Chapter Ninety
"Senior Wu Xi." Chang Yun carefully placed the unconscious Hong Yi by the Tranquil Lake, her expression anxious. "What happened to the young tribal chief?"
A man in green robes materialized from the phoenix tree and landed before Hong Yi.
Since Wu Xi had remained at the Fox race's Tranquil Lake tens of thousands of years ago, this was the first time he had taken human form in their presence. Chang Yun and several Fox race Elders hastily stepped back to pay their respects. Sen Yu curiously observed this senior who was originally a Phoenix Clan immortal. He had heard Chang Qin mention that Wu Xi had secluded himself on Tranquil Mountain tens of thousands of years ago. Considering Wu Xi's Magical Power, Sen Yu wondered what events could have driven him to leave the Phoenix Clan and recuperate in this small mountain within the Demon Realm.
Wu Xi raised his hand slightly, and a golden Divine Power settled upon Hong Yi. A wisp of black Demonic Qi flickered across his forehead.
"Is that Demonic Qi?" Chang Yun's expression changed drastically. "How could there be Demonic Qi within the young tribal chief?"
Sen Yu was even more astonished. On the day Great Marsh Mountain was destroyed, he had personally witnessed that mass of Demonic Qi surge from Hong Yi's body. He never imagined it would be like a centipede that refuses to die even when dead.
"Hong Yi was possessed by a Demon," Sen Yu explained. "I never expected this Demon to be so formidable. Even after being wounded by over a dozen immortal nets, it could still leave a trace of Demonic Qi within Hong Yi."
Wu Xi sighed, his expression grave. "Although he has advanced to Demigod status, the Demonic Qi has entered his heart. Now he is using his own Demon Core to resist the Demonic Qi's control, which is why his Divine Power is in chaos and he remains unconscious."
"Does Senior have a solution?" Chang Yun asked urgently.
With Chang Qin dead and Chang Mei missing, Hong Yi was now the Fox race's only hope.
Wu Xi remained silent for a moment before speaking. "There is a way, but..."
"But what?" Chang Yun's face lit up with hope. Seeing Wu Xi hesitate, she quickly added, "Senior, please speak freely. For the young tribal chief, the entire Fox race will spare no effort to accomplish whatever is needed."
Instead, Wu Xi looked toward Sen Yu beside them. With a wave of his hand, a blood-red Demon Core brimming with spiritual energy appeared in his palm.
"Hong Yi is still young and burdened by guilt over Great Marsh Mountain. His will is not firm, which is why he lacks the strength to resist the Demonic Qi's invasion. Unless we transfer Chang Qin's Inner Core into his body, using the true fire of Chang Qin's Inner Core to temper his will and Demon Core, allowing him to Refine and Absorb the Demonic Qi himself. This is the only method to save him. Second Prince, are you willing?"
Upon hearing Wu Xi's words, silence fell over Tranquil Lake's shore. The Fox race Elders showed expressions of shock and sorrow but remained silent. Sen Yu was not of the Fox race and originally had no right to speak, but he had personally brought back Chang Qin's Demon Core and left it at Tranquil Mountain for safekeeping. Moreover, he and Chang Qin had been entangled for tens of thousands of years. The Fox race never imagined that one day, Sen Yu would be the one to decide their future. Such is the unpredictability of fate, leaving them sighing with emotion.
Sen Yu gazed at the Demon Core in Wu Xi's hand, remaining silent. He glanced at the unconscious Hong Yi on the ground. After a long while, he finally spoke. "When Hong Yi was young, she loved him most. She valued Hong Yi more than her own life. How could she be unwilling? Senior, please save Hong Yi."
Chang Qin's Demon Core was the only memento she had left behind. Otherwise, Sen Yu would never have brought it back to the Fox race. But now, even this last thing she left in the world could not be preserved.
After speaking, Sen Yu turned and walked away from Tranquil Lake.
Watching Sen Yu's retreating figure, Wu Xi's eyes suddenly reflected the image of himself from tens of thousands of years ago—alone, disheartened, and distancing himself from the Phoenix Clan. A ripple of emotion stirred in eyes that had remained tranquil for millennia.Forget it, I owe a debt of gratitude to the ancestors of the Fox race. This time, I'll consider it as finally repaying that favor to the Fox race. If he didn't intervene to save them, the nine-tailed fox lineage would be severed from now on, and the Fox race would truly decline. Wuxi sighed, swept up the unconscious Hong Yi from the ground, and vanished into the main trunk of the phoenix tree.
Half an hour later, layers upon layers of thunder tribulations descended, no less formidable than when Hong Yi underwent his tribulation on Great Marsh Mountain. However, the fierce and overwhelming thunder tribulations were completely absorbed by that vast and powerful phoenix tree, continuing until all forty-nine tribulations had passed.
The moment the heavenly thunder vanished, a crimson divine light shot toward the sky. A colossal, majestic phantom of a ten-tailed heavenly fox appeared above Tranquil Mountain, shocking the entire Demon Realm.
At the same time, in the rear hall of the Mystic Crystal Palace in the Third Heaven of the Demon Realm, Sen Hong, pierced through the heart by a sword and on the brink of death, gazed at the imposing phantom of the heavenly fox in the distant sky. He looked at the sword-wielding woman before him with unyielding defiance.
"A new ruler of the Demon Tribe has emerged. He is stronger, far stronger than I am. Your ambitions and sinister schemes will never, never come to fruition."
The moment Hong Yi ascended to godhood, the demonic qi within him was completely refined and absorbed. The sword-wielding woman in the Mystic Crystal Palace revealed a twisted and pained expression on her face.
"So what if it's a ten-tailed heavenly fox? I could kill you, and I can kill him just the same!"
The light of life slowly faded from Sen Hong's eyes. Gazing at the blurred face before him, he suddenly reached out to brush it away, his touch exceptionally gentle.
"Back then, I met you together with him. If I had confessed my feelings earlier, perhaps you wouldn't have been trapped in the Third Heaven for so many years." Sen Hong's hand fell upon the woman's face but could no longer hold on. He slowly closed his eyes, the last glimmer of stars and moonlight in his pupils fading into darkness.
"Even if I had spoken, you wouldn't have agreed, would you? All these years, in your heart, there has only ever been him. A Qin..."
Sen Hong's hand fell heavily to the ground, never to move again.
An emperor of the Demon Realm had fallen.
No one knows whether his regrets were finally laid to rest in that moment.
Those words left unspoken, those never uttered, were buried in the countless millennia of starlit years, eventually turning to dust.
A tear traced down her face, falling onto the lifeless hand of Sen Hong.
The sword-wielding woman wiped away the tears on her face, revealing an ambiguous mix of mockery and resentment.
"Back in the Mystic Crystal Palace, I could already see that Sen Hong was infatuated with you. I never imagined he would still be devoted to you even now. I must thank you. If it weren't for you, how could I have killed the Demon Emperor, and even managed to slay Lan Feng in the Heavenly Palace, pinning all the blame on your precious nephew?"
A mouthful of blood spilled from the woman's lips. She looked toward the direction of Tranquil Mountain, her eyes icy and devoid of emotion. "He actually dared to devour all of my demonic qi. The show has only just begun. I will make sure he dies by your own hand."
A cold wind swept through, and the sword-wielding woman transformed into a black demonic qi, vanishing without a trace.
Yuan Qi, on his way to Tranquil Mountain, stopped at the Immortal-Demon boundary and also witnessed the magnificent, awe-inspiring mark of the ten-tailed heavenly fox.
Frowning deeply, his gaze heavy, he said, "Hong Yi has ascended to godhood."
Chang Que exclaimed in surprise, "Then what about the demonic qi within him?"
Yuan Qi shook his head. "It has been devoured."
Chang Que anxiously replied, "What are we to do? If the demonic qi within Hong Yi has disappeared, there will be no way to prove he was controlled by the Demon Tribe. Then the truth about the destruction of Great Marsh Mountain..."Seeing Yuan Qi still heading towards the Demon Realm, Chang Que hurriedly stopped him. "Your Highness, you cannot go to the Fox race now. Hong Yi is a Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox, and his Divine Power is far greater than before. He only knows that you intended to execute him with the Nine Heavens Mystic Thunder Punishment on the Azure Dragon Platform. If he holds a grudge..."
"What happened on Great Marsh Mountain was not his true intention. He will not fight me. Back then, he was controlled by Demonic Qi and unconscious, so I could not learn the truth about Great Marsh Mountain. That is why I used the Nine Heavens Mystic Thunder to draw out the Demonic Qi within him. Now that he has awakened, he can naturally tell me how the Demonic Qi entered his body. Let us go to Tranquil Mountain."
With these words, Yuan Qi and Chang Que set off for Tranquil Mountain.
By the Tranquil Lake, Hong Yi stood in crimson robes, his Divine Power vast and mighty. The Elders of the Fox race knelt on the ground, welcoming their new king.
Hong Yi bowed deeply toward the direction of the phoenix tree and said solemnly, "Thank you for your protection, Elder."
Wu Xi transformed into human form and landed before him, his face slightly weary and his Divine Power no longer as profound as before. It seemed that helping Hong Yi refine the pill and overcome the tribulation had consumed most of Wu Xi's Divine Power.
"The Fox race has not produced a Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox in over sixty thousand years. Your emergence is truly the will of heaven," Wu Xi remarked with emotion. "I have stayed with the Fox race for tens of thousands of years, and today, my mission is finally complete. From now on, you must rely on yourself."
"Hong Yi, you are stubborn by nature, but remember that all things follow their own destiny. Do not cling to attachments."
Wu Xi's voice gradually faded as his form and the phoenix tree at the center of the lake, which had nurtured him for millennia, slowly vanished, drifting toward the east.
The far eastern reaches of the Immortal Realm were the direction of Phoenix Tree Island.
From whence he came, to where he shall return.
Wu Xi had left the Phoenix Clan for tens of thousands of years, yet he still carried unresolved regrets. Perhaps this journey would finally resolve the sorrows of ten thousand years ago.
The Fox race had been under Wu Xi's protection for millennia. Seeing him depart, Elders like Chang Yun and Chang Huo sighed with mixed emotions. However, with the emergence of a Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox in the Fox race and Hong Yi having ascended to godhood as a High God, the status of the Fox race within the Demon Tribe would only rise further.
"Where did my aunt meet her end? How did Sen Yu discover her?"
Having refined and absorbed Chang Qin's Demon Core, Hong Yi naturally knew that something had indeed happened to her. His only relative had been killed, and after ascending to godhood, his first priority was to find the one responsible for Chang Qin's death.
"I will go and bring the Second Prince in now," Chang Yun said, equally troubled by Chang Qin's death. Just as she was about to invite Sen Yu into the lake, she turned and saw Sen Yu approaching with a grave expression.
"Hong Yi," Sen Yu called out before he even arrived. "We must go to the Mystic Crystal Palace in the Third Heaven."
"What happened?" Seeing Sen Yu's solemn expression, Hong Yi could not help but feel surprised.
"The Demon Emperor is in trouble."
Sen Yu rolled up his sleeve, revealing four majestic tiger marks that were intertwined. Only one of them still pulsed with vitality, while the other three were lifeless seals.
Sen Hong had already been a High God for a century. Who could have silently killed him within the Demon Realm's imperial palace?
Hong Yi immediately sensed the strangeness of the situation. Without further delay, he and Sen Yu made brief arrangements and set off for the Third Heaven.
Half a day after the two departed, Yuan Qi and Chang Que arrived at Tranquil Mountain.
Six months earlier, when Yuan Qi was still Gu Jin, he had visited the Fox race. At that time, Chang Qin had not yet perished, and the Elders of the Fox race had treated him with courtesy. Today, however, before he could even approach, he was intercepted by the vigilant Elders of the Fox race outside Tranquil Mountain.
Hong Yi's massacre at Great Marsh Mountain and Yuan Qi's intention to execute him on the Azure Dragon Platform had already spread throughout the Three Realms. Seeing Yuan Qi arrive without concealing his presence, Chang Yun's expression turned grave."Elder Chang Yun." After half a year, when they met again, Yuan Qi was already the son of a True God and a Divine Lord in his own right. He was not arrogant, yet divine authority was evident in his speech.
Despite the deep enmity between their two factions, Chang Yun dared not show disrespect to Yuan Qi and still greeted him respectfully, "I pay my respects to Divine Lord Yuan Qi."
"Where is Hong Yi? Bring him out."
The emergence of the Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox of the Fox race was already known throughout the Three Realms. Unwilling to waste time, Yuan Qi got straight to the point.
Yuan Qi hailed from Great Marsh Mountain and was clearly aligned with the Immortal Tribe. Naturally, Chang Yun would not tell him that the Demon Emperor was in trouble, only vaguely stating, "The tribal chief is not at Tranquil Mountain."
Yuan Qi frowned, clearly unconvinced. Chang Qin was dead, and Hong Yi had just ascended to godhood. With the Fox race in ruins and everything needing restoration, how could he leave the clan at such a time?
"If the Divine Lord does not believe me, you may enter the mountain and see for yourself." Knowing she could not stop Yuan Qi, Chang Yun stepped aside, but there was not the slightest hint of retreat in her eyes.
"However, when the Divine Lord once sought help from our clan, the late tribal chief treated you with great kindness. Now, with her body not yet cold, if the Divine Lord insists on forcing your way into our Tranquil Mountain, our Fox race cannot stop you, nor do we have anything to say. But the tribal chief truly is not within the clan."
Seeing Chang Yun's resolute, death-defying stance to guard the mountain, Yuan Qi was reminded of his fellow disciples at Great Marsh Mountain, who had refused to retreat even a step for the sake of their sect.
He looked at Chang Yun, sighed, and said solemnly, "Before Tribal Chief Chang Qin disappeared, she met with my senior brother Xian Zhu. The deaths of both my senior brothers and Tribal Chief Chang Qin are suspicious, and Elder Chang Mei is also missing. Only Hong Yi knows what truly happened at Great Marsh Mountain, and only he knows where those hidden Demons are. I have come seeking the truth, not to kill him. Otherwise, he would have died long ago at the Heavenly Palace. Elder Chang Yun, where exactly has Hong Yi gone?"
Though Yuan Qi had ascended to godhood, he was no different from the clear-eyed young man of half a year ago.
Chang Yun considered that Hong Yi had now ascended to godhood and was a Ten-Tailed Heavenly Fox, his Divine Power likely no less than Yuan Qi's. Moreover, if Hong Yi could be cleared of the false accusation of slaughtering Great Marsh Mountain, the Fox race would be more than willing.
After a moment of hesitation, she finally spoke, "Something has happened at Mystic Crystal Palace. The tribal chief and the Second Prince have gone to the Third Heaven. If the Divine Lord wishes to see the tribal chief, go to Mystic Crystal Palace."
Something happened at Mystic Crystal Palace? Yuan Qi's gaze darkened, a sense of unease washing over him, and he headed toward the Third Heaven with Chang Que.
Inside Mystic Crystal Palace, Sen Yu knelt on one knee, lifting his elder brother who lay in a pool of blood. He personally pulled out the immortal sword embedded in Sen Hong's chest, his eyes filled with sorrow.
Now, in the Tiger Demon clan, only he remained of this generation.
On the immortal sword, the name "Yu Feng" was clearly inscribed. His eyes burned crimson, and his voice, filled with grief and fury, echoed through Mystic Crystal Palace.
"The Immortal Tribe has gone too far! The Tiger Demon clan will never forgive the murder of our Emperor!"
OpenNovel