Starting as a stray dog, I embarked on a journey of cultivation.

The wounded white fox fled in panic, eventually being cornered by the hunters in a secluded valley.

This valley is surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides, with only one passage in front as the only entrance and exit, making it a dead end with no way out.

Upon discovering this, the white fox staggered to a stop, slowly turned around, and its clear fox eyes surged with a fierce determination to fight to the death.

It was clear that they intended to fight the hunters to the death.

When a monster is driven to the brink of despair, it can unleash the raging potential hidden within its flesh and blood. Even though its body was already covered with wounds of varying depths, the aura that this five-tailed white fox was unleashing at this moment was still terrifying.

Its body is light and swift, and it runs so fast that only a white afterimage remains.

Sharp teeth and claws tore through the air, and five fluffy fox tails swept across in turn, each swing condensing dozens of icy spikes that shot towards the crowd in a barrage.

More than ten hunters were instantly plunged into a fierce battle, and for a time they were unable to surround the enemy.

Just as they were fighting fiercely, Gou An and Lai Pi emerged from the dense bushes high in the valley, their heads peeking out.

Concealing his aura, he looked down from his vantage point and took in the entire battle raging in the valley.

For him, this was the perfect opportunity to observe and figure out the level of skill and tactics of these hunters.

After watching the battle quietly for a long time, Gou Anxin had already formed his own judgment.

Although these hunters all possessed spiritual energy and cultivation, their spiritual power was shallow, making them not particularly powerful.

The ability to corner a fifth-tier demon fox wasn't based on overwhelming strength.

Rather, it was due to their superior numbers and the perfect teamwork honed through years of hunting.

The team has a clear division of labor.

Several strong men, armed with thick shields and short blades, stood at the forefront, specifically to defend against the fox demon's ice spike attacks and close-range assaults.

Several men in the back row gripped their long spears tightly, looking for an opening to thrust and restrain the attackers.

Several others stood on the flanks, holding standard crossbows, waiting for an opportunity to launch a sneak attack with arrows.

He was clearly a seasoned veteran who spent years hunting monsters in the mountains.

Even though the white fox was fearless, the prolonged battle worsened its already severely injured body, leaving several more bloody wounds on its skin.

His physical strength was rapidly depleted, and his originally agile body gradually slowed down, making his movements and advances a beat slower.

If this situation continues, it's only a matter of time before the white fox is captured alive.

The scoundrel watching from the side couldn't wait any longer and whispered, "Brother Gou, it looks like this fox can't hold on and is about to lose."

Gou An ignored the warnings, his eyes fixed on the battlefield at the bottom of the valley, his mind racing with plans on how to reap the benefits.

Lai Pi, however, was far from calm and kept chattering to himself: "Hey Gou Ge, I finally understand why you didn't like female dogs before. Turns out you like this type of female fox."

"This white fox does look better than our wild dogs, but dogs and foxes are ultimately not the same kind. Brother Gou, don't be confused for a moment."

"And I've heard that these foxes like to eat dog meat, so they're very dangerous."

Hearing this absurd speculation, Gou An's temples throbbed with anger, and he abruptly turned his head to glare at it fiercely.

The scoundrel shrank back instantly, immediately covered his mouth, and dared not utter another word.

Before long, the battle at the bottom of the valley took an unexpected turn.

A powerful crossbow, imbued with spiritual energy, shot through the air and precisely pierced the flesh of the white fox's hind leg.

A sharp pain swept over its entire body. The white fox cried out in agony, its limbs went limp, and it collapsed heavily into the mud. Blood gushed down its fur and soaked the ground.

The hunters were overjoyed at the sight and quickly surrounded the group, shouts rising and falling.

"Grab it!"

"Quickly retrieve the Mystic Iron Lock!"

With several iron chains about to wrap around the white fox's body, victory was within reach.

Suddenly, a large cloud of gray-black smog surged in from the valley entrance with the wind, sweeping across the entire valley like a tide and enveloping all the hunters.

Thick black fog obscured all vision, and visibility plummeted to zero.

The hunters were immediately panicked, raising their hands to cover their mouths and noses and hurriedly shouting warnings.

"Everyone be careful!"

"This black fog stinks horribly, it's probably poisonous!"

"There are other demonic beasts lurking in the shadows!"

"Alert! Alert!"

Everyone was on edge, wary of the miasma, completely unaware that this cloud of foul air contained no toxins whatsoever; it was merely foul-smelling and pungent.

In the chaos, a hunter with slightly higher cultivation level shouted and stomped heavily on the ground with one foot. His spiritual power swept out and stirred up a gust of wind, howling and dispersing the black mist that filled the sky.

Once the fog had completely dissipated, everyone stared intently at the spot where the white fox had fallen.

They then discovered that the badly injured white fox was gone, leaving only a pool of undried blood on the ground.

"The fox has disappeared!"

"Damn beast!"

"Quick, after it! It's badly injured; it can't have gone far!"

"Bring the hunting dogs up and follow the scent!"

The hunters hurriedly came to their senses, haphazardly reorganized their formation, and followed the remaining blood trails out of the valley.

Meanwhile, Gou An had already led the white fox into the dense forest, rushing along the mountain path to the side.

The white fox was badly injured; the crossbow wound on its hind leg was bleeding continuously, and its escape speed was getting slower and slower.

From the mountains and forests behind, the hunters' shouts and the barking of their hounds were drawing ever closer. At this rate, they would be caught up completely in no time.

Just then, the mountain road ahead split into two forks.

The white fox stopped its staggering steps, turned to look at Gou An, its eyes filled with confusion, as if asking which way to escape.

Gou An raised his paw to indicate the mountain path to one side, and whispered in animal language, "You run that way as fast as you can. I'll take this side path and distract those hunters."

The white fox trembled upon hearing this, its eyes filled with astonishment and suspicion: "Why did you help me escape?"

Gou An immediately adopted a sorrowful and indignant demeanor, his tone somber as if burdened by endless hatred: "My entire tribe was wiped out by these hunters; I swear I will never forgive them!"

"So, I'm not helping you, but I absolutely cannot let these vicious humans succeed."

The white fox was greatly shocked. Without having time to express its gratitude properly, it endured the pain, turned around, and dashed off with all its might toward the mountain path that Gou An had indicated.

Gou An remained alone at the crossroads for a while, and when the hunter's figure vaguely appeared in the forest, he deliberately stomped on the dead branches and bumped into the bushes to create a huge noise.

He had deliberately rubbed himself with white fox fur and blood, giving him a strong fox demon aura that instantly drew everyone's attention to him.

As he fled with his head down, Gou An slowly curled a cunning, sinister smile at the corner of his mouth.

The path he pointed out to the white fox wasn't an escape route at all; at the end of that mountain path was the territory of the fifth-tier Blazing Bear that he had encountered from afar earlier.

The severely wounded white fox went in, only to meet its demise.

With his full strength at the fourth rank, he should have had a good chance of winning against the injured five-tailed white fox.

However, the two are vastly different in size, and I have just witnessed the white fox's fierce fighting methods. Even if the opponent is seriously injured, its frantic counterattack before death may still cause me great losses, making it a losing proposition.

Therefore, Gou An set up a series of traps, first luring the white fox to the territory of the raging bear, and then using the bear to eliminate the fox demon.

Then lure the group of hunters behind him over, causing them to fight the Blazing Bear again.

When both sides are exhausted and their fighting strength is depleted, that will be the best time for him to reap the benefits.

Gou An was secretly delighted. When he estimated that the time was about right, he suddenly changed the direction of his run and took a long detour to the canyon where the Blazing Bear was located.

Behind him, a large number of hunters and hounds changed direction and relentlessly pursued Gou An.