205 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

But she had come all this way, and no matter what, she had to fight for the conviction she held in her heart. Bi Lan reached out and pressed down on the compass, instinctively deploying a shield. In the next instant, Cai Huang swooped in, colliding with the shield before her. With a loud boom, the shield trembled, forcing Bi Lan to stagger back two steps, her feet nearly sparking against the ground. Cai Huang's attack had barely ended when she swiftly swooped in again, her speed so fast that Bi Lan's eyes couldn't track her movements. All Bi Lan could do was sidestep upon hearing the sound of the wind, but what seemed like soft feathers sliced her shoulder as if they were sharp knives. Xuan Yuan Mu controlled her spirit puppet to continue attacking, not giving Bi Lan the slightest chance to breathe. Bi Lan dodged with difficulty, occasionally taking a hit. Her wounds multiplied, yet Bi Lan refused to admit defeat, silently strategizing as she continued to grapple with Cai Huang. The compass in her hand spun continuously, her pace in casting lots growing ever faster, and the needle turned relentlessly. At one moment, Cai Huang dove from above, attacking Bi Lan from her blind spot, appearing as though she would strike the back of Bi Lan's head. Under the stage, the crowd was tense, especially Chen Er, who was unbelievably anxious. Before she realized it, she had gripped Ye Yan Ran's arm tightly, causing Ye Yan Ran to frown and glance at the wrist clutched by Chen Er, thinking: This is probably going to bruise for days. Amidst Yan Zhao's calm demeanor, a hint of worry seeped through. She felt as if Bi Lan was on the verge of losing. Just then, a few vines burst from the ground, shooting up like lightning, capturing Cai Huang and binding her tightly. This unexpected move drew gasps from the audience, and even the veterans observing from the floating islands around the Mingjing Stage raised their eyebrows in surprise. Only Xuan Yuan Kai remained stone-faced. To him, whoever lost between these two was merely a joke that would sully his reputation. With Cai Huang trapped, Xuan Yuan Mu frowned. Bi Lan formed a seal with one hand, ensuring the vines held Cai Huang firmly, then deftly flipped her wrist to draw her sword, launching a counterattack on Xuan Yuan Mu. Xuan Yuan Mu dodged left and right, retreating swiftly. She didn’t hurry to counterattack but seized the rare opportunity to study Bi Lan amid the clash. That precise move earlier was likely based on Bi Lan’s meticulous calculations, gathering ample information and using divination results to predict Huang’er’s attack trajectory in advance, setting up an ambush. The entire process was silent and seamless compared to previous encounters, showing Bi Lan had matured considerably. Bi Lan thrust her sword at Xuan Yuan Mu, who caught the blade with bare hands. With a clink, the sword was halted. Bi Lan's hand hung in the air, unable to advance or retreat. The two stared each other down, their gazes locked in an instant. Xuan Yuan Mu's eyes darkened, sensing the fight had lasted long enough, and concluded, "It's over." No sooner had she spoken than a wave of heat surged from behind Bi Lan, startling her. Her spiritual sense reached back to find Cai Huang, who had been bound by vines, engulfed in spontaneous flames, emitting a blinding red light. The vines wrapped around it withered and burned away, peeling off as its fiery form threatened to break free. Seeing it about to escape, Bi Lan's expression turned grave as she decisively channeled all her magic into her sword, breaking Xuan Yuan Mu's hold and thrusting the sword forcefully. This thrust was purely instinctual, yet it carried an immense, unmatched momentum. Ripples formed in Xuan Yuan Mu’s calm eyes. She deftly sidestepped the incoming thrust. The sword light grazed her cheek, slicing off a lock of hair and leaving a shallow scar below her eye. In that moment, Cai Huang soared and struck Bi Lan's back fiercely. The razor-sharp feathers sliced the back of Bi Lan's hand, causing her sword to spin out of her grip. In the final moment, she chose to hold onto her compass firmly. Before Cai Huang’s talons could seize her throat, Xuan Yuan Mu sternly commanded, "Huang’er, return!" The sharp claws stopped two inches from her throat, and with Xuan Yuan Mu’s words, Cai Huang flapped its wings and flew away. Only then did Bi Lan realize her back was completely drenched in sweat. Moments ago, she had brushed against the jaws of death. The match's outcome was decided: she had lost. The elder in charge of the match calmly announced the result: "Xuan Yuan Mu wins." Bi Lan slumped her shoulders, her demeanor desolate. In the end, she still could not reach Xuan Yuan Mu. As a circle of light enveloped her, she suddenly heard Xuan Yuan Mu’s voice float to her ears: "You don’t owe them anything, nor do you need to bear it for me. Everything is governed by cause and effect, and only you can decide your own life." With the light shimmering, her vision was softly enveloped in white. Xuan Yuan Mu’s figure vanished from Bi Lan's sight, yet the high wall between them seemed to crumble then and there. When she came to, Bi Lan's eyes were blurred, tears streaming down her cheeks, rolling off her face. On the Mingjing Platform, Xuan Yuan Mu descended calmly from the stage as Chen Er peered curiously, "What did you just say to Little Lan?" The last words had been transmitted silently, Chen Er only saw Xuan Yuan Mu’s lips move, without hearing a sound. Xuan Yuan Mu asked her, "Curious, aren’t you?" Chen Er nodded eagerly, "Curious to death!" "I won't tell you," Xuan Yuan Mu replied indifferently, turning her face away. "…" Beside them, Yan Zhao, cradling a small fox, looked left and right, then silently furrowed her brow. Both of her teammates had been eliminated. ### Chapter 221 After three consecutive battles, Yan Zhao felt like she was back to being alone. But she had little time for reflection, as the supervising elder quickly began the next round of drawing lots. In the previous round, twelve remained, with three eliminated, leaving six who hadn’t yet competed. Yan Zhao gazed around, unsure whose name the next round would call. It wasn’t long before the draw results were announced. The supervising elder declared loudly, “Chen Er, Yun Xiao Lei.” Hearing her name, Chen Er jumped three feet in surprise, like a startled rabbit, grabbing Ye Yan Ran’s sleeve, "Yun Xiao Lei? Who’s Yun Xiao Lei?" Ye Yan Ran replied, “…Don’t you have a brain?” Including Chen Er, six remained. Excluding Ye Yan Ran herself and Xuan Yuan Zheng from Jia Le An’s team, only Zuo Xun’s three teammates hadn’t been drawn. Ye Yan Ran’s gaze flicked toward Zuo Xun’s direction, lingering momentarily on the two men beside him, before intuition led her to a male mage with a reaction mirroring Chen Er’s. That must be Chen Er's upcoming opponent. “Look, that’s the one,” Ye Yan Ran kindly pointed out to Chen Er. Following her gaze, Chen Er gasped for breath, "…it's him?" He was the dark horse from the last round, his lightning magic dismantling the opposing trio of metal sword mages. Now she had to face this dark horse?! Despite mentally preparing for a formidable opponent this round, this was overwhelming—Chen Er doubted she could win. She pondered seriously, asking Ye Yan Ran, "Do you think my master would spare me if I concede now?" Ye Yan Ran calmly responded, "I can’t speak for your master, but I think neither I nor Miss Mu would be keen on befriending someone so embarrassing." Xuan Yuan Mu nodded in solemn agreement, "Indeed." "…" Chen Er wiped away tears at the corners of her eyes, lamenting their cruel hearts. Unaffected, Ye Yan Ran and Xuan Yuan Mu remained steadfast. Receiving no comfort, Chen Er huffed in discontent, then steeled herself, walking toward the stage with determination, "Fine, I'll fight! Let’s see who's afraid of who! I’ll make you witness my might today!" Ye Yan Ran chuckled, unable to hold back, while Xuan Yuan Mu sighed with a smile, "What’s wrong with her head?" Chen Er hadn’t heard that last bit. As she leaped onto the stage, Yun Xiao Lei was also tossed up by Zuo Xun. Yun Xiao Lei stood and saluted Chen Er, trembling as he spoke, "Please, please go easy on me." Chen Er found it unbelievable that someone could be even more timid than she was. Once the supervising elder confirmed both had stepped onto the stage, he announced the start of the match. Chen Er made the first move, and Yun Xiao Lei, perceiving her actions, instinctively reacted. The crowd watched as the two onstage simultaneously leaped backwards, not to attack but to create distance between themselves. Xuan Yuan Mu facepalmed, and Ye Yan Ran turned her face away, both pretending not to know the person onstage. After retreating, Chen Er looked up and realized that her opponent had also pulled back, her eyes widening in shock. Her heart sank as she thought: Oh no, he's a lightning mage. Extending the distance makes it easier for him to attack! Realizing her cowardice led to a strategic misstep, Chen Er instantly regretted her earlier bravado. The bold words she'd just declared now felt like two slaps to her own face. However, Chen Er was unbothered by this self-inflicted embarrassment, given her thick skin. Then she heard a sharp crackling above, and alarms rang in her mind. Looking up, she spotted a flicker of lightning. "!" Chen Er kicked off the ground, dodging to the side, a yard away. A loud thunderclap followed as purple lightning struck where she just stood, shattering the stone platform and sending up wisps of smoke. Chen Er's face twitched as she looked at Yun Xiao Lei across the way. Yun Xiao Lei, frightened by the thunder, crouched on the ground, hands over his head, eyes tightly shut, but his mouth endlessly reciting incantations. The incantations summoned magic, triggering one bolt of purple lightning after another to descend. Boom—boom—boom— Each lightning bolt briefly illuminated the stage with a flash, followed almost instantly by a deep rumble as the ground shook, and the platform cracked under the impressive force. Chen Er was forced to frantically dodge, bouncing around like a rabbit on the battle stage. She had to maintain constant vigilance, her full attention focused, ready to catch the lightning's movement at the flash's onset. Instinctively, she dodged it. It was hard work; a momentary lapse could mean a lightning bolt striking her, several having barely brushed past her, hitting the ground near her feet, stopping her heart in shock. It felt like a one-sided suppression. Inwardly, Chen Er felt like crying without tears, wondering when this torment would end. Though Yun Xiao Lei seemed frail, his magic power was unexpectedly strong. He had already cast more than a dozen lightning spells with no signs of stopping. Taking a brief glance at Yun Xiao Lei, she saw he was still crouched, chanting with eyes shut. An unexpected thought crossed her mind: Could it be that he only knows this one spell? As this thought flitted through her mind, Chen Er's focus waned. By the time she realized another flash was above her, she was a moment too late. Boom— Lightning struck a water shield, scattering droplets that defused the energy, leaving a tingle down Chen Er's entire arm. If not for her quick reflexes in deploying that water shield, she might've been charred by now. Below the stage, Xuan Yuan Mu was frowning deeply, while a glimmer of concern showed in Ye Yan Ran’s eyes. Though she had encouraged Chen Er to bravely face challenges, this opponent's lightning magic directly countered Chen Er's water magic, presenting a real danger to her life. Ye Yan Ran couldn’t help but worry. When a bolt nearly struck Chen Er, Ye Yan Ran almost gasped aloud. Fortunately, Chen Er managed to evade it. Ye Yan Ran's apprehensive heart settled slightly, though she remained restless, even considering: If she can't win, it's better to concede.