Volume 1, Chapter 84 – She Said No

“Mm…”

Song Shiyuan suddenly opened her eyes from meditation.

She raised her jade hand, lightly covering her chest.

Just now, she had suddenly felt a palpitation.

That heart-stopping feeling was like a warning from somewhere that something was about to happen.

“Little fox demon…” Song Shiyuan pressed her lips slightly.

She suppressed the panic in her heart.

“Nothing will happen… as long as I move quickly, nothing will happen.”

Song Shiyuan muttered to herself. She looked toward where the fox palace would be.

The communication talisman from Lingxiao Sword Sect suddenly began trembling at this moment.

Song Shiyuan took out the talisman and used her spiritual power to tap it lightly.

Senior Brother Lu Guan’s voice came from the talisman. “Junior Sister Song! The powerhouses escorting the bride from the Fox Palace have returned to Mingzhao City.”

“The World-Ending Fox Monarch has also appeared at the wedding banquet in Mingzhao City!”

“We can officially begin the rescue!”

Hearing this, a flash of silver light flickered in Song Shiyuan’s eyes.

Surging sword qi uncontrollably emanated from within her body.

With a crack, the female consort collar around Song Shiyuan’s neck, unable to withstand this torrential sword qi, was shattered.

Song Shiyuan stood up.

A fierce wind arose in the courtyard.

Her full cultivation was now completely revealed.

“Nascent Soul… late stage?” Song Shiyuan pressed her lips slightly.

Then a self-deprecating smile curved on her lips.

Before being captured into the Fox Palace, she had only just entered the Nascent Soul stage not long ago.

Within the Fox Palace, Song Shiyuan’s cultivation had been locked at Foundation Establishment stage.

Originally she thought these several months might be wasted.

But unexpectedly, not only had her cultivation not stagnated, it had even greatly advanced.

“Several months, from early Nascent Soul to late Nascent Soul. Elder brother… could Song Shixuan also achieve this cultivation speed in the Fox Palace?”

Song Shiyuan muttered softly.

Song Shixuan had entered Nascent Soul stage slightly earlier than her.

Song Shiyuan was about half a year slower than Song Shixuan, and now Song Shiyuan was already late Nascent Soul.

So what realm was her elder brother, that man, at now?

Deity Transformation stage?

Song Shiyuan couldn’t guess.

But she knew that after Deity Transformation stage was the true threshold separating geniuses from mediocrities.

“During this time in the Fox Palace, I was clearly sealed in cultivation and never cultivated at all, yet my cultivation realm increased…”

“It’s because of… my mental state.”

Song Shiyuan recalled this time spent with the little fox demon. She had experienced the ultimate joy in her emotions and also tasted the ultimate sorrow of betrayal.

For Lingxiao sword cultivators, this kind of emotional experience could also be part of cultivation.

“But if given a choice… no one would want to experience such grief…”

Song Shiyuan clenched her fist.

“Time to rescue people.”

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She left the room and came outside.

Night had fallen. The entire Fox Palace was quietly still.

Song Shiyuan swept her gaze left and right. Those fox demons from during the day were nowhere to be seen now.

Was it because they had all gone to Mingzhao City to celebrate for the Fox Monarch?

Or had they hidden themselves? Evacuated in advance?

Song Shiyuan chuckled softly.

Song Shixuan stood on the fox clan’s side to begin with. Since he already knew of Lingxiao Sword Sect’s rescue plan, it wasn’t strange the fox clan would receive advance notice.

Since the fox clan wanted to take advantage and place that planted agent back into Lingxiao Sword Sect, then Lingxiao Sword Sect’s operation this time shouldn’t fail.

Moreover, for the sake of the planted agent Song Shixuan, the fox clan wouldn’t let Lingxiao Sword Sect’s rescue plan fail.

Song Shiyuan had become quite familiar with the Fox Palace during this time. She knew the fox demon maidservants in the Fox Palace generally had no combat ability.

Having these non-combatant fox demon maidservants leave in advance was also a good thing for Song Shiyuan.

Song Shiyuan didn’t want to draw her sword against those familiar faces.

“The first step of the plan is to open the Fox Palace’s outer formation.”

After recovering her cultivation, Song Shiyuan moved very quickly. Before long, she arrived at the location Lu Guan had marked for her.

“Here is where the Fox Palace formation is weakest.”

Song Shiyuan looked ahead.

Though she could understand formations a little, the Fox Palace’s formations still weren’t something a novice like her could see through.

The formation before her had no flaws in Song Shiyuan’s eyes.

Song Shiyuan didn’t dwell too much on this matter. She knew her own capabilities.

Anyway, Lu Guan had already marked the breaking method for her. She didn’t need to truly understand formations.

“Lingxiao sword intent…”

Song Shiyuan formed hand seals.

The surrounding sword qi began flowing.

Sword wind whirled up.

Song Shiyuan had given her Chengxin sword to the little fox demon.

Without her natal sword, her strength would be greatly reduced.

However, in this plan, there was no time when she needed to fight anyway.

Leaving Chengxin with the little fox demon made Song Shiyuan feel more at ease.

Thinking of the little fox demon, an urgent feeling rose in Song Shiyuan’s heart.

Her hand movements unconsciously quickened by several degrees.

Creak! Crack!

On the restriction before her, cracks like spider webs began appearing.

Accompanied by groaning sounds of being unable to bear the load, the Fox Palace’s restriction formation that hadn’t wavered in a thousand years developed a breach under a small Nascent Soul stage Lingxiao sword cultivator’s hands.

And this breach continued expanding outward under Song Shiyuan’s efforts.

Crack crack—! Crack crack—!

“It’s through! It’s through!”

“The Fox Palace’s barrier has really been broken through by us!”

Excited cheering sounds came through.

Song Shiyuan saw that a doorway large enough for one person to pass through had been opened in the restriction before her.

“Junior Sister Song!” Lu Guan said excitedly to Song Shiyuan, “Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to enter this place so easily.”

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“I dare assert we’re definitely the first sword cultivators to successfully invade the Fox Palace in a thousand years!”

The Lingxiao Sword Sect members all wore excited expressions. They looked curiously at the prosperous Fox Palace before them.

“The fox clan truly deserves to be the wealthiest and most prosperous race in the entire Demon Realm.”

“Clearly a bunch of non-human creatures, yet this Fox Monarch’s taste has learned seventy to eighty percent from human imperial palaces.”

Toward the excited Lingxiao Sword Sect members, Song Shiyuan merely lowered her eyes.

She turned her gaze toward the Lingxiao Sword Sect members.

Following closely behind the Lingxiao Sword Sect members into the Fox Palace was a group of sword cultivators wearing yellow sword cultivation robes.

The leader was a female sword cultivator who appeared quite elderly.

At her waist also hung an ancient wide sword.

“Elder Huang Shi.” Song Shiyuan said.

The female sword cultivator named Huang Shi nodded to Song Shiyuan.

Then Huang Shi looked toward the Lingxiao Sword Sect members.

“Let’s go! Don’t delay.” Huang Shi said, “Inside the Fox Palace, crises lurk everywhere. The more time we waste here, the more dangerous the situation becomes.”

Lu Guan had no objection to this. “Elder Huang is right.”

“Inside the Fox Palace, restriction formations are intricately complex.”

“Although we’ve successfully opened the Fox Palace’s outer formation, the formations ahead will only be more dangerous.”

“So for the journey ahead, we must be careful.”

While speaking, Lu Guan looked to Song Shiyuan beside him. “Junior Sister Song, we’ll have to trouble you to lead the way from here!”

Song Shiyuan nodded.

This was part of their original plan anyway.

Song Shiyuan had stayed in the Fox Palace for quite a long time. She was more familiar with the Fox Palace’s terrain than others.

And only she knew where the dungeons imprisoning Lingxiao Sword Sect and Lingxu Sword Sect disciples were located.

Having her lead was most appropriate.

There weren’t any other candidates anyway.

Under Song Shiyuan’s lead, everyone set out again.

Without the female consort collar’s protection, the Fox Palace’s restrictions no longer blocked Song Shiyuan.

To prevent triggering the Fox Palace’s restrictions on the way to the dungeon and alerting the fox clan outside to abnormalities within the Fox Palace, Song Shiyuan could only choose to take everyone on a detour, moving slowly toward their destination along the weak points in the Fox Palace formation that Lu Guan had discovered on the formation defense diagram.

Of course, along this route they also encountered many defensive restrictions that had to be forcibly broken through.

But under the guidance of Lu Guan, this formation grandmaster, these defensive restrictions couldn’t pose any real obstacle to everyone.

Moreover, along this entire route, they hadn’t encountered a single fox demon.

The rescue plan proceeded very smoothly.

“Brother Lu.” Lingxu Sword Sect’s Elder Huang Shi said, “Your Lingxiao Sword Sect is truly familiar with the formation layout in this Fox Palace.”

“It’s almost as if the formations in this Fox Palace were arranged by you.”

Lu Guan chuckled and said, “It’s just that the Fox Palace’s formations happen to fall within Lu’s area of expertise.”

“This is also coincidental.”

Elder Huang Shi smiled and didn’t continue the conversation.

Lu Guan reconfirmed their plan. “According to the plan, we’ll first rescue Lingxiao Sword Sect disciples, then go rescue Lingxu Sword Sect disciples.”

“Does everyone have any objections?”

Lingxiao Sword Sect had already discussed this plan with Lingxu Sword Sect beforehand.

Huang Shi had no objection to this plan.

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Lingxu Sword Sect didn’t know the defenses within the Fox Palace. They had to rely on Lingxiao Sword Sect’s guidance to rescue their fellow disciples.

So for this rescue operation, Lingxu Sword Sect could only let Lingxiao Sword Sect take the lead.

From the map’s perspective, Red Spring Pavilion was in a corner of the Fox Palace, quite far from them.

So according to the rescue route in the plan, rescuing Huang Shangshang could only be placed last.

…

Soon they arrived at the dungeon imprisoning Lingxiao Sword Sect disciples.

The dungeon’s restrictions were even stronger than other places in the Fox Palace.

If forcibly broken through, the commotion would surely attract the fox clan powerhouses’ attention.

This wasn’t what they wanted to see.

“Elder Huang, we’ll trouble you next.” Lu Guan said.

Huang Shi nodded. “Understood.”

Lingxiao Sword Sect had proactively proposed joining forces with Lingxu Sword Sect for this moment.

The dungeon’s restrictions were too strong and couldn’t be forcibly broken, so they needed a crafting grandmaster to create a key to open the Fox Palace dungeon’s door.

Huang Shi took out a square wooden box.

Large quantities of demonic patterns were engraved on the wooden box.

“This is the key we spent several days successfully creating.”

While speaking, Huang Shi inserted the key forward.

Following a series of mechanism clicking sounds—

The prison restriction blocking everyone was actually easily opened just like that.

Everyone entered the dungeon.

“Junior Sister Song! You really brought people to rescue us!”

Inside the dungeon, the Lingxiao Sword Sect disciples who had been imprisoned for several months all wore expressions of pleasant surprise.

“Earlier, when that fox demon delivered the letter to us, we thought the fox demon was just toying with us again!”

“Fox demon?” Lu Guan asked with confusion. “Delivered a letter to you?”

“Yes, she’s my friend.” Song Shiyuan said, “A friend in the Fox Palace willing to help me.”

Lu Guan frowned, looking Song Shiyuan up and down. “Friend? And a fox demon friend at that?”

“Junior Sister Song, that fox demon, it’s not the friend you mentioned to us before, the one who wanted to leave with you, is it?”

Song Shiyuan’s brows knit slightly. “Yes.”

She could sense the ill will in Lu Guan’s eyes.

She could guess he would react this way.

Lingxiao Sword Sect disciples, from the moment they entered the sect, had been instilled with the notion that fox demons couldn’t be trusted.

Song Shiyuan was actually no exception. It was just that she entered the sect late and was Immortal Venerable Qingzhi’s disciple, so this sect iron law hadn’t influenced her as deeply as others.

“Then where is that fox demon now?” Lu Guan asked again.

Song Shiyuan’s eyes turned slightly cold. “She has her own matters today. She won’t be leaving with us.”

“Then does that fox demon know about our plan?” Lu Guan asked.

He still remembered that during one previous contact, Song Shiyuan’s so-called friend had been present.

If their plan had been known by a fox demon all along, then today’s rescue operation proceeding so smoothly might very well be a trap set by the fox demons.

Thinking of the terrifying consequences within this, Lu Guan felt his spine turn cold.

“…” Song Shiyuan pressed her lips. She knew the little fox demon’s identity shouldn’t be revealed to Lingxiao Sword Sect disciples right now.

“The little fox… she couldn’t possibly betray us.”

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“I trust her.”

Song Shiyuan looked firmly at Lu Guan.

Lu Guan didn’t understand. “Junior Sister Song, why?”

“I trust her. She absolutely won’t deceive me.” Song Shiyuan said, “She has reasons worthy of my trust.”

Lu Guan said angrily, “Song Shiyuan, you’re confused!”

At this time, everyone also sensed something wrong with the atmosphere.

Lingxu Sword Sect’s Elder Huang Shi walked over. “You two, I don’t think this is a suitable place for you to argue.”

Lu Guan felt frustrated. He hadn’t expected that Song Shiyuan, who in everyone’s eyes had always been upright and loyal to the sect, would make such a mistake at a critical moment.

He also understood this wasn’t the time to pursue Song Shiyuan’s responsibility.

“Let’s leave here first.” Lu Guan said.

Everyone left the dungeon together and came outside.

“What’s happening?!”

“Why is there suddenly an additional restriction?”

“How did the Fox Palace’s restrictions change?”

“Has our whereabouts been discovered by those in the Fox Palace?”

Seeing this scene, Lu Guan immediately turned his gaze to Song Shiyuan.

Song Shiyuan’s face also showed astonishment.

The little fox demon betrayed her? No! This was impossible.

Just as everyone fell into shock, they saw a golden sword light tear through the sky from Mingzhao City’s direction.

At the same time, a silver-white heaven-startling sword qi also lit up.

“It’s Mingzhao City! A battle has broken out in Mingzhao City!”

“That silver-white sword light… Sect Master Jiang has made his move.” Lu Guan’s face also showed surprise.

Huang Shi also said, “And Sect Master Huang is there too.”

“I understand!” Lu Guan pulled out the formation defense diagram, his face showing sudden realization. “The Fox Palace’s formation hasn’t changed, it’s been completely activated!”

“Mingzhao City’s formation and the Fox Palace’s formation are connected! When Mingzhao City’s formation activated, the Fox Palace’s formation activated along with it.”

“What comes next is…”

Before Lu Guan could finish speaking,

The ground suddenly shook violently.

A restriction suddenly rose up.

“Watch out!” Huang Shi pulled the still-dazed Song Shiyuan.

When the trembling subsided, everyone discovered that their originally united group had been split into two teams.

“Just as I thought!” Lu Guan’s face showed understanding.

“Although the formation has been activated, the Fox Palace’s original formation loopholes still exist.”

“The route just needs some adjustments.”

Lu Guan looked toward Song Shiyuan, his eyes slightly narrowed.

“Junior Sister Song, you go with Lingxu Sword Sect disciples to rescue people. We’ll go rescue the Young Sect Master first.”

“After that, we’ll rendezvous at the previously agreed location.”

Have Lingxiao Sword Sect people rescue Song Shixuan first?

Song Shiyuan felt that palpitating feeling rise in her heart again.

“No!” she said.