After understanding the situation, Xiaoxiao’s gaze toward Qin Lingxiao inevitably carried a hint of mockery.

Qin Lingxiao hadn’t expected that Cui Xiaoxiao would also know the legends of Tuyun Mountain and could call out Yu Ling’er’s name.

It seemed their group’s arrival at Tushan was indeed Cui Xiaoxiao’s doing! What exactly did she want to do – was she going to help Wei Jie become a demon?

Moreover, seeing that his former senior brother Tang Youshu was standing behind Wei Jie, carrying a bamboo basket and quietly calling Wei Jie “master,” Qin Lingxiao’s eyes immediately narrowed.

What was going on? That fool Tang Youshu had taken Wei Jie as his master again, just like in the previous trajectory?

Qin Lingxiao’s heart sank further, becoming more convinced that it was the variable Cui Xiaoxiao who was helping Wei Jie.

With this thought, Qin Lingxiao stepped forward, blocking Yu Ling’er’s front, cutting off any chance for her to speak with Cui Xiaoxiao again. He said coldly to Xiaoxiao with an icy, handsome face: “Cui Xiaoxiao, don’t get too carried away. Remember that there are gods above watching. If you assist tyrants in their evil deeds, you will surely face divine punishment!”

Cui Xiaoxiao wasn’t as scheming and deep as Qin Lingxiao imagined.

She had merely happened to walk to the foot of Tuyun Mountain, and when her poison coincidentally flared up, she remembered this legend and wanted to ask for a bowl of spiritual spring water to suppress the Yin poison. She never expected to encounter Qin Lingxiao here.

She didn’t want to waste words and lifted the shackles, saying: “Young Pavilion Master Qin, give me the key. If you keep locking me together with him, who knows what trouble might arise!”

But Qin Lingxiao sneered and suddenly pointed his finger, once again forming a qi sword: “No need. Once I kill him, you can simply chop off his arm and regain your freedom.”

Thanks to Yu Ling’er, Qin Lingxiao had already drunk from the spiritual spring, instantly unblocking his clogged meridians. With his dantian qi surging, he could now condense qi swords.

Having experienced two hundred years of cultivation journey, many barriers that other cultivators needed long years to comprehend, he had already mastered without a teacher.

So with the spiritual spring’s assistance, Qin Lingxiao had broken through the fourth level obstruction and could directly condense twin swords.

Though this level of cultivation couldn’t compare to his status as the world’s number one sword sect leader two hundred years later, it was more than enough to deal with the current Wei Jie!

Taking advantage of Cui Xiaoxiao’s inconvenient movement due to being chained to Wei Jie, with fox clan members flanking them, this was the perfect opportunity to eliminate the root of the problem!

Wei Jie, this demon’s thoughts were unfathomable, and his talent was extremely high – he was Qin Lingxiao’s long-standing inner demon.

This time with time reversed, he absolutely couldn’t let Wei Jie have a chance to make a comeback!

Thinking this, Qin Lingxiao swept his long finger and summoned another qi sword. After the two swords crossed and circled above his head, they shot straight toward the two people locked together.

This time, there were two qi swords, speeding from the east and west directions respectively. Wei Jie and Xiaoxiao had no power to resist. Even wielding the impenetrable shackles, they couldn’t block both swords simultaneously.

Xiaoxiao urgently told Tang Youshu to quickly hide behind the large stones nearby. She hastily summoned water into ice, trying to freeze the speeding qi swords.

But Qin Lingxiao’s cultivation had improved significantly, and Xiaoxiao couldn’t freeze the qi swords at all.

Seeing the qi swords carrying thunderous momentum attacking their faces, at this critical moment, Wei Jie suddenly swung his arm and created a semicircular glowing qi shield, which barely blocked the twin sword attack with a crack.

This turn of events greatly shocked Qin Lingxiao.

Because Wei Jie’s qi shield… was the same style as the qi shield from Miaoxian Mountain among the four major sects!

This qi shield was Miaoxian Mountain’s exquisite defensive technique, never taught to outsiders. Moreover, entry-level disciples often needed to meditate under Miaoxian Mountain’s waterfall for three years until they could summon a qi shield to block the cascading waterfall overhead – only then would they pass the first barrier to inner sanctum advancement.

This three-year dousing washed away the mediocre talents, and only those who remained were Miaoxian Mountain Qi Sect’s true disciples.

But in Wei Jie’s previous life trajectory, he had never cultivated Miaoxian Mountain’s qi shield!

How could he, who should have been completely ordinary, suddenly use the four major sects’ ultimate techniques for defense?

Not only was Qin Lingxiao shocked, but even Cui Xiaoxiao beside Wei Jie was somewhat dumbfounded.

Though she had taught him this technique, she had only casually taught it to Wei Jie to prevent him from snoring and to pass the time.

The master’s secret manual only mentioned this qi shield technique in a few brief sentences. As a beginner cultivator, Xiaoxiao herself hadn’t fully understood the principles.

Her teaching was naturally somewhat absurd and half-hearted, not very dedicated.

But in just a few short days, Wei Jie had comprehended the key principles himself and could even form a shield without enduring three years of suffering under a waterfall?

What tremendous comprehension and spiritual cultivation talent was this?

No wonder her master had always praised his demonic master when mentioning him during his lifetime, calling him a genius rarely seen in millennia!

With such comprehension and talent, even without being bitten by a snake, if he had found a famous master, Wei Jie would eventually have grown into a great cultivation power!

If he hadn’t taken the wrong path of the demonic way, he originally could have become a righteous leader like Qin Lingxiao!

As for the fox demon Yu Ling’er, she didn’t know about the emotional undercurrents between these people.

Seeing Qin Lingxiao’s qi sword being deflected, she felt anxious, worried that her benefactor would suffer in confrontation with those people.

So Yu Ling’er immediately transformed into human form, becoming a charming young girl, and called out to Wei Jie and the others: “You should also know this isn’t a place where random people can enter. Leave quickly!”

Xiaoxiao wanted to leave. Since they wouldn’t give spring water, there was no point staying here.

But she couldn’t pull the man beside her away. Wei Jie seemed to have no intention of leaving.

Xiaoxiao whispered: “Let’s go. We’ll find another way.”

But Wei Jie’s tall figure remained unmoved. His gaze casually glanced at her, saying indifferently, “Can you wait?”

Xiaoxiao was stumped by his question, because she indeed had no confidence whether she could endure the next turbulent outbreak of Yin poison.

Wei Jie smiled slightly, single-handedly maintaining the qi shield, glancing at the fox girl but directly asking something unrelated: “Has this Young Pavilion Master Qin drunk from Tuyun Mountain’s spiritual spring?”

Wei Jie remembered that at Qilao Mountain, this boy surnamed Qin had been inciting other sects to act while hiding behind, not daring to show himself.

But today, not only did this Qin fellow shoot cold arrows early on, he even boldly came out to duel with the two of them.

What tremendous courage this was! Who gave it to him?

Wei Jie guessed that this Qin fellow must have drunk from the spiritual spring Xiaoxiao mentioned, causing his power and courage to greatly increase.

Yu Ling’er couldn’t lie, and being gazed upon by Wei Jie’s light purple demonic eyes, she became somewhat absent-minded. Hearing Wei Jie ask this, she honestly nodded: “Young Pavilion Master Qin is Ling’er’s lifesaving benefactor. He naturally should drink our fox clan’s sacred water. Just now he drank three full bowls…”

Wei Jie nodded with great satisfaction, then suddenly threw a porcelain bottle from his chest toward Qin Lingxiao.

Though Wei Jie’s movement was fast, Qin Lingxiao was already alert: whatever hidden weapon this fellow used couldn’t hurt him at all.

He sneered and elegantly waved his long finger, summoning a qi sword to quickly strike the porcelain bottle away.

The porcelain bottle shattered upon contact with the qi sword, but many sesame-seed-like black specks splattered out from within.

These things were also strange – they automatically sought hosts rich in spiritual energy, shooting straight toward Qin Lingxiao and attaching to his arms and neck.

Those things were too small, like dust, and Qin Lingxiao couldn’t guard against them. When they stuck to Qin Lingxiao’s skin, those black seeds swelled up rapidly as if inflated.

Only then did Cui Xiaoxiao see those black seeds clearly – in an instant, they had become palm-sized fleas! These black seeds… weren’t they exactly the corpse fleas Wei Jie had scraped from that Corpse-eating Beast!

Qin Lingxiao was a noble and clean person. Being suddenly attacked by insects with putrid odors made him extremely nauseous!

Moreover, the places bitten by the insects were severely painful. He quickly reached out to tear off the insects, then disgustedly flung them away.

But Wei Jie swept his long robe and caught those corpse fleas, twisting off one’s sharp insect mouth and handing it to Xiaoxiao: “Quick, drain it dry!”

The insect’s smell was putrid, and its appearance terrifying – truly unbearable to even look at.

But Cui Xiaoxiao immediately understood Wei Jie’s intention.

Qin Lingxiao had just drunk three large bowls of spiritual spring water not long ago. His blood still contained residual spiritual spring. Now those large fleas had sucked Qin Lingxiao’s blood – their bellies were full of precious nourishing substances!

Thinking of the pain when the Yin poison flared up, Xiaoxiao steeled her heart and fiercely bit the flea’s plump belly, closing her eyes and beginning to suck the blood from its stomach.

A flower-like pure girl under the moonlight, biting a fat black insect – such a scene was truly unbearable to watch.

Qin Lingxiao had always detested insects. Seeing Xiaoxiao’s bold eating manner, he couldn’t help but cover his mouth, bend over, and dry heave several times.

But after the nausea passed, Qin Lingxiao also realized Wei Jie’s intention in using insects to ambush him – they were finding ways to drink spiritual spring water! With this thought, Qin Lingxiao immediately glared at these two master and disciple.

Wei Jie’s idea was correct. Qin Lingxiao had indeed drunk from the spiritual spring not long ago, and his blood was indeed full of spiritual energy.

When Qin Lingxiao’s blood entered her mouth, Xiaoxiao felt every part of her body become extremely comfortable. The qi in her dantian was automatically gathering even without meditation, faintly showing signs of condensing qi into a core…

You must know that ordinary people need to spend a hundred years just in the qi condensation and foundation-building stage of cultivation.

When they could condense qi into a core, it was often after a hundred years. After refining and forming the core, they could transcend a mortal’s hundred-year lifespan and continue cultivating toward the stage of transforming the core into a Yuan Ying.

Her master, Tang Youshu, had spent a very long time condensing qi into a core. Though his age was similar to junior brother Qin Lingxiao, he appeared seventy to eighty years older than Qin Lingxiao.

People like Qin Lingxiao, who had good opportunities and formed cores early, could maintain their youthful appearance.

How long had Xiaoxiao been cultivating? She was already showing signs of forming a core! No wonder everyone yearned for immortal fate and miraculous encounters – truly a step to heaven!

However, Cui Xiaoxiao had no time to be happy. She eagerly checked the dot-like scales on her wrist – they had faded considerably.

The spiritual spring had finally somewhat suppressed the toxicity in her body!

As for Yu Ling’er, who had been watching the sudden turn of events, she saw that after the woman drained the flea, blood still stained the corners of her mouth, and on her wrist skin… There were dot-like snake scales.

The little fox was both shocked and angry, and couldn’t help but shout: “What kind of demon are you? Going to such lengths to steal and drink our fox clan’s spiritual spring!”

Hearing her call herself a demon, Cui Xiaoxiao was slightly stunned, then smiled bitterly endlessly.

Yes, since she inexplicably transmigrated two hundred years ago, she had unknowingly walked half of Wei Jie’s path to becoming a demon.

She was the one who fell into the deep valley and was poisoned by the Po Hun Snake; she was the one with Wei Jie’s refined Demon Pearl on her body, and now she was the one drinking spiritual spring water to suppress the demonic nature!

Saying this, being called a demon woman seemed quite reasonable!

She wanted to ask which master from two hundred years ago calculated that her extremely Yin fate would counter Wei Jie?

Now, from her perspective, it was Wei Jie who countered her!

Hearing Yu Ling’er call Cui Xiaoxiao a demon, Qin Lingxiao also sneered. He said gravely, “Cui Xiaoxiao, if you turn back now and sever ties with that Wei Jie, I can still save you. But if you remain stubborn and continue entangling with him, I’m afraid you’ll truly fall into the demonic path, never to recover!”

Xiaoxiao and Sect Master Qin always talked at cross purposes. She calmed her dantian qi and lifted the shackles in her hand: “If not for your chains, I would have separated from him long ago. Instead of telling me these useless things, you might as well unlock them for me first.”

Jie’er didn’t like hearing this. He felt his gracious master had tendencies to discard him after use, actually saying things about urgently severing ties with him in front of that Qin fellow!

Had she forgotten who helped her suppress the Yin poison?

He glared at Xiaoxiao sideways, his gaze clear and cold, his expression as coldly stern as mountain snow lotus.

Xiaoxiao quickly tried to maintain the fragile master-disciple relationship, whispering: “Master is too hungry! How good it would be if we could separate our hands – I could eat and drink without worry… After we go down the mountain, Master will treat you to braised pork, okay?”

When saying this, Sect Master Cui accidentally swallowed some saliva.

Wei Jie was finally amused by her greedy appearance and asked lazily: “Treat me? Do you have money?”

Tang Youshu, behind them, quickly interjected: “Do Grand-master and Master want to eat braised pork? When we go down the mountain, this disciple will immediately buy it for you!”

Xiaoxiao looked at the young master Tang with a moved expression and quickly reminded: “I want two portions, with extra vinegar and spice…”

Fox girl Yu Ling’er couldn’t listen anymore.

What kind of low-class sect was this? If not being lovey-dovey, then eating and drinking! Truly, a whole sect of vulgar people!

Moreover, that master and disciple worked together, using stinking insects to suck her benefactor’s blood. Cui Xiaoxiao was possessed by demons. Her drinking the spiritual spring would only enhance her demonic nature.

Looking at the bite marks on Qin Lingxiao’s neck, Yu Ling’er couldn’t help but feel heartbroken.

She said to Qin Lingxiao, “Young Pavilion Master! This demon woman is full of schemes and has already drunk our fox clan’s spiritual spring. Once she gains power, she’ll bring disaster to the world, and it will be our fox clan’s sin. We cannot let her go down the mountain! Someone, capture that demon woman!”

Watching Yu Ling’er’s righteous indignation, Xiaoxiao was almost amused to anger.

This fox girl had originally personally led a pure and proper great demon lord into the fox clan’s forbidden grounds two hundred years ago, and even secretly took spiritual spring water for the demon lord Wei Jie to drink behind the clan chief’s back.

Now it was good – she had only drunk some blood mixed with spiritual spring, and this fox girl felt sorry for her benefactor, acting as if good and evil couldn’t coexist, wanting to hold her accountable.

However, being surrounded by so many foxes, whether they could successfully break through, became a real problem.

Just then, Wei Jie twisted another large flea and tilted his neck back, gulping it down. Seeing more and more foxes surrounding them, he knew today’s matter couldn’t end well, so he might as well drink some nourishing stuff before fighting hard later.

Seeing Wei Jie drink his blood, Qin Lingxiao roared angrily.

No matter how much he calculated, Wei Jie had still drunk the fox clan’s spiritual spring!

His cultivation would probably surge greatly. Despite occupying all the advantages, would he still have to watch Wei Jie finally gain power and then slaughter the four major sects?

Qin Lingxiao had always been wary of Wei Jie. Seeing Wei Jie go around in circles and still obtain a miraculous fate, he absolutely couldn’t let him live.

However, Wei Jie had entered the Talismonger Sect, and his gracious master Cui Xiaoxiao’s tone of preserving green mountains and firewood had entered his disciple’s heart.

Wei Jie now also understood the principle of not confronting force with force. Since Xiaoxiao had obtained the spiritual spring to detoxify, staying here longer was useless – it was best to retreat first.

Unfortunately, at this time, Tuyun Mountain was shrouded in mist with demonic qi soaring to the sky, making it impossible to see the path. The three generations circled and returned to the original place.

Those foxes had already blocked the checkpoints, surrounding them and refusing to let the spiritual spring thieves go down the mountain.

Such a confrontation would inevitably lead to a bloody battle.

Seeing this situation, Xiaoxiao felt troubled. Foxes were spiritual creatures, especially since many fox clan members had already cultivated human form. If they accidentally injured these spiritual beings during the coming battle, not only would it damage their blessings, but they would also face the fox clan’s prolonged and endless revenge.

Master’s secret manual had specifically warned that if the fox clan had done no evil, they should not be lightly harmed.

Hatefully, these fox clan members had been instigated by Qin Lingxiao. For some reason, their hostility toward her and Wei Jie was so great. Would they have to fight with swords and spears, with blood and flesh flying before they could escape?

While pondering this, Xiaoxiao’s gaze suddenly fixed: among this group of foxes, a mangy fox had somehow mixed in…

It stood at the very back of the fox pack, looking thin and small, with bare, patchy fur, extremely ugly.

When Cui Xiaoxiao stared steadily at it, that mangy fox even retreated further, as if not wanting people to notice it.

As Xiaoxiao’s thoughts turned, she remembered the demon clan anecdotes she had chatted about with her senior brothers before.

These demon clans had great demons crossing tribulations every thousand years.

Unlike humans, heaven was even more demanding of the demon clans’ conditions for becoming immortals. Very few demon clans could successfully cross tribulations and ascend.

However, among demon clans, spiritual creatures like foxes naturally had some opportunistic tricks to muddle through.

This was also inside information that master Tang Youshu had learned when accompanying master Wei Jie up Tuyun Mountain years ago.

It was said that the fox clan ancestors had once formed a bond with Nüwa, gaining Nüwa’s favor. When she was molding clay people, she also casually molded over ten clay foxes as gifts to the Tushan clan ancestors.

Now every few thousand years, when a nine-tailed spirit fox capable of ascension appeared in the clan, it would voluntarily shed its fur, wrap its fox skin around the clay foxes blessed by Nüwa, then refuse food and drink, starving itself thin and deformed with greatly reduced vitality, then hide among the clan.

This way, when heavenly tribulation struck, those fake clay foxes wearing fur would deceive heaven’s perception, attracting myriad thunder strikes and allowing the real fox to narrowly pass through.

This was also the secret of the Fox Clan’s ascension, far surpassing other demon clans.

Xiaoxiao had a deep impression of this demon’s history and suddenly remembered it now.

Her eyesight was different from ordinary people. She immediately saw that the thin, small fox’s eyes, full of intelligent wisdom, didn’t match its emaciated body.

With thoughts flowing, she whispered to Wei Jie: “Look at that fox…”

Wei Jie followed Xiaoxiao’s gaze and saw the thin fox hiding behind.

“What about it?” He didn’t know the fox clan’s secrets, so naturally didn’t understand why Xiaoxiao wanted him to look.

Xiaoxiao couldn’t explain in too much detail, only simply instructed: “That fox might be the Fox King… If we fight later, capture the leader first!”

Now they were surrounded by the fox clan and couldn’t fight head-on – they could only use strategy. If that fox was the Fox King, having starved itself to this appearance, it must be preparing to cross tribulation and definitely wouldn’t dare expose its true strength at such a critical moment…

Wei Jie looked suspiciously at that skin-and-bones thin fox, compared to other foxes with bright fur and large builds, this fox looked pitiful, as if about to die. How could it possibly be the Fox King?

However, since Xiaoxiao said so, she must have her reasons.

Wei Jie had always felt this little master was his lucky star. Since the lucky star pointed the direction, he might as well give it a try!

Thinking this, the two exchanged glances and understood each other’s meaning. Wei Jie wrapped one arm around Xiaoxiao’s slender waist, pushed off with his feet, and both suddenly attacked the thin fox in the corner.

As a descendant of the demon-subduing Wei family, Wei Jie was naturally gifted at intimidating these strange beasts. He suddenly roared, using the beast’s howl.

Having just drunk spiritual blood, the surging true qi brought the Wei family’s beast howl to maximum power. Those foxes pouncing toward them instantly had their souls leave their bodies, frozen motionless on the ground.

However, this beast’s howl was useless against humans.

Qin Lingxiao glanced at the dazed and motionless Yu Ling’er beside him, snorted coldly, then immediately wielded his qi sword toward the two.

The moment Wei Jie lifted her into the air, Xiaoxiao also single-handedly activated a water-transformation talisman, summoning water flow to wrap around Qin Lingxiao, then instantly triggered freezing, completely freezing his hands and feet.

Though Qin Lingxiao immediately shattered the ice, he was still delayed for a moment.

The master-disciple pair’s cooperation was too perfect this time. In an instant, Wei Jie had already transformed his fist into a palm, firmly gripping the thin fox’s throat.

This turn of events was beyond everyone’s expectations, especially the fox clan members, who never imagined these two invaders would circle and attack a thin fox at the rear.

Xiaoxiao had already taken out a demon-subduing talisman drawn with her blood and firmly pressed it to the fox’s forehead.

Her talisman-drawing skills had now advanced by leaps and bounds, so this demon-subduing talisman was naturally no joke. After being tagged, the fox immediately dispersed its condensed primordial spirit. Nine magnificent giant tails immediately emerged from the thin fox’s rear, swaying in mid-air, completely disproportionate to its thin, emaciated body.

Just then, Yu Ling’er, who had just recovered from the beast’s howl’s intimidation, was shocked and furious. She rushed over, shouting “Mother,” preparing to rescue the fox.

But Wei Jie held the nine-tailed demon fox firmly, even stating clearly that if anyone dared step forward, he would immediately crush its throat.

Yu Ling’er was caught between conflicting concerns, not daring to approach, only anxiously looking at her mother with tears in her eyes.