Tushan's Invitation

Hearing this, Cen Yu nodded. "Very well, let's do that. Many thanks, Fox King."

Although he said it that way, this was already the best possible outcome.

Given the strength of Tushan Zhaoli, if she hadn't felt that the Fire Fox was in the wrong and refrained from attacking, he wouldn't have been able to teach it a lesson.

"Little Red, come back."

At these words, the Ghost Bride flashed, returning to stand beside Cen Yu.

After a moment of recovery, Tushan Jinci climbed up from the ground, glanced at Cen Yu, and curled its lip in dissatisfaction.

No wonder the King was so wary of that brat; it seemed she was right.

It had originally assumed the aura on him belonged to the Asura God and the Rakshasa God, but... heh... this guy had almost fooled it as well.

Tushan Zhaoli looked at Tushan Jinci helplessly and extended an invitation to the three of them: "If you three do not mind, please come to my clan's territory as guests."

I hope your arrival can bring a new turning point for Tushan.

"Jinci, if they are willing, invite them back to the clan territory."

("If they have any questions, answer what you can within the permitted scope.")

Hearing this, Tushan Jinci bowed. "As you command!"

Cen Yu nodded and switched to his Little White persona.

He had just opened his mouth to speak when he saw Tushan Zhaoli's figure begin to blur.

"Wait, what is this...?"

This didn't look like teleportation; it looked more like... dissipation?

The Nine-Tailed Sky Fox vanished completely without answering his question.

Tushan Jinci watched Tushan Zhaoli disappear and sighed silently. "Surprised? What you saw just now was merely the King's phantom."

"Her true form has actually been sealed within our clan's territory all along."

"What?!"

Hearing this, the three people nearby were shocked.

Cen Yu, in particular, stared at Tushan Jinci in disbelief.

Just how powerful was Tushan Zhaoli? Even he hadn't been able to tell that it was only a phantom.

Furthermore, if a mere phantom was already unfathomable, how powerful must her true self be? And who could possibly seal her?

"You... what kind of catastrophe did Tushan go through? Tushan Zhaoli mentioned it briefly—was it because of that time?"

"..."

At the mention of the word "catastrophe," a dense, overwhelming hatred surged into Tushan Jinci's eyes.

"Heh... catastrophe... catastrophe! How laughable!"

"That day, heavenly fire descended suddenly, and the world in all ten directions turned to ash..."

"That battle shattered the heavens and earth. Qingqiu, Tushan, Yousu, and Chunhu all fell together. When the war finally ended, the other three clans had vanished without a trace."

"It was the former King who paid the price with her life to preserve Tushan, leaving it in the state it is today."

Speaking to this point, Tushan Jinci gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Enough, why am I telling you all this?"

As he finished, he gently flicked his somewhat balding fox tail.

In an instant, flames surged upward, layering upon one another to shroud his form.

Within a breath, the firelight dissipated, and a handsome man with flame-red hair and seven tails stepped slowly from the blaze.

He stroked his now lustrous, fluffy fox tails and said with satisfaction, "Mm~ This looks much better~"

"..."

Tushan Jinci turned his head to see Cen Yu and the others staring at him in a daze.

What were these humans doing? Were they stunned because they had never seen a fox as beautiful as him?

He asked suspiciously, "What? Are you shocked by this fox's beauty?"

Hearing this, the three exchanged glances.

This person... no, this fox was truly narcissistic.

After a brief silence, Cen Yu gave a light cough and pointed a finger.

"No, uh..."

"Hm?"

Tushan Jinci looked down in the direction of his finger, confused—

"Awoooo—!!!"

A moment later, a fully clothed Tushan Jinci stepped out from the flames once more.

He said with an awkward expression, "Sorry, I haven't taken human form in too long, I'm not quite used to it."

Damn, how embarrassing. I'm never taking human form in front of outsiders again.

Hearing this, Cen Yu nodded, suppressing his laughter as he patted Tushan Jinci on the shoulder.

"It's... it's fine... pfft... cough, I understand, I understand..."

Upon hearing this, the poor Little Fire Fox glanced at Guang Ling and Azure Luan nearby. Although their backs were turned, their shoulders were shaking uncontrollably.

Seeing this, Tushan Jinci's face darkened, and with a wave of his hand, a massive vortex of flames appeared.

Within these flames, space slowly shattered and shifted, transforming into an entirely different scene in the blink of an eye.

"Off you go!"

Before Cen Yu could react, Tushan Jinci grabbed him by the collar.

"Hey?! Wait!!!"

Under the boy's incredulous gaze, he was tossed straight into the vortex.

Following that, Tushan Jinci flashed forward, kicking Guang Ling and Azure Luan into the portal one after the other.

"Pah! Shameless humans!"

Once the dizziness from the spatial travel subsided, the three of them looked up and saw the rolling green mountains stretching out before them.

Clouds and mist drifted lazily through the mountains with the breeze, and a faint, refreshing spiritual energy washed over them.

In the distance, they could even see a towering, majestic mountain gate, the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox emblem carved upon it appearing incredibly lifelike.

Cen Yu exclaimed in surprise, "So this is Tushan... it's truly beautiful."

He had heard of Tushan before, but having never seen it, he hadn't expected the reality to be so breathtaking.

Guang Ling also remarked in wonder, "The energy here is so dense. On the Douluo Continent, the only place that could compare to this seems to be the Douluo Hall."

Hearing this, Tushan Jinci, who had just stepped out of the vortex, rolled his eyes at them. "You call this something?"

Humans really are ignorant. We've barely scratched the surface, and they're already this shocked.

"Before that catastrophe, my Tushan was far more magnificent and beautiful than it is now, and the spiritual energy was over a hundred times greater."

As he finished speaking, a massive purple fox tail suddenly appeared, swatting Tushan Jinci aside.

Immediately following a flash of purple light, a woman with seven purple tails trailing behind her walked over.

Her features were cold and indifferent, and she carried an innate air of arrogance.

Without her even speaking, the trio could tell from her aura alone that she not only held a high status in Tushan but was also undoubtedly stronger than that Fire Fox.

Sure enough, the woman let out a cold snort and reprimanded Tushan Jinci, "Who taught you to treat the King's guests like this? Where have your manners gone?"

Hearing this, Tushan Jinci shuddered, quickly scrambling up from the ground to bow with a bitter expression, "I was wrong, Elder Sister Tushan Lingyi."

After saying this, he hurriedly bowed to Cen Yu and the others, "It was my rudeness; I ask for your forgiveness."

Seeing this scene, the three of them were stunned, their minds unable to process what was happening.

Didn't that Fire Fox show less respect to the Nine-Tailed Sky Fox earlier? Who is this Seven-Tailed Purple Fox?

Just then, the woman gave a slight nod to the three of them. "Please excuse the earlier display. A pleasure to meet you, my name is Tushan Lingyi, the Ceremonial Officer of the Tushan clan."

"The King has already given instructions; I will be responsible for all matters regarding your stay in Tushan."

"Welcome to Tushan."