A pale, desolate moon shone down upon an island of corpses, where a sacrificial altar of white bone stood. This scene had persisted for countless ages amidst the sinister, surging waters of the Ghost-Winding River, as if it were an eternal, unchanging fixture.
Yet, on this day, the sight hidden deep within the river finally underwent a change. The massive black mist that had clung to the bone altar for untold years vanished. It would no longer shift into the form of a spectral fox, nor would it contort into a grotesque, gaping maw. Along with it, the fleeting image of the white fox that had appeared not long before also disappeared. The Three-Tribulation Spirit Fox, who would sacrifice everything for her daughter, had chosen to perish together with her ancestor—the fallen progenitor fox of the Biqiu Swamp.
The pale moonlight reflected on the island of corpses, making it appear even colder and more wretched. In the center of the island, upon the bone altar, a white fox with snow-white fur and an ethereal, spiritual air raised its head, gazing into the sky for a long time. This fox was slightly smaller than the phantom image that had just vanished, yet the two looked remarkably alike. Its eyes were filled with tears that flowed silently. Beside it lay the remains of another white fox, equally snow-white, but withered—its flesh and blood long gone, its form gaunt, its fur sparse.
Chapter 75