Evan Chu wrestled with his thoughts, glancing first at Jenny Sima, then at the Violet Thunder Fox before finally speaking: "Let's go. We'll climb together. I refuse to believe this place is more dangerous than the Divine Battlefield."
Jenny Sima and Goldwing could only take Evan's words as agreement, but for the Violet Thunder Fox, it meant something entirely different.
The Divine Battlefield was a memory she had received only upon reaching the ninth rank, and even then it was vague. Yet Evan Chu actually knew about it—unbelievable.
She desperately wanted to ask how he knew about that place, but restrained herself. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind—could he also have inherited the Divine Dragon legacy? Otherwise, how would he know such a secret?
Just like she herself was a Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox with an Innate Charm Constitution. The more the Violet Thunder Fox thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and her respect for Evan Chu grew even deeper.
At that moment, Jenny Sima smiled and said, "I knew you'd agree. Thank you, Linfeng!"
Evan didn't reply, but inside he was bitterly amused. Silly girl, I'm the one who should be thanking you. You know perfectly well I'm doing this for Roxanne, yet you still support me without hesitation. You're truly generous.
"Big Brother, since Sister-in-law has agreed, I'll start the secret art now. You two should step back a bit," the Violet Thunder Fox said.
Evan and Goldwing both retreated several meters. Snowflakes continued to fall from the sky, and Jenny Sima felt a bit nervous.
Suddenly, violet light erupted from the Violet Thunder Fox's body, and her true form appeared—not the usual single tail, but her real body with three tails.
Her body was several times larger than when Jenny Sima had last seen it. In a flash, she appeared before Jenny, her three tails growing longer and beginning to wrap tightly around her.
As the Violet Thunder Fox's tails completely enveloped Jenny Sima, the purple light on them intensified. With the two at the center, the tails began to spin wildly, sweeping up all the falling snow and forming a white tornado in the air.
"Ah!" Jenny suddenly cried out in pain. Evan Chu couldn't help rushing forward, but Goldwing held him back.
"Boss, what are you doing? Forcing someone to drop a realm is bound to hurt. You think it's that easy? I'd bet Macy's suffering even more," Goldwing said.
"Really?" Evan asked, half believing, his nerves stretched tight.
The spinning continued for about two minutes before finally stopping. Evan saw that the three purple tails wrapped around Jenny were gone; the Violet Thunder Fox now stood about five meters away, clearly drained.
Jenny Sima's face was deathly pale. Around her, a purple barrier about three meters wide had formed; every snowflake flying through the air stopped outside the barrier, blocked from entering.
"Jenny, are you alright?" Evan asked anxiously, stepping forward to check on her, but the purple barrier stopped him cold—he couldn't get even a step closer.
"How is this possible?" Evan exclaimed in shock.
Once again, violet light flashed from the Violet Thunder Fox, and her human face reappeared—though she looked even paler than Jenny, with a trace of blood at the corner of her mouth.
"Macy, are you hurt?" Evan rushed over at once. He couldn't explain his feelings for this little fox—she was like a mischievous, adorable younger sister.
The Violet Thunder Fox glanced at Evan, then gave a weak smile. "Big Brother, I've taken care of it. That purple barrier around her should last about three days. Don't worry—even if the three of us worked together, we couldn't break it."
"It's that strong?" Evan was stunned, then added, "Are you alright? Maybe you should rest a bit?"
Goldwing seemed to notice something was wrong and immediately asked, "Macy, did you drop a rank too? You feel like an eighth-rank beast now, and just at the early stage. What happened?"
Goldwing's words struck Evan like thunder, and he instantly understood why Macy was so pale and bleeding.
It turned out she had actually lowered her own rank for Jenny Sima's sake. All of it was for him. For a beast, breaking through a single realm is incredibly difficult.
Some need decades, even a century, just to advance—like Goldwing, who hadn't broken through in a hundred years. Macy's sacrifice was something Evan could never hope to repay.
"Goldwing, quit talking nonsense. I'm fine!" Macy insisted, but her weak tone proved Goldwing was right.
"Evan, I'm still at my original realm. How is that possible?" Jenny asked, confused by the fact that her strength hadn't dropped.
"It's a sacrifice Macy made for you. Your realm stayed the same, but hers dropped. For a beast, advancing a rank is unimaginably hard. Macy, thank you," Evan said earnestly.
"It's only right to do this for Big Brother. I don't regret it at all, so please don't worry," Macy said.
Jenny Sima didn't know what to say. She understood perfectly well how hard it was for a beast to break through, but what's done is done—she could only hope to repay Macy someday.
"Thank you, Macy! I'm really touched!" Jenny said, her voice choked with emotion.
"Alright, Macy, why don't you explain how this secret art works?" Evan said.
Goldwing also looked at Macy, puzzled, hoping she'd clear things up.
"Actually, my secret art has two modes: one where the caster loses a rank, and one where the target does. Since you care so much about Sister-in-law, I chose the first option."
"Don't worry, Big Brother. As long as I stay with you, I'll recover that lost rank in no time. You're not an ordinary person."
"Let's move. Every minute we waste shortens the time Jenny can stay protected. Macy traded her rank for this barrier—we can't take it lightly," Evan said at once.
Snow whirled and the wind was biting, making progress difficult. But for Evan's group, it was nothing they couldn't handle.
After nearly three hours of climbing, they reached the mountainside. Evan noticed something odd—there was no night here.
According to Goldwing, they should have arrived just before nightfall, but even after all this time, there was no sign of darkness.
Suddenly, a series of thunderous rumbles came from the summit. Goldwing shouted, "Boss, run! Avalanche!"