Free Web NovelChapter 17: Chapter 17—Clan Head Nie
Chapter 17—Clan Head Nie
’Eight more abilities.’
Lei Cheng frowned inwardly, rubbing his forehead. ’The first—Illusionary Switch—is already absurdly powerful. How terrifying must the remaining eight be?’
But before he could dwell further, a sudden brilliance from the middle throne pulled every eye in the cave—his included.
A bright golden light pulsed and swelled on the empty throne. Slowly, it began reshaping—thickening, curving, taking form. Within moments, it shattered outward like breaking glass, and from within it, an elegant adult male Fox Bizarre manifested with nine tails, clad in a white brocade robe—already seated on the throne, one leg crossed over the other, utterly composed. His every movement demanded attention.
Every fox in the cave lowered their head instantly. The four elders knelt.
"Clan Head Nie."
The Clan Head raised his palm and nodded. "Stand up. I am not an emperor."
For a brief moment, Lei Cheng felt as though the Clan Head’s eyes had lingered on him.
A ripple of grins spread through the cave—but the reverence behind them didn’t waver. The four elders rose.
One elder stepped forward, pointing toward Nie Han, and explained everything that had unfolded. The other three joined in, filling in every detail. When they finished, they turned toward the remaining contestants.
"Do you wish to fight?"
Nie Chen—who had trained the hardest of all—felt it the most. His fox lips twitched. "I don’t." The remaining contestant shook his head as well.
The elders nodded with quiet approval. "You must know your own limits before choosing to fight."
"You surely won’t lose your life needlessly this way."
"So what if you withdraw now—you can reclaim your dignity later."
The referee, noticing the elders turn toward him, announced loudly, "First—Nie Han. Second—Nie Hua..."
The Clan Head’s voice rang throughout the cave. "Good. Very good. It seems Nie Han will lead the clan in the future."
Nie Han’s smile widened. He dipped his head slightly. "You praise me too highly, Head." There was modesty in his tone—but the smug glint in his eye said everything he wasn’t saying aloud. He turned toward the four elders and asked softly, "Elders—may I choose my city first?"
Clan Head Nie laughed out loud. "Young people truly cannot wait."
He turned toward the still-unconscious Nie Hua and waved his palm. A wash of golden light swept over her body—every injury vanished instantly. She opened her eyes, blinking slowly, and looked around.
"What...?" She found Clan Head Nie sitting upright on the middle throne.
Clan Head Nie turned to the four elders and declared, "It is time to grant cities to the young generation according to plan. Bring the injured ones—heal them first."
The four elders turned and ordered several foxes nearby to retrieve Nie Fo and Nie Fan.
In the audience, murmuring swelled with excitement and envy.
"I am too unlucky—I haven’t pledged allegiance to any of them. I cannot join any city and taste humans." A nearby fox patted the speaker on the shoulder sympathetically. "Such a pity. But I swore allegiance to Nie Fan—even if he lost, he still receives... a city."
"Idiot. Don’t make me furious."
A few rows away, a small cluster of young nine-tailed foxes—barely two or three years old, tiny and wide-eyed—wore expressions caught between longing and frustration.
"I am too young. If only I had been born a little earlier—I could have had a city of my own."
There were four of them seated in a tight group—nine-tailed foxes as well, but disqualified from the tournament by the Clan Head on account of their age.
Clan Head Nie closed his eyes and waited as several foxes dashed off to retrieve the injured.
Lei Cheng, floating above it all, had long since stopped paying attention to the social dynamics below. ’Level One Awakened. It seems equivalent to the Level One stage of human martial arts—the Skin and Muscle Tempering realm. I need more details.’
He paused. ’Should I descend and interact?’ He glanced toward the elders and Clan Head Nie. ’Would they sense me? They are extraordinarily powerful illusion experts.’
The thought gave him genuine pause—before he shook his head. ’I’m overthinking this. These are Lin Mei’s memories. It happened nearly a decade ago. How could they possibly detect me here?’ He felt faintly embarrassed at his own caution. He descended slowly and landed on the cave floor.
Nie Fo and Nie Fan were brought back shortly after, injuries fully healed. They took their places with the others. Clan Head Nie descended from the throne and landed on the sparring ground. The four elders positioned themselves silently to the sides. Six nine-tailed foxes knelt before him in a row.
"Nie Han—since you rank first, you choose your city first."
Nie Han nodded, a slight smile on his face. "I will take White Rose City."
Clan Head Nie nodded with approval. "A well-considered choice. The city has only a single Bizarre human cultivator for its protection—and a population of over two million humans."
"Very good pick!"
The audience stirred with a wave of mixed reactions—admiration from some, bitter envy from others. "He got the easy deal. He and his team can move slowly and feast at their leisure." "I should have sworn allegiance to Nie Han instead of Nie Fan. I missed out."
Clan Head Nie turned next. "Nie Hua—which city would you choose?" freewebnovёl.ƈom
"Azure Cloud City." She replied without a moment’s hesitation, not even blinking.
Clan Head Nie tilted his head. "It seems you decided this long before today."
"Yes," Nie Hua nodded. "Despite having powerful Bizarre cultivators in that city, they have already abandoned their post."
"True," Clan Head Nie nodded—but his expression turned measured. "However, you must still be careful. If even one of them turns their attention toward you... It means death. You have not yet reached Level One."
"Yes," Nie Hua nodded swiftly. "I will be careful."
’Azure Cloud City. Everything clicks.’ Lei Cheng’s eyes glinted.
He moved quietly through the crowd and, using his Illusion Intent, shifted into the form of a young Fox Bizarre. He drifted close to Lin Mei and patted her softly on the shoulder.
"Hey—who are you?" Lin Mei spun around, hissing.
Lei Cheng smiled widely. "I want to join Nie Hua’s side."
Lin Mei’s eyes went wide—then immediately lit up with warmth and excitement. "Good! That is a fine choice!"
Lei Cheng lowered his head, as if thinking aloud. "Such a pity, though—she hasn’t awakened her supernatural ability yet."
Lin Mei froze for a fraction of a second. Then, with a slightly bitter tone, she replied, "Don’t worry. Young Miss Hua is close to awakening. It won’t be long."
Lei Cheng pressed gently. "I wonder—will it be the same Illusionary Switch as Nie Han, or something different entirely?"
Lin Mei’s expression shifted—a look of deep longing and excitement on her face. "Mn. I feel it would be wonderful if Miss Hua awakened—"
Lei Cheng leaned in, sharpening every one of his senses to catch the next word—
BOOM!
Golden energy erupted through the entire cave like a detonation. Clan Head Nie’s entire body blazed with golden power, eyes locked directly onto Lei Cheng.
"How dare you..."
Lei Cheng froze. His body trembled. A chill crept through him from head to toe.
’He can sense me—an illusion within an illusion, buried inside Lin Mei’s own memory from a decade ago, not even his... How?’
