Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

A dark red light spread from the base of the seventh tail to its tip.

Su Chang'an's left hand was pressed tightly against the dark stone wall.

Blood was still seeping from the horrifying wound in his palm. The blood was neither repelled nor burned when it came into contact with the chain runes.

The stone wall sucked it in.

Greedily, silently, like an old dog that has been thirsty for three thousand years finally getting its first sip of water.

The black residue that had dried up for three thousand years in the rune grooves began to loosen. Blood from Su Chang'an's palm spread in all directions along the grooves, filling every withered line.

The dark red light flowed backward from the seventh tail, surging along the meridians of the arm into the wound in the palm.

The color of the blood changed.

It was no longer her own crimson, but mixed with a very deep dark red.

Ancient. Somber. Carrying the warmth of the snowfields from three thousand years ago.

The stone wall was shaking.

It's not rejection. It's resonance. It's a response.

Su Chang'an's fingertips touched the pulse beneath the rune. The stone was cold, but the pulse was hot.

This seal is there to recognize her.

It's about recognizing what's in her blood.

Su Chang'an's jaw clenched. The light on the seventh tail was rapidly dissipating, and with each drop, a tingling sensation spread through her spine. The synchronization rate was rising—she could feel that power drilling deeper into her veins.

I heard very faint footsteps moving behind me.

Su Chang'an did not turn around.

No need to look back.

Her peak Quasi-Emperor level perception was enough for her to see the positions of the people behind her clearly.

The goddess of the Wang family moved two inches to the left. The three assassins' positions quietly changed from a defensive fan formation to an offensive triangle formation.

The right hand of the assassin on the far left was already on the hilt of his knife.

Su Chang'an's lips twitched slightly.

The chain runes on the stone wall began to move.

The dense, black patterns, like living snakes, twisted, intertwined, and rearranged on the stone surface. The sharp, piercing sound of metal rubbing against stone emanated from within the wall.

It looks like someone is scraping bones with iron nails.

The entire passageway was shaking.

The goddess of the Wang family's breathing became heavier.

Su Chang'an didn't need to look to know what expression was on her face.

greedy.

From the secret realm to the ancestral city, this woman's eyes were always fixed on what others held. She did this at the edge of the sinkhole, she did this in the ruins, and she still does this now.

Su Chang'an made the dark red light of the seventh tail flash twice.

Then her body swayed slightly to the right.

With its knees slightly bent and shoulders slumped, two of its five tails began to spread outwards from the position of holding Chen Xuan, as if they could no longer support its weight.

Su Chang'an exhaled a breath of stale air. His voice was very low, weak and barely audible.

It was an act.

Her life force is indeed running low, but it hasn't reached the point where she can't hold on any longer.

This sway was meant to be shown to the "hyena" behind him.

really.

The goddess of the Wang family took half a step forward.

"What? A fox demon at the peak of the Great Sage realm can't even open a door?"

The voice of the goddess of the Wang family came from behind. It was unhurried, with a condescending scrutiny.

"Do you need my help?"

Su Chang'an heard the sound of her gripping her severed arm. The knuckles struck the metal wrist guard with a very soft, crisp sound.

The imperial blood essence within that severed arm had not yet completely depleted.

The goddess of the Wang family is waiting.

The moment the door opened. The moment Su Chang'an was exhausted.

Su Chang'an did not turn around.

The voice came from the back of his throat, hoarse and cold.

"If you think it's too slow, then you do it."

It paused for a moment.

"Don't bark like a dog behind me."

The goddess of the Wang family stopped in her tracks.

The passageway was quiet for two breaths.

A loud boom came from the inside of the stone wall.

It was Li Changgeng.

His quasi-emperor-level power struck the seal's internal structure once more, causing a hair-thin crack to appear on the entire stone wall from bottom to top. Gravel fell from above, crashing into the mud and splashing up tiny, dark red droplets of water.

Following that loud bang was another sound.

respite.

Extremely faint, extremely slow, like an oil lamp about to go out making its last struggle.

This gasp was not transmitted through the air.

It followed the stone wall, the runes, Su Chang'an's hand that was pasted on it, and the seventh tail, all the way into her sea of ​​consciousness.

Su Chang'an's scalp tingled.

It's not because I'm afraid.

It's because it's too clear.

It was so clear that she could distinguish the extremely brief pause between inhalation and exhalation—

That pause was filled with the weariness of three thousand years.

The system panel was flashing wildly in the corner of my consciousness.

[Warning! Soul synchronization rate: 72%!]

The handwriting was so red it was glaring.

Su Chang'an's dantian twitched violently. The dark red light on the seventh tail flowed uncontrollably at an accelerated pace, and with each inch it flowed out, the edge of her sea of ​​consciousness thinned by a layer.

Seventy-two. Eight points away from the red line of eighty.

She still has time.

Running out.

Su Chang'an took a deep breath of the cold air, which smelled of rust.

I'm not performing anymore.

Press the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Press firmly.

A mouthful of blood spurted from between his teeth, landing precisely on the largest chain rune node in the very center of the stone wall.

The moment the Heavenly Fox's essence blood touched the runes, a dark red light suddenly exploded from the point of contact, spreading along all the still-moving runes.

The seventh tail was raised.

There were no fancy moves.

With its tail taut, it lashed down at the point where the runes were most densely moving.

boom.

The sound wasn't loud.

But the air in the entire passage was sucked out for a moment.

The stone wall split in the middle.

The crack tore open from the center outwards, sending debris flying and dust billowing everywhere. A gap about ten feet high appeared before our eyes.

The things that poured out of the gap caused Su Chang'an's five tails to bristle simultaneously.

It's not spiritual energy. It's not precious light.

It is a remnant fragment of the Quasi-Emperor's Law.

An invisible, distorting force field poured out from the crack, carrying with it an intense, almost solidified smell of rust and blood. Su Chang'an's skin instantly broke out in goosebumps.

This force field indiscriminately crushed everything in the passage.

Even the pebbles on the wall were squeezed out and made a creaking sound.

The moment the crack tore open, Su Chang'an's body had already moved.

He touched the ground with his toes. His fifth tail slapped the ground for leverage. He and Chen Xuan in his arms moved three feet to the side, squeezing into a blind spot on the side wall of the passage.

It's not about rushing forward.

It means to move to the side.

The goddess of the Wang family did not dodge.

Her eyes lit up.

The storm of spiritual energy that surged forth when the crack tore open was not a danger to her. It was a sign that a treasure was about to be born.

A three-thousand-year-old imperial seal. A quasi-emperor-level spiritual vein main root.

Just hearing these titles is enough to make any cultivator green with envy.

She couldn't wait any longer.

"Charge in!"

The goddess of the Wang family shouted sternly.

"Rob!"

The three assassins, all at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, had been preparing for a long time. The moment the order was given, the three figures shot out simultaneously. With their spiritual power fully unleashed and their protective aura pushed to its limit, they were like three iron arrows piercing the air, straight into the dark crack.

The first one disappeared into the darkness.

The second one followed closely behind.

The third.

Su Chang'an leaned against the side wall, while Chen Xuan was completely wrapped up by her five tails.

She didn't see the crack.

She was looking at the face of the goddess of the royal family.

Take a breath.

The first scream came from deep within the crevice.

Short. Sharp. Like a mosquito that's been slapped flat.

It called out for half a minute before stopping.

The second sound followed immediately.

This sound was even shorter. So short it was just a breath. It was as if the vocal cords had been physically shredded before it even had the chance to scream.

The third sound did not come.

Instead, a wet sound was heard.

Flesh and bone were shattered and mixed together. It was like wringing out a wet towel, or stepping barefoot into mud. Fragments of flesh mixed with bone shards sprayed out from the cracks, splashing onto the stone walls and the ground.

It splashed onto the tips of the goddess Wang's shoes.

A cloud of warm blood mist drifted out from the crack and spread throughout the passage.

It was so fishy it made me want to vomit.

Three assassins at the peak of the Primordial Realm.

Not even a complete body was left.

The goddess of the Wang family stood rooted to the spot.

Her forward momentum froze halfway through. She lifted her right foot, braced herself with her left foot, and leaned forward at a 15-degree angle.

Like a sculpture that has been paused.

Her pupils shrank to pinpoints.

His gaze was fixed on the crack. A tattered piece of clothing clung to the rubble at the edge of the crack. It was gray; it belonged to the sleeve of the first assassin who had rushed in.

There was a sticky substance on the cuff, slowly dripping down.

The goddess of the Wang family's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

I can't swallow it.

The severed arm in his right hand was trembling.

It wasn't her own trembling—it was the imperial bloodline's instinctive fear of the power within the crack. The golden light flickered, like a frightened animal nuzzling its master's palm.

"in……"

The goddess's voice was squeezed out from her throat. Dry and trembling.

"What exactly is that?"

Su Chang'an leaned against the side wall. His left hand hung limply at his side, blood still seeping from the wound in his palm. His right arm was useless. Five tails wrapped around Chen Xuan, leaving only his face exposed.

She tilted her head.

His lips twitched slightly.

"Your ancestor, a quasi-emperor, and an old demon who has lived for three thousand years."

The voice was not loud, but hoarse and leaky.

But every word hit the ears of the goddess of the Wang family clearly.

The goddess of the Wang family turned pale.

It wasn't because I was scared white.

It's the kind of white blood that's drawn to the soles of the feet.

A quasi-emperor. And a powerful demon.

She sent three people from the Bifu Realm in.

It's like throwing three sausages into a meat grinder.

Su Chang'an stopped looking at her.

Turning around, they walked towards the recess in the side wall of the passage. Chen Xuan was leaned against there, his five tails wrapped around him in layers.

Su Chang'an squatted down.

The movements were very light and slow.

Her left hand slid from Chen Xuan's lower back to his shoulder blade, checking for any secondary misalignment during the lateral movement. Her palm pressed against his back, the warmth emanating from it so faint that even she felt it was meager.

Chen Xuan's left hand emerged from the gap in the fox fur.

His fingers precisely gripped her sleeve.

The spot where they grabbed me was the same as it was ten minutes ago, the same as it was half an hour ago, and the same as it has been since I entered the Guiyuan Hall.

The fabric was repeatedly squeezed and clenched, completely deformed, and crumpled into a rope.

"Your synchronization rate just increased again."

Chen Xuan's voice came out muffledly from within the fox fur. It was hoarse, drafty, and each word was separated by one or two frighteningly shallow breaths.

Su Chang'an's fingers paused for a moment on his shoulder blade.

Their consciousnesses are still connected.

He sensed it.

Su Chang'an withdrew his hand and began to readjust the way the tail was wrapped. The first stripe covered the armpits. The second supported the lower back. The third secured the legs.

His movements were swift and efficient, without any unnecessary actions.

"Only seventy-two."

She didn't look him in the eye.

"We're still a long way from the 80 mark. What's the rush?"

Chen Xuan did not respond.

He tightened his grip on his sleeve slightly. The pressure was minimal—the broken bones couldn't exert any force.

But it just won't loosen.

A bead of cold sweat slid down Su Chang'an's forehead and landed on the back of Chen Xuan's hand.

As she adjusted her third tail, the tip twitched.

It only trembled slightly.

She held him down.

Don't go.

Chen Xuan said.

Su Chang'an stood up.

Three tails coiled around him, their weight pressing down on his tailbone, sending a dull pain up his spine. His right arm was still useless, hanging limply at his side, chilled by the cold wind. The dent in his left palm had soaked through the bandages and needed to be treated again.

But she didn't have time.

Fragments of quasi-emperor laws were still leaking out of the crack, but their concentration was decreasing. Li Changgeng was disrupting the balance of the laws inside, causing intermittent gaps in the force fields that were indiscriminately strangling the enemy.

Su Chang'an took a deep breath.

Then I stepped toward the crack.

I stepped on something soft.

She didn't look down.

"Chen Mu".

"Here!" Chen Mu's voice came from the back of the passage, trembling uncontrollably.

He witnessed the fate of those three assassins.

"If there's any noise outside, shout towards the crack."

"Senior Su, you—"

Do as instructed.

Chen Mu gritted his teeth, ran two steps toward the crack, and crouched behind the cover on the side wall.

Su Chang'an walked to the crack.

Darkness seeped out from the crack.

Thick and heavy, carrying a real sense of oppression. The remaining Heavenly Fox essence on her skin was issuing a faint warning, as if something was watching her from the depths of the crack.

Three zhang to the right, the goddess of the Wang family was still rooted to the spot.

Her feet never touched the ground.

Su Chang'an glanced at it out of the corner of his eye.

The goddess of the Wang family clenched her fingers white on the severed arm. Her nails dug into the half-rotten flesh. Her lips were tightly pressed together. Her eyes darted back and forth between the crack and Su Chang'an.

I want to charge forward, but I don't dare. I want to run away, but I'm unwilling to give up.

Su Chang'an looked away.

We don't need to worry about her anymore.

"Walk."

Su Chang'an carried Chen Xuan and stepped into the crevice.

Darkness swallowed their figures.

The goddess of the Wang family stood alone in the passageway.

Before her lay the crack still seeping blood mist. Beneath her feet lay the rubble of her three assassins.

Her right foot was finally put down.

I stepped on a bone fragment whose owner I didn't know.

She stared at the crack for a long time.

The echoes of clanging chains and the faint sound of wind emanated from the depths of the crack. Residual laws flowed slowly along the edges of the crevice, scorching the surface of the rubble with blackened marks.

The goddess of the Wang family moved her severed arm to her left hand.

He clenched his right fist.

She took a step forward.

stopped.

On the gray fabric hanging at the edge of the crack, there was a bone about the size of a finger joint.

She pulled her foot back.

He turned around and walked towards the stairwell.

They walked very fast.

They walked faster and faster.

Chen Mu was the only one left guarding the crack in the passage.

He crouched behind the bunker, staring at the dark crack.

You can't see anything in the dark.

But he could faintly hear a voice.

It came from a very, very far place.

Su Chang'an's voice was so hoarse that it was almost inaudible:

"You unfilial son, put your broken hand back in."

Then came a muffled response, mostly absorbed by the fox fur and the stone wall, leaving only two indistinct syllables.

Chen Mu didn't understand.

But he felt that the two syllables probably meant "no".