Chapter 290: Mu Yanli, I’ll Deal with Her Sooner or Later

The battle between Xia Ranyue and Xia Zhiyue ended with the Fox Saintess’s defeat—marked by a rather undignified expression.

But Xia Ranyue’s victory wasn’t exactly honorable.

She went first.

The atmosphere was still lukewarm then, and Xia Zhiyue, watching from the sidelines, was too flushed to focus—shocked by how seamlessly her little sister moved with He Ange.

In the first round, thanks to Xia Zhiyue’s aphrodisiac, He Ange performed exceptionally well. Xia Ranyue surrendered quickly, her tail wagging weakly.

At that moment, Xia Zhiyue felt smug—

“All that big talk, yet she crumpled so fast? Victory is mine.”

Then, it was Xia Zhiyue’s turn.

Initially, she excelled. This was a battle of pride—a chance to reclaim her dignity as the Fox Saintess. All those secret training sessions paid off. She outperformed her sister…

But then—

Xia Ranyue interfered.

Still panting, the crimson fox girl crawled to He Ange’s side, claiming she was “helping serve Master.”

But really?

She was whispering wicked things into his ear.

The more she whispered, the more energized He Ange became—and the more intense Xia Zhiyue’s trial grew.

Xia Zhiyue tried to stop her, but under the barrage, she couldn’t form words.

Her own humiliation only fueled Xia Ranyue’s mischief.

The more Xia Ranyue teased, the harder He Ange worked, the more debauched Xia Zhiyue looked—and shamefully, the more excited she grew.

An inescapable cycle.

Knowing she’d lose, Xia Zhiyue tried to bind Xia Ranyue with her tails.

But her sister fought back.

With a sharp smack, Xia Ranyue slapped her sister’s tail.

The sound was so crisp, so brutal, even He Ange winced.

Ah, sisters.

That one blow shattered Xia Zhiyue’s defenses.

Pride abandoned, she gave in to pleasure.

Though she lost the match, in the ensuing frenzy, she returned the favor—punishing her impudent little sister for that audacious slap.

In the end, Xia Ranyue claimed victory by the rules, but Xia Zhiyue refused to concede.

They’d settle this another day.

He Ange didn’t mind the sisters’ rivalry.

He’d only come to say goodbye to Xia Zhiyue.

Xia Ranyue had tagged along for farewells, but somehow, things escalated into a rematch.

(Though, if we’re being fair—Xia Zhiyue started it.)

That night, He Ange harvested a generous fee from both sisters—gaining a wealth of nine-tailed demonic energy.

The Nine-Tails bloodline truly lived up to its reputation as the ultimate cultivation vessel.

And with two at once?

Double the gains!

Now, the spiritual energy in He Ange’s dantian was overflowing. By his estimate, he could advance straight to the mid or late stages of the Void Refining Realm.

With a month of consolidation, he might even reach its peak.

As for the Void God Realm?

That… he wasn’t sure. Xia Zhiyue said it required ascending to the Upper World.

He hadn’t been there, so he couldn’t say.

But seeing demigods like Qin Shiyan and Yan Ruyu roaming freely in the lower realm made him suspect the Upper World wasn’t as mystical as rumored.

Perhaps it was just another dimension, while the “cultivation world” remained the true main stage.

Otherwise—why would so many celestial beings loiter in the “beginner’s village”?

—

### Morning After

When dawn broke, Xia Ranyue was still asleep, exhausted.

But Xia Zhiyue had risen from her cocoon of snow-white tails, wrapping her arms around He Ange’s neck from behind.

He was watching the sunrise.

She nestled close, draping her fluffy tails over him like a blanket.

Late autumn was fading.

Winter approached.

The cultivation world’s climate was stark—permanent winter in the north, eternal summer in the south.

The Fox Clan’s winter was brief but biting.

Strangely… wherever He Ange went, winter followed.

He’d left the frozen north in snow, arrived in the southern Fox Realm during autumn, fought a war, and now—winter was back.

But bundled in nine-tailed fox fur?

Blissfully warm.

He almost wished An Luo Yi could try it—her body ran cold in winter unless heated by the Phoenix Mark.

“Ange…”

Xia Zhiyue rested her chin on his shoulder, her voice soft.

“Take care of Ranyue for me.”

After all, He Ange had come to the Fox Realm only for Xia Ranyue.

They were half-sisters—sharing a mother but different fathers.

Their mother, the previous Nine-Tails Saintess, had… complicated tastes.

For the sacred fox lineage, it was shameful.

Xia Zhiyue was nearly a century older than Xia Ranyue—proof of their mother’s… ongoing indiscretions.

Yet despite her flaws, their mother had loved them fiercely.

So Xia Zhiyue couldn’t hate her.

She blamed men instead.

Gradually, she developed a deep aversion to males—viewing them as invasive, disgusting, happiness-wrecking creatures.

Meeting He Ange changed that.

Xia Ranyue’s journey mirrored hers.

The more immoral their mother was, the more fiercely the sisters guarded their virtue.

They’d witnessed their mother’s disgrace firsthand.

They’d heard the world’s scorn.

The Nine-Tails Saintess—doing such vile things!

This wasn’t mere self-respect, like An Luo Yi’s.

This was trauma.

A vow.

Never become Mother.

To Xia Zhiyue, her father was a mystery.

Her beloved mother was gone.

Xia Ranyue was all she had left.

She’d resented her once—seeing her as a “bastard child.”

But eventually, she realized—she was one too.

Just luckier, with a father potent enough to impregnate their mother.

So she embraced Xia Ranyue as her blood sister.

She warned her about men’s vileness.

But she only half-succeeded.

Xia Ranyue didn’t become promiscuous—

She became obsessively devoted to one man.

And it worked.

But Xia Zhiyue didn’t credit her own teachings.

Xia Ranyue just got lucky—finding a once-in-a-millennium man like He Ange and seizing the chance.

Now that Xia Zhiyue was ascending, she had to entrust her sister’s future to him.

“What? Worried I’ll bully her?”

He Ange stroked her tail, smiling at the horizon.

“I’m too jealous to bully her…”

Xia Zhiyue laughed softly, her usual icy elegance returning.

She pressed her lips to his ear—

“Master~”

Her voice was honeyed silk.

“Your servant will be waiting for you… in the Upper World.”

He shivered, tickled by her breath.

“Let’s hope you haven’t had your organs harvested by Mu Yanli when I get there.”

“Impossible!”

Her eyes flashed viciously.

“If that white-haired witch dares cross me, I’ll turn her head into a lantern!”

“Uh…”

He Ange blinked. For a second, he’d mistaken her for He Yan.

Thinking of the blood-soaked, grudge-holding witch, he sighed.

“Let it go. That’s terrifying.”

“I’ll handle Mu Yanli myself.”

“Next time I ascend…”

“I’ll drag her to you on her knees.”

—

### Southern Border — Tavern

“Achoo!”

In a dusty border town tavern, a black-cloaked girl sneezed violently.

Rubbing her nose, she raised her wine cup. Under her hood, blood-red eyes shone like twin moons.

“Gentlemen…”

“The next act begins.”

—

Author’s Note:
Mu Yanli enters the stage~