Nine-Tailed Illusion Fox

At the junction of the Chuyun Empire, Mulan Empire, and Luoyan Empire.

Tens of thousands of magical beasts had already gathered here, all of them high-level.

This location at the intersection of the three empires was a valley surrounded by several towering mountains.

The ground was packed with various types of magical beasts, while some aerial beasts circled incessantly in the sky.

It was as if they were announcing a grand gathering of beasts. In the very center of the valley, a cluster of yellow flames was burning and flickering.

This was the beastly Heavenly Flame, the Myriad Beast Spirit Fire.

At the summit of the highest mountain stood three massive magical beasts.

Leading them were the representatives: the Tier 6 Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion from the Chuyun Empire, the Golden Horned Tyrant Lion from the Mulan Empire, and the Mystic Fire Crow from the Luoyan Empire.

The Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion waved its enormous pincers, and the beasts below erupted into a frenzy.

Hidden in the shadows, Xiao Yan and his companions were stunned.

The Amethyst Winged Lion King remarked, "It seems there are a few more beasts than expected, but it's still within our calculations."

Elder Yao stared at the three Tier 6 beasts above, his voice low. "That Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion is likely at the peak of Tier 6. I will handle him."

Zi Shuang nodded; the other two Tier 6 beasts were no pushovers either.

Hai Bodong glanced at the countless beasts below before turning to Xiao Yan. "Xiao Yan, looking at this formation, I doubt I can hold them off for even a minute."

Xiao Yan had rehearsed this many times before the operation. Now, he only needed to make contact with the Heavenly Flame to take it away.

"I only need a few seconds to secure the flame, but leaving will be the real trouble. There are so many aerial beasts here; even if I use the Purple Cloud Wings, it will be difficult to break through their defensive line," Xiao Yan replied.

Hai Bodong fell into deep thought, and Elder Yao sighed.

"If I were still at my peak, these small fries wouldn't even require me to lift a finger."

Xiao Yan naturally believed Elder Yao's words.

However, the current situation was clearly difficult, so Xiao Yan began brewing another plan in his mind.

With a roar from the Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion, the grand gathering officially began.

Zi Shuang said, "No rush. We must wait until they let their guard down. The best moment will be when the competition ends and they prepare to take the Heavenly Flame."

The three Tier 6 beasts on the platform had not discovered Xiao Yan and his group, thanks to the concealment provided by Elder Yao's soul power. Even a Tier 7 beast might not have been able to detect them.

The Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion declared, "This time, the Heavenly Flame will surely remain under the control of our Chuyun Empire's beasts. After all, we have won for three consecutive sessions."

The Golden Horned Tyrant Lion snorted and retorted, "That was just your luck. This time, our Mulan Empire's beasts have been preparing for a long time. We've been waiting for this very gathering."

The Mystic Fire Crow said disdainfully, "Neither of you should try to snatch it this time. The ancestor of our Luoyan Empire's beasts is waiting for this flame. Once our ancestor successfully breaks through, the status of the beasts in the Magical Beast Mountain Range will surely rise once again!"

"Then let's see if your juniors are actually capable enough to win it," the Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion said, not believing a word of it.

The Golden Horned Tyrant Lion added, "You aren't the only ones with an ancestor; our ancestor is also waiting for the Heavenly Flame to nourish their body."

The Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion quickly interrupted them, impatient. "Enough, let's end this bickering. Don't forget our mission: to ensure the gathering proceeds without incident."

"You don't need to tell us that. We aren't fools; it's impossible for anyone to sabotage the gathering right under our noses," the Mystic Fire Crow said, showing no respect to the Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion.

The Golden Horned Tyrant Lion raised his neck and said, "As for that fellow, the Amethyst Winged Lion King, he wouldn't dare plot anything here. Even if he had the guts, he lacks the ability."

"Haha, with the three of us here, even if humans wanted to come and snatch the flame, they would have to weigh their own strength first," the Mystic Fire Crow added.

The Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion tapped his head with his large pincers, feeling speechless, but he had no time to argue with them.

Below, the younger generation of the three factions had all stepped forward.

Each faction sent out two beasts to battle one another.

The first to appear from the Chuyun Empire was a snow-white fox, a Tier 3 magical beast.

On the other side, the Mulan Empire sent out a Golden-Armored Berserk Lion, a Tier 4 beast specialized in brute force.

Since they claimed this was a battle for the younger generation, the beasts were required to be under a hundred years old.

Because magical beasts generally have longer lifespans than humans, their cultivation process is often more difficult.

The Golden Horned Tyrant Lion laughed heartily. "Have you run out of beasts in the Chuyun Empire? Sending a Tier 3 little fox? This will make our victory feel unearned."

The Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion said grimly, "Underestimating her will come at a price. We'll see if you can handle it."

The Golden Horned Tyrant Lion snorted disdainfully. "I want to see what she's capable of. The Golden-Armored Berserk Lion under my command was trained by me personally. He can withstand even a Tier 5 beast with his physical body alone, let alone your little fox."

"She is no ordinary fox. You'll only find out how unlucky you are once you face her." After the Four-Winged Heavenly Demon Scorpion finished that last sentence, the match began.

The Golden-Armored Berserk Lion smiled at the White Fox. "Little sister, I don't have the heart to hit you. Why don't you just step down yourself?"

The White Fox stroked her face and said, "Is that so? You had better not be careless when facing me, or you will be defeated by me in front of all these beasts."

The Golden-Armored Berserk Lion slammed his massive claws into the ground, sending a terrifying force toward the White Fox's feet.

Xiao Yan sighed inwardly; the physical bodies of magical beasts were truly formidable.

Cold sweat broke out on Hai Bodong; even with his current strength, he felt immense pressure facing this Tier 4 beast.

Elder Yao stared intently at the little fox, muttering, "This fox doesn't seem simple at all."

Sure enough, the White Fox used her agile movement technique to dodge the attack.

After landing on the ground, she chuckled at the Golden-Armored Berserk Lion.

The Golden-Armored Berserk Lion was overjoyed and continued, "Little sister, with those delicate paws of yours, even if I let you scratch me, you wouldn't be able to pierce the golden armor I'm wearing."

The White Fox smiled and said, "Is that so? To win the match, must one rely solely on brute force?"

As she finished speaking, the White Fox stretched her body, and the Golden-Armored Berserk Lion was instantly mesmerized.

Then, the tails behind the White Fox multiplied, shifting from one to two, and finally to three. A fourth tail appeared somewhat translucent, but it ultimately failed to take shape.

Elder Yao realized something at this moment and muttered under his breath, "So it is a Nine-Tailed Illusion Fox!"