Volume 5 Chapter 94
by Need_More_SleepVolume 5 + Chapter 94: The Vast Underground Cavern
“Fuwaaah~”
The little red nine-tailed fox let out a long yawn, then turned and stretched lazily.
Little Red had awakened. As she opened her eyes, she felt as though she had been asleep for quite some time.
“Where… is this place…?”
She found herself in a pitch-black space, the sound of rushing water echoing all around.
From her memory, this should be a subterranean cavern beneath the Sealed Land.
Beneath the Sealed Land lay an enormous hollow, this was a secret, one that very few others knew.
“How did I fall down here? Could it be that the evil manifestation destroyed the surface…? Right, where did the outsider and my descendant go?”
Little Red stood up and looked around. Her expression changed drastically.
She saw a small silver dragon and a pink little nine-tailed fox snuggled closely together, fast asleep.
“What are you two doing?!”
Little Red rushed over and began shouting noisily in front of Xia Yi.
“Yingyingyingyingying!”
“Mm… what is that? So noisy…”
Xia Yi was awakened by Little Red’s racket.
“Yingyingyingyingying!”
Little Red seemed furious, rattling off words in the fox language.
Since they didn’t share a common tongue, Xia Yi couldn’t quite understand what she was saying.
“Little Red, what are you talking about?”
“Dragons and foxes are enemies! I absolutely will not allow such improper relations!” Little Red snapped. “Outsider, you must not be so intimate!”
“Intimate? I think you’ve got the wrong idea, Little Red,” Xia Yi explained. “Fox-radish is injured. It’s cold here, so I’m shielding her from the chill.”
“…Really?”
“What other reason could there be? And what do you even mean by ‘improper relations’?” Xia Yi looked genuinely confused.
“Did… did I misunderstand?”
Little Red muttered to herself.
“There was that time before too, that scoundrel Dragon God also… No, no! You can’t believe a single word from a silver dragon, nine out of ten of them are lies!”
“Ying?”
The little fox also opened her eyes. After resting for a while, her condition had improved somewhat.
Xia Yi folded her wings back in.
“Fox-radish, how are you feeling now?”
“…Mm, I’m a bit better.”
The little fox nodded.
Yet inwardly, she felt a trace of reluctance, if she had known, she would have pretended to sleep a little longer…
“You silver dragons are all smooth talkers, deceiving foxes with sweet words! My descendant, you are the Fox God’s shrine maiden, you mustn’t fall for it!” Little Red warned urgently.
However, the little fox seemed not to notice her at all, her gaze remaining fixed on Xia Yi.
“What is this supposed to be?! My descendant, wake up! You must never repeat my mistakes!” Little Red was nearly frantic.
Xia Yi found it strange, Little Red was clearly speaking the common language, and she understood every word individually, yet somehow couldn’t grasp the meaning when they were strung together.
“Little Red, Fox-radish really can’t hear you?” Xia Yi asked.
“This is the effect of the evil manifestation acting through the bloodline of the nine-tailed fox clan,” Little Red replied.
“My nemesis, who are you talking to?” the little fox realized something. “Could it be… the Fox God?!”
“The Fox God is right in front of you. It’s just that because of the evil manifestation, you can’t see her,” Xia Yi explained.
“Fox God! I am the heir of the fox clan’s royal line, and also your shrine maiden!” The little fox bowed forward respectfully.
“Good!”
Little Red immediately put on an air of authority.
“Yue Liu, your mission is of great importance. As the Fox God’s shrine maiden, you must eliminate my evil manifestation from this world. It must not be allowed to reach the outside and bring disaster upon Fox Hill! Outsider, relay my words!”
“Me?”
“Yue Liu cannot hear me right now, but you can. You must deliver the divine oracle!”
“Deliver the oracle? Does that make me a shrine maiden too?”
“No, no! That doesn’t count! You’re a wicked silver dragon, you cannot be a shrine maiden!”
“…Alright.”
Xia Yi sighed helplessly. For now, she could only act as a messenger, faithfully relaying Little Red’s words to the little fox.
“Fox God, I understand. I will surely accomplish this mission!” the little fox said solemnly, bowing again.
“Excellent. As expected of my shrine maiden, such resolve pleases me greatly,” Little Red said with satisfaction.
“Little Red, even if we say that… given our current condition, how are we supposed to defeat the evil manifestation?” Xia Yi reminded her. “This isn’t something we can achieve just by talking, we have to consider our strength. Fox-radish’s power is sealed.”
“Sealed? Who did it? Who dares to seal my shrine maiden?!” Little Red flared up in anger.
“It was the shrine maiden of the Azure Fox God.”
“…What?”
Little Red froze.
Xia Yi then explained everything about the Azure Fox God and the White Night Cult in detail.
After hearing it all, Little Red’s expression grew grave.
“So it really is my fault… Back then, I shouldn’t have shown mercy out of old feelings. I should have dealt with Qing Fox decisively. If one chooses to become a Fox God, one must abandon such needless emotions…”
As an outsider, Xia Yi didn’t feel it was her place to judge.
But from Little Red’s perspective, she clearly had never wanted things to end like this.
“This is my responsibility. I will find a way,” Little Red declared. “Whether it’s my evil manifestation or Yue Liu’s sealing by the Azure Fox’s shrine maiden, I will resolve both.”
“Do you have a plan?” Xia Yi asked quickly.
“Within the vast underground cavern of the Sealed Land, there is a shrine hidden away. I deliberately left it there as a final safeguard. If we can reach that shrine, we will find a way to break this deadlock,” Little Red explained.
“In that case, let’s head there as soon as possible,” Xia Yi said, sensing a glimmer of hope. “Little Red, do you remember the way?”
“Of course. If you’re both ready, follow me.”
Little Red moved to the front and began to lead the way.
…
…
Under Little Red’s guidance, Xia Yi and the little fox made their way toward the shrine within the vast underground cavern.
Fortunately, they had eaten their fill before entering the Sealed Land. With access to water, they could sustain themselves for quite a while, otherwise, hunger alone might have left them too weak to even walk.
“We’re here. Just ahead.”
Little Red came to a stop.
Sure enough, Xia Yi and the little fox saw a torii gate standing ahead. Though it bore the style of the Red Fox God’s shrine, its presence in such a place made it feel eerie and unsettling.
“…We didn’t take a wrong turn, did we?” Xia Yi asked, a little doubtful.
“My shrine, would I not recognize it?” Little Red retorted.
She stepped through the torii first.
Xia Yi and the little fox followed close behind.
As the three of them entered the shrine grounds, something intangible seemed to shift, even the air itself felt different.
Suddenly, ahead of them appeared a suit of armor, kneeling on the ground in a ready stance, blocking the path.
“What is that?” Xia Yi asked.
“Nothing much, just a guard I set up long ago.”
The little fox stepped forward, standing proudly before the armor, and declared.
“Stand down!”
“…”
The armor slowly rose to its feet.
However, instead of obeying, it made a startling move, directed at Little Red.
“Hey, stop!!!”
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