After the Fairy Maidens Fell to Darkness, They Captured Me to Ruthlessly 'Repay' Their Gratitude-Chapter 166 - He Ange, I Recognize You

Cherry Cluster Secret Realm, A City in Bloom.

On the streets, countless disciples flowed endlessly, leaving the secret realm.

As the sects departed, the Fox Clan would soon return to a state of tranquility.

In an ancient town’s tower,

A gentle breeze brushed against the cherrycolored hair of a petite, stunning red fox girl. She sat alone by the window, her gaze lowered as her nine tails shimmered with an eerie pink glow.

The little fox demon stared at the distant horizon where small figures dotted the sky. Her enchanting eyes seemed longing, yet devoid of any complex emotions.

After a while,

A whitehaired fox immortal in a simple dress stepped gracefully through the air.

With each step she took, pure white lotuses bloomed in the void, blossoming and fading as she moved.

The fox immortal’s body radiated divine light, her robes flowing elegantly. As she gazed at the red fox girl by the window, a trace of worry flickered across her cold and flawless face.

“Still thinking about him?”

The fox immortal stood behind her sister, her charming eyes lowered. Despite her composed expression, guilt lingered on her delicate features.

But after a moment of silence, the red fox girl softly parted her lips:

“Why would I think of him?”

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Her voice was cold and emotionless, as distant as clear spring water.

Xia Zhiyue froze.

She tilted her head slightly, placing a hand on her sister’s forehead, only to find that she wasn’t feverish or delirious.

Yet this made Xia Zhiyue feel even more uneasy.

“What is meant to be mine will naturally be mine. Waiting two months is nothing more than letting it age like fine wine.”

The girl continued to murmur, her face devoid of emotion. However, her pinktinted eyes betrayed a sense of longing, as if her thoughts were elsewhere entirely.

She turned around, her gaze pure and innocent as she looked at the fox immortal:

“Sister, can you teach me how to cultivate?”

“You need me to teach you?” The fox immortal raised an eyebrow.

She knew her sister’s personality well.

Xia Zhiyue’s cultivation method had always involved sacrificing human hearts for power, something Xia Ranyue deeply opposed.

Their paths and philosophies had always been at odds.

Thus, Xia Ranyue had never sought her sister’s guidance in cultivation.

But now…

Xia Ranyue was directly asking Xia Zhiyue for help without any hesitation or lingering sibling rivalry.

“My cultivation draws power from human hearts. Are you prepared to take that step?” Xia Zhiyue’s tone was both cold and concerned as she raised an eyebrow.

But the girl dismissed it: “I have enough stored magical energy. Sister only needs to teach me how to convert this power into cultivation and refine it into my core essence.”

“You have magical energy?”

The fox immortal was taken aback.

After a moment, her charming eyes narrowed cautiously:

“By magical energy… you don’t mean abyssal power, do you?”

Crossing her arms and biting her lip lightly, Xia Zhiyue thought of a certain whiterobed boy with his sinister gaze. A shiver ran down her spine as a glint of wariness flashed in her snowlike eyes.

Sighing, the fox immortal finally massaged her temples:

“Call it what you will—foreign power or demonic energy… Do you truly understand who He Ange is? What kind of bloodline he carries?”

“And why not?”

The red fox girl replied coldly.

As she spoke, the nine tails behind her began to sway. Dark energy crackled like blackpurple lightning around her. Centered on the pink mark on her abdomen, abyssal energy radiated outward, filling the room with an ominous aura.

Though both sisters shared the ninetailed bloodline, the younger sister now exuded an eerie malevolence that starkly contrasted with the serene purity of the fox immortal beside her.

“When Ange left, he filled my spirit pool… This abyssal energy is enough to sustain my cultivation for two months.”

Xia Ranyue gently touched the mark on her abdomen as she spoke softly.

She raised a hand to stroke one of her tails, gazing at her nowtainted body. Her enchanting eyes held no emotion but revealed a fleeting sense of nostalgia.

This was the mark left by her master’s dark energy—a transformation she was strangely satisfied with.

Feeling the overwhelming abyssal power coursing through her body, Xia Ranyue couldn’t help but feel stronger than ever before.

But…

The price of this newfound strength was the suppression of her emotions by the mark engraved on her body.

With gain comes loss—a truth as old as time.

He had given her a task: within two months, she was to refine the abyssal energy from the mark into her core essence and make it entirely her own.

He had said,

If Xia Ranyue failed to complete this task, she would lose all feelings for him. Until then, he wouldn’t return to take her home.

If she failed, she would be consumed by emptiness and loneliness, unable to think or feel anything but void.

He had said,

This was for her own good.

If she couldn’t achieve it, then she should forget him entirely. Their bond would end there, and their memories would be sealed away forever.

“If you don’t want to be forgotten, then cultivate diligently and catch up to me.”

Those were his exact words.

“Only by completing your task can you reunite with your master.”

This was the mantra etched into Xia Ranyue’s mind when the mark was engraved on her body.

He had also promised,

When she succeeded, he would return to remove the seal himself. He would restore her true self and allow her to fully embrace her new and powerful demonic fox form. She would regain all emotions lost during those two months.

Only by completing the task,

Would she truly fall into darkness as his spirit pet and accompany him for eternity.

At that point, the mark would no longer suppress her emotions.

This was He Ange’s final test for Xia Ranyue.

If she regretted it during this time, she could abandon the path of forbidden cultivation at any moment.

Moreover, the mark would help her forget him entirely.

When its countdown ended without being replenished, the mark would fade away. Along with it would go all memories of him and the abyssal energy he had gifted her.

She could then return to being a pure ninetailed fox. Whether she chose immortality or demonhood afterward would be entirely up to her—no longer his concern.

He wasn’t forcing her.

He was simply giving her a choice between falling into darkness or embracing freedom.

Either accept the abyssal power and become his spirit pet,

Or let go of him entirely and walk separate paths—hers in light and his in shadow.

…

He didn’t need a weakwilled, tearful little fox who couldn’t make up her mind.

What he needed was someone strong, decisive, and capable of walking alongside him on his dark path—a seductive ninetailed fox queen worthy of his side.

So,

Xia Ranyue’s answer was clear.

“Sister, please teach me how to cultivate. I won’t let him down.”

At that moment, there was no emotion in Xia Ranyue’s enchanting eyes—only an unprecedented determination.

This determination mirrored that of someone who had narrowly escaped death in the world of immortals and vowed to one day dominate it as a seductive fox queen.

Xia Zhiyue stood frozen in place, stunned by what she saw in her sister.

For a fleeting moment,

She saw herself in Xia Ranyue… But unlike herself—who had been driven purely by hatred—Xia Ranyue’s resolve was inspired by love and a clear vision for her future as a demoness.

Xia Zhiyue felt a twinge of envy for her sister.

“By cultivating He Ange’s dark power, you’ll be marked forever as a fallen fox demon—a target for every sect and celestial servant in existence… If you regret this now, I can still remove the mark before it takes root. But if you continue for two months and let it fully embed…”

She paused briefly before sighing:

“It will stay with you for life—impossible to remove or forget.”

Her tone was heavy with concern,

But the faint smile on her lips betrayed acceptance as an older sister.

“So? Are you willing to fall for him?”

“Is that so?”

“Come with me.”

Seeing no hesitation in Xia Ranyue’s response, Xia Zhiyue smiled faintly. With a wave of her hand, she conjured an illusory sea of cherry blossoms before leading the red fox girl into the void.

…

The Sealing Grounds

This was a grand plaza behind Dragon Dynasty’s ancient city—a site designated by the Empress herself for celestial ceremonies. Every year after secret realm trials concluded, disciples who earned universal recognition gathered here to receive their titles from the Empress.

However…

This year was unique. Very few disciples earned titles. Besides six tokens auctioned by the Fox Clan sacred maiden, only two disciples successfully completed their trials.

Additionally,

There were several prodigies from noble families who received overwhelming support from sects and clans across Huaxia without participating in trials at all. These prodigies were so extraordinary that their families concealed their talents for protection. Even those considered “lesser” among them had backgrounds comparable to Duan Zixuan’s family status.

Such individuals didn’t even need support from key figures like the Fox Clan sacred maiden—they could secure their titles with over 90% approval from sects alone.

This year’s bar for approval was set higher than ever due to political shifts caused by the Fox Clan sacred maiden’s influence—raising standards from 70% to 90%.

This made this year’s recognized disciples some of the most elite in history!

At this moment,

The grand ceremony proceeded smoothly in the sacred grounds. Sect elders and celestial servants lined both sides of the plaza. Each celestial servant wore majestic golden dragon robes—forming an aweinspiring display of Dragon Dynasty’s power.

Elite disciples from various sects gathered outside the main platform as spectators—watching enviously from afar as they witnessed this grand event unfold.

The True Dragon Empress herself appeared atop the dragon platform.

Her posture was proud; she wore golden imperial robes that exuded otherworldly grace. Her face shone with divine light like stars—impossible to discern clearly. Even standing still cast an overwhelming aura that compelled everyone below to kneel in reverence.

A True Dragon existed beyond Divine Transformation—a highdimensional being commanding absolute authority over mortals.

Eventually,

The Empress descended from the dragon platform onto a lower ceremonial stage closer to those awaiting their titles.

Her presence drew gasps of awe from disciples waiting below—many instinctively knelt before such divine majesty.

Among them,

Only one whiterobed boy remained composed—kneeling on one knee with hands clasped respectfully:

“He Ange greets Your Majesty!”

“I recognize you.”

The Empress smiled faintly—her voice both graceful and commanding.

In an instant,

He Ange felt an overwhelming gaze pierce his very soul—the True Dragon’s gaze bore down upon him like divine judgment.