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

Gou An repeated the same tactic day and night for several days, constantly bluffing and harassing the camp from the outside.

The dozen or so hunters remaining in the village were exhausted, both physically and mentally. Their eyes were bloodshot, and their nerves were on the verge of collapse.

After days of torment, the differences of opinion among the group grew, leading to endless arguments.

"Are we just going to be stuck here waiting? The food supplies in the village are almost gone. If this continues, we won't be able to hold out even without the monsters coming."

"Why don't we all gather together and fight our way out! We can't take it anymore being trapped inside these walls, living in constant fear."

A meticulous hunter in the crowd frowned and spoke up: "I have a feeling that something is off about this."

Another person immediately chimed in, "I also feel something's wrong. The spiritual energy is thin in the outer area of ​​the Demon Beast Mountain Range, how could a sixth-tier demon fox suddenly appear out of nowhere?"

"But we all saw it with our own eyes. That thing had six long tails trailing behind it. What else could it be but a six-tailed fox demon?"

"Not only six-tailed, but also a five-tailed one appeared before. The two fox spirits took turns wandering around outside."

The perceptive hunter slowly revealed the key point: "That's precisely the problem."

"One is a Tier 6 beast, and the other is a Tier 5 beast. If they truly came seeking revenge for their kind, why are they only loitering around the perimeter of the forest and refusing to launch a full-scale attack on the camp?"

"Our wooden fence is flimsy and weak; it can't withstand the attack of a sixth-tier demonic beast at all. If it really wanted revenge, it could just break through the village and slaughter us. Why bother with constant threats and delays?"

This question left everyone present speechless, and no one could offer a reasonable explanation for the moment.

At its peak, this hunter team consisted of only thirty or forty people. In this battle to hunt down the White Fox, more than ten people were lost, and several others stayed behind to guard the stronghold outside the mountains. Now, there are less than twenty people left in the village.

Even if the entire team were present, they would still be no match for a sixth-tier demon beast.

With manpower currently depleted, they are struggling to confront even a single fifth-tier demonic beast head-on.

If that six-tailed demon beast were to truly launch an attack, the entire village would be impossible to defend.

Seeing everyone hesitate and remain silent, the hunter who had raised the question earlier continued, "In my opinion, what we've encountered these past few days isn't some sixth-tier demon fox at all."

Someone nearby, utterly puzzled, quickly asked, "If it's not a six-tailed fox, what could possibly have six tails?"

After a moment's thought, the man boldly guessed, "Perhaps it's that yellow-haired wild dog we couldn't catch before, which found some stray hairs and stuck them on its buttocks to pretend to be a fox tail and scare us."

This speculation was so outlandish that it was hard for the crowd to believe it.

"That's unrealistic, isn't it? Most of the wild dogs in the mountains are just low-level, unintelligent demonic beasts. Where would they get such meticulous cunning?"

The hunter who made the conjecture himself felt it didn't make sense, so he changed his story: "If it's not wild dogs, then it's very likely that some kind of monster is using illusion magic to deceive us."

Upon hearing the explanation about illusion, the other hunters nodded in agreement, finding it reasonable.

Immediately, someone asked with concern, "But whether it's illusion or disguise, we can't stay trapped here forever. What should we do next?"

After a moment's thought, the hunter devised a plan: "That strange thing only dares to appear and cause trouble at night, so let's do the opposite and break out during the day."

"I'll take two skilled brothers to scout ahead. If we can successfully get out of the Monster Mountain Range, we'll head to the town for reinforcements and gather more manpower."

"At that time, whether it's a sixth-tier demon beast or not will no longer be an issue."

Then, someone with deep concern asked, "What if the scouts fail to break through and instead encounter misfortune outside?"

The hunter sneered, his tone resolute: "If we don't even dare to take this risk, and continue this stalemate, we'll be trapped in the village, running out of food and supplies, which will only lead to our demise. We might as well go all out and take a gamble; there's still a glimmer of hope."

After carefully weighing the pros and cons, everyone finally agreed on this method.

The decision was made immediately, and they set off at dawn to test the waters and break through.

As dawn broke, the three hunters quietly slipped out of the wooden village, taking advantage of the hazy morning mist.

They kept their breaths steady and sped towards the outer edge of the mountain range.

The three of them dared not stop for even a moment, running wildly for more than ten miles until they were completely far away from the camp. Only then did they dare to stop and catch their breath and rest for a while.

The journey was smooth and uneventful, without a trace of any monsters. The anxiety that had been hanging over them for days finally subsided, and the three of them relaxed.

The lead hunter grinned, his eyes full of certainty: "It seems I was absolutely right. The creature that's been causing trouble day and night isn't some sixth-tier demon beast at all."

"If it really were a six-tailed fox, we would never have been able to break through so easily."

"That's right! Brother Zhao is indeed meticulous and has exceptional strategic skills!"

Another person quickly chimed in, his tone laced with sarcasm: "Those people in the village are just too cowardly and suspicious; they've been trapped for days for nothing."

"It would cost even more money to come back and rescue them after they get out; what a waste."

Unexpectedly, the hunter known as Brother Zhao gave a cold laugh and shook his head upon hearing this: "No rush to save them."

The other two looked puzzled and turned to look at him.

A greedy glint flashed in Brother Zhao's eyes as he chuckled softly, "That fifth-tier demon core has always been with me. If we split it equally among three, will the profits be the same as if it were divided among more than twenty people?"

Upon hearing this, the other two people's pupils contracted sharply, their eyes widening instantly as they understood his thoughts.

"When hunting in the mountains, death and injury are commonplace." Brother Zhao's expression was indifferent, and his tone was icy. "Manpower can be recruited again, but a precious fifth-tier demon core is a rare and hard-won opportunity."

The three looked at each other, their eyes meeting in unison, and a greedy smile crept onto their lips.

Just as the three were secretly pleased, the smile on one of the hunters' faces suddenly froze.

His whole body tensed instantly, his fingertips trembling as he pointed towards the dense forest ahead, his voice shaking: "Brother Zhao... Brother Zhao! There are monsters ahead!"

The other two's expressions changed drastically, and they immediately looked in the direction he was pointing.

In the deep, dense forest, a dark shadow slowly moved, with six long tails swaying behind it. It was none other than the six-tailed demon beast that they feared day and night!

"It's a six-tailed fox!"

The three men turned pale and instantly drew their weapons, their spiritual energy taut as they assumed a posture of fighting to the death.

Brother Zhao's throat bobbed, and he nervously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His hand holding the knife trembled slightly, and his heart was filled with fear.

If the three of them had truly encountered a sixth-tier demonic beast, they would have had absolutely no chance of escape and would have certainly died today.

As the footsteps drew closer, the outline of the dark figure in the woods became increasingly clear.

The three of them looked closely, and their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, instantly settled down. They felt both annoyed and amused.

Where is that six-tailed fox demon?

It really was just an inconspicuous yellow-haired stray dog, with six white reeds stuck into its rear end, clumsily but realistically disguising itself as having six tails.