He Dazhi realized that the three of them were standing on a platform in the Magma Lake. Behind them was an upward passageway. At the far end of the platform, right beside the searing lava where the heat was almost unbearable, lay an oval-shaped stone hollow. A huge white fox was curled up there, perfectly still.
A white, enormous fox—beautiful beyond compare!
"Six tails!" Little Fatty had spotted the great fox too. He gazed at the six enormous white tails swishing gently behind it and loved them at once.
In the scorching underground cavern, waves of heat rolled through the air. Below the platform, scarlet lava bubbled and churned, bursting now and then with a sharp pop.
It was so hot that even the air they breathed seemed ready to catch fire. Yet the huge white fox with six tails lay there quietly, as if it were enjoying the temperature.
The enormous fox was taller lying down than they were standing up. He Dazhi moved in front of the two youngsters to shield them.
"So you found your way down after all!" A woman in white emerged slowly from the passage behind them. She was the Three-Tailed Fox Demon they had encountered earlier.
"That big fox is so pretty!" Like a child who'd found a new toy and couldn't wait to show it off, Little Fatty pointed at the great fox and called out happily to the Three-Tailed Fox Demon.
At his exclamation, the Three-Tailed Fox Demon saw the genuine affection in his eyes, and some of the hostility in her heart eased.
The platform was long and narrow, stretching deep over the surface of the Magma Lake. The Three-Tailed Fox Demon passed the three of them and walked straight toward the huge white fox, her back exposed to them