“Alright, let’s proceed as Brother Han suggested. But what do you plan to do with this Corpse Demon?” the white fox transmitted to Han Li via divine sense.
“I’ll first try using the Gold Devouring Beetles to see if they can consume it. If not, it doesn’t matter. We can just let the creature fend for itself. Besides, I’ve taken the jade box that likely contains its master soul, so it won’t be able to cause much trouble,” Han Li said indifferently, glancing at the green-furred Corpse Demon.
With a flick of his hand to his waist, he summoned a spirit beast pouch into the air. Countless Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed out, forming a three-colored cloud several zhang in size, which descended upon the Corpse Demon.
The sound of gnawing soon erupted, but after watching coldly for a moment, Han Li saw some of the beetles suddenly flip over and die, their three-colored shells instantly turning emerald green.
“Incredibly potent corpse poison!” Han Li murmured, his expression shifting slightly. After a brief hesitation, he chanted softly, and all the beetles flew back into the spirit beast pouch.
“The corpse poison on the Corpse Demon may not rank among the Ten Deadly Poisons of the world, but it’s certainly beyond what your incompletely evolved Gold Devouring Beetles can handle,” the white fox remarked, its eyes rolling lazily.
Han Li snorted, giving the Corpse Demon a cold glare as his brows furrowed slightly.
The creature’s body was far tougher than the Venomous Flood Dragon he had encountered before. The beetles had barely managed to break its skin. At this rate, he’d lose 80-90% of his three-colored beetles just to destroy its body. Naturally, Han Li wasn’t about to make such a losing trade.
“Let’s go,” Han Li said decisively.
“That’s all we can do. Leaving the Corpse Demon here might prove useful later,” the white fox agreed with a nod. A strange light flashed around it, and a small yellow wolf emerged.
The moment the wolf appeared, it opened its mouth toward Han Li and the fox, enveloping them in a yellow light. In an instant, both vanished from the stone chamber.
Outside the cliff, Senior Brother Wang and Kuihuan stood anxiously with the others. None of them knew earth escape techniques, so they could only wait helplessly for Han Li’s return.
“Senior Brother, do you think Junior Brother Han will succeed?” Kuihuan couldn’t help but ask Senior Brother Wang.
The other two also turned their concerned gazes toward him, clearly placing great trust in his judgment.
“It’s hard to say. Logically, with Junior Brother Han’s tenth-level Qi Condensation cultivation, catching up to the fox demon shouldn’t be easy. But he has many mysterious magical tools, so he might surprise us. Either outcome wouldn’t be strange,” Senior Brother Wang replied after a moment of contemplation, smiling wryly.
Kuihuan and the other two exchanged glances.
The short, plump youth sighed and waved his injured hand, about to say something. Just then, a flash of light appeared on the cliff wall, and Han Li emerged from a yellow glow, holding the small fox.
“Junior Brother Han!”
“You really caught it!” they exclaimed excitedly.
“It was nothing. The fox was quite cunning, leading me in circles. If it hadn’t exhausted its own spiritual power, I might not have caught it so quickly,” Han Li said lightly, tossing the white fox to Kuihuan across from him.
Kuihuan, momentarily stunned, eagerly caught it.
“Junior Brother Kuihuan! Be careful not to let it escape again!” the plump youth hastily warned.
“Don’t worry! I’ve got this,” Kuihuan replied confidently, holding the fox. He then pulled out a green leather pouch from his storage bag and stuffed the fox inside.
“With this Green Cloud Pouch, let’s see where you can run now!” Kuihuan said triumphantly, quickly tying the pouch shut.
Han Li glanced at the pouch but dismissed it as a low-tier magical tool.
“We owe our success in capturing this demon beast entirely to Junior Brother Han. We’re not ungrateful. How about this: when we sell the fox, Junior Brother Han takes 30%, and the rest is split equally among the four of us?” Senior Brother Wang said earnestly, ignoring the fox in the pouch.
Han Li smiled faintly, recognizing the gesture as a genuine attempt to forge ties given his demonstrated abilities. He nodded without pretense. “I’ll leave it to Senior Brother Wang’s discretion. I have no objections.”
The other three, though reluctant to part with more spirit stones, knew that without Han Li, they’d have returned empty-handed. Thus, no one voiced any dissent.
After exchanging a few more polite words, Han Li excused himself and flew off alone toward the sect.
Senior Brother Wang and the others decided to strike while the iron was hot and headed straight for a market in the central part of Yunmeng Mountain, where disciples from all three sects mingled, hoping to fetch a high price for the Snow Cloud Fox.
Meanwhile, Han Li landed on a small hill not far away and sat cross-legged on a rock, meditating. With the jade ruyi in his possession, the white fox would sense his location and return on its own.
About half an hour later, Han Li’s eyes snapped open as a yellow light flashed before him, and the white fox emerged leisurely.
“You’re quite fast,” Han Li remarked indifferently.
“It’s not me—they used a low-tier spirit tool to hold me. They underestimated me. By now, they probably haven’t even noticed I’m gone,” the fox said with a smirk.
“Still, those Falling Cloud Sect disciples wasted their efforts. I’ll compensate them later if I get the chance,” Han Li said impassively.
“If so, they’ve stumbled into good fortune,” the fox mused.
“Enough chatter. Shrink yourself and hide in my sleeve. We’re heading back,” Han Li said, shaking his sleeve.
Without a word, the fox shrank rapidly in a silver glow and leaped into Han Li’s sleeve.
With the restrictions placed on the fox, Han Li had no fear of betrayal and flew back confidently.
Instead of returning directly to his cave, Han Li took the fox to the main peak of the Falling Cloud Sect. To refine the fox into a tool spirit, he needed certain materials and special items, which he could acquire at the sect’s market below the peak.
He planned to begin the process immediately upon returning to his cave. Until the fox, who called itself Yin Yue, was bound as a tool spirit, Han Li wouldn’t rest easy.
The material procurement went smoothly. Han Li found everything he needed at a single shop. Since the items weren’t rare or valuable, no one questioned his purpose.
Satisfied, Han Li flew back to his herb garden with the materials and the fox. But as he approached, he spotted two figures waiting outside the garden’s restrictions: Kuihuan, looking dejected, and Senior Brother Wang, his expression grim.
Han Li sighed inwardly. He knew why they were there but feigned ignorance as he landed nearby.
“Fellow Daoists, why have you returned so soon? Did you sell the Snow Cloud Fox?” Han Li asked calmly as he approached.
“Well… we’ve let you down, Junior Brother Han,” Senior Brother Wang said awkwardly after a pause.
“Oh? Did something happen to the fox?” Han Li stroked his chin, startling the two with his question.
“Junior Brother Han, how did you know?” Kuihuan exclaimed, wide-eyed with shock.
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