The Aloof Immortal Venerable is Pregnant with My Fox Cub - Chapter 97

Chapter 97

The sharp short blade pierced through the black crow and continued forward, aimed straight for Cang Ran’s back.

Cang Ran felt a sudden chill, but she could only do her best to block the attacks of the three Great Demons in front of her. She covered her body in demonic energy, prepared to take the sneak attack from behind head-on. The little fox pendant originally given to her by Tan Qingxuan transformed into a protective talisman, doing its utmost to shield Cang Ran from this blow.

The talisman shattered, and the magic treasure refined from those few strands of fox fur turned into flying ash. The short blade was snapped, but the broken shard—though obstructed—still flew toward Cang Ran. It slanted into her left shoulder, cutting through fur and piercing deep into her flesh. Cang Ran’s pupils contracted sharply, and a short, stifled hiss escaped her throat.

Intense pain exploded across her shoulder blade. Her body swayed; Cang Ran was so hurt she nearly failed to stand her ground. She propped her sword tip against the earth and raised her hand to pull out the shard, flinging it back toward her attacker.

The rapidly spinning shard, stained with bright red blood, heavily wounded one of the Great Demons besieging Hua Chao. Blood washed down with the rain, spreading out around her feet.

Seeing that blood, Hua Chao’s heart tightened. She immediately moved closer to guard Cang Ran’s side, sprinkling healing medicinal powder over Cang Ran’s wound.

The Mountain-Settling Leopard was too far away. Discovering that someone had ambushed Cang Ran, his leopard eyes filled with fury as he gripped his giant axe. He hacked out a bloody path through the fray, closing in on Cang Ran’s position.

The fierce beast transformed from the little yellow dog sensed the crisis its master was in. It lunged at the Great Demon who had ambushed Cang Ran from behind, its claws raking across dense snake scales with a harsh screeching sound. The Silver-Ringed Snake, wielding twin blades, entangled with the little yellow dog for a moment before slapping it away with a lash of her tail.

That snake tail had been tempered to be as tough as a boulder. However, Cang Ran’s divine sword was wreathed in lightning and fire; she swung her blade down upon the rampaging tail. Scorching flames shook the stone, their edge razor-sharp. The snake tail was severed into two pieces; the detached segment tumbled and writhed on the ground like a living thing.

The Silver-Ringed Snake let out a mournful shriek of agony. Her lower body writhed in pain as she reached out, trying to grab back her severed tail. But once the tail caught fire, it emitted bursts of a roasted, charred aroma. The fierce dog that had just been swiped away pounced back, instantly clamping its jaws onto the half-segment of the snake tail.

Holding the tail in its mouth, the dog wagged its own tail and walked toward Cang Ran. The Mountain-Settling Leopard, leading other demon soldiers, formed a circle with Hua Chao around Cang Ran. The dog entered the circle and brought the trophy to Cang Ran’s side.

The Silver-Ringed Snake had originally intended to let the surrounding demons charge first while she observed Cang Ran’s strength. Other Great Demons above the Void-Refining stage had the same idea. However, seeing Cang Ran’s indomitable battle intent—and the fact that over a dozen Soul-Condensing stage demon cultivators couldn’t even get close—they hesitated.

Seeing that Cang Ran’s momentum was becoming even more arrogant, the Silver-Ringed Snake came up with this sinister tactic to ambush her from behind. That one strike should have taken at least half of the Nine-Tailed Fox’s life, but the fox actually had a protective talisman left by a cultivator at the Great Circle of the Mahayana stage. The short blade had failed to hit a vital spot.

A large portion of her demonic power resided in that snake tail. Seeing the dog bring the severed segment to Cang Ran while her stump bled profusely, she was driven to the brink of madness by anxiety.

The Silver-Ringed Snake clamored: “You dead fox demon, if you have the ability, come and fight me one-on-one! Are you useless just because you got poked once? Give me back my tail!”

The piercing pain from her left shoulder caused cold sweat to break out on Cang Ran’s forehead. Her previous strike against the snake demon had been her strongest counterattack born of pure rage. Now, the pain was so great she felt her blood and qi flowing backward; the hand gripping her spiritual sword wouldn’t stop trembling.

The healing medicine Hua Chao sprinkled on her could only stop the bleeding temporarily. Cang Ran ignored the snake demon’s provocation and remembered the healing medicine Tan Qingxuan gave her before leaving. She immediately poured it all into her mouth. So hard to swallow… even the Inedia Pills were improved, but the healing medicine Song Zhen makes is still such a large pellet.

Cang Ran felt somewhat exhausted. As she chewed the pill, her mouth was full of a metallic taste. She finally managed to swallow it; the pill slid down her throat and transformed into a nourishing spiritual liquid, slowly repairing her wounds.

She looked down and saw the little yellow dog wagging its tail at her, realizing it had the snake tail in its mouth. Seeing the snake’s clamoring, Cang Ran used a demonic spell to bind the severed tail, lifting it up for the Silver-Ringed Snake to see.

Seeing this, the Silver-Ringed Snake’s heart burned with rage. Before she could shout for Cang Ran to return the tail, two clusters of vibrant, strange flames suddenly appeared in Cang Ran’s palms.

Realizing what Cang Ran was about to do, the Silver-Ringed Snake’s face turned deathly pale. She cried out in desperation: “No!”

The suddenly surging flames transformed into a giant fox that swallowed the tail in one bite. The snake tail was scorched into ash, and all the refined demonic qi within it was released.

Cang Ran, saturated with demonic power, gave a cold laugh: “Full-Circle Void-Refining stage… your tail was quite good. Can you grow another one next time?”

The Silver-Ringed Snake’s entire body went into a frenzy, charging at Cang Ran in an uncontrollable rage. Hua Chao played her flute while the Mountain-Settling Leopard held his giant axe to combat the demons rushing to protect the snake. Cang Ran spun forward, her blade infused with demonic energy. She pierced the Silver-Ringed Snake’s “seven inches” (heart) with a single thrust, the blade instantly becoming covered in blood as it lodged firmly into a critical position in the snake’s belly.

The Silver-Ringed Snake raised her weapon to resist again, but Cang Ran immediately pulled out her long sword and delivered a flying kick to the snake’s head. The massive snake body crashed to the ground with a boom. Cang Ran stepped down on her, manifesting the profound formations from the Demon Emperor’s Seal to suppress her against the earth.

The Silver-Ringed Snake was firmly sealed by the inscriptions of the Demon Emperor’s Seal. Demons possess an instinctive fear of the Seal; she trembled all over. Touching Cang Ran’s cold gaze felt like falling into an ice cellar. She tried to cast a transformation spell to escape, but it was already too late.

Cang Ran’s blade fell, piercing the Silver-Ringed Snake’s throat, forcefully killing a demon cultivator at the Great Circle of the Void-Refining stage.

Seeing the end of the Silver-Ringed Snake, the other Demon Kings couldn’t help but shudder. One after another, they stopped their ongoing fights.

The Star-Night Rhino, at the third level of the Void-Refining stage, saw the snake demon decapitated. Seeing Cang Ran holding the Demon Emperor’s Seal, he knew that if they continued, it wouldn’t just be a mutual loss—they might all die together.

Hua Chao spoke from the side: “You demons can’t beat us, why don’t you hurry and pay homage to the Demon Emperor! Your lives can be spared! Star-Night Rhino, you are only at the third level of the Void-Refining stage; even the Silver-Ringed Snake was killed by the Demon Emperor’s sword. Do you intend to keep fighting?”

Deterred by Cang Ran’s pressure, the Star-Night Rhino immediately bowed his head to the ground: “Star-Night Rhino pays respects to the Demon Emperor!”

Seeing that the Star-Night Rhino had submitted, the other minor Demon Kings following him all knelt: “We pay respects to the Demon Emperor! We beg for the Emperor’s forgiveness!”

Only the Snow-Departure Tortoise of the Kunlun Mountains remained unmoved, having watched from the shadows. Even though the demons of the Kunlun range felt fear in their hearts, they were all watching the Tortoise’s reaction.

Hua Chao spoke to the Snow-Departure Tortoise: “Old Tortoise, you are already three thousand years old, but our Cang Ran is only two hundred. She is blessed with fortune and is in her prime. Are you certain you can contend with her in the future? If you do not submit, our other three demon mountain ranges will certainly never let you have peace!”

Although the Snow-Departure Tortoise had a cultivation at the early stage of the Mahayana level, her lifespan was nearing three thousand years. She had no desire for war or dominance. Compared to fighting for the Demon Emperor’s Seal, she would rather cultivate peacefully and ascend to the upper realm soon.

The Snow-Departure Tortoise’s voice sounded very slow: “Snow-Departure Tortoise pays respects to the Demon Emperor.”

The demons of the Kunlun Mountains followed suit, kneeling in a vast wave. The assembly of demons submitted; none dared to offend.

At this moment, the wound on Cang Ran’s back was hurting terribly. Although she felt better after taking some pills, cold sweat still beaded on her forehead. This was a critical moment for establishing her authority; she could not show weakness.

Cang Ran balanced grace with power: “I have no intention of being the Demon Emperor; it was the Demon God who passed the Seal to me. However, I will not oppress any of you, but you also must not cause trouble for me or harbor ulterior motives. Otherwise, you will meet the same end as the Silver-Ringed Snake.

The ruins of the Ancient Demon Emperor should belong to the entire demon race. From now on, every year, for every mountain range, one demon out of every hundred at or above the Transformation stage can be selected to enter the Ancient Demon Emperor’s ruins to cultivate for one month. However, the spiritual plants within cannot be picked wantonly; you may exchange the specialties of your respective demon mountains with me for them.”

Upon hearing that the new Demon Emperor was so generous as to open the Ancient Demon Emperor’s ruins—a sacred cultivation ground—to the entire demon race, the Demon Kings were instantly more convinced. They all prostrated themselves: “We thank the Demon Emperor.”

“Currently, human cultivators are besieging the Taixuan Sect. If you are willing to lend me a hand, it will count as making amends for your past offenses. Today, all Demon Kings can cultivate in the Ancient Demon Emperor’s ruins for one month.”

As soon as Cang Ran’s words fell, it was like a drop of water splashing into a pot of boiling oil; the Demon Kings were all incredibly excited.

When they had rushed into the ruins earlier, they knew the spiritual energy and resources there were much stronger than the outside world. One day of cultivation there was worth a hundred days outside.

There was only one Demon Emperor’s Seal, and not every demon could get it, but the benefits Cang Ran was offering were tangible.

The demons were won over: “We swear to follow the Demon Emperor to the death!”

Knowing Cang Ran’s injuries were not light, Hua Chao immediately supported her and asked in a low voice: “Ran Ran, is your injury okay? We still have to go back to the Taixuan Sect.”

The Mountain-Settling Leopard also saw the bloody wound on Cang Ran’s back. He took out a cloak and draped it over her: “Perhaps we should find a place to heal your wounds first.”

Cang Ran thought of Tan Qingxuan and the child waiting for her to return. She just felt a lot of pain, but her consciousness was clear. She merely closed her eyes slightly: “Treat the wound on the way. I’m afraid those human cultivators will take the opportunity to attack Taixuan Sect. Qing Qing and the child are still there.”

Hua Chao understood the concerns in Cang Ran’s heart. If her own wife and child were in danger, she wouldn’t be able to rest either. But Cang Ran had traveled through the night for several days without rest. Even if a demon cultivator’s body is strong, after fighting many demons and being stabbed from behind, she couldn’t keep going indefinitely.

Hua Chao took hold of Cang Ran’s body: “Fine, we’ll head back to Taixuan Sect first and drive those old geezers away. You heal for a bit first, otherwise, Tan Qingxuan will be worried when she sees you. She has Zhen Zhen looking after her there; she will surely be safe.”

Back at Taixuan Sect, seven days had passed and Tan Qingxuan had not seen Cang Ran return. Today, her heart was inexplicably uneasy. At the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), she cast a divination for Cang Ran; it was a “Great Calamity.” Just as she put away the divination hexagrams, she discovered that a life-saving talisman she had left for Cang Ran was damaged.

Tan Qingxuan knew that Cang Ran had likely met with an accident, and her heart tightened. At this moment, an inner sect disciple brought news: because Taixuan Sect had consistently avoided battle, the Mountain-Guarding Array was now being besieged by people from the Three Great Sects.

Tan Qingxuan issued the Sect Master’s command, calling all elders at or above the Void-Hole stage to end their seclusion and join together to resist the invading foreign enemies.

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