Volume Three: Rising Reputation Chapter Fifty: Under Control

Perhaps higher-level exotic beasts might behave differently, but judging from those Li Yu had encountered so far, none of these creatures knew how to conceal their true strength. Most of them relied on their own bodies as weapons—fangs, claws, tails, their very form—leaving little room for subterfuge.

Humans, however, were different. Someone skilled with a short sword might disguise themselves by wielding a meteor hammer in daily life. They might hold back a trump card, never revealing it until the brink of death.

Because of such factors, combat between humans often saw unexpected outcomes. Unless the gap in power was overwhelming, there were frequent upsets—many instances of the weak overcoming the strong.

Li Yu subtly sensed that Zan Yishuang was now beneath his feet.

“A pity. Most of the spirit treasure’s traits are unique to the owner. Otherwise, it could have helped me out,” he murmured, a hint of regret in his voice. But spirit treasures typically lost much of their effectiveness when external forces were involved.

Records from earlier years showed that humans, in their attempts to capture spirit treasures, would often mount them. Once seized, the treasures’ special abilities were greatly diminished—some traits couldn’t even be activated anymore.

“Li Yu, can you escape?” Zan Yishuang asked.

“Bang!” Li Yu kicked away an adult white fox lunging at him with surprising ease. “Not bad. If nothing unexpected happens, after running a hundred or eighty kilometers, these white foxes will give up.”

Before he finished speaking, he delivered another powerful kick, dislocating the jaw of a white fox.

If not for his mastery of the movement technique known as ‘lifting weight as if it were light,’ he would have been in far worse shape.

Imagine the snow here was about half a meter deep. Li Yu wasn’t lightly treading over it, but bounding unevenly with each step. Without his skill, he would have been surrounded in no time—running a mere hundred meters might not have been enough to outpace even a white fox cub!

“You absolutely—”

“You definitely won’t escape!”

An old, grating voice echoed repeatedly in Li Yu’s mind.

“Annoying!” Li Yu frowned.

What nonsense was this? He’d only snatched a few strands of the snow fox demon vine—which, admittedly, could enhance the bloodline and strength of the white foxes. But to chase him relentlessly for this long, and apparently with no intention of stopping—was this how uninvited guests were treated?

Li Yu’s toes shifted, nearing an uphill slope.

He maintained a small spiritual domain—not to fly, but to use the thunder spirit energy within it to paralyze the pursuing white foxes. This also allowed him to more easily draw upon the surrounding spiritual energy to keep his body light.

From an outside perspective, it would seem he merely possessed an unusual movement technique; none would suspect his cultivation level to be fifth grade.

“Bang!”

He came to a sudden stop. The snow several yards ahead exploded outward, warmth radiating as it melted into a large patch of slush.

“Persistent pests,” Li Yu’s expression darkened. This attack had been launched by one among the twelve pursuers with fifth-grade cultivation.

Though it did not injure him, it slowed his progress. In that brief delay, the stronger adult white foxes, alongside the robust alpha, closed in behind him.

Fortunately, the twelve pursuers used the opening to surround Li Yu. Momentarily, he was caught in the middle—facing both humans and the white fox clan.

“Awooo!” The alpha fox emitted a low, threatening growl.

“Your Highness?”

Several weaker cultivators arrived just then, and one whispered softly upon seeing the tense situation.

“Your Highness?”

The title caught Li Yu off guard. Then he realized these three were followers of a member of the Ming royal family—though he wasn’t sure which one had ventured into the secret realm this time.

The Ming royal family had three representatives, all fifth-grade cultivators—information openly available, which Li Yu had researched. He just didn’t know which prince or princess was here now.

“If you hadn’t acted earlier, Li Yu would have escaped by now!” Shan Zhizhuan explained beside Ying Yongge.

Ying Yongge, at the front, nodded slightly, casting a sidelong glance at Li Yu. “The Qing clan’s thunder bloodline, running scared before a pack of beasts?”

“Uh…” Li Yu’s expression faltered. He retorted, “Is the royal family nothing but cowards hiding in the shadows? Only striking from behind?”

“...”

“A sharp tongue!” Ying Yongge waved his hand. “Attack! Capture him!”

Two sixth-grade cultivators at his side sprang into action, leading the rest in a charge.

“Ganging up—what kind of skill is that?”

Li Yu curled his lips, speechless. Yet facing these ravenous enemies, he felt no fear. With a firm step, he charged into the midst of the white foxes.

For a moment, white foxes, the faction of the ninth prince, and Li Yu himself were tangled together.

Li Yu darted among the foxes, evading fangs and claws, as well as dazzling divine attacks.

The white foxes, enraged by the theft of their demon vine, attacked relentlessly. Inevitably, they clashed with the ninth prince’s men. Unable to reach Li Yu, they turned on those men instead.

The ninth prince’s followers, trailing Li Yu into the white fox clan, found no chance to jointly attack the enemy. Instead, they were caught in fierce skirmishes with the ferocious beasts.

“What are you doing?!” Ying Yongge stomped angrily outside, frustrated as his men found themselves trapped in battle.

Li Yu sidestepped a white fox’s snapping jaws, while a white fox lunging at him was struck in the abdomen by Shan Zhizhuan’s blow, collapsing and writhing.

“Did you really think I’d fight one-on-one?”

“Sure, it’s a duel, but I’m no fool. Fighting a whole pack alone is hard enough, let alone two rounds in a row. How’s that possible?” Li Yu smirked.

Unconsciously, he had reached the outskirts of the chaos. Just a few steps more and he could slip away.

Meanwhile, the ninth prince’s men had ignited a fierce battle with the white foxes. Now, no one cared who was the ‘real target.’ Everyone not on their side was fair game for lethal strikes.

The fight had grown deadlocked.

Two seventh-grade cultivators, caught off guard, were severely bitten by adult white foxes and ultimately killed amidst the turmoil.

“How did it get like this?” Ying Yongge appeared stunned.

How had things slipped out of his control so suddenly?

“How could this be a classic case of the snipe and the clam struggling, only for the fisherman to benefit?” Li Yu squinted at the ever-arriving white foxes. “If they try to block me, I can stir up the white fox clan and throw the whole scene into chaos.”

“But if they don’t block me directly… I just need to break free from the white foxes and vanish! Without a good number of fifth-grade cultivators, how could they possibly stop me?”

From beginning to end, the situation remained firmly in Li Yu’s hands.