Black Myth: The Legend of Tianpeng Seeking Demons

Tamamo-no-Mae led Zhu Feifei away from the chaotic television studio. The two walked through several quiet alleys and finally arrived at a hidden back door.

"This is..." Zhu Feifei looked at the inconspicuous wooden door in front of her and asked in confusion.

“The back door of ‘Phantom Night’,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “Follow me.”

She pushed open the door and led Zhu Feifei into the bar.

Unlike the hustle and bustle of the daytime, the "Phantom Night" bar is exceptionally quiet at night. Under the dim lights, only a few monsters are talking quietly in a corner.

Tamamo-no-Mae led Zhu Feifei to a secret room behind the bar. On the wall of the secret room hung a huge portrait of a nine-tailed fox. The nine-tailed fox in the portrait was so lifelike that it seemed as if it would walk out of the painting at any moment.

“This is my private space, and no one but me can come in,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “Now, we can have a proper talk.”

"What are you going to talk about? Why did you protect the 'Shadow Warrior'?" Zhu Feifei asked. "Don't tell me you're in cahoots with the 'Dark Moon' organization!"

“I do have some connection with the ‘Dark Moon’ organization, but I’m not one of them,” Tamamo-no-Mae sighed. “As for why I protect the ‘Shadow Warriors,’ that’s because…”

She hesitated, as if she had something difficult to say.

"Why?" Zhu Feifei pressed.

"Because he is my younger brother." Tamamo-no-Mae was silent for a moment before finally revealing the truth.

"What?!" Zhu Feifei exclaimed, "He's your brother? Then why did he join the 'Dark Moon' organization? Why did he help 'Moon Shadow'?"

“This… is a long story.” A look of pain flashed in Tamamo-no-Mae’s eyes. “My younger brother, Shinji Kurokawa, was originally a kind young man, but he was unfortunately bewitched by ‘Moon Shadow’ and joined the ‘Dark Moon’ organization, becoming a ‘Shadow Warrior’.”

"Who exactly is 'Moon Shadow'? Why is he using Tokyo Tower for a blood sacrifice ritual?" Zhu Feifei asked.

“I cannot tell you the true identity of ‘Moon Shadow’.” Tamamo-no-Mae shook her head. “I can only tell you that he is an extremely dangerous person. If his plan succeeds, not only Tokyo, but the entire world will be plunged into disaster.”

"As for his purpose, it is to obtain greater power and become an existence that surpasses everything. Tokyo Tower is an important hub connecting the human world and the demon world. He wants to use the special energy field of Tokyo Tower to open a spacetime rift, summon the true form of the Nine-Tailed Fox to descend to the human world, and use a blood sacrifice ritual to seize the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox for himself."

"And what about Minako Aso? What role does she play in this plan?"

“Asou Minako is the sacrifice chosen by ‘Moon Shadow.’ Her soul possesses a special power that can be used as a catalyst for the ritual,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “‘Moon Shadow’ plans to sacrifice Asou Minako’s soul to the Nine-Tailed Fox on the day of the ritual to enhance its power.”

"We have to stop him!" Zhu Feifei said. "But how?"

“That’s why I’ve asked you to come here,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “I know a way to stop Project Moonshadow, but I need your help to do it.”

"What's the solution? Tell me!" Zhu Feifei said.

“I need the demonic power of the nine-tailed fox demon within you,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “Using the divine power of ‘Nine-Tailed Heavenly Fox Transformation,’ I will inject the demonic power into the energy core of Tokyo Tower, disrupt ‘Moon Shadow’s’ ritual, and ruin his plans.”

"But if I do that, won't I lose the power of the 'Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox Transformation'?" Zhu Feifei said hesitantly.

“This is only temporary,” Tamamo-no-Mae explained. “Once the ritual is broken, you can reabsorb demonic energy and restore your power.”

"Well... alright." Zhu Feifei thought for a moment and finally agreed to Tamamo-no-Mae's request. "What should I do?"

"Come with me." Tamamo-no-Mae said, walking to the portrait of the nine-tailed fox, extending her right hand and pressing it on the portrait.

Suddenly, a red light flashed in the eyes of the nine-tailed fox in the portrait, and then the portrait slowly slid to the sides, revealing a dark secret passage.

“This is a secret passage to Tokyo Tower,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “We can sneak into Tokyo Tower from here, find ‘Moon Shadow,’ and stop his ritual.”

"Let's get moving!" Zhu Feifei said.

"Wait a minute." Tamamo-no-Mae called out to Zhu Feifei, "Before we take action, I need you to agree to one condition."

"What are the conditions?" Zhu Feifei asked.

“If… I mean if, ‘Kagemusha’ encounters danger during the operation, I hope you will do your best to protect him,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “After all, he is my only brother.”

"This..." Zhu Feifei hesitated, "I'll try my best."

“Thank you,” Tamamo-no-Mae said gratefully. “I know this request is a bit much, but… I really have no other choice.”

"Alright, that's enough, let's get going!" Zhu Feifei said, "It'll be too late if we wait any longer!"

"Hmm." Tamamo-no-Mae nodded, then stepped into the secret passage first.

Zhu Feifei followed closely behind, and the two disappeared into the darkness, one after the other.

The secret passage was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Zhu Feifei could only follow in Tamamo-no-Mae's footsteps, carefully moving forward.

"When was this secret passage built? Why have I never heard of it before?" Zhu Feifei asked curiously.

“This was built a long time ago by the Nine-Tailed Fox clan to facilitate their access to and from Tokyo Tower,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “Later, the Nine-Tailed Fox clan gradually declined, and this secret passage was abandoned.”

"I see." Zhu Feifei nodded, then asked, "Why are you telling me all this? Aren't you afraid I'm an accomplice of 'Moon Shadow'?"

“I believe you,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “Your eyes tell me that you are a trustworthy person.”

"Haha, you have a good eye!" Zhu Feifei laughed smugly. "Unlike some people who are blind to my worth and actually mistook me for a monster!"

“You were a demon to begin with,” Tamamo-no-Mae said mercilessly.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm in human form now! And I'm a monster on the side of justice!" Zhu Feifei protested.

"Alright, stop joking around," Tamamo-no-Mae said. "We're almost there."

After walking for a while, the two finally arrived at the end of the secret passage.

Tamamo-no-Mae pushed open a stone door, and outside was a dazzling light.

“This is the interior of Tokyo Tower,” Tamamo-no-Mae said. “The ‘Moon Shadow’ ceremony is being held at the observation deck at the top of the tower. We must get there as soon as possible and stop him!”

“Okay, let’s go!” Zhu Feifei said, and then followed Tamamo-no-Mae out of the secret passage.