Chapter Thirteen: The Young Celestial Fox

A smiling face peeked from the mouth of the cave, and a young boy stood there with a mischievous grin. “No need to panic, I mean no harm,” he said cheerfully.

A faint, fragrant breeze swept by, and Xiao Ying fell unconscious. The boy nimbly stepped over her prone form and stopped before Ji Feichen.

Ji Feichen narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the youth. The boy was dressed all in white, his boots as spotless as the rest of his clothing—there wasn’t a speck of dust on him. He was slight of build, with delicate features, and appeared no more than fourteen or fifteen years old.

“Don’t even think about trying to trick me with cinnabar or anything of that sort. You should recognize my robes, shouldn’t you?” The boy clasped his hands behind his back, brimming with pride.

“Yes, I see—the Snowtrace Celestial Garment, untouched by any dust, neither tainted nor pure.” The celestial robe he wore was the perfect counter to the Yellow Branch of the Nether Sect. The Yellow Branch was renowned for its toxic sands, but this robe repelled all dust and dirt; it made him virtually untouchable.

The poisonous sands of the Yellow Branch were famous throughout the world, but they had one fatal weakness: the Dust Cleansing Incantation, a spell so basic that even novice cultivators could perform it. Yet, if you couldn’t hit your target, what use was your poison? Everything in the world has its counter.

However, who had the leisure to practice the Dust Cleansing Incantation to the level of an immortal? Few bothered, even though it perfectly countered the Yellow Branch. In response, robes enchanted with this spell became common among cultivators, specifically to guard against poisonous sands and flying dust.

A faint white radiance shone from the boy as he faced Ji Feichen. “Also, don’t expect to catch me off guard with some hidden trick. I can sense the strength you’re hiding, and the treasure you’ve concealed. But if you force a fight, it won’t end well for you. My true adversary is the demon fox of Black Moon Cave. If you help me slay him, you can have his heart’s blood for yourself.”

Ji Feichen raised his sword-like brows. “You propose an alliance?”

“Exactly. I’ll deal with the demon fox; you handle the cave’s guardian treasure in his possession.”

“The guardian treasure?” Ji Feichen recalled the dark clouds that had just hovered over Tiger Departure Mountain and frowned. “That artifact won’t be easy to deal with. I don’t know its depths, nor do I understand its true nature.”

“It’s the Jiuyuan Demon-Sealing Vase, forged from centuries-old obsidian found within Tiger Departure Mountain. Its surface is carved with the mountain’s terrain, forming a nine-bend formation that secretly aligns with eighteen spiritual apertures. To break its power, someone must anchor the mountain’s nine water veins, then seal the eighteen apertures, and finally use great force to knock the vase from his grasp.”

Ji Feichen calculated silently: he had twenty-four Azure Tide Pearls, enough to lock the mountain’s spiritual energy with the Eight Desolations Formation; then he could use the Demonic Dragon Mace to knock the vase away. However…

“After it’s done, the guardian treasure is mine.”

“Agreed. You may have any treasures in Black Moon Cave. I want only three items, those which he stole from my mother.”

“You’re not human, are you?” Ji Feichen suddenly asked. “You harbor a grudge with the one from Heart Moon Fox Path. Could it be that you are…”

His eyes dropped to the boy’s lower body.

The boy clicked his tongue, seeing Ji Feichen’s caution, and reluctantly revealed two fluffy white tails. “I am a Celestial Fox, and I have a score to settle with him. He stole from my family, and I am here to reclaim what is rightfully ours. This is a matter of justice—no one can say otherwise.”

Ji Feichen understood. The three treasures the Celestial Fox sought must be the most valuable among them. But his own goal was not treasure—the demon fox’s heart blood was his true prize.

Thus, the two struck a pact. Ji Feichen swore by blood oath to the Demon Ancestor, and the fox swore by the Supreme of the Demonkin. Both were beings no less powerful than the Three Daoist Sovereigns—swearing upon their names meant certain death for oathbreakers.

“And what about her?” The boy pointed to the unconscious Xiao Ying.

She could not be killed; she was useful to Ji Feichen within her sect and could help him gather intelligence. But she could not simply be let go, either. After some thought, Ji Feichen fed her some medicinal pills, left a threatening letter by her side, and ordered her to return ahead to the Nether Sect and lie in wait.

Ji Feichen knew that, even if he obtained the fox’s heart blood, he would face many obstacles from his own sect on the way back. He needed someone inside his sect to spread the word on his behalf.

Using the poisonous pills was a temporary measure.

Thereafter, Ji Feichen and the youth headed back to Tiger Departure Mountain. The demon fox thrived at night, so they avoided action after dusk, choosing instead the hour between late afternoon and early evening. They had only one hour; if sunset arrived and the moon rose, they would have to withdraw.

Gazing at the mountain shrouded in mist, Ji Feichen asked, “Tiger Departure Mountain is wreathed in heavy fog. Since you’ve come to reclaim your treasures, you must have a plan?”

The boy produced a fan, its surface crafted from blue and red feathers and inscribed with mysterious runes. Ji Feichen glanced at it and understood—it was a Wind and Fire Fan, the front bearing wind sigils, the back etched with fire.

“This fan conjures the Divine Wind,” the boy smiled, waving it lightly. The wind sigil glowed, and a powerful gale swept across the mountainside, instantly dispersing the poisonous mists. The chill wind drove away the oppressive heat, and the world turned somber and gray. The fog vanished, revealing a winding mountain path.

“I’ll confront him directly; you conceal yourself and find a way to suppress the power of the guardian treasure.” With a flick of his wrist, the boy produced a whip, made of clusters of white, fluffy balls—adorable, yet capable of both softness and strength.

He strode up the mountain, shouting, “Linghu, you old thief, come out and meet your fate!”

The Black Moon Demon Fox, having recently slain several disciples of the Nether Sect, was still recovering in his lair when he heard another challenger call him out.

“Again?” The demon fox peered out cautiously, and his face darkened—he nearly retreated back inside.

He poked his head out, saw no one behind the boy, and steeled himself. “I heard his mother failed her tribulation. This little fox cub alone may not be my match,” he reassured himself.

Thus, the demon fox leapt out, face fierce. “So, young Qiao, you think you can still use your mother’s name to threaten me? Be sensible and leave! I’ve no time for your nonsense.”

“I’ll go if you return the things you stole from my family,” the boy replied, his voice youthful, flicking his whip against the ground.

“Return them? What’s in my hands is mine! I’ve never even heard of the word ‘return’!”

With no agreement, the two foxes clashed.

Ji Feichen watched from a distance through a water mirror. Seeing the fight was evenly matched, he pondered, “This demon fox’s technique is clearly of the Fiend Refinement path. But why doesn’t this Celestial Fox boy’s power resemble the path of pure spiritual energy?”

Heaven and earth energy is like the Taiji: the pure rises to form the nine heavens, the impure sinks into the earth. The Demon Sect cultivates impure energy, condensing it into demonic force, while the Daoist sects cultivate pure energy, transforming it into immortal power.

Purity and impurity are born of nature, but spiritual and fiendish energies are the result of cultivation. All beings—immortal, demon, ghost, or god—draw on one or the other.

But the Celestial Fox boy was different. He exhibited neither spiritual nor demonic energy, only a pure, balanced vital force—neutral and harmonious.

“An ancient Qi Refiner?”

Ji Feichen recalled intelligence he’d gleaned from a prisoner in the Bloodwood Dungeons.

The ancient era differed vastly from the present. Back then, there was no division between pure and impure, spiritual or fiendish energy. Cultivators—called Qi Refiners—simply absorbed primordial energy from nature. This was the origin of the Daoist path.

The distinction between Dao and Demon has existed since ancient times, but the two traditions originally practiced very different methods, with even their lineages distinct. The Demon Sect traced its roots to ancient demon gods, focusing on the transformation of the flesh to return to a primordial state. Their tradition came from the tribal shamans of old. Even today, the Black Holy Sect retains traces of these ancient shamanic arts—this is the heritage of the ancient Demon Way.

The Daoist tradition, by contrast, descends from the Three Immortal Sovereigns, teaching the way of transformation. Both paths once focused chiefly on vital energy. Daoist cultivation was originally called Qi Refining, drawing on any vital energy in the world, regardless of its source.

Over time, some Qi Refiners grew greedy, absorbing impure earth energy and falling into depravity, thus being cast out as demons. This new Demon Way merged with the ancient demon tradition, giving rise to today’s Demon Sects. Among the Ten Paths of the Origin Gate, the White Lotus Pure Sect is an example of a sect that degenerated from Daoism into the Demon Way.

After several cycles of transformation, the division solidified: demons cultivate impure energy, immortals cultivate pure. Now, the Immortal Way uses heavenly pure energy to forge celestial power, while the Demon Sect tempers demonic force from earth’s impure energy. The line is clear. Only a few sects continue the ancient practice of refining primordial energy.

As the Celestial Fox and Demon Fox fought, the latter released his swarm of venomous insects. The boy spun his fan, and this time, flames and black smoke erupted.

“True Samadhi Fire—go!” The Celestial Fox summoned true Samadhi Fire; fire from stone, from air, from wood—all burned bright, incinerating the insects.

Ji Feichen’s gaze deepened. “If this boy truly follows the ancient Qi Refiner’s path, he’ll be most useful to me.”

If Ji Feichen left the Demon Sect, he would need to purge his demonic energy; otherwise, the Immortal Way would never accept him. Unless one could merge the two energies into primordial energy, dual cultivation of celestial and demonic energy would only result in death.

To pass unnoticed, he would need to feign the inheritance of an ancient Qi Refiner and master the art of harmonizing all energies.

Alas, this was no easy feat. Because of his cultivation of the Profound Fiend Dragon Scripture, Ji Feichen’s body had already been transformed into a vessel for absorbing demonic energy. Absorbing pure heavenly energy would be as fatal as poison.

This mutual exclusivity was the root of the enmity between immortals and demons—the other’s power was a deadly toxin, and neither side could tolerate the other’s existence.

“In the current era, immortals refine the spirit, demons the body. It almost feels as if some hidden hand is orchestrating this division…” Ji Feichen suddenly thought, but quickly dismissed the notion.

“No use dwelling on it—the priority is to slay the demon fox.” Seeing the demon fox summon his treasure vase again, Ji Feichen immediately released his twenty-four Azure Tide Pearls. “Open!”

The pearls shot out in eight directions. Ji Feichen formed seals with his hands: “Open, Rest, Life, Harm, Block, Scene, Death, Fright.”

Eight doors opened, and eight golden portals locked down all sides of Tiger Departure Mountain, severing the mountain’s veins and the guardian treasure’s connection.

“Not good!” The demon fox tried to use the treasure to draw power from the mountain, but the energy vanished, and the vase’s carvings dulled.

“A perfect counter to the guardian treasure,” the Celestial Fox’s eyes flashed. With the treasure’s power gone, he waved his fan a third time.

The fan, when waved horizontally, conjured wind; when turned, fire; but when swept down vertically, wind and fire erupted together. Divine wind and true fire burst forth, and in an instant, the demon fox was reduced to a charred corpse.

Ji Feichen, worried about damaging the heart blood, quickly used water arts to extinguish the fire, then smashed the fox’s skull with his Demonic Dragon Mace, directly harvesting the heart blood.

The youth waited until Ji Feichen had finished, then tossed him the treasure vase. “Here, take it.” He showed no interest in the guardian treasure, handing it over without a second thought.

Ji Feichen’s right arm morphed into a dragon’s claw as he summoned his demonic energy, snatching the vase into his palm. The obsidian vase was intricately carved with the contours of Tiger Departure Mountain, forming a natural array. Inside was a pool of toxic water, concocted from 1,365 rare herbs; any being below the level of an immortal who fell in would be reduced to bloody pulp.

Stowing the vase, Ji Feichen and the youth entered Black Moon Cave.