Wuxia - Mtl
Chapter 211
Ghost Ridge Soul Abyss.
The six-tailed old woman brought the little fox here.
On the way, the little fox had detailed the nine cycles of reincarnation it had witnessed to the old woman.
At this moment, the old woman was still in shock.
Such an inconceivable event was something she initially didn’t believe at all.
But when the little fox recounted how a Nine Heavens Mystic Fox defied the heavens a thousand years ago, offended the Demon Emperor, and ultimately became a ghost fox of the nine abysses, surviving only a few hours before its soul dissipated, and its clan was exiled and suppressed…
The old woman had no choice but to believe.
Because that Nine Heavens Mystic Fox was the little fox’s ancestor! And she had never mentioned this to the little fox!
“Is my Mystic Fox Clan destined never to return to the Demon Realm, doomed to be sealed and suppressed forever in our ancestral land?” The old woman’s face was filled with sorrow.
The little fox nodded.Indeed, it was so.
From the first life in its retrospection, it had realized this.
No matter whom it chose, whether it defied or followed the heavens, it could never grow to have nine tails.
“Grandma, I don’t want to be a puppet again, I don’t want to forget anymore!” the little fox said earnestly.
“You mean…”
The old woman fell silent for a long while before continuing, “You want to follow in the footsteps of your ancestor, to burn your body with ghostly fire and refine your soul with nether fire? But by doing so, you can only live for a few hours.”
“Even if it’s just for a moment, I want to be myself. Even if it’s just for a moment, I want to stand in front of Jiang Chen and tell him that I will never forget him again!” the little fox blurted out.
The old woman fell silent.
“Grandma! Please!” the little fox pleaded.
“After nine cycles of reincarnation, I owe Jiang Chen too much… Unless I can avoid forgetting, I don’t have the courage to stand in front of him! The way I am now is worse than death.”
“Ah…” The old woman sighed deeply.
Besides the reluctance to see her granddaughter die, the reason for her silence was a deeper concern.
Burning the body with ghostly fire and refining the soul with nether fire could indeed allow a Nine Heavens Mystic Fox to escape its fate, but it was not that simple.
Firstly, about burning the body with ghostly fire.
The ancestor was able to do so because she had completely mastered the ghostly fire. But the little fox, not even a Demon King, was far from capable.
Secondly, about refining the soul with nether fire.
Beneath the Ghost Ridge Soul Abyss, there indeed was nether fire of the nine abysses, but it was guarded by a notorious female ghost who was not to be trifled with.
The slightest carelessness means the little fox would be extinguished by that female ghost before even touching the nether fire!
Even with her protection, there was no absolute certainty.
After understanding this, the little fox asked, “Grandma, is there any way for me to quickly break through to Demon King without losing my memory?”
“…No.”
After a long contemplation, the old woman shook her head.
Seeing her hesitation, the little fox said with a crying voice, “Grandma, please help me! I don’t want to hurt Jiang Chen anymore, I want to be by his side, to sleep in his arms, even if it’s just for a moment…”
“Alas…”
Upon hearing this, the old woman sighed again and replied, “Silly child, there is a way, but you will die.”
“Die?” the little fox blinked.
“Yes, die.” the old woman shook her head.
“The Nine Heavens Mystic Fox is special. Pills and heavenly materials and earthly treasures cannot help it break through. Only by devouring ghosts can you quickly advance. And at the moment of advancement, you must sever your own fox tails, not one, but all of them!”
“Devouring ghosts will surround you with ghostly energy, and the slightest carelessness will turn you into a senseless ghost. Severing your fox tails is akin to suicide. If you survive, you can keep your memories, but if you don’t, you will die on the spot.”
“So that’s it, it’s easy,” the little fox said with a smile.
Easy?
The old woman was speechless.
This was a matter of life and death, and just talking about it made it clear that it would entail endless suffering.
Yet in the eyes of the little fox, it was considered easy?
“Grandma, compared to forgetting Jiang Chen and to never seeing Jiang Chen again, this is indeed easy,” the little fox explained.
The old woman was speechless again.
And while she remained silent, the little fox had already leaped into the Ghost Ridge Soul Abyss.
The old woman did not stop her, but after another sigh, she sat down cross-legged on the spot, her divine consciousness enveloping the entire Ghost Ridge Soul Abyss.
Her life was not long, and she could not accompany the little fox through everything.
All she could do was to wait silently here and to lend a hand when the little fox encountered difficulties.
She also hoped… hoped that the little fox would know when to retreat and not to walk down a path of no return.
After all, no elder ever wishes to outlive the younger generation.
“Jiushuang, huh? Hmm, indeed a good name,” the old woman looked up at the sky and murmured softly.
……
Inside the Ghost Ridge Soul Abyss.
“Whoosh—”
Ghostly winds howled, and specters floated about.
Upon arriving inside, the little fox felt as if it was in an ice cellar, its body trembling uncontrollably.
In front of it appeared a ghostly specter with bared fangs and claws.
It wasn’t good at fighting, but it still charged forward, biting and tearing at the specter.
After relying on instinct and ghostly fire, it finally defeated the specter and swallowed it bite by bite.
In an instant, ghostly energy rampaged through the little fox’s body, colliding and striking.
Each rampage of the ghostly energy was like a sharp knife swinging wildly inside its body, leaving a trail of blood wherever it went.
Each collision felt like a blow to the soul, causing unbearable headaches and a life worse than death.
Still, the little fox charged toward another specter without any hesitation.
Compared to the agony of losing its memories, the torment it was suffering now was insignificant.
This was just the upper part of the Ghost Ridge Soul Abyss, mostly inhabited by mindless specters.
Even a lower four realm cultivator could easily destroy these specters.
Several hours later.
The little fox had devoured a hundred specters.
In its mind, it seemed as if these specters were howling non-stop one after another.
“Shut up!”
The little fox shook its head continuously, trying to silence these voices.
But the more it resisted, the more intense the ghostly howls became.
Under the influence of ghostly howls and eerie energies, the little fox found itself with crimson eyes, and its snow-white fur showed signs of darkening.
Looking at itself, it remembered the words once spoken by Jiang Chen.
“You are a Nine Heavens Mystic Fox, so ‘Jiu (Nine)’ is your surname. You’re as white as frost, so ‘Shuang (Frost)’ shall be your name, hence Jiushuang.”
Its head hung low, its expression desolate.
If it successfully defied its destiny, it would no longer be the Nine Heavens Mystic Fox.
If it continued to devour ghosts, its fur would be tainted by the ghostly energy and turn black.
At that time… would it still be worthy of the name given by Jiang Chen?
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” the little fox shook its head, comforting itself.
“Even if Jiang Chen doesn’t recognize me, I can recognize him. Even if I’m not worthy of the name ‘Jiushuang,’ it is still my name.”
“Because it was given by Jiang Chen.”
“Because in this life, even in death, I will not become Bai Ling again!”
“One day, I will appear before Jiang Chen and tell him.”
“This life, I will not forget him again!”
“He is more important to me than my own life!”
The little fox murmured incessantly, whispering to itself.
Having said that, it walked deeper into the Ghost Ridge Soul Abyss.
Vaguely, it seemed as if a figure in white was smiling at it and calling its name.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
“Jiushuang…”
“I’m here!”
Jiushuang responded with a smile.