Chronicles of the Spirit Guardians

This is an age in which no one speaks of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven anymore. The boy A Qiao has never thought there was anything special about him. He lives in a remote village on the southwestern frontier, chopping wood and feeding chickens every day. His greatest worry is the stupid fox that keeps stealing his provisions: Xiao Jiu. Xiao Jiu is fluffy and good at acting cute. It uses its tail to snatch steamed buns, never grows up, and cannot be driven away. Until one night, blood rained from the sky, Spirit Mountain trembled, and countless slumbering ancient demons awoke from the abyss. The village was reduced to scorched earth overnight, and its people vanished without a trace. Only the little fox in A Qiao's arms remained, its eyes gleaming like blades for the first time. “They’re looking for... me.” It turned out it was no fox, but the last Ruin Beast mentioned in ancient texts. Born as an ill omen, it could devour the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Both the righteous and the wicked sought to hunt it down, either to forge it into a world-ending weapon or seal it away for all eternity. A Qiao made a choice no one could understand: he picked up the fox, shouldered his woodcutter’s knife, and set out on the run. Along the way, the immortal sects turned him away, demons hunted him, and the world cursed him. He would meet a rival even more unrestrained and lonely than himself, along with a few fools willing to accompany him to the very depths of hell. For the sake of one fox, he would set himself against the whole world. Only much later would he understand that what he had been protecting was never a demon beast, but the last bit of kindness in this world that asked for nothing in return. “If you think I’m a monster, then I’ll do what monsters do.” “Keep it safe.”