That?”

Before she had time to think about it, one of the Hoyo tribe members pointed to the sky. In the clear sky, a pink fox with five tails spread like wings against the moon.

Emotionless eyes surveyed down at them.

While she didn’t know much, she understood this one thing.

You are doomed.

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