Chapter 233: The Nine-tailed Fox’s Red Bridal Veil

「Late at night. The South Sea. Antique Shop Zero, second floor, bedroom.」

On the soft red silk bed, Su Daji lay on her side. Her smooth, shapely legs were casually crossed, and her nine snow-white fox tails fanned out, nearly filling the entire room.

Her white robe had slipped from her delicate shoulders, revealing a wide expanse of creamy white skin.

Her long silver hair cascaded down her shoulders, barely concealing her modesty—as if she’d intentionally left a tantalizing hint of what she was trying to hide.

Her eyes were closed, and she was sleeping soundly.

But her bewitching brows were tightly furrowed, a heart-wrenching sight.

She was dreaming.

Ever since returning from Dream Island, she had been in a constant daze, always dreaming.

In her dream, she was a little white fox.

She envied the ferocious Tiger Demons and Wolf Demons.

She even envied the ugly Pig Demons and gaudy Chicken Demons—because they were Demons, able to practice Cultivation and transform into humans.

To become a Demon, to succeed in Opening her Spiritual Aperture, she stubbornly refused to leave Xuanyuan Tomb.

Xuanyuan Tomb was the main encampment for a clan of Demons.

‘Why would they set up their main camp there?’

‘Wasn’t it because legend said Xuanyuan Tomb was the mausoleum of a certain Human Emperor?’

‘The Demons figured there must be Human Emperor Qi inside. If they could just absorb a tiny bit, they would become truly formidable.’

‘She thought these Demons were pretty stupid.’

‘If a Human Emperor were truly buried in Xuanyuan Tomb, what makes them think they’d get a chance to take a whiff of it?’

But to secretly learn Cultivation from these morons, she stayed put.

One day, she was lazing about in the sun as usual.

Suddenly, the sky turned dark and stormy.

The Demons and wild beasts scrambled frantically into Xuanyuan Tomb as if they had gone mad.

Curious about what was happening, she saw a Tiger Demon stumble into the cave, shivering and muttering insanely.

“The Human Emperor has gone crazy! The Human Emperor has gone crazy!”

She saw that the Tiger Demon, usually so imperious and arrogant, had actually pissed itself in fear.

It ran and pissed at the same time, filling the cave entrance with a foul stench.

She was bold, so she ran to the highest point to get a look. She wanted to see what kind of Demon could scare a Tiger Demon so badly.

And then she saw him.

A young man in a black dragon robe was in the sky, chasing and beating down a white-bearded old man.

‘That young man is so handsome.’

‘The way he fights… so, so cool.’

The white-bearded old man was gravely wounded and fled for his life.

The young man seemed disinclined to pursue him further, merely stating, “I’ll beat you every single time I see you.”

Below, many Military Generals and civil servants exuding powerful auras bowed to the young man, shouting, “Your Majesty is mighty!”

It wasn’t just them. In the human cities below, the common folk—from the elderly to the children—all cheered with delight.

She could hear those four words, “Your Majesty is mighty!”, with perfect clarity, even from so far away.

She murmured in astonishment:

“Now *that’s* a real man.”

The young man left, disappearing to places unknown.

She remained on the hillside, watching the white-bearded old man flee across the sky like a shooting star.

‘When will I be able to fly, too?’ she wondered.

As she watched, she realized something was wrong.

‘Why is that white-bearded old man heading this way?’

Terrified, she quickly hid.

Gravely wounded, the white-bearded old man came over and sat down on a nearby rock to rest.

She heard him say, his voice still laced with fear:

“The newly enthroned Human Emperor is more terrifying than I imagined. I nearly perished here. He’s clearly a mortal who hasn’t undergone the Opening of the Spiritual Aperture, yet the Human Emperor Qi on him is the most potent I have ever seen. This Human Emperor Qi… It’s far stronger than Spiritual Power.”

Then, he clenched his jaw and said coldly:

“Once I find a way to break your Human Emperor Qi, you, a king who shows no reverence for the Deities, will surely die!”

After a moment of silence, he hung his head and muttered dejectedly to himself:

“Breaking his Human Emperor Qi… How could it be so simple? Unless… he were willing to give some of his Human Emperor Qi away to another living being. A being who obtained that Human Emperor Qi would then be able to kill him.”

After another long moment, he suddenly shook his head with a self-deprecating laugh:

“His aptitude is abysmal. He can’t practice Cultivation, so he relies solely on his Human Emperor Qi to fight against the Deities. Why would he ever give his Human Emperor Qi away? Unless he were to meet a being for whom he’d be willing to share it. But this Human Emperor is so cold and unfeeling… Hmm… Or perhaps I could give it a try? It would be effortless, after all. Merely an attempt.”

The white-bearded old man suddenly turned his head, looking directly at the spot where the Little Fox Demon was hiding.

The Little Fox Demon finally understood—the old man had known she was hiding there all along.

Her face filled with terror. She tried to back away, only to find her body floating toward his withered hand.

‘The hand was quite beautiful, its nails neatly rounded. It felt very warm, but it also hurt so much!’

The white-bearded old man gripped her by the scruff of her neck. He let her four legs flail as he looked her up and down, then finally smiled in satisfaction:

“Truly a fine vessel.”

“I’ll help you with the Opening of your Spiritual Aperture, and in return, you’ll do one thing for me. How about it?”

The Little Fox Demon stopped struggling and stared at him, stunned.

‘Cultivation… This old man can perform the Opening of my Spiritual Aperture?’

She nodded her head frantically.

The white-bearded old man chuckled, extended a hand, and tapped her lightly on the head.

A terrifying, suffocating burst of Divine Power erupted.

The Little Fox Demon’s body began to transform—from a small fox, she gradually changed into a radiant beauty of unparalleled grace.

Her beauty was so breathtaking that even the white-bearded old man himself was momentarily stunned.

He came to his senses and marveled:

“A fine vessel indeed.”

But then, his tone shifted:

“A pity you won’t live for long.”

The beauty froze, not understanding what he meant.

The white-bearded old man said with a smug smile:

“I’ve placed a Curse in your Spiritual Aperture. Don’t even think about finding someone to break it for you. Those without power can’t break it, and those with power wouldn’t dare.”

The beauty frowned:

“You’re a great deity. How can you have the audacity to scheme against a mere woman like me? Aren’t you afraid of people cursing your name behind your back?”

The white-bearded old man stroked his beard and uttered a single, soft sentence: “ Who would dare speak ill of the Western Emperor behind his back?”

The beauty didn’t know what the Western Emperor was.

‘A very powerful deity, I suppose?’

The white-bearded old man’s eyes darted, filled with cunning:

“It’s not that it can’t be broken. If you eat the Human Emperor’s heart, the Curse will be lifted. So, what do you say? I perform the Opening of your Spiritual Aperture, you help me assassinate the Human Emperor. We’ll call it a trade. Do you know who the Human Emperor is? He’s the one and only king in the Human World. The one who was just beating me. You were watching the battle for a long time, weren’t you?”

The beauty was dumbfounded:

“Are you kidding me?! You couldn’t even beat him, and you want me to go get myself killed?”

The white-bearded old man said, as if joking:

“Just use your advantages, won’t you? You’re so beautiful. Perhaps he’ll be willing to just give you his heart.”

He didn’t actually expect this little fox to succeed in the assassination.

The Western Emperor personally performing the Opening of a Spiritual Aperture for a little fox… it sounded like a joke in itself.

Everyone knew the Western Emperor treated all living beings as his flock of lambs.

But for a Little Fox Demon to be able to rip out the Human Emperor’s heart? *That* was the real joke.

He just wanted this Little Fox Demon to get involved with the Human Emperor in some way, to create a karmic link.

That link, perhaps, could be the catalyst for the Human Emperor’s demise.

He didn’t have high hopes for its actual success. It was like taking a shot at a rabbit while gathering hay—no loss if he missed, but an enormous gain if he hit.

Of course, the Little Fox Demon’s Spiritual Aperture did indeed contain his Curse.

And this Curse could, indeed, only be broken by the Human Emperor’s heart.

If the Human Emperor were willing to share his Human Emperor Qi with this Little Fox Demon, it could at least extend her life for a few years.

The beauty was so furious her full chest heaved:

“I won’t do it! Take your Spiritual Aperture back.”

The white-bearded old man chuckled.

“I never take back what I’ve given.”

After saying this, his body dissolved into beams of light and vanished.

“Old man! Come back!” the beauty cried in a panic.

There was no response.

The Western Emperor was gone.

Only then did fear truly begin to set in for the beauty.

‘She didn’t want to die.’

Her gaze gradually sharpened—

‘I have to fight for that one sliver of hope.’

‘The Human Emperor’s heart… I will take it!’

BOOM!!

A low rumble of thunder sounded in the sky.

It was as if the decision she had just made sent a tremor through the entire world!

BOOM!

BOOM!

The rumbling thunder grew louder and louder.

Gradually…

It morphed into a different sound.

KNOCK. KNOCK KNOCK.

Daji groggily opened her eyes.

It was the sound of someone knocking.