Chapter – 83
The Dragon-Slaying Fuxi Qin
Qin Mo’s soul had yet to return to his body, and that beam of light still lingered without dispersing.
More and more powerful figures arrived from outside Qingyun Stronghold. The entire stronghold, inside and out, was surrounded as tightly as an iron barrel.
“The battle in the heavens grows fiercer by the moment. It won’t be long before the Corpse Clan’s army arrives here,” said a woman as she and a man stepped through the gates of Qingyun Stronghold.
The speaker was the woman. Every inch of her radiated a bewitching aura. Her eyes were slightly dazed, her pupils deep and unfathomable—one glance into them was enough to make someone lose themselves beyond escape.
“Relying on those stiff, corpse-like fools—when will they ever break into the Profound Yellow Continent?” The man, dressed in black robes, spoke with disdain, his tone full of contempt for the Corpse Clan.
“It seems that before they arrive, we’ll have to kill this human prodigy ourselves,” the woman sighed helplessly.
They exchanged a glance and headed toward the inn where the radiance was being released. Along the way, they encountered no obstruction. Their attire and aura were indistinguishable from humans—especially the woman. Even when someone approached to question them, a single look into her eyes would cause them to forget their purpose and let her pass.
In less than the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, they arrived outside the inn.
“I’ll hold off these humans. You go inside and kill him. Remember, I can only stall them for half an hour,” the woman said.
“Half an hour? One incense stick’s time is enough for me,” the man replied confidently. Then he vanished without a trace, as if he had never existed.
Their arrival naturally drew the attention of many human experts. They were already on high alert. When the man disappeared, the expressions of the human guards outside the inn changed instantly.
“Not good—it’s the Shadow Clan!” a human expert at the Empowerment Realm exclaimed.
Though they stood guard here, they had not believed that any foreign race would dare to cause trouble. Nearly half of Qingyun Stronghold’s forces were gathered here, including the mysterious Qingyun Guards—the only law enforcement force within the city. Though numbering only a hundred, each had opened sixty acupoints, and their leader was a powerhouse at the third level of the Empowerment Realm.
The Shadow Clan was among the most mysterious and troublesome of the Hundred Races. Their transformation and concealment techniques were nearly impossible to detect.
They were also the race that had remained in the Profound Yellow Continent in the greatest numbers after the Hundred Races were expelled. Disguised as humans, they lay dormant until critical missions called them forth.
Assassinating human prodigies was their primary objective.
After the era of the Three Sovereigns, before the rise of the Fourth Saint Emperor, Fuxi, the Hundred Races once launched another invasion.
At the time, humanity did not fear them. The Saint Emperor Sui Ren had once set the heavens ablaze in the Battle of Burning Heaven, scorching the star domains and severely weakening the Hundred Races.
Yet it was precisely because of that victory that humanity grew complacent. The Shadow Clan, long hidden within the Profound Yellow Continent, erupted.
They assassinated countless human geniuses, throwing all humanity into panic. Even Fuxi, before attaining sainthood, was targeted and nearly perished.
The Earth Emperors who governed the Four Regions had no solution. The Shadow Clan’s concealment was too perfect. Unless they chose to reveal themselves, even the Saint Emperor’s divine sight could scarcely detect them.
But in the end, Saint Emperor Fuxi achieved enlightenment. He created a set of musical laws—a melody capable of subduing the Shadow Clan.
On that day, high above the Profound Yellow World, Fuxi played this melody. It resounded throughout the world and beyond, shaking the starry heavens.
Every Shadow Clan member hidden within the continent was slain. Humanity finally regained its footing and faced the invading armies of the Hundred Races.
Yet that battle was the most tragic of all.
Fuxi attained sainthood through music and was not skilled in combat. Facing ten ancestral beings of the Hundred Races—including the mightiest Dragon Ancestor—he nearly became the first human Saint Emperor slain by foreign races.
But no one expected that Fuxi would learn through battle. By the end, his music had transformed into killing sound.
When the final note faded, he slew the Dragon Ancestor in the heavens, drew out its sinew, stripped its bones, and forged the Fourth Saint Emperor’s supreme weapon—the Dragon-Slaying Fuxi Qin.
With this zither born, heaven and earth trembled. One melody from Fuxi, and ten thousand stars quaked.
Thus, humanity won the Dragon-Slaying War of the Fourth Epoch. Though it lacked the grandeur of the Battle of Creation, the legacy of the Heaven-Mending War, or the dominance of the Burning Heaven War, it was no less significant.
Not only was the Dragon Ancestor slain, but the Shadow Clan hidden within the continent was exterminated. From that day onward, the Shadow Clan harbored deep hatred for Fuxi’s descendants.
From the Ninth Heaven, Saint Emperor Fuxi nearly wiped out their entire race with a single melody—how could they not hate him?
Since then, humanity possessed a means to counter the Shadow Clan: the famed “Fuxi Heavenly Sound.”
After the Fourth Epoch, with the existence of this art, the nearly exterminated Shadow Clan hid even deeper. In the following epochs, they rarely appeared—only during critical times—out of fear of the Divine Sound Masters who had mastered Fuxi Heavenly Sound.
Now, at the beginning of the Ninth Epoch, the Shadow Clan had reappeared. Yet within Qingyun Stronghold, there was not a single Divine Sound Master who knew Fuxi Heavenly Sound.
So when the Shadow Clan member vanished, the faces of the gathered human experts turned grim. A race that once nearly destroyed humanity and almost killed Saint Emperor Fuxi was not so easily dealt with.
“Your opponents are me, dear,” the woman suddenly said before the humans could steady themselves.
“Kill her first, then find the Shadow Clan!” Fifth Master declared. Though weaker than the other tribal experts present, he was the lord of Qingyun Stronghold.
His words carried weight, and all eyes turned to the woman.
But when they met her gaze, something strange happened. Her pupils turned pink, and every human expert present fell into confusion, as if their souls had been stolen.
“Heavenly Fox Clan!” Fifth Master shut his eyes immediately. Though not powerful in cultivation, his will was firm. Even so, he felt himself teetering on the brink of falling under her charm.
He never imagined Qin Mo’s phenomenon would attract not only the fearsome Shadow Clan but also the Heavenly Fox Clan.
Among the Hundred Races, the Heavenly Fox Clan ranked near the bottom. Yet like the Shadow Clan, no royal race dared underestimate them—not even the Dragon Clan.
Their combat strength was weak, but they were born with innate charm arts. Their bewitching eyes could ensnare even those of higher realms, killing them silently.
One vanished Shadow Clan member was already troubling enough. Now a Heavenly Fox woman appeared. Fifth Master’s heart grew heavy.
“Your will is strong, but your cultivation is too low. Even if you resist my charm, how will you stop my steps?” she laughed lightly.
Fifth Master, eyes closed, grew paler by the second. Sweat covered his face as he struggled.
“I’ll take good care of you all,” she said, stepping forward. Many human experts wore dazed expressions; some even leered as if lost in indulgent dreams.
As her voice drifted through the air, the strongest tribal expert—a third-level Empowerment Realm cultivator—had his head severed.
Blood gushed from his neck as his head fell to the ground. His face bore no pain—only bliss—until life left him completely.
It was eerily silent.
With every step she took, another human expert’s head was plucked off by her delicate hands. None resisted; none even knew how they died.
Fifth Master opened his eyes at last. More than half the humans were dead—especially the strongest among them.
Against the Heavenly Fox Clan, numbers meant nothing. Only willpower mattered.
“You have three tails!” Fifth Master stared in horror at the three tails behind her, each radiating strange energy that enveloped the area.
“Behave yourself. I can’t bear to kill a strong-willed old man just yet,” she said, plucking off another head. Not a drop of blood stained her white garments.
She looked as calm as if she had just harvested a radish.
“I’ll kill you!” Fifth Master’s hand trembled around his blade. His body, however, would not obey. His blood felt frozen; not a trace of strength would answer him.
This was the power of her three tails. The more tails a Heavenly Fox possessed, the stronger she became. A three-tailed fox rivaled a human powerhouse at the Rebirth Realm.
“I don’t wish to kill you yet. Why insist on attacking me?” she smiled, approaching him. His eyes were bloodshot, bulging as if about to burst.
“Why endure such pain? Why not surrender to me?” She caressed his face. “I promise you bliss beyond imagination. Why struggle so?”
Blood streamed from his eyes as he resisted her charm. He would rather die than submit.
Her hand slid to his neck. “Such a fine head. A pity it must leave your body.”
A tremendous force gripped him. As his head began to tear from his neck, he finally mustered the strength to raise his blade and strike at her.
The strike was slow, weak—harmless. Yet he brought it down with unwavering resolve.
“Is this the unyielding battle spirit of humanity?” she murmured, puzzled. Her grip did not loosen.
Just as his head was about to separate from his body—
A flash of sword light erupted, slashing toward the Heavenly Fox woman’s arm…
