Cultivation Retirement Plan (BL)

42. The Gathering Storm

Shitshitshit—

Nan Wuyue's curses piled on top of each other as he finally connected the dots.

Foxes.

Two hundred years ago, the Three Realms War had pitted celestial cultivators, Yao, and demons of the Middle, Lower, and Demon Realms against each other in a fight for dominance. Although the details of that fight were lost to time, he knew that the celestial and demonic sects had come to an unofficial truce before the end and wiped out the Yao tribes between them. Amongst them the one who suffered the most were the yaojing foxes, powerful enough to take on human forms and universally acknowledged as the ruler of all the Yao.

Centuries passed without a word from their race. It was said that the last Fox King died in the final battle while defending his kin and only the Wolf King of the north had stepped in to help him. After they fell, even their corpses were torn to shreds in the ensuing massacre. And yet despite all odds, a new Fox King emerged from nowhere in Nan Wuyue's future. Rumors had it he had simply been lying in wait while amassing his strength. As a powerful yaojing, his human form had the distinctive snow-white hair of all nine-tailed foxes in the royal line.

The more tails, the more power. It's no wonder they cut them off the statues.

The old Nan Wuyue had tried to make overtures to the Fox Tribe multiple times in hopes of becoming allies, but was rejected every time. It was said the new Fox King had equal distaste for demonic and celestial cultivators alike after what they did to his kinsmen during the war.

Wait, white hair?

Nan Wuyue immediately thought of Su Shiyu and his distinctive shock of snowy strands—if the man was still Su Shiyu at this point. Fox yao were adept at transformation and disguise. If the true Su Shiyu had simply died after his fall over the cliff and was replaced by a still-recovering Fox King in hiding, then everything that had happened to the Su Clan since then could be a result of the imposter's machinations.

His heart chilled. How old was the Fox King? He didn't recover his throne by merely announcing his presence. What if they were forced to face off against enemies that they couldn't defeat? The idea was suicidal. With him and his Master—even the aid of that Su Shimeng, whom they'd have to convince to their side first—they didn't stand a chance. He should send a message to the sect now to ask for help while stalling the situation as much as they could.

But is there any time left?

The theft of yang energy. The corrupted jade. All those deaths on the day of the Ghost Festival. Nan Wuyue had an ugly feeling that everything was drawing to a close very soon.

Had Su Shimeng disappeared because he found out the truth and didn't escape in time? The fox statues here obviously meant they were in Yao territory. Suppose they just packed up and retreated? If they left, they might stand a chance to live another day. As for everyone else...Nan Wuyue didn't count them into the equation of their own survival. His thoughts were broken by ominous rumbling overhead. Looking up, Nan Wuyue saw dense, angry-looking clouds tinged with hints of red, like blood.

Those clouds don't look right, either.

On a whim, Nan Wuyue whipped out his sword and flew up to investigate. He'd hardly gotten close when an overwhelming pressure nearly sent him falling off his weapon mid-flight.

A barrier! Freezing cold entered his veins as Nan Wuyue retreated posthaste. Still, he couldn't help glimpsing what looked like emaciated outlines of faces in the clouds. He quickly flew around to trace the borders of the sinister, roiling mass and found that it extended to the very edges of Su Manor grounds and beyond to the road that led to town. Anytime he tried to get close, the choking aura of death threatened to freeze him whole, sending him backpedaling in a hurry.