14: Chapter 14 A Shocking Change at Fox Tomb: An Ancient Remnant Soul Displays Supernatural Powers

At the end of the underground passage, the stone door trembled incessantly. The relief of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox carved upon it seemed to come to life; its nine tails swayed gently, emitting an ancient and majestic aura. That terrifying pressure, far exceeding that of the Nine-Life Demon Cat, swept over them like a tide. It made the breathing of Lin Zhou's group of five turn sluggish, and their entire bodies felt as if they were imprisoned by invisible chains, making even moving a step exceptionally difficult.

"Such strong pressure!" Su Ye bit his teeth hard, his hands death-gripping the handle of his giant axe. The axe blade flickered with a cold light in the dimness. "This Ancient Demon Fox's remnant power is actually more terrifying than a Peak King Rank!"

Liu Yiyi's small face was as pale as paper. The staff in her palm trembled slightly, and the ice-blue magical light flickered erratically; she was clearly so intimidated by this pressure that it was difficult to condense Spiritual Qi. Ye Ying's figure flickered in and out of the shadows, his breath ragged; even his proud stealth skill was nearly forcibly dispersed. Qin Yue held her longsword with the tip pointing diagonally toward the ground, a trace of solemnity flashing in her cold eyes. She could clearly feel that the existence behind the stone door was definitely not something they could contend with right now.

Lin Zhou took a deep breath and circulated the Spiritual Qi within his body. He pushed his Early Stage King Rank Physical Body to its limit, forcefully resisting that overwhelming pressure. He looked up at the stone door, his gaze falling on the lifelike relief of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. The System's notification sound rang urgently in his mind:

[Ding! Detected the aura of an ancient exotic beast's remnant soul. Intensity: Unknown. Danger Level: Catastrophic!]

[Warning! The host's current strength is insufficient. Immediate evacuation is suggested!]

Evacuate?

The corner of Lin Zhou's mouth curled into a self-deprecating arc. At this moment, the stone door was trembling, the pressure was permeating, and the runes within the passage had begun to flicker. Clearly, their intrusion had disturbed the being inside. If they wanted to leave now, it was likely already too late.

"Rumble—!"

With a loud crash, the relief on the stone door suddenly shattered. Amidst the flying stone debris, a massive dark shadow slowly emerged from behind the door. It was a Nine-Tailed Demon Fox with a body as large as a mountain, covered in snow-white fur. Its nine tails swayed like pillars that held up the sky. A pair of golden vertical pupils coldly scanned Lin Zhou's group of five, containing a sense of vicissitude and majesty that seemed to span across eternal ages.

But strangely, this Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's body was semi-transparent, and it was surrounded by a faint soul mist. Clearly, it was not a physical entity but was formed from a wisp of a remnant soul.

"Puny humans, you dare to intrude upon my mausoleum and disturb my slumber..."

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's voice was ancient and majestic, echoing in the passage like a great bronze bell. It made everyone's eardrums ache and their blood boil. Its gaze swept over Lin Zhou, and when it saw the residual aura of the Nine-Life Demon Cat on him, a flash of surprise crossed its golden vertical pupils: "A junior of the Nine-Life line? I didn't expect that such a lowly Bloodline could actually produce a little fellow capable of slaying a King Rank."

Lin Zhou's heart jolted. He gripped the explosive sniper bow, and his [Domain of Archery] instantly expanded. A pale gold light enveloped the area, barely neutralizing a portion of the pressure. He said in a deep voice, "Senior is an ancient powerhouse. We had no intention of disturbing you; we merely entered this place by mistake. We hope Senior can show some leniency."

"By mistake?" The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sneered, a flash of killing intent appearing in its golden vertical pupils. "Those who intrude upon my mausoleum shall die!"

Before its voice had even faded, one of its tails suddenly swept toward them, carrying a wind sharp enough to tear space as it lashed out fiercely at Lin Zhou's group. This tail looked slender, but it contained world-destroying power. Wherever it passed, the air was compressed into a vacuum, and the stone walls of the passage cracked inch by inch.

"Quick, dodge!" Qin Yue cried out in alarm. She swung her longsword, and a sharp sword light soared into the sky to meet the tail.

Su Ye roared as he raised his giant axe, pouring Spiritual Qi into it before hacking at the tail. Liu Yiyi bit her teeth and pushed her ice magic to the limit, sending countless icicles whistling out. Ye Ying's figure flashed as he moved toward the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's main body, attempting a sneak attack.

Lin Zhou's eyes narrowed, and his [Elemental Space-Breaker] talent operated at full power. A silver-white arrow from the Demon-Breaking Quiver was notched on the bowstring. Spiritual Qi poured in frantically, and the purple-gold light on the arrow surged. Lightning and fire intertwined, also carrying a trace of shadow power.

"Demon-Breaker: Shadow Arrow!"

Lin Zhou gave a low shout, and the arrow shot out like a meteor. Carrying the triple effects of penetration, splitting, and explosion, it accurately struck the sweeping tail.

However, this seemingly infinitely powerful strike was like a mantis trying to stop a carriage before the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's tail.

"Clang!"

With a crisp sound, the arrow hit the tail as if striking indestructible divine iron, instantly shattering without leaving even a trace. Meanwhile, Qin Yue's sword light, Su Ye's giant axe, and Liu Yiyi's icicles also shattered one after another the moment they touched the tail. Ye Ying was even sent flying by an invisible force, coughing up blood as he slammed heavily onto the ground, his aura becoming withered.

"Ant-like strength, yet you dare to shake a tree?" The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's voice was full of disdain. The speed of its tail did not slow down at all, looking as if it would flatten Lin Zhou's group into meat paste in an instant.

Lin Zhou's pupils shrank suddenly. In this life-or-death moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossed his mind. He remembered the demon core of the Nine-Life Demon Cat—that core containing the Origin power of the Nine-Life clan might be useful!

Without hesitation, Lin Zhou took out that pitch-black demon core from his storage space and threw it toward the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, shouting at the same time, "Senior! This is the Origin demon core of the Nine-Life clan! I hope Senior can spare our lives for the sake of being from the same race!"

The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's gaze fell on the demon core, and a ripple of emotion flashed in its golden vertical pupils. The tail's attack stopped abruptly, only half an inch away from Lin Zhou's group, the fierce wind making their robes rattle loudly.

The demon core floated in mid-air, emitting a faint black light that resonated with the soul mist around the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

"Nine-Life Origin..." the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox murmured to itself, its ancient voice carrying a trace of complexity. "I didn't expect that after eternal ages, I would see the Legacy of this lineage again."

It slowly withdrew its tail, and the killing intent in its golden vertical pupils gradually dissipated, replaced by a trace of exhaustion and loneliness. "I am the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. During the ancient era, I traversed the universe, yet after falling, only a wisp of my remnant soul remains here to slumber. The Nine-Life clan was a servant race under my command back then. I didn't expect they would fall to such a state today."

Lin Zhou's group of five all breathed a sigh of relief, their backs already soaked with cold sweat. In that moment just now, they truly thought they were going to die.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox's gaze fell on Lin Zhou once more, a flash of approval in its golden vertical pupils. "Little fellow, you were able to slay a junior of the Nine-Life line and even refine its Origin demon power to strengthen your Physical Body; your talent is not bad. I have slumbered for eternity, and my Soul Power has long since been exhausted. Being awakened by you today can be considered a stroke of fate."

Its body slowly became transparent, and the soul mist began to disperse; clearly, it could not hold on for much longer.

"Senior!" Lin Zhou called out hastily, a trace of respect welling up in his heart.

The Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox flicked its tail, its voice becoming weak. "In the depths of my mausoleum lies my Legacy from back then, as well as a Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Demon Core, which can help you break through your Realm. I see that you possess a Heaven-Defying System; your future achievements will be limitless. I hope... in the future, you will protect the Nine-Life lineage and not let it be completely wiped out..."

Before its voice finished, its body completely turned into soul mist and dissipated into the air. Only a soft light remained, falling into the depths of the passage behind the stone door.

At the same time, the stone door slowly opened, revealing a corridor leading into the depths. At the end of the corridor, a magnificent palace was faintly visible, with dense Spiritual Qi flowing like a physical substance, making one feel intoxicated.

Lin Zhou's group looked at each other, all with faces full of disbelief.

Just a moment ago, they were on the verge of death, and in the blink of an eye, they had actually obtained the Legacy of an ancient powerhouse?

Su Ye was the first to react, shouting excitedly, "We're rich! We're rich! An ancient Legacy!"

Liu Yiyi's small face was also flushed with excitement, her eyes sparkling. Ye Ying struggled to climb up from the ground, his gaze toward Lin Zhou full of admiration. Qin Yue walked to Lin Zhou's side, her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "This Legacy probably won't be that easy to obtain. There might be other dangers deep within the mausoleum."

Lin Zhou nodded, his gaze becoming firm. "Wealth is found in danger. Since we've received Senior's gift, we cannot shrink back."

He gripped his explosive sniper bow and took the lead in walking toward the depths of the corridor.

Qin Yue and the other three looked at each other and followed suit.

Both sides of the corridor were covered with murals from the ancient era, recording the illustrious military exploits of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox as it traversed the universe. Upon the murals, exotic beasts ran rampant and gods and demons fought for supremacy; the scenes were magnificent and grand, leaving one in awe.

The further they went, the higher the concentration of Spiritual Qi became, even turning into faint spiritual liquid that dripped onto the ground with crisp sounds.

Finally, they reached the end of the corridor, and the palace before them opened up.

In the center of the palace, a snow-white demon core floated. Above the demon core, the phantom images of nine tails slowly rotated, emitting a terrifying energy fluctuation. Beside the demon core lay an ancient scroll with four ancient characters written on it—Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Art!

Lin Zhou's pupils shrank suddenly, and a flash of wild joy appeared in his eyes.

This demon core and this Cultivation Technique were absolutely supreme treasures!

Just as he was preparing to step forward to collect them, a cold laugh suddenly came from the shadows of the palace:

"Hahaha! Lin Zhou, thank you for opening the gates of this ancient mausoleum for me! This Legacy belongs to me!"

Lin Zhou's expression changed drastically, and he whipped his head around to look.

A figure slowly stepped out from the shadows; it was none other than Wang Hu, whom he had "killed" earlier!

The current Wang Hu's aura was several times stronger than before. His body was shrouded in a layer of eerie black Qi, and his gaze was sinister and crazed.

Clearly, his previous death was nothing more than a disguise!

Lin Zhou's gaze instantly turned icy, and the explosive sniper bow in his hand was once again aimed at the enemy.

Deep within the mausoleum, killing intent rose once more!