Han Li calmly descended last, watching as the others ahead of him took the antidote pills to dispel the miasma. A faint smile appeared on his face. Given his constitution, refined through marrow cleansing and the Yi Jing, the miasma was naturally expelled with each breath.
At this point, the group descended to a low altitude of just over ten zhang above the ground and began flying toward the center of the basin.
“That fox spirit is extremely cunning. If we want to catch it, we only have one chance. So, we must find a wide, open area where it can’t escape to set up the formation. Not far ahead, there’s a flat patch of solid ground—perfect to prevent it from burrowing into the mud and slipping away,” Senior Brother Wang said confidently. Clearly, he had already planned this out thoroughly.
The others, who always followed Senior Brother Wang’s lead, naturally had no objections. Han Li, however, merely smiled without speaking.
A short while later, the five of them arrived at a grassy plain dotted with sparse, low shrubs in the distance.
This time, before Senior Brother Wang could speak, Kuihuan and the others instinctively landed on the grass and began surveying the surroundings.
After some discussion, Kuihuan walked to the center of the grassy area, dug a small pit, and carefully retrieved a piece of Polygonatum from his storage pouch. He buried half of it in the pit, leaving the other half exposed, then sprinkled some loose soil over it to make it look natural. Immediately, a faint medicinal fragrance began to spread.
“Good, that should do it. The Snow Cloud Fox has a keen sense of smell. With the potency of this fifty-year-old Polygonatum, even if it’s buried three feet deep, it’ll come sniffing it out. Oh, and here’s the Mist Banner, Junior Brother Han. Hold onto it,” Kuihuan said, standing up and dusting off his hands with satisfaction. He suddenly remembered something and pulled out a white formation flag from his storage pouch, handing it to Han Li.
Han Li nodded and took the flag without any change in expression. At this point, Senior Brother Wang began giving instructions to everyone.
“Everyone, take your positions in the air. Once the fox appears, wait for my signal, then simultaneously drop the formation flags to trap the entire grassy area in an illusion formation. That fox has only recently advanced to the level of a demon beast—there’s no way it can break free,” Senior Brother Wang said solemnly.
The others nodded in agreement.
Thus, the group rose into the air again, hovering at a height of fifty to sixty zhang. They each cast rudimentary invisibility spells to conceal themselves while keeping a firm grip on their formation flags.
Given the large sum of spirit stones at stake, Kuihuan and the others were visibly tense, their eyes fixed unblinkingly on the ground below. Even Senior Brother Wang himself had a stern, focused expression.
In contrast, Han Li appeared the most relaxed. He held the white formation flag in one hand while casually resting the other behind his back, his gaze wandering idly. In truth, however, his spiritual sense had already enveloped the surrounding area of several hundred zhang. The slightest movement would not escape his notice.
Thus, the area fell into complete silence, devoid of even the faintest sound.
After more than an hour, there was still no sign of movement. Kuihuan shifted uncomfortably on his magic tool, his neck stiff from standing still. A hint of impatience flickered across his face. He glanced at Senior Brother Wang, hesitating as if to say something, but ultimately held his tongue. After all, waiting a little longer to catch the fox wasn’t worth complaining about.
Another half-hour passed, and just as most of the group was growing restless, Han Li, who had been standing motionless on his magic tool, suddenly tensed. His gaze snapped toward a nearby shrub.
Kuihuan, unable to bear the wait any longer, licked his lips and was about to speak when Han Li’s cold voice echoed in his ear: “Be careful. The fox is already here, hiding in the western shrubs. Don’t scare it away.”
Startled, Kuihuan immediately clamped his mouth shut and glanced downward toward the west.
The other three also heard Han Li’s voice transmission.
Like Kuihuan, they turned their surprised gazes toward the western shrubs but saw nothing unusual. Still, their initial skepticism gave way to heightened vigilance.
After another span of time—roughly the length of a meal—a small, snow-white creature about a foot in length slowly emerged from the shrubs.
It took cautious steps, frequently glancing back and scanning its surroundings with its adorable, furry head.
The sight made the other four tense up, gripping their formation flags tightly, not daring to breathe too loudly.
The white fox, unaware of the five figures above, grew bolder when it detected no threats. Its emerald-green eyes locked onto the distant Polygonatum, and it began creeping forward silently.
However, when it was about ten zhang away from the herb, it suddenly stopped. Its pink nose twitched several times, and a flicker of suspicion flashed in its vulpine eyes—as if it had noticed something.
This made Senior Brother Wang lose his composure. “Now!” he shouted, hurling his formation flag downward in a streak of yellow light. Han Li and the others, hearing the command, wasted no time and threw their flags as well, chanting incantations in unison.
The five flags, each glowing in different colors, vanished upon touching the ground. A thick yellow mist instantly rose around the grassy area, sealing it off completely—the Five Elements Mist Formation had been activated.
The Snow Cloud Fox, realizing it had been trapped, let out a few panicked shrieks before darting into the yellow mist in a streak of white light, attempting to escape.
Watching from above, Senior Brother Wang and the others remained calm, showing no urgency. Once inside the illusion formation, the fox became disoriented by the shifting yellow mist, running in circles without finding an exit. They were content to let it exhaust itself before capturing it alive.
Just as they were congratulating themselves on a successful operation, the little fox suddenly staggered and collapsed in the mist, motionless.
Kuihuan and the others exchanged startled glances.
But Senior Brother Wang’s expression darkened. “Don’t drop the formation yet. Keep it active. Junior Brother Ma, go down and check what’s wrong. The Mist Formation only traps—it doesn’t harm. That fox is cunning; it’s probably faking death,” he warned the stout youth cautiously.
Hearing this, the others relaxed slightly. Without hesitation, Junior Brother Ma rushed down.
Han Li, however, curled his lips slightly, casting an enigmatic glance at the scene before remaining silent, his thoughts unreadable.
Despite his short and stocky build, Junior Brother Ma moved swiftly. In moments, he had descended into the yellow mist and reached the fox’s side.
Cautiously, he grabbed the fox by its tail first, then gave it a gentle shake. The fox remained limp, lifeless.
Alarmed, the stout youth pressed the creature’s belly to his ear, listening intently.
Soon, his panicked voice rose from the mist: “Senior Brother! Come down quickly! The fox is ice-cold, with no heartbeat—it seems truly dead!”
“Impossible!” Senior Brother Wang’s face paled.
“Senior Brother, let’s withdraw the formation and go down. We can’t sustain the barrier much longer anyway,” Kuihuan urged anxiously.
The golden-faced Xi clan cultivator said nothing, but worry flickered in his eyes. After all, a dead demon beast wouldn’t fetch much in spirit stones.
“Fine. Drop the formation. Junior Brother Ma already has it secured,” Senior Brother Wang agreed after a brief hesitation.
Han Li, hearing this, stroked his chin impassively and offered no objection.
The four chanted incantations and pointed at the ground. Beams of light shot from the mist, transforming back into formation flags that returned to their hands.
The yellow mist dissipated instantly, revealing Junior Brother Ma standing on the grass, pressing a finger beneath the fox’s nose to check for breath.
Seeing this, Senior Brother Wang and the other two descended with grim expressions. Han Li, however, remained unmoved, his gaze lingering on the fox with a peculiar look.
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