Chapter 624: Your master has your back

Now that her master had declared her as his pride, Gumiho decided to give it her all to make him even prouder.

Time passed quickly. Maximilian mostly stayed at the Spirit Mountain. He would only leave once or twice a month to check on Vyaghra’s progress, who was staying at the border peaks of the Lingtian Mountains, where Soulforce was neither too dense nor too scarce for him.

Maximilian would give him a few pointers before returning and focusing on his own meditation.

Gumiho completely dedicated herself to cultivation. She would only come out of Primordial Nexus whenever she made a small breakthrough and needed to spar with Maximilian to consolidate her cultivation base. Even though Maximilian was using Soulforce at the Peak True Sage Realm, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to defeat her with each spar.

Five years passed.

The war between humans and beasts started once again, the fragile peace finally broken. Apparently, Mo Feng, previously the General of the Southern Legion, had broken through the bottleneck of the Eternal Sage Realm and entered the divine realm.

Since there was still no news of Bai Chengsheng, Mo Feng was promoted to War Marshal. The Southern Legion marched towards the Baihu Stronghold under his orders.

The other legions also made their moves, attacking the other strongholds of the beast factions.

Vyaghra left the Lingtian Mountains to support his father in the war.

Gumiho also wanted to leave, hoping to have a peace talk with the humans, but Maximilian didn’t allow her.

She needed to unite the beast clans first, since not all of them wanted peace with the humans. And to unite them, she needed power. The only way was to evolve into her six-tailed form.

While the Western Continent was once again engulfed in a merciless clash, turning the ground crimson with blood and filling the air with the stench of corpses and the screams of dying cultivators, Gumiho continued her cultivation with even greater desperation, giving it her all.

Three more years passed...

Maximilian was strolling across the Spirit Mountain with calm yet commanding steps, moving through the spirit animals and plants that didn’t even bother with his presence. After spending almost a decade with them, they had begun treating him as one of their own.

As he slowly reached the peak, he suddenly felt a ripple of energy flutter through his hair and robe.

His head snapped towards the deeper part of the Primordial Nexus. Even though he was several kilometres away from the centre, he could still feel the suppressive surge of Soulforce that demanded obedience.

The fog covering the Lingtian Mountains shifted beneath the waves of Soulforce radiating outward from the centre.

He waved his hand, removing the suppressive effect of the Soulforce. His lips curled into a faint, proud smile.

"She did it. Once again, faster than I expected."

Suddenly, the waves of Soulforce radiation stopped. The next moment, a pink energy blasted outward, bathing every part of the Lingtian Mountains in its illuminating glow.

Petals of plum blossoms began falling from the cloudy sky, followed by a cozy breeze, as if spring had descended upon the peak of summer.

The spirit plants on the mountains swayed, the animals dancing in welcome of their goddess.

The heavenly phenomenon lasted for more than a minute. When the pink hue finally vanished from the surroundings, Gumiho suddenly appeared before Maximilian, hovering in the air.

Six long, fluffy pink tails swayed behind her of their own accord.

’Is she going to take revenge for all those humiliating defeats until now?’ Maximilian gulped inwardly.

Even he knew that if she fought him, either he would be beaten half to death or forced to reveal his true powers.

He quickly needed to find a way to avoid sparring with her.

His lips had only parted when Gumiho descended to the ground, or more accurately, rushed straight at Maximilian.

’Damn, she’s coming straight for the kill,’ Maximilian gasped, preparing to dodge.

"Master~~~" Gumiho called out excitedly, slamming into him in a hug. His face was pressed against her busty mounds, her arms wrapping around his head and her legs locking around his waist.

"Master, I did it. I evolved into the Six-tailed form!" she exclaimed, rubbing her chest against his face in delight.

Every rub was a critical hit.

"Gu-Gumiho," Maximilian gasped, unable to breathe as she kept digging his face deeper.

"O-oh," she mumbled, finally releasing her grip as she moved down.

The moment she did, she immediately received a flick on her forehead.

"Ack!" she whimpered, holding her forehead. "The first thing you did after I reached the six-tailed form was punish me."

She crossed her arms below her chest and stomped the ground, turning the other way.

"You are a bully, Master!"

Maximilian could only facepalm himself. She really needed to learn about personal space.

"Gumiho," he called softly from behind her.

She immediately took a couple of steps forward, as if she were truly angry at him.

"Why is the little foxy angry?" he asked teasingly, making her ears rise as her cheeks flushed. ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"I-I’m not little foxy," she retorted, her back still facing him. "I’m already as powerful as a Demi-God now."

"You will always be a little foxy to me," Maximilian chuckled, taking one more careful step towards her.

She didn’t create any distance this time.

"Don’t you want a reward for your hard work?" Maximilian cooed with a faint smirk.

The exciting words made her fluffy ears twitch, but she still seemed a little reluctant to forgive him just yet.

"Do you really not want it?" Maximilian asked with a sigh. "In that case, I will give it to someone el—"

"No, headpats are only mine!" Gumiho declared, pivoting on her feet with a sharp glare.

"Headpats?" Maximilian couldn’t help but laugh. That wasn’t the gift he had prepared for her.

She ignored his laughter, grabbed his wrist with both hands, and placed his warm palm on her head.

He gently stroked her head, to which she responded immediately, moving her head in the opposite direction as if demanding more.

"Do you love headpats that much?" Maximilian asked, amused.

"I love headpats from Master," Gumiho revealed in an innocent tone.

They sat on the zenith of the mountain, side by side, looking at the setting sun in the distance. Maximilian’s hand was still on her head, stroking her while she leaned against his side.

It had been over five minutes since he had been spoiling her, yet the moment his hand slowed, she immediately moved her own head, silently asking for more.

From his storage pouch, Maximilian drew out dozens of scrolls and jade slips interconnected with one another.

He placed them in Gumiho’s lap.

"Master, this is...?" Gumiho asked, her brows rising.

"I came across these arrays in the immortal cave," Maximilian lied, rubbing the back of his head. "I don’t have much talent in array mastery. You may keep them."

In truth, Maximilian had found these array slips in the chambers of the control room of the spaceship. They were beyond his and Evangeline’s understanding. He had kept them with himself to recruit a genius array master into his plans.

But when he learned from Vyomendra that Gumiho was also interested in array mastery, he decided to use them as a bargaining chip to make her obey.

But now, it didn’t matter anymore. She was his cute little disciple who would get anything and everything she needed, regardless of the price. He had already decided to keep her away from the ugly politics of the Dragon Clan.

"Master." Gumiho’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. He hadn’t even realized when she had moved from his side to sit in front of him, facing him.

A few scrolls lay open beside him. She must have already read through them briefly and realized the profound depth they carried.

In an instant, Gumiho dropped her head in a kowtow.

"Thank you so much, Ma—"

Her head was about to hit the ground when Maximilian’s fingers, laced with his Soulforce, pointed towards her, stopping her mid-motion.

"I have told you many times not to do this," Maximilian muttered, his voice slightly raised, a hint of anger laced within it.

"B-but Master..." Gumiho’s voice slightly broke, her body still in a half-bow position as she squirmed. "I’m really grateful. Please let me show my respect."

Tears fell from her eyes and hit the ground, her fingers tightly gripping the cloth of her robe at her thighs.

"No one showered me with such love and care since my parents died. I feel like I’m in the heavens since I became your disciple. You keep giving and giving without asking anything in return. I... I’m afraid that if I don’t properly thank you, I might lose this happiness."

In the cultivation world, opportunities and treasures were as important as talent when it came to walking the path to Immortality.

Yet Maximilian had been giving all of them to Gumiho as if it were the most natural thing to do.

Maximilian released a sigh. He slowly moved closer to her and tapped her head with the same familiar warmth that always made Gumiho feel like the most protected person in the world.

"Elders are always supposed to take care of juniors and pave a path for them until they are ready to fly," he said in a calm tone.

His hands moved to her shoulders as he lifted her head until her back was straight.

"You are ready to fly now, Gumiho. Spread your wings and let this world know that their Goddess has returned."

Gumiho crawled into his embrace, placing her head against his chest, her hands wrapping around his waist.

"I will make you proud, Master," she murmured in a low but undeniably firm tone.

"I know," Maximilian agreed, having absolute confidence in her. "Live a fearless life, Gumiho. Your Master has your back."