Future Beast World: Becoming A Pampered Beauty-Chapter 495 - 434: Cunning Old Fox

"Foxes are known for being cunning schemers, to say nothing of an old coot who’s lived for over a hundred thousand years... He might not be completely dead, you know." Fei Yuan clicked his tongue.

Sang Luo’s almond-shaped eyes widened in confusion.

Fei Yuan flicked her on the forehead and chuckled. "Have you ever wondered how the first Divine Beast came into existence?"

"Uh..." That was a genuinely difficult question for her. ’Living beings continue their species through procreation, but who procreated the world’s first Divine Beast?’

"Divine Beasts are different from ordinary Beastmen. They were initially born from the world itself. Though they came to follow the reproductive methods of mortal creatures over generations of evolution, if you trace them back to their origins, Divine Beasts are the fundamental energy of the world."

"Whether it was the Elemental Powers that shape all creation—Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Light, Dark, Wind, Thunder, and Ice—or a Supreme Law Power like Time or Space, or even more unknown and mysterious sources of fundamental energy, any of these could be the origin of the world’s first Divine Beast."

"A Divine Beast is the physical embodiment of a fundamental energy."

"The fundamental energy gave rise to sentience. Sentience, in turn, gave birth to the spectrum of mortal emotions—love, hate, obsession, and resentment—and with them, a desire to enter the mortal realm and experience its pleasures. They fashioned souls and bodies for themselves in the image of living things, and thus were born—the first of the Ancient Divine Beasts."

Sang Luo nodded, only half understanding. "So, you’re saying that Divine Beasts *are* the world’s fundamental energy."

Fei Yuan smiled. "My Little Luoruo is so clever."

"...So Yan can never ’truly die’?"

"That’s right. Unless the Beast World is destroyed, a Divine Beast will never truly disappear," Fei Yuan said. "He is a pure-blooded Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox, an Ancient Divine Beast. The worst that could happen is that he returns to his fundamental energy. Once that energy regains sentience and wishes to enter the world again, it can be reincarnated just the same."

"So after a Divine Beast passes on, it can still be reincarnated..." Sang Luo looked at him in confusion. "If that’s the case, having so few Divine Beast Descendants isn’t really a crisis. So why have all the Divine Beasts of the current era gone extinct?"

Fei Yuan shook his head. "That is precisely what should never have happened, and it’s the fundamental reason for the gnawing anxiety of the Beast Clan’s later generations."

He let out a soft sigh. "For the past ten thousand years, Yan was also investigating this matter. I heard he’d found some leads, but unfortunately, he’s gone now, so there’s no way to ask him anything."

Sang Luo said dejectedly, "But you saying he might not be completely dead... you were just trying to comfort me, weren’t you?"

’For his [fundamental energy] to cultivate sentience again and reincarnate into the world... who knows how many countless eons that would take. It’s not even certain she could live that long.’

’Even if she did meet a reincarnated Yan, his memories, soul, and body would be completely reshaped. He would have nothing to do with her anymore.’

’For Sang Luo, that was no different from him actually being dead.’

Fei Yuan ground his back teeth, not knowing whether to laugh or be angry. "I originally thought that fellow had passed on and dissipated into the world as fundamental energy. Only later did I discover that old fox had another trick up his sleeve!"

"He didn’t revert to his fundamental energy. Instead, he shattered himself into countless fragments and scattered them to every corner of the continent. Tsk. To think he could be so ruthless to himself."

Seeing Sang Luo’s confusion, Fei Yuan explained, "Shattering into fragments and passing into the heavens might sound similar, but there’s a fundamental difference between them. The fragments will slowly reunite over successive reincarnations. Who knows, one day they might piece themselves back together, giving him a chance to be resurrected."

"Then... he’d still be Yan?"

"Mhm-hmm. It’s the same principle as that jigsaw puzzle you bought for Little Blue Eucalyptus. What it was in the beginning is what it will be when all the pieces are put back together."

"So he’s trying to use this method to break the Slave Mark’s curse?" Sang Luo murmured.

Fei Yuan’s sharp ears caught her words. He looked surprised. "Little Luoruo, you know about that?"

"Yes. When I went back this time, I met Yan when he was a boy. I found out about the Slave Mark on him. I was the one who failed him back then." Sang Luo’s smile was much more genuine now.

Fei Yuan gently pinched her cheek and laughed heartily. "Finally, you’ve stopped looking so miserable."

"I was not looking miserable," Sang Luo retorted playfully.

Then she asked, "So what’s happened to the fragments?"

"They’ve reincarnated. In the few centuries you were gone, they’ve been through who knows how many cycles. I found some time to take a look a few years ago. The fragments have pretty much gathered together. ’He’ is a newborn baby right now. I’ll take you to see him in a few years."

"Okay."

’She would bring Yan back.’

Sang Luo turned her head to look out the window.

’For lifetime after lifetime, never to be parted.’

’She had committed his words to memory.’

"For the past few centuries, your body has been sustained by nothing but Energy Baryte. You must be starving. I’ll take you to get something good to eat."

"Okay." Sang Luo rubbed her belly. She hadn’t felt it a moment ago, but now she realized she was starving.

Fei Yuan helped her to the dining table and had someone prepare a full spread of food.

After eating and drinking her fill, Sang Luo rested for a night in the Phoenix Palace.

「The next morning」

After finishing breakfast, she headed to the Sea Palace.

Little Blue Eucalyptus and Little Carp had also grown up a lot. Both of them had learned to take human form and could finally play with their siblings on land.

The fragments of the Creation Furnace were in Lou Xianyue’s possession, and Sang Luo gave him all the necessary materials. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Lou Xianyue had been an Artifact Refiner for many years, but this was the first time he had ever seen so many precious Refining Materials! Most of them were things he had never even heard of, let alone laid eyes on! There were even quite a few legendary, supreme-grade Divine Rank Refining Materials—it was an absolute feast for his eyes!

"Sang’er, I’ve never tried to forge a Divine Artifact before. You went through so much trouble to get these materials. What if..." Lou Xianyue was hesitant and anxious.

Sang Luo smiled reassuringly. "It’s fine. If you fail the first time, you can just try again. I prepared several extra sets of Refining Materials precisely for trial and error. If it really doesn’t work out, I’ll call Cen Rong over. She still owes me a favor."

Lou Xianyue replied, "The Cen Family hasn’t produced any notable Artifact Refiners in years. I heard that ever since that one ancestor of theirs fell victim to foul play, the family switched to cultivating Martial Arts."

Sang Luo thought for a moment and realized he was right. "The Cen Family’s Book Collection Pavilion should have the unique manuscript left by the master who forged the Creation Furnace. I’ll write a letter to Cen Rong later and ask her to help look for it."

"Okay."

After settling matters, Sang Luo went to Ice-breaking City.

In the courtyard of the City Lord Mansion, a block of marble nearly three meters high had been set up. A tall, slender young figure stood beside it, hammer and chisel in hand, diligently working the stone and roughing out its initial shape.

Sang Luo walked over and greeted him with a smile, "Little Ru, it’s been a long time."

The young man turned around.

Sang Luo froze. It wasn’t Little Ru. His back had just looked similar, and upon closer inspection, she could see a trace of the same charm in his features.

The young man was momentarily dazed at the sight of such a beautiful female, then asked in a low voice, "Are you asking about Lan Ruo, noble female? My grandmother often says I look like my great-grandfather, but he passed away many years ago."

Sang Luo stood there, stunned.

An orange-haired youth of about eighteen or nineteen walked in through the doorway.

The young sculptor saw him and exclaimed, "Second Great-uncle, you’re here!"

The orange-haired youth saw the two people standing in the courtyard, and the bouquet in his hand fell to the ground. He rubbed his eyes, ecstatic. "Mom! I’m not seeing things, am I?"

"Zhuizui, come here~ Let Mommy give you a hug~"

Zhuizui blushed. "I’m an adult now, Mom! You make it sound like I’m still a little kid!"

"...In your mother’s heart, you’ll always be my little boy."

"You were gone for so many years, Mom. A lot has changed."