Fox’s Gambit

Chapter 622: A Name Shakes the Region – Fox’s Gambit

Recalling the tales about Corpse Xiao—that its body was impervious to metal, capable only of being slowly refined by true fire or sealed through soul extraction—Han Li felt a twinge of headache.

The Corpse Xiao before him had clearly not died fully. It was merely suppressed temporarily by an unknown golden talisman. Recovering its vitality, Han Li estimated, would not happen any time soon.

His gaze shifted to the jade box that had fallen beside the Corpse Xiao, a flicker of doubt in his eyes.

Since the Corpse Xiao was suppressed here rather than incinerated, it must have been sealed by soul extraction. Given how desperately it clung to this jade box, and the fact that a golden talisman specifically designed to restrain it sealed the lid, logic suggested that the box held its extracted soul.

But if that were the case, how could its physical body have moved freely, spoken with him, and even tried to trick him into opening the box with such calculated intelligence? Had the extraction been incomplete, leaving a remnant soul behind? And where did the Corpse Xiao acquire a treasure like the Spirit Eye Jade? Had it obtained it after being trapped here?

The questions piled up, and Han Li frowned, a bellyful of riddles. But after a moment's thought, he decided to stop dwelling on them. He swept his eyes across the room, seeking a way out.

Refining a Corpse Xiao with true fire required at least Nascent Soul stage cultivation, and even then, months of sustained effort. Even if he had that level of power, he would not waste it on such a thankless exorcism.

His plan was simple: leave this place far behind, leaving the Corpse Xiao to its lonely imprisonment.

Whether someone else would stumble in later and fall for its tricks… that was not his concern. When the Corpse Xiao eventually broke free, the major sects would have to deal with it.

As his eyes swept the room, they returned to the jade box.

He studied the golden talisman for a moment, hesitated, then reached out and summoned the box into his hand. Without changing expression, he tucked it into his storage pouch.

The talisman’s symbols were remarkably unusual. He intended to study it later.

As for opening the box? That would only happen after his Nascent Soul was fully formed and he was certain of absolute safety. If it held the Corpse Xiao’s soul, or some other vicious spirit, his Evil-Repelling Lightning and the Crying Soul Beast would counter it. With his cultivation by then, he would have nothing to fear.

Han Li shook the jade Ruyi scepter in his hand. The light barrier around him vanished, and the yellow wolf leaped out.

He prepared to use the Earth Escape Technique to tunnel directly out of this stone chamber. Even if the room was made of rare, durable Blue-Gold Stone, it was still earth and stone. The technique should work.

Just as he was about to command the Earth Escape beast spirit, he paused. His head turned, his gaze falling on the motionless Corpse Xiao.

After a moment’s thought, he sighed, walked over, and nudged it with his foot. The Corpse Xiao’s body rolled over, revealing an inconspicuous hollow. Inside, a Snow Cloud Fox stared up at him with pitch-black eyes, a pitiable look on its face.

Han Li smiled faintly and muttered, “Clever thing. You know how to pick a hiding spot.”

With that, he swept a hand, and a wave of azure light rolled toward the little fox.

The white fox seemed to sense danger and leaped away in a flash, trying to escape.

But Han Li’s azure light was far faster. It caught the fox mid-leap, curling around it and pulling it into his grasp.

Holding the fox by the scruff of its neck, he turned and strode toward the stone wall without further delay. As he walked, he muttered under his breath, “You’re a lucky little thing. Not only did you come out of that fight unscathed, but you somehow survived living with a Corpse Xiao all this time. Unbelievable.”

“Hm… unbelievable?” Han Li stopped mid-step, struck by a sudden realization.

His face changed. He swung his arm and hurled the white fox viciously at the stone wall.

But in that split second, a flash of venomous intent crossed the fox’s eyes.

Its front claw shot up, striking at the space inches from its target. The limb swelled to an unnatural size as it extended, a massive, razor-sharp claw slamming into Han Li’s chest.

A deafening clang rang out.

With a furious roar, Han Li flung the white blur away, intending to smash it to paste.

But the little fox twisted midair, landing gracefully in a corner of the chamber. It turned to face him, its gaze cold, a flicker of disappointment in its green fox eyes as it saw him standing there, unharmed.

Han Li looked down at his torn robe, a trace of lingering fear in his eyes. Faint green light glimmered underneath—the green inner armor he had taken from Wen Tianren, the disciple of the Six Paths.

Ever since the Emperor’s Scale Armor was destroyed, Han Li had worn this armor, whose quality was no less than that of the lost treasure. The white fox’s sudden, vicious strike had failed to penetrate it, a defense that could withstand even ordinary magical treasures.

“Who are you, really? That attack just now was beyond a low-grade spirit beast,” Han Li said, his voice cold as he stared at the fox.

He shook the jade Ruyi scepter, intending to summon his protective light barrier.

But to his shock, the scepter was as inert as dead wood. He froze, then glanced warily at the yellow wolf beside him. The beast stood motionless, showing no sign of abnormality.

With a deadly enemy before him, Han Li set aside the puzzle. He sent a mental command, and the flying swords above his head hummed loudly, forming a curtain of azure light in front of him.

Only then did he relax, slightly.

But at that moment, the Snow Cloud Fox spoke in a voice that stunned him.

“Who am I? We just met, didn’t we? How quickly you forget.” The familiar woman’s voice carried a note of mockery. The white fox rose onto its hind legs, straightening its body.

What followed was a scene of demon-beast transformation playing out before Han Li’s eyes.

Within seconds, the fox’s body swelled several times over. Its white fur melted away, revealing the naked form of a seductive young woman, a single fox tail trailing behind her.

Han Li’s lips pressed together. His composure cracked, giving way to shock and disbelief.

“Well? Is this form of my fox incarnation pleasing to the eye?” The woman, an exact copy of the black-clad woman from before, drew herself up, her full, snow-white chest heaving. Her gaze toward Han Li was intensely fox-like and seductive, yet deep within her bright eyes, there was only frost—not a trace of warmth.

“You are it?” Han Li took a deep breath, regaining his composure. His voice was cold.

He glanced subconsciously at the stone platform. The Corpse Xiao’s body lay utterly still.

That brought him a measure of relief. He turned his attention back to the woman before him, whose cultivation had surged dramatically.

By all reason, taking human form required at least a grade-eight demon beast’s cultivation. But his divine sense sweep of this self-proclaimed fox incarnation of the Corpse Xiao showed only grade-seven. It baffled him, but he was not afraid.

Still, the fox had managed to fool his divine sense before. He could no longer trust his judgment entirely, so his expression grew serious.

His mind turned to the records he had read about high-grade demon foxes. Once a spiritual fox reached high cultivation, almost every one of them was a master of illusion, capable of toying with same-rank cultivators without their prey even realizing it. And their talent for hiding their energy was among the best in the demon beast world.

He had once doubted those claims. But now, seeing that even his powerful divine sense had been easily deceived, he was beginning to believe.

Still, if this fox incarnation was so powerful, why had it not removed the golden talisman from the jade box itself? Was it afraid of the talisman? Even then, with its abilities, it could have easily captured a low-level cultivator and forced them to tear the seal.

Han Li’s face was expressionless, but doubts swirled in his mind.

He had a nagging feeling that the fox across from him was no simple incarnation of the Corpse Xiao. There was more to this story.

With that thought, he grew even calmer. The look he directed at the naked woman sharpened, a killing intent beginning to seep through.