Confrontation

The celestial fox girl stared at the pool with eyes shimmering with strange brilliance. Once the flying boat landed, she immediately retrieved a green bottle from her waist. With a flick of her fingers, a massive suction force erupted from the bottle's mouth. A splashing sound echoed as the spiritual spring water was continuously swallowed into the vessel.

Watching from afar, Xu Yan felt a pang of envy. This earthly spiritual spring water was a rare treasure; it possessed not only flawless spiritual energy but also the essence of the earth, making it a potent elixir for refining the body and qi.

He practiced the Eight-Nine Profound Art, which was precisely the type of cultivation that required such elixirs.

This demon girl is brimming with vitality and possesses vast magical power; she must be at least at the seventh or eighth stage of the Pulse Opening realm. If I were to strike, it would be no different than throwing an egg against a rock.

Xu Yan thought to himself. How could disciples from prestigious clans not have profound treasures on their persons? His own Skull-Cracking Hammer was truly not worth mentioning. If it weren't for the fact that those at the Qi Exhalation and Pulse Opening stages could not fully unleash the power of spirit-born artifacts, these aristocratic disciples would surely be carrying one or two on them.

Xu Yan intended to slip away.

Just then, the sound of something tearing through the air came from afar. The noise was incredibly sharp, like a keen sword slicing through the firmament. Xu Yan followed the disturbance with his gaze.

Sure enough, a man in green robes arrived, stepping upon a sword.

Without a word, the man flicked his large sleeve. The sword beneath his feet tore through the sky, expanding to five zhang in length. It erupted with powerful sword qi and slashed downward.

The very air hummed and trembled!

The celestial fox girl's reaction was lightning-fast. She turned and struck out with her palm, her formidable magical power surging forth like a collapsing mountain or an overturning sea, catching the giant sword. Her eyes fixed sharply on the man in green.

The man in green narrowed his eyes and laughed, "I wondered who it was. So it is a fellow daoist from Taihang Mountain. I thought it was some monster within this Immortal Treasury!"

"Pretentious fool!"

Killing intent flashed in the celestial fox girl's eyes. She curled her palm into a claw and suddenly exerted force.

Her potent magical power roared out, causing her fur-lined robes to snap in the wind. In an instant, dust filled the sky, and the sheer force of her power made the giant sword vibrate with a loud ringing sound. The man in green gritted his teeth and flicked his fingers. Patterns resembling a spiderweb appeared on the giant sword, and within a breath, sword qi overflowed.

Tearing through the thick magical power, the giant sword reverted to its normal size and retreated rapidly. It circled the man in green once before he caught it firmly in his hand.

"Fellow daoist from Taihang Mountain, it's a misunderstanding," the man in green said with a glib tongue.

"Are all disciples of the Jiang Family Sword Tomb as sleazy as you?" the celestial fox girl asked, her voice icy.

"It's one thing for you to insult me, Fairy, but to drag my sect into this? That is truly lacking in manners," the man in green shook his head.

"You shameless wretch, you have no right to speak to me of manners!"

The celestial fox girl was infuriated by his glib demeanor. She stomped hard on the ground, the immense force creating a massive crater. Though her frame appeared petite, she possessed the murderous aura of a wild beast. Her slender, snow-white arms emerged from her sleeves, wreathed in overbearing magical power, as she launched a lethal strike!

"Calm yourself, Fairy," the man in green said, hurriedly holding his sword horizontally to block. He widened his eyes and added, "You aren't going to reveal your true form, are you?"

Even at this moment, the man was still mocking her.

The two then erupted into a fierce battle.

Xu Yan retreated more than ten zhang, hiding behind a massive tree to observe the battle closely.

It seemed there was no one else within a hundred-zhang radius; otherwise, they would have at least come to watch the commotion. Then again, they might have been like Xu Yan—lacking the strength and choosing to retreat or hide.

The celestial fox girl and the Jiang Family sword cultivator were evenly matched. They fought for half an incense stick's time, leaving the surrounding area in shambles.

The celestial fox girl finally revealed her true demon form: a white fox three zhang tall, her speed and physical prowess surging.

This time, the Jiang Family sword cultivator fell into a disadvantage, constantly being suppressed.

They fought for another incense stick's time. The Jiang Family sword cultivator was disheveled, his Daoist robes shredded by sharp claws, leaving him nearly naked.

"Stinking fox, just you wait! When we meet again in the Immortal Treasury, I will surely take your life!" After leaving this harsh threat, he flew away on his sword in a rather sorry state.

The celestial fox girl was also heavily injured, with over a dozen sword marks on her body, her white fur stained red with blood.

The ferocity in her eyes slowly faded. Exhausted, she walked to the edge of the pool, leaned down to swallow a few mouthfuls of spring water, and sat cross-legged to heal. Her form gradually returned to that of a fox-headed human.

On the other side, Xu Yan did not move.

He hid behind the tree, his palm gripping the handle of the Skull-Cracking Hammer tightly, his other hand pressed against the storage bag at his waist, ready to unleash a talisman at any moment. He kept his breathing extremely shallow and even slowed his heartbeat, using a concealment technique to suppress his aura entirely.

He was waiting.

Only after confirming that no one else was lurking nearby to reap the benefits did he slowly step out.

Xu Yan suppressed the urge to launch a sneak attack.

He was only at the ninth stage of Qi Exhalation; even with a profound treasure, he could not guarantee a successful kill.

If he failed, he would have made an enemy of a disciple from a prestigious clan. Within this Immortal Treasury, he would likely face endless pursuit.

Xu Yan's footsteps were light, but in the silent environment, every step was clearly audible.

The celestial fox girl's eyes snapped open.

Cold light flashed in her vertical pupils. Her exhausted body tensed instantly, magical power surged around her, and her fox tail bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Stop!"

Her voice was cold and slightly hoarse, yet it rang out with the force of a thunderclap.

Xu Yan stopped as commanded, standing more than ten zhang away.

This distance was safe enough.

"Do not be alarmed, fellow daoist," Xu Yan said, cupping his hands in a peaceful tone. "I am a rogue cultivator named Xu Yan. I happened to pass by and saw the two of you dueling, so I dared not disturb you and hid to the side. If I had intended to launch a sneak attack, I would not have walked out like this."

The celestial fox girl eyed Xu Yan coldly and immediately asked, "What do you want?"

Xu Yan spoke in a deep, calm voice, "This earthly spiritual spring water is beneficial to my cultivation. I would like to take half of it, if I may?"

"And if I say no?"

The celestial fox girl stared straight at Xu Yan.

"I will not take it for nothing," Xu Yan said calmly, retrieving a Heavenly Creation Pill from his storage bag.

The value of this pill could not compare to the earthly spiritual spring water, but Xu Yan's gesture was undoubtedly an attempt to offer both sides a way out. The celestial fox girl was currently injured and would not be foolish enough to tear things apart with Xu Yan and make an enemy of him.

As he spoke, Xu Yan flicked the Heavenly Creation Pill toward her.

The celestial fox girl remained silent, reaching out to catch the pill in mid-air.

The Heavenly Creation Pill could heal internal and external injuries and resist a hundred poisons; it was a top-tier healing pill for the Qi Exhalation and Pulse Opening realms, and it was quite valuable.

However, as a disciple of a great clan, she had naturally prepared well before entering the Immortal Treasury, and she was not lacking in pills.

She looked up, her vertical pupils assessing Xu Yan.

Xu Yan looked to be about twenty, with refined features and a steady gaze. He held a profound artifact in his hand. For a rogue cultivator to possess such pills and artifacts was truly rare.

"You certainly know how to do business," the celestial fox girl snorted. "I discovered this spring first and drove off that Jiang family wretch. You, on the other hand, did nothing and want to trade a single pill for half of it."

Despite her words, the celestial fox girl reached into her storage bag and took out the bottle she had used to collect the spring water earlier.

"Consider it a gesture of goodwill. A daoist with such a broad mind will surely achieve great things in the future," Xu Yan said with a smile, nodding. "I have long heard of the great name of the Taihang Mountain celestial fox. May I ask the Fairy's name?"

"Tushan Jiuyuan."

After Tushan Jiuyuan spoke, she gave a casual flick of her slender palm, and the green bottle filled with earthly spiritual spring water flew through the air toward him.

Xu Yan caught it, then cupped his hands in a bow. "Many thanks, fellow daoist Tushan, for your generosity."

Without another moment's delay, Xu Yan channeled his profound qi and departed at high speed.

He turned and plunged into the dense forest, his figure quickly swallowed by the night.

Tushan Jiuyuan gazed in the direction he had vanished, remained silent for a moment, then closed her eyes to continue healing.