Chapter 266: The Key

Aside from that, there was another question that was quite noteworthy.

Originally, Vilyric thought that Hen had summoned her from another world because the crisis in the Ancient Spirit Realm was imminent, and they urgently needed her—once a Spiritual Fox Priestess—to turn the tide.

While this was indeed the case, at this moment, the Priestess recalled certain details from when they had repelled the “Chaotic Storm,” specifically the sudden voice transmission from Hen that crossed through space.

What she had said was—”You need my help, and I need your help”… right?

However, up to now, Vilyric had not received any practical help from that dear friend. Although merging the Divine Spark and strength of the Spiritual Fox Priestess had made her stronger, that part was done by Miss Xiao Kong, and it wasn’t even necessary. If you were to nitpick, the assistance from “Hen” was virtually nonexistent.

Even disregarding Ming Xi’s perspective, based solely on her experiences with Hen in the game, every word Hen said must carry deeper meaning and would never be mere gymnastics of language.

In other words, her summoning Vilyric had yet another layer of purpose.

The black-haired girl stared in slight surprise at the two keys in her hands.

“Could it be… this is actually the reason?”

But if that were truly the case, it raised even more questions.

If these two “Keys of March” were secretly passed to Vilyric by Hen, then why go through such an extremely obscure method? Why insist on having the other half, Miss Xiao Kong, deliver them instead of appearing directly?

Why did Hen choose to approach Vilyric under the guise of the Western Spirit Princess, someone like her yet not quite?

By now, Vilyric had long understood that the Spirit Princess she had previously interacted with was, in fact, a projection of Hen that had descended into the Ancient Spirit Realm through some means, yet had been purposefully stripped of many key memories, even being a relatively independent entity meant to offer help in the most indirect way possible.

What exactly was Hen trying to evade?

What does “fate has already taken notice of you” mean?

Given that the causal connection between the Ancient Spirit Realm and the End had been severed, why did she still emphasize that “the seal cannot be lifted”?

All of these were hinting at a certain signal to Vilyric.

The real Hen might be under the surveillance or restraint of some power at this moment, unable to directly appear before the Priestess, let alone convey any information.

So, she sent Vilyric to this special world, shrouded by the “Heaven and Earth Sealing Great Array,” where even divine consciousness could not penetrate, to transfer the second “Key of March” in this manner.

This might sound like an over-interpretation, too much of an assumption, but Vilyric believed that if it truly was Hen, she could certainly plan something to this extent.

If so, this Key of March should be the hint she genuinely wished to give to Vilyric, the so-called “assistance.”

Storing both Keys of March into her bag, the Priestess turned to the “silly version of Miss Hen” beside her.

“Miss Xiao Kong, do you know anything about the Dusk Council?”

“Haven’t heard of it, do you not know either?”

“Hmm… I can’t say I know nothing, but my knowledge is rather limited.”

Xiao Kong’s response was pretty much what Vilyric expected.

After all, the Priestess had already inherited many memories from Ming Xi. Though she had temporarily sealed away most of them due to their length and quantity, if she wanted to, Vilyric could still search precisely for related content.

However, there was no information about the “Dusk Council,” indicating that the Spiritual Fox Priestess hadn’t known about this organization either. Thus, the God Fox, who had been inseparable from this world and had never left, probably didn’t know much about it either.

In other words, Hen must have come into contact with the “Dusk Council” and many hidden secrets only after she left the Ancient Spirit Realm to assist the Spiritual Fox Priestess in executing the Rebirth Plan.

That organization likely only appeared after the “Divine Calamity”; at least, their true emergence couldn’t have been too long ago.

Oh well…

With matters reaching a temporary conclusion, it was best to set aside these heavy topics and take a good rest for now.

Ending her contemplation, the Priestess lifted her head and found Xiao Kong quietly staring at her. Due to their close proximity, Vilyric could even smell the girl’s fragrant scent and felt the soft ripples in the air created by her furry tail now and then.

Just looking at her appearance and their day-to-day interactions, it was hard to imagine she was a supreme deity standing at the pinnacle of the world; she resembled a spirited little creature with a hint of mischief instead.

This was probably the most un-godlike god Vilyric had ever encountered.

Both Kong and Hen were essentially the God Fox, but they had their differences.

As two aspects separated from the same Divine Spark, the one inheriting the beast’s body and wildness expressed richer and more open emotions than Hen, being more enthusiastic about expressing her joys and sorrows, needing companionship, and being more easily impulsive.

Though their appearances were the same, they were two completely opposite extremes.

The black-haired girl poked Xiao Kong’s peachy cheeks, causing her to shake in displeasure and pout, but the latter merely smiled slightly.

“Enough of that, shall we go out for a walk together?”

“Eh? Of course! But…”

Understanding Xiao Kong’s hesitation, Vilyric took out the mask representing the Spiritual Fox Priestess identity and casually put it on her face.

Even within the Lingyin Clan, very few knew Ming Xi’s true appearance. The reason she wore the mask was not to act mysteriously but to block outside causal disturbances, much like those clan members who wore veils when heading to the lower realm.

The Spiritual Fox Priestess was a being who became a postnatal deity through her own experiences and efforts. Such deities made up only a small fraction of the entire divine community and had some distinct differences from the former.

That would be “malleability.”

Just as the “Lord of Killing” once tried to devour other divine sparks to ascend to the position of the main deity, the divine sparks of postnatal deities are more susceptible to change compared to the innate gods born from fixed laws, making it possible for them to become stronger but also exposing them to the risk of weakening, or even having their divine concepts altered due to external influences.

Ming Xi was a very laid-back individual, lacking the ambition of the Lord of Killing. The position of “Reincarnation” itself was also higher than “Killing,” sufficient for her use, which was why she never referred to herself as a god nor had any intention of establishing temples or developing followers. The “Mask of the God Fox” was merely a tool she used to keep those strange beliefs out of the realm.

Hence, in the Ancient Spirit Realm, there were only two deities: the “Ancestor Dragon” and the “God Fox.”

   

---