Chapter 105: Extracting Bone to Form a Book

Blood-colored talismans suddenly lit up on the stone walls of the dark chamber, and the jade pendant at Cheng Xi's neck emitted a blinding cyan light.

Amidst the clanking of chains, a woman with white hair reaching the floor walked slowly out of the shadows; the nine-tailed totem engraved on the silver bell at her ankle made Jiang Zhongqiao gasp—this was the Fox Clan High Priestess who had gone missing a hundred years ago.

"When Ye Wujin extracted three of my Spirit Bones to refine the Mountain Demon King, did he ever think that this Record of Rebirth was branded right onto my spine?" The woman's laughter was shrill, and dense, golden characters emerged behind her back.

Cheng Xi's brows furrowed slightly, and suddenly an unusual fluctuation of Spirit Essence came from outside; Jiang Zhongqiao's expression shifted slightly, "Someone is coming."

Li Zhi'an stepped forward to block Cheng Xi, "I will go take a look, be careful yourself."

"Alright, you be careful too," Cheng Xi said to Li Zhi'an with concern.

Li Zhi'an's figure vanished from where he stood.

Cheng Xi stepped forward and looked at the High Priestess, whose youthful face and white hair were filled with hatred; she said softly, "I always thought the Fox Clan was a very united group; I never expected that you would fight amongst yourselves to this extent, to the point where even a High Priestess like you has fallen to such a state."

"Heh, what is strange about this? Whether it be humans, demons, immortals, or gods in this world, what they ultimately seek is nothing more than longevity and power. The Record of Rebirth is the Fox Clan's supreme treasure, capable of breaking through the past and peeking into the future—who wouldn't want it?"

Cheng Xi fell silent for a moment upon hearing this, then said, "Since you have branded the Record of Rebirth onto your spine, you must have made up your mind to die."

The High Priestess's eyes landed on Cheng Xi, and she laughed loudly, saying, "You little girl are quite unexpected; others, in order to obtain the treasure, would inevitably say some pleasant things, yet you insist on exposing my life and death—what are you seeking?"

Jiang Zhongqiao, listening to the conversation between the human and the fox from the side, could not help but speak up at this point: "Since you are the Fox Clan High Priestess, you should know about the Star Gate being about to open."

"Star Gate? I had forgotten until you mentioned it. To think that in the blink of an eye, it is already the day the Star Gate opens again; it truly is fast."

After saying this, the High Priestess looked at Cheng Xi again, "You still haven't said what you want."

Jiang Zhongqiao looked at the High Priestess, whose mental state seemed off, and subconsciously shielded Cheng Xi behind him.

Cheng Xi shook her head at Jiang Zhongqiao and then looked at the High Priestess, "If I say I seek nothing, you will surely call me hypocritical. If you insist that I must say what I seek, then I only wish to do one thing: open the Star Gate and not let disaster spread to the Mortal Realm."

The High Priestess was clearly stunned upon hearing this, and looking at Cheng Xi, she said, "What does the life and death of mortals in this Mortal Realm have to do with you? You humans are truly strange, so sanctimonious."

"You are wrong, this is not being sanctimonious," Cheng Xi looked at the High Priestess, "It is simply human nature. You are not human, so naturally, you do not understand human emotions. Even if those people have nothing to do with me and I do not know them, as a fellow being, I cannot watch the common people suffer while I live in safety alone."

"Hahaha... truly laughable. I know, this is the 'moral righteousness' you people always talk about."

"……That is not it either." Cheng Xi pondered how to explain, and she looked at the High Priestess, "Let's use an analogy: if I have a cup of rice, my first thought is to let myself survive; what does the life or death of others have to do with me? If I have a bowl of rice, I think about letting those around me survive with me. If I have a jar of rice, I think about letting those in my household survive. Do you understand now? First, I must be able to live, so I also hope they can live; it is just like that, very simple."

"You humans are truly complicated."

"You foxes are no less so." Cheng Xi's eyes swept over the High Priestess's spine.

High Priestess:...

"You little girl with your sharp tongue are truly unlikable."

"I am who I am; why should I seek to please others?"

The High Priestess was startled, and those pitch-black eyes seemed to freeze for a moment before she finally said, "Indeed. If I had your clarity, I would not have fallen to this state. It is easy for you to want to open the Star Gate; just take the Record of Rebirth off my back."

Cheng Xi frowned, "Take it off? Then you surely won't survive."

The "Record of Rebirth" was hammered into the bone character by character; to take it off meant extracting the bone to form the book.

"I have one condition; if you agree, I will give it to you."

"What condition?"

"Kill Ye Wujin and avenge me."

"Done." Cheng Xi agreed crisply and decisively.

Jiang Zhongqiao's mouth twitched; he wanted to remind Cheng Xi not to make empty boasts, but with the High Priestess present, he was afraid of failing to get the Record of Rebirth and could only worry in secret.

"You must swear a Heart Demon Oath."

"I can," Cheng Xi said readily.

In the dark chamber, the atmosphere was heavy enough to feel tangible.

Cheng Xi stood in place with a solemn expression, the surrounding candlelight flickering in the gloom, stretching her shadow long and short.

"Today, I, Cheng Xi, swear here that I will definitely kill Ye Wujin to avenge the High Priestess; if I violate this, may I be plagued by Heart Demons and have my soul scattered."

Having said this, she pressed her palms together, closed her eyes to focus, and the Spirit Essence around her body surged slowly, outlining a faint halo.

As the oath fell, a whirlwind suddenly blew up in the dark chamber, forming a massive vortex of Spirit Essence. In the center of the vortex, twisted ghostly faces vaguely emerged—these were the manifestations of Heart Demons, baring their fangs and claws as if warning everyone not to violate the oath.

The whirlwind gradually subsided, and the Heart Demons dissipated along with it.

The High Priestess nodded with satisfaction, "You little girl are truly straightforward, unlike others who are so long-winded."

Jiang Zhongqiao took a deep breath—don't be angry, don't be angry; at worst, his old bones would fight to the death to help Cheng Xi kill Ye Wujin, so he could not let her be plagued by Heart Demons.

Inside the dark chamber, it was quiet to the point of suffocation, with only a few dim candles flickering in the gloom; the shifting light and shadow added a sense of eerie mystery to the narrow space.

The Fox Clan High Priestess stood quietly in the center, an aura of utter isolation radiating from her; her face was like it had been covered in frost, revealing a bone-chilling coldness, with only a glimmer of unfathomable light surging deep within her eyes.

"High Priestess..." An indescribable emotion surged in Cheng Xi's heart, as if an invisible hand were tightly clutching her heart.

The Fox Clan High Priestess seemed not to hear, slowly closing her eyes and pressing her hands together before her chest, her slender fingers trembling slightly.

Immediately after, her lips began to move lightly, chanting; the sound was low and obscure, as if coming from the distant primordial past, carrying an ancient and mysterious power.

As the incantation was uttered, the Spirit Essence around her body began to churn violently, like a surging, raging sea, wantonly battering the surrounding air and emitting a series of hair-raising hissing sounds.

In an instant, the Fox Clan High Priestess's body jolted violently, and her spine bulged abruptly, as if something extremely terrifying were trying to break through the confinement and burst out of her body.