Everything around me had changed. I floated in midair, feeling a chill beneath my feet—though it was fire, it radiated an uncanny coldness. The world below me had turned into a sea of blue flames.
Just as patterns appeared on the Nine-Tailed Fox's cheeks, blue flames erupted from her tails. The moment the fire touched the ground, it transformed into a vast sea of flames.
As expected, she could fully control her own illusion. I had to be careful—if these flames touched me, my body would be burned in an instant, down to the bone.
I looked around and rose higher. Blood-red Sanskrit script crawled across my skin. There was no other choice—I could only use the power of Buddhism and Taoism to shield myself, waiting for the right moment to strike. Waves of chilling force pressed down on me from all directions, my body starting to emit a cold mist.
Visible cold mist swirled around me. The Nine-Tailed Fox's crimson eyes radiated murderous intent, as if a razor-sharp blade was pressed against my throat. Sweat beaded on my forehead.
There was only one way to defeat the Nine-Tailed Fox, but I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. I’d wanted to show the Blueflame Warden something before—now I felt anxious. The Nine-Tailed Fox slowly approached, leaving a trail of blue fire footprints in the sky.
“Heh, you’re all so strong—beasts from the upper Illusory Realm.”
I muttered to myself, and the Nine-Tailed Fox let out a giggle.
“You’re pretty good yourself, to force me to get serious.”
“Is there no way but to fight?”
The Nine-Tailed Fox nodded slightly, extending her sharp claws and licking her tongue.
“It’s been centuries since I last tasted human flesh. I still miss that flavor.”
My eyes widened in shock.
"Human? Someone who entered this illusion?"
I asked, and the Nine-Tailed Fox burst into laughter. The long fur around her neck flared out, trembling in the air and scattering tiny white specks of light.
"It's about to begin."
My eyes widened again, red Sanskrit script crawling across my face. I watched the Nine-Tailed Fox’s every move, anxious about how she would attack.
My awareness shrank inward, but I still couldn’t sense a thing—a first for me.
With a sudden whoosh, when the Nine-Tailed Fox was about ten meters away, she waved her hand. I felt a tightness in my abdomen. Looking down, I was stunned—a blue mark had appeared there, and with a boom, blue flames erupted from my stomach, sending a piercing chill through me.
I grabbed the strip of blue flame trying to push me down, tore it off, and immediately moved away. In the instant I realized the Nine-Tailed Fox was behind me, I turned, crossing my arms. With a thunderous crash, she slammed down hard—her immense strength warped my arms, making them look grotesquely misshapen.
A wave of murderous intent crashed into me. I kept resisting, knowing I couldn't let go—if I was knocked into the sea of fire below, things would get even worse. Blood-red Sanskrit script covered my cheeks, packed so densely it was almost suffocating. My body kept caving in, my hands pressed deep into my chest, which was now sunken in.
Power surged wildly from within me, constantly replenishing what was lost. I could hear the crisp sound of my bones breaking. The Nine-Tailed Fox's strength grew ever more intense, seemingly limitless, and I was slowly being forced down toward the fire below.
I tried to break free from the force pressing down on me, but I couldn’t move. I still couldn’t grasp the nature of this power, my mind racing to find a solution.
Just then, I felt a chill—a breeze swept by. My eyes widened as the flames on the ground were instantly extinguished. Pale blue winds swept across the land, snuffing out the blue fire. It was Eugenia and the Blueflame Warden—they had arrived.
I stopped resisting and plummeted straight to the ground. A hand caught my back, sending a ripping pain through me. My eyes widened as the Nine-Tailed Fox continued her assault.
With a whoosh, a blue light flashed. Eugenia raised a hand, and Zephyr, the two-headed blue dragon beneath her, spewed red and blue streams, weaving together as they attacked the Nine-Tailed Fox.
With several sharp cracks, the Nine-Tailed Fox swung her nine tails, scattering the attack. She stood firm in midair. The Blueflame Warden patted my back, and I sat on the ground, gasping for breath, still trying to recall what kind of power the Nine-Tailed Fox had just used. The peach trees that had vanished in the flames began to regrow from the earth.
“So it’s you two. How did you end up together? Heh, you always show up at crucial moments to disrupt my fight—are you ready for this?”
The Blueflame Warden charged at the Nine-Tailed Fox, but Eugenia quickly grabbed the fur on his back.
“What are you doing?”
"We're not here to fight, Nine-Tailed Fox. We're leaving soon, all right?"
The Nine-Tailed Fox giggled and pointed at me.
"Hand that one over. Let me eat him and I'll let you go."
Clearly, the Nine-Tailed Fox wanted to devour me. I smiled faintly, stood up, and slowly floated into the air.
"Do you really think you can win one against three?"
Eugenia grinned and said, making the Nine-Tailed Fox's expression falter. She glared at us, teeth clenched.
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"You said you ate humans a thousand years ago. What was that about? Can you tell me?"
I asked, and the Nine-Tailed Fox giggled, inching closer to us.
"Don’t come any closer. Ethan Zhang doesn’t know you, but we do, don’t we?"
Eugenia muttered a threat, and the Nine-Tailed Fox stopped.
"It's not impossible to tell you."
The Nine-Tailed Fox spoke, and I stood up, glancing behind me.
"Instead of eating people, how about I let you try something even tastier?"
I floated up, smiling as I continued.
"There are lotus leaves and fish here—perfect for making steamed fish in lotus leaves."
I went straight to the pond, found a spacious spot, and with a thought, conjured up a stove and a pile of seasonings. The other three followed me over.
"What is all this?"
The Nine-Tailed Fox looked at the things I'd conjured, clearly surprised.
"A steamer—why is there a steamer here?"
I glanced back at the Nine-Tailed Fox—she seemed to know, and had seen it before. Soon, we hauled dozens of lively fish from the pond. I began preparing and marinating them, wrapping each with lotus leaves, and added some flower petals, tearing them up and scalding them in boiling water.
Soon, a rich aroma filled the air. The anger in the Nine-Tailed Fox's eyes faded, and she gazed eagerly at the tall steamer, sniffing repeatedly.
After a while, we started eating. I had them sprinkle the boiled lotus petals over the steamed fish. Everyone looked deeply satisfied, devouring one fish after another.
I only ate two and was already content, watching the Nine-Tailed Fox's expression soften and brighten with happiness.
"How is it? Tastes much better than human flesh, right?"
I smiled and asked. The Nine-Tailed Fox nodded, her long ears twitching with delight. I sighed, gazing at the full moon overhead, feeling a bit strange.
"Is there no daytime here?"
I asked, and the Nine-Tailed Fox shook her head.
"I hate daytime. So in my illusion, there’s only night."
After we’d finished eating, I quietly studied the Nine-Tailed Fox, still curious about her story of eating humans long ago.
"Can you tell me, Miss Nine-Tails?"
I asked, and the Nine-Tailed Fox looked at me.
"Make me something else to eat."
I smiled and got up. The Blueflame Warden and Eugenia looked at me with hungry eyes.
"Let me make you some salted grilled fish and smoked fish!"
Soon, cleaned fish were set by each campfire. I kept busy, not knowing why I could make so much, but my body moved naturally and skillfully, as if I’d always done this before.
Once the Nine-Tailed Fox started eating grilled fish, she finally spoke.
"Long ago, I spent some time in the Living World."
My eyes widened, and the grilled fish slipped from my hand. Even Eugenia and the Blueflame Warden stared at the Nine-Tailed Fox in disbelief.
"How did you get to the Living World?"
I asked, and the Nine-Tailed Fox raised her head.
"I’m not really sure. I just sort of wandered over. But once I got there, I became an ordinary fox, with no real power. After staying a while, I was caught and skinned, and then I returned."
I swallowed, staring at the Nine-Tailed Fox in disbelief.
"Try to remember—how exactly did you get to the Living World?"