Chapter 82 [Killing the Fox] (9800 words)
A shadow slowly emerged from behind a small tree in front, revealing a gray-furred fox lying on the ground!
The fox raised its head and spoke in a human voice, startlingly the voice of Mrs. He.
"Fellow Daoist, I’ve come to seek you out for an urgent matter!"
Chen Yan’s heart stirred, and he suddenly realized, frowning: "Did something happen in the mountains...?"
The old fox sighed: "Fellow Daoist, you are indeed perceptive. I haven’t even said anything, and you already guessed it."
Chen Yan shook his head: "It wasn’t hard to guess."
The old fox slowly said: "After talking to you last night, I sent a dream to my son and then returned to the mountain. I planned to prepare for some time and then dismantle the Fox Tail Array once I was ready, to confront that creature head-on.
That creature is at the same realm as I am, but its cultivation is slightly higher and it possesses a couple of unique spells.
Fortunately, I have made some preparations over the years and have a certain level of confidence. Even if things go badly, I can still sacrifice my life and cultivation to severely wound it, forcing it back into sleep for at least a century.
By then, my son would have already departed, and the people from the He family that I know would long have died.
As for the descendants, it’s beyond this old woman’s concern."
Chen Yan nodded, admitting that there was some truth to what she said, and asked: "So what went wrong now?"
The old fox spoke with some apprehension: "When I returned to the mountain last night and observed from outside the array, I noticed that it seemed to be waking up. After these decades of sleep, its injuries have healed significantly, and its realm has been substantially restored.
It is now at the Ascension Realm!
This puts it a realm higher than I am, making it impossible for me to handle it alone.
After pondering deeply, I realized that in this world, there is no other high-level cultivator I know of besides you."
Chen Yan frowned: "You..."
"I wish to ask you to come with me to help me take down this menace!"
Chen Yan stared at the old fox for a moment before cupping his hands: "Farewell!"
With that, he turned and walked away!
The old fox jumped ahead to block Chen Yan: "Fellow Daoist! I am willing to offer a substantial reward from my son, just name your price!"
"I’m not lacking in money, and I only have one life."
Chen Yan continued to shake his head and kept walking.
Although he didn’t know what the creature in the mountain was, he knew it would be tough to deal with!
Previously, it was only at the Guiyuan Realm, the same as the old fox, yet she approached it as if confronting a powerful enemy, even faking death to leave the He family.
She was essentially preparing to fight to the death! It was clear she wasn’t confident in defeating it.
That’s why she mentioned sacrificing her life and cultivation just to seriously injure the creature and force it back into a hundred years of sleep.
That was when it was only at the Guiyuan Realm.
Now, it has advanced to the Ascension Realm!
Given this power disparity, Chen Yan saw no reason to risk his life, especially since he owed the old fox no favors.
The old fox once again blocked Chen Yan’s path.
"Help me this time, and I will give you my Inner Core after it’s done!"
Chen Yan was startled and frowned: "Your Inner Core?"
The old fox was a demon cultivator, and all demon cultivators, once they reach a certain level, would form an Inner Core, also known as a Demon Core.
This core is highly beneficial for cultivation, whether absorbing the Essence of Primordial Qi within it or using it in alchemy, it greatly enhances one’s cultivation.
For some specific demon races, their Inner Cores also possessed unique profound mysterious divine techniques.
Such a thing was naturally extremely valuable.
For a demon cultivator, losing their Inner Core, even voluntarily, meant losing all their cultivation, reverting them to an ordinary creature.
Chen Yan sighed: "Without your Inner Core, you will lose your cultivation and become an ordinary fox, living out the few years a normal fox would have."
The old fox’s voice was resolute: "It doesn’t matter anymore. If that creature escapes, and I can’t deal with it, He Village will face catastrophe."
"Even with me, we can’t match an Ascension Realm opponent." Chen Yan shook his head.
"There’s still a chance." The old fox quickly said: "It recovered its realm while its injuries healed in sleep, but those injuries are not fully healed, and its realm remains unstable.
Although its realm is higher, its cultivation and Tao practice have not fully returned, and it doesn’t possess much mana. Many spells and divine techniques are beyond its capabilities now.
Now is the time to strike. Alone, I can’t do it, but with your help.
I am willing to risk my life, and with your assistance, we might have a chance to subdue it."
"But more likely, we lose, and you die, and I won’t be able to escape." Chen Yan still shook his head: "Apologies Mrs. He, we are neither relatives nor friends, I have no reason to help you with such a dangerous endeavor.
Money is nice, the Inner Core is even more valuable, but it’s not worth the risk."
Chen Yan thought this way: in this world, cultivating without an Inner Core... regardless, the Ascension Realm is the ceiling, and one can never enter the Celestial Human Realm.
And if I go to the Domain Realm in the future...
With a Venerable as my backer, would I lack such things as Inner Cores?!
Watching Chen Yan leave, the old fox finally screamed sharply.