185 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

Yu Yingying listened with rapt attention, exclaiming how interesting it all was. The everyday practices of cultivators from different disciplines were so varied; the world was indeed a colorful and diverse place. Yan Zhao had encountered insect cultivators before. The one she met outside the sandy city in the desert, Yin Wuxian, was an insect cultivator too, but it was her first time learning about such an odd cultivation method. She couldn't help but wonder, what kind of cultivator was she? Calling her a beast tamer seemed inaccurate since she didn't fully rely on her beast companions. Apart from that, she also practiced alchemy and studied swordsmanship. Specifically pinpointing her type seemed rather difficult. Yan Zhao couldn't figure it out. Pondering these thoughts, she followed behind Zuo Xun and the others as they continued exploring the labyrinth. Suddenly, her ears caught an unusual sound. Yan Zhao halted, placing her hand on the alchemy furnace at her waist. The anomaly in Little Jin's behavior resurfaced, now much more intense than before. And the cause of this anomaly seemed to be... It appeared to be the clearance token in her spatial pouch. Yan Zhao frowned, retrieving the item. Sure enough, Little Jin's agitation intensified. Yan Zhao carefully observed the palm-sized, gray-white clearance token. She couldn't discern its material—neither metal nor wood. Its surface had a slight sheen, crisscrossed with naturally formed irregular fine lines. It appeared to be dragon scales. --- In the lead, the few people ahead had their Immortal Neu orders suddenly light up. Wu Yingying and Bi Lan were delighted; Zuo Xun, at the forefront, was about to quicken his pace when he realized someone from their group was missing. "Where is Miss Nian?" Zuo Xun asked in surprise. Bi Lan and Wu Yingying froze momentarily, turned their heads, and indeed, Yan Zhao was nowhere in sight. Wu Yingying, with her keen eyes, spotted her first: "There she is!" Yan Zhao had fallen ten steps behind them, curiously observing the clearance token in her hand. Understanding dawned on Zuo Xun; their Immortal Neu orders were triggered by Yan Zhao. "Miss Nian!" Zuo Xun took two steps back, "Quickly put the token away; leaving it exposed makes it easy for others to track us." The clearance token activates the Immortal Neu order only when taken out. Once it's in the spatial pouch, the order no longer lights up. Yan Zhao came to, realizing the distance between her and Zuo Xun's group had grown by several meters. She swiftly stored the dragon scale in her spatial pouch. Little Jin in the alchemy furnace calmed down noticeably, though still restless. Yan Zhao's heart simmered with doubt: Why was the clearance token a dragon scale? Where did this dragon scale come from? As the questions surfaced, images of the massive beast glimpsed on the floating island crossed her mind. That creature lay beneath the Mirror Platform, looking ferocious beyond compare. Yet, participating disciples claimed it was merely a statue. If the token was only styled as dragon scales, why did Little Jin react so strongly to it? With too many questions piling up, Yan Zhao was utterly baffled. Bi Lan and the others noticed the change in Yan Zhao's expression and felt equally puzzled. Wu Yingying, ever straightforward, immediately asked, "Miss Nian, what's wrong?" Yan Zhao instinctively moved to speak. "Hiss—" A little fox suddenly bit her hand. Yan Zhao's words were cut off, yet she intuitively grasped Xiaoqiu's intent. No information about the dragon scale should be divulged, nor should anyone know she recognized the dragon scale. Otherwise, not only herself but also Little Jin would be endangered. Understanding this, Yan Zhao surprisingly did not reprimand the fox for biting her. Instead, she calmly withdrew her hand. Her expression quickly returned to normal, without a trace of fluctuation, as she replied to Wu Yingying, "It's nothing. I was curious about the appearance of the clearance token when I snatched it without looking closely." The little fox, hearing this, squinted in satisfaction. The disciple could be taught—she had grown a tad smarter. Not far from them, Bi Lan watched the scene in a daze. The way Yan Zhao instinctively frowned and withdrew her hand when bitten by the fox felt oddly familiar. Previously, she had seen the same actions and expressions from someone else several times. Yan Zhao's response was without issue, quelling any doubts Wu Yingying and Bi Lan might have had. Only Zuo Xun frowned slightly, his gaze lingering on Yan Zhao for a moment before he chose not to pursue it. Simultaneously, on the labyrinth's other side. Chen Er, Ye Yanran, and Xuan Yuanmu continued their long search in the passageways. They had yet to make any headway. Chen Er led with the Immortal Neu order, checking it every so often, yet it remained inert throughout. "No way," Chen Er whispered in complaint, "Is this thing broken?" She couldn't sense where the clearance token was at all. From behind, Ye Yanran's voice, intentionally low, came through: "Miss Mu, maybe we should split up. With Chen Er, our bad luck charm here, we'll never clear the first level." Xuan Yuanmu chuckled, eyes curved in amusement: "Makes sense." "Hey! You two are talking too loudly!" Chen Er turned around, feigning anger, "I heard it all!" Ye Yanran shrugged: "Oh my, since you heard it, we might as well discuss it. Are you leaving on your own, or do we need to chase you off?" Chen Er stamped her foot: "That's too much!" Crack— An unexpected noise came from beneath her feet. Chen Er froze, and Ye Yanran and Xuan Yuanmu quickly stifled their laughter. A crack spread from under Chen Er, accompanied by persistent cracking noises. "Careful!" Ye Yanran shouted, springing into action, lunging forward. Boom. The ground shattered, revealing a sudden pit. Chen Er’s feet dangled, her body plummeting. Ye Yanran swiftly reached her side, grabbing her wrist with lightning reflexes. Yet the pull downward was overwhelming. Ye Yanran was dragged forward, tumbling, but managed to hold onto Chen Er. However, the ground beneath her also began to crack, incapable of holding for long. Chen Er’s vision blackened, and she cried out in fear, "Ahhh! What's happening?!" In the labyrinth, flight was impossible, and she couldn't make herself lighter by drawing energy, only weighing Ye Yanran further down. "We’re going to fall! Can you hold on!?" Chen Er shouted, "Pull me up quick!" Ye Yanran snapped back, "You think it’s that easy?!" Beneath the chasm, a massive force battled against her, and despite her best efforts, Chen Er kept sinking. Chen Er sensed Ye Yanran's struggle and called out, "Where's Ah Mu? Why isn’t she helping you?" Focused on Chen Er, Ye Yanran hadn't noticed Xuan Yuanmu wasn’t with her until now. But gripping Chen Er, she couldn't look back to see Xuan Yuanmu's status. So she shook her head: "I don't know." Chen Er yelled into the void, "Ah Mu! Where are you!? Come save me!" After several shouts with no response, Chen Er grimaced, "Did she run off and leave us?!" Ye Yanran shot back without hesitation: "During that last dire situation, Miss Mu didn’t abandon us to save herself. Don’t spout nonsense!" Chen Er pursed her lips: "You two were just saying you’d ditch me." "Fine." Ye Yanran nodded, "Then I’ll let go." Chen Er screamed in terror: "Noooo!!" The scream echoed from the Mirror Platform, reverberating across the sky, heard by everyone on the floating island. People exchanged glances; this Chen Er girl was a tad too noisy. Su Zijun, thoughtful, glanced subtly at the composed senior nearby. Whether her little apprentice was in danger or made a fool of herself, she seemed entirely detached, even making someone as informed as Su Zijun doubt whether Chen Er truly was the student of the Abyssal Sea Immortal. Though this girl was lively and spirited, her luck did leave something to be desired. Xuan Yuankai instead focused on another corner, frowning at a person. Ah Mu, Xuan Yuanmu. Given the Xuan Yuan surname, yet not acknowledged nor acknowledging herself as one of the Xuan Yuan clan. When Chen Er fell into the trap, Ye Yanran rushed to save her, while Xuan Yuanmu stood aside, uninvolved. Xuan Yuankai snorted coldly: "Cold-hearted!" Just as he was intrigued by Xuan Yuanmu, so was another master craftsmen standing beside him, Sikong Xuan. In contrast to Xuan Yuankai's skepticism, anger, and conflict, Sikong Xuan maintained a much more composed demeanor. He rested his chin on one hand, watching the scene, and casually glanced at Xuanyuan Kai with a smile. "Patriarch Xuanyuan, would you be interested in making a wager with me?" Xuanyuan Kai frowned, lifting his head to meet Sikong Xuan’s gaze. The Sikong family, a lineage of famed artifact smiths, had consecutively passed down their legacy across seven generations, yet Sikong Xuan had no offspring. It was said that during an early journey in the mortal realm, he fell in love with a woman and intended to marry her. However, his parents disapproved, fearing a mortal’s offspring might lack talent, and arranged a marriage more befitting their family status. There was a significant fallout within the family, leading to Sikong Xuan severing ties with the sect they were connected to, resulting in him being confined by his parents for a century to reflect on his behavior. A hundred years later, everything had changed; Sikong Xuan and the mortal woman had missed their chance, separated by the gulf of life and death. His parents assumed this would resign Sikong Xuan to their wishes, but contrary to their expectations, he never married, spending the years wandering the world like a carefree nomad and rarely returning home. His father often regretting his decisions, yet Sikong Xuan remained firm. Recently, it was rumored that Sikong Xuan had accepted an exceptionally bright final disciple, who might inherit his legacy. Xuanyuan Kai pondered briefly before replying, "What are you betting on?" Sikong Xuan pointed toward the Mirror Platform, addressing Xuanyuan Kai, "I'm betting on whether this young woman can help them break through." He was referring to Xuan Yuanmu. If it were anyone else, Xuanyuan Kai wouldn’t dare to gamble. But it was Xuan Yuanmu. Xuanyuan Kai let out a cold internal chuckle: I bear you no grudge, yet you choose to mock me. Very well, I won’t hold back. He replied, "You place too much confidence in her; I bet she cannot!" "Good, then I shall wager that she can," Sikong Xuan stated calmly, "I offer the design for the Heaven and Earth Demon-Subduing Banner as my stake. What do you wager?" The Heaven and Earth Demon-Subduing Banner? Xuanyuan Kai was taken aback, his expression one of astonishment. Such an artifact was incredibly valuable, comparable to the Celestial Compass; was Sikong Xuan truly willing to part with it? With Sikong Xuan offering the Demon-Subduing Banner, Xuanyuan Kai had no choice but to match with something of equal worth or face ridicule. "You truly gamble lavishly," Xuanyuan Kai responded, flipping his wrist to retrieve a sealed set of blueprints, saying coldly, "If I lose, this will be yours!" Their public wager drew considerable attention, many eyes turning towards them. Sikong Xuan laughed heartily, "The Patriarch of Xuanyuan indeed has boldness!" Ying Xiao stepped forward, offering with a smile, "If neither of you minds, I can serve as the witness for this wager." Xuanyuan Kai cast him a glance, casually tossing him the design for the Celestial Compass. Without hesitation, Sikong Xuan reached into his sleeve to retrieve the blueprint for the Heaven and Earth Demon-Subduing Banner, handing it to Ying Xiao as well. Ying Xiao, holding these priceless treasures, lifted them over his head for everyone to examine. After handing over the blueprints, Xuanyuan Kai calmed somewhat, yet a question surfaced in his mind: Why had Sikong Xuan suddenly decided to wager with him? Meanwhile, within the labyrinthine secret realm, Chen Er and Ye Yanran remained in their deadlock. Despite appearances, Chen Er hadn't fallen much, with Ye Yanran managing to hold her, but dirt and stones continuously plummeted around, and her body was very slowly descending. "Sigh, just let go," Chen Er quickly lost patience, advising Ye Yanran, "Release me; you can team up with Ah Mu to find the clearance token, maybe even faster without me."