He Yuzhu returns in Siheyuan

Chapter 866 The Fox Demon Dies in Battle

"Remember this well," the fox demon turned to her subordinates hidden in the shadows behind her, her voice deliberately low, carrying a hint of feigned authority, while her tail swayed slightly, betraying her inner elation. "Be quick-witted when you make your move, don't be clumsy and embarrass me. Once I'm favored by the Dragon Lord, I'll take you all out with me, to eat and drink the good life, and we won't have to stay in this wretched forest eating wild fruit anymore!"

The demons hidden in the shadows of the trees showed little reaction. The gray wolf demons, with drooping ears and blank stares ahead, had only recently gained intelligence, their minds filled only with the word "obedience." The black widows lay on their woven, shimmering silver spiderwebs, their eight compound eyes fixed on their prey, their slender legs trembling slightly, their minds filled only with thoughts of "tear apart" and "poison." The tree spirits didn't even have a proper form; they were merely a few dark cracks in the rough tree trunks serving as eyes, listlessly awaiting commands. They knew nothing of the outside world, only that they obeyed their fox demon leader—pounce when told to pounce, bite when told to bite, nothing more.

The fox demon didn't care; as long as these guys could fight, that was fine. She took a deep breath, trying to suppress the barely perceptible fear in her heart—in truth, she'd always been timid. When she was little, even a clumsy wild bear in the forest would scare her so much she'd hide in a tree hollow for three days and three nights. But this time was different. Having missed the dragon clan, she might truly be trapped in this mist for the rest of her life. Timidity? Could timidity lead to a way out? She vigorously flicked her tail, shaking that timidity to the back of her mind.

"Break your guard up!" She suddenly sprang out of the tree hole, her three fiery red tails leaving three dazzling afterimages in the mist, like a burning flame. She stood directly in front of the human team, her small face raised, and shouted in a shrill voice, "This is the Misty Forest, the territory of the demon race, not a place for you humans! Get out now, and we might leave you with a whole corpse; if you don't know what's good for you, don't blame us demons for being impolite!"

The human squad leader was a burly man with a face full of scars, his sideburns covering half his face, and the steel knife in his hand gleamed coldly in the mist. He had originally thought he would encounter the legendary dragons, but unexpectedly, he was stopped by a half-transformed fox demon. The fox demon still looked somewhat childish, and he was immediately enraged, laughing harshly. His hoarse laughter echoed in the mist: "Where did this little fox with its fur not even fully grown dare to bare its teeth in front of grandpa?" He spat angrily on the ground, "With your incomplete form, you dare to block the way? Let me tell you, not only you, but even the dragons hiding inside won't escape today! We've already laid a trap outside, thousands of brothers have surrounded this forest, not a drop of water can pass through, none of you demons will escape! If you know what's good for you, hand over the dragons you're hiding, and maybe we'll spare your lives!"

The fox demon's heart skipped a beat, her claws trembled, and she almost lost her footing. She only knew that a human team had entered the forest, but she never imagined there would be an ambush outside? Thousands of people? This number hit her like a boulder, making her three tails bristle with fear. But now, retreating meant certain death; the humans wouldn't let her go. Charging forward... perhaps there was still a glimmer of hope, at least she could appear brave in front of the dragons, and maybe even win their favor.

She gritted her teeth, steeled her resolve, and suddenly threw her head back, letting out a sharp fox howl. Her voice, filled with a do-or-die determination, echoed deep within the dense forest: "Brothers, let's fight them!"

Before she finished speaking, she transformed into a streak of red light and pounced forward, her sharp claws aimed straight for the burly man's throat, her movements as swift as lightning. Seeing this, the demons in the shadows roared and charged out—the gray wolf demons, on all fours, let out low growls, bringing a pungent, fishy stench as they swept towards the group; the black widows shot out sticky spiderwebs from the shadows, instantly binding several lone humans, rendering them immobile; the tree spirits wielded thorny vines, whipping the humans' legs and feet like lashes.

Chaos erupted instantly within the mist. The clanging of swords, the screams of humans, and the roars of demons mingled together, causing the mist to churn violently, as if the entire forest were trembling. The fox demon, while nimbly dodging the burly man's steel blades, stole glances into the depths of the dense forest—Dragon Lords, you must see this! I truly risked my life for you!

The fox demon stared at the gleaming, cold light of the magical artifacts flashing in the human ranks opposite him. The light stung his eyes, and his hand gripping the bone blade trembled slightly, his knuckles turning white from the force. The human cultivators were all composed, their auras steady, the sound of spiritual energy flowing through their meridians beneath their robes clearly audible, like muffled thunder rolling across the earth—clearly, their strength far surpassed that of these rogue cultivators. But now, there was no turning back—behind him lay the valley where the demon race hid, where the old, weak, women, and children were all tucked away. If they retreated, their entire race would become prisoners, to be dismembered and skinned alive by the humans, or used as cultivation furnaces. He took a deep breath, his chest filled with the stench of blood, and turned to look at his demon brothers beside him. The wolf demon bared its fangs, the rabbit demon clutched its short dagger, and even the most timid squirrel spirit's eyes were red with rage. With a desperate resolve burning in its eyes, the fox demon roared, "Brothers, the humans have gone too far! They've seized my territory and slaughtered my kin! Today, we must either fight our way out or die here! For the future of our demon race, charge!"

The human leader was a middle-aged cultivator dressed in a black Daoist robe, with a stern face and golden cloud patterns embroidered on his sleeves. He had thought that his force of over a hundred men would intimidate this rabble, but he hadn't expected them to actually dare to charge. He raised an eyebrow, a hint of impatience flashing in his eyes, and coldly shouted, "You're courting death! Form the formation!" Before his words had even finished, the human cultivators moved like a tide, forming a Seven Star Formation that combined offense and defense. The crisp sound of longswords being drawn echoed continuously, like jade shattering, and the sword energy gleamed with a chilling light under the moonlight, turning half the sky bluish-white.

The two sides clashed instantly. The human cultivators coordinated perfectly, their spells and magical artifacts weaving into an impenetrable net. Fireballs and ice spikes rained down alternately, talismans tracing dazzling arcs in the air. Every strike was precise and ruthless, each blow potentially fatal. The demons, though fearless, suffered from uneven cultivation levels, most having just passed the Transformation stage. A wolf demon's claws had barely torn open a person's sleeve before being struck by a yellow talisman. The talisman burst forth with blinding golden light, and the wolf demon howled as it vanished into a wisp of black smoke. A rabbit demon, agile as it weaved through the crowd, was no match for the power of magical artifacts. A bronze sword shattered its hind leg, and it collapsed in a pool of blood, howling in pain, before being pierced by a flurry of swords.