劍問蒼天 - 第53章 異獸 - 翰墨軒

Not long after Bili and the others gave chase, the dark place that had just witnessed such violent struggle was about to settle back into calm when a sharp whistling sound came from above. Two beams of light, one white and one blue, shot down, wavered twice, then paused, revealing a man and a woman within the halos of light—Li Xun and Yan Fei of the Fenxia Valley sect.

A faint trace of surprise showed on Li Xun's handsome face. By the glow of his magic artifact he surveyed the surroundings and said to Yan Fei, "Junior Sister, who would have thought that beneath this demon fox's lair there would be such a hidden realm?"

Yan Fei also wore a look of some astonishment. She nodded and said, "Yes, I have never seen anything like this before. All these strange beasts—I doubt they have ever appeared in the world." She paused, then lowered her voice. "Senior Brother, the situation here is uncanny. I fear it is exceedingly dangerous. We must be careful."

Li Xun gave a faint smile, a touch of arrogance surfacing on his face. "Rest easy, Junior Sister. That demon fox has at most five hundred years of cultivation—hardly worth mentioning."

Yan Fei smiled slightly. "Senior Brother, your talent is extraordinary and your cultivation profound, so naturally you need not fear the creature. But if that 'Six-Tailed Spirit Fox' happens to be at the side of the 'Three-Tailed Demon Fox,' with its thousand years of cultivation, I fear there may still be some trouble."

Li Xun glanced at Yan Fei, a smile flickering across his lips, and suddenly said, "Junior Sister, your words are fair enough, but in your heart I suspect you are thinking your senior brother is greedy for merit and reckless in advancing, and you are greatly worried, are you not?"

The corner of Yan Fei's mouth twitched. She said softly, "Senior Brother, you worry too much."

Li Xun turned and cast a glance around them. "Junior Sister, have you noticed? The temperature at the bottom of this abyss is somewhat unusual."

Yan Fei nodded. "Indeed. We have descended so deep, yet it seems to grow hotter instead."

Li Xun said, "Not merely hotter—far hotter than usual. And on the way down, I took care to examine the black stone within this abyss, and I am certain it was formed in ancient times when magma from ten thousand fathoms beneath the earth burst through the surface and cooled. This abyss is most likely the mouth of a volcano!"

Yan Fei gave a soft cry of "Ah," and then her beautiful eyes shimmered as understanding dawned. "You mean—"

Li Xun continued, "Exactly. That is precisely the meaning. The demon fox deliberately chose this volcanic crater as its lair. Three hundred years ago, that pack of foxes, with audacity beyond reckoning and no regard for life or death, trespassed into our Fenxia Valley's forbidden ground and stole the Profound Fire Artifact. But Uncle-Master Shangguan, who guarded the Divine Palace in those days, was a figure of no ordinary caliber. Hearing the alarm, he rushed over and unleashed his divine might, capturing the entire pack of foxes on the spot. It is only hateful that the Six-Tailed Spirit Fox, cunning by nature, slipped through the net."

Here he suddenly gave a cold laugh and continued, "But Uncle-Master Shangguan's cultivation was profound, and the artifact he forged, the 'Ninefold Frost Ice Spike,' is among the finest treasures under heaven, its power peerless. In the valley I once heard the Valley Master say that although the Six-Tailed Spirit Fox escaped by luck, Uncle-Master Shangguan had driven the Ninefold Frost Ice Spike into its fox meridians, crippling the very foundation of its cultivation. In these three hundred years, even if it has not died, it must be suffering unbearably, its cultivation scattered to nothing, while the ice poison gnaws at its heart and body day and night. Only by dwelling in a place of utmost yang and utmost heat can it find even slight relief from the pain."