Chapter 92: Purifying the Spirit Spring

Luo Sang is puzzled and follows Fei Li back to the open space.

Looking around, Luo Sang was the first to voice his confusion, “There are flowers and grass all around, so why is this patch so empty?”

“You noticed it too,” Fei Li replied.

As he spoke, he stood in the center of the open space, his eyes scanning the area for something.

“There’s nothing here. What are you looking for?”

He looked up at Luo Sang. “Help me find any small dried branches or something. I don’t believe the Fox tribe left no traces behind.”

No matter how the Fox tribe destroyed the Muzhi herb, there should still be some roots or leaves left behind, right?

He was determined to find something, carefully searching every little corner.

Luo Sang also began searching. As soon as he moved his foot, he spotted a small dried branch beneath it and quickly picked it up.

“Is this the Muzhi herb you’re looking for?”

Hearing this, Fei Li immediately turned around.

He took the small dried branch from Luo Sang’s hand, sniffed it, and his face lit up with joy. “Yes, this is Muzhi herb! I can’t believe we actually found it here.”

Glancing at the dried-out Muzhi herb, Luo Sang hesitated to burst his bubble but had to say, “Remember, you said we need the juice from the Muzhi herb to purify the Spirit Spring? But now the herb is all dried up—will it still work?”

Holding the herb, Fei Li smiled mysteriously at Luo Sang.

In his hand, the Muzhi herb slowly sprouted fresh leaves, and even the roots began to grow.

Seeing this, Luo Sang finally understood. “Great! Now that we’ve found the Muzhi herb, once we purify the Spirit Spring, we can leave and return to the tribe.”

Their time away from the tribe had been much longer than previous hunting trips, and Luo Sang was worried that something might have happened to the tribe in their absence.

As the tribe’s leader, Luo Sang was always concerned about the tribe’s safety.

Sensing his worry, Fei Li didn’t delay and immediately brought the Muzhi herb back to the Ox Tribe’s settlement.

When they returned, Mitu was overjoyed to learn they had found the herb to purify the Spirit Spring.

The purification of the Spirit Spring was something that had weighed on the Ox Tribe for centuries.

Looking at the lush Muzhi herb, Mitu excitedly said, “Let’s take the Muzhi herb and purify the Spirit Spring right away!”

Fei Li agreed with Mitu’s suggestion, and together with the Ox Tribe’s orcs, the two of them headed to the Spirit Spring.

Standing at the edge of the spring, Fei Li plucked a few leaves from the Muzhi herb, squeezed the juice out, and let it drip into the spring.

As soon as the green juice mixed with the murky water, the spring was instantly purified.

The once blackened water became crystal clear, and even the silt at the bottom of the spring was visible.

The members of the Ox Tribe all smiled, feeling the weight lifted from their hearts.

Mitu, smiling at Fei Li, said, “This is wonderful! Now that the Spirit Spring has been restored, our tribe’s mission is finally complete.”

But just as everyone was celebrating, the spring suddenly began to bubble.

From the center of the spring, a transparent figure of a tall humanoid form emerged, towering over everyone present.

The figure’s cold gaze swept across the crowd before finally settling on Fei Li. “Was it you who purified me?”

Fei Li nodded.

“I never thought I’d be purified by a human… How unexpected…” The Spirit Spring paused, its gaze on Fei Li deepening. “No, you’re not an ordinary human.”

After studying him for a long while, the Spirit Spring finally spoke again, “I see.”

Luo Sang furrowed his brow, a strange sense of unease growing in his heart from the Spirit Spring’s words.

The once serious Spirit Spring revealed a slight smile. “Since you purified me, I should repay you. What would you like me to do for you?”

Fei Li thought for a moment. His life is going well right now.

After waking up from three years of slumber, his spiritual energy seemed even more abundant than before.

With the help of some modern knowledge, there wasn’t much for him to worry about here.

“Thank you for your kindness, but I’m fine for now. I don’t need anything from you.”

A hint of surprise flashed in the Spirit Spring’s eyes. A human who wasn’t greedy?

Smiling, the Spirit Spring transformed a drop of its water into a transparent crystal and handed it to Fei Li.

“This is proof of the favor I owe you. Come find me if you ever need help in the future.”

Before Fei Li could decide whether to accept it or not, the Spirit Spring turned its gaze toward Mitu. “Mitu, your Ox Tribe has worked hard to protect me. I will grant your tribe a portion of my spiritual power, making your tribe stronger. Consider it my repayment.”

With those words, the Spirit Spring raised a wave of clear water, which sprinkled over all the members of the Ox Tribe.

As the water entered their bodies, the Ox Tribe members instantly felt an overwhelming surge of energy.

Mitu led the tribe in bowing to the Spirit Spring. “Thank you for your grace.”

The Spirit Spring glanced at the orcs, then returned to the spring.

In an instant, the Spirit Spring vanished, and in its place was a lush, green field.

Mitu looked puzzled. “The Spirit Spring has disappeared?”

“It seems that after being purified, the Spirit Spring has hidden itself,” Fei Li remarked, recalling the Spirit Spring he had seen on the mountain.

Looking at the green field before them, Fei Li understood that this was also a gift from the Spirit Spring to the Ox Tribe.

It seemed like everything here could finally come to an end.

He walked over to Luo Sang and took his hand. “We can finally go home.”

Mitu, along with the Ox Tribe, bowed once more to the two of them. “Thank you for coming. Without your help, our Ox Tribe might still be under the oppression of the Fox tribe.”

“For a long time, we hated humans because we were oppressed by them. Later, we were also oppressed by the Fox tribe, which made us unwilling to trust any race. But after meeting you, I’ve finally realized that good and evil exist in all tribes.”

“Fei Li, Luo Sang, you are the heroes of the Ox Tribe.”

After finishing his words, Mitu led the Ox Tribe in performing the highest ceremonial gesture among orcs.

It was the first time Fei Li had been praised so wholeheartedly, and while he was delighted, he maintained a modest front.

He waved his hand with a smile, “No need for thanks. We only came here because we owed someone else a favor. Now that the matter of the Spirit Spring is settled, we should return to our tribe.”

Just as Mitu was about to speak, a cheerful voice sounded from a distance, “Leaving so soon? I haven’t had the chance to properly host you two. It feels wrong to let you go like this. Why not stay with us at the Fox tribe for a few days?”

All the orcs turned to see that Hu Zong had arrived with members of the Fox tribe, standing not far away.

One sharp-eyed fox orc noticed the Spirit Spring’s absence and spoke in surprise, “Lord Hu Zong! Look, the Spirit Spring is gone!”

Hu Zong’s gaze passed through the Ox Tribe, landing directly where the Spirit Spring had been. It was truly gone.

How could this be?

“What did you do to the Spirit Spring?” Hu Zong’s tone grew colder.

Fei Li coldly looked at Hu Zong, having long been disgusted by his pretentiousness. “The Spirit Spring has disappeared, so the Fox tribe should stop troubling the Ox Tribe from now on.”

He was always worried that without resolving the grudge between the two tribes, the cunning Fox tribe would continue to scheme against the Ox Tribe.

Just thinking about the young calf that became food for the Fox tribe made Fei Li upset.

“Why has the Spirit Spring disappeared?” Hu Zong clenched his fists, his gaze toward the Ox Tribe filled with newfound hatred.

The Fox tribe and Ox Tribe had been fighting over the Spirit Spring for many years, and now the spring had disappeared. All the hard work of the Fox tribe had amounted to nothing.

“The Spirit Spring disappears when it wants. You ask me, who should I ask?” Fei Li blinked innocently, secretly hoping to anger Hu Zong.

Taking a deep breath, Hu Zong’s eyes glowed with rage. “Then all of you will die!”

With those words, Hu Zong transformed into his orc form.

Luo Sang reacted first, stepping in front of Fei Li. “Be careful! Hu Zong is a nine-tailed red fox.”

A nine-tailed red fox?

What on earth was that?

Before Fei Li could voice his question, the rest of the Fox tribe also transformed into their orc forms.

While the other fox orcs had mottled fur, only Hu Zong’s fur was a dazzling red.

Could Hu Zong, like Luo Sang, also belong to a rare clan?

Hu Zong bared his fangs and claws, charging straight at Fei Li and Luo Sang.

Fei Li spread his hands and once again created the same barrier as before.

He thought the barrier would provide protection, but to his surprise, Hu Zong’s claws tore right through it, leading the Fox tribe directly toward them.

The Ox Tribe and Fei Li all took several steps back, staring in shock at Hu Zong.

“How is this possible? My barrier doesn’t work?” Fei Li exclaimed.

Luo Sang furrowed his brow. “It seems Hu Zong has been hiding his true strength. Be cautious, everyone.”

With those words, Luo Sang and the Ox Tribe all transformed into their orc forms, while Fei Li clung to Luo Sang’s back.

The Fox tribe’s attacks were swift and ferocious. Even though the Ox Tribe had just enhanced their spiritual power, they still struggled to fend off the Fox tribe.

“How are the Fox tribe this strong?” Fei Li couldn’t help but ask.

Luo Sang was busy defending against Hu Zong’s attacks while also trying to protect Fei Li, clearly finding it difficult.

“Luo Sang, put me down. I can protect myself.”

When Luo Sang didn’t respond, Fei Li jumped off his back and stood beside him in battle.

“How could I let you fight alone? I won’t stand by and let you get hurt.”

With those words, the two of them fought together against Hu Zong’s assault.

After a few exchanges, Fei Li started to notice something. “How does Hu Zong have such powerful spiritual energy? Something isn’t right. The Ox Tribe has been soaking in the Spirit Spring’s water for years, yet Hu Zong’s spiritual power is far stronger. How did he strengthen his powers?”

Seeing that they were gradually being overpowered, Hu Zong burst into laughter. “I warned you to return to the Fox tribe, but you insisted on staying with the Ox Tribe. Now you’ll both die together!”

“Hu Zong, don’t be so arrogant. We’ll see who dies!” Fei Li gathered a white ball of spiritual energy in his palm and hurled it toward Hu Zong.

Hu Zong sneered and dodged. “How foolish.”

He retaliated with an even fiercer attack, which the two barely evaded.

After several more exchanges, it was clear to Hu Zong that there was a significant gap in their abilities.

However, Fei Li and Luo Sang’s agility allowed them to dodge every attack, frustrating Hu Zong.

Suddenly, a cunning gleam flashed in Hu Zong’s eyes.