The air tasted like burnt sugar and endings, thick with the static of a universe holding its breath.
Before the crumbling Void Gate, the Nine-Tails Goddess stood wreathed in dying embers—her silhouette flickering between Xiao Jiuying and something older, angrier.
The Wife of Ashes' ghostly form unraveled around her like a funeral shroud.
"Ready, little fox?" the ghost whispered.
Xiao Jiuying bared bloodstained teeth. "Born ready, grandma."
[System Alert: Divine Fusion Detected]
[Warning: This Will Void All Warranties (Moral & Physical)]
Luo Feng's claw-mark burned black against his wrist.
THE MERGING
It happened in three heartbeats:
The Claw-Mark Ignites
Luo Feng's brand sears through dimensions, tethering them one last time
Xiao Jiuying's laugh crackles through the connection: "Still my favorite scar."
The Wife's Embrace
The ghostly woman dissolves into primordial system code
Her last words etch themselves into reality: "MAKE GODS OBSOLETE AGAIN."
The Final Transformation
Xiao Jiuying's nine tails multiply into infinite threads
Each strand weaves through the Void Gate's cracks like celestial sutures
Her body crystallizes into living encryption
THE SEALING
The Void Emperor's roar shakes collapsing reality:
"TRAITOR!"
Xiao Jiuying's voice echoes from everywhere at once:
"Sorry, Your Majesty—" Her form solidifies into a monument of foxfire and fury, the gate's new keystone. "—this fox isn't for sale."
The last thing Luo Feng sees before the gate shatters into silent oblivion:
A single ember drifting toward his claw-mark
The Death Queen's dagger embedded in the ground (for once, not in someone)
Li Qing's frost preserving one perfect pawprint in eternal ice
[Connection Severed: Nine-Tails Signature Lost]
[System Override: Eclipse Core Now Contains 11% Foxfire]
[Message Received: "Don't You Dare Forget Me."]
THE AFTERMATH
Back in crumbling reality:
The Death Queen picked up her dagger, examining the single orange hair stuck to the blade. "...I'll allow it."
Li Qing's frozen tear shattered before it could fall.
Luo Feng's Eclipse Core cycled hotter—its new foxfire strand burning through every VE rotation.
[New Quest: Find a Way Back to Her]
[Penalty for Failure: Eternal Regret]
The plush demons solemnly burned all their orange thread.
END OF CHAPTER 61