Evil cultivator fox demon

Wu Zi rolled his eyes at Xu Yi, knowing that this girl was a bit stubborn. So he walked along, using the gold he had earned to buy delicious food for Xu Yi.

After Xu Yi had fed herself, the guilt in her heart had long been squeezed out by the food... She even thought she could sell more, but Wu Zi refused: "The rest may be useful later, so we have to save them."

"Okay, whatever you say." Xu Yi looked at the dessert stall in front of her: "I want to eat that, Wu Zi."

"Okay, okay, I'll buy it for you."

Xu Yi stood by the table at the sweet drink stall, happily inhaling the sweet aroma emanating from the bowl, when she noticed someone watching her. Following the gaze, she looked up and saw a humanoid fox demon halfway up the opposite mountain. The fox demon wore a gorgeous dress, its features alluringly adorned, but its eyes held no emotion as it looked at Xu Yi, like a mechanical puppet…

"Wu Zi, there is a fox demon."

Wu Zi didn't look up: "I know, no rush, we'll go and investigate again tonight."

Xu Yi completely lost her appetite. She clearly saw a thick black aura swirling around the fox demon, which instinctively made her feel danger. She took two steps back and patted Wu Zi: "That fox demon..."

“It’s an evil cultivator.” Wu Zi turned his head and began to form a hand seal. Before he could finish the seal, the fox demon had already disappeared.

Wu Zi frowned and instructed Xu Yi, "Foxes are generally social creatures. What we're about to face might be a group of evil cultivators, so we need to be extra careful."

“Okay,” Wu Zi’s solemn voice made Xu Yi nervous as well: “I…I understand.”

That evening, Xu Yi went up the mountain with Wu Zi. As darkness fell, the eerie atmosphere permeating the mountain became even more apparent... Wu Zi drew his peach wood sword, which was engraved with talismans, and shielded Xu Yi behind him as they slowly made their way forward...

Suddenly, a figure appeared faintly in the fog ahead. Xu Yi became very nervous and moved closer to Wu Zi... Wu Zi noticed it as well, and stood still, gripping his wooden sword tightly and watching the figure intently. As the distance grew closer, the shadow grew smaller and smaller... Xu Yi nervously swallowed, and only after the shadow disappeared from sight did a man carrying a torch emerge from the fog.

Xu Yi and Wu Zi both breathed a sigh of relief. The man, dressed as a scholar, was followed by a hunter. When he saw Xu Yi and Wu Zi, he smiled and walked over, cupping his hands in greeting: "Gentlemen, the mountain ahead is not safe. It would be best if you stopped here."

"Something's not going well?" Wu Zi sheathed his peach wood sword and asked the newcomer, "Can you see Xu Yi?"

"Huh? You can see me?" Xu Yi floated in front of the person and waved her hand in front of the person's eyes: "Why can you see me?"

The newcomer smiled, took a step back, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Xu Yi: "Only through fortuitous circumstances can one observe what is beyond the mortal realm."

"Wow, this is the first time I've met someone who can see me!" Xu Yi exclaimed with delight.

"What's the big deal?" Wu Zi rolled his eyes at Xu Yi, then asked the newcomer, "May I ask your name, sir?"

"My name is Chen Chen," the man said, bowing slightly, then pointing to the man behind him: "This is my childhood friend, Wang Zhi."

The hunter obviously couldn't see Xu Yi, but walked over and nodded to Wu Zi, saying, "Nice to meet you."

Wu Zi bowed in return, saying, "This humble Taoist is Wu Zi, and beside me is Xu Yi."

The two men bowed in unison, saying, "Greetings, gentlemen."

Wu Zi returned the greeting: "Brother, what did you mean when you said the mountain was not peaceful?"

Chenchen and Wang Zhi exchanged a glance before Chenchen spoke: "There are demons on the mountain that love to eat people. I hope you two will not come any closer."

Wu Zi narrowed his eyes and looked at Chen Chen: "If we don't get close... nothing will happen?"

“Hmm,” he nodded heavily, “There’s a magic array set up by monks ahead. As long as you don’t go in, you’ll be fine.”

Wu Zi looked at Chen Chen and said, "I think this formation has been in place for many years, and its power is not as great as before. I'm afraid it won't last much longer..."

He nodded deeply: "Brother, you have keen insight. The magic array has indeed loosened recently. Some people have even seen the fox demon inside the array, but the fox demon cannot step out of the array yet, so... it's still relatively safe..."

"Really safe?" Wu Zi sneered. "I imagine many people have gone missing in your mountains over the years, haven't they?"

He pursed his lips, and after a long while nodded: "Indeed, some people have gone missing, but they all perished after entering the magic array. As long as they don't go in, there will be no problem."

"As long as you don't go in, there won't be any problems?" Wu Zi was so angry that he laughed: "Have you ever thought about why people who have been missing for so many years would knowingly enter the magic array repeatedly despite the danger?"

“This…” Chen Chen frowned deeply: “We haven’t investigated this thoroughly…”

"Hmph, that's because the fox demon has already taken shape, deliberately luring people into the formation to kill and extract their essence. Over the years, it has gradually gained power. You only knew that as long as you didn't enter, there would be no danger, but you never imagined that your inaction over the years would actually help the fox demon grow stronger... It will soon be able to break through the formation. Once the formation is broken, not only will the villagers of this mountain die, but countless other living beings in this world will also perish..."

Chen Chen's face turned pale: "Mortals are often fearful, only seeing what's in front of them. Your words are like a wake-up call..." He bowed to Wu Zi: "Master, do you have a solution?"

“Yes,” Wu Zi nodded, “Go in, and before they can escape the magic array, find their lair and wipe them all out.”

"This..." Chen Chen's face paled even more. "This is of great importance. I wonder if you, Master, are confident in your abilities?"

“No,” Wu Zi shook his head: “I’m not sure how many there are, or what level they have reached, but I can guarantee that as long as I don’t die, I will never back down.”

"What if you die?" the hunter stepped forward, his voice stern. "If you die, the magic array will weaken, and then what will we do?"

"Oh? So you're just going to watch this cancer grow bigger and bigger until it threatens the lives of everyone in the world?" Wu Zi was also furious, and as he spoke, thunder roared in the sky...

The two men turned pale upon hearing the thunder in the sky and fell silent.

Xu Yi glanced at the thunder talisman behind Wu Zi, then silently lowered her head, pretending not to see it...

After a long while, he finally stepped forward and said, “Brother, you are right. If we continue to deceive ourselves and pretend we don’t know, how will we face the innocent people who have died tragically in this world in the future? Master, we will definitely follow your instructions.”

“It’s simple. I’ve been around for so many years, I still have the skills to kill demons. It’s just that neither Xu Yi nor I are familiar with the mountain routes. You just need one of you to lead the way, and we can handle the rest.”

"Me?" Xu Yi stammered in surprise, "I...I...what can I do?"

“You are a ghost cultivator, and they are demons. They generally cannot harm you, but there will be times when you can use them,” Wu Zi said to Xu Yi.

The two men in front of him watched Wu Zi speak to thin air, and their faces turned even paler upon hearing the word "ghost"... Finally, Chen Chen calmed himself down first, took a deep breath, and said to Wu Zi, "Alright, I'll go then. I've had the opportunity to see beyond mortals by chance, so I'll be the best person to lead the way..."

“No…” Wang Zhi disagreed: “With your small frame, you can barely protect yourself, so what can you do? I’ll go instead.”

“Actually…” Wu Ziyou said slowly, “You two can go together. That way, Wang Zhi can protect Chenchen, which is more secure.”

“Okay,” the two replied in unison, and said in a deep voice, “We were raised on the charity of many families, and it is our good fortune to be able to do something for our fellow villagers now.”

"Consider it repayment," Wang Zhi added, and the two exchanged a smile.

“Alright,” Wu Zi nodded, took out a cinnabar brush from his pocket, and drew dense runes on Wang Zhi’s bow and arrow. He explained, “Now you have the power to fight the fox demon. Let’s go.”

Wu Zi led the way, followed by Xu Yi and Shen Chen, with Wang Zhi carrying a bow and arrows at the back. After they stepped into the magic circle, they clearly felt that the fog was thicker, so thick that it was almost black. Xu Yi didn't feel uncomfortable at all, and even felt extremely comfortable. She was very curious: "Why do I feel that this place is so suitable for me?"

Wu Zi didn't turn around: "You are a ghost cultivator. The dense resentment and ghost energy here is a great tonic for you. It's naturally suitable for you. You can absorb more of it and it can help you later."

“Okay,” Xu Yi said. Although she was still apprehensive when she heard that she could help, she also felt a sense of righteousness and took a deep breath. The mist around her was gradually swallowed by Xu Yi, and she became much clearer. As Xu Yi swallowed more and more air, Wang Zhi could vaguely see Xu Yi’s figure with his naked eye. He tugged at his heavy clothes in great surprise: “That is… Miss Xu?”

"Hmm." Xu Yi nodded heavily, having heard him, and turned to ask Wang Zhi, "Can you see me?"

“Yes,” Wang Zhi nodded, “I can see the general shape and hear the sound, but it’s rather distant…”

"It has this effect?" Xu Yi quickly continued to swallow air until her stomach was swollen and she could swallow no more before she stopped.

They walked for an unknown amount of time before they saw a magnificently dressed fox spirit standing before a dilapidated, abandoned house. The fox spirit smiled sweetly at them, her beauty captivating. Xu Yi quickly tugged at Wu Zi's sleeve, stammering, "Wu...Wu Zi, fox...fox spirit..."

"I saw it." Wu Zi nodded. Just then, Wang Zhiji quickly drew his bow and shot an arrow. The fox demon turned its head and missed, then ran away on all fours.

A beautiful person ran away on all fours. This overwhelming sight completely shattered Xu Yi's newly built-up confidence... Xu Yi began to tremble unconsciously, even the ghostly energy in his stomach couldn't be contained, and it slowly spilled from his mouth... The surroundings gradually grew darker and darker...

Wu Zi called out anxiously, "Xu Yi..."

Xu Yi knew she had caused trouble and quickly covered her mouth, but the ghostly energy she had swallowed earlier still seeped out little by little through her fingers... The surrounding fog grew darker and darker, until she couldn't see anything more than five steps ahead... Wu Zi and Wang Zhi quickly each faced one side, protecting Chen Chen in the middle...

A silvery laugh echoed through the mist, mocking Xu Yi: "Hahaha... Thank you for your help, little sister..."

The sounds came from all directions, causing Wu Zi and Wang Zhi to grip their weapons tightly... Wu Zi asked Chen Chen, "Brother Chen, can you see where the fox demon is?"

"It seems...it seems to be everywhere..." Chen Chen frowned deeply...

Everywhere? The thought of being surrounded by those fox demons shrouded in black mist terrified Xu Yi, and she burst into tears: "Waaah... Wu Zi, what... what do we do, Wu Zi?"