The Hunt

In the depths of the Black Wind Forest, a cold mist permeated the air.

Amidst flickering firelight, the Wang Family's hunting party slowly formed a circle, cornering the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox.

The terrain in this area was complex, covered in rubble, and surrounded by towering, cold pines. Their dense branches and leaves blocked the moonlight, casting the forest in deep, indistinguishable shadows.

The hunting party members advanced slowly, the blades in their hands flashing with cold light, their auras heavy.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox was forced next to a massive boulder. Its fur was snow-white, its eyes glowed with a faint blue light, and it warily scanned its surroundings.

Its body was slender, its limbs strong, and a faint, light blue pattern was visible on its forehead.

Chu Ning stood at the back of the formation, observing.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox possessed extremely high intelligence, far surpassing ordinary demonic beasts.

However, it didn't immediately flee. Instead, it stood still, its tail swaying slightly, as if calculating something.

"Surround it!"

Wang Li shouted in a low voice. Dozens of Wang Family martial artists quickly spread out, their swords gleaming coldly, closing in like hounds.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's ears twitched slightly, as if listening to the sounds around it.

Suddenly, it leaped, its four limbs pushing off the rock face, instantly covering several yards.

"Stop it!"

A martial artist yelled, thrusting his spear forward.

But the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox was incredibly agile. It twisted in mid-air, narrowly dodging the spear's tip, and then swept its sharp claws, a cold light flashing.

"Pfft!"

The martial artist's throat was torn open, blood spraying out like a fountain. His body crashed to the ground.

"Damn beast!"

The other martial artists were enraged and charged forward.

After landing, the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox didn't pause. It lowered its body, its eyes flashing with a faint glow, and the next moment, its form blurred, turning into an afterimage as it darted towards another side of the hunting party.

"Its speed..."

Chu Ning's gaze sharpened.

Fast!

Not just ordinary swiftness, but some kind of special movement technique.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox didn't directly confront the hunting party's sharp edges. Instead, it moved at extreme speed along the edges of the encirclement. Each attack was a swift, fatal blow.

"Bang!"

Another martial artist cried out and fell, his chest pierced by sharp claws. Blood stained the fallen leaves in the forest.

"Fall back!"

Wang Li roared, suddenly slashing out with his long saber, a wave of blade energy sweeping forward.

However, the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox had already anticipated this. Before the blade energy could reach it, it leaped lightly, rolling away using a tree trunk.

Its attack method was extremely cunning. It avoided direct confrontation with stronger opponents, instead targeting weaknesses.

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes.

It didn't seem like an ordinary wild beast; it was more like an assassin skilled in tactics.

It wasn't fleeing mindlessly but was constantly probing the hunting party's defenses. Once it found a flaw, it would strike without hesitation.

"Swish!"

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox disappeared again, and the next moment, it abruptly appeared behind the hunting party.

"Behind you!"

But by the time everyone reacted, it was already too late.

Another cold light flashed, and two martial artists' necks were severed simultaneously. Their heads rolled to the ground, their eyes still filled with terror and unwillingness.

"How... how did this beast do it?"

A martial artist's voice trembled.

It was too intelligent!

Not only was it skilled at ambushes, but it even understood how to create chaos, striking with fatal precision when everyone's guard was weakest.

Chu Ning's gaze flickered slightly.

He carefully observed the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's movements and discovered some patterns.

Firstly, its attack rhythm was unique.

It didn't launch consecutive attacks. Instead, after each strike, it would create a certain distance, seemingly waiting for the optimal moment to attack.

Secondly, it was extremely adept at utilizing the terrain.

Before each attack, it would first find the most suitable cover for evasion, then launch a surprise attack at maximum speed, and retreat quickly after succeeding.

Finally, the most important point.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's gaze seemed to possess some kind of mysterious mental suppression power.

No wonder the martial artists of Qingyang County had failed to hunt it down despite multiple encirclement attempts.

"Everyone, don't look directly into its eyes!"

Chu Ning shouted suddenly.

Unfortunately, his warning was still a step too late.

The moment a martial artist from the jianghu met the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's gaze, his body stiffened abruptly. He stood frozen in place as if his soul had been snatched away.

Seizing the opening, the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox flashed forward like lightning.

"Pfft!"

The martial artist's heart was pierced by sharp claws. Before he could even cry out, he slowly fell to the ground, his eyes still holding the terror of his final moments.

"It can bewitch the mind!"

Chu Ning's heart sank.

Wang Li's face was extremely grim, his long saber trembling slightly in his hand.

In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the hunting party had already suffered nearly half casualties.

"We can't go on like this!"

Chu Ning took a deep breath, his gaze locked onto the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox.

He had figured out its attack patterns.

But the key now was how to force it into a desperate situation!

"Wang Li!"

Chu Ning suddenly spoke.

Wang Li abruptly turned his head, his gaze chillingly cold. "What do you want to say?"

"Change the tactics!"

Chu Ning's gaze was firm. "Your men can't stop it. If we continue like this, it will pick us off one by one!"

Wang Li gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice, "What do you mean?"

"Give me a chance, I'll lure it!"

Wang Li frowned, staring intently at Chu Ning.

After a long moment, he said sternly, "If you dare to play any tricks, I'll kill you first!"

Chu Ning sneered, "You'd better pray it dies first."

Before his words had even finished, his figure leaped out, heading straight for the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox.

Wang Li's pupils contracted, his face changing drastically. "You lunatic!"

Lightning flashed, and Chu Ning's figure shot towards the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The snow fox's eyes were a deep blue, narrowing slightly. It clearly hadn't expected anyone to dare provoke it so directly.

But it didn't panic. Instead, its body lowered slightly, its limbs tensed, and its tail swayed like a spirit snake. It leaped sideways, dodging Chu Ning's frontal assault.

"Hmph!"

Chu Ning snorted coldly, his rusty saber slashing out with the momentum. Where the blade passed, arcs of lightning crackled in the air, accompanied by a roaring sound.

However, the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's movements were incredibly agile. It managed to dodge at the last second, using the terrain to dart back into the dense depths of the Black Wind Forest.

Chu Ning's eyes narrowed slightly.

This guy... not only was its speed astonishing, but it was also extremely adept at utilizing its environment.

But he didn't hesitate at all. He stomped his foot and pursued relentlessly.

The hunting party members had already been terrified by its killings and were no longer capable of continuing the encirclement. At this moment, the only one truly capable of fighting it in the entire Black Wind Forest was probably himself.

Swish!

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox suddenly leaped up, stepping on tree trunks and making repeated leaps. In the blink of an eye, it had ascended to a higher position.

Chu Ning did not hesitate. He pushed off a protruding rock with his foot, using the recoil to surge upwards.

The two leaped onto the treetops almost simultaneously, facing each other against the howling wind.

However, at this very moment, the air suddenly turned cold.

"Boom!"

A stream of cold air erupted from the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's body. The area within several feet was rapidly covered in frost. The dead leaves and tree trunks in the forest instantly froze, and the chilling aura visibly spread.

The ground beneath Chu Ning's feet suddenly frosted over. He felt a bone-chilling coldness surge up his leg, causing his movements to momentarily falter!

"Frost Domain?"

His gaze sharpened, and he instantly realized that this was the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's innate ability. As it released its frost power, it attempted to weaken its enemies by freezing them.

"Hmph, you think you can trap me?"

Chu Ning roared, the lightning energy within his body erupting. Lightning surged along his meridians, forcefully shattering the cold air clinging to him. He stomped his foot down, and the ice cracked apart.

The snow fox's gaze was profound, carrying a hint of anger.

It gently raised a forepaw, slowly wiping its pure white cheek with an elegance befitting a noble. Then, it actually revealed a disdainful smile.

"Foolish human."

It transmitted its thoughts telepathically, its voice icy and mocking, "Did you think you could win? Before absolute spiritual power, you don't even have the right to struggle."

"Could it be..."

Before he could finish thinking, the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox suddenly turned its head, its twin pupils bursting with a strange blue light.

Chu Ning's mind jolted, and the scene before him instantly underwent a drastic change.

The Black Wind Forest vanished.

The cold wind was gone.

The smell of blood also evaporated.

He found himself standing on a vast, desolate snowfield, the heavens and earth boundless, clad in silver.

"Where... is this place?"