Three-Tailed Demon Fox

Black Stone Cave lay among a jumble of rocky hills, ten li north of Little Pond Town.

The entrance was concealed by boulders and vines, making it extremely difficult to spot.

Before they even drew near, Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi could smell blood and demonic energy wafting from inside the cave.

They landed at the entrance and exchanged a glance. Both saw the gravity in the other's eyes.

"This demonic energy is powerful."

Lu Xueqi spoke softly. The Tianya Divine Sword in her hand was already humming, sensing the danger within the cave.

"Mm."

Li Xiaoyu replied in a low voice.

He could sense that although the demonic energy was powerful, it was laced with sorrow and despair.

This left Li Xiaoyu puzzled.

"Let's go in. Be careful."

Li Xiaoyu led the way, with Lu Xueqi close behind. They entered Black Stone Cave one after the other, proceeding with utmost caution.

The cave was dim, its path uneven.

Unlike the damp chill of the Ancient Bat Cave, this place was dry and warm.

The smell of blood in the air was faint. Instead, a strange medicinal fragrance lingered.

This only deepened their confusion.

They had walked about a hundred zhang when a spacious stone chamber suddenly appeared ahead.

A bonfire burned in the center of the chamber, illuminating the entire space.

Beside it, a figure sat cross-legged with her back to them.

The figure looked like a woman. She wore a fiery red dress, and her long black hair spilled down like a waterfall.

Behind the woman, three fiery red tails swayed leisurely.

A fox demon!

And a Three-Tailed Demon Fox of exceptionally high cultivation!

Just as the two spotted her, the fox demon sensed their arrival.

She slowly turned around.

Her face was stunningly beautiful, alluring enough to enchant all creation.

The fox demon's eyes were long and narrow, her gaze languid yet wary.

Her lips were crimson, the corners lifted in a faint, enigmatic smile.

"I didn't expect someone to come knocking so soon."

The fox demon's voice was rich with the allure of a mature woman, languid and dangerous.

"Are you disciples of the Green Cloud Sect?"

She looked at the clothes Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi wore and asked.

Li Xiaoyu stepped in front of Lu Xueqi, Autumn Water Sword already drawn in his hand.

"You've been wreaking havoc here and slaughtering the living. We've come to bring you in!"

Li Xiaoyu shouted coldly.

Yet when the Three-Tailed Demon Fox heard him, she didn't look the least bit afraid. Instead, she let out a soft laugh.

"Hehehe. Bring me in?"

She rose to her feet, the fiery red dress outlining her graceful figure.

"You two little Jade Purity Realm brats?"

A look of contempt flashed in the Three-Tailed Demon Fox's eyes.

"If I wanted to kill you, you wouldn't even have made it through the cave entrance."

Her words brimmed with confidence.

Li Xiaoyu's heart tightened. He knew she wasn't bluffing.

With the fox demon's strength, if she had set an ambush outside the cave, they would likely have been doomed.

"Then why are you draining the blood of people and livestock?"

Lu Xueqi's cool voice rang out. The Tianya Divine Sword in her hand shimmered blue, its sword intent aimed straight at the Three-Tailed Demon Fox.

The Three-Tailed Demon Fox's gaze fell on the Tianya Divine Sword in Lu Xueqi's hand. A flicker of apprehension crossed her eyes, then gave way to sorrow.

"I don't want to, but I have no choice."

Her voice held a note of helplessness.

"Enough talk, monster! Prepare to die!"

Li Xiaoyu stopped wasting words. He knew there was no reasoning with demons.

With a low shout, he launched the first attack.

Autumn Water Sword flashed like a streak of light, its fierce sword energy stabbing toward the Three-Tailed Demon Fox.

Lu Xueqi attacked at the same time. The blue light of the Tianya Divine Sword blazed, and a chilling sword energy followed close behind.

Both of them went all out from the start, their teamwork flawless.

Yet faced with their fierce assault, the Three-Tailed Demon Fox showed no sign of panic.

She raised a slender hand, and strands of crimson demonic energy gathered in front of her, forming a shield of flame.

"Clang! Clang!"

The two divine weapons struck the fiery shield, only to be stopped with ease. The clash rang out like metal on metal.

"What?!"

Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi were both astonished.

They hadn't expected the fox demon's demonic power to be so profound that she could withstand their combined strike with her bare hands.

"I told you, you're no match for me."

The Three-Tailed Demon Fox spoke.

With a twist of her wrist, the fiery shield burst apart, transforming into a rain of flames that swept back toward them.

Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi hurriedly retreated, raising their swords to fend it off.

But the firestorm carried immense demonic power, numbing their arms and roiling their blood and qi.

"She's strong!"

Li Xiaoyu was aghast.

The fox demon was even more powerful than he'd imagined.

"Xueqi, use that move!"

Li Xiaoyu called to Lu Xueqi in a low voice.

Lu Xueqi understood and nodded.

They stood shoulder to shoulder once more, releasing all the spiritual energy in their bodies.

"Divine Sword Thunder Control!"

"Heaven and Earth Borrowing Method!"

Together, they unleashed the techniques they'd used to defeat their foe in the Abyss of the Dead.

A fused sword aura, infused with thunder and the Dao's profound rhythm, took shape once more!

Compared to the last time, this sword aura was even more powerful, its energy more perfectly harmonized.

"Go!"

Li Xiaoyu swung his sword. The sword aura thundered toward the Three-Tailed Demon Fox with the might to destroy heaven and earth.

Faced with this strike, powerful enough to make even ordinary Upper Purity Realm experts blanch, the Three-Tailed Demon Fox finally grew solemn.

She knew she could no longer deal with this strike as casually as before.

The Three-Tailed Demon Fox rapidly formed profound hand seals before her chest.

"Nine-Tail Celestial Fox, True Fire Scorching the Plains!"

She cried out. The three enormous tails behind her instantly blazed with fierce crimson flames.

This was no ordinary fire, but her innate demonic flame, cultivated for nearly a thousand years. Its heat was enough to melt gold and iron.

The three streams of demonic fire converged before her, transforming into a ferocious flame dragon. It opened its gaping maw and charged at the fused sword aura.

"Boom—!"

The entire Black Stone Cave trembled violently.

The sword aura and the flame dragon collided in the center of the chamber.

A shock wave of wild energy swept madly in every direction.

Huge cracks spread across the chamber walls, and countless rocks rained down from the ceiling.

The shock wave sent Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi stumbling backward, their faces pale.

The Three-Tailed Demon Fox on the other side fared no better.

The sword aura cleaved through the flame dragon, and its wild sword energy broke through her defenses, leaving a deep gash in her fiery red dress.

A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth.

She was wounded.

Yet just as Li Xiaoyu and Lu Xueqi prepared to press their advantage and subdue the fox demon once and for all, Li Xiaoyu suddenly froze.

Confusion flashed in his eyes.

"Something's not right."

He spoke quietly.

"What is it?"

Lu Xueqi looked at him, puzzled.

"She doesn't mean to kill us."

Li Xiaoyu said gravely.

He realized that from the start of the battle until now, although the Three-Tailed Demon Fox was powerful and her moves fierce, she had never once gone for the kill.

All her attacks had been meant to drive them back, not take their lives.

And in the Three-Tailed Demon Fox's eyes, Li Xiaoyu saw neither a demon's cruelty nor bloodlust.

Instead, he saw deep sorrow and despair.

This wasn't right.

Something was amiss.