After a brief hesitation, Jiang Ke’er still stepped into the formation.
After all, she had no one to trust now. The Big Fox before her was her only hope.
Jiang Ke’er ran to the Big Fox’s feet and looked up at her.
The Big Fox lowered her head and gently nuzzled Jiang Ke’er with her cheek… Jiang Ke’er felt as if her whole body was wrapped in fur, so comfortable that she even wanted to bury herself in it and take a nap.
The Xubeasts nearby were still restless, but the Big Fox frowned and slammed her paw heavily onto the ground!
An invisible shockwave blasted outward, and every Xubeast touched by the shockwave was instantly reduced to dust and blown far away.
“Scram!”
The Big Fox spat out the word disdainfully, and the Xubeasts instantly dared not take another step forward.
“Don’t be afraid, at least by my side, you’re safe,” the Big Fox gave a human-like smile, showing goodwill to Jiang Ke’er.
Jiang Ke’er nodded, more or less putting her mind at ease… Though she was still a little uneasy in front of the Big Fox. This unease wasn’t out of fear, but rather because she didn’t know how to react.
“My name is…” The Big Fox seemed to want to introduce herself, but having been sealed for too long, she couldn’t remember her own name for the moment.
“I’ve forgotten, but I remember they called me Xun Fang,” the Big Fox smiled awkwardly, “Just call me Xun Fang-jie… And you?”
“Jiang Ke’er,” the girl replied. She was still trying hard to observe her surroundings, especially that keyhole.
“It’s really nice to see someone of my own kind, but I do wish you never came here…” The Big Fox sighed, “Wait a moment.”
The Big Fox’s body began to shrink at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Gradually, the fur faded away, revealing smooth, slender legs and delicate, soft arms.
Her white hair hung down over Jiang Ke’er’s face, and her features bore a slight resemblance to Jiang Ke’er. Though she lacked Jiang Ke’er’s captivating charm, her beauty could still be called stunning.
Compared to Jiang Ke’er, she was clearly much more mature.
“Uh…” Jiang Ke’er’s cheeks flushed red.
She suddenly remembered that when transforming into human form, clothes wouldn’t appear automatically.
Xun Fang would soon be completely naked, so she hurriedly pulled out a few of Qiao Xiaoxian’s clothes to cover Xun Fang… Her own clothes were too small to cover her properly.
Xun Fang sat gracefully on her knees, while Jiang Ke’er squatted beside her. The two looked somewhat like real sisters.
Xun Fang reached out, wanting to touch Jiang Ke’er’s cheek, but as soon as she moved, the chains bound her tightly in place.
In her human form, she was even more tightly bound, with her arms wrapped up as well.
Clearly, there were two sets of sealing methods inside these Nine Prisons Suppression Towers: one for fox form, and one for human form, ensuring Xun Fang would never be comfortable in either.
After a moment’s hesitation, Jiang Ke’er took the initiative to move her face closer to Xun Fang’s hand.
A gentle, pure white light bloomed from Xun Fang’s palm, flowing along Jiang Ke’er’s meridians. The wounds Jiang Ke’er had suffered during her battle with the Xubeasts quickly began to heal.
In just a few seconds, Jiang Ke’er was fully restored, which filled her with delight.
“How can I save you?” Jiang Ke’er looked at Xun Fang earnestly.
“You can’t save me. To undo the suppression of the Nine Prisons, the nine Dao Seats of the Tribulation Immortal Hall must all be present in person,” Xun Fang shook her head.
“Don’t worry, I’ve gotten used to it. As long as I sleep quietly, I don’t feel any pain… But what about you? How have you been all these years? You must have suffered a lot.”
Xun Fang looked at Jiang Ke’er gently, hoping she would pour out the hardships she’d experienced over the years, so the child could feel a little better inside.
Jiang Ke’er thought of everything the little fox had gone through before dying, and all she had seen and experienced from the Beiju Luzhou incident up to now—the brushes with death on Hanye Island, and even the assassination from her own kind on Hanye Island.
But when the words reached her throat, they turned into a bright, sunny smile.
“I’m fine. The Demon Race has taken good care of me, and I haven’t been caught to be used as a Furnace. The Human Cultivators are annoying, but so far they haven’t done anything too excessive,”
Jiang Ke’er stood up, gripping her sword hilt tightly, her brows full of confidence: “Don’t worry, Xun Fang-jie. For me, wiping out the Tribulation Immortal Hall is only a matter of time.”
Xun Fang was slightly stunned, half doubting, half believing, when Jiang Ke’er suddenly hugged her tightly.
“I’m really strong—stronger than any so-called genius in Demon Race history, the kind who could ride on top of the Human Clan’s geniuses and crap on their heads!”
“I’ll protect myself, be careful, but I’ll never go unnoticed… I’ll kill all those scum in the Tribulation Immortal Hall! The Nine Palaces Chamber of Commerce, the Eighteen Seats, the Nine Seats—I’ll drag them all before you, make them kneel and beg for forgiveness, and then obediently undo your seal!”
“All the suffering the Demon Race has endured over the years, the Tribulation Immortal Hall will pay for it in blood!”
Gently stroking Jiang Ke’er’s back, Xun Fang’s body trembled slightly. A gratified smile appeared on her lips, but tears rolled down her face.
“You child…”
The Demon Race—there will always be a fox to carry on!
Jiang Ke’er grinned and took out the Underworld Province Cauldron.
“Xun Fang-jie, do you recognize this cauldron?”
Xun Fang clearly did. Her eyes widened in shock: “The… Underworld Province Cauldron? Why is it in your hands?”
“Someone gave it to me,” Jiang Ke’er smiled. “Do you know how to use this thing, Xun Fang-jie?”
Xun Fang nodded: “The Underworld Province Cauldron is the cauldron that guards the Underworld Province. After a living being dies, there’s no spiritual energy or physical body left, so to activate the Underworld Province Cauldron, you have to infuse it with soul power.”
So that’s how it is.
Jiang Ke’er suddenly understood… No wonder nothing happened no matter how much spiritual energy she injected.
But how do you use soul power? She’d never learned that.
“Spiritual energy comes from the dantian, but soul power comes from the baihui point. The baihui is at the top of your head. If you focus carefully, you can sense it… emm…”
While Xun Fang was speaking, Jiang Ke’er had already mastered the use of soul power to control the Underworld Province Cauldron, making the little black cauldron float in the air.
Xun Fang was now completely convinced of Jiang Ke’er’s words… This child’s talent was enough to shatter anyone’s worldview, far beyond the limits of biological imagination.
Jiang Ke’er didn’t think much of it. Back when Qiao Xiaoxian had forced her to dual cultivate, it was a soul exchange, and at that time, she had noticed that soul power surged from the baihui at the top of her head throughout her body.
Even if Xun Fang hadn’t told her how to use soul power, given time to think, she could have figured out the Underworld Province Cauldron’s method of use.
Xun Fang let out a long breath: “With the Underworld Province Cauldron, you can…”
“Can I use it to save you?” Jiang Ke’er asked excitedly.
—The first thing she thought of wasn’t her own situation, but my seal.
Xun Fang was deeply moved, but she shook her head: “That’s not possible, but you can leave the Void Realm now.”
“Oh,” Jiang Ke’er said, a little disappointed.
“Hurry and go. This isn’t a place you should be.” Xun Fang closed her eyes and bit her lip.
Even though she wished Jiang Ke’er could stay and talk with her—she hadn’t seen anything besides Xubeasts for so many years—she knew… Jiang Ke’er still had too many important things to do.
“Is there any way I can make you suffer less?” Jiang Ke’er asked stubbornly.
Xun Fang thought for a moment: “If you get the chance, you can bring back the Identity Jade Tokens from the Tribulation Immortal Hall. Each token can unlock one chain… Though it can’t deactivate the suppression, it will make me much more comfortable.
But the Identity Jade Tokens are carried by the nine Dao Seats of the Tribulation Immortal Hall, always on their person.
They’re very powerful, and you must never force it. With your current strength, it’s impossible to get those tokens.”