Chapter 615: Pursuit and Concealment

The short, stout youth removed his finger from under the white fox’s nose. Before Senior Martial Brother Wang and the other two could even descend, he cursed furiously, convinced the creature was truly dead and their efforts had been for nothing.

After speaking, he looked up at the three descending figures, a sullen expression on his face as he was about to say more.

However, Senior Martial Brother Wang and the two others above him simultaneously changed their expressions and shouted in unison. They warned of danger. The demon fox was alive. It was feigning death. Though different phrases, they all conveyed the same urgent message.

The short, stout youth, remarkably quick-witted, instantly changed his expression. Without a second thought, he flicked his hand, and a white talisman appeared between his fingers, which he fiercely slapped towards the small creature whose tail he was still holding. His movement proved a fraction too slow. As he extended his arm, holding the talisman, a sudden, tearing pain shot through the hand gripping the demon fox. He cried out, involuntarily loosening his grip. The white fox slipped from his hand and landed steadily on the ground.

In that instant, the Snowcloud Fox’s fine tail hairs bristled, becoming hard as needles. They punctured the short, stout youth’s palm, leaving it bloody and riddled with holes.

Seeing this unfold, the three above were shocked and enraged, diving straight down towards the small creature now on all fours.

But the white fox, having finally gained its freedom, had no intention of waiting around to be recaptured or killed. It darted forward, transforming into a white blur that shot several dozen feet away. After a few bounds, it plunged into a nearby thicket.

In their urgency, Senior Martial Brother Wang and the others were exceptionally agile. The three of them quickly surrounded the thicket, then each released a magical artifact and began to search slowly. But a moment later, the three were stunned.

Apart from a pile of scattered stones, the thicket was empty. The Snowcloud Fox, which they had clearly seen jump into the area, had vanished without a trace. The three stood frozen, at a loss for what to do.

Kui Huan, after regaining his senses, subconsciously looked up at the sky and exclaimed in surprise, wondering where Junior Martial Brother Han was going. Only then did the others notice that Han Li was swiftly flying away into the distance, riding his magical artifact. Senior Martial Brother Wang and the others were completely baffled.

Just then, Han Li’s telepathic message reached their ears. Han Li's message assured them not to panic, explaining that the creature had used an illusion to secretly burrow underground, and he was tracking it with his magical artifact, intending to capture it alive once it resurfaced. With that, his voice vanished, and he, riding his flying sword artifact, gradually moved away towards the edge of the swamp.

Senior Martial Brother Wang, hearing Han Li’s words, was filled with both surprise and joy. After calling out to the others, he eagerly ascended into the air, following Han Li’s figure. Kui Huan and the others followed closely.

In his haste, Senior Martial Brother Wang didn't forget to turn back and ask the short, stout youth if his hand was alright. The short, stout youth, lagging behind the others, muttered with a look of shame that his hand was fine, fortunate that the creature’s fur wasn’t poisonous and it was merely a flesh wound. After all, it was his carelessness that had allowed the demon beast to slip from his grasp, especially after others had already warned him aloud. This left the youth surnamed Ma feeling very embarrassed.

Senior Martial Brother Wang, with a forced smile, stated that it was good he was alright and urged them to quickly catch up. He admitted he didn’t know what magical artifact Junior Martial Brother Han was using to track a demon fox that could burrow underground, but insisted everyone should follow swiftly.

Kui Huan, hearing this, also turned his face and nodded repeatedly, commenting with surprise. He remarked that this Snowcloud Fox, having evolved into a demon beast, possessed a remarkably high level of intelligence. Its feigned death was so convincing that even Senior Martial Brother Ma couldn’t discern it, which truly startled him.

The short, stout youth, still holding his injured palm, heard this, and his face flushed even deeper red with embarrassment.

Fortunately, at that moment, Senior Martial Brother Wang spoke up to defend him. Senior Martial Brother Wang defended him, stating that Junior Martial Brother Ma couldn't be blamed. He explained that even he might have fallen for such a trick in that situation, attributing it solely to the Snowcloud Fox's extreme cunning.

Hearing this, the youth surnamed Ma looked at Senior Martial Brother Wang with a hint of gratitude, finally feeling a little better.

Just as the three were talking, the youth surnamed Xi, with a pale golden face, who had been silently pressing forward, suddenly exclaimed, seemingly having witnessed something incredible. He urged everyone to look quickly, as Junior Martial Brother Han had seemingly vanished into the stone wall, leaving them unsure of what to do next.

Upon hearing this, the others looked forward in surprise, only to realize they had reached the edge of the swamp. Several hundred feet away stood a colossal mountain whose peak was obscured from view. Directly facing them was a sheer, knife-cut black cliff face. Han Li, who had been just ahead, had vanished without a trace. The four stood before the cliff, staring at each other in bewilderment. Even Senior Martial Brother Wang was dumbfounded.

Han Li was indeed inside the mountain wall. He held the wolf-headed jade Ruyi scepter, his body emitting a faint yellow glow. Not far in front of him, a small yellow wolf, several feet in size, was clearing a path for him using an earth-burrowing technique. Wherever this artifact spirit passed, all earth and stone automatically became intangible. Han Li followed unhurriedly behind the small wolf, an intriguing expression on his face.

Within the range of his spiritual sense, a white speck of light dozens of feet below was frantically darting forward—it was indeed the small white fox. With his divine abilities, the Snowcloud Fox’s feigned death naturally couldn’t escape his notice. Even when the spirit fox secretly burrowed away using a small underground rock vein beneath the thicket, it couldn’t escape his spiritual sense’s surveillance.

If it had been an ordinary low-level demon beast, Han Li would naturally have already warned the Hidden Sword Peak disciples, thereby doing them a favor. But to Han Li’s surprise, as soon as the demon fox revealed itself, he detected something unusual. This creature had a spiritual energy fluctuation that felt somewhat familiar to Han Li. After a brief moment of surprised contemplation, he was startled to realize that the fox subtly possessed the same pure spiritual energy as the incarnation of the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng, the white rabbit.

Han Li was naturally overjoyed, thinking he had discovered another incarnation of a rare heavenly treasure. However, after using his spiritual sense to carefully examine the white fox’s body, he felt puzzled again. The pure spiritual energy on this creature was simply too meager. Compared to the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng, it was worlds apart, not even a tenth of its strength. Moreover, after a careful spiritual sense scan, he confirmed that this Snowcloud Fox was indeed a creature of flesh and blood, not some illusory form. Otherwise, how could a mere Five Elements Maze Array have trapped it?

Although he confirmed that this small fox was not an incarnation of a rare heavenly treasure, Han Li became even more curious. He surmised that the creature’s ability to evolve from an ordinary small beast into a demon beast must be related to this trace of pure spiritual energy on its body. He immediately felt a strong desire to get to the bottom of it. That’s why he allowed the creature to feign death and escape the notice of Kui Huan and the others, while he himself slowly followed behind, wanting to uncover what secrets this creature truly hid.

Now, upon reaching the cliff before them, the Snowcloud Fox unhesitatingly transformed into a ball of white light and merged into it. This prompted Han Li, who was secretly following, to also release the earth-attributed artifact spirit from his jade Ruyi ancient treasure without hesitation. Only by using the small wolf’s earth-burrowing technique could he proceed silently without alarming the creature. Otherwise, if he were to use a flying sword to cut through the mountain, the white fox would naturally be startled and flee again.

This massive mountain was clearly not small. After Han Li followed the white fox for several hundred feet, the white light suddenly paused, then burst out from the rock, seemingly appearing inside a sealed stone chamber. Han Li’s heart suddenly leaped with joy. He quickly urged the earth-attributed small wolf with his Ruyi scepter, commanding it to accelerate its earth-burrowing speed. At the same time, he increased the power of his spiritual thoughts, hoping to secretly examine the stone chamber first.

However, as soon as his spiritual sense neared the stone chamber, it was repelled by a strange force, completely unable to penetrate even slightly. Han Li let out a soft exclamation of surprise. His forward movement instinctively slowed, and a strong sense of vigilance arose in his heart.

But just then, he suddenly felt his body tighten, becoming as heavy as Mount Tai. Simultaneously, a faint voice sounded in his ear. The voice gently stated that since a guest had arrived, there was no need for hesitation, questioning if the speaker, referring to herself as "this old one," needed to formally invite him in.

As soon as the voice fell silent, countless yellow lights erupted around Han Li, and simultaneously, a great force pushed him sharply from behind. Han Li felt his vision lighten, and he suddenly appeared in a stone chamber. His heart filled with alarm, he swiftly waved the jade Ruyi scepter in his hand, and a yellow and red light shield appeared around him. At the same time, he opened his mouth, and a dozen streaks of green light shot out, rapidly circling outside the light shield.

Only then did Han Li have a chance to fix his gaze and look around.