He changed Tiwat

In less than half an hour, nearly a hundred people had fallen in the Evil Eye Factory, and most of them had been killed by Ying Yijian's throat.

She's probably more efficient at killing than the cooks in Liyue Harbor at slaughtering chickens.

very scary.

Xingqiu knew that Ying was terrifying, and she was actually a little scared herself.

But more than fear, she felt regret—regret that her martial arts skills were far from perfect and that she couldn't help Ying share more of the burden of the enemy.

Because she was just as angry.

Her ritual sword was also stained with blood, but only at the beginning when she was covering for Ying; she mostly wounded but didn't kill them. Later, the Fatui soldiers who rushed over after hearing the alarm, and the researchers who were fleeing for their lives... Ying dealt with almost all of them by herself.

Even those who escaped from her sword were chased down and killed by Ying one by one.

Given Xingqiu's personality, it would normally be difficult for her to accept wielding a sword against someone who has no ability to resist... but this time she could accept it; she truly felt that these people deserved to die.

Xingqiu rarely had such lofty thoughts as deciding the life and death of others.

Even when Xingqiu goes out to exorcise demons with Chongyun, he generally won't attack any fleeing demons.

Every chivalrous hero has probably asked themselves: "When upholding justice in the world, is it merely a matter of judging right and wrong by one's own standards?"

She is a chivalrous hero, not a deity, and should not judge life and death based on her own whims. She walks the path of chivalry, not the path of carnage.

But what she witnessed in the laboratory of the Palace Guard forced her to think that these people died too late.

In that laboratory, Xingqiu and Ying saw a row of special "display cases" containing "specimens" made by the Fools.

"Specimens" made by humans.

The researchers from the Fools carefully noted the process of making the "specimen" on the "display case".

Xingqiu and Ying saw a familiar name in the "display case" of "Specimen No. 1" - "Zushi (Master)".

Occupation: Miner.

Gender: Male.

Age: 33 years old.

...The test subjects spent a week in a closed room with the activated "evil spirit," at a dose of 400 millisieverts.

...Apart from lethargy, there were no other special effects, so the individual was deemed a suitable candidate and proceeded to the next stage of the experiment.

...injected with a refined "deity" preparation, at a dose equivalent to approximately 1000 millisieverts.

...The test subject began experiencing nosebleeds, dizziness, night terrors, and frequent nightmares in the latter half of the night. The physical examination data is as follows...

...The dosage is 3000 millisieverts.

...The experimental subject exhibited symptoms including coughing up blood, headache, skin rash, and purple scars on the face and neck. The physical examination data is as follows...

...3500 millisieverts.

...4000 millisieverts.

...4500 millisieverts.

...The dosage is 5000 millisieverts.

The subject lost hair and teeth, bled from the mouth with black substances in the blood, and exhibited auditory hallucinations and suicidal tendencies. The experiment was temporarily suspended…

...10000 millisieverts.

The experimental subject experienced rhabdomyolysis. The energy tolerance limit of the "Spirit of Evil" was determined to be 5000-10000 millisieverts.

Data collection complete.

……

The vivisection was completed, the data was recorded, and the organs were frozen using ice mist flower stamens. These, along with the experimental report, were then transferred to the "Doctor."

Nagatsugu's father—to be precise, his remains lay in that "display case." Most of his organs had been removed, and his blood had been drained for experimental data, leaving only a shriveled, bony corpse…

And there are dozens more such "specimens" in the laboratory...

Not only that.

While Ying went out to kill people with her sword, Xingqiu stayed in the laboratory searching for clues and found a letter—a letter from Tianling Fengxing.

The letter bears the Kujo family crest.

The letter was addressed to Gongozaemon, and it contained only one sentence:

[The patriarch's decree: Speed ​​is of the essence in war. If there are any refugees or sick people on the island, do not show them mercy. Quickly lure them to the ferry crossing and sink their ships halfway. If questioned, claim it was done by rebels, lest a mere "evil spirit" disturb His Highness the General's domain.]

That letter is currently in Xingqiu's pocket.

...The shogunate leaflets they saw in Hisaki Village showed that the miners and villagers who had fled to the shogunate camp in Futsuna had all perished in the sea.

From the very beginning, the shogunate had no intention of giving them a way out.

Xingqiu gripped the sword tightly; this was the first time she had truly wanted to kill someone.

That Inazuma, there are really many people who deserve to die.

After handing the "amulet" to Han Fulai, Yae no Miko lightly waved her sleeve, and three small purple foxes jumped out of the sleeve, their bodies slender and long, like cherry tree branches.

The little foxes hopped and skipped to the side of the "scatterers," forming a triangular formation, with the "scatterers" positioned right at the center of this formation.

Then Han Fulai saw the little foxes stretching out their tails very diligently, lifting up the "scattered soldiers'" bodies as if they were carrying luggage...

Then the three little foxes collapsed from exhaustion, looking like the "stragglers" whose bodies were very heavy.

—After all, they are dolls created by God, so their physical appearance and weight may not match.

"...Should I help you carry this guy out?" Han Fulai asked.

The divine child snorted: "Don't pity them. These are my 'Killing Cherry Blossoms,' fox spirits sealed within the branches, all 'wild branches' that have fallen into the form of harmful demons. Their status was originally two ranks lower than that of the Heavenly Fox, and now that they have committed a crime, I am using them to atone for their sins."

"Yagami," also known as "Tatsuko," is one of the yokai (supernatural beings) in Inatsume.

Just like human society, the fox spirits in Inazuma are also divided into different classes.

In terms of cultivation, the lowest level is the ordinary "spirit fox," which lacks talent for cultivation and often lives to less than a hundred years old.

The next level up is called "Earth Fox," possessing a certain level of demonic cultivation and a lifespan of five hundred years. Ordinary wild foxes, also known as "Wild Fox Zen," are considered quite powerful demons once they reach the "Earth Fox" level; they can speak human language and transform into human form. Basically, the stories of fox spirits playing tricks on people circulating among the Inatsume people are all the work of these "Wild Fox Zen."

If a "ground fox" commits a crime and is subdued by a powerful demon, it will be demoted to a "wild fox"—a "labor reformer" who is even worse than a "wild fox monk," and can only be used by the powerful demon as a shikigami to atone for its sins.

The fox clan with Bai Chen's bloodline possesses immortal techniques passed down by the Fox Palace, allowing them to advance beyond the "Earth Fox" level.

This stage is called "Qi Fox".

At this stage, fox demons begin to "cultivate immortality." Their immortal power, or rather, demonic power, accumulates in their bodies in the form of tails. The higher the cultivation level of a "qi fox," the more tails it has. The highest stage of a "qi fox" is the "nine-tailed fox."

More than 500 years ago, when Narukami Shrine was still thriving, most of the "regular-rank" shrine maidens were actually "nine-tailed foxes" of the Hakushin bloodline. Their lifespans were mostly less than a thousand years.

Foxes that are over a thousand years old are called "celestial foxes." Celestial foxes are fox spirits who possess magical powers.

Speaking of the physical characteristics of the "Heavenly Fox", it is that it has been reduced from "nine tails" to "four tails".

These four tails, along with the "Heavenly Fox's" "Heavenly Eye," represent five supernatural powers—"Heavenly Eye," "Heavenly Ear," "Divine Foot," "Mind Reading," and "Knowledge of Past Lives." With these five supernatural powers, one can ascend to heaven and traverse the earth, and know the past and future; this is the pinnacle of cultivation for the Inazuma Fox Clan.

Above the "Heavenly Fox" is another rank called "Empty Fox". Fox spirits who cultivate to this stage have a lifespan of at least three thousand years, almost as long as heaven and earth, and are almost godlike beings. The former leader of the Inazuma demon clan, Fox Palace, was an "Empty Fox" and the only "Empty Fox" in the history of the Inazuma demon clan.

The divine child was actually quite proud when she uttered the word "heavenly fox".

Five hundred years ago, she had already become a "celestial fox." This is unique since the beginning of time; even "genius" is insufficient to describe her.

When other monsters heard that the Divine Child had become a "Heavenly Fox" before she was even five hundred years old, they all wished they could worship her and become her disciples, just like the students in Liyue who were taking the civil service exam wanted to worship Han Fulai because they heard that he had almost a perfect score...

However, Han Fulai's reaction was: "Uh...so foxes are also divided into classes?"

That's right. People who don't take the civil service exam don't know how terrifying Han Fulai's score was, just like Han Fulai, who isn't a fox, doesn't know how high an honor it is to be called "Heavenly Fox"... The social evaluation systems of humans and demons are completely different after all.

The goddess snorted again, annoyed. "Yes, they're not even as good as you humans now."

Han Fulai smirked. So, in your eyes, humans are even less important than foxes, huh...? Fine, you are a fox after all...

As they were talking, the three "wild geese" finally managed to lift the "scattered soldiers" with great difficulty.

The divine child clapped his hands lightly.

Then Han Fulai saw a spatial rift—the same spatial rift he had seen at the bottom of the Abyss, the one the Abyss Apostles used to escape.

The three "wild stags" carried the "scattered soldiers" and flew into the spatial rift, disappearing instantly.

"By the way, ask that blonde little girl for me—just ask her if she wants to defeat the Thunder General? If she does, have her secretly come to Narukami Shrine to find me, and I'll prepare 'Anti-Thunder General Special Training' for her."

After the divine child finished speaking, he also stepped into the spatial rift.

The crack closed, and her whereabouts vanished without a trace.

Whether the Divine Child could truly "foresee the future" or not, Ying and Xingqiu burst into the hall almost simultaneously.

Shadow Mountain, Narukami Grand Shrine.

The spatial rift appeared abruptly and disappeared just as abruptly.

There were three people under the cherry blossom tree.

One is lying down.

One is sitting.

One is standing.

The one lying down is a "straggler".

The one sitting down is Yae no Kami.

The one standing there is also Yae no Kami.

The difference between the two priestesses is that the one sitting down is both dignified and serene, radiating a holy glow; she is practically the most beautiful priestess among priestesses.

The standing Yae no Kami sighed, waved his hand, and the seated Yae no Kami transformed into a small pink fox, which leaped into her chest.

This is a fragment of her spirit.

The hardships she endured to advance from "Spirit Fox" to "Celestial Fox" within five hundred years are beyond the comprehension of outsiders, and the Divine Child never speaks of her struggles to outsiders—in order to correct her friend's wrong path, she practically sacrificed everything, her body, her soul, and even her future...

However, "pulling up seedlings to help them grow" has always been risky.

Although the Divine Child became the youngest and arguably strongest "Heavenly Fox" in history, her power was limited.

Unlike a normal "celestial fox," her "five supernatural powers" must rely on the earth's veins... to be precise, on the divine cherry tree.

For example, her "Divine Footwork" actually uses the Inazuma Earth Vein Network for teleportation. It requires her own separated consciousness as the coordinate anchor point for teleportation, which is far less free than that of a normal "Heavenly Fox".

For this reason, she must always have a part of her spirit sitting under the Divine Cherry Tree.

If it were the Fox Palace, or the elderly Bai Chentianhu, they should be able to see that the Divine Child's condition is not complete at all, and her "Five Divine Powers" are all "incomplete".

...But those who could see this out have all passed away.

The divine child stroked the trunk of the divine cherry tree and murmured to herself, "Teacher, when you asked me to be the palace priest, did you foresee that Bai Chen's bloodline would end in my generation?"

Chapter 148 A Long, Long Time Ago [4k]

The divine child gently stroked the sacred cherry tree.

A familiar and warm memory flowed from the tree trunk, down her wrist, and into her heart.

Long, long ago, when humans told stories about monsters, they didn't need to use "long, long ago" as a prefix.

At that time, celestial dogs traversed the sky, and demons galloped across the battlefield; fox spirits appeared in the fields, and fox fairies roamed the human world. Under the great banner of the gods, the demons, with their incredible power, helped humanity through the arduous and primitive period of slash-and-burn agriculture.

Built against the mountains and along the sea, the city of Inazuma was finally completed.

In that long, long time ago, before Yae no Miko was born, Narukami Taisha was not called "Narukami Taisha" but "Hakushin Saiō no Kō no Nyō".

Later, because Hakushin Sōō became a follower of the Thunder God, his name was shortened to "Kōsai-gō".

At that time, the lineage of the White Fox King was the most noble among the demons. The demons of Inazuma would always gather in this palace to feast and drink, each boasting about the new legends they had recently created.

What is said after drinking may differ from the truth, but no one cares; they just want something interesting and pleasant to hear.

Over time, such gatherings and banquets became the traditional "Hundred Tales Gathering" of the demon race.

Five hundred years ago, the divine child, who was still a young fox, participated in several "Hundred Tales Conferences" while perched on the shoulders of the Fox Palace.

Prince Kitsuri has always had a fondness for the beauty of tanka poetry, knowing 1,111 of them and employing them with refined elegance. The Kokin Wakashū, a collection of ancient and modern waka poems passed down through Inatsuma, was compiled by Prince Kitsuri. It is no surprise that Shinji became the chief editor of the Yaedo (Eighth Hall) magazine, influenced by Prince Kitsuri.

The princess doesn't remember if everyone gathered under the sacred cherry tree or if the sake cups in their hands were filled with the fragrance of cherry blossom petals, but she does remember that every "Hyakumonogatari Conference" always began with a short poem by the fox spirit.

Which was the last short poem recited by Fox Abbot?