Chapter 252: Asclepius’ Herbal Staff

Under normal circumstances, Marcus would have used a Town Portal Scroll or his Wanderlust skill to teleport away without hesitation. Unfortunately, inside the Peach Blossom Immortal Realm things were not so simple. The entire area was saturated with the drifting Peach Blossom Miasma, and within that strange pink haze all low level spatial abilities were completely suppressed. Only spatial techniques of Grandmaster rank or higher could function here.

That meant Marcus and Alana had only one option. They would have to escape the range of the miasma first. Only after flying out of it could Marcus open a Town Portal Scroll and return safely to Dragon’s Peak Citadel.

“Be careful,” Alana warned as they moved. “The Eight Tailed Vixen Spirits can fly. And the Peach Blossom Miasma itself is dangerous. If you even breathe a trace of it, you’ll be stunned and completely unable to move.”

“What?” Marcus almost shouted in alarm.

Up until now he had assumed the Peach Blossom Soul recognizing him as its master would protect him from the miasma. That had been the one thin thread of hope he was clinging to. Quickly, he turned to Alana for confirmation.

“The Peach Blossom Soul accepted me as its master,” he said hurriedly. “Doesn’t that mean I’m immune to the miasma?”

Alana shook her head gently.

“Your level is still too low. You’ve only absorbed the first layer of the Peach Blossom Soul’s energy. Until you refine it further, you won’t gain immunity.”

Marcus felt like crying.

The one advantage he thought he had just disappeared. Looking up at the slow flowing pink currents of the miasma above and then back at the four Eight Tailed Vixen Spirits chasing them from behind, a cold chill ran down his spine. Every direction seemed to lead straight to death.

There was no way forward and there was no way back. They were completely surrounded.

Yet strangely enough, Alana did not look worried at all.

She remained calm, almost relaxed, her expression bright and composed as if everything were proceeding exactly as planned. Watching her, Marcus could not help wondering if she had something up her sleeve.

’Does this girl already have a plan?’

Seven seconds later the faint pink mist around Marcus finally faded. The invincibility effect protecting him vanished.

Behind them the Vixen Spirits were rapidly closing the distance. Their queen, Camillo, was already nearly upon him. In another moment they would unleash a deadly storm of petals and tear him apart. His attempt to escape through the miasma had clearly been nothing more than wishful thinking.

His Ring of Resurrection had already been used earlier. If he died now, that would truly be the end.

As Marcus looked at the charging Vixen Queen, however, something suddenly came back to him. The information he had learned through Insight.

Without the support of the Peach Blossom Soul, Camillo could not maintain her form for long. Within ten seconds she would disperse into mist. Now that the soul resided inside him, she had lost her only source of energy.

At most, two seconds remained before her body collapsed.

Whether Marcus died or not, the Vixen Queen was already doomed.

’Well… taking the Vixen Queen down with me isn’t the worst way to go,’ he thought grimly.

Just as he steeled himself for the final clash, Camillo suddenly used a teleportation ability and appeared right beside him.

A system notification flashed before his eyes.

Ding!

“System Notification: Stonehaven, because the Vixen Queen Camillo failed her evolution into a Nine Tailed Saint Jade Fox, her power has regressed to Level 0 and she is gravely injured. She requires the energy of the Peach Blossom Soul to survive. Therefore, Vixen Queen Camillo wishes to recognize you as her master and become your pet. She will reside within your body to draw energy from the Peach Blossom Soul. Do you accept?”

“I accept!”

Marcus practically shouted the words.

A laugh burst out of him before he could stop it. He could hardly believe what he had just heard. The breathtaking Vixen Queen, the most beautiful Eight Tailed Vixen Spirit in existence, was about to become his pet. Just like the Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna, she would reside within his body.

The surprises today simply refused to stop coming.

“What is it?” Alana asked, glancing back at him in confusion when she heard his sudden burst of laughter.

“Heh… heh…” Marcus could not hide the smug grin spreading across his face.

If it were not for Alana, he would never have received rewards like this. Looking at her delicate features and the slightly puzzled expression in her bright eyes, a warm feeling rose in his chest. She truly was an enchanting girl, especially dressed in that elegant Hundred Flower Cloud Robe.

Overcome with excitement, he instinctively pulled her closer.

“The Vixen Queen Camillo just recognized me as her master,” he said proudly. “She’s going to live inside me from now on.”

Alana truly was his lucky star.

As Marcus held her close, he caught the faint floral fragrance drifting from her robes. Without thinking, he leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead, smiling softly at the girl in his arms.

“You…”

Alana froze in place, completely caught off guard by his sudden boldness.

Color flooded her cheeks almost instantly. Her face turned bright red as she looked away shyly, her body stiffening slightly within his arms. If Marcus dared to go any further she would… well, she did not quite know what she would do.

Her heart was already racing wildly.

Yet when Marcus did nothing more and simply held her there, she felt a faint, strange hint of disappointment that she could not quite explain.

Marcus soon realized he might have acted a little too impulsively.

To his surprise, the system did not issue any harassment warning. That meant either Alana had not reacted strongly enough for the system to intervene, or she had silently accepted the gesture.

’Am I really ridiculously lucky today?’

His mood soared even higher.

Beside him, Camillo received his confirmation. Her eight enormous tails swayed gracefully as her body dissolved into a faint shimmering mist. A moment later she flew straight into Marcus’s body.

A small pink fox sigil appeared on his right arm, just beneath the violet red spear mark left by Lyanna.

Ding!

“System Notification: Congratulations, Stonehaven! Vixen Queen Camillo has successfully bonded with you as your pet. You have learned the skill “Summon Camillo,” allowing you to summon and command the Vixen Queen.”

Before Marcus could even finish celebrating, another message appeared.

Ding!

“System Notification: Stonehaven, due to your extraordinary talent and the immense energy contained within your lifeblood, Vixen Queen Camillo has used your Solar Energy to achieve a balance of energies. Her injuries have recovered by fifty percent, allowing her to reach Level 50. As a result, she has developed an unprecedented favorable impression of you. Your Intimacy Level has reached 80.”

Marcus blinked in disbelief.

Extraordinary talent? Balance of energies? Level 50?

The implications alone were enough to leave him stunned. He was just about to open Camillo’s status panel to check her attributes when the four remaining Eight Tailed Vixen Spirits finally caught up and launched another devastating storm of petals.

Marcus felt a wave of despair.

He still had no idea how to pass through the miasma, and now he was about to be torn apart again.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The petals arrived instantly, swirling around them like a deadly storm.

They slammed against the protective flower barrier surrounding Alana, producing sparks and dull impacts, but the barrier itself remained completely unharmed.

Marcus, however, was not so lucky. He died instantly.

Everything went dark.

’At least I got the Peach Blossom Soul and the Vixen Queen,’ he thought as consciousness faded.

Even if his level reset and all his equipment dropped, his base attributes had increased dramatically, and he had gained one of the most powerful and alluring companions in the entire world of Dreamland. By any measure, this trip had been an enormous success.

Then he suddenly thought about Alana.

His heart sank. He had failed to rescue her. Without him, she would fall back into the hands of the Vixen Spirits.

The thought hurt almost as much as the day his beloved Snow had left him.

He simply was not strong enough to face four Eight Tailed Vixen Spirits.

Ding!

“System Notification: Stonehaven, Alana has used the Divine Artifact “Asclepius’ Herbal Staff” to resurrect you. Your status is fully restored.”

Just as Marcus was preparing to respawn back at the Newbie Village, light suddenly returned to the world.

Alana had resurrected him.

The translucent green bamboo staff in her hands truly deserved to be called a Divine Artifact. Asclepius’ Herbal Staff. The name suited it perfectly.

It could even resurrect the dead!

At last he knew the name of her staff, though the name of her robe remained a mystery. The Hundred Flower Cloud Robe was still granting her complete invincibility. It had to be another Divine Artifact.

If only that invincibility could extend to him as well. Then he might actually stand a chance of fighting back.

Unfortunately, Marcus barely enjoyed being alive again for two seconds. Before his mount could even travel five meters, another wave of petals struck.

Alana remained unharmed.

Marcus died again.

Ding!

“System Notification: Stonehaven, Alana has used the Divine Artifact “Asclepius’ Herbal Staff” to resurrect you. Your status is fully restored. A special effect has been triggered. You have entered an Invincible State for 5 seconds.”

’No way.’

Not only could she resurrect him repeatedly, there was even a chance to trigger temporary invincibility.

Golden light enveloped Marcus once more. He desperately wanted to inspect the staff’s attributes, but the Vixen Spirits were still right behind them.

“Summon Sea Demon Soul!”

“Sanctuary Covenant!”

Marcus refused to remain a helpless punching bag. He summoned the Sea Demon Soul along with his Temple Guardian, Pebble.

Both were instantly destroyed by the Vixen Spirits.

Still, if they could delay the enemy even a single second, that was enough.

Using the brief distraction and his five seconds of invincibility, Marcus finally managed to reach the outer edge of the Peach Blossom Miasma.

Just as he began wondering what they should do next, he was killed again.

Ding!

“System Notification: Stonehaven, Alana has used the Divine Artifact “Asclepius’ Herbal Staff” to resurrect you. Your status is fully restored. A special effect has been triggered. You have entered an Invincible State for 5 seconds.”

Marcus revived instantly, glowing once more with golden light. He looked at Alana in absolute awe and raised a thumb in admiration.

Alana noticed the look on his face and responded with a playful wink. She clearly enjoyed finally revealing her trump cards in front of him.

“Alana, how do we get through the miasma?” Marcus asked.

At this point he trusted her completely. Her calmness in the middle of such danger made it clear that her ability might rival, or even surpass, his own.

“My artifact can neutralize all toxins, illusions, and negative status effects,” she explained. “It’s the perfect counter to the Peach Blossom Miasma. When I give the signal, just charge straight through.”

“Got it.”

“Green of Life!”

Alana raised the Herbal Staff and began chanting.

Brilliant green light burst from the bamboo staff, spreading outward into a vast web of luminous threads that wrapped around both of them. From a distance, the two looked as if they were standing inside a glowing green sphere.

Marcus immediately recognized the technique. It was the same protective barrier she had used when he first discovered her surrounded by the Three Tailed Vixen Spirits.

“Charge!” Alana shouted, gripping the staff tightly with both hands to maintain the barrier.

“Giddy up!”

Marcus did not hesitate for a moment.

He spurred the Violet Thunderwing Steed forward and drove it straight into the flowing pink currents of the Peach Blossom Miasma.

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