Chapter 262

The fox let out a snort of laughter, rolling on the ground while clutching its belly, and replied:

"He's just a pig-brained creature; what kind of method could he possibly think of? He brought a group of demon creatures to feast for three days, cursing loudly the whole time, then drank himself into a stupor. Before long, he'd wake up and continue cursing. Once they finished everything in the cave, they all returned to their nests."

Li Tongya was stunned for a moment, not knowing whether he should laugh. After chuckling twice, he saw the fox turn serious and say earnestly:

"Your family's roots are too upright, and you are too close to the common people. It always leaves me full of doubt and disapproval. They are just commoners; what does it matter if these demon creatures eat a few? Aren't the common people raised just to be used? If you don't use them, these people will only multiply, eventually oppressing each other until they have no land and no livelihood, and then they will curse you and hate you..."

"I've stayed by the shore for several hundred years and have seen plenty. A newly rising family with low strength will be good to the commoners, but once they reach Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment, who still cares about the lives of these people? Your family has really never changed... You are a person who, logically speaking, should be insightful; you shouldn't be like this."

The fox chattered on and on for a long time before finally looking up at Li Tongya. Seeing his ugly expression and the faint signs of anger, it slowly shut its mouth, shaking its head in a timid and shrinking manner. It wanted to apologize but felt aggrieved, only looking at him.

"Sigh..."

Li Tongya sighed, suppressing the discomfort in his heart, and said with some weariness:

"Fellow Daoist, you have said too much. My own brother was eaten as blood-food, and Tongya himself comes from a farming background; I cannot listen to these words. My family has its own uses for the people we raise; there is no need for you to trouble yourself, Fellow Daoist."

The Bai Rong fox was, after all, a demon creature. Although it regarded Li Tongya as a close friend, it had valued only him from beginning to end. Seeing that Li Tongya would not listen to its advice, it could only flick its tail and reply:

"That stupid pig will likely seek you out to ask about the matters here; you handle it yourself!"

Li Tongya nodded in thanks. Opening up the town to let these demon creatures eat was absolutely impossible. Li Tongya already hated the various behaviors of the Zifu and Jin Dan cultivators above, and if he truly opened up the town, how would he be any different from those cultivators?

Furthermore, the Dharma Mirror needed the support of incense to condense talisman Qi, and the more commoners under his rule, the better. According to the standards mentioned in the "Livestock Sacrifice Method," Li Tongya felt the talisman pills condensed from the incense provided by the current commoners were already too few; it was even more impossible to let go.

Seeing that Li Tongya had a firm grasp on the situation, the fox could only nod. Li Tongya asked:

"Does Fellow Daoist know the situation of the demon creatures in the Xu State?"

"Xu State..."

A flash of fear crossed the fox's eyes, and it said in a low voice:

"How could I not know! The Buddhism Sect is advancing south; we demon creatures have even more reason to fear than you immortal cultivators!"

Li Tongya raised an eyebrow, and saw the fox flick its tail and reply:

"The Buddhism Sect has magic techniques, calling it some 'affinity' or 'non-affinity'—the moment they meet you, they want to capture you! Once captured, they make you eat vegetarian food. Eating vegetarian is fine, but they also want you to be their lackey, calling you some 'spirit beast'... Who isn't afraid? Who isn't terrified?"

The fox shook its head, stood up, and replied:

"Don't look at how we demon clans still look decent in Jiangnan. As long as we open our spiritual wisdom, refine our throat bones, and have a certain level of cultivation, we can also call immortal cultivators 'brothers,' call each other 'Fellow Daoist' or 'Senior,' and even establish sixteen demon caves to stand alongside the three sects and seven gates. Zifu demon cultivators can even travel the world and make friends everywhere..."

The fox paused and continued:

"In this north, there is no place for demon creatures to exist. To be a demon is to either die or become a slave to humans; where is there a third path to take? They are all implanted with magic techniques and used as 'spirit beasts,' destined to be stepped on by others for the rest of their lives! If any demon creature dares to walk through the air, they don't care if you are good or bad—they will drag you down and 'civilize' you!"

Hearing this, Li Tongya's eyes were opened, and his heart stirred. He replied:

"If that is the case, the demon creatures currently in Xu State have no backing or power to protect them. My family wishes to go to Xu State to capture a demon, but I fear breaking a taboo."

The fox laughed heartily, waved its hands repeatedly, and replied:

"Nowadays, any demon creature with a bit of background or insight has fled Xu State. Only those ignorant demons who became demons on their own are willing to stay in that place. The Buddhism Sect has already swallowed more than half of Xu State; who would still be willing to stay?"

"So that's how it is."

Li Tongya had a plan in mind. Seeing that the demon creature for the sacrifice was within reach, his mood improved. He couldn't help but ask one more question:

"How is it that when the Buddhism Sect advanced south, no great experts came out to stop them... It is, after all, a struggle between Daoist traditions."

The fox shook its head and replied:

"How would I know about you humans? You probably lost."

Li Tongya was silent. His own family hadn't even stepped out of Wangyue Lake; he had no qualifications to think about such things. He took out spirit rice to express his gratitude. The fox happily hugged the large bag, sat down on its own, and ate. Li Tongya then bid farewell and rode the wind back north.

The fox sat in place for a while, then climbed up grunting, took two spirit stones out of the tree hole, dipped them in saliva, and ate them mixed with the spirit rice.

————

Li Tongya landed hurriedly on Lijing Mountain, feeling troubled in his heart, and secretly thought:

"This trip must absolutely not let the Yu family know. Without a Foundation Establishment expert sitting in town, who knows what kind of trouble Yu Mugao will cause? Go fast and return fast, so there will be less danger."

"That Foundation Establishment wolf demon can occupy a mountain and be king; its strength must be quite good. If I want to slay this demon, I have confidence, but if I go alone, I don't know if I can capture it alive..."

Li Tongya calculated in his heart. This matter of capturing a demon alive was truly strange; he absolutely couldn't ask any Foundation Establishment cultivators to come and help. For a moment, he didn't know what to do. After pondering for a breath, he secretly thought:

"It would be better to ask the Dharma Mirror to come out... to use it to suppress the demon..."

Thus, he stepped through the central courtyard and entered the backyard. A pure white light barrier emerged. Li Tongya pinched a magic seal, and the light barrier revealed an opening only wide enough for one person to pass through.

Li Tongya just flicked his sleeve, and the dead leaves on the ground were immediately piled up neatly. Li Tongya stepped forward a few paces, entered the ancestral hall, replenished the incense, and then entered the secret room in the backyard.

He saw a cyan-gray mirror placed on a stone platform where Dharma light circulated. It was only the size of a palm, quietly suspended. Pale white moonlight flowed down, illuminating the stone room like a sea of clouds, as if it were a fairyland.

Li Tongya waved his hand gently, and the magic lamps and candles in the stone room lit up. He performed a grand salute, stood up, organized his words, looked at the Dharma Mirror before him with a somewhat complex expression, and said respectfully:

"Li family disciple Li Tongya, respectfully requests the Dharma Mirror to eliminate demons and punish evil, so as to enjoy the blood feast..."