Volume 5 Chapter 106
by Need_More_SleepVolume 5 + Chapter 106: The Fox Clan’s Hidden Secret
“Well then, my destined rival, I’ve already taken Shuiyu City into my hands and secured military authority over this entire region!”
Yue Liu spoke cheerfully before Xia Yi.
“Now, our Restoration Army finally has the strength to stand against the White Night Cult!”
“That is indeed good news.”
Xia Yi lifted a cup of tea, her gaze lingering thoughtfully on the markings across the map laid out before her.
Some time had already passed since the great battle at Shuiyu City.
Led by the little fox, the Restoration Army had entered and taken control of the city under Fenghua’s welcome.
Not long ago, the Restoration Army had faced a dire predicament, lack of clothing and food.
In the harsh winter, without sufficient supplies, countless fox clan civilians would have perished.
Thus, Xia Yi and the little fox had chosen resource-rich Shuiyu City as their primary objective.
Now that the city had become their stronghold, the Restoration Army’s most pressing crisis had been resolved.
The fox clan civilians who followed the little fox now had warm clothing to endure the cold winter, and enough food to fill their stomachs.
To achieve both of these, combined with the little fox’s royal bloodline, in the eyes of the people, it was as if the Fox God had descended once more.
Meanwhile, the dragon clan had remained in Shuiyu City to recuperate, and their injuries had significantly improved.
“Now, more and more fox clan civilians are coming here by reputation, joining the Restoration Army,” the little fox explained. “Our forces are constantly growing, the scale of our expansion far exceeds anything I imagined!”
“Is that because of the previous victory?” Xia Yi asked.
“Exactly. With your help, the news that I defeated the White Night Cult has spread throughout the entire nation. It has made countless people realize that the White Night Cult is not invincible. Hope has taken root in their hearts. For the sake of survival, they naturally make their way to Shuiyu City. We are receiving a steady influx of civilians every single day.”
The little fox paused briefly.
“And beyond that, many fox clan military units have been secretly contacting me. They wish to defect as well, they no longer want to serve the White Night Cult and continue harming innocent civilians.”
In short, the situation was overwhelmingly favorable.
Xia Yi studied the distribution of power on the map. In the southern regions, factions that had once opposed the Restoration Army were now wavering, shifting into neutral forces that could potentially be won over.
As for the White Night Cult’s forces capable of resisting the Restoration Army…
In the south, very few remained.
The areas under the White Night Cult’s control were now primarily concentrated in the north, the closer to the capital, the stronger their grip.
“My destined rival, next we will consolidate all the southern forces, and then march north to begin our campaign!”
The little fox patted the map confidently.
“At this rate, I am certain the White Night Cult will be defeated!”
“It does seem that way…” Xia Yi nodded slowly.
“My rival, why do you seem so unenthusiastic? Did I say something wrong?” the little fox asked in confusion. “Right now, the entire nation knows that the White Night Cult used underhanded means to control my father. My side is the legitimate one…”
“No, I think your assessment is correct. In fact, I also believe the Restoration Army will not lose this war. But… don’t you find something strange?”
“What do you mean?”
“The attitude of the White Night Cult’s leader,” Xia Yi analyzed. “If a rational person were in his position, knowing a threat has emerged, wouldn’t they stop persecuting civilians and instead unite all internal forces to resist the external enemy?”
“…Yet the White Night Cult leader has done no such thing.”
The little fox realized it as well.
The White Night Cult’s policies remained unchanged, continuing their atrocities as before. The leader merely kept dispatching forces to deal with the Restoration Army, making no internal adjustments whatsoever.
“Why would he act like this? Doesn’t he want to restore the faith of the Azure Fox God and establish the White Night Cult as the state religion of Fox Hill?” Xia Yi voiced her doubts. “By allowing such rampant evil, wouldn’t he only hasten the Cult’s destruction? That completely contradicts his supposed goals.”
“Could it be… that he’s already gone mad?” The little fox could not find an answer.
Xia Yi did not respond, she did not know either.
But she had a suspicion.
Perhaps… the White Night Cult’s leader simply did not care about any of this at all.
…
…
Within the capital of Fox Hill, deep inside the forbidden grounds of the fox clan’s imperial palace,
This was a restricted area buried in the palace’s depths, a place no outsider was permitted to enter.
Ordinarily, only the Nine-Tailed Fox Emperor could come here.
Before the White Night Cult’s leader floated a wooden box suspended in midair. The interlocking wooden slats that formed it were tightly bound together, sealing whatever lay inside. Ancient power had been woven into it, granting it layers of protection.
No one knew what the box contained. Throughout history, none had ever succeeded in opening it.
The White Night Cult’s leader was in a state of awakened Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline, channeling his magic with utmost concentration as he attempted to unlock the box.
The controlled Nine-Tailed Fox Emperor stood before him, doing the same, awakening his bloodline and pouring power into the box.
This had gone on for a very long time. Day after day, night after night, aside from the bare minimum of rest, nearly all of his time had been devoted to this task without pause.
As for the outside world…
The White Night Cult’s leader did not care.
He had deliberately allowed the Cult to wreak havoc across Fox Hill, letting chaos engulf the land. As for their eventual fate, he was indifferent, after all, expendable pawns existed for precisely that purpose.
His true objective in seizing the nation was to enter this forbidden ground and, together with the Nine-Tailed Fox Emperor, unlock the box. Only those of equal Nine-Tailed Fox power could hope to retrieve what lay within.
The leader knew of a hidden secret of the fox clan,
Long ago, Fox Hill had once faced invasion.
A powerful higher-order deity had led an invincible army, seeking to raze Fox Hill to the ground.
To protect her homeland, the Fox God had wielded a divine artifact, driving back the foreign god, crushing the invading army, and preserving the fox clan.
Such a monumental feat, yet it was absent from official history, erased entirely, along with all records of the divine artifact.
However, after gaining control of the fox clan’s royal court, the White Night Cult had confirmed the truth through ancient stone tablets hidden within the palace.
Though the tablets did not specify what the artifact was or where it had gone, the White Night Cult’s leader had a strong intuition…
It lay within this very box.
Click.
Suddenly, the wooden box emitted the sound of unlocking.
The White Night Cult’s leader hurried forward, excitement surging as he removed the interlocking slats one by one.
When he saw what lay inside, his eyes widened in utter disbelief, his pupils trembling violently.
He reached out and touched the sealed object…
And in that instant, he understood what had transpired in the distant age of myth… and why the Fox God had chosen to seal away this artifact of unimaginable power.
“The world… will soon fall into my hands.”
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