"S-Senior, you are..." The older Moon-Patterned Fox stammered as she looked at Yue Tong.
Yue Tong's face was grim. "What of your moonlight power? Why do you not use it?"
The Moon-Patterned Foxes looked at each other in confusion.
Finally, one woman dared to ask, "M-moonlight power? Senior, are you talking about the moonlight that descends when we dance? That light only adds a bit of flair to our performance. For combat, its power is extremely limited. Only someone with your level of cultivation could manage to draw out even a sliver of its might."
It was of no use?
Yue Tong's face darkened. She stepped forward, seized the woman by the wrist, and a powerful energy instantly circulated through the woman's body.
The surrounding Moon-Patterned Foxes were tense but managed to keep their composure.
After all.
This powerful individual was one of their own.
Racial identity was of utmost importance to demons; it was extremely rare for a clan to turn on its own members.
After a full inspection, Yue Tong released her hand, her expression growing even fouler. "Why haven't you awakened your moon pattern?"
Without an awakened moon pattern, one could not actively store moonlight.
Although a faint trace of moonlight power existed within her body, how could its effect possibly compare to that of active absorption? Such a meager amount of power was indeed useless.
"Moon pattern?" The woman looked bewildered.
Yue Tong quickly grabbed the next person's hand.
By the time she had checked everyone in the circle, her face was as black as ink.
Not a single one of these Moon-Patterned Foxes had awakened their moon pattern!
No wonder!
No wonder their combat strength was so weak!
No wonder!
No wonder the Green-Eyed Fox clan dared to enslave them so wantonly.
In the world of demons, the law of the jungle was an eternal truth.
A Moon-Patterned Fox who had not awakened their moon pattern was even weaker in combat than an ordinary high-grade demon.
And yet, they possessed the bloodline of a super-grade demon clan.
Under such circumstances, they could only be lambs for the slaughter!
The older Moon-Patterned Fox suddenly recalled something. She looked at Yue Tong, her voice trembling slightly. "According to legend... our Moon-Patterned Fox clan was once gloriously powerful. With the power of moonlight, we held a prestigious name even among super-grade demons. But as time passed, the method for awakening the moon pattern was completely lost. From then on, the Moon-Patterned Fox clan lost its moonlight power and was reduced to... slaves for others' viewing pleasure."
The younger Moon-Patterned Foxes listened, entranced.
They had never heard their elders speak of such history; they had always assumed they were born the weakest of the super-grade demon clans.
So, they had once been incredibly powerful?
"Senior, you... Could you be..." The older Moon-Patterned Fox looked at Yue Tong, her gaze trembling, her eyes filled with a certain hope.
But she dared not hope too much, afraid she would not be able to bear the disappointment if her expectations were dashed.
Faced with a sea of expectant gazes, Yue Tong could not help but sigh.
She composed herself and said slowly, "Our Moon-Patterned Fox clan will not be weaker than any super-grade demon! Now that I have returned, I shall protect our people."
The eyes of all the Moon-Patterned Foxes lit up.
They did not know the true extent of this senior's power, but she had killed a Void Refinement stage Green-Eyed Fox in a single blow. Such an ability was countless times stronger than theirs.
"Does that mean... we don't have to dance at night?" a Moon-Patterned Fox asked bravely.
A thoughtful look appeared on Yue Tong's face. "Why do they insist on making you dance?"
Honestly.
Now that they were all on the path of cultivation, they shouldn't have such an interest in pastimes like dancing and singing.
But from the sound of it, the Moon-Patterned Foxes were being constantly forced to dance.
The older Moon-Patterned Fox gave a bitter smile and said slowly, "Senior, you may not know, but we have been subordinate to many clans, always tossed around like a ball. About a hundred years ago, the Green-Eyed Fox clan took us in. At first, everyone was very grateful to them. But after we arrived, the leader of the Green-Eyed Foxes began to demand that we rehearse a strange dance. Afterward, she would have us perform it for her every so often."
"Originally, we performed for her once a month. Although our daily rehearsals were quite tiring, we could still manage."
"But recently, something has come over that leader, Bi Ran. She now demands that we dance in the center of Moon Lake every single day. The intensity of our rehearsals has also increased drastically. If we make the slightest mistake during the dance, we are whipped and berated endlessly afterward."
"Please look, Senior. These scars on my body are from their whips."
She tremblingly rolled up her sleeve, revealing the mass of scars beneath.
Yue Tong's pupils constricted, a bone-chilling coldness flashing in her eyes. She steadied herself. "Just dancing? She hasn't made you do anything else?"
"No. Just dancing. But that dance... it's very strange. Every time we finish, none of us feel very well," a Moon-Patterned Fox said.
Yue Tong said slowly, "Now, perform this dance for me."
Yue Tong had a feeling that there was something more to this.
The Moon-Patterned Foxes hastily agreed.
They arranged themselves in their specific formation, then began to dance gracefully.
Li Shuang also watched with rapt attention.
It was not nighttime, and the sun's brilliance overshadowed the light of the moon, preventing it from manifesting.
Their dance did not manage to draw forth the lunar radiance.
But...
After watching for a moment, Li Shuang's expression suddenly changed.
This dance!
Li Shuang glanced quickly at Yue Tong. "Senior, this is..."
Yue Tong's face was so cold it looked like it might drip ice. "You've noticed too! They are performing the Dance of Forsaking the Divine!"
What she had taught Li Shuang was the Ritual Dance, used to communicate with the Moon and receive its protection.
But these Moon-Patterned Foxes were dancing a reverse of the Ritual Dance. This was the Dance of Forsaking the Divine.
The meaning of this dance was for them to actively renounce the Moon's protection, to renounce their status as its believers!
The reverse of the Ritual Dance was bizarre and incredibly difficult to perform. The Moon-Patterned Foxes struggled with it, frequently making mistakes even after countless training sessions.
It was not their fault.
It was an innate rejection of the dance, originating from the very core of the Moon-Patterned Fox clan!
The Moon was infinitely tolerant. It could forgive its believers' willfulness once or twice.
But what if...
They continued to perform the Dance of Forsaking the Divine under the moonlight?
The Moon-Patterned Fox clan would likely be truly abandoned by the Moon!
"That's enough! Stop," Yue Tong said sharply.
The Moon-Patterned Foxes stopped, somewhat dazed.
Yue Tong said coldly, "From now on, you are forbidden from performing this dance ever again!"
The older Moon-Patterned Fox wore a bitter expression. "Senior, this dance is incredibly strange. We've practiced for so long, yet we still make frequent mistakes. We... we don't want to dance it either. But if we don't, Clan Leader Bi Ran will not spare us."
The Green-Eyed Fox clan was currently a very powerful super-grade clan.
Aside from the three transcendent clans led by the three Supremes, the Green-Eyed Fox clan was ranked in the top three.
They were in no position to resist such strength.