Chapter 605: Tracking and Concealment

"This ghost of a thing really has no breath left. Could it be that we've wasted our efforts this time?" The short, stout youth didn't wait for Brother Wang and the other two to descend before pulling his finger away from beneath the white fox's nose, a string of angry, coarse curses escaping his lips.

After saying this, he looked up at the three people descending from the sky, his face full of sullenness, as if he were about to say something more.

Above him, Brother Wang and the other two had their expressions change simultaneously, and they shouted in unison:

"Careful!"

"The demon fox is alive!"

"It's playing dead!"

Though they used three different phrases, they all expressed the same meaning.

The short, stout youth was exceptionally quick-witted; upon hearing this, his expression shifted abruptly. Without a second thought, he flicked his hand, and a white talisman appeared between his fingers, which he slammed fiercely toward the small beast whose tail he was holding.

His movements were clearly a beat too late. His arm holding the talisman had only just extended halfway when a sudden, tearing pain shot through the palm that was gripping the demon fox.

He let out a loud cry and involuntarily loosened his five fingers. The white fox in his hand "slipped" away, sliding steadily onto the ground.

In that instant, the fine hairs on the Snow Cloud Fox's tail had stood on end, becoming as hard as needles, piercing the short, stout youth's palm until it was riddled with holes and dripping with blood.

Seeing this scene from above, the three men were shocked and furious, rushing headlong toward the small beast that had landed on all fours.

But the white fox, having finally gained its freedom, would not remain in place to be captured. With a dash, it transformed into a white blur, shooting over ten zhang away. After a few leaps, it plunged into a nearby thicket.

Brother Wang and the others were anxious, and their movements were extremely agile. Like a gust of wind, the three of them surrounded the thicket, then each released a magic tool to begin a slow search.

Yet, a moment later, the three of them were stunned.

Aside from a pile of loose rocks, the thicket was completely empty. The Snow Cloud Fox, which they had clearly seen jump into this spot, had vanished without a trace.

The three stood there, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

"Eh! Where is Junior Martial Brother Han going?" After Kui Cai Huan regained his senses, he subconsciously glanced at the sky and let out a surprised cry.

The others then noticed that Han Li was driving his magic tool, flying rapidly toward the distance.

Brother Wang and the others were left completely baffled.

Just then, Han Li's voice transmission sounded in their ears.

"Fellow Martial Brothers, do not panic. That little thing used a blinding technique to sneak underground; I am currently tracking it with my magic tool. As soon as it emerges from the ground, I will capture it alive." After saying this, Han Li's voice vanished, and he stepped on his flying sword magic tool, gradually moving away toward the edge of the swamp.

Hearing Han Li's words, Brother Wang felt a mix of surprise and joy. After calling out to the others, they couldn't wait to soar into the air, following Han Li's figure.

Kui Cai Huan and the others followed closely behind.

"Junior Martial Brother Ma, is your palm alright?" In the midst of the rush, Brother Wang did not forget to look back and ask the short, stout youth.

"It's fine, fortunately that thing's fur wasn't poisonous; it's just a superficial wound." The short, stout youth's figure trailed at the very back, muttering with a face full of shame.

After all, it was his carelessness that had let the captured demon beast escape. And this was even after someone had called out a warning.

This made the youth surnamed Ma feel extremely embarrassed.

"It's good that it's nothing. Let's hurry and catch up. Although I don't know what magic tool Junior Martial Brother Han is using to track a demon fox that has gone underground, everyone should still follow closely." Brother Wang said with a forced smile.

Hearing this, Kui Cai Huan also turned his face, nodding repeatedly and saying with wonder:

"But come to think of it, the spiritual intelligence of this Snow Cloud Fox, which has evolved into a demon beast, is far too high! To play dead so convincingly that even Junior Martial Brother Ma couldn't tell—it really gave us quite a fright."

The short, stout youth, cradling his injured palm, felt his face burn even redder.

Fortunately, at this moment, Brother Wang spoke up to defend him.

"This cannot be blamed on Junior Martial Brother Ma. Even if I had been the one to act, I might have fallen for it under those circumstances. It is simply that this Snow Cloud Fox is too cunning."

Hearing this, the youth surnamed Ma looked at Brother Wang with a hint of gratitude, finally feeling a bit better.

Just as the three were speaking, the youth surnamed Xi with the pale golden face, who had been silently pursuing, seemed to see something inconceivable and shouted out.

"Everyone, look! Junior Martial Brother Han has drilled into the stone cliff. What... what should we do now?"

The others were startled and looked forward, only to realize they had reached the edge of the swamp. Several hundred zhang away stood a giant mountain whose peak could not be seen. Facing them was a steep, knife-cut black cliff.

And Han Li, who had been in front just a moment ago, was nowhere to be seen.

The four stood before the cliff, staring blankly at one another; even Brother Wang was dumbfounded.

Han Li was indeed inside the mountain wall.

At this moment, he held a wolf-headed jade Jade Ruyi, his body radiating a pale yellow light, while a small yellow wolf, several feet in size, moved ahead of him, clearing the path by executing an Earth Escape Technique.

Wherever this tool spirit passed, all earth and stone automatically turned into nothingness. Han Li followed closely behind the small wolf, his face filled with a thought-provoking expression.

And where his spiritual sense covered, a white speck of light was fleeing desperately dozens of zhang below; it was precisely that small white fox.

With his cultivation, the Snow Cloud Fox's act of playing dead could naturally not deceive him. Even the fox's secret escape through a small vein of rock in the thicket had not escaped his spiritual sense.

If it were an ordinary low-tier demon beast, Han Li would naturally have reminded the disciples of Hidden Sword Peak to do them a favor.

But what surprised Han Li was that as soon as this demon fox showed its head, he discovered something unusual.

There was a spiritual energy fluctuation on this beast that Han Li found somewhat familiar.

After a moment of careful thought, he was shocked to discover that this fox possessed a trace of the same clear spiritual energy found on the incarnation of the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng, that white rabbit.

Han Li was naturally extremely surprised, thinking he had discovered the incarnation of another heaven-and-earth spirit object.

However, after he used his spiritual sense to carefully inspect the white fox's body again, he became suspicious.

Because the clear spiritual energy on this beast was far too sparse. Compared to the Nine-Curved Spirit Ginseng, it was a world of difference, not even a tenth of it. Moreover, after a careful scan with his spiritual sense, this Snow Cloud Fox was indeed a creature of flesh and blood, not some illusionary incarnation. Otherwise, how could a mere Five Elements Maze Array have trapped it?

Although he confirmed that this little fox was not an incarnation of a heaven-and-earth spirit object, Han Li became even more curious.

He estimated that this beast's evolution from an ordinary small animal into a demon beast must be inseparable from this trace of clear spiritual energy.

He immediately harbored the intention to get to the bottom of it. That was why he allowed the beast to play dead and escape the eyes of Kui Cai Huan and the others, while he followed slowly behind, wanting to see what secret the beast was hiding.

Now, having reached the cliff, the Snow Cloud Fox had merged into it without hesitation as a ball of white light.

This made Han Li, who was following in secret, release the earth-attribute tool spirit of the jade Jade Ruyi ancient treasure without hesitation.

Only by using the small wolf's Earth Escape Technique could he follow silently without alerting the beast. Otherwise, if he were to truly hack at the mountain with a flying sword, he would naturally startle the white fox away again.

This giant mountain was clearly not small. After Han Li followed the white fox for several hundred zhang, the white light suddenly paused, then tunneled out of the rock, appearing as if it had entered a sealed stone chamber.

Han Li felt a sudden joy and hurriedly urged the earth-attribute small wolf with the Jade Ruyi in his hand, ordering it to increase the speed of the Earth Escape.

At the same time, he increased the power of his spiritual sense, wanting to secretly inspect the stone chamber first.

As a result, as soon as his spiritual sense approached the stone chamber, it was bounced back by a strange force, unable to penetrate even a fraction.

"Eh!" Han Li let out a surprised cry. His forward momentum slowed down involuntarily, and his vigilance rose sharply.

But just then, he suddenly felt his body tighten, becoming as heavy as Mount Tai, and a faint voice reached his ears.

"Since a guest has come, don't be so hesitant. Do you expect me to invite you in?"

As soon as this voice fell, countless yellow lights surged around Han Li, and a giant force pushed him fiercely from behind.

Han Li only felt a flash before his eyes, and he appeared out of thin air inside a stone chamber.

Shocked, he waved the jade Jade Ruyi in his hand, and red and yellow light shields appeared on his body. At the same time, he opened his mouth, and over a dozen green glows sprayed out, rapidly circling outside his light shield.

Only then did Han Li have the time to fix his gaze and look around.

... ===== CHAPTER 606 =====