"Xu Yi, should I call you clever or foolish?"
As the Eight-tailed White Fox appeared, a series of thuds sounded behind Xu Yi.
Xu Yi knew the situation without turning around.
The pressure from a Great Demon of the Mahayana stage was something a group of weak minor demons could not withstand.
If not for the formation disc weakening the Great Demon’s pressure, those minor demons might have already exploded.
Xu Yi was also not feeling well.
Facing the Great Demon’s pressure directly, brittle cracking sounds erupted from within her body, the sound of bones being compressed.
Xu Yi gritted her teeth, her body unmoving, watching the Eight-tailed White Fox approach, a faint gleam flashing in her eyes.
Xu Yi's silence provoked the Eight-tailed White Fox.
It snorted heavily.
A muffled grunt escaped Xu Yi’s lips, a faint metallic scent lingering on her tongue.
Surrounded by a pack of demon beasts, the Eight-tailed White Fox smirked triumphantly.
It wasn't in a hurry to deal with Xu Yi. Its lips curled, revealing sharp, white teeth. "You escaped last time, and you still dare to come back. It seems you're tired of living. Have you thought about how you want to die?"
The Eight-tailed White Fox had already learned Xu Yi's identity through the demons.
The Old Ancestor of the Xuanji Sect?
Ha! Just a mere Nascent Soul cultivator, yet her status was extraordinary. Killing her would surely strike a heavy blow to the cultivators of the Nine Continents Continent.
It would make sure to leave Xu Yi’s body intact, so that when it presented the corpse to those cultivators, they would be able to recognize Xu Yi’s identity.
The Eight-tailed White Fox’s sinister gaze fell upon Xu Yi’s neck.
It might as well tear open a gash here; that way, the integrity of the corpse wouldn't be compromised.
It then shifted its gaze lower.
It was said that human hearts possessed the purest power.
The heart of the Xuanji Sect’s Old Ancestor must surely be delicious.
The Eight-tailed White Fox licked its teeth with its tongue, its eyes betraying undisguised greed and malice.
Xu Yi could feel the Eight-tailed White Fox’s killing intent.
The hairs on her body stood on end, her blood felt as though it were freezing, and her heartbeat grew faster and louder, deafeningly so.
But at the same time, a warm yet powerful force began to surge through her limbs.
This force was helping her resist the Eight-tailed White Fox's pressure.
Xu Yi could feel the spiritual energy within her growing at an astonishing rate.
Xu Yi’s tightly clenched fist loosened slightly.
She had gambled correctly.
She had received a gift from True Monarch Ba Tian in the Wave-Slicing Secret Realm back then.
Absorbing all that spiritual energy would have taken at least several decades.
Xu Yi couldn't wait.
She had been pondering how to quickly make that spiritual energy her own, but she hadn't found an answer until she arrived in Shenzhou and encountered the first desperate Black Fang Dog. A daring plan then took shape in her mind.
Would saving the demon beasts unwilling to join the Eight-tailed White Fox’s faction attract its attention?
The answer was naturally yes.
With Xu Yi's current strength, directly confronting the Eight-tailed White Fox would be like an ant trying to shake a tree.
As a rational person, retreating promptly would be the best course of action.
Xu Yi had originally intended to do just that, but remembering the uncontrollable spiritual energy within her, she decided to take a risk.
If successful, Xu Yi's strength would achieve a leapfrog advancement.
Xu Yi couldn't resist such a temptation.
Since she had decided to confront the Eight-tailed White Fox, Xu Yi decided to go all in and corralled all the demon beasts that had nowhere else to go.
Although she didn't know the final outcome, at least she had given them a chance to survive.
And now was the time for her to reap the rewards.
As her spiritual energy grew, Xu Yi did not forget to observe the Eight-tailed White Fox’s expression.
She couldn't let the other party discover that she was using it to increase her cultivation. Therefore, upon noticing the Eight-tailed White Fox growing anxious after not receiving a reply, Xu Yi spoke.
"You cannot touch me."
Although Xu Yi hadn't intentionally slowed her tone, the Eight-tailed White Fox interpreted her calm demeanor as a sign of weakness.
The Eight-tailed White Fox grew more confident.
It looked down at Xu Yi, smiling faintly, "Oh? Why can't you touch me?"
It didn't believe Xu Yi possessed anything that could threaten it.
Its gaze towards Xu Yi was like looking at a mayfly attempting to topple the heavens.
"Because you will die."
As Xu Yi's words fell, the entire mountain forest fell into an eerie silence, which was eventually broken by the Eight-tailed White Fox's laughter.
A fox's laugh wasn't exactly pleasant, and to Xu Yi's ears, it sounded remarkably similar to the cawing of a colorful chicken.
Xu Yi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
The Eight-tailed White Fox laughed for a good ten seconds before quieting down. "Xu Yi, what should I do? I almost don't want to kill you; you're too amusing."
To make it laugh even when facing death.
The Eight-tailed White Fox truly felt it would be a waste to kill Xu Yi right now.
Never mind, it would let her live a little longer. Once it lured out the monkey demons from Monkey King Mountain, it would kill her then.
However, it couldn't let her have too easy a time, otherwise, how would those monkey demons be enticed to appear and save her?
With this thought, the Eight-tailed White Fox’s long tail lashed out. It only produced a sharp crackling sound in the air when it appeared before Xu Yi.
Bang!
"Pfft!"
Xu Yi coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, crashing into the defensive formation she had set up behind her. She was forcibly stopped, falling to one knee.
"Woof…"
"Meow…"
Within the defense, the Black Fang Dog and other demon beasts witnessed this scene and let out short cries.
They prostrated themselves on the ground, their eyes fixed on Xu Yi's direction.
"She actually blocked it?"
A trace of surprise flashed in the Eight-tailed White Fox's eyes, followed by intense curiosity.
Although it hadn't used its full strength this time, it had used half of it.
This half-strength was enough to shatter the internal organs of a cultivator at the Integration stage and crush their bones.
Yet, although Xu Yi appeared battered, the Eight-tailed White Fox could sense that her injuries were not as severe as they appeared.
The Old Ancestor of the Xuanji Sect did indeed possess some strength.
However, it was not enough, far from it.
Several more white streaks shot out.
Xu Yi only had time to raise her Chastisement Ruler before she was once again thrown against the defensive formation she had set up.
"Gah!"
Another mouthful of fresh blood was spat out.
Xu Yi's face was ashen, and she leaned weakly against the defensive formation. Large bloodstains marred her cyan Taoist robe.
"Woof woof…"
The Black Fang Dog struggled to crawl forward, its hard front paws leaving several deep marks on the ground before it was forced to stop.
A mournful whine escaped its throat.
Its vision was also blurring.
It was dragging its master down.
The Black Fang Dog felt immense sorrow.
More sorrowful than when it was being chased by other demon beasts.
"Xu Yi, do you now feel how ridiculous your words were?"
The Eight-tailed White Fox interrogated Xu Yi with the air of a victor, while still wondering why those monkey demons hadn't appeared.
Then, it heard a low chuckle.
It froze for a moment before turning its enraged gaze to the source of the laughter.
"What are you laughing at!"