I Underestimated You

In Fireburn Kingdom, where the Azure Mist Sect was located, the names Tian Mingye and Thousand-Faced Fox were thunderous to the ear.

These two demonic titans were the crouching dragon and fledgling phoenix of Fireburn Kingdom. Gain either one, and they could wreak havoc upon all living beings.

Yet Jiang Chen had encountered both of them at once!

Tian Mingye needed no introduction. She was an exceptionally rare four-armed demoness by birth, the most gifted member of the demon race in a century.

When the Heavenly Demon Sect had nearly been wiped out by the Dagan Dynasty, she turned the tide, propped up a collapsing structure, reclaimed the Twelve Heavenly Demon Mountains, and massacred twenty human cities in retaliation.

She was domineering, cruel, sinister, and cunning. She viewed humans as food. For generations, she had been an inescapable nightmare in Fireburn Kingdom; women and children would weep through the night at the mention of her name.

Jiang Chen had only seen her projection, so he had not felt particularly afraid. He even thought she was dressed far too revealingly and wished he could become some righteous guardian and wrap her in a thick padded coat.

But in truth, Jiang Chen had heard that the stronger a demon's cultivation became, the more indescribable its true form would become.

Unlike the seductive demon settings in the films and games of his previous life, the demons of this world were incredibly brutal, having fully become an intelligent lifeform distinct from humans.

Though demons were few in number, they were extremely united. They lived in seclusion within spatial rifts in the uninhabited regions of various prefectures. Their internal hierarchy was strict, and they rarely dealt with humans alone. They often moved in groups to seize cities, taking both the people and the entire city away.

Compared with the unity of demons, yao were not a single race to begin with, but a collective term for all kinds of beast monsters that had taken human form. Most had wildly different temperaments and lived solitary lives.

Aside from a small number of yao tribes that dwelled deep in mountains and rivers, cut off from the world and feeding on plants and spirit beasts, most yao hid within human society, sleeping by day and acting by night as they waited for opportunities. There were even cases of yao repaying human kindness.

Thousand-Faced Fox was one such thousand-year fox demon renowned throughout Fireburn Kingdom. She excelled in illusions and disguise, concealing her demonic aura and cultivation as she transformed into men, women, young, and old with flawless realism, making her impossible to distinguish and impossible to guard against.

She often stirred up conflicts across the land and stole all kinds of treasures amid the chaos, yet no one had ever seen her true appearance.

Now, she had infiltrated the Heavenly Demon Sect, then infiltrated the Azure Mist Sect on the Heavenly Demon Sect's behalf. She was a spy within a spy.

Jiang Chen could not help sinking into his memories.

So during the third simulation, he had slept with a thousand-year fox demon without even realizing it?

And in that butterfly-effect image just now, had he seen her true appearance?

Jiang Chen had thought Liu Ruyan's outstanding looks made her unsuitable for covert work.

But judging by the breathtaking face he had glimpsed just now—silver hair spilling around nine tails, nine-petaled cherry blossoms marked upon her snowy forehead, long lashes beaded with dew like crystal diamonds, rippling eyes like a lake of stars, skin as soft and white as a baby's, features painted by an immortal's brush...

Compared with such celestial beauty, the Liu Ruyan Thousand-Faced Fox had transformed into was practically plain.

Jiang Chen hurriedly reviewed the recording of the third simulation.

He had been with Liu Ruyan the entire time, until the final incense-stick's worth of time...

Thousand-Faced Fox had replaced Liu Ruyan!

That figure... Jiang Chen nearly coughed up blood.

"I underestimated you!"

Jiang Chen regretted it.

But on second thought, Thousand-Faced Fox was far more dangerous than Liu Ruyan.

He even suspected that, in the first simulation, Thousand-Faced Fox had deliberately allowed herself to be captured in order to confirm the informant's identity.

The only thing he could not understand was whether that thousand-year fox demon's first time had been real or merely an illusion.

He watched the recording of the third simulation again, examining it frame by frame in slow motion.

Only then did he discover in shock that his earlier cultivation with Liu Ruyan had all been an illusion.

Only the final Qi Refining... had been real!

He had confessed that he was from beyond this realm and, overcome with emotion, spoken those reflections:

"Have you ever thought that perhaps the world we live in is a script unfolding within the sea of consciousness of some great being, and that it may abruptly come to an end at any moment? What would you want to do at the very end of your life?"

Could that sentence have conquered the fox demon?

Something about this was rather suspicious.

However, Jiang Chen had already made his choice. He could only seal away that beautiful memory.

An old fox was an old fox, after all. She might not have truly given herself to him; she had most likely been willing to sacrifice even her body just to uncover his identity.

He could not fall for her trick just because the old fox was pretty and had a good figure.

Jiang Chen withdrew his thoughts and returned to reality.

Based on Thousand-Faced Fox's usual methods, she surely intended to provoke a war between the Heavenly Demon Sect and the Azure Mist Sect, then steal some treasure from the Azure Mist Sect amid the chaos.

As far as Jiang Chen knew, the Azure Mist Sect's foundation lay in its skill with basic cultivation and its high-quality Flame Vein, which it used to forge low-grade spirit swords and magical artifacts that sold throughout Xihe Prefecture.

Could such an ordinary Azure Mist Sect really possess a treasure that even Thousand-Faced Fox desired?

Why was the Heavenly Demon Sect so determined to conquer the Azure Mist Sect?

The matter grew increasingly baffling.

Still, none of that was something Jiang Chen needed to consider right now.

He was only an insignificant cultivator who had just reached Qi Refining.

The reason he had fled to the barren mountains outside the sect was that he feared the demons would immediately attack the mountain.

The spiritual energy in these barren mountains was negligible, making them unsuitable for cultivation.

Since the demonic sect would not act for another ten days, he could temporarily return to the Azure Mist Sect and enter the inner sect with his Qi Refining cultivation.

He could claim the three-piece set of inner-sect disciple robes, a spirit sword, and a storage ring, cultivate for nine days, then flee.

Over those nine days, the simulator might even bring him new opportunities.

With that in mind, Jiang Chen returned to the Azure Mist Sect.

After returning to the sect, he no longer thought much of the spiritual energy density on Stubborn Stone Peak.

He briefly bid farewell to Chen Ping, the steward of Stubborn Stone Peak, and asked him to write an application for an outer-sect disciple to transfer peaks.

Chen Ping's eyelids drooped as he asked groggily:

"You are..."

"This disciple is Jiang Chen. I came up the mountain two years ago and fortunately reached Qi Refining today. I wish to enter the inner sect to cultivate, so I came to bid Steward Chen farewell."

"Jiang what?"

"Jiang Chen."

"What Chen?"

"..."

Jiang Chen was speechless.

He could only patiently explain himself to Steward Chen and ask him to write an application for transferring peaks to cultivate.

Chen Ping groggily finished the application. As he watched Jiang Chen leave, his aged eyes suddenly sharpened.

"This brat has always kept his head down and cultivated diligently, never sucking up to me. Now that he has reached Qi Refining, he wants to show off in front of me... Do you think I'd fall for that?"

Jiang Chen had not even been in Qi Refining for a full day and could not yet fly on a sword. He had no choice but to cross mountains and ridges, traveling through the night to the Internal Affairs Hall.

Internal Affairs Hall, Fish-Leap Pavilion.

Even in the latter half of the night, there were still stewards on duty.

Jiang Chen respectfully presented the application for transferring peaks to cultivate with both hands.

The old steward glanced at the application and muttered:

"Jiang Chen, joined the sect two years ago, Stubborn Stone Peak... just reached Qi Refining... You really couldn't wait even a little? You had to come choose a mountain in the middle of the night?"

According to the Azure Mist Sect's rules, anyone who reached Qi Refining could become an inner-sect disciple and cultivate in the inner sect.

However, outer-sect disciples transferring peaks had limited choices, and the peaks with better teaching quality required an assessment.

Jiang Chen had no time for an assessment. Any sparsely populated peak would do for his cultivation.

"This disciple's talent is mediocre. Life is finite, while cultivation is boundless. Naturally, I dare not delay my cultivation for even a moment."

The old steward on duty was slightly surprised and turned to glance at the travel-worn young man.

"You have some vision."

"Go to Tranquil Heart Peak. You're in luck; there's still one final opening there."

Wasn't Tranquil Heart Peak where Senior Sister Liu's cave abode was located?

Whether fortune or disaster, what was meant to come could not be avoided. Jiang Chen marveled inwardly at the wonder of fate and bowed deeply to the old steward.

"Thank you, Senior, for showing me the way!"