263 - The Demon Fox Wife is a Foodie

Ren Qingyue: "..." She shrugged and surrendered. Yan Zhao was being unreasonable, assuming the worst of her. Ren Qingyue didn’t want to argue with her. After all, the anklet was a gift from Yan Zhao. Since Yan Zhao liked seeing her wear it, she figured she might as well keep it on. It was no big deal after wearing it for so long. Ren Qingyue sighed in resignation. Meanwhile, hidden from Ren Qingyue's view, Yan Zhao blinked her eyes, a sly smile curving her lips, hinting at a sense of mischief and triumph. But the crafty look in her eyes vanished quickly, replaced by an innocent and pure visage that served as her perfect disguise. As long as her senior sister thought of her as a simpleton, she'd make sure to extract a few more benefits. Sensing her senior sister’s hesitation, Yan Zhao swiftly changed the subject: "Why haven't the others arrived yet?" As expected, Ren Qingyue’s attention shifted: "If Elder Lei knew you still called her 'boss,' she might be startled." Yan Zhao appeared puzzled: “If not ‘boss,’ what should I call her?” “You could call her 'Elder Lei,'” Ren Qingyue suggested, spreading her hands. “But I suppose if you want to keep calling her 'boss,' there shouldn’t be any issue.” Given Nangong Yin’s fondness for Yan Zhao, she wouldn't be bothered by such trivial matters. The question was whether Lei Shuang's cautious heart could handle it. Yan Zhao responded with a casual “Oh” and said, “Then I won’t change it.” Changing a familiar form of address seemed unnecessarily cumbersome to her. Ren Qingyue looked at her amusedly and a bit helplessly. Did you ever really intend to change it? Yan Zhao didn't notice Ren Qingyue's glance. As she looked around, sensing with her mark, she spotted silhouettes quickly approaching from the sky. Squinting, she recognized Lei Shuang, Jiang Ying, and Feng Jin. “They’re here!” Yan Zhao exclaimed, raising an arm to wave them over. “This way!” The three rushed over, their hurried journey evident in the steam rising from their bodies. Lei Shuang immediately asked, “Are you both alright? We heard thunder, and luck wasn’t on our side. We encountered a storm of dark thunder...” Before she could finish, Yan Zhao nodded, “I got struck by lightning.” Lei Shuang’s eyes widened in alarm, and Jiang Ying quickly moved to inspect Yan Zhao. In that brief moment, Yan Zhao’s external injuries had already vanished, not leaving a single scar, making it seem as if she had never been hurt. “Thank goodness,” Jiang Ying sighed with relief. “No serious harm.” She turned to glare at Lei Shuang, “It’s all your fault for not explaining things clearly beforehand!” Lei Shuang retorted, “You didn’t remember either, did you?” Feng Jin, looking exasperated, massaged her temple and said, “Calm down. What’s done is done. Arguing won’t help. Just be more careful next time.” Lei Shuang looked a bit chagrined. Jiang Ying silently conceded her oversight, ceasing further argument. Ren Qingyue found it fascinating. These three together struck a delicate balance, perhaps why Nangong Yin kept Feng Jin close—she certainly had a talent for utilizing others well. As they drew closer, Yan Zhao keenly noticed Lei Shuang and Jiang Ying had grown stronger. She felt curious: "Did you two have breakthroughs in your cultivation?" Caught off guard, Jiang Ying and Lei Shuang didn’t immediately grasp Yan Zhao’s question, leading Feng Jin to respond instead: “Don’t be fooled by their appearances. They are powerful demons, feared in the demon realm.” Ren Qingyue understood the rules of suppression when crossing realms. In the natural laws of the universe, entering a lower realm from a higher one constrained one's cultivation, with the higher one's original level, the greater the suppression. For instance, in the transition between the celestial and demon realms, beings of the Great Ascension would be reduced to the latter stages of Unity in the human realm, while powerful demons and golden immortals would be further restricted to the initial and peak stages of the Great Ascension, respectively. No one knew the origin of these laws, but since ancient times, not even gifted individuals like Yan Yuanqing could defy them. However, traveling from the human realm to the demon or celestial realms resulted in proportional increases in cultivation. Ren Qingyue noticed her internal energy becoming more robust, though she hadn’t transcended the Void Refinement stage. Even so, the increase in power was noticeably significant. Yan Zhao didn't grasp this change sharply due to her initially lower realm. Precisely because of this rule, beings from higher realms rarely ventured into the lower ones, yet celestial and demonic cultivators from the human realm eagerly sought the higher planes. However, it was imperative to remember: breakthroughs achieved by crossing realms for temporary power gains were superficial, lacking the true essence. Those with unstable mindsets were prone to disaster. The higher intensity of energy in these realms, saturating one's body and influencing their internal energy circuit, created an illusion of enhanced strength. Such energy, though readily accessible, didn’t equate to a real increase in a cultivator’s own prowess, lagging significantly in physical strength, enlightenment, and combat experience compared to truly great demons. Should someone feel inflated by this apparent power and think themselves invincible, they ultimately invited their own downfall. Yan Zhao was incredulous after the explanation; it was fascinating such rules existed in the cosmos. She pondered, propping her chin, “Why does the Heavenly Dao seem particularly partial to humans?” Ren Qingyue paused at her words, contemplating their truth. Despite appearing weak among the four races—humans, gods, demons, and spirits—having the lowest realm ceiling, humans had the widest array of choices and the greatest potential. The universal laws shielded humans as weak beings, yet many cultivators misunderstood their intent, recklessly causing destruction and oppressing those even weaker. Worse, some sought power through subservience, abandoning their dignity to become lackeys for the higher celestial beings, just to avoid the tribulations of ascending to immortality. Why pursue being celestial instead of demonic? Perhaps because celestials were more akin to humans. As the sky filled with thick clouds, Lei Shuang urged, “Let’s hurry before lightning strikes again. We should leave here quickly.” “Alright,” Yan Zhao agreed, nodding. She turned and beckoned to Ren Qingyue, “Senior Sister.” With a twist, Ren Qingyue transformed back into the small fox, gracefully leaping into Yan Zhao’s embrace. Yan Zhao’s eyes crinkled with delight as she stroked the fox’s fluffy head, her ears flattening under her palm before springing back up. Familiar and pleasant to touch, Yan Zhao couldn't get enough. Lei Shuang and Jiang Ying led the way, as Yan Zhao followed with the little fox held close. Having fallen from the sky into a barren wasteland, they landed among jagged black stones and unknown thorny plants climbing over them. All around, gloomy skies loomed as gusts whipped up dust into swirling sandstorms. Beneath the sand, black smoke seemed to rise slowly, distorting the view with pervasive demonic mist, dimming the light and oppressing the low black clouds as if the sky could collapse at any moment. Such scenery reminded Yan Zhao of a place she'd visited before: the Xuanhuang Secret Realm. The demonic realm’s first impression matched the desolate nature of the Xuanhuang Secret Realm. The only difference was that here, they weren’t constantly threatened by the sudden emergence of extradimensional spirits that could take their lives if they let their guard down. "This is the Cold Nether Hills," Feng Jin explained to Yan Zhao. "It's connected to the Sea of Ghosts, making the atmospheric conditions unstable, frequently shrouded in harsh weather, so it's rare for demons to frequent this area." Yan Zhao nodded to show she understood, and the group continued on. After traveling forty or fifty miles, the surrounding landscape began to change. The clouds dispersed, uncovering more black plants sprouting from the ground, and the faint demonic mist eventually vanished. Far off in the distance, a ridge of stone mountains emerged. Amid these mountains stood numerous houses constructed from black stone, each topped with a distinctive flag. Each flag bore unique patterns, their complexity increasing the closer they were to the mountain range's center. At the core lay a vast plain crowned with imposing structures, and from the tallest tower, a grand black flag flapped in the wind. “Boss, what’s that place?” Yan Zhao asked Lei Shuang. Lei Shuang stumbled slightly, glaring back at her, “Can’t you stop calling me 'boss'!” Yan Zhao blinked innocently: “Then what should I call you?” Lei Shuang pondered but couldn’t come up with an answer. After a moment, an idea struck her. Lei Shuang beckoned Yan Zhao over, "Come here." Yan Zhao, holding the little fox, ran over quickly. Lei Shuang gestured for Yan Zhao to lean in close and, in a lowered voice, proposed, "Privately, you can call me 'boss.' In front of others, address me as 'Elder.' In public, I’ll recognize you as the young master, but in private, when there's no one else around, you'll still be my little sister. How does that sound?" Yan Zhao thought it sounded a bit troublesome. Glancing around to ensure Jiang Ying and Feng Jin weren’t paying attention, Lei Shuang adopted a commanding demeanor, glaring at Yan Zhao, "Are you going to listen or not?" "Alright, I’ll listen to you, boss," Yan Zhao replied obediently. "That's more like it." Lei Shuang beamed, feeling relieved, and gave Yan Zhao a thumbs-up. "You, that’s the spirit." Yan Zhao fluttered her eyelashes and accepted the praise with ease. Pointing to the distant mountaintop, she asked, "Is there a town over there?" “A town?” Lei Shuang followed her gaze, noticing the black flag waving atop the mountain, and explained, “Oh, you could say that, but it’s a bit different from towns in the human realm. This is a great demon’s territory.” Yan Zhao looked puzzled. “A great demon’s territory?” The little fox in her arms tilted its head in curiosity too. Lei Shuang didn’t elaborate further and simply said, “You’ll see soon enough.” Yan Zhao didn’t press for more details. Their path would take them through the great demon’s territory, with Lei Shuang and Jiang Ying leading, and Feng Jin on guard. The four of them, along with the little fox, crossed the outer stone mountains, moving swiftly towards the tall tower. Suddenly, several bursts of energy shot out from the tower like arrows, aimed directly at the group as they flew by. Feng Jin reacted instantly, drawing her bow, azure arrows shooting forth and intercepting the energy bursts. From the building below, a voice exclaimed, “Is that the Azure Arrow Demon?” In the next moment, a mass of black mist emerged from the tower, gathering mid-air before transforming into a voluptuous, alluring woman. Her eyes slanted upwards, and at the corner of one brow was a blooming poppy, her makeup exuding a wild, unrestrained charm. “Lord Han Li,” Jiang Ying stepped forward, her voice cold. “We’re just passing through. Must you hinder us?” “You two are old acquaintances of mine, so naturally, you may pass. But…” Han Li cocked her chin toward Yan Zhao behind Lei Shuang, “This one’s origins are unclear, and she’s traveling with a creature of the demon race. I cannot allow her through.” Chapter 287 Jiang Ying’s expression darkened, and Lei Shuang and Feng Jin stood with grave looks. Yan Zhao, clutching the little fox, tilted her head in confusion. According to this lord’s meaning, she was the only one barred from passing. Lei Shuang was about to speak when Jiang Ying stopped her with a raised hand. Seeing this, Lord Han Li arched an eyebrow, then heard Jiang Ying say, “Are the three of us not enough to vouch for her?” “Such a statement implies this girl holds a special status…” Han Li narrowed her eyes, contemplating. Suddenly, she flicked her wrist, releasing a tendril of black energy. The dense mist coalesced in mid-air, forming a crow that screeched as it darted toward Yan Zhao. Instinctively, Feng Jin began to draw an arrow, but Jiang Ying restrained her. The crow soared, angling down with lightning speed towards Yan Zhao. The little fox bared its teeth, fur standing on end, ready to confront the threat.