I Am Your Natural Enemy

Some attempted to rush up the staircase, but Wen Yan struck casually with his mace, and they sprawled dead on the spot.

Others didn’t harbor hatred for Wen Yan; instead, they directed their animosity towards other Fox Demons, towards the Great Fox, fighting desperately in that direction.

After a chaotic ten minutes, the ground was littered with the reverted corpses of White Foxes.

Wen Yan looked towards the Great Fox.

The Great Fox fell silent for a moment, then said,

”The clan leader had previously taken the remaining two elders out, and their target should be the gateway of the Qinling Mountains. If they’re not there, then the only possibilities are three other hideouts.”

The Great Fox straightforwardly named the locations, even mentioning what was special about their clan leader and the remaining two elders.

”I can’t make decisions about the outside world, but for this place, this is all there is. Will you keep your word?”

”Of course I will. You can all go up on stage and leave from the other side.”

Wen Yan let several elders go first, then watched the foxes leave one after another; he truly refrained from taking action. To slaughter them all would serve no purpose beyond senseless venting.

Wen Yan walked outwards. Before leaving, he glanced at the corpses of the Fox Demons and sneered. Fools, truly incorrigible, still trying to pull off sneaky tricks. Not only are people from Fuyu Mountain here, but also those from Qingcheng, and there’s even a Grim-eyed Ghost. What trick could possibly go undetected?

His Yang Energy filled every corner of this Domain. He was especially sensitive to all things not of his Yang Energy, particularly those of a Yin nature. He sensed that when some foxes took their own lives, they seemed to have quietly used a bloodline Secret Technique. This technique preserved their Demon Souls within their corpses. He didn’t want to interfere further; he had already planned to cleanse the place if blood was spilled in this Domain. He would cleanse it all at once later.

He turned and departed. The Domain recoiled, turning into a piece of White Jade with tiny specks of blood, landing in his hand. He took a quick glance; it was indeed dirty. He’d clean it later.

Stepping out of the Domain, more Fox Demons had arrived outside, along with some Little White Foxes who appeared to be only a few years old.

The group of Fox Demons stood in the distance, in disarray. An untransformed White Fox tottered around Wen Yan. Seeing the eyes of that fox, he felt a familiar sense of clarity.

The Great Fox looked at the Little White Fox with a touch of complexity in his eyes.

”This one was an attempt by the clan leader to cultivate the bloodline of a Nine-Tailed White Fox using external scientific means. Unfortunately, its Soul is flawed. It will remain a common White Fox for life, its spirituality not even matching that of an ordinary White Fox.”

Wen Yan crouched down, extended his hand to offer a small piece of pastry, and beckoned the Little White Fox over. The Little White Fox, looking rather foolish and unsuspecting, approached and began eating as if it were starved.

Wen Yan reached out, stroked the Little White Fox’s head, and infused it with a bit of Yang Energy.

”Being unwise is not necessarily a bad thing; at least it won’t be skinned and dismembered, or have its heart carved out.”

The Little White Fox squinted its eyes and rubbed its head against Wen Yan’s palm.

The Great Fox, upon hearing Wen Yan’s words and observing his actions, had an even more complicated look in his eyes. He no longer regretted his earlier actions. He could tell that Wen Yan was not a vicious person, merely inflamed with rage and driven to desperation. If their positions were reversed, he would do the same, or perhaps, would have been even more resolute than Wen Yan.

Wen Yan stroked the Little White Fox and then glanced at the somewhat fearful Fox Demons before saying to the Great Fox, ”Teach the next generation well and, for the next few years, don’t venture outside. It’s not safe.”

Wen Yan led his people away. When leaving by the same path they had come, Wen Yan had Fourth Great-uncle Master and the others go ahead, and then he pulled Li Linlin aside.

”Can you disrupt the space at the entrance here, making their original tokens useless?”

”If I were to stay here constantly, perhaps.”

”Just give it your best shot.”

Li Linlin, acting on Wen Yan’s suggestion, extended one hand and began to disturb the space in the area. The surrounding trees, which appeared normal, started to twist into bizarre shapes, yet oddly enough, they didn’t break.

Wen Yan held the Chunjun Mace and applied the Explosive Great Sun Blessing. As Li Linlin disturbed the space around them, he slammed the mace into the ground.

Instantaneously, shockwaves spread outwards, causing the twisted trees to dissipate. In a flash, the surroundings transformed into a chaotic zone resembling a field of garbled data. Pieces of earth, stones, and tree fragments were scattered throughout the space. Now, it was impossible to distinguish anything.

Wen Yan picked up Li Linlin with one hand and strode through this chaotic area. In a few minutes, they had returned to the clearing where they had arrived.

Glancing back one last time, Wen Yan then left with his people.

The people inside wouldn’t be able to get out for a while, and those outside wouldn’t be able to enter either. If the Great Fox inside heeded his advice, then there would be no issues, and this chaotic path would instead act as their protection. Having a token that could guide the way meant there was a pattern to follow. Wen Yan had now obliterated the path. The lack of a pattern naturally meant greater safety. If the Great Fox didn’t listen to him, or if a straggler inside wished to send out a message, then they could blame no one but themselves.

Now, it was time to kill the White Fox clan leader.

Wen Yan took out his phone and called Feng Yao, explaining the situation and sharing the location the Great Fox had mentioned.

As he finished and prepared to leave, Bian Baozheng from Qingcheng approached him. Before Bian Baozheng could speak, Wen Yan asked first, ”Taoist priest, please forgive my impatience, as I’m rather busy. What brings you all this way to see me?”

”It’s like this. The Fierce Ghost you brought to Qingcheng for treatment has almost fully recovered. Our Sect Leader values talent greatly and had me come personally to ask if you would allow that Fierce Ghost to formally join our Qingcheng Sect.”

”Yes, your Sect Leader truly values talent.”

Bian Baozheng felt there was something peculiar about Wen Yan’s tone, as if he was being sarcastic.

”What do you think, Hermit?”

”That uncle is no one’s thrall, so there’s no need to ask for my opinion. Just ask him directly. I’m just curious, Qing Xuzi’s standards are quite high, aren’t they? Most people, most Ghosts, would not catch his eye.”

Without any hesitation, Bian Baozheng replied, ”That Fierce Ghost possesses the dual aspects of Yin and Yang. He nearly perished this time. However, his equanimity, contrary to expectations, instead stimulated this power, allowing him to achieve a balance. This is akin to a human possessing an exceptional innate constitution. That’s why our Sect Leader is so keen to recruit him.”