Chapter 555: Ancestral Soul Hall and the Intent of the Demon Kings
Inside the Nine-Tailed Village.
Lin Langtian and his group followed Aunt Xin deep into the heart of the village.
After roughly half an hour, amidst the dense forest, they arrived at a clearing filled with ancient ruins. At the center stood a massive altar.
Upon seeing the altar, Lin Langtian exchanged a meaningful glance with Lin Dong, a single phrase surfacing simultaneously in their minds: Ancestral Soul Hall.
At this moment, their thoughts drifted back to two days earlier, when Lin Langtian and Lin Dong had been preparing to depart alongside Little Flame to eliminate the Thunder Abyss Mountain's Demon Commander and reclaim the stolen half of Little Flame's blood inheritance.
However, just as they were about to leave, Xin Qing had approached them, revealing her intention to enter the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan's Ancestral Soul Hall to accept the inheritance of their ancestors. Upon learning from Xin Qing that the Ancestral Soul Hall contained hidden dangers, Lin Langtian and Lin Dong briefly discussed and decided to accompany her.
After all, Xin Qing was their companion, and Lin Langtian vaguely remembered that the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan's Ancestral Soul Hall concealed a dangerous secret.
Returning to the present, Aunt Xin led the group onto the altar.
At the center of the altar stood a stone platform. Aunt Xin clenched her hand, summoning a palm-sized copper statue. The statue depicted a fox, crimson in color, with nine proudly extended tails. Despite its small size, an immense demonic aura emanated from it, astonishing all those present.
It seemed this fox statue was the key to the Ancestral Soul Hall, while the altar itself was merely a supporting structure.
"Are you ready?" Aunt Xin asked, looking toward Lin Langtian, Lin Dong, and Xin Qing.
"Yes." The three nodded simultaneously.
Seeing this, Aunt Xin gently placed the fox statue onto the stone platform. With a flick of her finger, she conjured a blood sphere radiating a potent bloody aura.
"This contains the blood of every member of our Nine-Tailed Clan. Only through this method can the Ancestral Soul Hall be opened. However, each opening consumes significant energy from the statue. This will likely be the final activation, after which the statue will shatter and disappear," Xin Qing softly explained to Lin Langtian and Lin Dong.
Lin Langtian narrowed his eyes slightly. The last activation? It appeared the Ancestral Soul Hall had already claimed numerous young geniuses from the Nine-Tailed Fox Clan.
Buzz!
When the blood sphere landed on the copper statue, the crimson nine-tailed fox seemed to awaken, letting out a heaven-shaking howl.
At that instant, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and the blood sphere turned into a stream of crimson light, absorbed entirely by the fox statue's mouth.
A desolate, ancient howl echoed across the land, carrying with it an aura of sorrow. The nine-tailed fox statue seemed to glance at Lin Langtian and the others, then spat out a crimson beam of light, transforming into a massive, blood-colored portal.
"Go inside. This is the Ancestral Soul Hall," Aunt Xin urged quietly, her fists tightly clenched.
"Lord Langtian, Lord Lin Dong, we must enter together, or we'll be separated," Xin Qing explained, reaching out her slender hands to hold theirs gently.
"Let's go." Lin Langtian nodded, without hesitation stepping forward alongside Lin Dong and Xin Qing into the crimson portal.
The moment they stepped through, their figures vanished completely.
Watching them disappear, Aunt Xin clasped her hands tightly, whispering prayers: "Ancestors, please protect the last hope of the Nine-Tailed Clan…"
…
Entering the portal, Lin Langtian immediately sensed strong spatial fluctuations.
Their vision cleared, and to their surprise, they faced no immediate danger. Instead, an endless blood-red sea surrounded them, and beneath their feet stretched a narrow corridor leading toward a vast plaza in the distance.
Xin Qing's clear eyes focused intently on the plaza at the corridor's end. Releasing Lin Langtian and Lin Dong's hands, she quickened her pace toward it, drawn by an ancient summons.
Exchanging a cautious glance, Lin Langtian and Lin Dong silently followed behind Xin Qing, their gazes sharply examining the ominous blood-colored space around them.
Lin Langtian noticed a hidden black glow and faint lightning arcs concealed within Lin Dong's sleeves and raised his eyebrows slightly. He himself was alert due to prior knowledge of hidden dangers in this place, but he hadn't expected Lin Dong to perceive the anomaly so swiftly. As expected of the future Martial Ancestor—his perceptiveness was impeccable.
Eventually, they reached the plaza, where an enormous statue towering ten thousand feet high dominated the center. The statue depicted yet another nine-tailed fox, its aura far more terrifying than the copper statue. Merely looking at it caused their hearts to palpitate.
"This is the skeleton of our ancestor…" Xin Qing whispered reverently, eyes gleaming fervently.
She stepped forward swiftly, pausing at a thousand feet away from the statue. Dropping to her knees, she adopted an ancient, peculiar posture, her three fluffy tails stretching gracefully behind her.
As Xin Qing assumed the ritualistic stance, an ancient, melancholic chant rose from her lips, echoing hauntingly through the space, evoking visions of distant antiquity.
Buzz…
The chant reverberated, causing the surrounding natural Yuan Power to ripple violently. Soon, dots of crimson light gathered upon the giant fox skeleton, quickly converging into a female figure.
As the red glow faded, an exquisitely beautiful woman appeared, her every gesture and smile imbued with mesmerizing charm capable of overshadowing heaven and earth.
"Ancestor!" Xin Qing's eyes brimmed with tears upon seeing the ethereal woman.
"My child…" the woman spoke tenderly, extending a delicate, pale hand toward Xin Qing. Her soft voice resonated seductively, inviting her, "Accept my inheritance. I've waited so long for you…"
Xin Qing instinctively reached out, but just before their hands touched, two strong hands swiftly grasped hers from behind.
Startled, Xin Qing glanced back at Lin Langtian and Lin Dong, whose expressions were grave. "Lord Langtian, Lord Lin Dong…"
Lin Dong ignored her questioning gaze, instead turning to Lin Langtian with a faint smile. "It seems Brother Langtian has also realized something isn't right."
Lin Langtian merely nodded, his gaze locked coldly onto the seductive woman. He pulled Xin Qing backward, firmly declaring, "You are not the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
These words froze the air in the plaza momentarily.
Xin Qing stared at Lin Langtian in confusion, suddenly feeling icy dread. "Brother Langtian, what are you saying? I can clearly sense the same bloodline within her…"
But Lin Langtian and Lin Dong remained silent, their stances unyielding.
"Who are you? You are not members of my clan!" The seductive woman's expression darkened dangerously.
"Enough pretending," Lin Langtian calmly retorted. "We specialize in hunting down your kind, Yimo. Which Yimo King are you?"
"You found out?" The woman sneered coldly. "It seems the Nine-Tailed Clan is not entirely foolish. After all these years, they've finally noticed something amiss and even invited outsiders here…"
Ignoring Xin Qing's horrified expression, the seductive woman laughed mockingly, "But you only brought two mere Profound Death Stage experts? Pathetic indeed. Your clan's decline is inevitable."
Lin Langtian replied indifferently, "You're merely the remnant souls of Yimo. You're no better off yourself."
The woman's eyes flickered with rage, as she spat venomously, "Sharp tongue indeed! Even if things have deviated slightly from my plan, since you've come, prepare to perish here!"
Her slender hands rapidly formed complex seals. Immediately, countless crimson chains erupted violently from the blood sea, shooting toward Lin Langtian with incredible speed.
"Careful, Brother Langtian!" Lin Dong shouted gravely, lightning exploding from his eyes.
Boom!
A pillar of dazzling lightning surged upward from Lin Dong, destroying the crimson chains upon contact.
"Thunderbolt Ancestral Symbol!" The seductive woman's face twisted in shock. She now understood why two mere Profound Death Stage warriors had been summoned here—the youth possessed an Ancestral Symbol.
"Even with an Ancestral Symbol, you're still too weak! Let me destroy you and erase this Thunderbolt Symbol from existence!" she shrieked.
More blood-red pillars burst forth, threatening annihilation, but Lin Dong calmly summoned a massive black hole above him, devouring every attack.
"The Devouring Ancestral Symbol as well?! Impossible!" The woman's expression filled with horror.
"You're an amalgamation of three Yimo Kings' consciousness, aren't you?" Lin Dong asked knowingly.
Laughing madly, she confirmed this, cruelly taunting Xin Qing by revealing that the blood sea was composed of deceased Nine-Tailed Clan members.
Lin Dong calmly stated, "If I purify your consciousness, the ancestor's spirit will be freed."
The woman sneered viciously, "Purifying us means destroying her completely. Your clan will have no hope of revival!"
As Lin Langtian watched, a hoarse voice echoed in his mind—the Wolf Demon General requested permission to devour the three fused Yimo Kings' consciousnesses to gain insights into the Demon King Intent, crucial for advancing to King-level.
Lin Langtian's eyes blazed with determination. It appeared he wouldn't be able to remain idle this time…
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