novelraw Chapter 286: Bestiary of Yokai, The Nine-Tailed Fox of Mount Nasu
Chapter 286: Bestiary of Yokai, The Nine-Tailed Fox of Mount Nasu
[Compared to the Inner Courtyard, there are far fewer patrolling samurai in the Eastern Courtyard. Along the way you see only a scant few warriors on duty.]
[This is not surprising. With the Great General seated in the Eastern Courtyard, who would be tired of living enough to dare sneak in here?]
[From what you know, when the Great General first unified Sakura Falls and entered the Imperial Residence, remnants of former daimyo repeatedly infiltrated the palace to assassinate him, but not a single one left the Eastern Courtyard alive.]
[Ninja deathsworn came forward one after another. Their blood and corpses all became fertilizer for the gardens of the Residence. To this day the Great General remains invincible in the world, and attempts at assassination have not occurred for a long time.]
[You attract no one’s attention and arrive at the Jianjin Pavilion without incident.]
[Although the building before you is called a pavilion, it is in fact still a palace hall. Its style is the same as the other buildings in the Eastern Courtyard, lacking excessive ornamentation and exceedingly plain.]
[Two samurai stand guard before the doors of the Jianjin Pavilion. You quietly circle past them and slip in through a window on the side of the hall.]
[Entering the Jianjin Pavilion, your eyes meet layer upon layer of bookshelves. A rich fragrance of ink rushes into your nose.]
[You look around. On the many shelves are neatly arrayed book cases made of fine sakura wood. Several volumes are placed in a single case, padded with boards and bound with silk ribbons.]
[Each different kind of book is wrapped in a corresponding color of silk for decoration.][You casually pull out a heavy case and open it to browse.]
[On the case front are engraved the titles and serial numbers of a dozen books contained within, adorned with the same color as the silk on the volumes to identify the category.]
[To find a certain type of book, you need only look for the color of the case and the corresponding numbers to quickly locate it.]
[After examining several cases of different colors, you learn that historical works are stored in blue cases.]
[You come to a shelf. The shelf before your eyes is entirely blue. There are a total of forty-eight cases on it.]
[There are two other shelves like this for history. Even with the books already classified and archived, searching for a particular period of history will still take considerable time.]
[You know that time is running out. You must find the texts you want before the Great General returns.]
[You pull out cases quickly and search through the books.]
[Searching.]
[The historical books cover many subjects: the lives and political achievements of successive emperors of Sakura Falls, the rise and fall of numerous daimyo families, as well as the deeds and words of important figures.]
[You flip through three entire shelves in succession, one hundred and forty-four cases in all, and still do not find books that record the history of the war of the deities.]
[All the historical books record the history after the divine war. Written records of the divine war itself seem to have been deliberately erased.]
[You suspect that the Jianjin Pavilion hides mechanisms and that the Great General has concealed all the books about the divine war. Even if someone infiltrates the Jianjin Pavilion, they cannot glimpse the true history.]
[Do you wish to carefully search for a mechanism?]
[You feel along the shelves, walls, and various ornaments inside the hall, attempting to find a hidden mechanism.]
[Searching.]
[With so many books and such a large floor area, to find a mechanism among them would likely require searching without sleep for a day and a night.]
Lin Xun watched time race by with eyes wide open. The moment of the Great General’s return to the palace was near. Anxiety flooded his heart. He wished time would simply stop.
“No. If I keep looking like this, I still will not find it by the time the Great General returns.”
“I can only use the last resort.”
[You whirl around, conceal your form, and stride to the front doors of the hall.]
[You abruptly pull open the doors, startling the two guards to turn back in shock.]
[A flash of sword light. Two heads soar into the sky.]
[You kick the two heads that are about to roll to the ground back into the hall, then drag the two headless corpses in as well.]
[Documents related to the divine war must be extremely voluminous. They cannot possibly be recorded in just one or two books.]
[Therefore, the place hiding the history of the divine war should occupy a considerable space and is very likely a secret chamber.]
[You pace out the length and width around the exterior of the hall and compare it with the interior dimensions to confirm that there is no hidden chamber behind the side walls.]
[You lift your head to estimate the height of the hall and compare it with the visible dome inside to confirm that there is no secret space above.]
[You tightly shut the doors, then move to the very center of the hall.]
[You possess the Shell of the Corrupted Earth Giant.]
[You raise the savage, massive Ancient Dragonfang Greatclub with both hands. The power of the earth pours continuously from your feet into your body. The Tiger Beast King Belt at your waist further amplifies your terrifying strength.]
[Your muscles swell all over. You roar and bring the weapon down in fury upon the ground beneath your feet.]
[A thunderous boom.]
[The floor shatters and collapses. Dust billows.]
[When the dust settles, a huge deep pit has appeared before you, filled with shards of stone and brick. In the gaps among the rubble you can vaguely see a staircase leading downward.]
[The staircase leads to a secret chamber deep underground.]
[You possess the Shell of the Fire-Worshipping Heartless Ninja master.]
[You tap the floor with your toes and your figure shoots toward the underground chamber like an arrow from a bow.]
[Suddenly your ears twitch. From afar you faintly hear the clatter of armor and firm marching steps.]
[You know that the noise from your destructive blow just now has alerted other guards. They are hastening toward the Jianjin Pavilion.]
[You rush into the secret chamber. The chamber is not large, with only a single bookshelf inside, neatly lined with many black cases.]
[You pull out a case. As expected, it contains records about the history of the war of the deities.]
[The footsteps draw nearer and nearer. There is no time to read carefully. You sweep the cases into your pouch.]
[You have obtained The Book of the Divine War, Case One.]
[You have obtained The Book of the Divine War, Case Two.]
[You have obtained The Book of the Divine War…]
[You have obtained…]
[…]
[You collect the entire shelf’s holdings, leaving only an empty shelf behind.]
[You speed out of the chamber and return to the surface.]
[Suddenly, before the footsteps reach the Jianjin Pavilion, a huge sonic boom roars by your ear.]
[With a deafening crash, a massive and towering figure bursts through the roof and drops from the sky.]
[The Extreme Evil Great General has returned to the Imperial Residence ahead of the other samurai and arrived at the Jianjin Pavilion.]
[Knowing you cannot match the Great General, you decide it is better to take your own life than to be captured alive and turned into a limbless stick.]
[You look at that terrifying, oppressive figure and smile faintly.]
[Without hesitation, you draw the sword at your waist and slash your own throat.]
[Blood spurts forth, spraying straight at that dreadful figure.]
[You collapse powerlessly to the floor, while low, furious roars echo by your ears.]
[…]
[You are dead.]
[…]
[The powerful wandering soul is reborn in the High Throne Chamber of the Tenshukaku.]
Lin Xun let out a long breath. What a rush.
“Might makes right, and great strength brings miracles. The ancients did not deceive me.”
Fortunately, in the crucial moment he did not cling to convention and used the Earth Giant’s brute force to find the secret chamber. Otherwise he would still not have found the divine war texts before the Great General returned.
He checked the books just obtained. There were a total of twenty-four cases.
The twentieth was titled The Book of the Divine War, Case Twenty, Bestiary of Yokai.
[You leaf through the Bestiary of Yokai and soon find records of the three great yokai of legend.]
[…]
[Origin of the Great Tengu: A yokai born and bred in Sakura Falls. It is the direct bloodline descendant of the deity Hidden Tengu under the Chaotic Origin Dragon. Its true form is a giant yokai with a dog’s body, a bird’s beak, and wings. In human form it has distinct features, usually a red face and an enormous long nose.]
[…]
[The Great Tengu, Shihai-bo: The last Great Tengu to appear in the world. After the Chaotic Origin Dragon lost the divine war, Shihai-bo led his subordinates, the Karasu Tengu, White Wolf Tengu, Konoha Tengu, Yamabushi Tengu, and other yokai to attack the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and was exterminated by Enma’s Servant, the Emperor Yide. Since then, none have appeared.]
[…]
[Origin of the Nine-Tailed Fox: The Nine-Tailed Fox is not a yokai native to Sakura Falls. This great yokai actually hails from the Vermilion Empire. The ancestor of the Nine-Tailed Fox took the form of a beautiful maiden and secretly boarded a tribute ship returning from the Vermilion Empire to Sakura Falls, where it multiplied and thrived. Its true form is a giant white fox with nine tails. In human form it is a woman of peerless beauty.]
[…]
[The Nine-Tailed Fox, Ao-onna: The last Nine-Tailed Fox to appear in the world. She entered the palace and tried to use her beauty to bewitch Yomi-no-Osho Jinpi-Yasha at the Grand Residence, intending to assassinate him. Discovered and exposed by the Grand Regent, Ao-onna reverted to her true form and fled by flight. She escaped to the vicinity of Mount Nasu, where she was slain by the Grand Regent. Her remains became many Killing Stones.]
[You have learned the exact location of Mount Nasu.]
[Origin of Shuten Doji: A yokai born and bred in Sakura Falls. It is the direct bloodline descendant of the deity Otogikarma under the Chaotic Origin Dragon. Its true form has blood-red skin, horns on the head, sharp fangs and claws, hands and feet like a bear, and hair all over, like a fierce beast. In human form it usually appears as a handsome youth addicted to wine.]
[…]
[Shuten Doji, Gedomaru: The last Shuten Doji to appear, Gedomaru was the leader of the Shuten clan. He led many clansmen to die in the divine war.]
[…]
[… In later ages someone encountered a handsome youth buying liquor near the Great Kyo-no-Oeyama. Because the water had been mixed into the wine, the youth grew angry. The next day, all thirteen people in the tavern were found murdered. Yomi-no-Osho Jinpi-Yasha later sent troops to search the Great Kyo-no-Oeyama but found nothing.]
[You have learned the exact location of the Great Kyo-no-Oeyama.]
After reading the materials, Lin Xun obtained two hidden maps.
Among the three great yokai of legend, the Nine-Tailed Fox and Shuten Doji both had clues, but the Great Tengu seemed to be extinct.
The lack of clues for one great yokai was bad news, but there was also good news.
According to true historical records, the Nine-Tailed Fox was not as weak as in legend. After the Grand Regent saw through her true form, Ao-onna fled from the Kyoto Imperial Palace to Mount Nasu before being killed. It was not a one-stroke execution as rumor claimed.
Thus, if he could obtain the help of two great yokai, it would undoubtedly add two more weights to tip the scales toward Lin Xun in the final battle.
[You possess the Shell of Fire-Worshipping Saio Chisoku-hime.]
[You feel Enma’s Servant’s Will in your mind. The will that was once vast and pure is now filthy beyond measure. It is absolutely impossible to receive a response from the deities by calling with such a muddled will.]
[Even with your pure imperial bloodline, it will take at least two or three days to purify it and restore it to its original state.]
[What is your next move?]
[1. Remain in the Tenshukaku, train the Red Armor army, and after purifying Enma’s Servant’s Will, call upon the deities.]
[2. Go to Mount Nasu. Mount Nasu may still hold Killing Stones yet undiscovered by others and the hidden great yokai, the Nine-Tailed Fox.]
[3. Go to the warehouse merchant in Fukoka Castle, buy a bottle of rare vintage, then head to the Great Kyo-no-Oeyama to seek the great yokai Shuten Doji.]
Lin Xun pressed the second option and decided to search for the Nine-Tailed Fox first.
He still had one Legendary Brilliant Killing Stone in his pocket.
He did not know whether a Legendary-grade Poké Ball could capture a great yokai. If even Legendary grade were not enough, then heading to Mount Nasu to search for a new Poké Ball would undoubtedly be the best choice.
[…]
[You leave the Tenshukaku and arrive outside Thousand Orchid City.]
[You possess the Shell of the Desire-Bearing Greedy Wolf Star Lord.]
[With a thought you form a sword seal with your hand. True essence in your body surges and boils. The Dragon Sword Masamune floats in the air.]
[Hands behind your back, you step onto the blade. The sword carries you as a streak of light toward Mount Nasu.]
[…]
[Mount Nasu lies deep in the northern mountains from Kyoto.]
[You ride the sword for a long time before arriving at Mount Nasu.]
[Mount Nasu stands against a towering active volcano, Chausu-dake.]
[The volcano’s summit continuously belches smoke. Toxic gases fill the area, leaving not a blade of grass alive. It is a scene of deathly stillness, without even the cries of birds or insects.]
[The Antitoxin Core of the Divine Light Moth you carry shimmers faintly, warding the poisonous gases you inhale.]
[You descend to the foot of Mount Nasu.]
[The mountain before your eyes is not tall. Looking up from the foot, you can see the bare summit at a glance. There is no mountain path along the way, so the climb will be somewhat laborious.]
[You possess the Shell of the Knowledge-Seeking Primordial Hermit.]
[As a dragon-headed humanoid, your blood carries an even stronger poison. Mere volcanic fumes cannot possibly affect you.]
[You even put away the Antitoxin Core of the Divine Light Moth to mask its effect and take a deep breath of poison. You feel your whole body comfortable and at ease, and cannot help but let out a sky-shaking dragon roar.]
[The dragon’s roar echoes to the clouds, scattering even the volcanic smoke.]
In this godforsaken place where nothing grows and no birds sing, Lin Xun had no need for restraint.
He opened his Inventory and clicked the yokai-finding tool gifted by the Temple Master – Sea Calamity Mage, the Seeking-Yokai Luo Jing Ritual Compass.
[You take out an ancient-looking compass artifact. Its needle spins in circles without stopping.]
[Suddenly the needle jerks and points straight at you, then stops.]
Lin Xun: ???
According to the item description, this artifact points to the yokai with the strongest bloodline within range.
The little dragonkin’s current Shell quality is Epic+, while the legendary great yokai, the Nine-Tailed Fox, surely exceeds that.
The artifact still points to him, which means there is no yokai within range stronger than he is.
“Could it be that the search radius is too small, or that bloodline strength is not determined solely by Shell quality?”
Lin Xun hurriedly switched back to the Greedy Wolf Star Lord’s Shell.
[The compass needle does not turn. It still points dead at you.]
“Damn, could this thing be broken? I have already switched Shells and am no longer a yokai, so why is it still pointing at me?”
[Just as you are puzzled, a fair, slender hand pats your shoulder.]
[Your heart lurches. You whirl around and see a beautiful woman in a kimono standing prettily behind you, a great expanse of snow-white cleavage showing at her collar.]
[Her brows and eyes brim with charm. Even merely standing still, her entire body radiates astonishing allure.]
[As you turn, the compass in your hand continues to point dead at you… at the beautiful woman behind you.]
[You have discovered the Origin-Tracing Nine-Tailed Fox.]
[T/N: Yomi-no-Osho Jinpi-Yasha is the honorific title of the Great General for those who forgot.]
[T/N: 28/12/25 – 20 chapter mass release incoming, enjoy!!!]