192 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

The three-headed dragon broke free from its restraints, and its three massive dragon heads suddenly loomed large in Yan Zhao's vision. Startled, she leapt up and continued to run. "This isn't reliable, really not reliable at all. Is there no other way?" Bi Lan's initial strike failed, and she had hoped to divert some of the dragon's attention. Yet, unexpectedly, the fierce beast was fixated on Yan Zhao, undistracted, and kept chasing her. "...Well, if that's the case, I'll try another approach." With Yan Zhao drawing the dragon's attention, Bi Lan swiftly performed hand seals and chanted, summoning a dark azure flying sword. The flying sword cut through the air, transforming into a bolt of lightning as it shot towards its target. Boom— The sword struck the dragon's left head, meeting its scales with a burst of sparks and a loud clash of metal. The left dragon head cried out sharply, scales shattering on its neck, leaving a palm-sized wound. Yet, such an injury was insignificant to its massive body, merely stoking its fury. It swiftly turned and unleashed a fiery breath towards Bi Lan. As the heatwave surged forward, Bi Lan activated a protective compass formation. With a resonant hum, the barrier expanded a yard outwards, shielding her from the scorching flames. With the three-headed dragon momentarily distracted by Bi Lan, Yan Zhao increased the distance between herself and the beast. Hearing the clash behind her, she glanced back to witness the scene. Immediately, she drew her sword and unleashed a wave of sword energy. The sword energy sliced through the air, striking the dragon's right head with a piercing sound. However, the dragon's scales were too hard, and most of Yan Zhao's sword energy was deflected, leaving insufficient force to breach the dragon's defenses. Irritated by the two pests, the dragon swung its head and directed its fiery breath at Yan Zhao. Yan Zhao tried to evade, but the fire pillar surged too fast, impossible to escape. Just as the flames were about to reach her, the Little Fox exhaled a breath of icy energy. The white mist clashed with the fire, not dissipating but instead swiftly forming an ice shield. While the ice shield melted rapidly under the fiery assault, it granted Yan Zhao enough time to once again distance herself from the dragon. A look of gravity crossed Yan Zhao's face as she thought to herself: This giant bat is truly troublesome. Formidable attacks aside, its skin was so thick. How could she possibly subdue this creature? The dragon was closing in again, and Yan Zhao's gaze shifted upwards, noticing the key emblem prominently on its head. Perhaps, subduing it wasn't entirely necessary? Yan Zhao's eyes darted with an idea. She gently picked up the Little Fox and whispered into its ear, "Can you secretly get close later and freeze it when the chance arises?" The Little Fox glanced at Yan Zhao with a hint of speechlessness in its eyes. Its tail flicked lightly, touching the bell on its leg, which let out a crisp jingle. How could it approach secretly with this noisy thing? Yan Zhao: "..." Given the situation, she had to request Bi Lan's cooperation. If Bi Lan could temporarily restrain the dragon, the Little Fox could freeze it. Yan Zhao shouted, "Bi Lan!" Bi Lan sent a message through their minds: "What?" Yan Zhao replied, "Can you hold it off for a moment?" Bi Lan didn't hesitate, nodding, "Alright!" Employing the same technique as before, this time, she infused even more magic, summoning a dozen green vines. The vines intertwined, whirling through the air to firmly bind the three-headed dragon. To prevent it from spewing fire to destroy the vines, one vine wrapped around all three of the beast's heads tightly, making it hard for them to separate easily. Bi Lan's effort proved surprisingly effective. Yan Zhao's eyes lit up as she swiftly responded, throwing the Little Fox forward, "Go!" Soaring through the air, the Little Fox: "..." Jingle jingle. It flipped in the air and landed not far from the dragon's body. The dragon's limbs were also ensnared by the vines, but under its immense struggle, several vines had already snapped, seemingly unable to hold for much longer. The Little Fox, with a quick step, leapt into the air and breathed onto the dragon's neck. In the blink of an eye, the enormous dragon, measuring some ten meters high, was frozen from head to foot into an ice sculpture. With both the binding vines and the freezing spell in effect, only its six eyes could still move. Got it! Yan Zhao dashed happily towards the dragon, snatched up the Little Fox, and climbed its back via its tail. Bi Lan, observing from below, assumed Yan Zhao had some special finishing move, becoming anxious and calling out, “Be careful, Miss Nian!” Yan Zhao quickly reached the dragon's back, used her sword to chip away a small patch of ice, revealing smooth scales beneath, then bit her fingertip to draw blood, using it to recite a spell and inscribe a rune. The spirit servant binding rune was the one she was most adept at, quickly completing it with practiced ease. Once finished, she pressed her hand down, and a pillar of light emerged from beneath her palm. Briefly, everything was silent until she began sensing powerful resistance from the being beneath—a struggle akin to her attempt at contracting a small golden creature previously. Suddenly, the vibrations grew more violent, accompanied by the sound of cracking ice. The dragon's icy shell shattered, breaking the vines binding it along with a series of crisp snaps. Bi Lan was startled beyond measure, “Miss Nian!” She wanted to step forward and reinforce her spell, but a sudden breath of fire blasted at her, forcing her to deploy her protective formation again to fend off the deadly flames. In her field of vision, the three-headed dragon suddenly went berserk. Its wings unfurled, casting a vast shadow, and its heads swung in wild arcs, trying to shake off Yan Zhao from its back. Yet Yan Zhao held firm, her hunting skills unmatched; even draconic fire wasn't enough to burn her completely, allowing her blood and flesh to regenerate. Moreover, with the Little Fox present, the dragon's breath couldn't harm her. The three-headed dragon was in agony. It suddenly flapped its wings, creating a whirlwind, and the ground beneath trembled with its struggles. Bi Lan was hit by a gale face-on, immediately feeling dizzy, being blown several yards back, only halting once she skidded to a stop against a stone wall. With a mighty wingbeat, the dragon's colossal body took flight, soaring into the sky. Bi Lan arduously climbed to her feet, her back aching from the brutal impact. Once she caught her breath and stood, she turned her gaze to witness this spectacle. Her eyes wide open, she was stunned, exclaiming, “Miss Nian!” Above the dragon pit, Wu Ying Ying had been closing her eyes in prayer when she suddenly felt the ground under her start to shake. She snapped her eyes open, and the shaking ceased. Was it her imagination? In the next moment, a shadow as large as a mountain surged up from the dragon pit below, a fierce wind blowing Wu Ying Ying off balance. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked up, stunned, at the massive creature. She spotted Yan Zhao clinging to the dragon's back. And then, She stood there as the three-headed dragon flew away with Yan Zhao. Wu Ying Ying: "?" Chapter 207 Wu Ying Ying was dumbfounded. What on earth just happened?! That person on the dragon's back just now, wasn't that Miss Nian? Suddenly, something clicked in her mind, and she rushed to the edge of the deep pit, peering downwards. The bottom of the dragon pit was pitch-black, punctuated by sporadic glowing stones, yet depicting Bi Lan's presence was challenging. Wu Ying Ying shouted loudly, “Miss Bi! Are you down there? Are you okay?!” Bi Lan had just managed to stand up when she heard Yue Ying's call from above. It was Wu Ying Ying. Taking a deep breath, she raised her voice in response, “I'm fine!” But Miss Nian rode off on the three-headed dragon. Bi Lan's thoughts raced with worry. She wasn't sure if Nian Qing was Yan Zhao, but even if they weren't the same person, Nian Qing was a new friend she had made. Despite the person's reckless nature, she hoped Nian Qing could successfully subdue the three-headed dragon without getting hurt. With this thought, Bi Lan became increasingly aware of the urgency, immediately casting spells to summon several green vines. The vines entwined together, layer upon layer, constructing a ladder leading out of the pit. Bi Lan climbed up the steps, successfully meeting up with Wu Ying Ying. Gazing around the dim, expansive wilderness, there was no sign of Yan Zhao or the three-headed dragon. “Which way did Miss Nian go?” Bi Lan asked Wu Ying Ying. Wu Ying Ying had been at the top of the pit; she likely saw it happening. Indeed, Wu Ying Ying pointed Bi Lan in a direction, “That way.” “Alright!” Bi Lan decided quickly, “Let's pursue.” Elsewhere in the secret realm, Xuan Yuan Mu and his companions successfully located another key emblem in the cave. This key had been well hidden, and it took Xuan Yuan Mu considerable effort to find it, although thankfully they did not encounter any monster of the same caliber as the treant. “With this, we now have two emblems,” Xuan Yuan Mu commented. Xuan Yuan Mu handed the passage key to Chen Er, who then casually passed the palm-sized rhombus stone to Ye Yan Ran. Ye Yan Ran frowned, giving her a sidelong glance, "What are you implying?" "I'm already so injured; even if I push through to the next round, I'll be eliminated," Chen Er replied nonchalantly, waving her hand. "It's not worth it for me to hold onto this thing, so it's better if you have it." Ye Yan Ran tossed the key back into her hand, "If I need a key, I'll find one myself." Sensing her unpleasant demeanor, Chen Er asked mockingly, "What's with your attitude?" Ye Yan Ran's expression turned icy, "What about it?" "All I did was let you carry me for a while, and now you're acting like this," Chen Er mumbled, head lowered. "I get that you don't like me. You don't even want anything that's passed through my hands. I won't bother you again." Ye Yan Ran burst out angrily, "What nonsense are you spouting?!" Chen Er looked at her, "Isn't it true?" Ye Yan Ran's chest heaved with indignation. Faced with Chen Er’s questions, she found herself unable to express the words simmering at the tip of her tongue. In the end, all she managed was a dry, "It's not true!" Chen Er raised an eyebrow with a hint of satisfaction but couldn't resist saying, "If it's not true, then why are you so fierce? You're really strange." Ye Yan Ran: "..." At that moment, Xuan Yuan Mu interjected, "Stop arguing. Did you hear something?" With her keen hearing, Chen Er focused and caught the sound Xuan Yuan Mu referred to. Thud—thud—the sound of impacts. The noise grew louder and closer, causing the cavern they stood in to tremble. Xuan Yuan Mu speculated, "It's outside." The three edged toward the entrance of the stone cavern. Chen Er, with sharp eyes, quickly spotted something flying in the sky. The object flew closely along the mountain wall, with a faint glow on its back, casting a shadow that outlined its massive silhouette. Xuan Yuan Mu’s face turned white as he realized, "It's a dragon!" Could there really be an ancient dragon in this secret realm? Ye Yan Ran noted, "Something’s off. What's it doing?" The dragon's flight pattern was peculiar, alternating between rising and falling, as if injured and struggling to maintain stability. Yet, it didn’t fall from the sky, maintaining a specific altitude and continuously colliding with the mountain wall beside them. The trembling of the cavern was due to this very reason. The dragon climbed higher and higher, suddenly crashing with a thunderous boom, causing the mountain wall to collapse. Rubble rolled down, revealing a large hole where the wall connected with the upper floor’s surface. Xuan Yuan Mu brushed aside the falling debris with a sweep of his sleeve, delight spreading across his face, "What a great opportunity, we can use this way to ascend!" Previously, where they had fallen, there was no foothold, but this new opening, with its supporting column, led directly to the surface. At that moment, Chen Er noticed a reaction from the magical token at Ye Yan Ran's waist. "The Xianxuan Token is glowing!" Chen Er exclaimed loudly. Both Ye Yan Ran and Xuan Yuan Mu glanced down, with Xuan Yuan Mu quickly realizing, "It's that dragon!" Chen Er's excitement peaked, forgetting her earlier pain as she jumped impatiently, "Quick! Let's follow it!" Ye Yan Ran cast her a sidelong glance, amused at how someone who feigned indifference earlier was now moving faster than a rabbit. --- This web novel passage subtly captured the dynamics between the characters in a fantasy setting, where elements of adventure and personal interrelations unfold amidst challenges.