The Fox Clan of Qingqiu

For those descending from the Nine Heavens, this was destined to be an unforgettable day.

The powerful individuals who could descend from the altars were all backed by formidable sects or families, and they naturally carried an air of superiority when facing the natives of the lower realm.

In truth, the Destiny Seekers' Association and the Buddhist Sect were merely the first to show themselves. It had to be noted that at least twenty or thirty factions had crossed over from the nine great altars this time!

Counting the South Sea and Kunlun, there were five altar portals in the Dragon Country alone. The remaining four altars were located in places like the Vatican...

Yet before they could even flex their arrogance after descending, Jiang Che gave them a harsh lesson.

Who dared to show their faces now?

Show up, and you'd be instantly wiped out!

After the Destiny Seekers' Association capitulated, several other factions emerged one after another.

"Young Master Jiang, we are from the Celestial Spirit Clan, hailing from the Nine Heavens. These are but humble tokens of our goodwill, hehe~~~"

Several oddly-shaped humanoid creatures approached on auspicious clouds, their faces plastered with ingratiating smiles. Clearly, they had been observing for quite some time.

All seven or eight of them were Divine Passage realm experts.

"Celestial Spirit Clan? Hmm... I'll remember you."

Jiang Che accepted the storage ring they offered, inspected its contents, and nodded in satisfaction.

Compared to the treasures in his Canglong Ring, these were practically junk. Still, something was better than nothing, and it wouldn't do to reject a friendly gesture.

The other clans lurking in the shadows couldn't hold back any longer.

[Damn it! These Celestial Spirit folks are shameless! They were bootlickers in the Nine Heavens, and now they're still at it in the lower realm!]

[Do you have any treasures in your storage rings? Hurry, bring them out... Let's try to forge a connection with Young Master Jiang too.]

[Huh?? He's just a Divine Passage realm martial artist. Even if he has a Martial God realm guardian, is that really worth us groveling like this?]

[You fool! Didn’t you see earlier? He took out an alchemy furnace even more advanced than the Destiny Seekers' Association's—a gift from his master. Alchemy furnaces were originally created by the Destiny Seekers' Association... Jiang Che's master is likely a supreme elder of theirs, with a status no lower than the Heaven Pavilion! What if his master is one of the Pavilion Lords? Dare you offend him?]

Unintentional assumptions were the deadliest!

Following the Celestial Spirit Clan, all the hidden factions emerged from the shadows.

“Young Master Jiang, we are from the Qingqiu Clan of the Nine Heavens. This is a magical artifact crafted from the tails of our fox kin. Though its grade isn’t high... it has unique effects on the soul.”

Hmm? Qingqiu Clan?

Jiang Che immediately turned his gaze, scanning the crowd until his eyes locked onto a few figures.

The Qingqiu Clan... Oh, he knew them all too well.

The Qingqiu were a fox tribe, the most elite lineage among the nine-tailed foxes. Their vixens... tsk tsk tsk. Though he had never met a Qingqiu fox in person, he and Mo Lianxing often roleplayed, with her frequently playing the seductive fox spirit—charming without being vulgar, a favorite of Young Master Jiang!

"Oh? The Qingqiu Clan... I’ve long yearned to meet you."

But when Jiang Che laid eyes on these Qingqiu clansmen, the corner of his mouth twitched.

Two elderly women stood behind a few middle-aged men—not a single beautiful fox spirit in sight.

"Oh? Has Young Master Jiang heard of our Qingqiu fox tribe?"

"Of course. The Qingqiu are ranked among the top three most alluring clans in the Nine Heavens. How could I not know of you?"

Indeed, the nine-tailed foxes had quite the reputation in the Nine Heavens—after all, they were fox spirits!

You could call them deceitful, accuse them of seducing men, but you could never call them ugly!

"Uh... Young Master Jiang..." The elderly Qingqiu matriarch’s lips twitched. Was this young lord really such a lecher?

"Ah, I’ve been eagerly awaiting a chance to meet the Qingqiu Clan, yet I’ve never had the fortune to behold their beauty. What a pity... truly a pity."

The Qingqiu clansmen: "......"

If they didn’t understand Jiang Che’s implications by now, they’d be utter fools.

This guy actually had designs on their Qingqiu maidens???

Damn it... how outrageous!

"Young Master Jiang, please understand, our Qingqiu descendants are exceedingly rare..."

Jiang Che picked at his ear. "Rare descendants? Then what are you lot?"

"......"

Why were this young man’s words so abrasive? Couldn’t they have a pleasant conversation?

"How about this? I’ve always had a fondness for beauties. Does your Qingqiu Clan have any saintesses or princesses? Play matchmaker for me, won’t you? Don’t worry... you’ll be well compensated."

Jiang Che rubbed his hands together with a grin.

"......"

They thought he was merely interested in fox maidens, but now he was outright demanding to marry a saintess or imperial daughter?

What a joke!

"Young Master Jiang, you jest. Our clan has no saintess, nor any imperial daughter..."

"Heh... Is that so?"

Jiang Che smirked faintly. A prestigious clan like the Qingqiu, without a saintess? Who were they fooling?

Still, he committed the Qingqiu Clan to memory. Given the chance in the future... he’d definitely catch a few fox spirits to savor.

......

With Jiang Che around, the crossovers from the Nine Heavens didn’t dare act recklessly. After all, Jiang Che had slapped a Buddhist expert to death—a bona fide ruthless figure!

If he caught you slipping and fabricated a charge to execute you, who’d dare plead your case?

"Che’er... Ah... We old-timers are truly imposing on you. To think we’d need you to hold the fort for us..."

Jiang Yunhuang sighed deeply.

As the patriarch of the Jiang family in the mortal realm and a former grandmaster, he had once been an invincible existence, the pillar of the entire Jiang family.

With him around, the Jiang family would never fall.

But now, even this old man wasn’t enough. In critical moments, he still needed his grandson’s help.

"It’s nothing. I’m part of the Jiang family too!"

"Brother... Thank you. If not for you, something terrible might’ve happened this time." Jiang Ruoxu approached as well.

For Jiang Che, he now felt nothing but admiration.

He wasn’t the 15-year-old kid brother anymore—just half a month ago, he’d turned 18.

As an adult, he had to be more composed, to prioritize the family’s legacy. And Jiang Che had been working tirelessly for the Jiang family, even for the entire mortal realm’s cultivation world. He understood his brother’s struggles.

"Ruoxu, no need for thanks. Though your master... she’s been mentioning your name a lot lately. Says she misses you dearly."

Jiang Ruoxu: "......"

Why bring that up now?

Jiang Che always had a way with words—one sentence could make you furious, yet you couldn’t bring yourself to hate him.

[Darling, when did I ever say I missed him? Don’t spread lies. My heart has always belonged to you alone.]

Inside the soul-nurturing ring, Mo Lianxing fiddled with the newly acquired saint-grade spirit stone while clarifying.

As for Jiang Ruoxu, her former disciple, she had long forgotten any trace of their once-shared master-disciple bond.

"Call me 'master'? Don’t be ridiculous—I’m your sister-in-law now!"