When the Celestial Master sneered with a touch of contempt, Jinyue felt like her world was falling apart.
For so many years, she had schemed to mess up prophecies, stir up trouble everywhere, causing chaos in hopes that the more chaotic the world became, the harder it would be for the Celestial Master’s prophecies to come true.
But in the end, it seemed even Jinyue’s rebellion had always been part of the Celestial Master’s careful planning. She knew Jinyue would never follow the prophecies blindly, so she had always included Jinyue’s unpredictability in her plans.
No wonder…
For so long, Jinyue felt that no matter how much she struggled, the world would still take a huge detour only to realign with the destiny she was meant to follow.
This was just too much!
If the Celestial Master’s calculations were truly this terrifying, didn’t it mean that whatever Jinyue did, even if she went crazy and caused chaos without any reason, it was still part of the prophecy?
At this thought, Jinyue couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed by a sense of emptiness and despair.
“Jinyue, since the day I picked you up from that heavenly fire, I have always trusted you from the bottom of my heart and appreciated your work.” After a moment of silence, the white-haired immortal on the high platform spoke softly. Her third eye opened on her forehead, looking down at the pale-faced fox demoness below. “But this time, a mere Foundation Establishment stage boy managed to mess things up for you. It seems I have overestimated your abilities.” With the situation as it was, the dead couldn’t be brought back, and it seemed the Celestial Master had given up on Jinyue, not even bothering to hide her displeasure. Clearly, Jinyue was right; all the information she had seen or known was cloaked in carefully crafted lies.
“Mu Yanran.”
At some point, the white-haired immortal spoke again.
She turned to another black-clad woman who stood with her head bowed, not daring to speak.
“The Azure Forest secret realm will open next month, but your cultivation is too high to enter. So, you can take a break for now.”
“I will assign you a new task later.”
The white-haired immortal said with indifference.
After Yanran left, she turned back to Jinyue, who was biting her lip in humiliation:
“Jinyue, your cultivation level is just right to enter the Azure Forest. Next month, you go and kill the boy who disrupted the prophecy and bring back the Sword Holy body.”
“Me?”
Jinyue’s eyes widened in shock.
A moment ago, the Celestial Master had acknowledged her rebellious spirit, but now, instead of abandoning her, she was still giving her tasks.
“Aren’t you afraid I might sabotage you?”
Jinyue asked, lowering her voice, though her head was still bowed, her enchanting eyes, reflected with blood-red runes, were clearly wary of the woman on the high platform.
But under the scrutiny of the Celestial Master’s divine eye, even the little fox’s defiant snarling seemed adorable.
“Do you still think your thoughts are so important at this point?”
The white-haired immortal suddenly spoke, her pale golden eyes reflecting a hint of pity.
She sighed, resting her hand on her lips, contemplating the chessboard in front of her:
“Chen Jianxin’s death really isn’t your fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s me for not being precise enough in my celestial calculations. I didn’t foresee Yino, who was supposed to be out of the game, coming back to life, nor did I expect you to mess up something as simple as protecting Chen Jianxin.”
As she spoke, she picked up a white piece and slowly turned it into a ball of blood-red flame in her hand.
“Jinyue, your destiny is like this white piece in my hand. From the moment I found you in the ruins of the fox village, my third eye saw deep into your future.”
“So, Jinyue, don’t worry about me. Whatever you do, I won’t blame you.”
“Go ahead and do whatever you want, Whether you rebel or follow the prophecy, as long as you stay alive and play your part until the organization’s plan comes to fruition.”
With a cold laugh, the white-haired immortal dropped the flaming white piece onto the board.
She seemed to be playing chess, but as the entire hall shook, the fox demoness kneeling below looked like she had lost her soul, the red runes in her eyes fading from defiance and anger to a dull emptiness.
Jinyue’s current feelings couldn’t be described as simple contempt.
She felt like she was trapped in a strange framework, and no matter how much she wanted to break free, even her emotions were predicted within that framework…
She could either obey or rebel, but either way, she was still following the prophecy.
This was destiny.
This was the “organization” where she and Yanran belonged.
“No! That’s not right!”
Suddenly, a black-eyed boy’s cunning smile flashed in Jinyue’s mind.
She stood up abruptly, her enchanting eyes filled with renewed hope:
“Even if your celestial calculations are spot-on, you still didn’t predict Yino, did you?”
“…”
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence.
Jinyue watched the woman’s expression, though she remained unmoved, her leisurely chess-playing motion with a black piece paused.
Thud!
The Celestial Master slammed a black piece onto the board.
At the same time, a terrifying pressure descended from above, instantly forcing the recently standing three-tailed foxgirl to kneel.
But kneeling wasn’t enough, until Jinyue couldn’t bear the weight, completely crushed by the overwhelming gravity, unable to lift even her head, only then did the Celestial Master on the high platform let out a sigh of relief.
“Ha… hahaha…”
Jinyue lay prostrate in humiliation, but her sick, almost maniacal laughter didn’t stop.
She struggled to lift her head, using her chin to prop herself up, despite only seeing the immortal’s golden-patterned jade feet from her low angle, it didn’t dampen the excitement bubbling inside her.
“Master…”
“For all these years, I’ve tried to provoke you, but it seems that three words from Yino do the job better, don’t they?”
“Hahaha… hahaha!”
The more she spoke, the prouder she felt, but the pressure on her body only intensified.
At some point, Jinyue could no longer maintain her human form, gradually reverting to a small, red fox with three fluffy tails, and a peach blossom pattern on her forehead.
But even so, she was still laughing.
“Master…”
“You’re not getting angry because Yino ruined your plans, are you~?”
The foxgirl’s playful laughter echoed, while the white-haired immortal on the high platform, her teeth clenched, stared with wide, golden eyes.
…
…
…
Outside the Hall, along the corridor.
A white foxgirl, dressed in a delicate dress, walked with a graceful step. Although she had a petite, cute figure, nine wide, fluffy white fox tails trailed behind her. The girl twirled a long, silver-threaded smoking pipe in her hand with practiced ease, her movements exuding a charm that didn’t match her youthful appearance.
She hummed a tune softly, indicating she was in a good mood today.
However, as she approached the hall’s entrance, the sight of a few drops of blood on the ground and scattered red fur made the white foxgirl’s enchanting eyes widen in surprise.
“Oh my…”
“What kind of trouble has that redfox gotten into now?”
Qiu Yuebai tightened her mouth, giving a cold chuckle before lifting a jade foot adorned with white-gold embroidery, gently kicking away a clump of fox fur lying in her way at the door. She pushed the door open and continued into the hall, eventually lifting her skirt to kneel gracefully under the white-haired immortal’s skirts on the high platform.
“Celestial Master, you called for me. What can I do for you?”
The white fox girl shook her tail in a cute manner, practically spelling out ‘flattery’ on her face.
But the immortal on the stage didn’t even lift her head, still focused on the chessboard in front of her, and spoke in a low voice:
“A disciple from the Wuji Sect has disrupted our plans.”
“Wuji Sect… Isn’t that Jinyue’s territory?”
The white fox girl murmured quietly to herself, making a mental connection to the fox fur and blood at the door.
The white-haired immortal closed her eyes, not providing any explanation, just continued:
“This disciple’s name is He Yino. According to Jinyue, though he’s only in the late Foundation Establishment stage, he possesses the innate Sword holy Physique and has bonded with a nine-colored deer…”
“That’s quite impressive.”
The white fox girl was genuinely surprised.
But soon, her confusion showed as she tilted her head:
“This kid, apart from his low cultivation, has more talent than our own Little Xu… But, I remember the Wuji Sect’s prophecy child was named Chen Jianxin, wasn’t he?”
The question brought an awkward chill to the hall’s atmosphere.
It was like opening a can of worms, and the celestial master, who had just calmed down, now looked annoyed.
However, the white fox girl quickly read the room, lowering her head and letting her nine tails droop:
“Sorry… I overstepped…”
“In short, He Yino might be exceptional, but he’s still within the Foundation Establishment range for now, at most half a step into the Core Formation stage in terms of combat power.”
“The Azure Forest will open next month, and there’s a cultivation limit to this secret realm. Mo Yuyan can’t enter.”
“Qiu Yuebai, with your Nascent Soul cultivation, you should have no problem killing him.”
The Celestial Master gave her orders indifferently.
But as soon as she finished speaking, the white fox girl’s eyebrows furrowed again:
“But, I’m also at the Nascent Soul stage, so I can’t go in either…”
The little white fox’s ears perked up like knitting needles, tilting her head as she knelt on the ground.
On the high platform, the Celestial Master sighed, slowly opening her pale golden divine eyes.
The moment Qiu Yuebai made eye contact with the Celestial Master, she suddenly thought of the prophecy child from her own Liuli Sect.
In a flash of inspiration, the white fox girl smiled coyly, her nine tails swaying:
“I understand～”
“Next month, I’ll send Xu Mo to participate in the secret realm as well～”
“Mm.”
The Celestial Master nodded, dropping the last piece on the board.
“At that time, the Full Moon Sect’s Holy Maiden should also be there to kill He Yino. Even if Jinyue causes trouble, with you and Ruan Liuli working together, dealing with He Yino should be enough.