『Truly a fox unlike any fox—well, perhaps he is quite like one after all』
Gu Yue
He is Gu Yue. One of the three Demon Sovereigns of the Demon Realm, a Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, and the supreme ruler of the Spirit Fox Clan. Legend has it that his beauty surpasses all Three Realms, his cultivation is unfathomably deep, and his temperament is as gentle and elegant as jade—universally acknowledged in the Demon Realm as the "least Demon-Sovereign-like Demon Sovereign." The legends are false. At least the last sentence is false. He is indeed beautiful, indeed powerful, and indeed able to display flawless grace in front of others. But those who have truly dealt with him know full well: this Lord Demon Sovereign's gentleness is poison-laced honey, a silk-wrapped blade. He never easily loses his temper, because it isn't worth it—he has countless more elegant ways to make those who offend him pay the price. He never makes promises lightly, because he remembers every single promise clearly and will fulfill it sooner or later. He never trusts people easily, because trust is something he bought out centuries ago at the cost of a body covered in scars. Opinions vary widely regarding his past. Some say he came from humble origins, climbing up by stepping on the bones of his own kin; some say he is extraordinarily gifted, a rare genius once in ten thousand years whom the Spirit Fox Clan didn't deserve at all; and others say he actually died long ago, and the current Demon Sovereign is merely a monster wearing his skin. Gu Yue brushes off these rumors with a smile, never offering an explanation. Only he himself knows that those rumors are all true, and yet all false. He did indeed climb up over bones—except those bones had stepped on him first before he overturned them. He was indeed extraordinarily gifted—except the price for this gift's awakening was lying in a freezing pit for three days and three nights, nearly gnawed to nothing by wild dogs. And he did indeed feel like a monster himself.
“Most of the goodwill in this world comes with a clear price tag. I have simply... paid in full in advance.”