Lianhai coughed out a mouthful of blood. His hand was ravaged by the surging Qi tearing through his destroyed meridians—bloody flesh torn open, bone visible beneath the mess. Yet his gaze remained sharp, fixed on the lizard before him.
Lizarius body crackled with lightning. It swung its wings violently, clawing at the glowing symbols wrapping around it, attempting to break free.
"What's this…?" Lizarius thought. "Slowly… I'm becoming unable to move."
> [System]
Earth-grade High-tier Sealing Art
A technique capable of binding not only living beings such as demon beasts, but even physical objects.
The strength and duration of the seal depend on the user's cultivation, mastery level, and Qi invested.
"A sealing technique?" Lizarius mused. "So he's using all his energy… If he succeeds, I won't be able to—no. I can't let this finish."
The symbols tightened around the lizard, glowing more intensely. Though frozen mid-air, its body still crackled with lightning. Its golden eyes flared, glancing at Lianhai—whose own body surged with Qi.
But then—
Something shifted.
Lianhai's eyes shapely narrowed.
Once bright and sharp, they dulled—losing all sparkle and warmth. The surging energy around him began to fade.
Slowly, as if his very essence had been snuffed out, the light within him died.
A hollow, glassy stare replaced the warrior's defiant gaze.
His body collapsed to the ground with a thud.
The symbols binding Lizarius flickered, fad then slowly disintegrated into nothing. The lizard, now free, moved again.
Its lightning faded, scales still smoldering as it gently landed.
Folding its wings, the lizard stepped forward, eyes glowing as it stared down Lianhai's motionless form and stepped closer. It watched, eyes narrow.
"It's dead," Lizarius thought. "I thought… it might be different. That's why I didn't use it right away. But it's just like the other one."
It crouched slightly, inspecting the body.
"Dead... from a soul attack? Is a soul attack really that powerful?" It pondered a moment.
"I'll try it on the other ones. For now… I need to keep this one."
The lizard banded his head, eyes flickering as he glanced down at his paws.
"Hmm? don't have the pouch. I left it… on the fox."
Raising his head, gold eyes glowing, he thought,
Where's the fox?
His gaze swept across the estate, scanning, sharp and deliberate—until it stopped. A shape.
Huh... the fox. It's fighting with the other humans.
His eyes flicked to the side it glanced once more at Lianhai's corpse.
"Can't carry it. Don't have the pouch.
Need to get it from the fox." Its tongue slid across its fangs golden eyes still fixed on the corpse.. "Should I just eat it first…?"
It hesitated.
"No. Need to finish the others first."
With a shimmer, its body began turning
translucent, then invisible. Its wings unfurled silently, and with a beat of air and crackling sparks, Lizarius vanished into the sky.
The Scene Shift Back to the Fox.
High above the inner courtyard, wind whispered across the tiled pavilions.
The fox remained perfectly still, its silhouette poised against the moonlight, tail coiled low behind it like a drawn bowstring.
Below, the four elders stood in tight formation, their Qi humming in layered resonance—like the strings of a war harp drawn taut.
Each breath they took was deliberate. Each movement, measured.
Their eyes never left the fox.
A quiet standoff stretched between them. Then—
The fox's paw shifted slightly.
The black spear beside it twitched once in the air, humming softly,
The fox tilted its head, studying the elders as if evaluating prey. it thought They're well-coordinated.
Defensive, not recklessly. since they assume I'm in the mid stage They'll try to wear me down. Stall for reinforcements."
Its ears flicked.
I can't let them gain momentum. If even one closes the distance—"
The spear surged forward again, this time faster, wrapped in a spiral of concentrated Qi.
CRACK!
It shattered a loose tile as it blurred forward, aimed low, slicing toward the ankles of the closest elder—a misdirection.
But Elder Jinhai was faster.
He spun his sleeve, and a jade fan unfolded with a snap. Light bloomed from its edge, forming a crescent barrier that caught the spear in a flash of silver.
CLANG!
The spear rebounded—twisted in midair—and shot upward again, this time aiming for another.
Elder Shen Meilin stepped forward. Her sword rang as it met the weapon mid-flight.
A shockwave burst outward from the clash, blowing dust from the rooftops.
The fox's eyes gleamed, its tail flicking once. The spear reversed direction sharply, spiraling high, then dove straight down at Elder Han, the weakest of the four.
He barely managed to summon a golden ward in time. CLANG The spear struck—hard—cracks spiderwebbed across the barrier.
> "Not bad," the fox thought, lowering its stance. "They're adjusting to the spear's rhythm. This is getting dangerous."
But then—
A flicker of movement.
Yulan again.
His fingers traced a sigil mid-air—this time slower, more deliberate.
A silver light curved in a long arc—forming a thin spiral pattern that shimmered with faint runic lines.
The fox's ears twitched.
> That again. Sealing art. Not fully stabilized yet—but if he completes it...
The fox acted.
Its body slightly glowing green as it vanished—blurred into motion, a phantom in the moonlight.
The elders tensed—
"Movement!" Jinhai snapped.
The fox reappeared just ten paces to the side, spear already spinning beside it. A feint.
Jinhai pivoted—but too late. The fox vanished again.
It was behind them.
The spear struck.
This time, it was aimed directly at Meilin's mid-back—brutally fast, aimed not to kill but to disable.
She turned half a step too late—Qi armor flaring just in time to catch the blow—but the impact threw her off the rooftop, crashing down into the garden below.
The fox didn't press the attack.
It moved vanished again, reappearing at its original perch as the spear returned to its side.
Its eyes narrowed.
> That's one. She's injured, but not out. Still, three is better than four. I need to keep them on the defensive.
> still holding. I can feel his Qi, strained but not gone yet. Just a few more minutes...
"Damn it," muttered Han, clutching a talisman tighter. "It's toying with us."
Yulan's expression didn't change. He raised one hand again, slower this time.
Jinhai's voice was low. "If we split, it'll strike. If we stay together, we waste time."
Yulan didn't look away from the fox. "Then we keep it here. you don't need to win. you only need to buy time."
Up on the rooftop, the fox's expression twisted into a faint smile.
> Good though I just consume a wind Talismans but that would make them, it thought. Keep overestimating me. keep thinking that am toying with you.