The Fox Spirit Raised by the Villain Wants to Defect - Chapter 56

The wind and sand swept past, and the sand underneath sank. Wen Yu, disguised as a demon beast with the beast hair, walked in.

As soon as the Demon Territory Lord saw Wen Yu, the pain of his severed tail from last time resurfaced. He cautiously looked at Wen Yu and asked, “Has the Sword Venerable come this time for the five instances of deployment I promised last time?”

Wen Yu didn’t remember this specific event, but a thought crossed his mind—it must have been compensation gained after he resolved the ambush set by the Demon Territory Lord last time.

He did not speak, but looked at the attendants nearby.

The Demon Territory Lord understood and immediately dismissed them.

“Sword Venerable, please speak frankly if you have something to say.” The Demon Territory Lord was worried, not expecting Wen Yu to return so soon.

Wen Yu asked him, “Have you received any orders to attack the human world recently?”

The Demon Territory Lord’s hand trembled, and his demon eyes narrowed: “What does the Sword Venerable mean by this?”

He set up a barrier before daring to continue, “Our Sand Demon Territory absolutely has no intention of attacking the human race again.”

Seeing his reaction, Wen Yu understood.

“The Demon King has issued an order to all of you to attack the human race?”

The Demon Territory Lord was full of worry.

Both sides were entities he couldn’t afford to offend. What was he supposed to do!

“Before your last visit, the Demon King had already issued such an order, but after you left, we stopped doing it.”

The Demon Territory Lord clapped his hands and began to complain: “We are the weakest of the Four Demon Territories. If we leave the sand for too long, we can’t survive, so we can only stay outside for a short while.”

“The Demon King also hasn’t entrusted me with any highly confidential missions. Sword Venerable, even if you ask again, I can’t tell you anything more.”

The Demon Territory Lord’s words were true.

The demon beasts Wen Yu saw attacking the human world along the way were rarely Sand Demons, not even Sea Demons.

These two races, one unable to leave the sand and the other unable to leave the water, were not suited for long-term excursions.

Only the demon beasts from the other two Demon Territories and the main territory served as the main force.

“My promise to deploy for you five times does not include going against the Demon Race,” the Demon Territory Lord quickly tried to compensate for the last incident. “If I do that, I’ll lose my head.”

Wen Yu ignored this and continued to ask him, “Where did the puppet strings in the Killing Array come from?”

The Demon Territory Lord first replied, “An old woman named Che brought them out herself. That old hag, we still haven’t found her.”

After speaking, the Demon Territory Lord was confused: “Didn’t I already tell you when you questioned me last time?”

Wen Yu’s eye twitched, but his expression remained calm: “After she approached you, did she visit any other Demon Territories?”

He realized someone else must have interrogated him while he was unconscious.

The Demon Territory Lord looked like he had seen a ghost: “How would I know if she went anywhere else? She played me for a fool. Just you wait, old hag!”

Wen Yu ignored the Demon Territory Lord and fell into contemplation.

Currently, two problems were tricky.

He could not get internal information from the Demon Race on whether they would continue to attack the human world.

And the frequency of his condition recurring was increasing, and the speed at which his spiritual power dissipated was accelerating.

If he couldn’t cure his illness in time, when the Demon Race launched their attack, he might not be able to hold out.

Xiao Yu’s tear-filled face flashed through his mind. Wen Yu’s heart contracted, a dense, sharp pain.

If he died, she might find herself unable to move an inch in the human world.

“What about the Demon Clan? Are they cooperating with the Demon Race?” Wen Yu composed himself, seeing the Demon Territory Lord’s worried expression.

“I heard they reached an agreement with the Demon Clan to attack the human race together,” the Demon Territory Lord sighed. “When I set up the trap to kill you last time, half of it was instigated by the woman named Che, and the other half was assisted by the Demon Clan.”

He quickly stated that he had no intention of killing Wen Yu.

“I heard the Demon Realm is chaotic, split into several factions, and the Demon Venerable doesn’t even manage it.”

After the last incident, the Demon Territory Lord didn’t want to join in on the excitement. Unless it was a mandatory requirement from above, he wouldn’t do such a thing again.

“When the old hag spoke to me, she hinted that she was a subordinate of the Demon Venerable.” Thinking about it now, there were red flags everywhere.

The old hag didn’t seek out stronger Demon Territories; instead, she approached him, the weakest one.

She must have thought he was weak and easy to manipulate!

The now-realized Demon Territory Lord slapped his thigh, regretting his actions.

How could he have believed her nonsense!

He was cursing profusely when Wen Yu interrupted him.

“I will exchange those five instances of deployment for five pieces of intelligence. Notify me if the Demon Race makes any unusual moves.”

The Demon Territory Lord opened his mouth, wanting to refuse.

Wouldn’t doing this make him a traitor?

“If the human and demon worlds start fighting, you won’t fare well either.” Wen Yu stood up, ready to leave: “You don’t need to deliberately gather information. You just need to tell me what the Demon King instructs you to do. Here are five communication talismans. Each one will burn up after one use, so you don’t need to fear being discovered.”

“But if you send false information, you cannot bear the consequences.”

Wen Yu placed the communication talismans on the table and asked again, “Is Lord Fushan still alive?”

The Demon Territory Lord’s face stiffened. He ground his teeth: “Alive, perfectly alive!”

Wen Yu was relieved. He didn’t ask any more questions and left.

The Demon Territory Lord grabbed the communication talismans, wanting to tear them but not daring to.

“What a disaster!”

When he left the Demon Territory, it was still daylight. After estimating the time of sunset, Wen Yu rushed to investigate other matters.

He followed the traces of the demon beast tide toward the Seven Swords Sect.

Along the way, Wen Yu found many formations left by the demon beasts, as well as residual demonic energy, giving him a rough guess about the current demon beast attack.

The guess was eight parts confirmed only after he saw the huge teleportation arrays in the Seven Swords Sect, which was occupied by demon beasts, and the two occupied cities.

The remaining two parts could not be investigated.

The person who leaked the sect’s defensive formation and the city’s defensive layout would not leave behind any clues.

The Seven Swords Sect was wiped out, with no survivors found.

While the two cities were still intact, they were occupied by demon beasts and could not be reclaimed immediately.

Wen Yu simply used the demon beast hair given by Xiao Yu again, disguised himself as a demon beast, and blended into the city.

The streets were empty, and the doors and windows were tightly shut.

There wasn’t even a sound of crying.

Wen Yu followed the demon beast patrol soldiers and released his spiritual consciousness to investigate.

There were people in the houses, but every one of them was panicked and terrified, huddled in their homes, afraid of the demon beasts breaking in.

After searching everywhere, he did not sense any demon beasts with extremely high cultivation levels.

Wen Yu withdrew his gaze, his brows furrowed.

Something wasn’t right.

They occupied the cities but didn’t plunder or kill. This was completely different from the great war a hundred years ago.

It was as if they deliberately trapped these two cities to lure the other sects out to rescue them.

Then how was the Seven Swords Sect completely wiped out? Swordsmanship was the most lethal among human cultivators. How were so many sword cultivators wiped out?

Wen Yu increasingly felt that this attack was far more complicated than it seemed on the surface.

After finishing his investigation, he had just left when a sharp pain shot through his body. The familiar spiritual tearing sensation surged up.

He quickly departed, finding a safe place to sit in meditation and suppress it.

The pieces of the jade flute spread out, forming a barrier.

As night fell, the token at Wen Yu’s waist kept glowing.

Strands of demonic energy drifted, trying to pierce the barrier, but were erased by the barrier.

Sweat beaded on Wen Yu’s tightly furrowed brow. His entire body’s spiritual energy fluctuated. The jade flute was green one moment and red the next.

Finally, he violently coughed up a mouthful of blood. The red and green fragments trembled but did not disperse.

Wen Yu continued to suppress it. His blood and energy churned. The red mark on the back of his neck crept up and then subsided.

As dawn approached, the fragments instantly turned completely red. Wen Yu opened his eyes, his gaze dark and foreboding, but it immediately dissolved into pain as the fragments turned back to blue-green.

Wen Yu coughed up blood again. The bright red blood stained his clothes.

He raised his hand to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth. Lowering his eyes, the sight of the vibrant red blood entered his vision.

Standing up, he changed into a clean white robe, wiped away the bloodstain, and put the bloody clothes back into his storage talisman.

The fragments gathered back into the jade flute. Wen Yu set off on the path to find Xiao Yu.

Along the way, he took the time to listen to the messages sent by Yan Ziqiong.

“Master, the fighting has started in the Yuehui Sect. There’s a devil next to Xiao Yu. He doesn’t seem malicious for now. I’ll watch over her.”

“The Yuehui Sect is gone. Only Duanmuying is left. Xiao Yu and I called for Qi Zhuolun, and she was taken away by him.”

Only these two messages.

Wen Yu’s head throbbed with pain. After listening, he quickened his pace.

The dense forest increased, and there were signs of damaged formations on the mountain side.

When he found Xiao Yu following the fragment’s guidance, she was asleep.

Wen Yu watched her from a distance, reluctant to disturb her.

“Master, you’re finally here.” Yan Ziqiong descended from a tree, and Wen Yu gestured for him to be quiet.

Yan Ziqiong understood, tiptoed over, and followed Wen Yu a short distance away: “By the time we arrived, the fighting inside was probably over. We wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for that devil.”

Wen Yu asked him about the devil’s appearance.

Yan Ziqiong gestured with his hands: “It’s this big, looks like charcoal, and seems to have an unusual relationship with Xiao Yu.”

Wen Yu understood—it was the devil he had seen before.

“It’s nothing. He won’t harm anyone for the time being.” Wen Yu closed his eyes, hiding his fatigue, and asked Yan Ziqiong, “Did you encounter any danger inside?”

Yan Ziqiong chuckled: “No. Everything was over when we went in.”

His smile quickly faded.

“We were too late,” he said with some melancholy, “we couldn’t save them.”

Yan Ziqiong actually felt bad watching Qi Zhuolun bring people from the Xuanqiu Sect to empty the Yuehui Sect.

It was a place he had lived for several years, so he had some attachment to it.

“Duanmuying was taken away by Qi Zhuolun. Given the relationship between Qi Zhuolun and Qiu Hong, Duanmuying should be treated kindly.”

Xiao Yu asking him to call Qi Zhuolun to save Duanmuying was something Yan Ziqiong hadn’t expected.

She had little interaction with Duanmuying. Doing this was already considered kind-hearted.

“Master, I found a Demon Race teleportation array outside the Yuehui Sect, and there was also a Demon Clan Nightmare Demon Array inside. There’s definitely a traitor among the human race.”

Wen Yu turned his head to look at the person still sleeping and responded to Yan Ziqiong’s words: “I also found one inside the Seven Swords Sect.”

“The Demon Venerable and the Demon King have joined forces?” Yan Ziqiong’s heart tightened, and he couldn’t help but worry.

Wen Yu retracted his gaze. Seeing the unconcealed fatigue on Yan Ziqiong’s face, he didn’t answer his question.

“How long has it been since you closed your eyes?”

Yan Ziqiong was startled and honestly replied, “I went to investigate the Demon Territory, tracked a great demon for several days, lost it, and then rested for one night?”

Wen Yu waved his hand, set up a barrier, and told Yan Ziqiong to rest.

Yan Ziqiong was surprised again, but obediently climbed back up the tree to nap.

Wen Yu quietly approached Xiao Yu. He had intended to lean against a nearby tree to rest, but seeing the garment with Yan Ziqiong’s aura covering her, he frowned.

Spiritual energy lifted the garment and returned it to Yan Ziqiong. He took out a new one and placed it over Xiao Yu. Only then did his brows relax.

He leaned against the tree and closed his eyes to recover.

When Xiao Yu woke up, she saw the white robe covering her. Her nose caught Wen Yu’s scent. She sprang up, looked around, and saw Wen Yu, who was resting with his eyes closed, behind her.

She clutched the collar of the robe covering her but did not walk over.

But the next second, she saw Wen Yu open his eyes and look at her.

Xiao Yu instantly met his dark eyes.

They were about three meters apart, gazing at each other.

Xiao Yu suddenly smiled at Wen Yu.

She looked at Wen Yu, unable to explain why she was smiling.

But a voice in her heart told her that this smile would put Wen Yu at ease.

Wen Yu closed his eyes again. His meridians automatically circulated to recover, but his mind was still filled with Xiao Yu’s smile just now.

After resting well, Wen Yu opened his eyes, and Xiao Yu was gone from his sight.

His heart instantly rose. Just as he was about to look for her, he heard her voice.

“Can you make this work?”

“Don’t worry, it will definitely work.”

Xiao Yu looked at the object in Yan Ziqiong’s hand, twitching the corner of her mouth, thinking it was unlikely.

She stood up and turned to go back, only to find that Wen Yu was already awake.

“Daoist Priest, you’re awake!”

Yan Ziqiong’s hand trembled, and he quickly hid the object.

Wen Yu walked over, glanced lightly at Yan Ziqiong, and his eyes fell on Xiao Yu.

After carefully checking that she had no injuries, he completely relaxed.

“What are you doing?”

Xiao Yu pointed at Yan Ziqiong. Just as she was about to speak, Yan Ziqiong interjected: “It’s nothing, Master. We were just playing.”

“He wanted to see if he could track demonic energy.” Xiao Yu stepped aside, revealing Coal Ball hiding behind her.

The demonic energy on Coal Ball was mostly gone. It was originally a ball of ink, but now only a little ink remained.

As soon as Coal Ball saw Wen Yu, it shrank behind Xiao Yu.

“He’s so scary…”

Xiao Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Coal Ball probably had a psychological shadow from Wen Yu.

Yan Ziqiong explained to Wen Yu: “I was thinking that the Demon Clan was involved in both demon beast attacks, so I wanted to try tracking the demonic energy. I used this devil as a test subject, but it failed several times.”

Sure enough, demonic energy was not a scent. The innate divine ability didn’t work on it.

Wen Yu, however, grabbed Coal Ball, stared at him for a moment, and did not let him return to Xiao Yu’s side.

“I have already strengthened the defensive barriers near the two sects and the Moon Splendor City and informed the other sects to prepare early,” Wen Yu finished detailing his arrangements, finally looking at Xiao Yu: “It’s time to go to the Sea Demon Territory.”

Xiao Yu’s first reaction was joy.

This was their original plan, which had been delayed for more than a day.

“You’re going to the Sea Demon Territory? I’m coming too!”

Yan Ziqiong immediately tossed the object he had been creating and looked at Wen Yu: “I just came from inside. I can still lead the way for you.”

Xiao Yu turned to look at him: “So you went to the Sea Demon Territory during those ten-plus days you were away.”

“I’m telling you, there are so many fun things inside. I’ll take you to play when we get there.”

“Okay, okay. After I finish what I need to do, we can go play.”

Wen Yu watched the two of them chatting enthusiastically and did not interrupt.

But he felt an impulse to just pull Xiao Yu away.

Xiao Yu finished talking with Yan Ziqiong, turned back, and was about to speak to Wen Yu when she saw him looking at her fixedly, with a very subtle expression.

She quickly said, “Should we bring Coal Ball with us?”

Coal Ball spoke up, his expression exactly the same as Wen Yu’s: “I’m not called Coal Ball. I have a name. I’m called Ming Xing.”

Xiao Yu thought she misheard and asked which ming it was, learning that it was the ming from Pluto (冥王星 – Ming Wang Xing).

“He will come with us. Once we leave the Sea Demon Territory, there may be a place where we can use him.”

If the Prophecy Mirror cannot respond, he would have to go to the Demon Realm.

Xiao Yu nodded and beckoned to Coal Ball: “Then you’ll come with us.”

Ming Xing snorted several times. When he realized he was still in Wen Yu’s hands, he immediately shrank.

The group set off for the Sea Demon Territory.

A flying boat was too large a target. Wen Yu and Xiao Yu flew on their swords, and Yan Ziqiong transformed into his original form, concealing his demon aura as he ran underground.

The Sea Demon Territory was at the very edge of the human world, in the river and sea beneath high mountain cliffs, with traces of Sea Demons everywhere.

This time, Xiao Yu tried flying her sword herself, and it was quite steady.

“Considering this, I actually have some talent, right?” Xiao Yu recalled her progress after practicing the Furong Sword Art, unable to help feeling a little proud: “I even beat Duanmuying last time.”

Xiao Yu was referring to the day she left the Yuehui Sect.

“You learn immediately when taught. That’s very impressive.” Wen Yu stood behind her. The strong wind swept her hair back behind her head, occasionally touching his face, and he could vaguely smell a faint fragrance.

“But I only have one innate divine ability right now. How can I gain insight into others?” Xiao Yu sighed. She didn’t dwell on this because they had arrived.

The two landed on the edge of the cliff. A snow wolf ran over, stopped, and transformed into human form.

“The entrance is in the Water Separation (Shuili). Just jump down.” Yan Ziqiong told Wen Yu and then leaped off.

Xiao Yu watched him jump down with wide eyes.

She tugged on Wen Yu’s sleeve and moved a step forward. Seeing the cliff that was possibly several tens of meters high, she immediately felt dizzy.

“Daoist Priest, this, this can’t be jumped, right? Won’t we die?”

Jumping from such a height, would they really not die?

She waited for a while, but heard no splash, and looking at the water surface, there wasn’t a single ripple.

Wen Yu took a step closer and suddenly reached out to wrap his arm around Xiao Yu’s waist.

Before Xiao Yu could react, her waist tightened.

Something soft brushed past her ear. Xiao Yu trembled all over, as if she had been electrocuted. She froze, unable to move.

“Don’t be afraid. I’m taking you.”

“Huh?” Just as Xiao Yu gasped, her back pressed tightly against Wen Yu’s chest. Then, her entire body lifted into the air. In her vision, she only saw the ground receding, the steep cliff, the rushing water, and then…

“Ah—”

Wen Yu jumped off the cliff with her!

The feeling of weightlessness grew stronger and stronger. Xiao Yu felt like her heart had leaped out of her body.

It was terrifying!

Xiao Yu tightly closed her eyes, feeling her heart rate accelerate rapidly.

Everything felt uncontrollable.

The moment they crashed into the water, Xiao Yu felt like her heart had stopped beating.

Her body was sinking, but she didn’t feel the slightest pain.

Xiao Yu tried to open her eyes. Before she could see clearly, her waist tightened. Her whole body was tossed and turned.

A moment later, they seemed to pass through something. Xiao Yu heard a faint burst, and then she surfaced.

Wet fur clung tightly to her body. Xiao Yu shook her head uncomfortably, splashing water droplets everywhere.

A pair of hands pressed onto her head. Xiao Yu instinctively rubbed against them, squinting her eyes.

Hearing a low chuckle behind her, she instantly opened her eyes wide.

Wait, what was she just doing?

Xiao Yu looked down and saw her paws floating on the water’s surface.

“!”

How did I turn back into my original form?

Wen Yu held the soaking wet little fox and swam toward the shore, seemingly unaware that he could teleport.

Xiao Yu started to dislike water.

She struggled hard, climbing onto Wen Yu’s arm and holding him tightly.

“The entrance to the Sea Demon Territory is vast. Their ancestors set up a formation at the entrance. Demon beasts entering the territory will reveal their original form.”

Xiao Yu’s demon eyes stared at Wen Yu, showing confusion: “What about humans?”

But what she emitted was a chirping sound that Wen Yu couldn’t understand.

Wen Yu seemed to understand her meaning and said, “Mortals, even if they can swim, cannot descend to the depth of the entrance. Cultivators generally do not actively come here.”

The Sea Demon Territory had always been reclusive and did not participate in the great war a hundred years ago. It was the only one of the Four Demon Territories that advocated for peace.

Wen Yu’s body bobbed up and down. Xiao Yu swallowed a few mouthfuls of water, her eyes full of accusation.

Due to the posture, her paws could only reach Wen Yu’s chest.

She patted Wen Yu several times, urging him: “Daoist Priest, hurry up.”

Wen Yu used one hand to support Xiao Yu and the other to swim. Being patted by the paws a few times, a sudden urge arose in his heart to press Xiao Yu completely into his embrace.

He frowned, suppressing the sudden surge of malice, and sped up, approaching the shore.

A giant wave surged high, trying to engulf Wen Yu.

Wen Yu quickly covered himself with a protective shield and then struck the giant wave with spiritual energy, dissipating it.

The water surface rippled, forming a demon beast with a human body and a fish tail.

“Who are you, and why have you intruded?”

Xiao Yu turned her head and saw a very beautiful demon beast. Its gender was indiscernible, and its voice was pleasant.

Her paws kept patting Wen Yu’s chest. Xiao Yu was a little excited.

The second such beautiful demon beast!

Wen Yu pressed down on Xiao Yu’s restless paws and stated his intention and identity.

Upon hearing this, the demon beast stepped aside: “Yan Ziqiong just told me his master was coming. So you are his master. Forgive my offense just now.”

Stepping onto the shore, Wen Yu’s body steamed dry, and Xiao Yu’s fur dried as well.

Wen Yu held Xiao Yu in both hands. Led by the demon beast, they saw Yan Ziqiong.

“You two took too long to arrive.” As soon as Yan Ziqiong saw Xiao Yu in Wen Yu’s arms, he burst out laughing: “Xiao Yu, why have you turned back into your original form?”

Xiao Yu glared at him, twisted her body, and buried herself in Wen Yu’s embrace.

Wen Yu tightened his hold, rubbed her head, and asked, “Want to come down?”

Xiao Yu paused for a moment, then suddenly struggled, jumping out of Wen Yu’s arms. After running a few steps, she transformed back into her human form.

She kept her head down, not looking at anyone.

“What is the purpose of your visit?” The demon beast looked at Wen Yu, roughly guessing why he had come.

Wen Yu went straight to the point: “I would like to borrow the Prophecy Mirror.”

As soon as he said this, Yan Ziqiong immediately widened his eyes: “Master wants to look into the Prophecy Mirror?”

The demon beast also frowned attractively: “I cannot make this decision. I must ask the Territory Lord. Please follow me.”

Yan Ziqiong turned and followed.

Wen Yu waited for Xiao Yu to approach and followed with her.

When Xiao Yu saw the Demon Territory Lord, she had the illusion of seeing a fairy tale character.

Seaweed-like long hair spread behind them. A gradient blue dress encased their graceful figure. The androgynous face was even more stunning.

It was as if when the gods created living beings, they gave all their favoritism to Them.

They leaned on the window sill of the shimmering shell palace. Seeing them arrive, they showed a pure smile.

Xiao Yu felt like her soul was being taken away by Them.

“Territory Lord, they wish to look into the Prophecy Mirror.”

The demon beast bowed to Them, respectfully reporting.

Yan Ziqiong also bowed.

Xiao Yu watched, hesitating whether to bow as well, only to see them both rise.

“Alright.” They reached out a fair, lotus-root-like hand and produced the Prophecy Mirror: “Look.”

Xiao Yu didn’t expect the Demon Territory Lord to be so agreeable.

A palm-sized crystal object floated down. When it landed in front of them, it suddenly magnified.

It was taller than a person. The frame was inlaid with conch shells and other sea creatures that Xiao Yu didn’t recognize. A certain text was carved at the top center. The moment one saw the characters, a heavy sense of history rushed forward.

The mirror surface was gray. Xiao Yu couldn’t see anyone.

However, Wen Yu reached out to touch it. In an instant, the mirror swallowed the person, and he was gone.

“Wen Yu!” Xiao Yu was anxious. She reached out and rushed toward the mirror, but was stopped by the demon beast.

“He received the Prophecy Mirror’s response and has gone to see his future.”

“Hmm, perhaps he won’t come out,” the Demon Territory Lord curved their lips. An angelic face floated an evil smile.