Sally reflexively scooped up Little Shier along with his sleeping bag, swiftly stashing them into the System Space.
Then she held her breath and took out a few amulets to conceal her scent.
"Where is it?" Along with a hoarse and grating voice, the sound of something scraping against the ground slithered through the crevice.
Before her eyes, a glimpse of a snake's body with red patterns glided past the gap in the rocks, unable to discern the whole body, indicating something massive.
"Could it be I'm so hungry that I'm hallucinating?"
"In a few days, the Netherworld Lord is taking consorts, you can feast then."
"What gift have you prepared?"
"The skin I shed last time."
"Then I'll give the fur I dropped."
Sally cautiously left her hiding place behind the large rock, only after hearing their voices fade away, and found a less conspicuous medium-sized rock to hide behind, where she dug out a hole and squeezed into it.
Just after she concealed herself, the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox flew overhead, his demeanor both stunning and noble, like a deity.
Suddenly, he lowered his head to glance at the ground, his gaze pensive, as though searching for something.
Having just given birth, Sally had recovered physically, but she was still depleted mentally, so she fell into a deep sleep inside the hole.
When she awoke, Xiaomei had already finished upgrading.
[Host, the real name of the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox is Qing Linghuan.]
[Wait a second, how did you suddenly upgrade?]
[The search for the past of the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox exceeded the System's time query range, so Xiaomei installed an unlimited time program. I'll notify the host in advance next time.]
[Alright, send Little Shier back to his father, I bet Qilin Academy is anxious by now.]
[Okay, should I send him now?]
[...The day after tomorrow, I want to hold him for two more days.] Sally took Little Shier out of the space.
The little one was still asleep but stretched out a tiny pink tongue to lick Sally's fur as he caught her scent.
Sally, being small, almost lost her balance.
"There, there," Sally gazed at Little Shier, "Your father values you so much, he came up with over a thousand names yet couldn't settle on one. Let your mother name you. Combining your father's and mother's surnames, your name shall be Zhu Suyunrui, and your nickname will be Shier; you have eleven elder brothers and sisters. Once your Aunt Xiaomei develops the summoning function, mother will gather you all together to meet each other."
Twelve babies, although all were little animals and some still unhatched, filled her, the mother, with a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
Little Shier, fast asleep, suddenly rolled over, exposing his soft, golden-scaled belly.
"Mother's babies, each one adorably unbeatable." Sally kissed Little Shier's forehead.
Zhu Sanlang lay on the couch where Sally once rested, reminiscing every moment they spent together.
He replayed the memories over and over, wishing to etch them into his bones.
Zhu Yin and the clan elders had gone to the Fox Hole in Green Hill Valley to demand answers. If the old foxes of Green Hill Valley showed even the slightest reluctance in finding the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, Qilin Academy was prepared to wipe out Green Hill Valley to compel the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox to show up.
Both Sally and the child had been taken by the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox; he believed she would protect the child, yet he couldn't help but worry about potential mishaps.
The might of that Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, who had lived even longer than Great Uncle, was imaginable.
Suddenly, something heavy settled into his arms.
A baby swaddle appeared in his embrace.
Looking at the swaddle in his arms, his vision blurred... With trembling fingers, he unwrapped the swaddle.
A small, golden Little Kirin lay softly inside, asleep, its round belly rose and fell rhythmically, indicating deep slumber.
"Have I become a thing of the past?"
At that moment, he experienced the feelings of those Beast Husbands who had received their children: immense joy mixed with indescribable loss and bitterness.
Gently, he hugged the Little Shier in his arms tighter...
[Are you saying the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox had a chance to return to the Divine Realm, but during the descent of his Divine Status, it suddenly disappeared?]
[Yes, it vanished into thin air. I've checked many times, and only after scouring that period did I find some clues.]
[A hand stole his Divine Status.]
[A hand? Who could steal the Divine Status at the moment of its descent?]
[The time was too brief; I could only see that the hand had six fingers!]
[That's indeed vital information. We can use this to make a deal with the Nine-tailed Celestial Fox and have him transport us off the Youming Continent.]
[Don't you want to bear his offspring?]
[He nearly squashed me to death! Bear his children? I'm not sick, I don't enjoy abuse!]