Chapter 622: 207. Natsuki Kuri + Tamamo-no-Mae, double the happiness..._2
The enormous ruins, as far as the eye can see, are littered with scars.
The decorations along the long corridor are adorned with jewels and jade, yet their colors are dull and lackluster.
Not only does it fail to evoke a sense of grandeur, but it also emanates a decayed aura.
As Yayako passed by, a slight stirring of the air current caused those already decayed wooden carvings and silks to shatter into piles of debris.
From deep within the grand hall, an aura of dormancy continually emanates.
Yayako silently senses it.
It is undoubtedly Lord Yuzao’s aura; as the queen of the Fox Clan, her pressure affects all fox demons.
"Did you feel it?" The Little Fox suddenly spoke.
"Yes." Yayako nodded slightly, "The queen’s condition is better than expected."
"The queen has always been making preparations to leave." The Little Fox stopped speaking after saying this.
After passing through the corridor, they weaved through courtyard after courtyard.
The once exquisite gardens are now in ruins.
The trees are nothing more than dried trunks, the ponds have dried up, leaving hard clumps of decayed plants on the ground. At the deepest part of the grand hall lies a vast underground palace; the Little Fox led Yayako through a door into a spacious room.
The tables and chairs carved from jade have already broken.
On the table against the wall is a mirror stand, with the mirror long gone. Yayako surveyed her surroundings, envisioning the once majestic queen quietly sitting before the mirror, carefully drawing her eyebrows.
"The queen is inside." The Little Fox stopped before a door.
Yayako walked toward the large door.
The door was ajar, a gentle push was all it needed to open.
Inside is a vast dungeon, the ground empty, with countless magma flows churning. In the very center floats a stone platform, where a woman, bound tightly by chains, sits as calm as a statue.
She kneels on the ground, her hands and feet bound by chains, her chest pressed against the stone platform.
Blood-red long hair falls silently, covering her face, adorned only with a red sheer fabric draped over her. Several floating silent lights cast a rosy glow upon her snow-white skin.
Yayako floated over and landed on the stone platform with her feet.
Upon hearing footsteps, the woman opened her eyes and lifted her chin slightly to look at the visitor.
Her features are exceedingly dramatic, her cold and stunning beauty embodying the epitome of allure at first glance, with every organ and inch of her skin exuding a casual seductive aura.
Even though she is deeply confined, she remains noble and composed, her exquisite face showing no trace of time. Her gaze, endlessly observing the visitor, holds golden pupils that are exceptionally clear, as if the millennium of imprisonment was nothing more than a self-chosen trial for her.
"Lord Yuzao." Yayako knelt before her, bending the knee.
Yuzao nodded slightly, "Hmm."
A simple nasal sound caused Yayako to shiver.
This tender, alluring voice, once it penetrated her ears, felt like countless ants crawling inside her body, unbearably itchy. Anyone facing her under such circumstances would become unbalanced, succumbing to her fascination.
Yuzao gazed calmly at the fox demon kneeling before her and spoke softly, "Not bad, you’ve finally ascended to Demon King status."
"Thanks to your guidance," Yayako replied respectfully.
"You needn’t thank me." Yuzao’s expression turned slightly somber as she spoke.
Her mood fluctuated slightly, but she quickly calmed down and asked, "Is my item ready?"
"It’s ready." Yayako straightened up, her gaze passing over the chains wrapping her hands and feet, neck, and waist.
These rusty chains appear ordinary, but upon closer inspection, runes can be seen beneath the rust. By touching them with demonic power, one can discover the chains are brimming with divine power, the very force suppressing Yuzao’s power.
The Fox Clan’s plan involves collecting the vital blood of tens of thousands of young men to offer it entirely to the queen, enabling her to break free from this final shackle imprisoning her.
Yayako knelt on the ground, straightened her chest, and gently pulled the silk ribbon at her waist.
Yuzao watched, expressionless.
Her hands were shackled behind her back, her feet also bound, the chains connecting them with long iron links. Such confinement had immobilized her for millennia.
Now, the opportunity for escape lay before her, and she strained her neck as far as she could.
"Lord Yuzao..."
Yayako instinctively covered her lips, her eyelashes trembling.
"How are things outside?" Yuzao asked.
"According to plan, Yoshitsune has already led the Ghost Clan to Tokyo; the situation is within our control." Yayako’s eyes fluttered open and closed, her nostrils flaring slightly, struggling to maintain her balance.
"Shodokan still hasn’t appeared?" Yuzao asked.
Yayako lightly frowned and softly said, "No, there’s been no news..."
"That guy is a disgrace to the Royal Family..." Yuzao’s expression remained cold and proud.
Though her words were indistinct, the contempt in them was unmistakably clear.
Yayako knew what she referred to.
It was nothing more than the past between Shodokan and Asakusa Shrine.
This showed that even though she was confined, the Fox Clan queen still had knowledge of the outside world. Yayako licked her lips and tenderly "hmm"ed.
Yuzao, with her head lowered, could not see the meaningful smile in her eyes.
Waves of warmth entered her stomach, slowly mending her long-parched body. The vital blood of tens of thousands burned like flames, reigniting her parched form. Thread by thread, demonic power was reclaiming its former place in her being, propelling her back to her former peak.