Bai Shuo felt her breath slow down.
The world below was cloaked in mist, the mountains vanishing like ink in water. And above the swirling clouds, suspended between heaven and earth, rose Qingyu Palace—vast, unyielding, and breathtakingly beautiful.
Even in the Human realm, such magnificence was rare.
The walls of the palace were pale greenstone veined with gold, etched with runes that pulsed faintly.
The gate of the Palace stood tall and imposing. Between them hung the Qingyu Gate Plaque, a single slab of green jade engraved with three characters that radiated quiet authority.
Bai Shuo stepped down the Palanquin in Tushan Xin's arms .
"It's beautiful." The fox girl whispered, instinctively lowering her voice.
Bai Shuo nodded.
The palace was vast, stretching beyond the limits of mortal sight.
"Shuo'er, the man in red leading the main group is Prince Shao."
Tushan Xin said to Bai Shuo.
My fiance?
Bai Shuo's eyes flicked behind and saw a party of men and women coming towards them.
The young man leading the group wore an elegant red flowing robe. Moon sigils were embroidered on the cuffs of the robe with Golden Silk threads.A red band was tied on his forehead.
He was handsome,not the masculine type but rather effeminate. He had a dignified aura and a stern face.
When the group stopped in front of them, the four fox ladies bowed in greeting.
"Your Highness."
He waved his hand and they straightened.
Bai Shuo raised an eyebrow at the group behind him. Ten male and four female. All breathtaking in their own way.
Sigh,seems like I'm right afterall.
The original owner was clearly not respected in her clan. The young clan members didn't even bother to greet her including those from her faction–The White Foxes.
She could feel the disdain and disregard.
They didn't pay attention to her but rather the awe-inspiring and intimidating palace ahead.
She couldn't discern between the White Foxes and Red Foxes though.
I thought maybe they would look different or wear different robes–like red and white.
"Shu.. cough Princess, I trust you have been well since we last met?"
Bai Shuo turned to the Prince curiously.
"We met?"
The Prince coughed and continued in a solemn voice. "Oh you were still sleeping when we came so we didn't meet exactly, I met you."
"Oh..,then you should know I lost my memory?"
"I heard. Rest assured,I will make sure to help you recover it back"
Bai Shuo felt her eyes twitching. There was something weird about this Prince that she couldn't put a finger on.
She swerved her head towards Tushan Hui and caught the fleeting fascination in her eyes. And then looked at the dignified and solemn Prince who haven't glanced at the fox girl at all.
Either he's good at pretending or it's entirely Tushan Hui's one sided love.
"Okay let's move in."
A low mellow voice rang out and Bai Shuo's attention snapped towards the only middle-aged man in the group.
Rather than the eye-catching Prince, the first person she noticed was the middle-aged man.
A Dao and Law Realm expert.
Although his aura was very restrained, it still couldn't escape her senses. The man looked like an elder of the Fox Clan.
Seems like Tushan Shuo's position in the clan is worse than I imagined, even the elder didn't acknowledge me.
Frankly speaking, when she heard the two factions of the Fox Clan,she had expected some tension and hostility between them. However they looked strangely harmonious.
Or maybe she talked too soon.
As soon as the elder stepped inside the Qingyu palace,the so-harmonious group separated instantly.
"Tch..I can't believe I have to put up with this stinky red foxes throughout the ride."
Bai Shuo doesn't need any more information to differentiate the White Foxes faction as a group of five young foxes separated from them and joined their own group.
"Stinky?" A Red Fox lady exploded pulling up her sleeves " It seems like the beating last time was not enough."
The White Fox member replied indignantly "Hmph,you are just bullying me with your higher cultivation."
The lady sneered "Hee,a weakling is still a weakling."
"You.. Hah why don't you fight Brother Guo." The White Fox immediately said looking at the tall young man beside him in admiration.
The so-called Brother Guo replied arrogantly. "She's not worthy yet."
He looked at the indifferent young man standing opposite him with blazing eyes.
"Tushan Jiao,Iet's compete again during the Qingyu Competition."
The young man named Tushan Jiao curled his lips lazily. "A defeated partner is not worthy of my attention."
Brother Guo flushed red "You…"
"Pfft… " The Red Fox lady from earlier bursted into laughter.
The blabber mouth White Fox angrily refuted "Hmph, what's so good about you? You were still defeated by my Sister Fei."
Tushan Jiao's gaze darkened. The aura of a Soul Transformation expert surged.
The Nascent Soul White Fox immediately become cowardly. He hid behind another Soul Transformation expert in the White Fox group–Not his Brother Guo.
The Soul Transformation White Fox member had been watching the show with a smirk on his face.
He blinked and stepped aside gently, exposing the cowardly white fox to bear the brunt of the aura.
The white fox froze,speechless.
"What do you think you are doing?" Tushan Fei intervened coldly easily dispersing the aura.
Tushan Jiao narrowed his eyes at her, his fists clenched tight beside him.
The ever gentle Tushan Lin sighed."Have you guys forgotten the command from the Matriarchs? "No infighting."
"Who started it first?" Someone murmured from the Red Fox faction.
"Hee.. Tushan Lin.. Don't be hypocritical,it's really disgusting. Do you think we Red Foxes are scared of you." A Soul Transformation fox replied fiercely.
The two groups stared at each other, practically spewing fire from their eyes.
Bai Shuo could even feel the agitated emotions from Tushan Xin.
Interesting.
Bai Shuo was really surprised. Instead of the hostility, like she imagined,it was more like rivalry between the two factions.
Both faction had almost the same of number participant for the competition– The White Foxes had four females and five male candidates while the Red Foxes had five female foxes and five male candidates.
Each faction had two male and two female Soul Transformation experts.
Aside from Tushan Xin's cultivation of peak Golden Core and her measly cultivation of Foundation Establishment,the rest were Nascent Soul experts.
And her fiance?
He had excluded himself from his group since who knows when and that expression on his face?
He looked like he was watching a show.
What dignified aura?. Tch…
A cold voice cut through the atmosphere like steel.
"It seems like you didn't take my warning seriously?"
The Foxes were startled.
They turned to see their elder standing in front of the gate with an icy expression.
No one knew how long he'd been there.
"Have you forgotten your priorities? How dare you squabble over nonsensical things?"
"And You?" He turned to the Prince who straightened up perceptibly. " Is this the demeanor of a Prince?"