The light of the bright full moon in the firmament was gradually blocked out as leaden clouds hurried away, leaving only two perfectly circular halos of light cast upon Chu Fei.
The intense gazes and oppressive auras were enough to make anyone's blood run cold.
Vast waves of steam surged repeatedly over Chu Fei as a massive creature heoved and breathed, accompanied by the deafening, thunder-drum-like thumping of a colossal heartbeat.
No human could possibly make a sound that loud.
Chu Fei's expression stiffened. He blinked and turned around; with Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo out of the way, Daming and Erming had arrived far quicker than expected.
There in the dark of night stood a dragon and an ape side by side. Beneath deep-green, moon-like round pupils, gazes brimming with murderous intent were locked onto Chu Fei.
If looks could kill, Chu Fei feared these two fellows would have killed him hundreds of times over.
"Daming, it was him who killed Mother!" Erming's booming voice was terrifying to the extreme. He glared at Chu Fei, speaking with absolute certainty.
Being blocked by Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo for a while earlier had already infuriated him; now that he saw the enemy right before his eyes, how could he possibly hold back?
Daming nodded, the bovine head likewise revealing a fierce, murderous glare without the slightest doubt about the truth of Erming's words.
Eyes might deceive them, but auras never did. The patterns of the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring on the young man before them, coupled with the aura emanating from the Blood God Child beside him—
All signs pointed to the fact that this fellow was the criminal who had killed Xiao Wu's Mother!
"Hey, it wasn't me, I didn't do it!" Chu Fei tried to defend himself. Xiao Wu's Mother had thrown herself forward for the sacrifice on her own accord—what did that have to do with him?
Yet how could Daming and Erming afford him the time for explanations? An iron fist and a serpentine tail came whistling down right at his face.
Chu Fei was already standing in place, fully prepared to accept his death. He was incapable of fighting head-on; even the Blood God Child would find it a tough struggle against the physical bodies of two Hundred-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts.
"Daming, Erming, wait!" An ethereal voice suddenly rang out from Chu Fei.
That familiar voice instantly brought the serpentine tail and the ape's fist to a grinding halt.
The young girl sitting on Erming's shoulder burst into tears the moment she heard that voice. No one could possibly be more familiar with it than she was.
"Mother!"
With that sob, Daming and Erming both instantly behaved themselves.
A childish voice cried out tearfully.
Right there on the shoulder of the mountain-like giant ape, Xiao Wu, who looked to be about eight years old, hugged its ears and wept, her eyes fixed intently upon Chu Fei's soul ring.
From within Chu Fei's soul ring, a nearly transparent soul gradually drifted out.
After her sacrifice, Xiao Wu's Mother had not completely perished; instead, her soul remained behind, dwelling within that soul ring.
With light, graceful steps, she walked before Daming, Erming, and Xiao Wu.
Her gaze filled with tender affection as she looked at them, the corners of her mouth carrying a bitter smile. "He is not the murderer who killed me. You hit the wrong person."
The appearance of Xiao Wu's Mother made the others immediately docile as they stayed right where they were, listening attentively from start to finish as she recounted the entire sequence of events.
Xiao Wu, sitting on Erming's shoulder, nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice and chimed in, "The one who hunted Mother down was a wicked woman!"
Upon hearing that Spirit Hall had attempted to kill her, Xiao Wu burst into tears, completely inconsolable no matter how Daming and Erming tried to coax her.
Daming and Erming also looked sincerely at Chu Fei and apologized, "We are sorry. We thought you were that villain. Had we killed you, we would have regretted it for the rest of our lives!"
Seeing their honest and simple-minded demeanor, Chu Fei merely waved his hand and smiled. "It's nothing. Rather, I should say I was the one who received her grace and was given so much."
"I promise you, when the day comes that I achieve godhood, I will surely resurrect her!"
Resurrection was still a distant, hazy prospect, and achieving godhood was something no one knew would happen, so Xiao Wu's Mother didn't take it to heart.
She simply hovered beside Xiao Wu in her soul form, using her transparent hands to wipe Xiao Wu's tears over and over again, her eyes brimming with pity.
Achieving godhood and resurrection, huh...
Chu Fei wasn't entirely sure whether he could actually pull it off. Resurrection was no trouble for himself, but for others, it would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Chu Fei looked over at the Blood God Child standing nearby, completely motionless and blank like a wooden chicken, and then glanced back at Xiao Wu's Mother in her soul state. In an instant, he slapped his thigh hard.
Who said resurrecting Xiao Wu's Mother had to wait until he achieved godhood? It might very well be possible right now!
The Blood God Child possessed no soul of its own; it was entirely under Chu Fei's control, and it was inherently incapable of cultivation or advancement.
Most importantly, this Blood God Child had been condensed from the soul ring of Xiao Wu's Mother, meaning it carried her aura.
If Xiao Wu's Mother's soul were to enter the body of the Blood God Child, a perfect fusion might be achieved, thereby accomplishing an alternative form of resurrection.
However, while the method was feasible, it was not without drawbacks... Because the Blood God Child was completely submissive to Chu Fei, once Xiao Wu's Mother resurrected through it, she would effectively become Chu Fei's female bondservant.
"I can help you resurrect right now, but there is one drawback: if you are resurrected through this method, your strength will not grow, and you will forever obey my commands."
"Whether you wish to be resurrected under such constraints—the choice is yours."
While Xiao Wu's Mother was comforting Xiao Wu, Chu Fei's voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
She covered her startled mouth and looked down at Chu Fei below, opening her lips but finding herself momentarily at a loss for words.
To be controlled... Spirit beasts naturally treasured their freedom, making it very difficult to accept being bound. Yet when she saw that she couldn't even wipe away Xiao Wu's tears, her mind was instantly made up.
What did minor constraints matter if it meant she could be resurrected?
Xiao Wu's Mother nodded toward Chu Fei and transmitted her voice back, "Resurrect me. I can accept any consequences."
With the consent of the person concerned, Chu Fei immediately summoned the Blood God Child.
Under the watchful eyes of Daming and Erming, the soul of Xiao Wu's Mother gradually merged into the Blood God Child. With the injection of the soul, the vessel slowly transformed, shifting into a female form—the exact appearance Xiao Wu's Mother had when they first met her.
With their auras matching and the body being soulless, the entire integration process went remarkably smoothly.
It worked!
Feeling the changes in the Blood God Child, Chu Fei was somewhat surprised. The Blood God Child, whose soul power had previously been fixed, gained a level due to the entry of the soul; it transitioned from a lifeless object into something vibrant and intelligent, ultimately becoming indistinguishable from a living person.
Along with the complete integration of her soul, the body opened its eyes.
Following the thorough transformation, the corners of the brow and expression of the vessel were alluring and charming, every slight movement exuding elegance and grace.
Even Daming and Erming couldn't pick out a single flaw—it was no different from a true resurrection!
Sensing the familiar aura, Xiao Wu's face was instantly streaked with tears as she threw herself directly into her mother's embrace and wept bitterly, crying, "Mother!"
Only after feeling the genuine warmth of a heartbeat did Xiao Wu slowly calm her emotions.
Xiao Wu's Mother was likewise overcome with intense emotion.
She was alive!
Chu Fei discreetly stepped back to the side, careful not to disturb the touching scene of the mother and daughter reuniting.
After a long while, Xiao Wu's Mother gradually steadied her emotions.
She turned around, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, and looked at Chu Fei with a gentle, respectful tone, saying, "My humble name is Tu Ya. The benefactor has shown me immense and boundless grace that I can never fully repay. From this day onward, this body of mine shall serve as your blade, at your beck and call, ready to brave fire and water without hesitation!"
"Furthermore... I have discovered that my current self is not incapable of growing stronger; rather, I am able to communicate with soul power and continue my cultivation and advancement. It is no different from normal circumstances."
She could cultivate normally?
Tu Ya was not lying; Chu Fei could perceive it with a single thought.
This was truly an unexpected windfall.
That being the case, he had just found a way to make the Blood God Child even stronger.