Wandao 005
Deep in the northwest mountain forest of Niupu Village, the sun stood high in the sky, yet a subtle chill lingered among the trees. At the cusp of summer's end and autumn's beginning, the fierce sunlight was fragmented by thick foliage, casting mottled patches of gold upon the ground.
At this moment, Wan Xiaochuan stood with Lin Qixian atop a treetop, one hand gripping a branch, eyes alertly fixed on the flickering shadows in the distance.
"Are you sure that Qingying Bee was startled right here?" Wan Xiaochuan asked softly.
Lin Qixian frowned, pulling out a tattered bee wing from his waist pouch, faint traces of gray-black spiritual markings corroded upon it. He nodded, whispering, "This aura isn't right… it's not a beast. Rather, it feels like some kind of spirit infiltrating."
No sooner had he spoken, a sharp gust of wind surged suddenly, and a black shadow streaked like lightning from the grass.
Before Wan Xiaochuan could react, Lin Qixian swiftly produced a pouch of spirit herbs and flicked out several red leaf powders, forming a ring of red mist shielding them.
"Whoosh—!"
A piercing whistle sliced through the air, forcing the two to step back simultaneously. Wan Xiaochuan flashed forward, brandishing a spirit talisman, shouting, "Rift Wind Talisman!"
The talisman's light transformed into slicing winds, blades gleaming as they pushed the black shadow back several feet. As the intruder became clear, both men's expressions shifted.
It was a monstrous beast mingled with spiritual energy and demonic aura—its whole body gray-black, wolf-like yet fox-like, eyes glowing purple. Its fur writhed with grudges, drool dripping from its snarling maw, claws razor-sharp like blades. It seemed to have mutated after devouring the souls left behind by spirit beasts and cultivators.
Lin Qixian's gaze darkened. "This isn't an ordinary spirit beast. It's a 'Soul-Rending Demon Fox'… How did it appear in the village outskirts?"
Wan Xiaochuan remained silent, his eyes fixed on the demon fox. The stone pendant at his chest trembled lightly as a trace of wind-thunder energy quietly gathered in his dantian. He inhaled deeply, stepped forward, and bellowed, "Wind-Thunder Technique—Thunder's First Roar!"
His figure spun like a gale, footwork elusive as he unleashed a fierce palm strike, the qi in his palm humming faint thunder, suddenly striking the demon fox's forehead.
"Bang!"
The palm wind landed, colliding head-on with the demon fox's claw. Though it wasn't a perfect hit, it forced the creature back several yards.
"You can actually condense wind-thunder qi at the Qi Refining stage?" Lin Qixian was astonished, his eyes flashing with strange light as he unleashed a burst of green light from his hand: "Bind it!"
A spirit vine talisman shot out, transforming into several spirit vines that entangled the demon fox's limbs. The fox roared fiercely, its surrounding spiritual energy fluctuating wildly, struggling in vain to break free.
Seizing the moment, Wan Xiaochuan launched another attack. Wind-thunder energy swirled within his dantian as he took a deep breath and declared, "Wind Dance Thunder Binding—Heartbinding Silken Threads!"
Both palms thrust forward, energy condensing into threads like binding nets, swirling from all directions toward the demon fox. Thunder rumbled faintly, as if resonating through the forest, even the air trembling in response.
The demon fox roared again, limbs writhing, its spiritual energy in disarray. Yet it could not withstand the joint assault. After a mournful howl, it collapsed convulsing, finally turning into a puddle of black ash.
Lin Qixian panted, crouching to sift through the ashes. "It seems a large amount of demonic energy still lingers within… It was forcibly controlled as a beast slave, not a naturally born spirit. Someone must have secretly released it outside the village, testing the waters."
Wan Xiaochuan's expression darkened. "If that's true, this is only the beginning."
The sky was nearing dusk; the treetops were bathed in blood-red sunset. The passing wind carried low moans, as if foretelling coming storms.
They did not notice, far on a mountain ridge, a figure cloaked in gray quietly put away a black bone magic orb, sneering coldly: "Wind-thunder energy… interesting boy."
The wind rose, leaves fell, night approached—war flames were kindling.