Chapter 342: Protagonist, Please Teach Me (6000)
Large black clouds gradually moved into Tian’an from the west, accompanied by dull thunder:
Booming…
The street was so quiet that you could hear a needle drop. Liang Zhu and Ye Wan’er looked up at the Imperial Palace, enveloped by Fox Mu’s demonic power. The sounds and commotion could not penetrate Fox Mu’s demonic energy, so they had no way of knowing what was happening inside.
The battles between Void Realm cultivators were recorded in history. Cultivators at the level of Dan Yue Shang Xian and the Central Domain Emperor could turn an area of a thousand li into scorched earth in an instant.
Liang Zhu couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat for Ye Anping and Pei Lianxue. The two Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators were currently under the feet of two Void Realm cultivators. If they were not careful, they would not even leave a complete corpse.
Ye Anping had promised him that he would definitely rescue the Empress safely from Nangong City.
Boom—
A beam of golden light pierced through the spiritual shield formed by Fox Mu’s demonic energy. Like a reverse meteor, it shot straight towards the silver moon in the sky, leaving a trail across the night sky.
A cloud of dust exploded on the surface of the moon. Visibly, the golden light had knocked it off course by an inch.
Xue Tianqiao, who was standing beside Liang Zhu and holding his clothes, her fox ears on top of her head suddenly perked up. As if startled, her eyes widened slightly, and she shouted to her master in the sky:
“Wow~ Master!! Your spiritual shield was shattered in one blow!!!”
“…”
Fox Mu, floating in mid-air, his tail swaying gently in the wind, heard the shout from below. He immediately shot a fierce glare at his obedient disciple, as if saying:
— Master isn’t blind!! Can’t you, you vixen, stop talking? It makes it sound like Master’s spiritual shield is so vulnerable.
Fox Mu took a deep breath, extinguished the thought of stewing his disciple, and looked towards the Imperial Palace. He did not bother to repair the spiritual shield that had been pierced by the golden light. Instead, he withdrew his demonic power, descended from the sky, and stood with his hands behind his back.
“That beam of golden light just now was Nangong City’s Natal Spirit Spear. Since he threw out his Natal Spirit Spear, it means he’s reached the end of his rope. The dust has settled.”
He said this to Liang Zhu and Ye Wan’er beside him, the subtext being—it wasn’t that his spiritual shield was not powerful enough, but rather that this attack from Nangong City was his full-power strike, gathered with his lifelong cultivation. No one could block it with spiritual power.
Hearing this, Liang Zhu saw Fox Mu’s fierce gaze and quickly cupped his hands in salute:
“Thank you, Venerable One, for your help. This junior has other orders to follow, so I will take my leave.”
“Thank you, Venerable One…”
Ye Wan’er also withdrew her gaze from the distant Imperial Palace and bid farewell with a salute.
After Fox Mu nodded in agreement, the two summoned their flying swords and rushed towards the Imperial Palace.
Watching them fly away, Fox Mu slowly turned his eyes back to Xue Tianqiao and immediately grabbed her head, lifting her up. He said:
“Shut that foul mouth of yours!! Otherwise…”
As soon as he said this, Xue Tianqiao flinched slightly, quickly drew a cross over her mouth, and let out a whimpering sound:
“Wuwu… wuwuwu—”
“…”
Fox Mu’s eye twitched. His disciple suddenly becoming obedient indicated a problem. She likely had something very important to say.
He stared at Xue Tianqiao’s clear, watery blue eyes for a moment before speaking:
“Speak.”
“Hehe…” Xue Tianqiao stuck out her tongue and smiled as if she had succeeded in a prank. “Master, I smell roasted chicken. I want to eat roasted chicken.”
“…”
Fox Mu gritted his teeth. However, the next moment, Xue Tianqiao added something that made him freeze:
“I also smell the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao.”
“…Where?”
Xue Tianqiao, who was being held by the collar, raised her hand and pointed ahead:
“Where the roasted chicken is.”
Fox Mu followed her finger and his eyes suddenly narrowed into vertical slits. Using his long-distance technique, his vision rapidly moved forward through the streets. After turning two corners, it reached a small pavilion by a river within Tian’an City.
…
…
The black clouds in the west slowly passed over the city wall, pressing down on Tian’an City. Waves of dull thunder shook the heavens and earth.
Booming—
Xiao Yunluo held her spirit sword and stood under the eaves of the pavilion, watching two flying swords head towards the Imperial Palace. She understood that the situation in the Imperial Palace should have been resolved.
Liang Zhu and Ye Wan’er were now rushing to the Imperial Sect’s secret vault to move things.
Normally, a resolved situation would be a good thing, and she should be able to relax. But despite relaxing, Xiao Yunluo felt a sense of unwillingness.
— She hadn’t been able to help Ye Anping at all this time; in fact, she had been slacking off the entire time.
When Hong Yu rushed to the inn to report that the Empress had been captured, Ye Anping had told her to go help her mother. However, when she arrived, only imperial guards were left lying on the ground, barely clinging to life. She hadn’t found anyone.
Afterward, when Ye Anping, Lian Xue, and Feng Yu Die went to Xing Tian Pavilion to help Yue Xuanming escape, she was just waiting there in front of the Imperial Palace.
When the three finally reunited and she was ready to show her skills, Ye Anping arranged for her to accompany Feng Yu Die to buy roasted chicken and find a place to rest, while he took Lian Xue and slipped into the Imperial Sect’s secret vault from below to get the “Nine Dragon Heavenly Seal.”
And then…
Xiao Yunluo glanced sideways at Feng Yu Die, who was now sitting in the pavilion, holding a large roasted chicken and with oil all over her mouth. Dissatisfaction flickered in her eyes.
Seeing Xiao Yunluo look at her, Feng Yu Die thought she also wanted to eat roasted chicken. After hesitating, she reluctantly tore off a chicken leg from the roasted chicken in her hand and slowly offered it:
“…Senior Sister Xiao, for you?”
“…”
Xiao Yunluo looked at the chicken leg Feng Yu Die was offering and took a deep breath through her nose, causing her chest to slightly bulge.
Everyone else was busy!
And what was she doing?
She was here babysitting a fool, eating roasted chicken with her!!
It would have been better to have her accompany Liang Zhu to move the Imperial Sect’s secret vault. Although, as the Young Master of Xuan Xing Sect, moving things from someone else’s secret vault was a bit strange, it was still more comfortable than being here with a fool, feeling the wind.
“No!”
“Oh…”
Feng Yu Die shrank her head, not understanding why Xiao Yunluo was suddenly angry. She hadn’t done anything. But she didn’t care and quickly picked up the chicken leg and stuffed it into her mouth.
Xiao Tian, who was floating above her head, sighed:
“Yu Die, Xiao Girl feels unbalanced because everyone else is busy, and she’s stuck babysitting.”
“Babysitting…” Feng Yu Die nodded, but then felt something was wrong. She asked softly, “Where’s the child?”
“Little Yu Die.”
“…Go away!”
Feng Yu Die waved her hand away in annoyance, but Xiao Tian, like a mosquito, dodged and weaved, circling the pavilion as if it were fun.
Xiao Yunluo tilted her head slightly and glanced at Feng Yu Die, who was fanning away flies. Her heart felt even more exhausted.
It was at this moment that a bolt of lightning suddenly flashed across the sky.
Boom—!!!
The sudden thunder above the black clouds was deafening. Both Xiao Yunluo and Feng Yu Die instinctively straightened their backs. Even Xiao Tian dug at her ears and looked up at the sky.
“What a big thunder. It’s going to rain a lot.”
As soon as it spoke, a water droplet, the size of a finger, fell into the nearby river, creating ripples.
Large and small drops fell one after another onto the dark street.
Feng Yu Die frowned slightly, as if sensing something. She stood up from the stone bench, looked around outside the pavilion, and called out:
“Senior Sister Xiao…”
“What is it?”
“I feel like something’s up.”
“Something’s up…”
Xiao Yunluo felt a little confused, but seeing Feng Yu Die’s expression, she quickly took out the spirit sword she had bought a few days ago from her storage bag and became vigilant of her surroundings.
Feng Yu Die also quickly took out the verdant green spirit sword that Xiao Yunluo had and held it by her side.
But upon seeing the spirit sword in her hand, Xiao Yunluo had a moment of realization and her eyes widened.
She hadn’t looked closely before, but now that she was looking at it up close, how did the sword in the fool’s hand look so similar to the one the Immortal Thief had stolen from her?
“Fool, where did you get this sword?”
Feng Yu Die paused and quickly replied, “I bought it with money from Young Master Ye. Senior Sister Xiao, go argue with Young Master Ye. I spent money, so it’s mine.”
“?”
Xiao Yunluo was stunned for a moment before she realized it, and she took another deep breath:
“You mean this sword is really mine…”
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed.
Thunder—
Afterward, two figures appeared twenty feet outside the pavilion.
The two figures were of different heights. Each had what looked like two fluffy tails behind them that made one want to reach out and grab them, and a pair of pointed, fluffy ears on top of their heads.
Huala Huala—
A curtain of rain poured down, but it seemed to avoid the two, not wetting their clothes in the slightest.
Xiao Tian squinted at the two and immediately her eyes widened. She warned:
“Yu Die, that’s Demon Emperor Fox Mu. The little fox demon beside him should be the seductive fox that Anping mentioned before.”
“…”
Hearing this, Feng Yu Die’s brows furrowed slightly. She was somewhat confused. Ye Anping had told her several times before to save her spiritual energy to deal with a fox spirit, and that she could handle it.
So, while eating roasted chicken, she had been waiting for that fox spirit to come find her. After all, Ye Anping had said that the fox spirit would come looking for her.
But…
Why was it the Demon Emperor who came looking for her?
Ye Anping couldn’t possibly expect her to deal with a fox that was close to the Void Realm of Human Cultivation, could he? How could she handle that… Even if she used the Saint Emperor Dragon Body, she definitely wouldn’t win.
Feng Yu Die lowered her neck, and her gaze quickly shifted to Xue Tianqiao. She thought she could handle the little fox spirit’s words, but why?
Fox Mu’s vertical pupils stared intently at Feng Yu Die, and he took a step forward with his hands behind his back.
As he stepped, a black mist suddenly spread out.
The waves in the river stilled instantly, and the large and small raindrops stopped in mid-air.
A black shadow emerged from the tail behind Fox Mu, transforming into a giant fox several times larger than Feng Yu Die. It opened its mouth and swallowed Feng Yu Die whole, then retracted back into Fox Mu’s tail.
Xiao Tian was stunned for a moment, then panicked. She immediately rushed to Fox Mu’s head and started punching and kicking his ears and head:
“Spit it out!! You’re not allowed to eat Yu Die! Yu Die doesn’t taste good!!! You stinky fox, spit it out!!”
Huala—
The plate of roasted chicken that Feng Yu Die had been holding fell to the ground and shattered, which finally snapped Xiao Yunluo out of her daze.
She looked at the shattered porcelain fragments on the ground, her pupils narrowing into small dots. She tentatively asked:
“Fool?!”
Thunder—
Lightning streaked across the black clouds pressing down on the city, and countless twisted electric snakes spread across the horizon.
Pea-sized raindrops hit the pavilion roof and then slid down the eaves, making a pattering sound.
Xiao Yunluo looked at the two fox demons standing in the rain without getting their clothes wet and was stunned for a long time before finally realizing that the male fox demon was the Demon Emperor.
At the same time, she also understood that in that instant, Fox Mu had eaten Feng Yu Die whole with his tail spirit.
“Wh—”
She was a bit too flustered, and her right hand holding the sword began to tremble slightly. She suddenly remembered what Ye Anping had said to her that night.
— “When the Demon Emperor and Senior Sister Feng are fighting, you need to help Senior Sister Feng.”
At the time, she hadn’t thought too much about it, because Ye Anping had told her, which meant Ye Anping thought she could do it, and she didn’t need to overthink it.
But now…
In just an instant, the fool was eaten. She hadn’t even clearly seen Fox Mu’s tail spirit, let alone stopped him.
How could she help?
“…”
Xiao Yunluo shook her head and forced herself to calm down.
Questioning the Demon Emperor now was useless. Even if she rushed forward with her sword, she wouldn’t be able to save the fool. The difference in cultivation was too great.
Before the fool was “digested,” she had to find a way to make Fox Mu spit her out.
“This junior, Xiao Yunluo, Young Master of Xuan Xing Sect, greets the Venerable One. I humbly ask the Venerable One to return my junior sister. Otherwise, this matter will definitely be reported to the Sect Master. The person you swallowed is the Sect Master’s direct disciple…”
Hearing this, Fox Mu’s brows suddenly furrowed. His originally gentle gaze suddenly showed a hint of killing intent, causing Xiao Yunluo to turn pale and take a step back.
Why did everyone like to use that old woman Dan Yue to pressure him?
Xue Tianqiao, standing beside him, heard this and covered her mouth, letting out a faint, bell-like laugh, saying:
“Master, see? Everyone knows you are kind to the young and respectful of elders…”
“…”
Fox Mu shot Xue Tianqiao a glare, took a deep breath, and his gaze fell back to Xiao Yunluo’s face. After observing her for a while, a character resembling a “川” appeared between his brows.
“Xiao? Young Master? Are you the daughter of Xuan Long?”
“Xuan… Xuan Long?”
This was the first time Xiao Yunluo had heard this term. A hint of confusion showed in her eyes. She wasn’t sure if “Xuan Long” was a name or something else, but she quickly regained her composure.
Now was not the time to dwell on this. She didn’t know how long the fool could hold out inside Fox Mu’s tail spirit, but this couldn’t be delayed. The sooner Fox Mu spat her out, the greater the fool’s chance of survival.
Xiao Yunluo took a deep breath, clenched the hand holding her sword, took a step forward, and said, “Venerable One!! This junior will not repeat the previous words. I ask you to be self-disciplined and cautious. If my junior sister has the slightest mishap…”
Before she could finish speaking, a golden stream of light suddenly appeared on Fox Mu’s originally dark fluffy tail. Xue Tianqiao glanced at it and quickly pointed at his tail, saying:
“Master, your tail is glowing…”
?
Fox Mu was stunned for a moment and slightly turned his head to look behind him, his gaze falling on a point of golden light at the tip of his tail. The next moment, a verdant spirit sword emerged directly from his tail, pointing straight at Fox Mu’s forehead.
Fox Mu’s eyes narrowed slightly, and dark spiritual energy instantly enveloped the sword tip.
However, a beam of golden light suddenly appeared on the sword body, piercing through his protective spiritual energy.
Swish—
A flash of sword light, a strand of hair fell from near Fox Mu’s ear, and at the same time, Feng Yu Die was ejected from his tail. After rolling more than ten times upon landing, she managed to stabilize herself by thrusting her spirit sword into the ground.
“Peh—”
Feng Yu Die looked up at Fox Mu, ten feet away, curled her lips, and spat out a mouthful of blood to the side. She took a deep breath, held it, and calmed her slightly ragged breathing.
Xiao Tian, who had been pulling at Fox Mu’s ears and shouting above his head, saw Feng Yu Die come out on her own and immediately flew over, grabbing her shoulders and shouting to the sky:
“Old Jiu!!”
Golden spiritual energy instantly surged out of Feng Yu Die’s body, transforming into a golden dragon that coiled above her head.
Fox Mu slightly raised his eyes and met the gaze of the golden dragon, but he seemed unconcerned, saying coldly:
“Hand over the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao to this seat, or die.”
Hearing this, Feng Yu Die finally understood that he hadn’t intended to kill her earlier.
If the Demon Emperor had truly intended to kill her, she wouldn’t have even felt death.
So, his goal was merely Xiao Tian.
But then the problem arose: why did the Demon Emperor know she had the scroll?
This was the first time since leaving the mountain that she had encountered someone who wanted to take the scroll from her. Even at Moon Shadow Sword Sect last time, Yun Kunwu hadn’t known she had the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao; he had only accidentally taken Xiao Tian.
Feng Yu Die felt a little puzzled, but she didn’t show it. Instead, she pretended to be terrified and asked softly:
“What Heavenly Scroll of the Dao?”
“…”
“Venerable One, I truly don’t know about any Heavenly Scroll of the Dao. Are you mistaken? I…”
Xiao Yunluo also quickly rushed to Feng Yu Die’s front, shielding her behind her, and said, “Venerable One, the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao is an item of karma, how could it be on my junior sister? My junior sister is foolish; she only knows how to eat roasted chicken. If she had the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao, why would she be so foolish?”
?
Feng Yu Die was stunned for a moment, feeling inexplicably annoyed. But at this moment, she quickly nodded and said, “Yes, Venerable One… If I had the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao…”
Hearing their duet, Fox Mu frowned slightly, glanced at the half-eaten roasted chicken on the ground, and finally turned to look at Xue Tianqiao beside him, implying: Did you just say she had the scroll because you wanted to eat roasted chicken?
Aware of her master’s gaze, Xue Tianqiao shook her head slightly and said very seriously:
“Master, it is indeed on her.”
“…”
Fox Mu looked into Xue Tianqiao’s eyes, was silent for a moment, and then looked back at Feng Yu Die and Xiao Yunluo, saying:
“Hand over the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao. For the sake of the Xuan Xing Sect Master, I will say this one last time.”
Seeing their interaction, Feng Yu Die looked at Xue Tianqiao beside him in disbelief. Xiao Tian also looked astonished and hurried forward, waving her hands in front of Xue Tianqiao and making a funny face.
However, Xue Tianqiao didn’t seem to be able to see her, unlike Ye Anping.
Xiao Yunluo continued to defend Feng Yu Die: “Venerable One, my junior sister usually only practices swordplay and plays. I’ve never seen her read a book, and I’ve even checked her storage bag, but there’s really no Heavenly Scroll of the Dao you’re looking for.”
Fox Mu tilted his head slightly:
“Daughter of Xuan Long, this matter has nothing to do with you. As long as she hands over the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao, this seat will leave immediately.”
Seeing Fox Mu’s certainty, Xiao Yunluo was momentarily speechless. She now only hoped that she could stall for time until her mother arrived.
Only her mother could suppress this fox.
Large and small raindrops fell from the sky, gradually wetting the long hair and clothes of the two. Feng Yu Die pursed her lips, stepped forward, and took the initiative to block Xiao Yunluo behind her. She decided to tell the truth:
“Demon Emperor Venerable One, the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao is indeed on me, but it’s not something I can give away just because I want to.”
Xiao Yunluo was slightly surprised to hear this but quickly realized that Feng Yu Die was stalling for time and fell silent.
Fox Mu was silent for a moment but then gave Feng Yu Die a chance to continue speaking:
“…Continue.”
“The Heavenly Scroll of the Dao is my natal spirit object. Besides me, no one else can see it. It’s not that I don’t want to give it, but I don’t know how to give it.”
Fox Mu looked at Feng Yu Die coldly and said:
“Natal spirit object, so the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao chose you. Heavenly Spiritual Root, Saint Emperor’s Pulse…”
After thinking for a moment, Fox Mu formed a sword finger and flicked his hand, instantly enveloping his body in a ball of black mist, causing Feng Yu Die to become vigilant. She signaled Xiao Tian with her eyes to get the golden dragon in the sky ready.
However, the next moment, after the black mist dispersed.
Fox Mu’s figure seemed to have been cut in half, transforming into a young fox demon, but his eyes remained extremely fierce.
Xue Tianqiao, seeing her master become as tall as her, was immediately surprised:
“Wow, Master, you’ve become my junior brother…”
Before she could finish speaking, the raindrops that previously avoided them suddenly poured down, drenching both her and Fox Mu like drowned foxes.
Xue Tianqiao shook her head, quickly covered her head and ran into the nearby pavilion, starting to wring out her tail.
Xiao Tian, floating beside Feng Yu Die, saw Fox Mu like this and immediately said:
“Yu Die, he seems to have sealed off most of his cultivation.”
Fox Mu seemed to have a hint of nostalgia as he looked up at the rain falling on him, then turned to look at Xue Tianqiao in the pavilion: “Qiao’er, give Master your spirit sword.”
“Master, can you give me a heads-up next time… My tail is soaked.”
Xue Tianqiao puffed out her cheeks, complained, and waved her hand, summoning a curved spirit sword from her storage bag and presenting it to Fox Mu.
Fox Mu took the hilt and swung it to his side, pointing it diagonally at the street.
Dense raindrops fell on the sword body and then slid down the blade, forming a continuous stream of water at the tip.
Feng Yu Die was silent for a moment and became serious for a rare occasion. She stepped forward and swung her spirit sword to the side, saying:
“Senior Sister Xiao, wait on the side…”
“Ah…” Xiao Yunluo’s eyes widened. “You’re not really thinking of…”
Feng Yu Die nodded and replied:
“Young Master Ye said I could handle it. He must have anticipated this would happen.”
“…”
Then, she took a deep breath, looked at Fox Mu, cupped her hands, and reversed her grip on the spirit sword, bowing:
“This junior, Feng Yu Die, disciple of Grand Void True Person, requests the Venerable One’s guidance.”
…
