In a sky filled with lightning and thunder, the little fox’s own ghostly fire turned into a giant wave, engulfing everything around her.
Amidst the flames, her eyes were dull, her memory confused.
She should no longer lose her memory or forget after the appearance of the fated one, but she still forgot Jiang Chen.
Although she forgot, she also remembered.
She forgot Jiang Chen’s face, forgot the words Jiang Chen had once said, and even forgot the name “Jiushuang.”
But she remembered that figure in white, that scent that made her feel at ease, and that warmth.
In the end, she left.
Her instincts told her to stay by the side of the fated one, yet she still chose to leave.
She wanted to search. For what exactly, she didn’t know herself.
The only thing she knew was only by searching for that something could she find peace.Only by searching could she feel her heartbeat, feel that she was still herself.
And when the little fox left, the surroundings were in ruins.
Although there were powers in the city that could stop the little fox’s actions, no one wanted to step forward.
No one wanted to get involved with the Nine Heavens Mystic Fox.
Watching the direction in which the little fox left, Lin Feng was puzzled.
At the moment he named the little fox, he could also see the red thread between them.
He guessed that he was the little fox’s fated one, but he didn’t understand why the little fox’s actions were so abnormal.
“She is resisting fate,” said the innkeeper beside him.
“Resisting fate?” Lin Feng didn’t understand.
“This is the second time I’ve seen a Nine Heavens Mystic Fox resist fate. The last Nine Heavens Mystic Fox that resisted fate angered the Demon Emperor, bringing a great disaster to her people, and she herself…”
“She what?”
“She became a Nine Nether Ghost Fox, her soul scattered to the winds.”
Legend has it that there are two natural foxes.
One follows the heavens and is named Nine Heavens Mystic Fox.
The other defies the heavens and is named Nine Nether Ghost Fox.
The Nine Heavens Mystic Fox, though a puppet, is favored by heaven and earth.
The Nine Nether Ghost Fox, though free, only has a lifespan of a few hours, and once time is up, its soul will disperse.
A thousand years ago, a Nine Heavens Mystic Fox appeared in the demon realm.
This fox resisted fate, refusing to marry her fated one, the Demon Emperor of the demon realm.
Facing the Emperor and the heavenly dao and knowing she couldn’t resist, she burned herself with her ghostly fire, using the Nine Abyss Nether Flame to refine her soul, escaping fate but also becoming a ghost fox and meeting a terrible end.
This act angered both the heavenly dao and the Demon Emperor, who then exiled her people and suppressed them in this realm.
The reason for choosing this realm was that the imperial throne here was vacant, and the Imperial Dynasty’s empress was merely self-proclaimed and doesn’t dare meddle in others’ affairs.
A heaven-appointed emperor is a false emperor.
A person who can prove themselves as emperor is a true emperor.
A self-proclaimed emperor is one who declares himself a regional emperor without an imperial throne or comprehension of the great path.
In plain terms, she is just a cultivator who has not touched the realm of an emperor.
After learning all this, Lin Feng was shocked.
He was very clear that to know such secrets and to have lived for thousands of years, one must be a hidden powerhouse.
“Thank you for your guidance, senior,” he immediately bowed in gratitude.
“No need to thank me, it was just a small effort. I am the lord of this city. The Nine Heavens Mystic Fox burned my inn and scorched my houses. Since you are her fated one, you should settle the account.”
Lin Feng’s face darkened instantly.
Afterward, the rumors about the Nine Heavens Mystic Fox in the Upper Domain grew even more intense.
Year after year, the little fox still aimlessly searched the Upper Domain.
She had been to many places and encountered many enemies, but she never found the white figure from her memories.
During this time, she often burned herself with ghostly fire, trying to use this method to counteract the influence of the heavenly dao on her.
Each time, she was in agony, but every time, she was smiling.
The reason she smiled was that she indeed succeeded, still able to see the figure in white in a daze.
Also because for some reason, this feeling of self-immolation with ghostly fire felt very familiar to her.
It seemed as if many years ago, she had also burned herself with ghostly fire for someone so as not to fall asleep.
It was painful, yet it was also very blissful…
……
One day, the little fox arrived at a secret realm in Upper Domain.
Before her stood a hundred zhang tall Enlightenment Tree.
The Enlightenment Tree was tall and fruitful, with lush branches and leaves.
Judging by the flowing light it emitted, it was at least an eighth-grade, if not ninth-grade tree.
The little fox slowly approached and leaped onto a branch to lie down.
This feeling was familiar to her, like returning home, to a time long past.
After a long search and self-immolation of her ghostly fire, she was physically and mentally exhausted, weak and frail.
She gently closed her eyes, her skirt draping down, and as her six tails swayed, she fell into a deep sleep.
She had a dream. In the dream, a figure in white once said, “A lifetime is too long, but as long as I live, I will surely protect her.”
The dream was warm.
So warm that she couldn’t help but smile.
But the dream was also painful.
Because in the dream, she kept trying to call out the name of the figure in white, but it was stuck in her throat.
Only when the figure in white left did she understand.
It wasn’t the dream or the words that hurt, but the intense longing and the deep-seated affection that penetrated her bones.
The little fox suddenly awoke.
Recalling the images from the dream, she felt a heart-wrenching pain and a sourness at the tip of her nose.
She wanted to cry to release the long-suppressed emotions in this way.
But she couldn’t cry, as if she had no tears.
Suddenly, she felt the influence of the heavenly dao again, the memory of the figure in white becoming blurry and once again being replaced by Lin Feng.
Without any hesitation, a ghostly fire burst from between her brows and instantly engulfed her body.
Using her bloodline and cultivation as fuel, the ghostly fire grew hotter and more dazzling, instantly turning the surroundings into a pale blue world of flames.
“Boom!”
The sky rumbled again with continuous thunder.
With each thunderclap, Lin Feng’s presence deepened in her mind.
The little fox realized that this time, the heavens were truly angry and forced her to make a choice with this method.
Either follow the will of heaven or perish in self-immolation.
“Although I don’t know what I’m really looking for.”
“Although I don’t know who that figure in white is.”
“Although I don’t know if I can ever see him again.”
“But one thing, one thing I am very clear about.”
The little fox looked up at the sky, her body suffering from the burning pain, yet she smiled brightly.
“I am very clear that I have no attachment to a world without him.”
As her words fell, more ghostly fire burst from her body, hissing, ethereal yet deadly.
With her actions, she made her choice.
Even in death, she refused to forget, refused to live in a world without ‘him’.
In an instant, several bolts of purple lightning struck down from the sky, landing close to her.
The dull thunder was deafening, causing the heavens and earth to tremble.
The heavens seemed to roar, seemed to question: “Why?!”
“Yes, I wonder why?” the little fox said with a smile.
“Everyone says that the Nine Heavens Mystic Fox has no heart. But I can feel my heartbeat, the warmth, the longing, the yearning…”
“Perhaps…”
She looked up at the sky again: “Perhaps, you are the one without a heart?”
“Boom!”
As soon as she spoke, lightning converged into a dragon, striking directly above her head.
At the same time, the jade pendant on her chest shone brightly with white light, forming a solid array to counter the heavenly thunder.
But how could an eighth-grade array stop the might of heaven?
With a ‘crack’, both the array and the jade pendant on her chest shattered.
At that moment, she despaired.
Not because she was about to die, but because the jade pendant, as important as life itself, had broken…
Just like her heart, at this moment, it became fragmented and scattered on the ground.
“Heh.”
The little fox gave a pale smile and closed her eyes to await death.
“D
Suddenly, a bell sound that echoed through the heaven and earth rang in her ears.
The little fox quickly opened her eyes, only to find herself under the cover of an ancient imperial bell.
And the terrifying thunder that had just struck was neutralized by this imperial bell.
And a figure in white dazzled before her eyes, as she saw a man walking towards her.
The man said, “Little fox, we meet again.”
“Do you know me?” she replied.
“Of course, have you forgotten?”
The man, disregarding the ghostly fire on her body, embraced her: “I’ve said, no matter what you become, no matter where you are, I will recognize you, find you. By the way, my name is…”
“…Jiang Chen,” she finished for him.