Volume Two, Weapon Codex Chapter 140: Washing Away the Stains of Past Lives

The spring water beneath the statue lost all its spiritual essence after Xiao Jin had soaked in it, and its color became slightly paler.

Just as Xiao Jin was about to leap back onto Liu Xiaoyi's shoulders, a flash of silver suddenly burst from its three eyes. Its furry body swayed and grew larger, transforming into its true form, which was over three zhang in length.

Liu Xiaoyi looked into its eyes and saw clear, radiant intelligence leaping within them. He blurted out, "Xiao Jin, have you recovered your intelligence?" From the divine beast Bai Ze, he had already gathered that Xiao Jin was no ordinary creature, and now the six-tailed spirit fox had addressed it as some sort of Exalted One, suggesting it had a most formidable background. This made Liu Xiaoyi all the more determined to protect it.

When confronting the Jade-Eyed Heaven-Swallowing Python, Xiao Jin had been twisting and turning restlessly in his embrace, wanting to come out and help Liu Xiaoyi. In his urgency, Liu Xiaoyi had used the Zhenyuan Mountain to protect Xiao Jin inside it as well, only letting him back out once they were safe from danger.

Xiao Jin opened its mouth as if to speak, but its form suddenly deflated, reverting to its original adorable appearance. It opened its mouth a few times with some reluctance, yet no sound came out.

The six-tailed fox chuckled and said, "It seems this sliver of spiritual energy is not enough for the Exalted One to recover a fraction of his powers, but it is enough to cleanse you of the curse. Follow me."

Behind the fox statue was a hollowed-out alcove, just large enough for an adult to sit cross-legged within. Liu Xiaoyi sat inside, his arms hanging naturally at his sides.

"Six-tailed fox, why do you call Xiao Jin the Exalted One? You seem to hold him in some awe." Xiao Jin, back on Liu Xiaoyi's shoulder with its endearing and naive look, tilted its head to observe Liu Xiaoyi's expression.

The six-tailed fox raised its front paw, pressed it against the statue, and said softly, "Spirit of our ancient ancestors! Please send down the sweet dew to wash away the filth clinging to us!"

The spring water gushing from the statue instantly enveloped Liu Xiaoyi's entire body. His pores were bathed in the icy-cool spring water, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort. Even the spiritual roots in his Dantian bathed in the spring water together, causing vital energy to flow endlessly from his Dantian and permeate his meridians.

The white fox looked at the chaotic markings on Liu Xiaoyi's arms, which flickered erratically with his breath, and asked with some concern, "Matriarch, with two lives hanging on him, how did he manage to protect his soul from being eroded?"

The mark between the six-tailed fox's brows split open, revealing a vertical pupil as well. The instant this vertical pupil opened, Liu Xiaoyi's entire meridian network appeared semi-transparent, and a cluster of green light in his heavenly spirit sea protected his sea of consciousness from being pried into by outsiders.

"So he is sheltered by divine light, no wonder he is unharmed. But two human lives are not easily washed away; we must send him elsewhere," the six-tailed fox stated frankly. The statue of the ancestors of Qingqiu could wash away the impurities of past lives, but it could not wash away the grudges of the present life.

They believed that everyone is born carrying the impurities of their past lives, and these impurities cause varying degrees of flaws. A brown husk gradually condensed on the surface of Liu Xiaoyi's body, while the part of his back touching the statue was absorbed into it.

When Liu Xiaoyi opened his eyes and gently moved his body, this layer of husk quietly detached and fell to the ground, leaving his body entirely.

The markings on his arms caused by the curse vanished along with the shedding of the husk. Although his arms could move freely again, his meridians remained sealed, unable to circulate Qi.

Liu Xiaoyi felt a trace of disappointment; the sensation from those few moments earlier truly felt like ascending to immortality. His entire body felt light and ethereal, as if he had completely settled accounts with something, leaving him utterly relaxed.

Seeing that his arms were intact, Shangguan Baozi asked joyously, "Your arms can move! Then let's hurry to Tuqiu City and find everyone!"

She was filled with curiosity toward these little foxes that could speak human language, asking all sorts of bizarre questions that left the six-tailed fox between laughter and tears. Judging by age, she could actually be considered a great-granddaughter-generation child to the six-tailed fox.

Hearing this, the white fox intervened to stop her. "You cannot go to Tuqiu City for now. The curse has not been completely eradicated; it merely washed away the impurities of your past life. If you return to Tuqiu City, the second layer of the curse will be triggered, and by then, the consequences will be far more severe than just two arms."

Curses had always been the most troublesome afflictions—easy to cast, but infinitely harder to lift.

"As for your friends, members of my clan have already gone to notify them to gather with you before the Tomb of the Xiling Swordsman. For now, you need to go to Moya Mountain and use the power of the stone carvings to completely dispel the curse."

The fox clan seemed to possess the ability of foreknowledge; the six-tailed fox knew everything Liu Xiaoyi was thinking. Seeing the thoughtful look on Liu Xiaoyi's face, it explained, "There are stone carvings of the Nine-Word True Secret at Moya Mountain, right here in Xiling. It will not delay you from participating in the Heroes' Assembly."

"Senior, I have always had a question: why are you helping me for no reason?" Liu Xiaoyi had pondered for a long time without figuring out the other party's intentions. Even Bai Ze had said he was not the Chosen One they spoke of, so why go to such great lengths to assist him?

The six-tailed fox's lips curled upward, while the white fox burst into hearty laughter. "Look at that! You've been completely fooled by that hypocritical stray dog Bai Ze! You carry the sword-shaped pendant, which is the key to the candidate. Furthermore, even the Exalted One has chosen you, and my fox clan has its own choice to make."

As it spoke, it reached into the fur on its chest and retrieved a pink, teardrop-shaped jade pendant, handing it to Liu Xiaoyi. "This Fox-Calling Jade Pendant will allow you to contact nearby foxes at any time. If you have any urgent matters, use the pendant to summon our people."

The Qingqiu foxes were scattered across the world. Due to their ability to transform into human form, they cleverly hid in various mortal realms to recuperate, only revealing themselves in times of extreme emergency.

Liu Xiaoyi put away the Fox-Calling Jade Pendant and thanked them repeatedly, "Thank you, Senior, for this immense kindness. I shall repay it in the future."

The six-tailed fox handed him a map drawn on tree bark and pointed toward another direction in the clan territory. "Follow this path all the way, and you will reach Moya Mountain. Once you are there, beware of a madman. Whoever he meets, he asks if they have seen his axe. Just tell him it fell to the bottom of the river beside Moya Mountain, and he will not trouble you."

It seemed to hold some apprehension toward this person, giving Liu Xiaoyi repeated warnings before his departure, which only made Liu Xiaoyi all the more curious about the madman's origins.

Following the mountain path out of Nanshan and walking further ahead, the surroundings grew even more secluded. Shangguan Baozi pressed closer to Liu Xiaoyi; the young girl was afraid that some ferocious beasts might emerge from the mountain forest, and she held tightly onto Liu Xiaoyi's robe all the way, not daring to let go.

Having stayed in Qingqiu for a mere hour, Liu Xiaoyi vaguely sensed that these spirit foxes seemed somewhat reluctant to let him stay for long, as their words and actions carried a hint of haste.

Watching the retreating figures of the two, the six-tailed fox shifted into a gracefully robed young gentleman, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the fortune-teller. With a sense of lingering loss, he said, "When will Qingqiu ever see the light of day again? The previous few who came, though much higher in cultivation, always felt less reliable than this kid."

"That is something I cannot calculate. My old life cannot bear such great fortune, so don't expect me to divine it!" The fortune-teller fled in a panic, hurrying down the mountain as well.