txolops Chapter 114 Nine-Tailed Fox
Chapter 114 Nine-Tailed Fox
Driven by curiosity, Taibai concealed his presence and flew down from the clouds.
Upon arriving at this tribe, Taibai felt his body become somewhat hot.
The oppressive heat subtly urged him forward, making him run ahead involuntarily.
Taibai forcibly calmed his mind and looked around. The sight he saw made him even more alarmed.
Here, without cultivation, it is almost impossible to distinguish which creatures were originally human and which were once demons.
They were all wrapped in tattered leaves that barely covered their bodies, their eyes were sunken, and their skin clung tightly to their skeletons.
Not far away, an old human woman was scraping a rock surface riddled with holes with her fingers, hoping to find a speck of moss.
Not far away, a stone statue stands abruptly; it is a fox carved from a single piece of dark red rock.
Most striking are its eight long tails that fan out in a shape behind it.
Everything here seemed so eerie. At noon, just as the shadows shrank to almost nothing, the creatures that were on the verge of death by the mud suddenly moved.
There was no leader, no orders, and no words.
Struggling, they used their last bit of strength to stagger toward the statue.
In front of the stone statue, on a scorching hot open space under the blazing sun, they knelt down with difficulty, their foreheads pressed tightly against the ground.
Low, uneven prayers rose up, converging into a faint wave of sound:
"Fox spirit above... May the fox spirit have mercy on us and protect us... so that we may get through this day..."
"Fox spirit... bless your disciple... so that he may soon break through to the Golden Immortal realm and escape this sea of suffering..."
"I beseech the Fox Fairy... to have mercy... to reveal your holy countenance again, and grant this disciple one more time..."
"Beautiful Fox Fairy, I beg you... please let me see you one more time! I'm willing to give my life!"
……
The prayers of all living beings began, not in unison, but in whispers.
Taibai remained hidden directly behind, silently watching the group of praying beings.
Even with his firm Dao heart, he couldn't help but feel a chill creeping up his spine.
With a slight thought, he opened his Heavenly Eye, and a beam of insightful light swept towards the dark red eight-tailed stone fox.
The stone statue was no longer an inanimate object in his eyes; a bewitching pink phantom was flowing inside it.
It was a seductive fox spirit with icy eyes.
What made Taibai's gaze even more fixed was that beside the phantom of the eight-tailed fox demon, there was a gray stone imprisoned.
Although the stone was indistinguishable from any other object, the phantom of a nine-tailed fox was also dancing on its body.
Moreover, the eight-tailed fox was constantly absorbing the power of the nine-tailed fox.
"So that's how it is. This eight-tailed fox demon must have used a profound bewitching and evil art to manipulate the minds of the creatures here, feeding on their faith and life force."
What this fox demon did was far beyond a simple collection of incense offerings; it was almost a demonic act of stealing from the gods and performing a blood sacrifice.
Just then, a soft crack was heard, and a thin crack appeared on the surface of the stone statue.
Immediately afterwards, the pink eight-tailed fox phantom suddenly expanded, broke out of the stone statue, and manifested in mid-air.
She looked down at the dark mass of kneeling beings below, her fox-like eyes sweeping over them.
"I have witnessed your piety. Now is the time for you to prove your faith to me."
Her slender fox eyes shifted slightly, and the illusory figure raised its forepaw, pointing into the distance:
"Go, bring that cowardly cultivator here, and make him also prostrate himself before my divine might!"
After the command was given, the phantom of the fox spirit flashed with light and then shrank back into the stone statue.
However, the kneeling creatures all paused and stiffly raised their heads.
Their once devout eyes were now covered by a layer of pinkish dim light, and they all turned towards the location of Taibai.
The next moment, they struggled to their feet, staggered, and moved step by step toward Taibai.
However, they were pitifully slow and their movements were unsteady, as if they would fall down at any moment.
Seeing this, Taibai sighed inwardly, knowing that the fox demon had completely controlled the minds of these creatures, turning them into puppets who only knew how to carry out orders.
"Fellow Daoist, using incense to refine the spirit and protect the region is the righteous path."
But your methods of bewitching and manipulating, draining the last vestiges of life from living beings, are far too insidious and contrary to the laws of nature!
As Taibai's voice fell, the stone statue remained silent, and the fox demon did not respond to his question.
Instead, a thick pink mist emanated from the stone statue.
The gas spread extremely quickly, instantly enveloping all living things.
Taibai became alert and abruptly retreated.
The creatures that inhaled the gas all had bloodshot eyes and excited expressions, and they attacked Taibai like madmen.
"This fox demon only knows how to use such despicable methods."
Taibai muttered to himself and retreated swiftly once more.
Those creatures, however, seemed to be drawn by an invisible thread, always maintaining a fixed distance from him, only driving him away, never pursuing him relentlessly.
Only when Taibai withdrew from the outskirts of the tribe did the group of creatures suddenly stop and cease their advance.
At this point, Taibai understood: they just wanted to force him away.
The fox demon must have sensed the threat, but was unwilling to confront him directly, so it used these manipulated creatures to drive him away.
The fox demon must have known that Taibai was unwilling to commit murder and incur karmic retribution, which is why she used such methods.
Unfortunately, she didn't know that Taibai possessed a treasure of merit and virtue, and was therefore completely unafraid of being burdened by karma.
"You've fallen so low, do you still willingly serve that fox demon? What can she give you besides exploiting you?"
Taibai spoke in a loud voice, his voice imbued with magical power, attempting to dispel the alluring aura surrounding the living beings.
As the aura dissipated, some clarity returned to the eyes of all living beings, but their expressions toward Taibai were filled with icy resentment.
The resentment wasn't directed at the fox demon; it was all directed at him.
Taibai felt a chill run down his spine, truly puzzled: why would they harbor such hostility towards him?
"Boy, get out of here right now! Don't you dare insult the Fox Fairy! If you dare utter another word, I'll make sure you die right here!"
A hoarse voice rang out.
A hunched old man, leaning on a cane, walked shakily out of the crowd.
Taibai focused his gaze and saw that this was a demon, whose cultivation had reached the Xuanxian level. However, he was very good at disguising himself, and if one did not look closely, he would be almost indistinguishable from a mortal.
"Hmph, does your fox spirit goddess perhaps command you to abduct other living beings?"
"Fool, what do you know!" The old man slammed his cane on the ground in agitation.
"We led them here to bathe in the blessings of the Fox Fairy Goddess; it is a blessing they have accumulated over many lifetimes!"
Look at them! Most of these creatures were brought here by this old man, and they are living such happy lives now!
Upon hearing this, Taibai was shocked. He hadn't expected that the creature before him was actually the henchman of the eight-tailed fox demon.