Chapter 371 370 As Long As You're Bold Enough, the Fox Takes a Long Vacation
After receiving the phone call from Yae Miko, Hakuto immediately took out the Anywhere Door. Then, Hakuto used the Anywhere Door to travel to Grand Narukami Shrine.
Stepping out of the Anywhere Door, Hakuto appeared beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree. Looking at Yae Miko, who was also standing beneath the Sacred Sakura Tree, Hakuto asked, "What's the situation?"
Seeing Hakuto arrive, Yae Miko breathed a sigh of relief. "There's no change for the time being, but the Sacred Sakura Tree feels like it might already be..."
Hakuto didn't need Yae Miko to remind him; he could already tell what was happening. The petals on the trunk of the Sacred Sakura Tree before him had all fallen off, leaving only bare branches.
At the same time, the Sacred Sakura Tree emitted a decaying aura. Hakuto could clearly see that the Sacred Sakura Tree was on the verge of death.
Hakuto immediately pressed his hand onto the Sacred Sakura Tree. The next moment, he felt a sharp stinging sensation coming from his palm.
Hakuto withdrew his hand and looked at the black aura staining his palm. He immediately understood what had happened.
The Sacred Sakura Tree had absorbed too much filth and couldn't purify it, which was why it was withering. There were only two ways to stop the withering.
The first was to prevent the Sacred Sakura Tree from continuing to absorb filth. The other was to purify the accumulated filth within the Sacred Sakura Tree that it couldn't digest.
However, neither the first nor the second method was easy.
The first method, preventing the Sacred Sakura Tree from continuing to absorb filth, was basically impossible. The Sacred Sakura Tree was born precisely to absorb filth, so wanting to stop it was completely impossible.
The other method was to purify the filth within the Sacred Sakura Tree. Originally, performing the Sacred Sakura Purification Ritual could purify the filth. However, the Sacred Sakura Cleansing Ritual also had a cooldown period. Two years ago, Hakuto had performed the Sacred Sakura Purification Ritual. The next one was still nearly a year away, and performing it before then would be useless.
That meant the second method was not feasible.
"The Sacred Sakura Tree has accumulated too much filth, exceeding the limits of what it can purify. So now, we have to find a way to purify the portion of filth that the Sacred Sakura Tree cannot bear."
A worried look appeared on Yae Miko's face. "But we can't perform the Sacred Sakura Purification Ritual right now. How are we going to purify the filth from the Sacred Sakura Tree?"
"This isn't a big problem. I have an ability to create magical beasts. As long as I can create a magical beast that absorbs filth, it'll be fine."
With the Annihilation Maker, as long as Hakuto had enough imagination, he could create any magical beast. Therefore, Hakuto only needed to create a magical beast that could purify filth to solve the current problem.
However, because such a magical beast did not exist in Hakuto's memory, he needed to spend some time redesigning it.
After saying this, Hakuto quickly began designing the magical beast he needed in his mind.
Before long, Hakuto activated his Annihilation Maker.
The next moment, fireflies appeared from Hakuto's hand, flew up, and landed on the Sacred Sakura Tree.
These fireflies, upon landing on the Sacred Sakura Tree, transformed into pink, petal-like decorations adorning it. The accumulated filth within the Sacred Sakura Tree also visibly decreased.
Soon, Yae Miko could feel the Sacred Sakura Tree rejuvenating, even becoming more vibrant than before.
"The creatures I've created feed on filth. They can absorb filth and convert it into Spiritual Energy. Moreover, they can reproduce by absorbing filth. From now on, there's no need to worry about the Sacred Sakura Tree purifying filth anymore."
After hearing Hakuto's words, Yae Miko nodded. "I'm very satisfied. But my only complaint is: why isn't this Sacred Sakura Tree in the shape of a fox?"
"Once the petals of the Sacred Sakura Tree grow back, these creatures will attach themselves to the petals. Then the Sacred Sakura Tree will return to its fox shape."
Hakuto couldn't help but roll his eyes at Yae Miko.
"Fine, fine. I'll reluctantly accept it. I wonder how much longer Makoto and Ei will sleep inside the Sacred Sakura Tree. They were almost awake, and now they're still staying in bed. They really deserve a spanking."
Hakuto just rolled his eyes at this mischievous fox, Yae Miko, 'We'll see if she can still act like this when Raiden Makoto and Raiden Ei return.'
With the Sacred Sakura Tree issue resolved, Hakuto's mood also relaxed. The Sacred Sakura Tree wasn't just for absorbing and purifying filth; Makoto and Ei were still sleeping inside it.
Hearing that the Sacred Sakura Tree was withering had truly scared Hakuto. Fortunately, the problem was now solved.
"What do you think Makoto and Ei are doing inside the Sacred Sakura Tree? Why are they still unwilling to wake up after so long?"
Yae Miko leaned her entire body against Hakuto's back, her plump chest immediately pressing against his back.
"Hey there, mischievous fox. Are you trying to seduce me?"
"Yes, yes. I'm a Fox Spirit after all. Naturally, I want to seduce you. But have you been seduced by me?"
"Don't play with fire, or you'll get burned."
"As long as you're bold enough, the fox takes a long vacation. As the Guuji of Grand Narukami Shrine, I'd really like to give myself a vacation."
Knowing full well that this mischievous fox was deliberately seducing him, Hakuto still felt a shameful flutter in his heart. This fox was just too good at this.
Using immense willpower, he rejected the fox. Then, Hakuto gave her forehead a hard flick.
"Watch over the Sacred Sakura Tree properly. If anything goes wrong with it, I'll hold you accountable."
Hearing Hakuto's words, Yae Miko looked at him with contempt. "You have the heart but not the courage. If you had just said the word, these long legs and this big chest of this Guuji would have been all yours today. What a shame you're a piece of mud that can't be plastered onto a wall. Truly disappointing. This Guuji is like a flower left unplucked, a pipa with broken strings no one plays."
Hakuto's face darkened. This Yae Miko was really too cheeky. He almost couldn't resist.
One should just listen to this mischievous fox's words and not take them seriously. Actually believing them would just be foolish—the kind of adorable foolishness.
"Alright, alright. Go on with your narcissism."