Celestial Fox Core

On the cold jade bed, Jade Faced Fox sat slumped, his face as pale as paper, fine beads of cold sweat seeping from his brow. His fingers gripped the bedframe so tightly that his knuckles turned white, yet a heart-chilling madness burned in his eyes.

"Mother..." His voice was hoarse, as though squeezed out from the depths of hell. "My martial arts... have been crippled..." He lowered his head and stared between his legs—where a man's symbol had once been, there was now only emptiness. "And... my..."

Desire Zenith Sovereign stood beside the bed, and the sight of her son like this tore her heart to pieces. Her nails dug deeply into her palms, blood dripping through her fingers, yet she did not notice. Beside her, Illusion Zenith Sovereign's severed-arm wound had been bandaged, but dark red blood still seeped through the gauze. Clearly, his internal injuries had yet to heal.

"Li Er, don't be afraid." Desire Zenith Sovereign's voice was cold as ice, yet carried an almost crazed resolve. "Mother has a way to restore your cultivation, even... make you stronger than before! Strong enough to make Li Chen Zhou—wish he were dead!"

Jade Faced Fox suddenly raised his head, a flicker of hope flashing through his eyes. "Mother... what way?"

"The Celestial Fox Core."

Illusion Zenith Sovereign frowned deeply at those words. "Desire, while the Celestial Fox Core can awaken the Celestial Fox bloodline, Li Er's meridians have now been utterly destroyed. If he forcibly refines it, I'm afraid..."

"Father! I'm not afraid!" Jade Faced Fox suddenly howled, his eyes bloodshot. "As long as I can regain my strength, as long as I can take revenge... even if my soul scatters and I perish, I'll gamble everything on this!"

Desire Zenith Sovereign looked deeply at her son, then turned and walked toward the depths of the secret chamber. A moment later, she returned carrying a golden pellet the size of a fist. Its body was crystalline like jade, but threads of blood-red patterns wound across its surface, pulsing faintly as though alive and giving off a sinister aura that made one's heart tremble.

"This is the supreme treasure of the Celestial Fox clan. Your father and I paid every price imaginable to obtain it back then." She spoke in a deep voice. "Originally, we needed to gather twenty-eight women with pure yin constitutions and use their essence and blood to nurture the core, then let you slowly refine it. But now..." A vicious glint flashed through her eyes. "Swallow it directly, and you will be reborn from the marrow and bones!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Jade Faced Fox snatched the core and threw back his head to swallow it!

Boom—!

In an instant, his entire body shook violently. Countless tiny blood serpents seemed to slither beneath his skin, while his bones let out teeth-gritting cracks. He curled into a ball, releasing a heart-rending howl!

A trace of pain flashed through Desire Zenith Sovereign's eyes, but it was swiftly replaced by ruthlessness. "Hold on! As long as you endure it, Li Chen Zhou... will undoubtedly die!"

Suddenly, mist surged around Jade Faced Fox, gradually condensing into the phantom of a gigantic white fox. A fluffy fox tail slowly emerged behind him, and demonic energy soared into the heavens!

Illusion Zenith Sovereign and Desire Zenith Sovereign stared at the scene in shock. "He succeeded?!"

A moment later, the phantom dispersed, and the mist drew back in, merging into Jade Faced Fox's body. His gaze gradually regained clarity, but a trace of eerie silver light now gleamed deep within his pupils.

"Li Er, how do you feel?" Desire Zenith Sovereign asked urgently.

Jade Faced Fox lowered his head and looked at his palm, slowly clenching it into a fist. His joints exploded with crisp cracks. A sinister smile curved across his lips. "The Celestial Fox Core's energy is too immense. I've only absorbed one-tenth of it so far, and I've already..." He suddenly raised his head, silver light blazing in his eyes. "Stepped into the fifth rank!"

"And..." He stood up, the injuries on his body healing at a visible rate. "My wounds are completely healed."

Illusion Zenith Sovereign was overjoyed. "Excellent! But the Celestial Fox Core is of great importance. You must keep a low profile for now, lest you invite unnecessary trouble."

Jade Faced Fox gave a cold laugh. "I understand." He slowly raised his hand, gathering a wisp of eerie silver flame in his palm. "Li Chen Zhou... I will make sure you die without a burial ground!"

Nangong Manor, secret chamber.

Candlelight flickered, casting two elongated shadows against the wall. A black-clad figure wearing a bronze mask knelt on one knee and asked in a low voice, "Holy Maiden, why did the court suddenly release Illusion Zenith Sovereign?"

Nangong Yue reclined lazily on a cushioned couch, idly playing with a jade thumb ring. At the question, she gave a soft laugh. "It's simple. The Palace Lord offered benefits that moved His Majesty."

"But if you wished it, Illusion Zenith Sovereign would surely die." The masked man did not understand. "With your status, all you need do is speak to the Chancellor. Even His Majesty would not reject the Nangong family's face for the sake of Heavenly Desire Palace."

Nangong Yue's eyes shifted slightly as she answered blandly, "Because that serves neither the nation's interests nor mine." She rose and walked to the window, gazing at the Capital City beneath the night sky. "Heavenly Desire Palace is, in the end, merely a blade. When that blade can bring sufficient profit, why rush to break it?"

The masked man fell silent for a moment before asking again, "Then should the disaster-relief silver plan... continue? After all, Heavenly Desire Palace has just suffered such an incident."

"Of course it will continue." Nangong Yue's tone was calm, but an unquestionable chill ran through it. "In this plan, Heavenly Desire Palace is merely a tool. So long as the plan succeeds, if one tool breaks, simply replace it with another."

She suddenly turned around and asked, "Then... what about Li Chen Zhou?"

"Reporting to the Holy Maiden, everything has been arranged." The masked man cupped his hands. "Tomorrow, he will receive a 'great gift.'"

The corners of Nangong Yue's lips lifted slightly, amusement flashing through her eyes. "Very good. Tomorrow, it will be his turn to choke on his frustration."

Li Chen Zhou sat cross-legged in a quiet chamber, a glittering golden pill resting in his palm—the Greater Revitalization Pill!

This was a supreme treasure he had secretly kept when Prince Rong's estate was raided. A single pill could grant ten years of cultivation!

Gulp!

He swallowed it in one bite. The instant the pill entered his stomach, it transformed into a surging torrent of heat, washing through his limbs and bones like magma! His meridians seemed to burn under blazing fire, yet grew increasingly resilient beneath the nourishment of the medicinal power.

Boom—!

True energy roiled within him. Li Chen Zhou abruptly opened his eyes, sharp light flashing brilliantly from them!

"Ten years of cultivation... added to the previous thirty years, my cultivation is now just on the verge of breaking through the fifth rank!"

He slowly clenched his fist, and the air itself burst with a thunderous crack!

Host: Li Chen Zhou

Martial arts realm:

Sixth-rank peak (113/120)

Cultivation techniques:

Thirteen Guardians' Horizontal Training Golden Bell Shield (mastered)

Three Abyssal Slashes (mastered)

Thousand Faces (mastered)

Soaring Illusionary Steps (mastered)

Hell Soul Exchange Scripture (mastered)

Soul Absorption Art (mastered)

God-tier attribute unlock level: ten percent.

Internal cultivation: 113 years (calculated based on an ordinary person cultivating a basic technique for one year)

Lifespan: 32 years

Weapon: Blood Demon Blade

Li Chen Zhou slowly rose to his feet, feeling the surging power within his body. A cold glint flashed through his eyes. "Heavenly Desire Palace... Nangong Yue... tomorrow, I want to see what tricks you can still pull!"