New Eden: Live to Play, Play to Live-Chapter 1101: The Pagoda’s Truth

"Let me go, first," the celestial fox insisted, pointing at Alex’s now red hands around his collar.

Alexander reluctantly released him, shoving him away at the same time, which elicited a grunt from the fox, as he brushed the wrinkles away from his clothes.

"This pagoda is indeed a prison. But its purpose was never to retain mortals. It was always intended as a prison for the demons plaguing the world. It used to run without the need for extra batteries, back when mortals were still in touch with the world’s Qi."

Alex growled at him.

"Stop calling them batteries. Those are human souls. Have some respect."

The celestial fox waved his hand dismissively, ignoring his threatening gaze.

"If it’s any solace, the ones below are all criminals of the worst kind or traitors to the Zhong Kui. I have never taken an innocent soul prisoner," he said, turning his back to Alexander.

He started walking toward the staircase again.

"I do not want to talk in front of the previous vessel. Please follow me upstairs, where we can have some privacy."

In truth, the celestial fox was quite impressed at how quickly Alexander had realized the function of his pagoda. He wondered how he had come to this conclusion so fast, since the prisoners couldn’t be seen or sensed through normal means.

That, however, was a question for a private discussion. He wouldn’t air his abilities in front of what were not only lessers but discarded ones at that.

"Wait! Master Tian! What do you mean by ’his father’? Is my son not away from the Zhong Kui?" the man asked, suddenly wearing a worried look.

*Tsk*

The celestial fox clicked his tongue in annoyance.

"See what you have done?" he asked, turning back toward Alexander, who was returning to his human form.

"Answer me, Tian Kuo! What have you done to my son?!" the man growled, rage taking hold of him by the lack of response.

The fox’s gaze snapped toward the man, anger seething out of his eyes.

"Who gave you the right to call my name, you old haggard fool?! You want to see your son, then take a good look. You are staring at him!" he replied with rage.

Immediately, the old man’s guandao rose and pointed at the celestial fox.

"You had promised! You lied! Release my son!" he howled, lowering his stance as he readied himself to pounce at the celestial fox.

But with a snap of the fox’s fingers, he vanished from the room.

Alex felt the soul sink into the floor, joining the writhing ones below, as it shook in anger.

But the words exchanged made him realize something.

"You never intended to give us back Gu Fang. You can’t, can you?" he asked, his gaze becoming ice cold.

Tian Kuo sighed in exasperation.

He waved his hand around him, and the room changed to an open-walled terrace, with a magnificent view of the mountain range far below them. It was like they were hundreds of meters over the Huashan mountain.

David walked to the edge of the terrace, whistling to himself as he looked down the side of the pagoda.

"That is quite the drop. No wonder you hide this building from sight. There is no way it would go unnoticed without a concealment spell," he commented, looking at the city in the distance, which he could see through the clouds lazily flying by.

"It’s not a spell, mortal. It’s a formation, the likes that someone like you could never imitate. Stop comparing my powers to your measly spells and magic tricks."

David shrugged mockingly.

"Eh. Tomato tomahto. Same shit, different smell. You get the picture I’m painting, right?" he mocked.

Tian Kuo wanted to snuff the life out of him, his arrogance starting to annoy him. But he retained his calm facade, smiling at David.

"They say ignorance is bliss. You must be quite happy in life, yes?" he answered.

"Being ignorant still beats being a blind idiot. You get such a high vantage point, yet you see nothing past the foot of your mountain, fox. The world is going to shit, and you have your doors locked tight, like a scared old woman."

"Alright, enough, you two," Kary interjected, annoyed that David would keep the discussion from progressing.

Alex was still glaring at the celestial fox, waiting for his answer.

Tian Kuo snorted, mocking how David suddenly shut his mouth at the orders of the woman, and waved his hands, chairs appearing on top of hastily conjured spell arrays, or rather, formations, as he called them.

To the group, there was simply no difference between his skills and the magic they used, if only the source of its power. None of them could sense the spell happening, even after it was done.

"Let us sit. This conversation will not be a short one, and I am sure you are all tired," the fox said, feigning hospitality.

Alex touched the chair nearest him, trying to sense if there was a trap in it, and came back blank. Sitting in it, and seeing there was no springing trap, or locking mechanism suddenly appearing, he nodded at the others.

Soon after, the entire group was seated, and the fox followed suit. He waved his hands again, conjuring a round table, and forcing the chairs to place themselves around it, leaving a healthy distance between him and the closest member of Alexander’s group.

He scanned over them, making sure none of them looked like they were about to lunge at him again, and sighed.

"He was right when he said you were an aggressive pair. He was also right when he said you would see clearly through my pagoda. I can only wonder if he was right when he said you would save the world, though. You seem more likely to destroy it along with the demons," Tian Kuo said.

Alex and David frowned, knowing he was talking about them. But they wondered who he meant when he said ’He.’

"To answer your question," the fox resumed, "no, I cannot give you back Gu Fang. His body is what keeps me in the realm of mortals on Earth. And even if I wanted to hand it back, his soul can no longer inhabit it. It is part of the pagoda’s powers now.

"Now, before you try to beat me to death," he said, raising his hands at the moving Alexander, "know that he agreed to this of his own volition. I did not force him. I can have him come out and tell you himself if you want to."

Alex locked his eyes on him, his hand still clenching the side of the table with his ass off the chair.

"Do it. I don’t believe a word you say. I want to hear it from his mouth."

Tian Kuo sighed but nodded.

And with a wave of his hand, a spectre appeared, standing next to him, looking exactly like he did.

"Hello again, Mr. Leduc. I hadn’t hoped we could ever meet again. Although it pains me not to see Mr. Boudreau here, I do hope you will send him my regards."

Alex looked at him, recognizing his soul’s essence, and dropping back into his seat.

"Gu Fang..."