Chapter 614: Fox Appears

Volume Five: Renowned in All Directions

Han Li leisurely descended last. Seeing the others ahead taking the elixir to ward off the miasma, a faint smile appeared on his face. With his constitution, refined through marrow cleansing, the miasma was naturally expelled with every breath.

At this point, the group descended to a low altitude, about ten zhang above the ground, and then began flying towards the center of the basin.

"That demonic fox is extremely clever. If we want to catch it, we'll only have one chance. So we must find a spacious area where it cannot escape to set up our formation. Not far ahead, there's a flat, solid patch of ground. This way, we won't have to worry about it burrowing into the mud and escaping," Senior Martial Brother Wang said confidently. It seemed he had already planned everything meticulously for this matter.

The others always deferred to Senior Martial Brother Wang, so they naturally had no objections. Han Li, meanwhile, simply smiled without speaking.

A short while later, the five of them flew to a flat area covered in lush green grass. A little further away, there were scattered low bushes.

This time, without waiting for Senior Martial Brother Wang to speak, Kui Huan and the others automatically landed on the grassland and surveyed their surroundings.

After a brief discussion, Kui Huan walked to the center of the grassland and dug a small pit. From his storage pouch, he carefully took out some Polygonatum sibiricum, which he had bought at the market. He buried half of it in the pit, leaving the other half exposed, and sprinkled some loose earth over it to make it look more natural. Instantly, a faint medicinal scent began to spread.

"Good. That's enough. The Snowcloud Fox has an incredibly keen sense of smell. With the medicinal properties of this fifty-year-old Polygonatum sibiricum, it will find its way here even if it's buried three feet underground. Oh, by the way, Junior Martial Brother Han, keep this Soul-Confusing Banner safe." Kui Huan stood up, clapped his hands in satisfaction, then suddenly remembered something. He pulled a white formation banner from his storage pouch and handed it to Han Li.

Han Li nodded and took the small banner with a normal expression. At this moment, Senior Martial Brother Wang began to brief everyone.

"Everyone, get into position high in the sky shortly. Once the demonic fox appears, follow my signal and simultaneously cast your formation banners to temporarily trap the entire grassland within an illusion array. I believe that demonic fox has only recently advanced to a beast, so it won't be able to break through the formation and escape," Senior Martial Brother Wang said with a solemn expression.

The others repeatedly nodded in agreement.

So the group once again flew on their artifacts, hovering motionless fifty to sixty zhang in the air. They then each cast simple invisibility spells to conceal their bodies, while holding onto their formation banners.

As such a large sum of spirit stones was involved, Kui Huan and the others were naturally nervous, staring unblinkingly at the ground below. Even Senior Martial Brother Wang himself had a focused gaze and a solemn expression.

In contrast, Han Li appeared the most relaxed. He held the white formation banner in one hand, while the other was casually clasped behind his back, his gaze casually sweeping the surroundings. In reality, Han Li's spiritual sense had already encompassed an area of several hundred zhang, and he would certainly be the first to know of any disturbance.

As a result, the area instantly became silent. There wasn't a sound to be heard anywhere.

More than an hour passed, and still no movement appeared.

Kui Huan shifted on his artifact, stretching his slightly sore neck, a hint of impatience appearing on his face. He glanced at Senior Martial Brother Wang, hesitating as if to say something, but then changed his mind and remained silent. After all, waiting a bit longer to catch the demonic fox didn't seem like something to complain about.

Another half an hour passed. Just as most people were growing restless from waiting, Han Li, who had been standing motionless on his artifact, stirred. His expression changed, and he suddenly looked towards a nearby bush.

Kui Huan, no longer able to bear it, licked his lips, about to say something to the others. But just then, Han Li's cold voice entered his ear.

"Be careful, the spirit fox has arrived. It's hiding in the western bushes. Don't startle it away." Kui Huan was startled by these words and immediately pressed his lips together. At the same time, he cast his gaze downward, looking west.

The other three also heard Han Li's transmitted message. Like the short, stout man, they looked towards the western bushes in astonishment, yet found nothing unusual, making them skeptical. However, their previously relaxed minds instantly became vigilant.

After waiting for the time it takes to eat a meal, to the astonished and delighted gazes of the group, a small beast, about a foot long and as white as snow, slowly emerged from a bush on one side. It took a step, then looked back, its furry little head constantly glancing left and right. It was utterly adorable!

This sight made the hearts of the other four leap. At the same time, they tightened their grip on their formation banners, not daring to even breathe.

The white fox didn't notice the five people above its head. Seeing no abnormalities around it, it finally grew bolder. Its pair of emerald green eyes began to fix on the Polygonatum sibiricum in the distance, and it slowly walked towards it with silent steps.

However, when it was still about ten zhang away from the Polygonatum sibiricum, it suddenly stopped. Its pink little nose twitched several times, and a hint of suspicion flashed in its fox eyes, as if it had discovered something.

This situation made Senior Martial Brother Wang overhead lose his composure. He shouted "Now!" and the formation banner in his hand transformed into a streak of yellow light, plummeting downwards. Han Li and the others heard this, and without hesitation, simultaneously cast down the items in their hands, as several incantations resounded at once.

As the five multicolored beams of light touched the ground, they instantly transformed into an invisible barrier. Large swaths of yellow mist appeared out of thin air around the grassland, immediately sealing off the surroundings. The Five Elements Maze Formation was instantly activated.

Upon seeing this scene, the Snowcloud Fox within the formation naturally realized it had fallen into a trap. After a few panicked squeals, its body flashed, transforming into a white streak that plunged into the yellow mist, attempting to escape.

Seeing this, Senior Martial Brother Wang and the others in the sky appeared relaxed, showing no sign of urgency. Because as soon as the white fox entered the illusion array, it was immediately disoriented by the illusions formed by the yellow mist, only able to spin in place, completely unable to exit the formation. They were naturally content to let the beast exhaust itself before effortlessly capturing the spirit fox alive.

Just as the group believed their mission was a complete success and everyone was beaming with smiles...

After running in the yellow mist for a short while, the little fox suddenly swayed a few times, then tumbled to the ground, never to get up again. This startled Kui Huan and the others greatly, and they couldn't help but exchange bewildered glances.

But Senior Martial Brother Wang's expression darkened, and he calmly said: "Don't lift the restriction yet. We'll continue to maintain the formation. Junior Martial Brother Ma, go down and see what's happening. This maze formation can only trap enemies; it cannot harm them. This fox beast is naturally cunning, most likely just feigning death." He cautiously warned the short, stout youth.

Hearing this, the other three felt slightly relieved, and the youth surnamed Ma immediately rushed down without a word. Han Li, meanwhile, subtly curled his lips, glancing at the youth with a half-smile that wasn't quite a smile, then remained silent, his thoughts unknown.

Despite his short and stout build, Junior Martial Brother Ma's movements were anything but slow. In a short while, he had descended into the yellow mist and taken a few steps to reach the little fox. He was indeed cautious; without a word, he first grabbed the white fox's tail, only then feeling assured enough to gently shake it a few times.

However, the white fox remained motionless, like a dead object, showing no reaction. This alarmed the short, stout youth somewhat, and he quickly placed his ear near the beast's belly, listening intently. Not long after, Junior Martial Brother Ma's panicked voice came from within the yellow mist.

"Senior Martial Brothers, come down quickly! This demonic fox's body is ice cold, and there's no heartbeat. It seems to have really died!"

"Impossible!" Senior Martial Brother Wang's expression changed upon hearing this.

"Senior Martial Brother, let's retract the formation and go down to see. Our spiritual energy won't last much longer maintaining the restriction," Kui Huan said, a little anxiously. Although the monk with the light golden complexion, surnamed Xi, said nothing, a look of worry appeared in his eyes. After all, a dead demonic beast wouldn't be worth many spirit stones.

"Alright! Let's dismantle the formation then. Junior Martial Brother Ma has already caught the beast anyway." Senior Martial Brother Wang hesitated for only a moment before nodding in agreement.

Upon hearing this, Han Li stroked his chin with a normal expression and offered no objection.

Immediately, the group chanted incantations, pointing at the ground one after another. Several beams of light shot out from the mist, transforming back into formation banners, which landed in the hands of the four individuals.

The yellow mist instantly dispersed. It revealed the short, stout youth standing on the grassland, who was placing a finger under the little beast's nose, testing something. Seeing this, Senior Martial Brother Wang and the other two descended with gloomy expressions. Han Li, however, remained motionless in his spot. After glancing at the white fox a few times, a strange expression even appeared on his face.