"Big Brother, those people are still searching there, but we came over here. Can we find it?" Nangong Wei asked doubtfully.
"They are many. If the fox demon is there, there will definitely be a huge commotion. It will not be too late if we rush back to contest it. And if we find her here, as long as we keep a low profile, the chances of succeeding are higher." Wu Yu did not use the Art of Sword Flight, but instead meticulously checked for tracks on the trees and soil on the ground. Besides, the fox demon had been running in this direction from the start, and the chances of finding her here was still high.
In the dark night, when Wu Yu found the second drop of blood, his belief in his own judgment was strengthened. The fox demon was here.
"Onward!"
The two increased their pace.
After seeing the drop of blood, Nangong Wei trusted him as well.
After half an hour, they could not see the other Shushan disciples when they turned back. They were considerably far from the others.
Suddenly, Wu Yu realized that they were in familiar surroundings.
"Wei Er, this valley. It's where we cultivated dao techniques!"
Nangong Wei looked around and said, "Yes, it is. What a coincidence. We're back."
Wu Yu calmed himself and cast his gaze far. Suddenly, his eyes flared. "The only place of concealment within this valley is the cave that we were in. The fox demon is very likely inside!"
The two were excited now, and they closed in on the cave. Wu Yu made Nangong Wei hide herself.
After all, their opponent was at the third tier of Yaodan, and also had her Natural Mystique. She would likely be difficult to deal with.
At the cave’s entrance, Wu Yu rushed in with a whoosh. The cave was big, about the size of the Ninth Spirit's Fox Branch Mountain.
After entering, Wu Yu created strong light that lit up the entire cave in an instant. Almost at the same time, Wu Yu spotted a snow-white nine-tailed fox in a corner of the cave, licking its wounds!
In the instant that Wu Yu blasted in, it yipped in alarm at the intrusion of an enemy, and immediately reverted to the form of the alluring, young woman in white.
"Beautiful Fox of the Nine Heavens?" Wu Yu saw that her form was virtually the same as the Ninth Spirit's.
She did not reply but stared at him coldly. She replied flatly, "Who would have thought that you would find me here! A pity that I can sense how small your Jindan is. You're only at the first tier of Jindan."
"I hear that you have a Natural Mystique and are worth more than 40 merits," Wu Yu said. In truth, he was already ready to kill her.
"Is my life nothing but a number?" The fox demon laughed, looking at Wu Yu with hateful eyes. She bared her teeth and raged at him. "You humans are the worst existence on this earth. Arrogant, self-righteous, and hypocritically cruel. You are an abomination. Even mortals take beasts as food. Why enslave my kind?"
On this point, Wu Yu had no counter. He only said, "Perhaps in this world, the strong make the laws. The mighty hold the right to speak. In the world of humans, demons are the discriminated party. The two species have a long history of hatred, and you and I cannot unravel it."
Hearing this, the fox demon was startled. "I had not expected someone within Shushan to understand. You are right. This is a hatred between two kinds, and has nothing to do with good or evil. Since that is so, I will give you a dignified death.”
She was indeed a Beautiful Fox of the Nine Heavens. Of course, she was not related to the Ninth Spirit at all. This was the far west and, Zhang Futu excepted, very few would go to a faraway place in the east.
The fox demon's eyes hid profound sorrow and despair. Beneath that was a molten anger.
Wu Yu could clearly see two lines of hot tears running down her cheeks.
"Why do you cry?" Wu Yu asked.
"None of your business," the fox demon replied icily.
"Alright."
At this moment, Wu Yu was not at all conflicted, and Nangong Wei was also very much looking forward to him taking the fox demon's life.
The fox demon's strongest demon technique was still her charm - an infamous, ultimate move. And her Natural Mystique was the ultimate skill among demon techniques. Wu Yu had not expected that the fox demon would immediately use this skill.
"It's called: Nine Heavens, Land of Women."
The fox demon remained where she was. Her red lips parted slightly, and then she began to dance. Colors began to swirl around her - beautiful, mesmerizing colors. The bloodstains on her white skirt only added to the color.
The fox demon had told Wu Yu that her Natural Mystique was called Land of Women.
Land of Women, an entire land of nothing but women, on a fantasy mountain. In that instant, his world tilted, and he could not stand straight. Everything before his eyes changed.
"Inner Vajra Buddha Sutra!" Wu Yu knew how terrifying these charming techniques could be. Before she made her move, he had already begun to chant the Inner Vajra Buddha Sutra.
"Vajra Transformation!"
While chanting the sutras, he immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, turning his body into a six-zhang-tall Buddha. His entire body shimmered in gold, and he sat unmoving as a mountain within the cave.
And all this while, the chanting of the Inner Vajra Buddha Sutra continued.
Although the second tier of the Invincible Vajra Body had already been completed, this Buddha could still be refined, although to a less effective extent. Of course, Wu Yu was not intending for that effect now. All he needed was the physical pain to rouse himself.
Even with all his preparations, the Natural Mystique demon technique still penetrated.
As the world tilted, all before him was changing. Wu Yu opened his eyes suddenly, only to find himself on top of a tall pagoda. He was at the top-most floor, and looking down, he saw a luxurious castle and land. It was a nation, and everything within it - down to the stalls by the side of the road, the lofts, and the tiles - was amazingly real.
What was most shocking was that everyone within this nation was female. They were all women, and all of them were breathtakingly beautiful. Their figures were perfect, and each and every one of them was divinely alluring and mesmerizing.
All of them were naked. Even those clad were barely covered, hiding nothing from view.
And right now, as Wu Yu appeared, the abundance of women knelt on the floor, calling him “Emperor.”
Their sweet, moving voices echoed throughout the world.
"In this nation, you are the only man. This is your world of highest pleasures. All of these beautiful women are queuing up for your attention. All of them would die for you. You will always be the center of their attention...."
A voice constantly crooned into Wu Yu's ear. Teasing. Tantalizing.
"Jump down. Just jump down and you will forever be in their warm embrace. No more worries, no more cares. You will live forever in bliss...."
"Jump."
Wu Yu was young, and his passions ran strong. He was indeed tempted to jump, but the intense pain in his body told warned him. He continued to chant the Inner Vajra Buddha Sutra. A calm part of himself was warning him not to be deceived.
"If I jump down, it means that your Natural Mystique has broken through my spirit. When that happens, I will be dead." Wu Yu stood on the tower and shook his head.
He shut his eyes and plugged his ears. He saw nothing, heard nothing, thought of nothing.
If he thought about anything, it was the sutra of the Inner Vajra Buddha.
Of course, the fox demon did not give up. She continued to seduce him, and the scene before his eyes continued to change. But till the end, Wu Yu did not change his mind.
This was in part thanks to the training he had received at the Ninth Spirit's hands, as well as the mastery of the Inner Vajra Buddha.
His Vajra Transformation sat unmovable as a mountain. It was impervious to lust.
He was sure that when enough time passed, the fox demon would give up.
Even Wu Yu could feel that with each passing second, he was still holding out.
Of course, his Jindan essence was strong now - not much weaker than his opponent's. That was why he could defend against this Natural Mystique. Anyone else would have fallen, unless they were female.
A fox demon's charms were significantly less effective against women. That was why the disciples of the Green River Sword Palace had been able to wound her. If it had been male disciples, probably only Wu Yu could withstand her.
"Enough."
These tricks were not even on the level of the Ninth Spirit's own fatal seduction. At least he had felt some longing for the Ninth Spirit.
He had seen too many fox demons, and there was nothing unusual here.
The Vajra Body became even firmer.
"A miracle...." Suddenly, the vision before him vanished, and the fox demon fell to the floor, face pale. She turned into a small fox, looking forlornly at Wu Yu.
She had used her Natural Mystique until her demon essence was completely spent. She was extremely weary, and unable to hold off Wu Yu anymore.
Combined with the wounds on her body, everything had crumbled for her. She slumped to the ground.
The Argenti Chain in Wu Yu's hand flew out, binding the nine-tailed fox.
The fight was over.
The Argenti Chain locked her down. In her weakened state, there was no chance she could break free. Wu Yu had defeated her simply by resisting. He had not even attacked.
Of course, this did not mean that the battle had been danger-free. Only Wu Yu himself knew the extent of the danger he had been in.
And now, the cave was quiet. The snow-white fox looked at him with wide eyes. Those luminous pupils shone with uncomprehending fear.
"Alright. I've lost. I will die by your hand. I have no regrets. What is your name?"
"Wu Yu."
She remembered it well and then said, "Take my Yaodan, and you can exchange it for merits. The rest of my body is worthless. If you pity me, bury me outside of Shushan. I do not wish to die in this place of filth."
This was Shushan, a heaven to many. But she called it a place of filth.
"Once I roamed freely in the Gloomy Dreams Seas, but I came to see what the human world was like. This is my punishment...." the little fox said sadly, hot tears brimming from her eyes.
Although she had already resigned herself to her fate, she did not want to die.
Wu Yu's sword was already reaching out.
"Cang Ling. I'll find you again in the next world...." The fox closed her eyes and lied down, trembling.
She was thinking of somebody.
Wu Yu seemed like he already knew her story. She had been in the Gloomy Dreams Seas and had come out to look for a demon called Cang Ling, but she had been captured by the Shushan disciples.
Humans and demons all had feelings.
They all could reason.
Must he kill her for merits? Wu Yu's heart thumped wildly.
At this moment, Nangong Wei suddenly rushed in, panicking. "Big Brother, there are many people coming this way."