Inside the grand hall of the Li Estate, the atmosphere was tense. The silence was deafening—everyone was waiting for the clan head to return.
Moments later, the clan head finally arrived. After requesting Li Tianyuan to take action earlier, he now stood tall in the center of the hall. His voice echoed through the silence like a hammer striking an anvil:
> "A mere third-layer Foundation Establishment beast dares threaten our clan? With the Grand Elder taking action, that so-called demon beast shall not live to see another breath."
He sat down, a flicker of concern hidden behind a composed expression.
> "I wonder how the battle is going... Has the Grand Elder already dealt with it?" he thought.
Suddenly, a light wind brushed through the hall as the fox landed gently at the entrance. Li Zhen's eyes widened in shock—he felt it before he saw it. The fox exuded an aura far beyond normal.
As the creature calmly walked into the hall, Li Zhen stood up abruptly.
> "A demon fox? Where did it come from? Wasn't there supposed to be only one demonic beast?!"
Panic rippled through the room. Cries of "It's a demon!" erupted from the gathered Li clan. Li Zhen tried to focus, his heart pounding.
> "I can't sense its cultivation... No, that means—it must be at least Foundation Establishment..."
He gritted his teeth, anger and fear twisting in his chest.
> "Where are the clan elders?! How could they let it get this far—"
But the fox cut him off with a soft, almost mocking voice:
> "Oh, they're all watching."
Li Zhen blinked. Then the fox added, with a tilt of its head:
> "You mean the elders? They're all dead. Even the Grand Elder."
A chill swept through the room.
Li Zhen trembled, his eyes wide.
> "That's impossible... The Grand Elder is at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment. How could he be killed so easily?"
The fox's gaze remained calm, calculating.
> "He's not dead. Yet. He's still fighting—with my master."
Li Zhen's mind reeled.
> "There are two demon beasts?! And the one the Grand Elder is battling... it's the one that killed the others? And this one serves it?"
The fox seemed to sense his thoughts.
> "Calling it 'my master' should make them understand the danger they're in... Sometimes, fear works better than bloodshed."
Then it said aloud:
> "Don't worry. I'm not here to kill anyone."
Li Zhen narrowed his eyes, unconvinced.
> "It says it won't kill us... That only make me more nervous?"
The fox stepped forward.
>"As long as you do as I say
Refuse, and you all die here painting these walls with your blood.
A wave of intense spiritual pressure exploded from its body, crashing down on everyone present.
One by one, they fell to their knees, gasping for air. Even Li Zhen, teeth clenched and straining to stay upright, was eventually forced down.
---
The scene shifts—to the distorted forest outside the city, where an intense battle raged.
The land was torn, trees twisted and shattered by spiritual forces. Amidst the chaos, Li Tianyuan moved like the wind, spear in hand, charging at a the lizard.
The lizard, slamming its claws into the ground. In response, giant earth spikes erupted upward, aiming to impale Li Tianyuan. With a sharp swing of his spear, he shattered them mid-air, never slowing his advance.
Harnessing the momentum, he twisted his body and thrust the spear forward. Wind gathered at the tip, spinning violently.
The lizard's scales crackled with lightning. In a blur, it moved like a bolt, narrowly dodging the deadly thrust. The attack carved through the forest, leaving a ravaged path in its wake.
Suddenly, the lizard reappeared beside Li Tianyuan—its massive tail already swinging toward his head.
CLANG!
The tail was stopped—by the pan.