Guarding the River of Time-Chapter 277 - 268: The Frozen Woman and the Waiting White Fox

Chapter 277: Chapter 268: The Frozen Woman and the Waiting White Fox

Behind the wooden door, the ground is covered in ice, forming a circle with a radius of about ten meters.

It resembled a circular ice bed, and at the center of this ice bed lay a snow-white fox. Its size wasn’t large, just a bit bigger than a little groundhog, but its tail was exceptionally long and big, coiling on top of the ice bed like a silver-white dragon lurking.

The little fox noticed Su Mu’s arrival and slowly stood up, looking at this intruder.

Its pupils were a deep, mysterious purple, with a diamond-shaped red mark on its forehead, glowing faintly as it let out a mournful sound.

Upon hearing this mournful cry, Su Mu understood that the crying he had heard earlier was coming from this little fox.

Having arrived here, Su Mu now understood the lay of the land.

This place was on the shore, not far from the main river channel, roughly a few thousand meters away.

Nine concentric circles of wooden walls surrounded the area, like layers of defensive walls, enclosing this final ice bed in the most central area, as if protecting it.

At this moment, the little fox gently called out.

Hearing this sound, the little animal pendants hanging on Su Mu’s leg suddenly released their grip, quietly leaving and retreating to outside the wooden door, gently closing it.

From this behavior, it seemed that this snow-white little fox was the leader of the small creatures.

Su Mu took a step closer, the little fox’s tail lifted high, its eyes fixed on Su Mu’s actions, its expression complex, but mostly vigilant.

Seeing the snow-white little fox in a battle stance, Su Mu smiled and said, "Don’t worry, I have no ill intentions."

He knew that this little fox could understand his words; after all, the aura of this little fox was very strong, an indication of a powerful spirit beast.

After walking a few steps closer, Su Mu squatted down, stretched out his right hand, and touched the ice on the ground. The moment he made contact, his fingers trembled slightly.

The water that solidified into this ice bed was the same as the water from the river outside, which meant someone had moved river water here, freezing it into this large ice bed.

Su Mu looked down through the ice surface and saw something, his pupils suddenly contracting.

White hair, a neck like snow, white and shapely legs, calves like white jade, skin as smooth as cream, a face of unparalleled beauty, just a glimpse and Su Mu was momentarily lost.

This was a rare beauty in the world, possessing a captivating elegance that could steal one’s soul and the splendor of the world. Her eyes were closed, lying quietly within the ice.

Rather than say she was lying in the ice, it was more accurate to say she was encased in it.

She wore no clothes, her body wrapped by snow-white fox tails, covering her smooth white skin, with only her white thighs faintly visible, and her pristine, flawless bare feet.

Upon closer inspection, the white-haired woman was covered with eight snow-white fox tails, gently enveloping her, and these fox tails seemed identical to the little fox’s tail.

Su Mu extended his right hand, placing his entire palm on the ice layer, casting out his divine sense to examine, discovering that the white-haired woman showed no signs of life; she was a corpse.

Due to the ice layer being the same kind of water as the river outside, Su Mu could keenly sense the ice bed’s change. It was melting!

Furthermore, it was melting every moment, second by second, and at this rate, in a year at most, this ice bed would completely melt into water. When that happened, the body of the white-haired woman would slowly decay, eventually turning into a skeleton.

It seems this was a tomb, using ice burial, a method to preserve the body of this white-haired woman from the erosion of time, keeping her body and beauty perfect.

Oh, Su Mu thought he might find treasure, but he found a tomb and instantly lost interest.

At this moment, as Su Mu looked up, his gaze met that of the little fox, and in its eyes, he seemed to see... a plea?

Although the little fox didn’t speak, Su Mu understood its eyes.

The next second, the little fox knelt in front of Su Mu, its beautiful snow-white tail drooping on the ground, emitting a soft whisper like a mosquito.

"Is this your master?" Su Mu tentatively asked.

After all, it was common for spirit pets to guard their master’s tomb.

Upon hearing Su Mu’s question, the little fox didn’t know how to respond, but in the end, it nodded.

Su Mu lowered his head to gaze at the white-haired woman in the ice bed, his divine sense locking onto her, examining her comprehensively, confirming she had no life signs.

He’s not a deity who commands reincarnation, unable to resurrect a life. Even with Su Mu’s current abilities, at least a sliver of vitality must remain for him to have a chance to save someone.

Moreover, this white-haired woman had been dead for who knows how many years, with no remnants of life left. Without this ice bed, her body wouldn’t exist here; it would have long dissipated into the heavens and earth.

After confirming several times, Su Mu sighed softly, "There’s nothing I can do; I can’t save your master."

Upon hearing this answer, the little fox lay on the ground, curling up, silent and despondent.

It seemed like a little life that had lived for countless years, waiting endlessly, left only with solitude and gloom.

Su Mu had no way either and prepared to leave, walking step by step toward the wooden door.

Upon pushing open the wooden door, he found the little groundhog and the little brown bear kneeling reverently toward the inside of the door.

At this moment, there was no sign of the stubborn defiance or resistance they showed earlier in blocking Su Mu; instead, they were cautious, looking at Su Mu with hope.

They regarded Su Mu as hope, which is why they knelt outside, waiting quietly.

Seeing these little creatures in such a manner, Su Mu felt somewhat moved; it seemed... these little ones had been guarding here for who knows how long, treating him as the hope to save their master.

But, reality is harsh.

For someone of Su Mu’s Immortal King level, resurrecting a person isn’t too difficult, but it depends on what kind of life is being resurrected.

Reviving some ordinary people or ordinary cultivators, Su Mu could do that.

However, the white-haired woman was obviously not ordinary, undoubtedly burdened with great karma; such an existence, at least for the current Su Mu, was beyond resurrection.

Resurrection, when looked at small, is merely bringing back a life; when looked at large, it requires overturning the entire Path of Reincarnation to revive a deceased life.

...

Gazing at them looking at him, Su Mu sighed deeply.

He turned back inside, stepping on the ice bed, walking toward the little fox, murmuring, "Let me give it a try."