209 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

Jia Le An found himself at a disadvantage when the rules suddenly changed, with nothing beneficial in sight. His eyes flickered with a thought, and he approached Zuo Xun, who was about to step onto the platform when he intercepted her path. Jia Le An took the initiative to speak, sending a message to Zuo Xun: "Miss Zuo, are you not interested in teaming up with me?" "Teaming up?" Zuo Xun frowned. Jia Le An nodded. "Yes. Miss Yan with the nine-tailed fox and the help of the mystical lamp is a formidable opponent. If we team up and eliminate her first, the competition will be fairer, wouldn't you agree?" Zuo Xun's lips curled into a cold smile. "You could just say you can't win alone; no need to sugarcoat it." Jia Le An: "..." In the interval where Jia Le An attempted to propose an alliance with Zuo Xun, Yan Zhao had already walked past them to take her position on the stage. She wasn't interested in what Jia Le An wanted to discuss with Zuo Xun, as the outcome of the competition mattered to her alone. Jia Le An was dismissed, a dark gleam flashing in his eyes. Zuo Xun paid no mind to his attitude, passing by him without change in demeanor. When Ying Xiao announced the final competition rules, they all became rivals with only one person taking the top position. Approaching her for collaboration now was nothing less than suspicious. He presumably intended to use her as a pawn to eliminate Yan Zhao first, then deal with her. But why did he assume she would be easier to handle than Yan Zhao? Rather than daydream about cunning strategies, it would have been wiser to concentrate on the upcoming competition. Arriving last on the stage, Jia Le An bore a gloomy expression. Yan Zhao, petting the fox, began analyzing the situation, even though her innocent appearance suggested otherwise. In the previous pairings, Jia Le An drew Wu Ying Ying as an opponent, who conceded before the fight began, granting him an effortless victory. Thus, Yan Zhao hadn't seen him in action. Zuo Xun's opponent was supposed to be Luo Qi, but after an unexpected turn of events, Luo Qi withdrew from the competition, resulting in Zuo Xun not having to showcase her abilities either. Compared to Jia Le An, Yan Zhao had a brief alliance with Zuo Xun in the maze trial, gaining a bit more insight into her abilities. The supervising elder announced the start of the competition, marking the final duel of the sect's disciple tournament. Despite its unexpected twists, the event was already causing a buzz and was bound to draw significant attention. Regardless of how they ranked, their names would spread widely, marking a significant honor since their initiation into the sect. Each of them had their aspirations and goals, none willing to concede easily. As soon as the elder's words faded, the little fox leaped from Yan Zhao's arms, its shape enlarging into a half-human-sized nine-tailed fox. Its identity already revealed, it had no need to pretend anymore, comfortably shifting into its true form to fight swiftly and decisively. Zuo Xun formed a sign with her fingers and flicked out a small yellow insect, which vanished in an instant. While they all moved into action, Jia Le An didn't remain idle, flipping his wrist to reveal an oddly shaped artifact: a brush. A brush? Yan Zhao was puzzled. What is this brush meant for? Zuo Xun briefly frowned, a hint of surprise in her eyes upon seeing the item in Jia Le An's hand. It all made sense now. With a wave of Jia Le An's brush, the ink spread from the tip and hovered in the air, forming a character: 兵 (soldier). With a splash, the ink dispersed and transformed into over a dozen ink soldiers wielding weapons, surrounding Jia Le An. Yan Zhao couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow!" The ability to summon allies with a brush - what an intriguing artifact. Though it was a three-person contest, the arena was filled with an array of spirit creatures, making the ten-zhen-wide platform seem crowded. Jia Le An's ink warriors and Zuo Xun's poisonous bees seemed unlimited in number. In contrast, Yan Zhao could only rely on her nine-tailed fox, appearing slightly outnumbered. The ink warriors charged towards Yan Zhao as soon as they appeared. Despite Zuo Xun not accepting his alliance proposal, Jia Le An saw the bronze lamp in Yan Zhao's possession as the greatest threat. He needed to eliminate her to maximize his chances of winning. The sound of splashing water accompanied the ink warriors' movements. The nine-tailed fox, with its tails waving through the air, lashed out like arrows, taking down nine ink men in one swift motion. Water splattered, ink diffusing, most pooling on the ground, with remnants clinging to its tails, shaking them off proved futile. The nine-tailed fox looked disdainful, but this was not the time or place to clean its fur - a task for after the battle, when it could use a cleansing spell. That thought barely crossed its mind when Yan Zhao cried out, "Watch out! There's something on your tail!" The nine-tailed fox turned, seeing the ink on its tail come to life, snaking together to form a long serpent wrapping around its tail. The little fox bristled with shock. Simultaneously, the ink pooled around it coalesced into a spirit beast of comparable size. Its tail ensnared by the ink snake, the nine-tailed fox found itself momentarily restrained. At the outset of the battle, it was already mired by ink. Zuo Xun, despite her surprise, acknowledged Jia Le An's talents. No wonder sword cultivator Han Fu Feng willingly served under Jia Le An. Zuo Xun, arms crossed, watched from the sidelines, pondering if she could benefit from letting these two clash against each other, reaping the rewards like a fisherman catching prey as a crane and clam struggled. As Jia Le An transmitted another message, she heard him urge, "Now is the chance! Don't let her light the bronze lamp!" Zuo Xun glanced at Yan Zhao, who indeed had that powerful weapon in her hand. The lamp's potential was immense, and once lit, the match's outcome would likely be sealed. Zuo Xun's eyes flickered, seeing this as the perfect moment to eliminate Yan Zhao. But who said she couldn't target both Jia Le An and Yan Zhao? Why limit herself? She flicked her sleeve, releasing hundreds of poisonous bees, splitting the swarm. One half flew towards Yan Zhao, the other went straight for Jia Le An. With the little fox in trouble, Yan Zhao had just pulled out the bronze lamp, preparing a fire spell, when the swarm of bees descended upon her. The mass of bees formed a black and yellow cloud, almost instantly enveloping Yan Zhao. The swarm split, some attacking Yan Zhao while others headed for the lamp. They crawled up the lampstand, ready to extinguish any fire sparked, even if Yan Zhao cast a fire spell. The lamp couldn't be lit unless the swarm was cleared. Meanwhile, Jia Le An turned to confront the nine-tailed fox when he heard the buzzing. He saw the swarm of bees heading his way. His expression darkened, swiftly deducing Zuo Xun's intentions. This woman was cunning and vicious. Not only did she refuse to team up, but she also took advantage of his predicament. Jia Le An swiftly summoned an ink barrier, trapping the bees. The ink barrier contracted, forming a sphere, suffocating the bees until they fell. Zuo Xun's brow furrowed, her expression darkening. Jia Le An had just taken out a significant number of her worker bees. She shifted her spell, reforming the bees' attack formation within the ink sphere, spearheaded by a few bees breaking through, while the others encircled. The formation pierced the ink curtain with a splash. The bees on the forefront got soaked, weighed down, and fell, but their breakthrough meant the remaining bees quickly reached Jia Le An. Faced with venomous bees, Jia Le An dared not confront them directly, opting instead to retreat, throwing another ink barrier behind him to deplete the bee swarm. His retreat relieved the pressure on the nine-tailed fox. With the ink beast attacking, but its movements restricted by the ink snake, it couldn't press forward or fall back. Just as the spirit beast was about to bite the nine-tailed fox's neck, the fox forcefully broke free from the ink snake that bound it. Once again, the ink scattered, leaving less of it on the fox this time. The nine-tailed fox exhaled a breath of icy air, sending a white mist forward to meet the oncoming ink beast. The sound of ice forming was incessant, and the watery body of the ink beast was effortlessly frozen into a solid block by the fox. With a flick of its long tail, the fox hurled the frozen ink beast towards Jia Le An. Hearing the whoosh of something cutting through the air, Jia Le An turned his head warily, just in time to see his ink beast plummeting from the sky, about to hit him. He stepped back, and the ink beast struck the water barrier with a splash, releasing the trapped poisonous bees. In an instant, a dozen bees swarmed, covering his head like a hood. In the blink of an eye, Jia Le An’s once handsome face was swollen with numerous welts. Before his consciousness slipped into oblivion, only one thought lingered: Hadn't these two women secretly planned to team up against him? With a thud, Jia Le An hit the ground, and the nine-tailed fox swiftly wrapped its tail around his body, flinging him off the platform with force. His body somersaulted through the air before hitting the ground with the sound of a dull thud, like a sack of potatoes. Zuo Xun was surprised at the fox's coordination with her, given she had also sent her insects to attack Yan Zhao earlier. By all logic, Yan Zhao should have been incapacitated; why then would the fox assist her? With this thought, Zuo Xun turned to look at Yan Zhao. The sight made her eyelid twitch. Yan Zhao stood by the bronze lamp, surrounded by a heap of dead bees on the ground. Apart from her slightly disheveled hair, there were no signs of her having been stung. She held the bronze lamp in one hand, methodically picking off the bees that had climbed onto the lamp's pedestal and snapping their necks—one by one, she discarded them as if they were nothing. Zuo Xun: "..." --- "Please, senior, give the Immortal Alliance an explanation." Ying Xiao, holding unflinching eye contact with Yun Dao Zi, spoke without arrogance or subservience. Yun Dao Zi showed no visible emotional response. His swollen eyelids lifted slightly, revealing a faint gray glint in his cloudy eyes as he matched Ying Xiao’s gaze. "Are you implying you suspect this old man?" Ying Xiao replied in a grave tone, "I am merely fulfilling my duty, senior. I ask you not to make this difficult." Yun Dao Zi let out a laugh, his demeanor appearing serene, though a sharp glint flickered briefly in his eyes. "If the Immortal Alliance does not trust this old man, feel free to send someone to conduct a thorough search of the Fu Yun Sect. No one will hinder you," Yun Dao Zi stated flatly. "If I were behind it all, there would surely be traces left. If none are found, it would naturally affirm Fu Yun Sect's stance. What say you, leader?" Ying Xiao's eyes flickered, inwardly acknowledging that Yun Dao Zi was a sly, old fox. To ordinary folk, facing such a tactically reverse proposition might lead them to trivialize and overlook the matter. However, the issue had already surfaced, and soon every cultivator would know of the incidents at the disciple tournament. Ignoring it was no longer feasible. Thus, Ying Xiao responded, "Senior's understanding of the greater good is commendable. After the sect disciple tournament concludes, I, Ying, will personally visit to call on senior Yun Dao Zi."