"I didn't expect the Sand Fox Clan to be so ignorant," Tu Shan Honghong declared coldly. "I, Tu Shan Honghong, did not come here for war. But if you force my hand, there will be no need for the Sand Fox Clan to exist."
Her enormous celestial fox tails floated in the air—five on each side—looming over Sand City like the wings of a demon god.
The oppressive force from her demon aura threatened to crush the entire city; violent winds howled across the desert as the crimson miasma of Tu Shan's power churned the air.
The heat was overwhelming, scorching the sand beneath their feet.
Inside Sand City, the foxes cowered and squeaked in terror.
The Sand Fox Czar, usually diplomatic, now stood tall and shouted, "Tu Shan Honghong! You've abandoned the way of love and affection. We don't oppose your path, but what about those who depended on the Giant Tree of Suffering, only to lose their chance at destiny?
My own son lost his memories and demonic power because of that spell. You destroyed the tree—how do you expect my son to survive as nothing more than a dog?"
He had waited so long for his son's "fated love" to end so the boy could inherit the throne. But after seeking to fulfill the spell beneath the giant tree, his son had been reduced to a native dog—mindless and ordinary.
Tu Shan Honghong's gaze remained frosty. "In the grand scheme of fate, the loss of a single child's romance is nothing. So… you may be silent now."
With a sweep of her massive claw, the sky fox sent the czar flying. He didn't even have time to activate his sand-form defense.
Her turquoise eyes swept over the sand foxes, and all of them immediately fell to their knees, quivering.
One of the elders, seeing how hopeless resistance was, was first to surrender.
It wasn't his child who suffered, after all. If joining meant survival—and perhaps new strength—then so be it. The rest looked to the czar for a decision, but if he hesitated, they'd act first.
The Sand Fox Clan, for all their pride, wasn't nearly as united as the Tushan Clan.
Faced with absolute power, they behaved like sheep.
Tu Shan Honghong's voice was like thunder. "Within half a month, all Sand Foxes must gather at Tushan. Any who do not will be punished severely!"
"Yes!!!"
"We obey the orders of the Demon League Lord!!"
Countless sand foxes kowtowed, their attitudes abject and obedient.
When the celestial fox finally soared away, the Sand Fox Clan breathed a collective sigh of relief. They muttered among themselves:
"The czar shouldn't come back anyway. He's old news, a relic."
"Right, who needs him now? He's always been useless."
The speaker was the queen among the sand foxes—a towering figure, robust as an ox, her nostrils large enough to hold green onions.
"Queen, is that really okay?"
"My old lady's been sick of that old fool for years. It's settled."
And so, the Sand Fox Clan had no king—only a queen.
As for Fan Yunfei, now just a native dog, she was cradled lovingly by a maid.
In the desert…
Tu Shan Honghong was preparing to turn north when a dark green figure flew up from the dunes, blocking her path.
"Jade Spirit?"
"Tushan Demon King… how did you become like this?"
Jade Spirit had visited Tushan many times over the years, trading favors and medicines. Their relationship wasn't deep, but they were more than strangers.
In the past, Tu Shan Honghong always seemed melancholy, her strength tempered with softness. Now, the ten-tailed celestial fox before her radiated awe-inspiring might, golden light streaming from her form—more immortal than demon.
As a healer, Jade Spirit was especially attuned to changes in aura and life force.
She could sense this transformation was more than just growing another tail.
"This is what it means to be bathed in divine grace," Tu Shan Honghong replied. "Tell me, Jade Spirit, will your Leech Clan join our faith?"
Jade Spirit found the new Honghong both amusing and intimidating—a missionary, but one who could level cities.
"What faith?"
"The Eternal God Cult. Here, a token for you—I expect you'll come find me at Tushan soon."
A thin booklet on Eternal Meditation dropped into Jade Spirit's arms as Honghong flicked her fingers.
The next moment, a hurricane swept the sky—Tu Shan Honghong was already gone, vanishing at a speed Jade Spirit couldn't match.
If Honghong wanted to kill her, it would take only a single strike.
"A terrifying new Demon King…" Jade Spirit whispered. The dark green hem of her dress fluttered in the wind. She looked at the slim booklet in her hand, smiling bitterly.
The world is about to change. I only hope this demon king chooses mercy.
Major changes in two great demon clans couldn't escape the notice of the Yiqi Dao League and the watchful eyes of humanity.
Careful investigation revealed a chilling truth:
The current leader of the Demon League, Tu Shan Honghong, had achieved ten tails—a level of power unprecedented in living memory.
She seemed to be planning a grand ritual, inviting the other three great demon clans to Tushan.
Beyond that, the Dao League knew little.
Only that, on that fateful day, Tu Shan Honghong had descended in person on each demon clan, displaying divine, overwhelming power.
"We can't let Tu Shan Honghong continue unchecked. The old balance was possible only because the demon clans were divided," an elder said grimly.
"But now, if the Demon King unites the four great clans, and they ever turn against humanity, we'll be defenceless. We must act now."
"Should we block the other demon clans?"
"No. We must go to Tushan ourselves—summon every other Eastern Spirit clan, and all must converge there."
"Yes!"
"Our royal family will use every resource we have!"
At the home of the Yiqi Dao League's leader, the royal family led the way; the other families followed.
That very day, countless orders were sent out.
In secret, forces of the Dao League marched for Tushan, taking great care to avoid alerting their foes or sparking panic.
It wasn't until they arrived that they saw the new face of Tushan.
Gone were the foxes that once scampered all over the mountains.
Now, everywhere they looked, there were only "humans."
That's right: the fox demons had all become human.
Transcendent, beautiful, powerful—every one extraordinary.
A Dao League scout raced to report this:
"What? The entire Tushan Clan has taken human form? Are you sure?"
"Yes, leader. All around Tushan are humanoid fox demons, and every one of them radiates power."
"How is this possible?"
If Tu Shan Honghong was gathering demons for some secret purpose, this wasn't it.
No—this was more than just a gathering. It was a miracle.
Could these new humans be a threat?
The Dao League's inner council erupted in debate.
Some argued it was good news—Tu Shan Honghong was renowned for her compassion. If she unified the monster clans, chaos would decrease, negotiations would be easier, and the monsters could be kept in check.
But others saw a catastrophe.
If Tu Shan Honghong truly aimed for world domination, nothing could stop her.
And the power to turn monsters into humans—this could strengthen the entire demon race, forever altering the world's balance.
It was well known that monsters lived long lives, but required centuries to advance.
The hardest threshold was to assume human form.
Now, that bottleneck was gone. The implications were terrifying.
The King of Hegemony stood up: "Let's capture a fox and find out the truth!"
His friends agreed, but the king's father shook his head.
"Do you understand what you're suggesting? If you anger the ten-tailed celestial fox, you'll bring disaster on us all."
"We can investigate—but not act rashly."
The Vulcan Family patriarch interrupted. "We must be cautious. The entire world hangs in the balance."
Just as the council fell silent, a panicked shout came from outside:
"Report—a fox demon has broken in! We can't stop her!"
Everyone jumped up, stunned.
The council had laid countless wards, but somehow, a fox demon had slipped through them all.
Moments later, a graceful figure in a red dress stepped through the entrance—Tu Shan Yaya, followed by a chorus of childish, echoing voices.
A chill spread out from her, frosting the ground; every barrier shattered instantly.
Dongfang Huaizhu, watching from a shadowed corner, frowned. Such a small fox demon, but such terrifying power…
One after another, the leaders of the Yiqi Dao League and their heirs assembled before her.
She was small, but her presence was overwhelming—her composure that of a demon king, her playful yet cold gaze sending a chill down the spines of everyone present.
This fox demon is dangerous… was the unspoken thought in every mind.
Tu Shan Yaya couldn't help but laugh inside.
The bald guy's advice from the chat group was really useful—the more you act like a boss, the more people are scared of you. You have to put on a show!
Her sister always said she lacked presence—well, wasn't this a show of courage?
She'd cowed all these humans with her arrival!
Humph! If there's a new Demon King, it's going to be me—Tu Shan Yaya!
Someone finally asked, "May we know who you are?"
Yaya straightened her back and announced:
"I am the Chief Priest of the Eternal Cult, and my rank is even higher than my sister's—Tu Shan Yaya!"