Six-Tailed Demon Fox

North Ridge, the boundary between the inner and outer reaches. The high-hanging moon casts shadows, illuminating the mountain forest. In the dead of night, the howling of wolves can be heard; dozens of miles away, demon wolves and beastly boars roam. At this moment, a hunt is underway.

With an elder present, the young ones feel no concern.

In the middle of the night, a stir occurs. Zhao Jinshang, who has been resting with eyes closed, experiences a sudden intuition and appears half a mile away, holding a dark purple serpent. It is a Purple-Skinned Profound Water Snake at the completion of the Demon Foundation realm. The deeper the purple, the greater the strength. There must be a stream within two hundred miles. He peels the snake skin, places the gall in a porcelain bottle, and uses his Qi to cleave the snake meat in two, storing it in his ring.

With another thought, the elder returns to his original position. It is as if nothing happened, yet the surroundings have grown much quieter. Demon beasts are consumed by greed; once they spot a target, they will always seek an opportunity.

On the eleventh day, after breakfast, the youths continue their journey. High-quality food is beneficial to the body, and cultivators generally do not choose to abstain from eating, whether they are in the Foundation Establishment or Golden Core stages. Only those above the Nascent Soul stage, whose bodies possess high purity and spirituality, are untainted by the impurities of mortal food.

Following the instructions of the Second Elder, they track a stream where spiritual herbs are said to grow. Few cultivators reach this far; they have already entered the inner reaches of the North Ridge. The Second Elder’s task now is to maintain a delicate balance, ensuring the youths see blood—whether it be the blood of demon beasts, rogue cultivators, or their own.

It seems like an accident. Amidst a sudden gust of demonic wind, Zhao Jinming discovers his storage ring is missing. In that moment, his world collapses. "No, wait, where is my storage ring?"

A panicked voice cries out, "Elder, it’s over—" before he can finish.

"What? You brat, are you cursing me?"

"My storage ring is gone."

The Second Elder remains expressionless. "Where did you drop it? Look around nearby." With a flick of his sleeve, he performs a translocation, swapping the ring in his palm with a leaf ten meters away.

He had not accounted for Zhao Jinming’s remarkable spiritual sense. The moment the ring appeared on the branch, Jinming sensed its sudden manifestation. He was surprised at first, but then a thought crossed his mind.

Jinming walks over to Zhao Luanfeng. "Senior Sister, is your storage ring still there?"

"It is. When did you lose yours?"

"I hadn't paid attention to it for a few hours, and now I can't find it."

The Senior Sister frowns and looks toward Jinshang. "Second Granduncle, could you help Zhao Jinming find it?"

Zhao Jinming rushes to the Elder. "No need to trouble you, Second Granduncle, it would disrupt our training. If you fly off to look for the ring, we won't be safe."

"How about this? I humbly request that you grant me a few precious pills, and you can help me find the ring on the return journey?"

Seeing Zhao Jinming’s performance, the Elder replies, "Granted. It is rare to see such consideration for others. I shall give you a precious pill." He hands over a Blue Field Jade bottle. "This is a Fire Profound Pill, a fifth-grade Dharma pill."

The group naturally recognizes it—a high-grade version of the Fire Spirit Pill. It was a treasure kept for many years, intended for a deserving descendant one day, but after a moment’s thought, he gives it away.

The Second Elder calmly retrieves the storage ring from the tip of the branch. *Good intuition, excellent spiritual sense. Truly a fine seedling,* he thinks.

The others are filled with envy, yet Zhao Jinming remains full of worry. He had sensed the demonic wind earlier. "Elder, was that the aura of a Great Demon?"

"No, it has not yet condensed its core. It is at the Half-Step Demon Core stage."

Far away, in the soil, the beast—a large creature half a zhang tall—tunnels out. It is a Ground Wind Wolf, known for its exceptional tunneling speed and solitary nature. It had intended to use the demonic wind as cover to emerge from the earth and capture the youngest human, never expecting the thin, white-robed old man to shift his aura from Foundation Establishment to Golden Core in an instant. It immediately flees, breaking into a cold sweat in terror. As the beast nears core-condensation, it has already gained significant intelligence.

At the same time, the Second Elder seems to sense something, a serious expression dawning on his face. It is not because of the Ground Wind Wolf, but because there are Demon Core beasts and Golden Core cultivators nearby. A sliver of spiritual sense from a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator can probe for miles. Concentrating his mind, he sees three Golden Core cultivators pursuing a white, six-tailed fox demon.

The fox demon, sensing she is being watched, immediately heads in the direction of Zhao Jinshang.

"Four Golden Core cultivators are coming. Stand behind me."

The youths are startled and scramble behind the Elder. Zhao Jinshang takes the opportunity to return the storage ring to Zhao Jinming.

Ten seconds later, the six-tailed fox demon arrives before Zhao Jinshang.

"Save me." The fox demon’s expression is pleading; her body is covered in blood. Though called a fox demon, she has largely taken on human form; aside from her six fox tails and white spirit-fox ears, her appearance—save for the bewitching charm of her face—is no different from a human woman.

"Give me a reason to intervene."

"You must be a high-grade alchemist. I can give you all the precious spiritual herbs I have been guarding. I beg you, save my life."

Zhao Luanfeng cannot bear it. "Second Granduncle, let’s save her."

"Silence. Speak no more." This is the first time the Second Elder has scolded Zhao Luanfeng. He teaches them that when facing life and death, it is not easy to ask for help, and those who save others must not be mindless, throwing themselves into danger without regard for their own circumstances.

Luanfeng feels somewhat aggrieved. At this moment, perhaps only the Second Elder and Zhao Jinming notice the others.

"Fellow Daoist, this six-tailed fox demon is desired by our Young Master. She has been severely wounded by us and has nowhere to run. I advise you not to interfere."

"Despicable and shameless! If you hadn't lured me into a magical array, how could you have harmed me?"

The three Golden Core cultivators are all in the early stage, while the six-tailed fox demon is at the mid-stage of the Demon Core realm. With her high-grade demon bloodline, the three of them cannot easily subdue her.

"Shadow Three, stop wasting breath. Take her." The three of them strike immediately. Le Caiyi and Zhao Luanfeng prepare to join the fray, but Zhao Jinshang seals their Dantian points.

"This demon is of supreme quality. Do not kill her," a voice calls out. A mysterious boat flies in from the distance. On the deck, a young man scans Jinming’s group.

*Fifteen or sixteen years old and at Foundation Establishment? They must be from a large clan nearby,* Xiao Feiran thinks. Beside him, an old man whispers in his ear, "He appears to be a mid-stage Golden Core high-grade alchemist. Better not to provoke him."

Jinshang remains silent. To intervene would be detrimental to his family, but not to intervene would challenge the moral character of the youngsters. How should they stand between demon and man?

Soon, the six-tailed fox demon is captured. She has lost all hope, glancing at the only human who could have helped her. *I am a demon, too,* she thinks. *How foolish to speak of morality with humans.* Unable to bear the humiliation, in a moment of desperation, she pours her final power into her Demon Core.

Shadow Two panics. "No! She is going to self-destruct!"

The Second Elder raises a Qi shield, preparing to move Jinming and the others to safety.

Unexpectedly, in a split second, Xiao Zejing, who had been prepared, strikes with a force-breaking punch directly into the fox demon's abdomen. The fox demon is sent flying, spitting out a mouthful of blood, unable to even groan in pain. Xiao Ze instantly appears beside her, seals her demon meridians, and prepares to seize her.

Jinming and his companions feel sick. To the youths, the dying six-tailed fox demon is no different from a human. Zhao Jinming wants to ask the Elder to intervene, but Jinshang, with his back to him, raises a hand to stop him.

"Wait."

At this moment, two more Golden Core cultivators fly in rapidly.

"Young Master Xiao, our Young Clan Master has arrived. He wants this six-tailed fox demon; I hope you can grant us this favor." One of them pulls out a gilded jade bottle, pours out a cyan-gold pill, and feeds it to the fox demon while speaking.

The field is silent for a moment, all eyes fixed on the precious medicine.

"Green Lotus Jiazi Pill," Zhao Jinshang murmurs. It is a King-tier pill; though it lacks markings, it can bring the dead back to life for those below the Nascent Soul stage, and extend the life of those above the Nascent Soul stage by sixty years.

The two cultivators look at the group, glance at Zhao Jinshang, and offer a curt farewell. The cultivator who fed the medicine picks up the fox woman, and together with the other, they return to report.