The group reappeared at their parking spot. Lin Feng sat on the ground, gasping for air. The seven-tailed black fox had been too powerful, immobilizing him and leaving him utterly drained. The He sisters and Ji Boxiao, along with Qingniao, were similarly drenched in sweat, feeling as though they had narrowly escaped death.
"We underestimated the fox clan," Lin Feng wheezed. "According to intelligence, their strength isn't this formidable."
"Now, over a dozen elders of the fox clan have appeared out of nowhere, and that seven-tailed black fox has surpassed the Tribulation Crossing stage. It's a miracle we made it out alive," said He Yuning, catching her breath, a shiver of fear running through her as she recalled the events.
"Sister, why did they let us go then? That doesn't seem right," He Yuqing asked, puzzled.
"Hmph, it must be because the one who appeared later knew I was from the Ji family and you two were from the He family, which is why they didn't dare to touch us," Ji Boxiao snorted, clearly indignant.
He Yuning looked at Ji Boxiao with a strange expression, a mixture of amusement and helplessness in her eyes.
He Yuqing, ever the blunt one, blurted out, "Big sycophant, stop being so narcissistic. What you're saying makes no sense at all. If the fox clan truly knew who my sister and I were, we'd both be annihilated!"
"Huh? Why?" Ji Boxiao was bewildered. Weren't the He family incredibly powerful, even more so than the Ji family? How could it be as serious as He Yuqing suggested?
"Boxiao, some things are inconvenient to discuss with you. Just know that our survival this time was an accident," He Yuning said coldly.
"It might not be an accident. Even if they didn't fear your He family, they couldn't touch my Ji family. Even if the Black Fox King truly revived, he'd have to consider the consequences!" Ji Boxiao sneered arrogantly. As the young master of the Ji family, he was proud, especially in front of the woman he admired. He didn't want to be looked down upon!
Only Lin Feng knew that the reason the fox elders had let them go was because Hu Santai knew he was affiliated with Ying Tianqing. Ying Tianqing had previously provided the fox clan with the Wuji Golden Elixir, a great favor. However, Lin Feng was also curious about what the He sisters had said – why would the fox clan annihilate them if they knew they were from the He family? What kind of hatred was that? A generational feud? Lin Feng was momentarily perplexed.
Just as they were preparing to leave, the sky, which had been dim, was suddenly covered by dark clouds, and a fierce wind began to blow. A divine radiance shot up into the sky, a blinding beam piercing the heavens.
Boom, boom, boom!
Dense bolts of seven-colored divine lightning suddenly rained down, striking deep into the mountain forest.
"Damn you, heavens! I, the Black Fox King, have returned! What can you do to me now?" a deep voice echoed through the land. A colossal shadowy figure of a black fox occupied half the sky. The shadow was mountain-sized, and its head alone was terrifyingly large. The black fox gazed up at the sky, the seven-colored divine lightning striking its body like raindrops, causing it no harm whatsoever. Most terrifyingly, the black fox's nine golden tails unfurled like blooming flowers, and with a gentle sway, the dark clouds dispersed.
"I have returned!" the Nine-Tailed Black Fox declared, its voice calm yet filled with majesty and fighting spirit.
Awoo!
The Nine-Tailed Black Fox let out a roar, and the earth shook. Lin Feng and the others could barely stand, deeply shaken by the Black Fox King's power.
"Quick, quick, let's go! The Black Fox King has revived!" He Yuning cried out, her face pale, as if she had witnessed something truly terrifying.
Ji Boxiao was also terrified. In his panic, he immediately scrambled into the Rolls-Royce.
"Yuning, Yuqing, get in the car!" Ji Boxiao urged. After the He sisters got in, he completely ignored Lin Feng and Qingniao, stomped on the accelerator, and sped away.
"I'll kick your ass, you did that on purpose, didn't you?" Lin Feng's eyes flashed with anger. Ji Boxiao, that scoundrel, had utterly abandoned him.
"We should go too. The Black Fox King is too terrifying. I feel his power is comparable to the Demon Emperor's. In his eyes, we're nothing more than dust," Qingniao said, her brows furrowed. Lin Feng wasn't afraid, as he had Ying Tianqing backing him. However, with the earth shaking, he could still be accidentally harmed. Therefore, Lin Feng didn't waste any more words and got into Qingniao's car to leave.
Just as Lin Feng departed, a black-winged roc tore through the sky and circled above the Black Fox King's head. The Black Fox King, seeing this, gradually transformed its massive fox body into human form and bowed to the roc.
At that moment, Lin Feng and Qingniao drove out of the mountain road and saw the Rolls-Royce entering the highway leading to the capital.
"Should we follow them, or head back to Qingcheng first?" Qingniao asked Lin Feng for his opinion.
"Of course, we have to follow. We still don't know He Yuqing's secret. What if she's the reincarnation of Qingniao?" Lin Feng suggested. For some reason, he had a feeling that He Yuqing was somehow inexplicably drawing him in. He had even suspected that He Yuqing might be the reincarnation of Qingniao he was searching for.
As night fell, Lin Feng and Qingniao drove off the capital's ring road. When exiting the highway, the Rolls-Royce pulled over. Ji Boxiao got out and signaled Qingniao to stop.
"Kid, you guys shouldn't follow us anymore. And don't speak a word of what happened today. Don't think that just because Yuqing is protecting you, I can't do anything to you. This money is your compensation!" Ji Boxiao warned sternly, pulling out a golden bank card from his pocket.
"Little chicken neck, what do you mean by giving me a bank card? Even if it's compensation, you could at least show some sincerity. What's the password?" Lin Feng sneered. This little chicken neck was truly pretentious, just like Chen Fan. No wonder his luck value increased when he tormented Ji Boxiao; it turned out this guy had replaced Chen Fan and become his current target.
"There's no password, just swipe the card directly," Ji Boxiao said with a disdainful smile before turning to leave. In his eyes, as long as Lin Feng accepted the bank card, it meant Lin Feng was no different from ordinary people, a low-class individual unfit for polite society.
"Hey, are you really planning to take this money? Are you that short on cash?" Qingniao was indignant. She could tell Ji Boxiao was incredibly full of himself.
"I wasn't going to take it originally, but on second thought, there's no need to argue with an arrogant show-off! Besides, the money is innocent. Throwing it away won't appease me," Lin Feng said with a smile, pocketing the bank card. He planned to find opportunities to torment Ji Boxiao further and, upon completing his mission, deal with him.
"Then if you take all the money, are we still following?" Qingniao, unable to reason with Lin Feng, decided to let him do as he pleased.
"We're not following anymore. We won't find anything even if we do. Take me somewhere," Lin Feng said. He had just received a message from Duan Liang. He didn't know where the old Daoist had gotten a phone, but he had misspelled six or seven out of a dozen words. However, the message content was clear enough: Miaolian didn't want to see Lin Feng, and if Lin Feng wanted to know the truth, he should go to Kyoto No. 48. What did that mean? Could Miaolian truly know about his senior sister's matters? Perhaps it was inconvenient to talk about it at the Kunlun Sect, so she was only opening up now? Lin Feng couldn't figure it out and could only signal Qingniao to drive them there to investigate.