Undying Life

Chapter 975: The Legacy of Qingshan

"What kind of curse?" Cheng Baiyi asked.

"A catastrophe," Sima Qing replied.

"A catastrophe?"

"Yes, from now on, with each advancement in cultivation for the Fox Clan, they will face a corresponding catastrophe. Heavenly Tribulations, Earthly Tribulations, Human Tribulations, Heart Tribulations, and Emotional Tribulations—each one more complex than the last. It's as if they've angered the heavens themselves. Every time their cultivation rises, a calamity will descend," Sima Qing explained.

"Hiss!" Cheng Baiyi gasped.

Each step in cultivation would bring a new catastrophe? Not just at each major breakthrough, but at every minor step within a realm? This meant that progressing from the Heavenly Immortal stage to the Great Immortal stage would require enduring ten tribulations. Who could possibly withstand that?

"At the time when the curse was placed, the Fox Clan was a powerful force in the Grand World, so much so that one of the saints was said to have come from the Fox Clan. But this curse was too powerful. In just a thousand years, more than half of the Fox Clan perished, and those who remained no longer dared to cultivate. The Fox Clan was on the brink of extinction," Sima Qing said with a heavy tone.

"That curse master was truly formidable!" Cheng Baiyi marveled.

"This Fox Realm was sealed off by the supreme power of the Fox Clan as a separate world. It was once their ancient stronghold, and the curse was sealed within it. So, it has been here all along," Sima Qing sighed.

As they spoke, the dense black mist began to spread in all directions before rising into the sky and slowly dissipating from view.

All across the world, members of the Fox Clan instinctively looked up to the heavens, sensing an ominous presence, a shadow looming over them.

They didn't yet know it, but the true calamity of the Fox Clan had just begun.

Inside the Celestial Net, the two women were filled with anxiety as they watched the entrance to the Fox Realm grow larger and larger. Anger flashed in their eyes, but so did a deep sense of despair.

Unlike the ancient supreme beings of the Fox Clan, these two women were only ancient immortals. The curse, once unleashed, was irreversible.

The calamity of the Fox Clan had begun!

Did Lady Nuwa not say that the Fox Clan would prosper? Why is this happening? Why is the Fox Clan heading towards extinction? Could it be that even Lady Nuwa couldn't change fate?

Is fate truly unchangeable?

No, if Lady Nuwa hadn't altered fate, the Fox Clan would have been wiped out hundreds of thousands of years ago. Something must have gone wrong, something must have changed!

"Why, Lady Nuwa?" Princess Su Rou of the Nine-Tails muttered with a pained expression.

"And what about Sima Qing? Lady Nuwa, why did you allow the Qingqiu to accept the Sima family? Instead of bringing prosperity to the Fox Clan, he brought disaster—a disaster leading to extinction! Why did it come to this?" Sacred King Su Meiniang of Taichu also questioned in bewilderment.

The fall of Qingqiu? The curse of the Fox Clan.

Is the Fox Clan truly destined for extinction?

Faced with the looming disaster of their race, the two women shed tears for the first time.

"Unfortunately, the Saint's treasure, the Qiankun Cauldron, is too damaged for me to refine it. Otherwise, things wouldn't have come to this. The Fox Clan... our Fox Clan has truly fallen so far!" Su Meiniang said bitterly.

Before the gathered crowd, the entrance to the Fox Realm continued to expand, growing to an immense size. When it reached ten thousand zhang, the last of the black mist finally dissipated, and the endless curse completely disappeared—not fading away, but spreading across the world to envelop every member of the Fox Clan!

Endless tribulations!

With the curse dispersing from the entrance to the Fox Realm, the interior slowly came into view.

The first thing that caught everyone's eye was a gigantic throne, an ebony-black seat emanating tendrils of black mist. The throne was adorned with fearsome carvings of malicious spirits, as if it was a monument to the horrors that had just been unleashed.

However, the crowd's attention was soon captivated by the even more breathtaking sight deeper within.

Dazzling golden light.

The interior was a world unto itself, and within this world, the sky was filled with countless radiant golden orbs, each one like a miniature sun hanging in the heavens.

So brilliant, so dazzling.

"Fortune, so much fortune!" Elder Ma, who stood behind Cheng Baiyi, suddenly exclaimed.

"Unbelievable fortune! The foundation of Qingshan is unimaginably deep. The amount of fortune here is greater than what a single saint could possess—many times greater!" Cheng Baiyi said, swallowing hard.

Everyone present, especially the ancient immortals, knew just how precious fortune was. And here, in the depths of Qingshan, there was nothing but fortune as far as the eye could see.

"Your Majesty?" King Weiwu asked, his voice trembling with excitement.

Sima Qing gave a slight nod.

In a flash, King Weiwu shot forward, heading straight into the treasure-filled world.

But as the others watched King Weiwu enter, ready to follow, he suddenly came hurtling back, his face flushed red.

The crowd immediately halted, staring at King Weiwu in surprise.

King Weiwu sat down cross-legged, his face still red, and only after ten breaths did he slowly open his eyes, a look of fear in them.

"What happened?" Sima Qing asked, puzzled.

"The Heavenly Demon Kings! The throne—the area around the throne is guarded by Heavenly Demon Kings!" King Weiwu said, still shaken.

"Heavenly Demon Kings? That's impossible! How could there be Heavenly Demon Kings from the Demon Realm guarding the entrance to the Fox Realm?" Cheng Baiyi said in disbelief.

Behind him, Elder Ma also found this hard to believe and quickly flew inside. However, just like King Weiwu, Elder Ma soon retreated, his face just as flushed, and sat down to recover. After ten breaths, he opened his eyes, visibly disturbed.

"It's true. They really are Heavenly Demon Kings, and there are quite a few of them. It's that throne!" Elder Ma said, his voice filled with fear.

"The throne?" This time, everyone carefully examined the throne blocking the entrance.

The throne emitted wisps of black mist and seemed to flicker in and out of sight, exuding a deeply sinister aura.

Sima Qing extended his hand, sending a long sword flying towards the throne. Strangely, the sword passed right through it, as if the throne wasn't even there, as if it were just an illusion.

"The Throne of the Heavenly Demons!" Cheng Baiyi suddenly said.

"The Throne of the Heavenly Demons?" Sima Qing looked at Cheng Baiyi in confusion.

"It's really the Throne of the Heavenly Demons, the seat of one of the twelve 'Great Freedom Heavenly Demons' from the Demon Realm. How could one appear here? Could it be that the Fox Clan's supreme power was so formidable that they ventured into the Demon Realm, seized a Throne of the Heavenly Demons, and used it to guard the entrance to the Fox Realm?" Cheng Baiyi's eyes twitched in disbelief.

"The Demon Realm—that's a place even saints avoid. And yet, the Fox Clan's supreme power not only went there but also managed to steal a Throne of the Heavenly Demons? The strength of Qingshan in the past truly was terrifying!" Cheng Baiyi muttered to himself.

"Brother Cheng, how do we remove this Throne of the Heavenly Demons? How can we get inside?" Sima Qing asked, frowning.

"It's no use. To bypass this Throne of the Heavenly Demons, you would need the power of an Ancestral Immortal or an Ancestral Immortal Artifact. The Celestial Net might barely be able to do it," Cheng Baiyi said.

As he spoke, everyone's gaze shifted towards the Celestial Net. But as they looked at it, their hearts clenched with frustration. Why, of all times, did Elder Huang—the only one who could control the Celestial Net—have to be assassinated?

The crowd was left in a state of deep frustration and confusion.

"Sima Qing, do you remember the promise from long ago? Can it still be fulfilled?" Shenxiu suddenly turned to Sima Qing.

"The hundred units of fortune are right here. If you can take them, they're yours," Sima Qing replied, his mood sour.

"Then I thank you," Shenxiu said with a strange smile.

With that, Shenxiu stepped forward. To everyone's shock, as they watched with sneering faces, he walked straight past the Throne of the Heavenly Demons, as if it wasn't even there, and entered the Fox Realm.

Sima Qing and Cheng Baiyi exchanged a glance, both of them astonished.

Once inside, Shenxiu waved his wide sleeve, and suddenly, a hundred golden orbs of fortune in the sky were drawn down, disappearing into his sleeve.

He had just taken a hundred units of fortune?

Shenxiu didn't take more, nor did he linger in the Fox Realm. After collecting what he needed, he calmly walked back out.

No one knew exactly how powerful Shenxiu was, but seeing him move in and out of the Fox Realm as if nothing were in his way, everyone began to regard him with caution.

Outside Qingqiu, Zhong Shan and his group stood before the hellish scene.

"Sacred King, what should we do?" Tian Lao asked.

"Save these souls. Even if we can't bring them back to life, we can at least prevent their souls from being utterly destroyed," Zhong Shan decided after a moment's thought.

"Understood."

"Sacred King, might we summon General Yan Chongzhi? Our stock of Condensed Soul Liquid is limited, and if I deploy my formation, it will inevitably clash violently with the Twenty-Four Heavens Killing Formation. The souls inside might not withstand the impact and could collapse. General Yan Chongzhi, being a ghost immortal, could use his yin energy to stabilize their souls while I set up the formation," Tian Lao suggested.

"Begin the formation. Yan Chongzhi will arrive soon," Zhong Shan assured him.

"Yes!" Tian Lao replied, immediately setting about the preparations for the formation.

Inside the Fox Realm, Shenxiu had collected the hundred units of fortune and emerged.

Everyone anxiously turned their attention to Shenxiu.

"Master Shenxiu, how did you avoid the Throne of the Heavenly Demons?" Sima Qing asked immediately.

"That's a secret technique of us feng shui masters; I hope you'll understand," Shenxiu replied, shaking his head, clearly unwilling to explain further.

Sima Qing and the others frowned, their expressions turning grim. It was obvious that Shenxiu was being evasive. But without a way into the Fox Realm, standing before a treasure trove they couldn't access was maddening.

"Master, if you can lead us inside, I'll ensure you receive another hundred units of fortune," Sima Qing offered desperately.

Shenxiu shook his head, his expression turning serious. "I only need a hundred units. Any more, and I couldn't handle it."

"Two hundred units?"

"How about three hundred units of fortune?" Sima Qing was willing to go all in.

But Shenxiu still shook his head, and with a stern face, he said, "My task here is complete. Farewell."

It seemed Shenxiu truly only wanted a hundred units of fortune. Sima Qing and the others were left with their chests heaving in frustration.

"Boom!"

Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed from the blood mist formation. The blood mist was now being infiltrated by a large amount of dark, yin energy, as if the dark energy was eroding the formation.

"Huh? Someone's breaking the formation?" Shenxiu's brow furrowed slightly.

Everyone's attention shifted to the blood mist formation. The ancient immortals could all sense the formation's immense power, a power they would rather not confront. And yet, someone dared to break it? Who could be so capable?

"Not just breaking it—they're trying to save the souls trapped in my formation? An ancient formation? Interesting!" Shenxiu remarked with a hint of surprise, before stepping into the blood mist formation.

Clearly, a battle of wits between two feng shui masters was about to unfold!

Sima Qing and Cheng Baiyi both had dark expressions, exchanging glances before looking back at the endless fortune within the Fox Realm, so close yet out of reach. Their hearts were filled with frustration.

"Brother Sima, what should we do now?" Cheng Baiyi asked with a troubled look.

"Let's try again," Sima Qing replied, his voice laced with frustration.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8