252 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

He detested the jade lion, yet he lacked the power to resist. As he was knocked down, the only thought flashing through Ying Xiao's mind was: How badly injured is Xian Jun? What are his chances of survival? What are his odds of turning the tables on Xian Jun? These two questions interwove in his mind without yielding an answer. Suddenly, the jade lion opened its mouth and bit his shoulder. With a crack, his collarbone was fractured, the lion's teeth easily piercing through his shoulder, almost tearing his entire left shoulder from his body. Ying Xiao screamed in agony, "I was wrong, I was wrong, I beg Xian Jun for mercy!" Xian Jun wasn't dead, and the jade lion was still in full vigor; everything was deviating from his expectations. Ying Xiao didn't know where the flaw in his supposedly meticulous plan lay. The pressure of the jade lion's jaws seemed as if it truly intended to take his life. Ying Xiao felt the darkness encroaching upon his vision, his sight blurring, and he decisively pleaded with Xian Jun for mercy. Yet, the jade lion showed no mercy, harshly biting off his arm. Ying Xiao's vision darkened, nearly causing him to faint from the pain. His shoulder was torn, revealing fractured bone—just the sight was horrifying. He could feel the intense killing intent from the jade lion. But he didn’t want to die. Clinging to a sliver of hope, he forced himself to speak, "I truly know I was wrong, don't kill me. I'll tell you everything I know!" Sending the jade lion as a vengeful messenger while unwilling to show up himself, Ying Xiao had reason to suspect that Xian Jun was injured, perhaps severely, possibly on the brink of being easily slain even by him. This suspicion invigorated Ying Xiao, making the sharp pain in his left shoulder seem slightly bearable. He moved his throat and raised his voice, "I admit I had my own interests, so I deliberately concealed some things. The previous few envoys lacked competence, disrupting the alliance's order; hence I intended to test Xian Jun. I hope Xian Jun won't blame me!" Before long, Ying Xiao's blood had pooled around him. His face pressed against the ground, he felt his hot blood growing cold like his plight. Now, the urgent task was to lure the person behind it to appear. "I absolutely never intended to betray Xian Jun!" Ying Xiao felt increasingly heavy, the jade lion's weight immense, suffocating him. He continued to speak intermittently, “I am still here waiting, enough to prove my loyalty. I plead for Xian Jun’s understanding!” Despite saying so much, Xian Jun still did not appear. The jade lion seemed about to bite off and swallow his arm, pushing Ying Xiao further into despair. Yet, his right hand discreetly hidden within his sleeve did not give up. While relaxing his body, allowing the lion to clamp down without resistance as a means to lower its guard, he hastily formed a spell. This was a technique he could only use once. Ying Xiao silently counted his breaths. If Xian Jun didn’t appear within three more breaths, he would use this move to repel the jade lion. Though it was a life-and-death gamble with only one chance. Three, two... At that moment, a soft voice suddenly called from behind, "That's enough, let go." Ying Xiao's body froze, his thumbnail digging hard into his index finger, the accumulating internal strength nearly dissipating. This voice... wasn't Xian Jun! Who was it? Ying Xiao's thoughts raced. He seemed to have heard it somewhere before. Who was it?! Blood flowed more profusely, consciousness fading. As the voice sounded, the jade lion suddenly eased its bite and surprisingly obeyed, loosening its grip. The sharp teeth, like small knives, retracted from Ying Xiao's body, their tips stained crimson. Freed from its restraint, Ying Xiao collapsed to the ground with a thump. Simultaneously, light footsteps reached his ears, and a figure bypassed him to stand before him. The shoes drawing near were unfamiliar, the size slightly smaller, resembling a woman’s. Ying Xiao moved his gaze upward, recognizing the visitor caused his pupils to contract. Before him was a youthful face. Yan Zhao's appearance wasn't mature; her delicate features and slightly rounded face gave an impression of youth, akin to a person not yet in their twenties if compared to a mortal. However, this seemingly harmless face appearing at the sect's dwelling, meeting her eyes, Ying Xiao felt only an indifferent, merciless intent. Silence blanketed the surroundings, aside from the heavy breathing of the jade lion. This was the alliance's base. Even with few disciples and no elders with transcendent cultivation, Yan Zhao brought the jade lion, causing such a ruckus without anyone coming to check, indicating she likely wasn't alone. At the Fuyun Sect's grand ceremony, Ying Xiao witnessed how difficult it was to kill this person. Yundaozi himself had launched hundreds, if not a thousand, sword strikes to slay Yan Zhao; an ordinary person would have been riddled with holes. Yet Yan Zhao withstood it all, soon restoring her vigor and ultimately taking Yundaozi's life. Ying Xiao's face turned pale, his chapped lips trembling, the earlier fervor vanished, unable to utter a single word. What he prepared against Xian Jun looked laughable in front of Yan Zhao. Her pristine shoes tread through the filthy blood pool, Yan Zhao stepped before Ying Xiao, lifting a foot to press on Ying Xiao's head with the bloody sole. She lowered her gaze, expression indifferent, like a god descending to dictate from above, "Where is my mother's remnant soul?" Chapter 274 "Where is my mother's remnant soul?" Yan Zhao's voice was steady and indifferent, without a hint of fluctuation. It wasn't a question; it came with imposing authority. She demanded Ying Xiao's answer. As she spoke, one foot pressed against Ying Xiao's head, heedless of his life, exerting force. Ying Xiao felt his forehead pressed against the ground, his skull nearly crushed. Under such pressure, his spine grew stiff, immobilized, shivering with cold sweat, "How would I know where Yuan Qing Xian Zun's remnant soul is?" Even before Ying Xiao finished speaking, the pressure on his head increased sharply. His forehead made a cracking sound as the bone splintered, blood oozing from the torn skin. The person stepping on him cast a cold gaze downwards, “Do you know now?” The subtle yet pervasive killing intent wrapped around his bones. Ying Xiao's mind went blank, immense fear engulfing him, extinguishing his last sliver of hopeful defiance. Prostrate on the ground, chest heaving violently, struggling for breath, Ying Xiao swiftly assessed the situation and then, instead of answering, questioned back, "Is Liao Jue Xian Jun already dead?" Yan Zhao replied without hesitation, "Yes, he was eaten by Xiao Lu... Oh, that jade lion on your back." Eaten. Instantly, Ying Xiao's scalp tingled, terror gripping him. He dared not resist further, hastily surrendering and pledging allegiance, "I know where Yuan Qing Xian Zun's remnant soul is. I'll tell you! It was Liao Jue Xian Jun who forced my hand. I have no grudges with Yuan Qing Xian Zun. The circumstances forced me to work for the celestial realm. Please, don't kill me!" Under absolute power, minor cunning spells disaster. Ying Xiao, capable of bending and yielding, utterly discarded his pride before Yan Zhao, kowtowing for mercy. Serving as someone's lackey was a skill he excelled in. Even if the person stepping on him now, a few days ago, was someone he wouldn’t have even looked at directly—a mere novice. He could abandon dignity; what was face worth? So long as this person held his life in their grasp, he would willingly submit, ingratiating himself. “Where?” Yan Zhao ignored his jumbled defenses, caring only for the answer to this one question. Ying Xiao, trembling, replied, “At Mingjing Terrace.” Mingjing Terrace. Yan Zhao pondered thoughtfully. During the celestial disciples’ assembly, she had visited Mingjing Terrace and was relatively familiar with its surroundings. She withdrew her foot and stepped back, signaling the jade lion to hoist him up. With his collar suddenly tightened by the jade lion's grip, Ying Xiao’s legs wobbled as he staggered upon landing, barely able to stand. Glancing at him indifferently, Yan Zhao picked something at random and tossed it out the window. Moments later, Ren Qing Yue shattered through the window and entered. Unfazed by the bloody scene within, she asked Yan Zhao, "Did you find out?" "I did," Yan Zhao responded, "He said it’s at Mingjing Terrace." Raising an eyebrow, Ren Qing Yue’s cold gaze skimmed over Ying Xiao’s disheveled state, offering Yan Zhao advice, "Take him along, let him lead the way." Who could be more familiar with the alliance's layout than the alliance leader himself? Ying Xiao, fearing for his life, was captured entirely. Even if unexpected changes occurred, it was more prudent to have control over him. Yan Zhao, accepting the advice from her senior sister, handed the Tian Shen Scroll to Ren Qing Yue. Her senior sister's handwriting was neater and less prone to errors. Yan Zhao learned to choose her battles and refrained from recklessly asserting herself on such a critical matter. With the scroll unrolled, Ren Qing Yue dipped into blood and wrote the words “Mingjing Terrace.” With a flash of golden light, activated by their magic, the trio and beast appeared atop Mingjing Terrace. The grand event for the celestial disciples had long since ended; the divine beast guarding Mingjing Terrace had been summoned away by Ying Xiao. Now, the terrace lay barren and unguarded—its protection arrays rendered the weakest point of the alliance’s defenses. By hiding Yan Yuanqing's remnant soul here, Ying Xiao took advantage of the strategy of hiding in plain sight. The more perilous a location seemed, the safer it actually was. Unless he disclosed it, who would guess that Yan Yuanqing’s remnant soul was secretly tucked away here? The jade lion nudged Ying Xiao along, accompanied by Yan Zhao's cold voice wafting past, "Lead the way." With Yan Zhao’s invincibility, Ren Qing Yue wielding the demon-slaying sword, and the jade lion that had turned traitor sitting on his back, the potential threats coerced Ying Xiao into compliance, daring not to play any tricks as he initiated the mechanism to activate the mirror on the terrace. “When the light pillar rises, the seal will appear.” Ying Xiao warned Yan Zhao and Ren Qing Yue of what to expect, “At that point, members of the alliance will detect the anomaly and arrive within ten breaths." His words had scarcely finished when a white light burst forth on Mingjing Terrace. Beneath the beam, a palm-sized mass of swirling golden light soared upward. Yan Zhao sensed an intense familiarity—the golden glow undoubtedly pulsated with her mother's remnant soul. Recognizing the urgency, Ren Qing Yue frowned and said, "We need to be quick." Ying Xiao had previously cautioned that within ten breaths, alliance elders would arrive—there was no time to waste. Yan Zhao leaped into the air, performing a swift incantation as she darted toward the light pillar. Resonating with her presence, the golden orb gravitated toward Yan Zhao as if drawn by a magnet. Catching the orb, Yan Zhao felt several formidable auras appear around the terrace as she landed. Alliance elders, alerted by the terrace's disturbance, were converging rapidly. Ren Qing Yue urged Yan Zhao, "We need to go!" With the jade lion guarding her, Yan Zhao feared no elders. However, securing her mother's remnant soul after so much effort made her wary of any mishap nullifying their progress, prompting her to swiftly return to Ren Qing Yue's side. Before departing, Yan Zhao glanced at Ying Xiao, who, due to severe injuries, sat on the ground to catch his breath. Ren Qing Yue, noticing her gaze, assumed she intended to kill him but was surprised as Yan Zhao recalled the jade lion, transforming it back into a jade pendant and tossing it to Ying Xiao. Struck by the pendant, Ying Xiao looked down to identify it and immediately shuddered. Then Yan Zhao stated, "I won't kill you today, but if you wish to live, you know what to do." With a burst of golden light, Yan Zhao and Ren Qing Yue vanished simultaneously. No sooner had they left than several alliance elders materialized atop Mingjing Terrace. Ying Xiao, drenched in blood and gravely injured, had his left arm hanging unnaturally by his side, his shoulder shattered. The elders were astonished at the sight, exclaiming, "Leader?!" But Ying Xiao ignored them, lowering his head to gaze at the jade lion pendant at his feet, enveloped by an inexplicable chill. One elder hurried over to Ying Xiao, urgently questioning, “Leader, what in the world happened?!”