The fox moved quickly, stuffing everything into its pouch. Still, the entire treasury was wiped clean. The pouch on its neck closed as the last item was put inside—but the size stayed the same.
The fox turned around, eyes gleaming.
> "Hah, good thing I didn't flee when the fighting started. If I had, I would've missed out on all this. Guess my hesitation paid off. Now, best I get out of here before their Grand Elder gets back and turns me into soup."
As it stepped out of the inner treasury, it glanced at Li Zhen's corpse beside the entrance.
> "Even in death, you might still be worth something. I remember that jade token from earlier… it's a spiritual tool, though low-grade. And since you won't be needing it anymore, might as well go to someone who'll put it to work."
Using its divine sense to search for, the jade token suddenly let out a soft hum.
The fox widened its eyes in surprise.
> "A storage pouch? Guess I was so focused on the treasury that it slipped my mind."
---
The jade token and the storage pouch began to glow faintly, pulsing with energy as they floated out from the corpse. They hovered before the fox, who watched them with gleaming eyes.
Though Li Zhen had only been a Qi Refining cultivator, he was still the head of a cultivation family. For someone in his position to have a storage pouch was only natural.
> "I wonder what kind of good stuff is inside…" the fox muttered.
But that would have to wait.
The pouch on its neck opened again, and both the jade token and the storage pouch were stuffed inside.
> "For now, I need to leave this place—quickly."
Even the cultivators lying dead outside might have storage pouches on them. Maybe even the one he had killed earlier.
> "I should check."
The fox took a step forward—then suddenly paused. Its ears twitched, and it turned back around, gaze narrowing as it stared at the heavy treasury door.
> "That thing has to weigh at least a few hundred jin... I don't feel right just leaving it."
He scowled.
> "All that black iron... isn't cheap."
---
A greedy thought flashed through my mind.
> Should I try pulling it off and bringing it with me?
I could store it in my pouch and sell it… or melt it down and forge something useful later.
But after a moment, I shook my head.
> "No. I don't have time to waste."
With one last look at the black iron treasury door, I turned away.
> Still… what a shame.
The fox moved quickly, vanishing from sight.
---
Scene shift – Somewhere else in the city, at the site of the battle between the elders.
A faint mechanical voice echoed in the air:
> "You have gained 5,000 Evolution Points."
Lizarius—now fully visible—stood beside what remained of Elder Li Zhao Ling. Her robes lay in ragged shreds on the blood-soaked ground. No bones were left.
Lizarius licked the blood from its maw, turning its gaze downward toward its bloated stomach.
> My wounds… almost fully healed.
It raised its head, wings twitching, and looked over them with a scowl.
> Still torn. Not healed yet… I have to keep eating for that.
Slowly, it began to turn invisible again, its long tongue running across its bloodstained maw.
With a low growl, the lizard spread its tattered wings—and took off into the sky.
Scene shift – The Garden.
The scene shifted back to the same serene garden from earlier. Just like before, the surroundings rippled faintly as the fox emerged from the treasury, appearing quietly in the center of the garden.
In an instant, its body began shrinking—its frame compressing and refining—until it stood in its smaller, sleeker form. Without hesitation, the fox released its divine sense, sweeping across the entire estate.
> "Hmm… still no Foundation Establishment auras detected."
It tilted its head thoughtfully.
> "Guess that mid-stage cultivator is still battling the creature."
Just as the fox had suspected.
> "That thing managed to kill six Foundation Establishment cultivators on its own…"
It narrowed its eyes.
> "It might only be at the third layer, but with its abilities, it's as strong as someone at the fifth. And its energy reserves—if I'm not mistaken—rival, or maybe even surpass, that of a fifth-layer Foundation cultivator."
The fox paused, tail flicking behind it.
> "Honestly… it's strong. Strong enough that it might've had a real chance to win. Even after clashing with those six cultivators… it looked almost unscathed. Just a few scratches on its scales. No serious wounds."
It frowned.
> "But those relentless attacks—they must've taken their toll. Not on the surface… but internally. The damage may be hidden beneath that thick hide, festering."
A flicker of amusement crossed the fox's face.
> "If that mid-stage cultivator is smart, he'll exploit that weakness. If not… tch. Whatever."
The fox stepped forward, eyes gleaming again.
> "I should go check if those dead cultivators left behind their storage pouches for me. No way I'm letting my treasures rot with their corpses."
Without wasting another second, the fox leapt into motion—dashing from rooftop to rooftop, a silent streak of fur and cunning vanishing.
It moved swiftly through the estate, leaping silently from rooftop to rooftop. Then, with a soft thud, it landed beside Wu Jian's headless corpse.
The fox lowered its head, divine sense sweeping through the body. Suddenly, its eyes widened, a gleam of delight flashing in them.
> "Oh ho! He did have a storage pouch. Jackpot!"
The fox grinned, tail swishing.
> "And to think I almost missed it… That was really careless of me not to check earlier."
A faintly glowing pouch rose from the corpse, energy swirling softly around it. With a flick of thought, the pouch floated into the fox's already-open neck pouch, vanishing from sight.
> "If this guy had loot, then the others probably do too. And if that's the case…" — the fox's grin widened — "I can only imagine what kind of treasures they were carrying."
The fox turned, eyes gleaming with renewed greed.
> "Alright, no time to waste. Let's see if the rest are also holding my storage pouches."
It leapt again, vanishing over the roof in a single bound.
---
Scene shift – Near the ruins.
The camera pans over shattered buildings and scorched earth.
Inside The Crater.
Lizarius crouched over the mangled remains of Li Feng Wei, blood still fresh on its claws. It raised its head, gold eyes flashing.
> "You have gained 4,000 Evolution Points."
It swallowed the last chunk of flesh before licking its maw clean, its body shimmering as it turned invisible once more.
Without a sound, it unfurled its torn wings and rose into the air, flying silently above the wreckage—heading straight toward the Li estate.