Farewell to the Fox Demon, Exposed

Qiu Mei opened the envelope and read the letter through, tears brimming in her eyes.

Her face showed no expression at all, yet tears streamed from the corners of her eyes.

Gao Fei realized that Li Jie must have gone to Spring Revival Pavilion first and learned that Gao Fei had redeemed Qiu Mei.

He had mistaken Qiu Mei for his wife.

Watching Li Jie flee as though for his life, Gao Fei thought, Better explain it to him tomorrow!

Then he reconsidered. No, wouldn't it be better to let him feel that he owed me a favor?

Having thought it through, Gao Fei did not linger. He rose and returned to his room; he did not know how to comfort people.

Seeing this, everyone around them shook their heads and turned back to their rooms. Such matters had to be figured out alone. Nothing anyone else said would help.

Only Xiaocui remained standing silently at the side, somewhat at a loss.

Early the next morning.

Gao Fei secretly picked up Gao Linyue's long spear and headed to the medicine shop as agreed.

Li Qingyao and the other two had long since fully equipped themselves and were waiting in the inner courtyard.

The moment Gao Fei arrived, they set off at once.

This time, they searched eastward in the direction of Tao Hua Village. Several violent clashes of spiritual energy had occurred in that direction.

All of them had prepared dry rations and were ready to camp in the wilderness for an extended period.

Along the way, nothing remained but ruined houses. Not a single person was in sight.

They often encountered a few dog demons with Unawakened Intelligence.

Gao Fei did not spare even those. He directly hurled his long spear at those farther away, while for those nearby, he charged straight at them with the strength of his body. His physical body was exceptionally strong, and his speed was about on par with Lin Ye's.

He wanted even a single Merit Point. It might save his life someday.

Ten li outside the city, several large pits caused by external force appeared along the road, with broken trees scattered around them.

Thirty li out, they found no demon creatures.

After searching for an entire day, they gained nothing.

This time, the four lit a campfire and began roasting the bodies of the dog demons with Unawakened Intelligence that Gao Fei had killed.

For three consecutive days, they found nothing. Gao Fei killed two dog demons, and together with the dog demons with Unawakened Intelligence, he gained fifty Merit Points.

Until the fourth day.

The four followed a group of more than a dozen rat demons to the outskirts of a mountain valley surrounded by mountains on all sides.

The valley was thick with trees that blotted out the sky and covered the sun. Even its outskirts were filled with towering trees.

They did not approach, but from afar, they saw a strange sight.

Several hundred rat demons and over a dozen cat demons were hiding together in the trees and grass, yet no conflict broke out between them.

The group exchanged glances and, with perfect unspoken understanding, stopped where they were to wait and see what these demon creatures intended to do.

Soon, more than a dozen Spirit-Absorption Realm demon creatures arrived, along with over a dozen black gorillas.

"Looks like they're planning to ambush someone?"

No one answered Lin Ye's words. No one paid attention to the nonsense of someone unimportant.

Gao Fei sensed that the underground magnetic field here was somewhat different. His Shrinking Earth to Inches was greatly affected in this place.

According to what the Li siblings had said, the county magistrate should also cultivate Shrinking Earth to Inches.

Just as he was considering whether to mention it, two figures appeared in the distance, racing toward them. They crossed paths and frequently tangled together, one fleeing in another direction while the other blocked the way.

"Fox Demon, if you want to fight, then fight. What do you mean by blocking my path?"

"My dear county magistrate, every time you crash into my weak spot, it feels so good!"

"You slutty fox, hurry up with whatever scheme you have. Let's see whether you can bear the wrath of a Great Wu."

"Don't get so worked up. I'm merely traveling the same road as you, so we happened to collide. I'm a girl and I don't even mind, yet you, the one taking advantage, are threatening me?"

"Don't think I don't know. The earth veins here are chaotic—you want to cripple my Shrinking Earth to Inches. You may be disappointed. I've cultivated it to proficiency, and I can still use it."

"So you've been teasing me all along? I was wondering why you hit the same spots so accurately every time..."

"Stop acting like a heat-struck bitch here. I was looking for your weak spots..."

County Magistrate Xue looked rather bedraggled. His scholar's robe was covered in grime, wrinkled beyond recognition, and riddled with holes.

Even his inner garments were tattered. The scars on his body had already scabbed over, and bloodstains marked his clothes.

Even when he had just answered the Fox Demon, he had sounded somewhat lacking in confidence.

Gao Fei watched the man and demon still running toward the encirclement.

He turned to glance at Li Jie not far away. Li Jie stood where he was, watching with a solemn expression, without moving an inch.

Even Li Qingyao remained steady, showing no intention of stopping them. It seemed they had not noticed the problem with the underground magnetic field.

Gao Fei could not watch the county magistrate who had saved his life fall into a trap. Besides, he could use this chance to test just how capable this Fox Demon truly was.

No sooner thought than done. Spiritual energy flooded into his long spear as Bright Force condensed throughout his body.

Gao Fei felt some regret. I still don't have enough Merit Points. Otherwise, I would have to try striking Dark Force through a weapon.

Fixing his eyes on their path of movement, he stepped out just as they were about to draw near. Faint ripples of spiritual energy appeared beneath his feet, space folding ever so slightly as he instantly appeared at the next point where the two figures would collide.

His long spear thrust out, perfectly meeting the Fox Demon's body.

A three-finger-wide longsword appeared, standing upright and suspended in the air, its blade blocking the spear tip.

Clang!

Spiritual energy produced little recoil. When the weapons collided, the suspended longsword merely trembled before becoming completely still.

Gao Fei had expected it. He could not injure the Fox Demon, but he had not expected the gap between them to be so vast that he could not even break through the sword's defense.

The Fox Demon and County Magistrate Xue swiftly retreated several steps, opening up distance from Gao Fei.

Upon seeing who had come, County Magistrate Xue revealed a trace of delight. This person was a genius—how long had it been since they last met? Yet Gao Fei had already reached the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm.

Then, as though remembering something, he hurried before Gao Fei. "Leave quickly. The cat demons and Yellow Weasels will be here soon. Go to Qing Province for reinforcements."

"The earth veins ahead are abnormal. It's a trap."

The last time Gao Fei had fought Yellow Great Immortal using only his physical body. Now that he had reached the Middle Spirit-Absorption Realm, he was not afraid of two Spirit-Absorption Realm, Perfected demon creatures.

Instead, he found himself looking forward to facing those two demons.

When the Fox Demon saw Gao Fei's face, delight appeared on her features. She muttered to herself, "Something like this can happen? A Pure Yang Body that was drained dry can recover?"

She narrowed her eyes, her delicate little nose twitching. Her beaming smile gradually faded, replaced by a savage expression.

"Why do you carry the scent of my father's and elder brother's Demon Cores?"

Gao Fei's heart tightened, and power began gathering in his palm. This is a fox, not a dog. How is her nose even sharper than a dog's? I didn't even hold them for long, yet she can still smell them after all this time. Is she bluffing me?

"I don't know. I don't recognize them. I know nothing."

"Three questions, three 'I don't knows.' Just like last time—once I catch you, you'll behave."

After saying that, spiritual-energy ripples spread from beneath the Fox Demon's feet. Her legs left countless afterimages, and her body drifted lightly toward Gao Fei at terrifying speed.

Gao Fei's awareness could keep up, but his body could not react in time. At the last moment, he could only take a step, his figure appearing three zhang away.

The instant he steadied himself, the Fox Demon's arm followed like a shadow, reaching straight for his throat.

Transforming Force charged at full power for 10 seconds. Just as he was about to strike, the Fox Demon's palm was blocked by a shield bearing a black palm print.

Gao Fei had no intention of stopping. He stepped in close, closing the distance before the fox could react.

After 12 seconds of charging, he unleashed Transforming Force. That three-finger-wide sword appeared again, blocking Gao Fei's full-powered strike.

Clang...

The echo did not linger.

The longsword had blocked the attack, but cracks spread across its entire blade before it fell straight to the ground.