85: snow fox queen

Snow Wolf City, City Lord's Mansion.

An unprecedented sense of crisis, like the eternal clouds of the Northern Territory that never dissipate, weighed heavily on Lin Chen's heart.

He urgently needed time!

He needed time to go into seclusion and break through the chasm that lay between the Golden Core and the Nascent Soul!

He needed time to contemplate and comprehend the power of the "Law" belonging to the Mid Nascent Soul Stage!

He needed even more time to completely digest and control this [Snow Wolf City], which he had just conquered using the most overbearing methods, and turn it into the first base where he could establish a foothold in this cruel and unfamiliar new world!

However, fate seemed to never favor those who were "fully prepared."

Just as Lin Chen's thoughts were immersed in the gravity of the "Law" and his plans for the future—Boom! Boom!

Two terrifying auras, filled with arrogance, tyranny, and an endless intent to kill, tore through the clouds above Snow Wolf City almost simultaneously and arrived with a mighty force!

"Screech—!!!" A piercing eagle cry that tore through the clouds and seemed capable of rupturing eardrums resounded across the entire sky!

Immediately following this, a massive shadow was cast down!

It was a terrifying giant beast with a wingspan exceeding one hundred zhang!

Its entire body was covered in brilliant feathers that looked as if they were cast from gold, and every feather shimmered with a cold, metallic luster. Yet its head was not that of an eagle, but a ferocious and majestic golden lion's head!

Its pair of lantern-like giant eyes burned with golden flames, indifferently looking down at the city below, which was as small as an ant colony!

【Golden Griffin】!

One of the three great overlords of the Northern Territory, the exclusive messenger of [Raging Lion City]! It was one of the mounts of the Nascent Soul-level "Fierce Lion Queen" Tuoba Ba!

And at the very same instant this Golden Griffin appeared, from another direction of Snow Wolf City.

"Hiss—!!!" A cold, chilling hiss that made one's scalp tingle and Soul tremble also rang out!

A massive bone python, over one hundred zhang long, covered entirely in eerie, pale bone armor, with two balls of ghostly green fire burning in its eyes, silently coiled in the sky on the other side!

It had no flesh or blood, but the aura of death and virulent poison permeating its bone armor was more terrifying than any living creature!

【Nine Nether Bone Python】!

The death totem of the other Northern Territory overlord, [Black Python City]!

The messengers of two overlord-level forces had actually arrived together at the same time!

At this moment, the entire Snow Wolf City instantly fell into a deathly silence!

All the Cultivators within the city, whether they were guards patrolling the towering walls or ordinary residents walking on the wide streets, stopped in their tracks in unison.

They raised their heads, looking up at the two behemoths in the sky exuding the terrifying pressure of the Mid Nascent Soul Stage with eyes filled with despair, fear, and instinctive awe!

That pressure, like two physical mountains, weighed on everyone's heart, making it difficult for them to even breathe!

Immediately after.

"Swish!" "Swish!" Two "ultimatums," tanned from the skins of the most top-tier, unknown Yao Beasts, and branded with the "Raging Lion" and "Black Python" totems in scarlet blood, cut through the sky and descended from above like two life-taking Talismanic Incantations!

Without the slightest deviation, they landed with pinpoint accuracy, "Thwack!" sinking deeply into the bluestone slabs of the plaza in front of the City Lord's Mansion council hall!

Hum—!!! The moment the ultimatums landed, the overbearing will belonging to the "Mid Nascent Soul Stage" queens contained within the two animal skins erupted with a roar!

"—Snow Wolf City, hear this order!"

"You are limited to three days to hand over that 'foreign man' of unknown origin who dares to meddle in the Northern Territory!"

"Furthermore, offer up half of the treasures in your City Lord's Mansion vault as an apology!"

"Then, take your 'pet' (referring to the Snow Wolf totem) and get out of the Northern Territory forever!"

"Otherwise..."

"Three days later, the allied forces will arrive!"

"—Slaughter! The! City! Exterminate! The! Race!"

The last four words, each one as heavy as Mount Tai, each one containing undisguised bloodlust and brutality!

The voice, neither male nor female, sounded as if a demon god from the Nine Nethers was pronouncing death!

Like four invisible blades of death stained with the blood of billions of living beings, they stabbed fiercely into the hearts of everyone present!

Panic!

Endless panic, like the most terrifying plague, after a mere three seconds of silence, instantly swept through the entire Snow Wolf City with overwhelming force!

"It's over... It's all over! Raging Lion City and Black Python City... They... they have actually joined forces!"

"Heavens! Slaughter the city and exterminate the race! They are serious!"

"How could they be so fast?! How could they know what happened in the City Lord's Mansion so quickly?!"

"Three days! Only three days! What can we use to resist the allied forces of two overlords?! Those are two Mid Nascent Soul Stage queens!"

Despairing wails, cries, and curses rose one after another, and Snow Wolf City instantly turned into a scene of doomsday!

...

Inside the council hall.

That terrifying pressure and the declaration of death were clearly transmitted inside as well.

The Tuoba mother and daughter, kneeling beneath the throne, were already so frightened that their pretty faces were as pale as paper, and their mature and youthful bodies trembled violently like leaves in a cold wind!

"Master! Master! It's bad! Something terrible has happened!"

The young Tuoba Yan was the first to be unable to withstand the fear of this impending catastrophe.

Her psychological defenses instantly collapsed!

She even forgot her reverence for the throne, screamed, and scrambled to the steps of the throne!

With a "thud," her still-immature body slammed heavily against Lin Chen's leg.

The pale pink maid dress she had just changed into, symbolizing "submission," had already become disheveled during her frantic scramble.

The collar was torn open, revealing her delicate collarbones, which were rising and falling violently due to fear, beautiful in line yet still youthful, along with the snow-white skin that had flushed a morbid crimson due to her agitation.

The hem of her skirt was lifted, and her long, straight jade legs, wrapped in silky stockings, were exposed to the air without cover, tensed straight from extreme fear, outlining a breathtaking curve.

She completely disregarded her decorum, simply holding onto Lin Chen's thigh for dear life like a drowning person grasping at the last straw!

"Wuwuwu... Master..."

Her voice was filled with endless fear and a desperate sobbing tone, and warm tears instantly soaked Lin Chen's trouser leg.

Her soft, full, yet youthful chest, due to extreme panic, was pressing tightly and unreservedly against the side of Lin Chen's thigh. Separated by several layers of fabric, Lin Chen could even clearly feel the astonishingly soft sensation, as well as the young girl's heart that was beating "thump-thump" wildly from fear.

"It's... it's the 'Fierce Lion Queen' Tuoba Ba! And... and the 'Medusa Queen' Uman!"

"They... they have actually joined forces!"

"Master! Let's run! I beg you! Let's run! If we don't run... it will really be too late!"

She was incoherent, her pretty face, which resembled Tuoba Hongyu's by seventy percent, was covered in tear stains and snot. There was no longer any trace of the "Young City Lord's" wilfulness, only the most primal fear of death.

Compared to her daughter's complete loss of composure.

Tuoba Hongyu, as a mother, although also pale and her body trembling uncontrollably, was after all the "former City Lord" who had governed Snow Wolf City for many years; her Heart-Nature was far superior to that of Tuoba Yan.

She forced herself to endure the fear originating from the depths of her Soul, as well as the instinctive worry for Lin Chen's safety brought about by the [Chaos Soul Progeny Seal], and explained the situation to Lin Chen urgently with a voice that was still trembling but retained a sliver of rationality.

She had to make her new master understand what kind of terrifying enemies they were facing!

She had to highlight the terror of these two "enemies" who were about to arrive at the city walls and the oppressive feeling of the "crisis" to the extreme!

"Re... Reporting to Master!"

Her voice trembled with fear, and a hint of sobbing entered her mature, magnetic tone, making her beautiful face appear even more miserable.

Her full, mature body, beneath that luxurious deep purple maid dress, was uncontrollably shivering slightly.

The silk clinging to her skin also outlined even more breathtakingly mature curves with her trembling, as if it would be burst open by her overflowing fullness in the next second.

"This [Raging Lion City] and [Black Python City] are... the three great Human Race (Demi-human) overlord-level forces in the Northern Territory, alongside our [Snow Wolf City]!"

"The Raging Lion City Lord, Tuoba Ba... is actually my sister from the same clan."

Mentioning this name, a flash of complexity crossed Tuoba Hongyu's eyes; there was jealousy, and even more, fear that went deep into her marrow!

"But she... she was born with the one-in-ten-thousand 'Golden Lion King' Bloodline! She walks the path of a Body Cultivator, and her hard-trained bones have already reached a terrifying Realm of being impervious to blades, spears, and all kinds of magic!"

"Her Physical Body... although... although it might not compare to you, Master, in such a monstrous way..."

She cautiously glanced at Lin Chen, fearing that her words might cause her master's dissatisfaction.

"...But it is definitely the most top-tier existence below the Mid Nascent Soul Stage! Ordinary Magic Treasures simply cannot break through her defense!"

"Moreover, her cultivation level stepped into the 'Fourth Heaven of Nascent Soul' twenty years ago! She condensed her own unique 'Golden Lion King' Dharma Idol! Once the Dharma Idol descends, her combat power skyrockets ten-fold! Her strength... her strength is unfathomable! Far from what This servant (First Heaven of Nascent Soul) can compare to!"

"As for that... that Black Python City Lord, Uman..."

Mentioning this name, a fear deeper and more eerie than when facing Tuoba Ba flashed in Tuoba Hongyu's eyes!

"...She is even more terrifying! Even more eerie!"

"She... she is not a pure Human Race! She is a... snake demon transformed from an ancient variant [Nine Nether Ink Python] that has cultivated for ten thousand years!"

"Although she is not good at frontal combat, and her Physical Body and mana are only at the level of an ordinary Fourth Heaven of Nascent Soul..."

"But! Her innate life-bound virulent poison is... an unsolvable existence!"

"It is said that in the history of the Northern Territory, any Cultivator who is poisoned by her, no matter how high their cultivation, even if they are a powerhouse of the same Mid Nascent Soul Stage, will have their flesh and blood dissolve and bones turn to smoke within three hours, and even their Divine Soul will be unable to escape, eventually turning into a pool of foul-smelling... pus!"

"Her cultivation is also the Fourth Heaven of Nascent Soul! She has condensed the 'Nine Nether Poison Python' Dharma Idol! Once the Dharma Idol appears, poison mist covers a thousand miles, and all life is extinguished!"

Tuoba Hongyu's voice became lower and more trembling as she spoke, and in the end, there was only endless despair in her eyes!

"Master... these two women, either one of them alone, is not something our Snow Wolf City can contend with... let alone... now that they... they have actually joined forces!"

She heavily kowtowed on the cold ground, her smooth forehead colliding with the steps of the Ice Soul Throne, making a dull "thud" sound.

"Master! Our only path to survival now is to abandon Snow Wolf City! Break through from the south gate immediately and flee south!"

"As long as we escape the Northern Territory and enter the heart of the Central Plains, they... they won't dare to pursue too closely! We... might still have a glimmer of hope!"

The atmosphere inside the entire hall was suppressed to the extreme.

The air seemed to have solidified, leaving only the irrepressible, despairing whimpers of Tuoba Yan.

However.

The expression on the face of Lin Chen, who was sitting on the throne, did not change in the slightest.

No fear, no gravity, not even... a trace of surprise.

He just listened quietly to Tuoba Hongyu's "popular science," and then looked down at Tuoba Yan, who was clinging tightly to his thigh, crying and trembling all over, having completely soaked the lapels of his chest.

"Fourth Heaven of Nascent Soul?"

"One with peerless Physical Body, one with unsolvable poison?"

"Heh..."

He suddenly let out an ambiguous chuckle.

"...A bit interesting."

Amidst the fearful gazes of the Tuoba mother and daughter, filled with despair, confusion, and a hint of "has Master been scared silly."

Lin Chen slowly stood up from the throne.

He ignored Tuoba Yan, who was wrapped around his leg like an octopus, just letting her hang there.

Step by step, he walked to the detailed Northern Territory military map in the center of the hall, drawn on the skin of a giant Yao Beast.

His gaze lingered for a moment on the two areas stained red with blood, representing [Raging Lion City] and [Black Python City] respectively.

Those two areas, like two giant iron pincers, were tightly gripping the throat of [Snow Wolf City] from the left and right sides.

Immediately.

His finger moved slowly across the map.

Finally, it landed on the third, and also the last, "overlord-level" force in the Northern Territory that formed a tripartite balance of power with these two city-states and [Snow Wolf City]!

That place had no city.

There was only a stretch of... continuous snowy mountains shrouded in eerie, pink miasma that never dissipated all year round.

The shape of the mountain range, when viewed from high above, was like a... peerless demon fox, stretching its nine tails towards the moon, lying in a charming posture!

—【Ten Thousand Fox Mountain】!

"Master... you... you are..."

Tuoba Hongyu watched Lin Chen's actions, and in her heart, which had almost stopped beating, a feeling suddenly rose—a conjecture that was extremely absurd, yet one she could not stop herself from thinking!

Could he... could he be thinking of...?!

Just then, Lin Chen slowly turned around.

He looked down from above at the Tuoba mother and daughter who had long since lost their wits in fear, especially Tuoba Yan, who was still hanging onto his leg, looking up at him with her tear-stained, pretty face in a daze.

A demonic smile, filled with endless "calculation" and "playfulness," slowly spread across his face.

"Since they like to play at 'Alliances'."

"Then we shall accompany them and play along."

"One toys with 'Strength,' the other toys with 'Deadly Poison'..."

"Heh."

There was a trace of undisguised contempt in Lin Chen's smile.

"...Just a bunch of stupid women who only know how to use brute force and think with their lower bodies."

"What is truly terrifying has never been these visible 'weapons'."

A deep, dark light, as if capable of seeing through everything, flashed in his eyes.

"...It is, instead, the human heart."

Having said that.

He spoke casually to Tuoba Yan, who had been listening in confusion and only knew how to tremble while clutching his thigh:

"Go."

"Go to your mother's treasury and prepare the most generous of gifts."

"Remember, it must be sufficiently magnificent, sufficiently bedazzled with jewels, and also... sufficiently 'hollow'."

"We..."

The corners of his mouth curled into an arc filled with anticipation and a desire for conquest.

"...are going to pay a visit to that legendary figure, who can win without a fight, and who has played countless heroes and queens of the Northern Territory in the palm of her hand."

"The one who can make all men go insane with obsession, and make all women burn with jealousy and fear..."

"—The Snow Fox Empress."

...

One day later.

Ten Thousand Fox Mountain, at the foot of the mountain.

When Lin Chen brought Tuoba Yan—who was filled with trepidation and unease, and even more nervous than when facing the two great allied armies—through the pink miasma that appeared thin but actually contained extremely sophisticated "Illusion Laws" and "Charm Laws."

Even for Lin Chen, who had long seen various grand scenes and possessed a heart as firm as a rock, a trace of... astonishment could not help but flash in his eyes.

It was completely different from the "roughness" and "coldness" of Snow Wolf City!

It was completely different from the "dominance" and "might" of Raging Lion City!

The [Ten Thousand Fox Mountain] before his eyes was actually a paradise filled with "soft beauty," "Immortal Qi," and "extreme vitality"!

Here, there were no biting cold winds of the Northern Territory, no eternal, unmelted ice and snow.

Replacing them was a warm climate like spring all year round, and refreshing, humid air.

Streams with water so clear one could see the bottom flowed with a "gurgling" sound, and koi fish emitting five-colored spiritual light swam within them.

On both banks of the streams, all kinds of rare flowers and grasses, long extinct in the outside world, bloomed in a riot of color, releasing intoxicating fragrances.

The air was permeated with a strange floral scent that could calm one's mind and even cause the circulation of spiritual power within the body to unconsciously accelerate a little.

This floral scent was sweet but not cloying, carrying a trace of... faint, musk that could stir the most primal desires in the depths of one's heart.

Exquisite and delicate pavilions and towers, crafted with ingenious workmanship, were built against the mountains and dotted among the lush, ancient forests, with flying eaves and arched roofs, wreathed in Immortal Qi.

And there was more...

Countless beautiful Fox Women, wearing colorful, thin-as-cicada-wings gauze dresses, with graceful figures and charming faces!

They were laughing, playing, and chasing colorful butterflies between the forests and streams!

On their faces hung innocent, pure smiles, as clear as the mountain springs.

Their skin was faintly visible beneath the thin gauze, white enough to seem translucent, and as delicate as the finest mutton-fat jade.

Their gauze dresses were so thin that when they ran and jumped, those moving curves—whether it was the full breasts, the slender waists, or the perky, round buttocks—were revealed to the air without reservation, forming scenes that would make any male creature's blood boil.

Some of them were even frolicking in the clear streams.

The stream water soaked their already transparent gauze dresses, making them cling tightly to their bodies—whether youthful or mature—outlining their most private and beautiful scenery to the fullest.

They seemed completely indifferent, still splashing water at each other, their silver-bell-like laughter spreading throughout the entire valley.

Most eye-catching were their backs.

Behind every Fox Woman, there was at least one, and up to three or five, fluffy, voluminous fox tails.

The colors of their tails varied—snow white, fiery red, or pitch black—and they were swaying happily according to their moods.

These tails, far from ruining their beauty, added a kind of... indescribable, extreme charm that combined wildness with purity!

When they saw the two "outsiders," Lin Chen and Tuoba Yan.

They only cast curious, innocent glances from afar, then shyly giggled and hid behind the ancient trees, or "plop" dived into the water, leaving only a pair of big, watery eyes to peek out.

It was a harmonious scene of being detached from the world and harmless to both humans and animals.

If not seen with one's own eyes.

I am afraid no one could imagine.

In this cruel, barbaric Northern Territory that believed in the "Law of the Jungle," there was actually hidden such a place... like a fairyland, and like... a Daughter Kingdom of ultimate bliss!

"Is... is this really the [Ten Thousand Fox Mountain] that stands in a tripartite balance with Raging Lion City and Black Python City?"

Tuoba Yan looked at this dreamlike scene before her and could not help but mutter to herself.

Her pretty face, which had been pale with nervousness, was now filled with disbelief.

This... this was a world of difference from the den of demons filled with "Demonic Qi," "conspiracies," and "white bones" that she had imagined!

She was even... somewhat captivated.

However.

In stark contrast to her "intoxication."

Lin Chen's eyes were filled with icy calm, so deep that not a single ripple arose.

His golden pupils, which had long since secretly activated the [Moonlight Divine Pupils], could clearly see through all falsehoods!

He could clearly see.

Beneath this appearance of "peace," "beauty," and "wreathed in Immortal Qi," lay hidden a terrifying murderous intent that would make even a Nascent Soul True Monarch tremble in fear!

He saw that every one of those seemingly ordinary, lush ancient trees was engraved with dense, ancient killing arrays capable of strangling a Nascent Soul!

He saw that beneath every stream, which seemed clear and nourished the koi, flowed a layer of settled... Nine Nether Weak Water, capable of melting a Divine Soul in an instant!

He could even see!

Those seemingly "innocent" and "purely moving" beautiful Fox Women...

On their jade-white, slender, and moving wrists, they all wore strings of grim bracelets made from the "skulls" of powerful experts, shrunk by secret techniques!

Those skull bracelets had been polished smooth and warm by their body heat, yet they still emitted a faint... resentment!

Where was this a "paradise on earth"?!

This was clearly a man-eating den carefully disguised with the most beautiful flowers, the most alluring young girls, and the most intoxicating fragrances!

And the owner of this den...

That legendary "Snow Fox Empress," just how terrifying must her methods be?!

Just as thoughts were flying through Lin Chen's mind, and his evaluation of this "Empress" had been raised by several levels.

"Giggle giggle..."

A burst of light laughter, filled with extreme charm and tenderness, as if capable of making one's bones turn soft, suddenly came from a peach blossom forest not far away.

This laughter seemed to carry magic, making Tuoba Yan's body stiffen instantly!

Following that.

A beautiful woman, wearing luxurious pink palace attire, with a curvaceous figure that had matured to the extreme, and every look and smile exuding a fatal temptation, swayed her water-snake waist—which would make any man go crazy and seemed to have no bones—and slowly... walked out.

Her palace attire was cut so boldly.

The neckline was opened extremely low, revealing a patch of skin so white it was dazzling, as well as... that deep, bottomless, and mesmerizing terrifying cleavage.

As she walked, that astonishing fullness seemed ready to break free from the tight silk restraints at any moment, full of shocking visual impact.

Her waist was impossibly thin, forming the most exaggerated and perfect "S" curve with her extremely full breasts and her round, perky buttocks that seemed capable of holding a wine glass.

Every step she took, her water-snake waist moved her hips in a wave-like arc that made one's blood boil, as if every step was treading on the rhythm of humanity's most primal desires.

Her face was even more stunningly beautiful; a pair of watery peach-blossom eyes had corners slightly upturned, as if they were constantly discharging electricity, and every glance was naturally charming.

Her skin was not as taut as a young girl's, but presented a ripe, moist luster that seemed as if it could drip honey.

"Aiya..."

Her red lips parted slightly, her voice Su Mei (seductive/soft) to the bone, as if carrying an electric current.

"...Which wind blew our 'Little Princess' of Snow Wolf City over here?"

"...Lady Hu...!"

The moment Tuoba Yan saw this beautiful woman, her pretty face, which had already lacked blood, "whooshed" and became even paler!

Her body uncontrollably shrank backward, as if what was before her was not a peerless beauty, but a primordial beast waiting to devour people!

Clearly, this "Lady Hu," who looked harmless to humans and animals and was even full of charm, was a terrifying character that was extremely difficult to provoke!

"Giggle giggle... Little Princess, no need to be so nervous."

Lady Hu covered her mouth and giggled, but those watery peach-blossom eyes were like two of the most venomous snakes, or perhaps the most picky diners, scanning Lin Chen's body recklessly, inch by inch.

That gaze was filled with undisguised... greed, hunger, and "appraisal"!

It was as if she were looking at a piece of merchandise, a... "male sacrifice" she was extremely satisfied with!

"This one, must be the Young Master Lin who has recently caused such a great commotion in the Northern Territory, right?"

Her gaze finally settled on Lin Chen's handsome, peerless face and the perfect, explosive muscular lines hidden beneath his robes.

"Truly... hearing of one's reputation is not as good as meeting in person."

"Tsk tsk tsk..."

She extended her scarlet, petite tongue tip, slowly and suggestively licking her own plump, rouge-covered lips.

"This figure... this face... this temperament..."

"Especially this... masculine, domineering, and yet slightly cold and ascetic aura..."

She let out a moan like a dream.

"...It really makes This servant, just looking from afar, feel a bit... unable to keep her legs closed..."

This naked, lewd teasing to the extreme!

Instantly caused the cheeks of Tuoba Yan, who was to the side, to turn red to the earlobes with a "boom"!

She was both ashamed and furious, and terrified!

However.

As the person being "teased," Lin Chen acted as if he hadn't heard her obscene words at all, which would have made any man lose control instantly.

His face remained in that calm, indifferent expression.

As if what was before him was not a peerless femme fatale who could steal the Souls of all men in the world, but merely a... talking pink skeleton.

He simply cupped his fists slightly toward Lady Hu, his voice steady, and spoke straight to the point:

"I am Lin Chen."

"Seeking an audience with the Snow Fox Empress."

"Giggle giggle... Young Master, you really are... impatient."

Seeing that her foolproof "charm technique" could not stir the slightest ripple in this man, a trace of extremely subtle surprise flashed in Lady Hu's peach-blossom eyes.

But immediately, she smiled even more charmingly, and even more... "enthusiastically."

She even took the initiative to step forward twice, her curvaceous body almost pressing against Lin Chen, and a rich, natural fragrance mixed with peach blossoms and musk aggressively drilled into Lin Chen's nasal cavity.

"Alright."

She exhaled like an orchid, her warm breath almost spraying onto Lin Chen's earlobe.

"Since... it is the 'Empress' herself who specifically named you as the 'honored guest' to see."

"Then This servant... naturally would not dare to be negligent."

"The two of you, please follow me."

Having said that.

She gave Lin Chen a meaningful look, then twisted her waist and hips—which were enticing enough to commit a crime—and walked in front, swaying with every step, leading the way.