Hunting

Deep in Black Wind Forest, cold mist billowed everywhere.

Amid the leaping firelight, the Wang Family's hunting squad slowly formed a circle, forcing the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox into a dead end.

The terrain here was complicated, with broken stones scattered everywhere. Towering cold pines surrounded the area, their dense branches and leaves blocking the moonlight and making the forest dim and indistinct.

The hunting squad members advanced slowly, the cold gleam of their swords and sabers flashing in their hands, their auras heavy.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox had been forced beside a huge boulder. Its body was covered in snow-white fur, and a deep-blue light glimmered in its eyes as it warily scanned its surroundings.

Its body was slender, its four limbs powerful, and a faint blue light pattern could vaguely be seen on its forehead.

Chu Ning stood at the rear of the group, observing.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox possessed extraordinarily high intelligence and was by no means comparable to an ordinary demon beast.

But it did not flee immediately. Instead, it stood quietly in place, its tail swaying slightly, as though calculating something.

"Surround it!"

Wang Li shouted in a low voice. Dozens of Wang Family martial artists quickly spread out, their blades glinting coldly as they closed in step by step like hounds.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's ears pricked up slightly, as though listening to the movements around it.

Suddenly, it leaped violently. Its four limbs kicked off the rock wall, and it shot several yards away in an instant.

"Stop it!"

A martial artist shouted furiously, thrusting the spear in his hand straight forward.

But the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox was unbelievably nimble. It twisted in midair, forcibly dodging the spearhead, then swept out a claw, cold light flashing.

"Pffft!"

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

"Damn beast!"

The remaining martial artists flew into a rage and charged forward one after another.

After landing, the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox did not pause in the slightest. It lowered its body, a ghostly light flashing in its eyes. The next moment, its figure blurred instantly, transforming into an afterimage as it raced toward the other side of the hunting squad.

"Its speed..."

Chu Ning's gaze sharpened.

Fast!

It was not merely ordinary swiftness, but some kind of special movement technique.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox did not directly clash with the hunting squad's edge. Instead, it roamed the perimeter of the encirclement at astonishing speed, killing with a single strike every time it attacked.

"Bang!"

Another martial artist cried out and collapsed. His chest had been pierced by a claw, and blood dyed the fallen leaves red.

"Fall back!"

Wang Li roared. The long saber in his hand suddenly hacked out, and a blade aura swept across the area.

However, the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox had sensed it long ago. Before the blade aura reached it, it had already leaped lightly into the air, rolling away with the aid of a tree trunk.

Its attack style was exceedingly cunning. It would not confront powerful foes head-on, instead targeting their weaknesses.

Chu Ning narrowed his eyes.

It was unlike an ordinary beast. It was more like an assassin proficient in tactics.

It was not fleeing mindlessly. It was constantly probing the hunting squad's defenses, and the moment it found an opening, it attacked without hesitation.

"Whoosh!"

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's figure vanished again. In the next instant, it appeared abruptly behind the hunting squad.

"Behind us!"

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

Another streak of cold light flashed. The necks of two wandering martial artists were severed at once, their heads rolling across the ground, terror and unwillingness still lingering in their eyes.

"This beast... how did it do that?"

A martial artist's voice trembled.

It was too clever!

It was not only skilled at ambushes; it even knew how to create chaos, delivering a fatal blow when everyone's guard was at its weakest.

Chu Ning's gaze flickered slightly.

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

First, its attack rhythm was highly distinctive.

It would not launch attacks consecutively. After each strike, it would open up a certain distance, as though waiting for the best moment to attack.

Second, it was exceptionally skilled at using the terrain.

Before every attack, it would find the most suitable cover for evasion in advance, then launch a surprise attack at its fastest speed and withdraw immediately after succeeding.

Finally, and most importantly.

The light in the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's eyes seemed to possess some mysterious power of spiritual suppression.

No wonder the martial artists of Qingyang County had surrounded and hunted it repeatedly, yet had never managed to kill it.

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

Chu Ning suddenly shouted.

Unfortunately, his warning was still a step too late.

The instant a wandering martial artist met the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's gaze, his body abruptly stiffened. He stood there blankly, as though his soul had been stolen away.

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox seized the opening, its figure flashing past like lightning.

"Pfft!"

The martial artist's heart was pierced by a claw. He collapsed slowly without even managing to cry out, the terror of his final moments still lingering in his eyes.

"It can seize the soul!"

Chu Ning's heart sank.

Wang Li's expression was terribly grim, and the long saber in his hand trembled slightly.

In the brief time it took to drink a cup of tea, the hunting squad had already suffered nearly half its members killed or wounded.

"We can't go on like this!"

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

He had already figured out its attack patterns.

But next, the key was how to force it into a desperate corner!

"Wang Li!"

Chu Ning suddenly spoke.

Wang Li whipped his head around, his gaze icy. "What do you want to say?"

"Change tactics!"

Chu Ning's gaze was resolute. "Your men can't stop it. If this continues, it'll pick us off one by one!"

Wang Li gritted his teeth and said solemnly, "What do you mean?"

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

Wang Li frowned and stared hard at Chu Ning.

After a long while, he said coldly, "If you dare play tricks, I'll be the first to kill you!"

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

Before his voice faded, his figure suddenly leaped forward, charging straight at the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox.

Wang Li's pupils contracted, and his expression changed drastically. "Bastard!"

Lightning flashed. Chu Ning's figure shot toward the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox like an arrow released from a bow.

The Snow Fox's deep-blue eyes narrowed slightly. Clearly, it had not expected anyone to dare challenge it so directly.

But it did not panic. Instead, its body sank slightly, its four limbs tensing, its tail swaying like a spirit serpent as it abruptly leaped sideways to avoid Chu Ning's frontal charge.

"Hmph!"

Chu Ning snorted coldly. The Rusty Saber slashed out with the momentum, and where its edge passed, arcs of lightning stirred in the air, their roar deafening.

However, the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox was extraordinarily agile. It dodged at the very brink of disaster, then used the terrain to dart once more into the depths of Black Wind Forest.

Chu Ning's eyes narrowed slightly.

This creature... was not only astonishingly fast, but also exceptionally skilled at using its surroundings.

But he did not hesitate in the slightest. He stamped down, pursuing it relentlessly.

The hunting squad had long since been terrified by its slaughter and was completely incapable of continuing the encirclement. At this moment, in all of Black Wind Forest, the only one who could truly fight it was probably Chu Ning himself.

Swish!

The Azure-Eyed Snow Fox suddenly leaped up, bounding repeatedly off the tree trunks. In the blink of an eye, it had reached a high place.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chu Ning kicked off a protruding rock and shot into the sky with the force of the recoil.

The two reached the treetops almost simultaneously and faced each other amid the raging wind.

However, at that moment, the air suddenly grew cold.

"Boom!"

A frigid current erupted from the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's body. Within several yards, everything was swiftly covered in frost. The dead leaves and tree trunks in the forest froze instantly, while the cold spread visibly through the air.

Frost abruptly formed on the ground beneath Chu Ning's feet. He felt a bone-piercing chill surge up his legs, causing his movements to slow slightly!

"Frost Domain?"

His gaze sharpened. He instantly realized that this was the Azure-Eyed Snow Fox's innate ability. With the release of its frost power, it was attempting to weaken its enemy through freezing.

"Hmph. You think you can trap me?"

Chu Ning shouted angrily. Thunderous Force erupted within his body, lightning surging along his meridians as he forcibly shattered the chill clinging to him. He stomped down, and the ice burst apart.

The Snow Fox's gaze was deep, carrying a trace of anger.

It gently raised a forepaw and slowly wiped its snow-white cheek, elegant as a noble. Then it actually revealed a trace of disdainful laughter.

"Foolish human."

It transmitted its voice through spiritual sense. Its voice was cold yet mocking. "Do you think you can 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 abruptly turned around, and a strange blue light burst from its eyes.

Chu Ning's mind jolted. The scene before him changed drastically in an instant.

Black Wind Forest vanished.

The cold wind disappeared.

Even the stench of blood evaporated.

He stood upon a vast snowfield. Heaven and earth stretched endlessly, draped in silver and white.

"Where... is this?"