Chapter 200 - The Illusory Pearl (2/2)

“Little Wingsy, where did you get this?” Ye Chen asked in amazement. Although he did not know what this crystal ball was, he could tell that it was not as simple as it seemed!

“Earlier, when I was destroying the ancestral hall, I sensed that something was buried underneath the hall. I dug it out when they weren’t paying attention.” Little Wingsy’s pudgy face wore a bashful expression as he stared at Ye Chen hopefully. “Big Brother Ye Chen, is this item valuable?”

Ye Chen burst out laughing. Little Wingsy was now becoming like Little Tanuki. No matter what it was, he would take it for himself as long as it was valuable. He was a money-grubber through and through.

This item was buried beneath the ancestral hall and must be some treasure. The tanuki clan of Emerald Cloud Mountain did not notice it but that made sense. Those tanukis’ perceptions could not compare to Little Wingsy’s for he had Daemon King Rank perception.

Little Tanuki stared at the crystal ball animatedly, touching it carefully with her furry right paw. The moment her right paw touched the crystal ball, a milky white halo slowly spread outward like a ripple on the water. It passed through everyone and an ancient, long-lived force lingered in the air.

“Little Tanuki, you know what this is?” Ye Chen asked. When he saw that mystical halo in the air, Ye Chen sensed that it was Little Tanuki who had activated it.

“Squeak squeak!” Little Tanuki waved her tiny paws excitedly.

“Big Sister Little Tanuki said that this is an ultimate treasure of the tanuki clan which has been lost for millennia. Some great ancestor of a generation past might have buried it underneath the ancestral hall, so it remained undiscovered. It’s called the Illusory Pearl. The tanuki clan had passed it on for generations. Countless ancestral elders, before their deaths, would imprint their consciousness into this Illusory Pearl. Only descendants with the bloodline of the tanuki clan would be able to activate it. Whoever possesses the Illusory Pearl would become the undisputed Chief of the tanuki clan. As the Illusory Pearl was lost, the tanuki clan had not produced a fighter above the Daemon King Rank for a long time,” Little Wingsy said, conveying Little Tanuki’s words.

“You can activate this Illusory Pearl?” Ye Chen looked at Little Tanuki and asked.

“Mmm.” Little Tanuki nodded. She was already well-versed in making this sound of affirmation.

“Little Wingsy, why don’t you give this Illusory Pearl to your Big Sister Little Tanuki?” Ye Chen knelt and spoke to Little Wingsy. After all, this item was found by Little Wingsy. Ye Chen still had to ask for Little Wingsy’s permission.

“Uh-huh, Big Brother Ye Chen and Big Sister Little Tanuki treat me the best. Plus, I have no idea how to use this thing. I’ll give it to Big Sister Little Tanuki then.” Little Wingsy breezily handed the Illusory Pearl to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen held the Illusory Pearl in his hand. When he looked down, he saw that Little Tanuki had already closed her eyes and released her Astral Body, extending it into the Illusory Pearl. Ye Chen did not move a muscle as he stared at the Illusory Pearl in his hand. The Illusory Pearl shone with even more, shifting colors as milky white halos expanded outward one after another. Ye Chen seemed to dimly make out the figures of countless old women. ‘Could these be the ancestors of the tanuki clan?’ This tanuki clan was truly matriarchal. The generations of Chiefs were all female.

Little Tanuki suddenly opened her eyes. Her clear pupils kept on shifting with various hues like two peculiar gemstones. Ye Chen could tell that Little Tanuki’s Astral Body was communicating with the consciousness within the Illusory Pearl. She was sorrowful and furious in one moment, polite and cautious the next. After a long time, Little Tanuki spat out a mass of white fog that shrouded the Illusory Pearl. The Illusory Pearl abruptly blazed with a blinding, lustrous, white light, and slowly rose into the air, fluctuating in size. At last, it took on the size of a pigeon’s egg and was swallowed by Little Tanuki in one gulp.

Soon, Little Tanuki’s body was encased in a warm, white glow, causing Ye Chen and Little Wingsy beside her to feel comforted as well. The energy of the Illusory Pearl slowly fused with Little Tanuki, and her Astral Body rapidly expanded, becoming more than a few times stronger than it had been. A small, furry lump grew out near her tails.

Little Tanuki’s seventh tail had begun to grow!

The number of tails would determine Little Tanuki’s future achievements. To an ordinary tanuki, if one managed to grow five tails, that was outstanding talent already. With a pure bloodline, one might get a sixth tail, which would make one a rare genius only found once every century. As for seven tails, that would be seen only once every millennium.

Little Tanuki’s seventh tail was swiftly growing at a visible pace. Soon, it had grown as long as the other six tails. After a moment, an eighth tail showed signs of sprouting amid the seven tails. Nonetheless, it only grew by a bit – a centimeter or so – before it stopped.

It was far too difficult to grow the eighth tail unless one had another lucky encounter!

The cultivation base of Little Tanuki’s Astral Body was constantly augmented, rising all the way to top Earthly Adept before it stopped. It was only a hair’s breadth away from Heavenly Adept Rank.

After the Illusory Pearl’s energy had merged with Little Tanuki, her body carried a faint scent that was similar to the sweet fragrance of an orchid in a secluded valley. It was intoxicating.