Had it not been for Li Zhiming tonight, she would have long since slaughtered every disciple on the second level, slipped down to the sixth, and delivered the critical information and items to the ancestor of her Azure Fox clan.
"You can't escape. Surrender now!"
"Heh, even if I don't make it out alive today, I'm taking you down with me!"
"Taking me down with you? I'm afraid you don't have the skill for that." Li Zhiming replied dismissively. He believed the fox demon was hiding some card up her sleeve he didn't know about. But did he not have cards of his own?
"Don't flatter yourself!"
The fox demon’s face contorted, and her clothes were instantly shredded as she expanded. A fierce-looking, three-tailed fox appeared before everyone. Having revealed her true form, her strength and speed were significantly enhanced. She pushed off with all four limbs, leaping toward Li Zhiming.
"Shadow Steps!"
Li Zhiming dodged suddenly, his figure ghostly, evading the fox demon’s attack. But she did not pause for a second; she swung her claws wildly, her offensive becoming increasingly ferocious. Cold light flashed back and forth like the glint of knives and swords, yet none of it caused any substantial injury to Li Zhiming, leaving only two shallow scratches on his arm and chest.
"Tired? My turn now!"
Li Zhiming pushed off the ground with explosive force, charging at the fox demon like a beast. His fists were wreathed in flames, striking as densely as raindrops.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Demonic power and flame True Qi collided, erupting in a series of explosions.
"Get lost!"
The fox demon roared and opened her mouth. A sphere of purple demonic energy, the size of a human head, surged toward Li Zhiming. This attack was no trivial matter; Li Zhiming dared not be careless.
"Cloud Dance!"
He executed the high-grade profound movement technique he had just mastered.
*BOOM!*
The purple demonic energy exploded. The fox demon laughed aloud, thinking she had succeeded. Yet, the very next second, Li Zhiming burst through the mist!
"How is this possible?!"
Before the fox demon could dodge, a fist slammed into her face.
"Burst Fist!"
The violent force, compounded by two layers of internal energy, exploded outward. The fox demon was sent flying backward, but she managed to manipulate her tails in mid-air, wrapping them around a stone pillar to stabilize herself. At the same time, she lashed out with her palms, sending two bolts of demonic energy flying. Li Zhiming coated his arms in flame True Qi to deflect the strikes, though he still skidded back dozens of steps before stopping.
"Explode!" he whispered.
A muffled sound came from within the fox demon’s mouth. Just as she began to condense demonic energy, the fierce internal force shattered her sharp teeth.
*Pop!*
Another internal explosion occurred. The fox demon’s mouth split open, blood sprayed everywhere, and the energy she had been gathering dissipated. She gripped the guardrail with both hands, staring at Li Zhiming with such venomous hatred that she looked ready to devour him whole.
"Traitor, get out of the way! Stop interfering with my capture of this fox demon!"
Suddenly, a cold voice sounded by Li Zhiming’s ear, and a massive force shoved him aside. Patrol Guard Captain Zhang Qiong arrived, sword in hand, moving as fast as lightning. As he swung his blade, sharp sword energy spilled out, leaving deep gouges in the surrounding stone walls.
"Zhang Qiong, I want her alive!"
A deep voice echoed across the second level. Zhang Qiong reined in his power, his sharp sword stance weakening. He slashed once, cleanly severing the fox demon’s two front claws. Blood gushed forth instantly.
"You want to take me alive? Never!"
The fox demon would rather die than submit. She released her hold on the pillar and threw herself toward the depths of the Xuyuan Prison.
"Oh no!" Zhang Qiong’s expression shifted drastically.
The guardrail of the corridor was inscribed with a formation that greatly weakened the Yin Demonic Dead Qi; it was the only reason the ambient Yin Demonic Dead Qi in the prison was within their capacity to endure. Once one passed the guardrail, the Yin Demonic Dead Qi would become several times stronger. Further down, the cyclones formed by this energy were enough to grind the muscles and bones of a Rank Eight or even Rank Seven martial artist into dust.
"Get lost, don't stand in my way!" Li Zhiming shouted, mirroring Zhang Qiong’s tone as he shoved the captain aside. Then, to the astonishment of everyone present, he leaped over the guardrail and plunged downward.
"You're insane!" Zhang Qiong roared, reaching out to grab him, but it was too late. Li Zhiming was already falling alongside the fox demon.
"Qi of Taichu!"
Li Zhiming focused his mind, and the Qi of Taichu condensed into a thin layer of armor over his body, isolating the Yin Demonic Dead Qi.
"Little fox, if you want to die, that's not up to you!"
"You... you can actually resist the Yin Demonic Dead Qi?!" The fox demon was shocked. Her demon constitution was far superior to that of a human, yet even she couldn't withstand the environment—her bones were already beginning to fracture. Li Zhiming, however, looked perfectly fine, as if he were unaffected.
"Resist is a strong word, but I'll risk my life to drag you back!" Li Zhiming grabbed the fox demon by the neck. She was crippled now, with no power to fight back, entirely at his mercy.
*I wonder how much of a reward I'll get once this fox demon dies?* Li Zhiming mused. Cyan True Qi emerged from his palm. His wood-attribute True Qi condensed into vines that shot upward, wrapping around a stone pillar above.
At this point, Li Zhiming had plummeted to the depth of the fourth level. He glanced inside the dark cells, where countless eyes of varying colors stared back at him. The area was thick with ferocious demonic and devilish energy, exerting a massive sense of pressure on him.
"Such powerful pressure!" Li Zhiming felt a shiver of dread. The next second, he manipulated the vines to pull himself up. Even with the Qi of Taichu protecting him, the fourth level would still affect him. After all, his Taichu Heart Sutra was only at the entry-level, and his cultivation was too low. To safely reach the fourth level, he would at least need to be a Rank Seven!
Everyone on the second level assumed Li Zhiming was dead, only to see a vine lash out from below and wrap around a pillar. Moments later, Li Zhiming used the vine to swing himself back up, hauling the fox demon with him.
*Thump!*
They both hit the ground.
Shock. Stunned silence. That was the expression on every disciple's face. Even the composed Zhang Qiong looked astonished.
"How is this possible?!" Zhang Qiong knelt down, intending to check Li Zhiming’s injuries.
"Pfft—!" Li Zhiming spat out a mouthful of blood, feigning a near-death state. "The... the fox demon. I brought her back."
He stood up shakily, looking as weak as a candle in the wind.
"Why do this?" Zhang Qiong frowned. "Just to prove you aren't a traitor?"
"Heh, prove it? I don't need to prove anything to anyone." Li Zhiming sneered, indifferent. He just didn't want to lose the corpse; he still needed to collect the remains to get his reward!
"I... I said it before... even in death... I won't fall into your hands again."
The fox demon used her final ounce of strength to plunge her own claws into her heart.
"Ah!"
With a miserable cry, her pupils dilated, her head slumped, and she breathed her last. She had literally crushed her own heart.
*Good death!* Li Zhiming thought to himself with glee. He hadn't dared to kill her himself, fearing he wouldn't be able to "collect" a corpse he had slain personally—that would have been a huge loss.
"What... a pity." Li Zhiming pulled out a straw mat, clumsily laid the fox demon’s body out, and deliberately spat out more blood while collecting the remains to emphasize how severely injured he was.
"This guy... he's insane!"
"He’s hurt this badly and still worried about handling the corpse?"
"This Li Zhiming is truly a genius among jailers!"
"Go back and treat your wounds. You don't need to deal with the remains," Zhang Qiong said, waving him off.
"Understood." Li Zhiming nodded without hesitation, leaning against the wall and limping away. The corpse collection was successful; there was no point in staying.
[Collected corpse of Rank Eight Perfection fox demon]
[Lifespan +20, Vitality +6666, True Qi +10,000, Luck +5, Charm +10, Enhancement Points +10.]
[Congratulations, Host, your luck is off the charts!]
[Obtained: Heavenly Fox Blood Talisman]
[Obtained: Azure Bone Blade]
Li Zhiming watched the information float by, a satisfied smile on his face. Just as he was about to return to his room, that same deep voice sounded again.
"Level One Jailer Li Zhiming, for meritorious service in capturing the demon, is awarded twenty Vitality Pills, one bottle of Azure Flower Liquid, one hundred low-grade spirit stones, and is hereby promoted to Patrol Disciple. Someone, take him back to Level One to recuperate."
The voice clearly belonged to a high-ranking figure in the Xuyuan Prison, likely the strongest guardian elder of the second level.
"Disciple Li Zhiming thanks the Elder." Li Zhiming bowed.
The other jailers hearing this cast envious looks his way. Even the existing Patrol Disciples clenched their fists. Twenty Vitality Pills and one hundred low-grade spirit stones—that was no small sum! Their monthly stipend was only five Vitality Pills and ten spirit stones. Li Zhiming’s luck was simply too good! Falling into the abyss and not only surviving but receiving a personal reward from the guardian elder—it was incredibly enviable.
"In a few days, I will have someone deliver the rewards to you."
"Disciple thanks the Elder for his generosity."
"Mm, go back now."
Once the voice faded, a Patrol Disciple helped Li Zhiming leave the second level.