Teacher by day, Farmer by passion-Chapter 220: Midas Touch [2] (NEW!)
The ground trembled beneath the sheer force of their clash.
White Fur, her eight tails swirling like celestial whips, leapt skyward, eyes locked onto her prey. With a flick of her paw, she released another storm of soul force.
The energy twisted into the shape of a massive fox head, snapping down on Midas with savage grace.
Midas roared, his elegant black form arching through the sky.
His wings folded mid-flight, divebombing straight through the fox-shaped blast.
The soul force tore at his scales, but he didn't slow.
His claws glowed with obsidian energy, and as he descended, he slashed out, sending three crescent blades of soul force directly at White Fur's midsection.
She twisted in midair, barely avoiding the brunt of the attack. One of the crescents grazed her back leg, leaving a gash.
She landed gracefully on a shattered cliff, licking the wound without losing eye contact.
"…So you can bite back," she said, voice low and amused.
Midas touched down with a thunderous crash, tail lashing behind him. "You're fast. But not faster than pride."
White Fur tilted her head. "You named your speed… 'pride'?"
"...Yes."
They stared at each other in awkward silence.
Then—
BOOM!
They both launched forward again, colliding mid-air, their soul forces crackling and surging like a thunderstorm made of pure willpower. Every blow shook the land.
Shockwaves tore trees from their roots. Rivers changed direction to get the hell away.
The sky turned dark.
Not because of clouds, no, the heavens themselves seemed to flinch as Midas let out a thundering roar, his wings expanding wider than ever before.
Black flames laced with violet soul force erupted from his mouth, forming a spiraling vortex of destruction that screamed through the air toward White Fur.
White Fur's fur rippled as the energy approached.
Her eight tails rose, interweaving like a blooming lotus, forming a barrier of divine soul silk, beautiful, serene… and absolutely indestructible.
The vortex collided with it.
BOOM!
The world turned white. Mountains in the distance cracked. The sky seemed to scream.
For a moment, it looked like the very laws of nature hesitated, unsure whether to stay or just pack up and leave.
When the dust cleared, White Fur was still standing, barely.
One tail flickered, injured and fading. Her breathing was heavy, but her gaze remained cool, unshaken.
Midas was panting too, steam rising from his scales. He had used nearly half his stored energy in that attack.
"You're impressive," he admitted, voice low and ancient. "It's been centuries since I bled."
White Fur licked her paw, wiping away blood from her cheek. "You talk too much for someone who's about to be skinned."
She raised her paw, and this time her soul force condensed, a concentrated sphere of icy white light formed above her. It pulsed like a heartbeat, growing, shaping…
Midas' pupils narrowed. "No… that's forbidden fox magic—!"
Too late.
She vanished from sight.
A heartbeat later, she appeared directly above him, tails forming a vortex of death, the soul force sphere crashing down—
BOOM!
Midas hit the ground like a meteor. A massive crater formed. Shockwaves rolled for miles.
For a long moment, there was silence.
Then a groan echoed from the pit.
"…Ow."
Following that 'Ow' the world around them twisted and then shattered.
Reality folded like paper, collapsing in on itself again and again, until everything was swallowed by a blinding light.
When the light faded, they stood once again, before the colossal staircase, the Hundred Stair Trial.
Each step shimmered with ancient runes, radiating oppressive pressure that weighed heavy on the soul.
At the very top, floating in a halo of divine light, was the dress Liu Mei failed to get earlier.
She turned slowly, her eyes narrowing.
White Fur hovered gracefully, just above the glowing steps.
Liu Mei pointed dramatically.
"White Fur!" she called out, voice filled with the authority of an empress.
"Get me that dress!"
Midas returned to his human form, his steps slow and steady as he approached Liu Mei.
White Fur remained in her majestic fox form, her eight tails trailing with quiet grace as she leapt down beside him.
"Master," she said softly, her voice layered with meaning, "you'll have to prove yourself."
Midas, brushing dust off his robe as if the two hadn't just torn through dimensions moments ago, added with a smirk,
"Yes, little girl. If you want that dress, you'll need to climb with your brother. Show some respect—that dress is divine."
Liu Mei turned to reply, her mouth already forming a retort—
But she paused as her gaze shifted to Shan yifeng.
She had wanted to say, "But he's still meditating!"
Shan Yifeng's eyes opened slowly. He looked around, dazed, staring at the endless staircase in front of them.
"…How are we still here?" he muttered, bewildered.
"Now, now. Off you go," Midas waved lazily.
Then his voice turned serious,
"And, little girl—if you can reach that dress, I'll become one of your soul bonds."
The words hit like thunder.
Liu Mei's eyes lit up, her whole body nearly vibrating with excitement.
"Junior Brother!" she grabbed Shan Yifeng's arm like a general pulling her second-in-command into battle. "You have to help me get that! We can't give up now, you hear me?!"
Shan blinked. "…And what's in it for me?"
"Shut up," she huffed. "You do as your senior says. Master said it—not me."
Without giving him a choice, she dragged him forward, their figures slowly vanishing into the glowing mist of the staircase.
Silence settled behind them.
Midas sighed, landing on the ground with a soft plop, his limbs heavy from the battle.
"Hey… you hit me a little too hard."
White Fur laid beside him, her massive form curled lazily on the ground. Her tails flicked once, then again.
Her voice, though light, carried an edge of tired satisfaction.
"When else will I ever get the chance to beat up a dragon?" she said with a soft giggle.
"I'm no fool—I wouldn't waste a moment like that."
Midas didn't argue.
"Fair enough."
