Strangely enough, the moment Ye Qiu stood before the golden coffin, all pressure vanished completely.
He could no longer sense even the slightest trace of aura from the coffin itself.
It lay there silently, perfectly still.
“Have I… passed its test?”
Confusion flickered in Ye Qiu’s eyes.
He carefully studied the golden coffin.
Nine meters long, three meters wide, forged entirely of pure gold—simple, ancient, and majestic.
There were no inscriptions, no patterns. Had he not witnessed its terrifying power with his own eyes, he would have mistaken it for an ordinary golden burial casket.
“Little fox, what do I have to do to gain its acknowledgement?” Ye Qiu asked.
“I am not a little fox! I am a Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox!” Little White Fox snapped fiercely. “Ye Changsheng, you are forbidden from calling me little fox ever again!”
Ye Qiu smirked. “A Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox is still a fox. It’s just a name—why do you care so much?”
Little White Fox huffed. “Anyway, I’m not a little fox. I have a proper name. My surname is Bai.”
“Bai?” A name suddenly popped into Ye Qiu’s mind. “Don’t tell me your real name is Bai Jie?”
“Who’s Bai Jie?!” Little White Fox sputtered. “I’m not—”
“Tell me how to gain its acknowledgement,” Ye Qiu cut her off again.
Right now, nothing mattered more than claiming this coffin.
“You want to know?” Little White Fox said smugly. “Beg me.”
Bonk!
Ye Qiu flicked her forehead with a knuckle.
“Ye Changsheng, you hit me again!” Little White Fox glared, eyes brimming with tears.
“Stop wasting time. Speak.”
Little White Fox pouted. “I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Ye Qiu narrowed his eyes. “You used your essence blood to summon this coffin. You must know how to earn its recognition.”
“Tell me.”
“I’ll buy you lollipops later.”
“I’m not a three-year-old! I don’t like candy!”
“Are you telling me or not?” Ye Qiu raised his hand again. “If you don’t, I’ll spank you.”
“Ye Changsheng, you bully!” Little White Fox fumed.
“Speak!”
“Hmph, I won’t—”
Bonk!
Another solid knock on the head. Little White Fox grimaced in pain.
“Will you talk?”
“No! Never!”
“Fine. Don’t regret it.” Ye Qiu’s palm landed squarely on her fluffy rear with a loud smack.
“AH—” Little White Fox let out a piercing yelp, tears instantly streaming down her face.
Ye Qiu’s heart softened. “Sorry, I didn’t actually want to bully you…”
Before he finished, Little White Fox suddenly whispered, “Ye Changsheng… could you do it a little harder next time?”
…What?
Her voice carried a pleading note. Ye Qiu looked down and saw tears in her eyes, yet they shimmered with unmistakable longing.
Holy hell—is this fox a masochist?!
Little White Fox noticed he had frozen and urged, “Come on, hit me! Please!”
“If you want the golden coffin’s acknowledgement, just hit me one more time and I’ll tell you!”
Ye Qiu was dumbfounded. In all his years, this was the first time someone had begged to be struck.
Way too kinky.
“Fine.” Ye Qiu raised his hand.
“Wait!” Little White Fox suddenly stopped him.
“Scared of the pain now?” Ye Qiu teased. “Didn’t you ask for it? Relax, I’ll be gentle—”
“That’s not it!” Little White Fox wriggled, presenting her rear more prominently. “I mean—when you hit me, could you go harder? Really put your strength into it? Be ruthless?”
…?!
Ye Qiu thought he’d misheard.
“Quit stalling.” Little White Fox adjusted herself in his arms, raising her tail high. “Don’t forget—hard!”
Smack!
Ye Qiu brought his palm down with full force.
“OH… YES!” Little White Fox let out a euphoric cry, face flushed with satisfaction, eyes practically glowing with seduction.
Ye Qiu inwardly cursed—this damn fox was a total masochist.
“Alright, I did what you asked. Now talk.”
Only then did Little White Fox, still panting slightly, explain, “Before coming to Undying Mountain, I studied the ancient demon race records. They mentioned the supreme opportunity.”
“According to the records, there is only one way to gain the golden coffin’s acknowledgement—”
Ye Qiu pricked up his ears.
Little White Fox suddenly turned coy again. “Ye Changsheng… could you hit me one more time?”
Smack!
“OH, PERFECT!” Little White Fox moaned blissfully, then continued, “Actually, it’s just two words: fate.”
“Fate?” Ye Qiu was stunned. Something as vague as fate? He didn’t quite buy it. “You’re lying.”
“Believe me or don’t,” Little White Fox huffed. “I’m telling the truth.”
Ye Qiu frowned.
Little White Fox added, “If you don’t know what to do, just try everything you can think of. What if one works?”
That was exactly Ye Qiu’s plan. He reached out, about to touch the coffin lid.
Suddenly—an icy killing intent descended from above.
Ye Qiu dodged instantly. Looking up, he saw a disheveled, ragged figure who looked exactly like a beggar.
“Who are you?” Ye Qiu asked, puzzled. He had no memory of offending this person.
“What, you forgot me already?” The man pushed the matted hair from his face.
Wu You!
“Well, well—if it isn’t the eldest young master of Beast Emperor Sect. How’d you end up looking like this?” Ye Qiu laughed.
“Enough talk. Pay with your life for my brother!” Wu You roared and attacked.
Yun Xi flashed forward, blocking his path.
“Changsheng, leave him to me. Do what you need to do.”
Sword light flared as she engaged Wu You in fierce combat.
Ye Qiu glanced over; the two were evenly matched. Victory wouldn’t come quickly.
His gaze returned to the golden coffin. He extended his right hand and gently touched the lid.
“Maybe… drip some blood?”
The thought had barely formed when—
Swish!
A cold glint sliced through the air toward the top of his head.
A flying dagger.
Ye Qiu instantly recognized the attacker—Yao Meng of Chaos Holy Land.
“This woman still dares to show her face? Courting death.”
He knew Yao Meng’s strength well. Without hesitation, he threw a punch straight at the incoming dagger.
