Chapter 278: Did You Come to See Me on Purpose?
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As the event concluded earlier than expected, Yu Zhao prepared to return to Green Hill Mountain with the little foxes.
Before setting off, she received several invitations from various clans, which she politely declined. It was an hour later when they finally hit the road.
They hadn’t traveled far when an unexpected group appeared behind them.
Leading this group was a swaggering Three-Eyed Leopard.
Before Yu Zhao could say a word, the little foxes began chattering noisily.
“Go away! Stop following us!”
“It’s Hua Tu again! Ugh, let’s chase him away together!”
“But he helped save us this time…”
“So what? He bullied us before!”
“…”
Yu Zhao calmly pinched Little You’s puffed-up cheeks with two fingers, gently redirecting its head to face forward.
“The Three-Eyed Leopard clan are your neighbors. It’s normal for your paths to overlap. Pay them no mind and don’t interfere.”
“But…” Little You hesitated but eventually swallowed its words under Yu Zhao’s steady gaze. “Fine, as long as he doesn’t bother us, we won’t mess with him.”
“With me here, he wouldn’t dare.”
“Mm! I trust you!”
Since the kidnapping incident, Little You and the others had grown increasingly fond of and reliant on Yu Zhao, trusting her implicitly. Following her lead, Little You rallied the others, and soon the little foxes quieted down. They ignored the Three-Eyed Leopard’s group and continued their journey, occasionally pulling out dried fish snacks to pass the time.
“How strange,” one of Hua Tu’s companions muttered. “Why aren’t those foxes yelling at us anymore?”
“Yu Zhao must’ve stopped them. They listen to her now.”
“Why is Yu Zhao hanging out with the Nine-Tailed Fox clan anyway?”
“Who knows?”
Hua Tu remained silent, walking ahead of his group. He, too, was curious about why Yu Zhao was so close to the Nine-Tailed Foxes. It felt like there was a significant secret behind it.
Should he visit Green Hill Mountain himself to find out?
No… If he showed up uninvited, the overprotective Nine-Tailed Foxes would throw him off the mountain. Only their clan leader could handle this. And if the clan leader went, they’d need someone from their clan to accompany them.
He would undoubtedly volunteer.
…
At Green Hill Mountain
Quan Ye opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling, unsure if he was dreaming or awake.
He was alive?
Tentatively, he raised his arm.
It was strong and unscathed, without a single wound.
Was this really his body?
“Haha… hahaha… hahahaha… wuuu… wuuu…” His laughter turned to sobs.
He had truly thought he would die here. The pain had been unbearable. Far worse than any punishment he had faced on the Cliff of Reflection. Several times, he had wished for death to escape the torment.
But now it was over.
He had survived!
After lying still for a while, he got up, washed himself, and changed into clean robes. As he stepped outside, an overwhelming flood of information bombarded him.
The scent of foxes playing, traces left by creatures, the sound of butterfly wings… Within a hundred-mile radius, every movement of the demonic beasts was clear to him.
Only now did Quan Ye fully believe Su Ming’s words.
He was a half-demon. Half his blood came from the demon race, and his bloodline was extraordinarily noble.
Absorbing this bloodline had given him a new life. Though momentarily lost in thought, his soaring ambition soon replaced any hesitation. If his bloodline was so unique, didn’t that mean his future was limitless? Even those primitive beasts would bow before him!
Remembering how he had been tied to a tree and humiliated by the Nine-Tailed Foxes, Quan Ye couldn’t wait to test his new power and vent his anger.
Before he could act, however, a familiar presence approached him.
“She’s here!?”
His thoughts of revenge vanished as he ran downhill, his mind filled with only one image.
“Yu Zhao! Did you come here just for me? I’m right here!”
Hearing his voice, Yu Zhao turned to see Quan Ye barreling down the mountain like a bull.
It was clear from his state that he had endured the greatest ordeal of his life and successfully absorbed the Azure Dragon’s bloodline. Yet, Yu Zhao found it odd. Why did he think she came for him?
Had the beating she’d given him back on the Floating Island’s snowy peak not knocked some sense into him?
“Stay back!”
“Smelly man, get away from Yu Zhao!”
“Yu Zhao, save us!”
The little foxes had always disliked Quan Ye, and their first instinct upon seeing him was to drive him away. A few of the more hot-headed ones even charged to block his path.
“Hmmph.”
With a faint snort, Quan Ye unleashed his bloodline’s aura. The oppressive force spread silently, leaving the little foxes trembling as if they’d encountered a predator. Their legs gave out, and they collapsed in fear.
Delighted by their reaction, Quan Ye grew even more confident. His bloodline could indeed command all beasts. In time, he would become their true king, and even Yu Zhao would bow to him.
Yu Zhao frowned deeply. Since Quan Ye enjoyed using his aura to suppress others, she decided to give him a taste of his own medicine.
The pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator descended on Quan Ye like a mountain. His body reacted faster than his mind. As the force weighed down on him, his muscles tensed, and he barely managed to remain standing.
Staring at Yu Zhao in disbelief, he stammered, “You… you’ve formed a Nascent Soul?”
Ignoring his question, Yu Zhao used her spiritual energy to lift the trembling little foxes off the ground. They immediately clung to her legs, whimpering as if they had suffered immense injustice.
Quan Ye’s jaw clenched, his teeth grinding audibly. These scruffy foxes weren’t even worthy of speaking to Yu Zhao!
Damn them all!
Yu Zhao shook her head. It seemed Quan Ye’s mind hadn’t cleared but had grown even more muddled.
“Let’s go. I’ll take you back to see the clan leader,” she said to the little foxes.
The clan leader…
The memory of that hateful woman who had tied him to a tree and whipped him with a stick flashed through Quan Ye’s mind. Fear gripped him.
Did Yu Zhao know what had happened to him? Would the Nine-Tailed Fox clan leader tell her? And if she knew, what would she think? Would she despise him? Look down on him? Or even hate him?
No! Yu Zhao must not meet that vile woman!
“Yu Zhao! You can’t go! I’m your senior brother! Let me go first! Yu Zhao! Come back! If you don’t, I won’t acknowledge you anymore!”
He shouted, but Yu Zhao grew more distant.
Before his ambitions could take root, they were utterly shattered. Yu Zhao left him behind, heading toward the Nine-Tailed Foxes’ forbidden sanctuary—the clan leader’s domain.
He could hear everything within a hundred miles, yet he could not penetrate that sacred place.
“Ahhh! Yu Zhao! Come back!”