An unprecedented surge of demon qi roared in with the hurricane. The legendary, elusive Nine-tailed Fox had appeared before the crowd without warning. For many of the Celestials present, this was their first time witnessing it in person. Its luxuriant snow-white fur and nine gracefully swaying tails were utterly different from the grotesque and hideous monstrous creatures they had imagined—there was even an ethereal, dreamlike allure to its demonic beauty.
Crimson demon qi began leaping like flames along its nine long tails. Several founders of the Academy, who had suffered at the hands of the Nine-tailed Fox before, paled and shouted in alarm, "Quickly, erect the Thunderfire Barrier! Now!"
Bright Thunderfire Barriers sprang up in an instant, but the demonic flames on the fox's tails also surged forth in clusters. It opened its mouth and exhaled a misty breath. The mist intertwined with the demonic flames, rapidly spreading into a crimson cloud layer. A drizzling demon rain soon enveloped nearly a hundred miles of the sky above the Eastern Sea.
The transparent raindrops fell upon the Thunderfire Barriers like sparks landing on thin ice, dissolving them in an instant. Celestials caught in the demon rain let out terrified screams—wherever the rain touched their skin or hair, bright red patches began to form. As the patches spread, their bodies lost sensation, and they could no longer control the flow of their spiritual energy. In the blink of an eye, dozens of elder Celestials plummeted from the clouds, crashing into the turbulent sea below.
Ri Yan burst into laughter. "Thunderfire Barrier? After all these centuries, this is still the best you can muster against me? Hmph! All of you combined aren’t worth a single finger of Azure City’s—let alone this little girl! How pathetic! A dragon fallen to earth, bitten to death by ants like you!"
With a furious roar, he charged into the crowd, his nine tails flinging Celestials aside like ragdolls. The dazzling brilliance of Immortal Techniques rained down on him from all directions, yet it was as if an invisible hand deflected each attack—none could harm him in the slightest.
From his back, Li Fei suddenly called out to him, "Ri Yan."
Ri Yan snarled, "I don’t want to hear your nonsense! Who cares about the Sea Meteor Disaster? Who cares what Azure City thinks? Who cares about your morals and principles? I’m furious, and I’ll kill as I please! If Azure City has a problem with it, let him crawl out of the underworld and argue with me himself!"
He had endured for too long, seething over Azure City’s wrongful death. Yet Jiang Li Fei was someone he had watched grow up. Whether he liked it or not, he had developed feelings for her. She treated him as family, as an elder, and over time, he truly began to see himself in that role.
He wanted her to grow stronger, to stay out of danger. If she wished to live as an ordinary person, so be it—children would always have their own minds as they grew older, and he couldn’t interfere too much. She respected Azure City’s wishes and, being sentimental, refused to kill the Central Land Immortals. He had no choice but to let her be.
But what had he witnessed? These lowly, ungrateful wretches, instead of thanking her for devouring the Heavenly Thunder Fire Sea, had tried to capture her in the chaos! He wasn’t human and had never understood—nor cared to understand—their convoluted, petty schemes. Now, he had nothing but rage to unleash, and no one would stop him.
Li Fei whispered, "Hold on a little longer. Just fifteen minutes is enough."
Fifteen minutes?! Ri Yan’s fury flared even hotter. How dare she think him so weak! If he couldn’t last fifteen minutes, what kind of Nine-tailed Fox would he be?The wind howled sharply behind him. Ri Yan nimbly dodged to the side as several radiant golden spears shot toward him like meteors. The airflow beneath his feet was eerily distorted, and the spiritual energy fluctuations were unusually chaotic. He leaped into the air, spinning gracefully, only to find the space he had just occupied now flooded with golden light, resembling a suspended golden river. From it, countless boneless golden hands emerged, wrapping around his massive snow-white body. No matter how fiercely he struggled or thrashed, he couldn’t break free.
Metal-element immortal techniques were typically fierce and unyielding, rarely displaying such supple resilience. Ri Yan was no stranger to this technique—nearly a century ago, when pursued by the founders of the Academy, he had fallen victim to it, nearly losing his life. He never imagined being trapped by the same move again after a hundred years.
As countless immortal techniques rained down upon him, Ri Yan suddenly let out a deafening roar. Crimson demon qi surged into the sky, the shockwave shattering the incoming attacks and scattering the tenacious golden hands that had restrained him.
Incredible! This was a different kind of power compared to the chaos-wreaking Qiongqi of the Eastern Sea back then. Though the Nine-tailed Fox was a demon, it possessed innate traits that set it apart from ordinary monstrous creatures. Most remarkably, it could harness spiritual energy—something akin to poison for typical demons. This very peculiarity earned it the title of Spirit Fox among the Ocean Sect rather than being labeled a mere demon.
From the moment it appeared, countless Celestials of the Ocean Sect had been thrown into disarray. The feeling was likely akin to Guiyuan Zhangmen’s divine beast, the Golden Winged Roc, suddenly turning against its own—utterly bewildering.
In all the world, demonic beasts capable of human speech were exceedingly rare, and those with awakened intelligence were a thousand times more troublesome. The higher the intelligence, the greater the power, coupled with the wisdom to restrain and unleash it—far surpassing the mindless brutes that recklessly spewed demon qi.
Seeing its unmatched ferocity and sharp words, Shen Xiansheng had no choice but to call out loudly, "Elder Nine-tailed Fox, the Sea Fall is a natural disaster, and this girl is undeniably connected to it. Capturing her is for the sake of the Central Land’s people. Moreover, she possesses the innate ability to manipulate demons. Why must you risk your life to save her?"
Ri Yan’s long tail lashed out, repelling the Star Rectitude Hall Celestials attempting to close in. He snarled, "What lofty nonsense! What do I care about the Central Land’s people? And what business is it of yours?! Shut your damned mouth! If you want to know what’s happening overseas, go see for yourselves! If you lack even the will to sacrifice, you weaklings might as well drop dead!"
Before Shen Xiansheng could retort, Sang Hua Jun raised a hand to stop him. "Enough. This must be the Nine-tailed Fox that once hid within Jiang Li Fei’s body. Let’s capture it along with her!"
A formidable Great Demon like this—even a single strand of its fur could be refined into a mystical treasure. No wonder Zhen Yunzi was obsessed with it. Protected by its demon qi barrier, ordinary immortal techniques couldn’t harm it. Capturing it unscathed would be near impossible.
Sang Hua Jun turned to the other Academy founders, who immediately grasped the implication in his gaze. Zhong Nan Jun sighed. "With Zuo Qiu absent, this immortal technique may not be perfected."
Sang Hua Jun murmured, "If it were solely intent on fleeing, that would be one thing. But I sense overwhelming resentment in it—it’s here to kill to its heart’s content. That leaves an opening we can exploit."With a flick of his sleeve, his wide outer robe instantly slipped off, fluttering gracefully into the azure sky. The next moment, the garment suddenly unfurled, expanding countless times in size. Sang Hua Jun's palm glowed with a verdant light that seemed about to drip, casually smearing it onto the robe. The vast spiritual energy spread like ink, lush and dense, resembling the shadows of trees.
Numerous Celestials, witnessing this move, immediately retreated in awe. The tree shadows gradually spread across the robe as Zhong Nan Jun also soared into the air, sprinkling ochre-colored Earth element spiritual energy over the shadows. The other founders of the Academy followed suit, and in an instant, the sky was filled with endless verdant mountains, dense tree shadows, blooming flowers competing in brilliance, and pavilions rising one after another—a dazzling spectacle.
Ri Yan had never seen such a bizarre Immortal Technique before and dared not underestimate it. But as he watched the spiritual mist swirling around the green mountains, the mountain gate tightly shut, a deep and resonant bell tolled from within the fog with a resounding "dong!" His vision suddenly blurred, as if he had been instantly thrown into this illusory world, unable to find even the slightest crack to escape.
He silently cursed his misfortune as demonic energy began to gather around him. The tightly closed mountain gate abruptly swung open, revealing a blinding radiance within. Ri Yan felt his body involuntarily being sucked toward the gate—this was a realm entirely different from the Celestials' Lesser World. He could sense the vast, sharp spiritual energies behind the gate; entering would surely shatter him to pieces.
With a furious roar, Ri Yan struggled to flee outward, but the suction from the gate grew stronger, becoming utterly irresistible. The rules of this illusion were set by the Celestials—if they willed him unable to escape, then escape was impossible. The little girl on his back remained motionless, her actions unknown. He had promised her to hold on for a moment—how could he, as her elder, break his word?
Half his body was already being pulled into the gate. Gritting his teeth, Ri Yan twisted around and forcibly severed several of his long tails that were being sucked in. Blood splattered everywhere, and the excruciating pain fueled a surge of strength within him. His demonic energy violently surged, colliding with the illusion. A tremendous tearing sound echoed above as, in an instant, the mountains and waters, flowers and mist all dissolved into nothingness. Only a torn robe drifted down from the sky, gently caught in the hands of an exhausted Sang Hua Jun.
The Nine-tailed Fox reappeared before the crowd, its back drenched in blood, four of its long tails severed, leaving only five swaying angrily in the air. Even the Diancang Landscape Art of the Academy's founders had failed to subdue it, merely cutting off a few tails. The Celestials were at a loss.
A deafening, furious howl erupted from the fox, shattering all protective Immortal Techniques in its wake. The next moment, the Nine-tailed Fox abruptly turned and fled at breakneck speed toward the open sea.
If they were allowed to escape, all the effort and sacrifices would be in vain. The Celestials hastily gave chase, hurling restraining Immortal Techniques to block their path. Suddenly, Cuixuan Xianren's cold voice rang out from behind: "It's because you refuse to kill that you're struggling so much! Leave Jiang Li Fei behind!"
A dazzling array of clear light flickered across the sky, soon transforming into an emerald green glow. The shifting hues of the Five Elements Aura were mesmerizing, captivating the mind.
Ri Yan urgently warned, "No! This bastard knows the Netherworld Great Magic too!"Once the Netherworld Great Magic was unleashed, there was no possibility of escape. This was the most flawless and nearly perfect Immortal Technique created by Azure City, representing the pinnacle of understanding and subtle control over the Five Elements Aura that cultivators sought. That unremarkable, wretched-looking old man had actually managed to pass down the Netherworld Great Magic—truly no simple feat.
Li Fei, who had remained silent on his back, suddenly spoke up, his voice weak: "Tell me the spiritual energy combination of the Netherworld Great Magic. Quickly."
As soon as he finished speaking, an immense suction force emanated from his body. The radiant glow of the Five Elements Aura that filled the sky and earth instantly twisted as the ever-changing spiritual energies of the Netherworld Great Magic were ruthlessly drawn into his body.
Cuixuan Xianren was utterly shocked—he could still absorb spiritual energy! Wasn't he severely injured?!
Before the assembled Celestials could react, countless flickering lights of Five Elements Aura suddenly appeared once more. Their shifting and swaying, now rapid, now slow, were far more intense and fluid than those released by Cuixuan Xianren—even surpassing the prowess of Qing Cheng Xian Ren from five hundred years ago by an immeasurable degree.
The most perfect Netherworld Great Magic had descended upon them all, catching them completely unprepared.
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