At the top of the mountain, inside the throne hall of the Sect Master's palace, Mira stood in front of a beautiful, voluptuous, pink-haired, seven-tailed fox woman. She could feel a faint connection with the woman, almost as if their bloodlines were resonating, making both Mira and Lisica raise an eyebrow.
*Thump**Thump*
'Hoh? It seems her bloodline is even more special than I originally thought. It almost feels like I'm facing my ancestors or even a progenitor, but how is that possible?' Lisica thought while holding her chest, feeling her heartbeat.
"So, what do you want from me? Why'd you want to meet me so badly?" Mira asked impatiently. She was tired of interacting with old monsters and their antics. It was hard to know what they were thinking, and with their overwhelming strength, she felt like she was never in control.
"Nice to meet you too, Mira. My name is Lisica, the head of the Fox Clan," Lisica greeted with a smile despite noticing Mira's obvious annoyance, "As for why I wanted to meet you… I just wanted to confirm that a real nine-tailed fox is roaming the world, not some fake. Now that I've sated my curiosity, I'll take my leave."
Lisica got up to leave under everyone's disbelieving stares. With an innocent smile, she looked at everyone and said, "What? Did I say something wrong? It's not like I came here to eat her up or kidnap her from your Sect."
Seeing that nobody believed her, Lisica smiled bitterly and asked, "Haaa… Do you guys even understand what a nine-tailed fox symbolizes?"
Aelina, Ryuu, and Izaria shook their heads, but Mira partly understood what she was trying to say. After experiencing so many lifetimes, she's naturally heard numerous myths about nine-tailed foxes in which many describe them as omens.
"To us in the Fox Clan, a nine-tailed fox symbolizes the start of a new era, but that's not necessarily a good thing. However, whether good or bad, a nine-tailed fox is usually amidst all the trouble. My Fox Clan has been thriving for countless years. I'm sure you can put the pieces together on your own," Lisica explained.
Then she added, "Plus, it's not impossible for me to become a nine-tailed fox by myself."
They all understood what she was saying.
She didn't want to bring trouble to her clan by taking in Mira and would rather take a more neutral stance.
Mira nodded as she had also heard that nine-tailed foxes were quite the troublemakers in a mythological sense.
However, they didn't know that most of what Lisica said was nonsense to fool them.
'Hehe~ While it's true that nine-tailed foxes are generally seen as omens, do you really think my Fox Clan would be troubled by something like that? Almost every power on the Western Continent doesn't dare to touch us. What's there for me to be afraid of?' She chuckled inwardly but kept a faint smile on the outside.
No, more than anything, she was apprehensive about letting Mira into her Clan. It wasn't to the point that she felt the need to kill Mira, but who knows how many foxes would subservient themselves to Mira because of her bloodline and the fact that she's a nine-tailed fox.
Lisica wasn't done leading the Fox Clan, so how could she allow internal strife, especially in these times?
'I feel that the Continent is going to be entrenched in chaos soon, and this woman will be at the center of it all. I need to hurry back to the Clan and begin making preparations.' Lisica thought before glancing at Mira.
"That's the gist of it. Don't worry, Mira. I have no intention of harming you, so long as you don't provoke me first. You might follow the human cultivation path, but in my eyes, you are just as much fox as you are human. But before I go, I have some information that might interest you."
Mira raised an eyebrow, "Oh? What is it?"
"There's a group of women of unknown origins scouring the continent for any traces of you. I don't know what they want to do with you, but from what I can tell, they don't have good intentions."
Mira's expression changed, and a deep frown appeared on her face. Her brain overclocked as she tried to figure out who might be after her, and while she came to numerous conclusions, they were all men.
'Unknown origins… Ill intentions… Looking for me…' Mira's mind unknowingly drifted toward the person who had made her life a living hell for so long. Although he'd been silent as of late, Mira knew he must be up to something nefarious.
'I-Is it really him?' Mira's fists balled up, and her crimson eyes glowed just thinking about him.
'But… who are those women? Are they his lackeys? And what do they want with me, or more precisely, what orders were they given?'
'That man enjoys taking what I care about the most and ripping it to shreds!' Maria and Dominique appeared in Mira's mind, and her expression turned fierce.
'No! I won't let him take them away from me in this life! Even if I have to turn into a demon and slaughter the entire world to keep them safe, I will do it! I won't let that bastard have his way with me again!'
*Creak*
Mira's teeth clenched so hard that they creaked. Slowly, a dark, bloodthirsty aura filled with rage and hatred exuded from Mira's body.
Aelina, Izaria, Lisica, and Ryuu all backed away from Mira and looked at her in bewilderment.
Soon, Mira came back to her senses and reigned in her aura, but she seemed a little different than before. Instead of her usual apathetic face, she had a slight frown, her eyes were glowing, and her muscles were tense as if she was ready to kill.
"I apologize for losing control of my emotions like that," Mira said, but there wasn't an ounce of remorse in her eyes or voice.
"It seems like you know them?" Lisica asked curiously, to which Mira nodded.
"I do. Thank you very much for the information. In return, I'll give you a warning. Don't get involved with those women. If you want to live a peaceful life, don't even look in their direction. You won't be able to bear the consequences if you do," Mira said sincerely, as she was truly thankful for the information, but this advice went to everyone in the room, not just Lisica.
'You've always been a step ahead of me, but not anymore,' Mira gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.
Aelina, Izaria, Lisica, and Ryuu could hear the demonic-like hatred in Mira's voice and knew she was being serious, despite knowing their strength and status.
Their eyes narrowed, and they took this information seriously. Even if Mira had exaggerated it a bit, being cautious never hurt anyone, especially when dealing with unknown variables.
"Ahem! Anyways, that's all I had to say. Once you grow a bit stronger, feel free to visit the Fox Clan. I'll take my leave now." Lisica smiled at Mira, then disappeared like the wind.
Mira turned to Aelina and said, "I'm going to leave, too. I'm a bit tired after everything that happened."
Aelina nodded but said a few words before she left, "The second stage of the competition won't start for another six months. Not only that, but the contents of the competition have changed a little. We'll be working with the other Sects to invade an Ancient Inheritance Site deep in the mountains. The competition will be held there. So, you're free to do whatever you want. Just be sure to be back in the Sect in six months."
Mira nodded and left to go see Maria and Dominique to have a little chat with her.
Meanwhile, Izaria stared at Aelina intently and said, "Ancient Inheritance Site? I want in!!"
Aelina sighed but didn't decline and began explaining the specifics.
On the other hand, Ryuu stared at Mira's retreating back with a complicated expression and a confused heart.
***
Somewhere above the Ancient Beast Mountain Range, the Unorthodox Faction Leader had just leaped off his mountain to give out a few orders, but 11 beautiful women, all with powerful auras, appeared in front of him before he could go far.
"Are you the leader of this so-called Unorthodox Faction?" The leader, an arrogant woman with long pink hair, said in disdain.
However, before he could speak, she pinched her nose and said in disgust, "It seems like you are. You carry the same revolting odor as someone who eats newborn babies to advance your cultivation."
"You bitch…! Who are you?!" The man's eyes turned bloodshot as he stared at the woman like how a tiger would look at a newborn calf.
"Hmph! Are you worthy of knowing my name?" She looked at the man as if he were an idiot.
"You-!" The Faction Leader was about to lash out, but the woman, Sue Ming, raised her hand to stop.
"Alright. That's enough blabbering. I came here to offer you a job." After saying that, she tossed a Spatial Ring to him.
The man set aside his anger for now and checked the ring's contents.
"Holy shit!"
He cursed as his eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. Weapons, Spirit Stones, Treasures, and Techniques of all grades were inside the ring!
"That'll be your reward if you complete the job I give you," Sue Ming said indifferently.
The Unorthodox Faction Leader gulped and swallowed his anger, his attitude taking a complete 180.
"W-What can I do for you?" He asked nervously, not wanting to lose this opportunity.
Sue Ming nodded slightly, appreciating his behavior, then took out a sheet of paper and tossed it at him.
"Capture those two people alive and bring them to me."
The man took the paper and frowned as he didn't recognize the people. Nevertheless, he didn't hesitate to agree.
"I understand. I'll have every Sect under me searching for them within the hour."
Sue Ming nodded and disappeared, leaving behind three words, "Don't disappoint me."
The man nodded and looked at the paper again.
If Mira and Maria were here, they'd be shocked to see a few familiar faces. In fact, they were more than that.
The two people were Maria's parents!
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