Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The giant claw slammed onto the golden net without making a deafening noise.

There was only a muffled "hum".

The seemingly thin golden net didn't sink in the slightest. On the contrary, Bai Yin's massive tiger claw, which blotted out the sky, seemed to have crashed into an unshakeable sacred mountain the moment it touched the net.

Click.

The sound of bones cracking was clear and piercing.

The immense force of the shock traveled upwards along the arm bone, instantly shattering the meridians of the entire right arm.

Bai Yin let out a painful groan as his massive body was thrown backward, crashing heavily into the muddy valley and splashing mud everywhere.

"Overestimating one's abilities."

The middle-aged Taoist priest hovered in mid-air, his face pale, but his eyes were full of contempt.

He flicked his whisk again, and the light on the golden net suddenly intensified.

The previously blurry phantom of the Great Sage finally opened its eyes after absorbing the spiritual power of seven cultivators at the Casting Cauldron Realm.

Those were eyes devoid of any emotion.

It's like looking at an ant at your feet.

The phantom slowly raised its right hand, extended a finger, and gently touched the giant tiger below that was still struggling to get up.

puff.

It's like popping a balloon.

Bai Yin's prized Law of Heaven and Earth, with its towering thirty-zhang-high body, crumbled inch by inch under this one finger.

Silver-gray fur exploded, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

The excruciating pain, originating from the depths of his soul, prevented Bai Yin from even letting out a scream.

His body rapidly shrank, from thirty feet to three feet, and then back to human form.

Finally, he lay naked in the mud pit, covered in blood, with only his chest rising and falling slightly.

It's still raining.

The cold rain washed away the bloodstains on his body, flowing into the soil and forming a red stream.

Lost.

We lost completely.

What Western Tiger Demon, what genius or prodigy, they're nothing but a fart in the face of true power.

Bai Yin struggled to open his eyes, his vision blurred by blood, a crimson blur.

He didn't think of Su Xiaojiu.

That tender, beautiful emotion was cast to the winds the moment his bones were crushed.

He only had one thought in his mind right now.

live.

As long as he survives, as long as he has a breath left, he will bite off pieces of the flesh from these few scruffy Taoist priests.

"You beast, prepare to die!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest, not wanting things to escalate, manipulated the golden net to cover his head.

The suffocating aura of death drew near.

Bai Yin's fingers dug into the soil, breaking his nails, but he couldn't move.

He didn't even have the strength to lift a finger.

Just as the golden net was about to touch the tip of his nose.

"Ugh."

A helpless sigh suddenly pierced through the rain.

Immediately afterwards, a white figure darted out from the woods on the side.

fast.

Incredibly fast.

That's not running, that's teleportation.

[Warning! The host is actively intervening in an S-rank, certain-death battlefield!]

[Warning! The difference in combat power between the two sides is too great. Immediate action is recommended...]

"Shut up!"

Su Xiaojiu cursed inwardly.

She didn't want to go either!

But if this silly tiger dies, wouldn't all the goodwill she's gained be for nothing?

and……

The way this tiger tried to run away but insisted on turning back to its death was stupid, but it was also kind of cool.

Su Xiaojiu was in mid-air, her figure swelling with the wind.

Unlike Bai Yin, who used brute force to expand her Dharma body, she directly mobilized the meager amount of nine-tailed fox bloodline within her body, combined with the illusionary enhancement provided by the system.

hum-

A blinding white light exploded.

As the light faded, a snow-white fox, three zhang long, appeared before Bai Yin.

Although not as exaggerated in size as the giant tiger from before, this fox was surrounded by a divine aura, with nine fluffy tails waving behind it, each tipped with azure foxfire.

That is the symbol of the Qingqiu royal family.

Although it's fake.

But these country bumpkin Taoist priests, who have never seen the world, certainly wouldn't recognize it.

"Where did this wild fox come from?!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest was startled by this sudden change and subconsciously tried to change the direction of the golden net.

"A wild fox?"

Su Xiaojiu spoke in a human voice, clear and noble, carrying the authority of a superior, "You're blind as a bat."

Before she could finish speaking, one of her tails lashed out.

Instead of confronting the golden net head-on, he grabbed the half-dead Bai Yin on the ground and threw him behind him.

At the same time, she opened her mouth and spat out three jet-black beads at the seven Taoist priests in the air.

Thunderfire Pearl.

Anything produced by our system is guaranteed to be of high quality.

This is a one-time consumable item equivalent to a full-force attack from a cultivator at the Cave Profound stage.

Su Xiaojiu's heart was bleeding.

This is our trump card for survival!

I used them all at once!

"What kind of hidden weapon is this?"

A young Taoist priest instinctively tried to block with his flying sword.

"burst!"

Su Xiaojiu shouted sharply.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three enormous fireballs exploded in mid-air.

Purple lightning mixed with crimson flames instantly engulfed the seven figures.

The once perfectly aligned Big Dipper Demon-Subduing Formation was instantly destroyed.

The lofty phantom of the Great Sage, having lost its spiritual energy supply, swayed twice before reluctantly dissipating into the air.

"ah--!!"

Screams echoed throughout the room.

The two Taoists with slightly weaker cultivation were blasted into charred remains and fell off their flying swords.

The remaining five people were also blown away by the blast wave, each one injured and in a sorry state.

Even the middle-aged Taoist priest had half of his robe burned off, his hair was charred black, and his face was full of terror.

"Thunder and fire?! This is heavenly tribulation thunder and fire?!"

She screamed, her voice distorted, "Which lineage of Qingqiu are you a senior from?!"

The demon race capable of controlling such thunder and fire could definitely not be raised in a poor, remote place like Yunmengze.

This fox is no ordinary fox!

The smoke and dust cleared.

Su Xiaojiu landed gracefully on the ground, her four paws treading on the void, looking down at the group of terrified Taoists.

She was panicking so badly that her calves were cramping.

That attack was powerful, but it was the effect of a pay-to-win item.

If a real fight breaks out, this clone of hers is just a facade; any cultivator at the Forging Cauldron Realm could easily skin her alive.

But we won't lose face.

As long as I'm not embarrassed, it's others who are embarrassed.

Su Xiaojiu slightly raised her chin, her azure eyes filled with mockery and indifference.

"The Supreme Forgetfulness Sect?"

She chuckled lightly, her tone carrying three parts sarcasm and seven parts nonchalance, "Since when has even a third-rate sect dared to touch my people?"

She did not deny being called a "senior".

It even climbed up the pole a bit further.

The middle-aged Taoist priest clutched his chest, looking at the white fox with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

I can't see through it.

His cultivation level was completely unfathomable.

The fox's aura was unpredictable, sometimes as weak as an ant, sometimes as vast as an abyss.

Especially those nine tails...

Legend has it that only nine-tailed celestial foxes with pure bloodlines from the Qingqiu royal family can cultivate nine tails.

That's a legendary great demon!

Could it be some reclusive ancestor, playing around in the mortal world here?

Thinking of this, the middle-aged Taoist priest broke out in a cold sweat.

If she really offended the ancestor of Qingqiu, not only would she, a mere deacon of the Enforcement Hall, be in deep trouble, but the entire Supreme Forgetfulness Sect would be in serious trouble.

"This junior...this junior was blind to your greatness."

The middle-aged Taoist priest gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and performed a Taoist bow in the air, saying, "I don't know if this... this fellow Taoist is cultivating here in seclusion. I apologize for any offense."

She didn't dare call him "senior," afraid that it would offend him by making him sound old.

They dared not call it a monster, for fear of being turned to dust on the spot.

All they could come up with was a nonsensical "fellow Daoist".

Su Xiaojiu felt secretly pleased.

So you're backing down already?

It seems this physical appearance is still quite useful.

She didn't speak, but stared coldly at the middle-aged Taoist priest. The nine tails behind her swayed slowly, bringing with them waves of spiritual energy that made one's heart tremble (actually, it was a system effect).

silence.

Dead silence.

This silence was pure torture for those Taoist priests.

Every second felt like dancing on a knife's edge.

Just as the middle-aged Taoist priest was about to succumb to the pressure and was about to turn around and run away, he was about to give up.

Su Xiaojiu finally spoke.

"roll."

There is only one word.

It felt light and airy, yet like a heavy hammer blow to their hearts.

The middle-aged Taoist priest was as if he had been granted a general amnesty.

"Yes! This junior will leave right away! Right away!"

She didn't dare say a word of politeness, and called to the remaining few defeated soldiers, she raised her flying sword and rushed into the rain as if fleeing for her life.

They didn't even dare to collect their companion's body.

Until it was confirmed that those few auras had completely disappeared from the range of perception.

Su Xiaojiu finally let out a long sigh of relief.

puff.

Her limbs went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.

Its sacred and inviolable white fur instantly dimmed, and one of its nine tails shrank back, leaving it looking frizzy and malnourished.

"That scared my dad to death!"

Su Xiaojiu wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, feeling as if her heart was about to jump out of her throat.

This is such a show of bravado, it's like gambling with your life.

If those Taoist priests had been a little more stubborn, even if it was just a tentative attack, she would have been exposed.

[Ding! Congratulations, host, for successfully defeating a powerful enemy and completing the hidden achievement "The Fox Borrows the Tiger's Might".]

[Reward: One bottle of the top-grade healing elixir, "Rejuvenation Dew".]

You do have some conscience.

Su Xiaojiu didn't have time to pay attention to the system and quickly turned around to look at Bai Yin behind her.

This tiger is in such a pitiful state now.

His entire body was covered in sore flesh, and his right arm hung limply at his side, clearly beyond repair.

But he was still awake.

Those golden eyes were fixed on Su Xiaojiu, containing no relief at surviving a disaster, but only a complex emotion that Su Xiaojiu couldn't understand.

"What are you looking at?"

Su Xiaojiu felt a little uneasy under his gaze and kicked him in annoyance. "If you're not dead yet, close your eyes and save your energy."

Bai Yin didn't move.

Let her kick me.

After a long while, he finally moved his chapped lips, his voice hoarse as if he had swallowed a handful of sand.

"You are... a great demon?"

Su Xiaojiu paused.

broken.

I got carried away with my bravado and forgot I still needed to maintain my "weak and helpless little fox" persona in front of this silly tiger.

How can we reconcile this now?

They say I'm the reincarnation of a nine-tailed celestial fox?

Or was I possessed by a powerful being just now?

Su Xiaojiu's eyes darted around, and an idea came to her.

She plopped down on the muddy ground, not caring about the dirt, and immediately pulled Bai Yin's blood-stained head into her arms.

"What nine-tails and eight-tails?"

As she poured the Rejuvenating Dew given to her by the system into Bai Yin's mouth, she rolled her eyes dramatically. "That was an illusion I just used! Don't you even know what an illusion is?"

"It was just to scare those foolish Taoist priests away."

"If I were really capable, would I have waited until you were beaten to a pulp before showing up?"

Bai Yin was stunned.

Illusion?

Was that earth-shattering aura and that thunderous strike just now an illusion?

Although he wasn't well-educated, he wasn't stupid.

How could illusions possibly achieve the power to blast a cultivator at the Casting Cauldron Realm into ashes?

But he looked at Su Xiaojiu's face, which was so close to his.

It was dirty, and I felt a mix of disgust and pity.

There was none of that aloofness or superiority I had felt before.

This is his Jiu'er.

Jiu'er, who would act coquettishly towards him, would trick him into playing tricks, and would rush out to save him in the face of life and death.

Who cares what she is?

As long as she is Jiu'er, that's fine.

Bai Yin swallowed the cool medicinal liquid in his mouth, feeling as if a warm current was repairing his internal organs.

He struggled to raise his intact left hand, wanting to touch Su Xiaojiu's face, but when he saw his hand covered in blood and mud, he withdrew it.

"sorry."

He lowered his head, like a child who had done something wrong, and said, "I lost."

I failed to protect you.

I need you to come and save me.

This is an utter disgrace for a male monster.

Seeing his pathetic state, Su Xiaojiu's anger dissipated.

That silly tiger.

Why are you still worrying about this at a time like this?

"Alright, alright, stop being so dramatic."

Su Xiaojiu threw the empty bottle aside, reached out and pulled his retracted hand back, then rubbed it against her face.

"So what if you lost? You can always win it back next time, right?"

"We'll see."

She leaned close to Bai Yin's ear, lowered her voice, and said with a hint of slyness, "This is called a tactical retreat, understand?"

"Where there's life, there's hope."

"Once you've recovered, we'll go and wipe out that Supreme Forgetfulness Sect, and pluck all the hairs off those bastards!"

Bai Yin looked into her bright, sparkling eyes.

The gloom in my heart has dissipated somewhat.

"it is good."

He nodded emphatically. "I'll go pluck the feathers."

"You're in charge of starting the fire."

Su Xiaojiu burst out laughing.

"Okay, let's have a clear division of labor."

She helped Bai Yin slowly stand up.

"Let's go. We shouldn't stay here any longer. Those Taoist priests will definitely turn around and attack us once they realize what's happening."

With her help, Bai Yin limped into the deep mountains.

The rain stopped.

The dark clouds dispersed, revealing a pale half-moon.

The two figures, supporting each other, disappeared into the vast night.

……

The Supreme Sect of Forgetfulness, the Hall of Law Enforcement.

Several soul lamps suddenly went out.

The disciple in charge of guarding the soul lamp turned pale with fright and scrambled into the inner hall to report.

"Elder! Something terrible has happened!"

"The soul lamps of Senior Brother Qingxu and the others... have all gone out!"

Deep inside the main hall.

An old man sitting cross-legged on a futon suddenly opened his eyes.

Two beams of light shot out, causing the void in front of them to distort slightly.

"Total annihilation?"

The old man's voice was icy, "Even a wisp of my divine consciousness was destroyed?"

"Yunmengze..."

"What a magnificent Yunmeng Marsh!"

"Looks like some old friends are getting restless and want to get out and stretch their muscles."

The old man stood up, took a step, and disappeared into the hall.

Only a single, menacing sentence echoed in the empty hall.

"Pass down the order."

"Block out Yunmeng Marsh."

Not a single fly is allowed to escape.