Chapter 78: Works of Art
The Third Lady Fox parted her crimson lips, her tongue lightly tracing them before a wicked smile curled at the corners. In an instant, her figure became ethereal, and she transformed into a fox spirit with nine sumptuous tails, alluring and enchanting.
One of her tails slithered out like a serpent, dexterously coiling around the male disciple whose nose was still bleeding. The invisibility talisman on the young man was torn away, and his form became visible in the air. Bound tightly by the fox’s tail, he could not move an inch.
“Demoness, you… you shameless fiend! If you have the guts, let me go!” the disciple struggled, his face flushed red as he roared in anger.
Jiang Yan, witnessing the scene, thought to himself, Brother, your courage is truly commendable!
The Third Lady Fox’s gaze lingered on the streak of blood beneath the young man’s nose. Her lips curled further as her tongue flicked across them. With a contemptuous chuckle, she said, “Heh heh heh, haven’t you already fallen for my charms? And what of you other little mice, are you too afraid to show yourselves?”
As her words faded, her eyes shifted to a pale violet, and a strange, seductive fragrance wafted from her, stirring the minds of those around. The male disciple, closest to her, fell under her spell at once—his eyes became vacant.
Not good—this must be the legendary Bewitching Art!
The moment Jiang Yan sensed something was wrong, he quickly swallowed a bitter Focusing Pill, forcing his mind to remain clear. Bai Tao and the others resorted to pinching their palms hard, using pain to dispel the enchantment’s trance.
Suddenly, a loud thud resounded. The little dwarf dragon collapsed to the ground, its invisibility talisman flying off, leaving its entire form exposed.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan no longer cared about being discovered. He was no coward, and the little dragon was his important companion; he would never abandon him at such a moment. Drawing his Flame Sword, he rushed to the little dragon’s side to check its condition.
Soft, even breathing reached his ears, accompanied by faint snores.
“Snore… snore…”
Jiang Yan was taken aback. Could a charm spell really put a dragon into such a deep, peaceful sleep? Did this enchantment have a soporific effect? The little dragon was proving to be a most unreliable bodyguard, failing at the critical moment!
“Hahaha, yet another little mouse has appeared!” The Third Lady Fox sent one of her tails sweeping toward the little dragon.
Jiang Yan reacted swiftly, wielding the Flame Sword to slash at the tail without hesitation. Yet the appendage seemed to possess a will of its own—it sensed the edge of the blade and instantly recoiled, evading the attack.
Without pause, Jiang Yan unleashed a Wind Blade of Fire toward the fox’s position. Unexpectedly, the Third Lady Fox, in a fit of mischief, hurled the male disciple into the path of the oncoming flames, using him as a shield.
In alarm, Jiang Yan immediately conjured a dragon of water to douse the fire.
“Meow meow meow…” Let me help you!
Little White joined in, summoning a jet of water to extinguish the blaze.
“Junior Brother Ning!”
Qi Yu moved nimbly, leaping up to catch the disciple who had been flung aside.
Meanwhile, Black Flower hurried to the little dragon’s side, calling anxiously, “Lord Dragon, wake up, wake up!”
No matter how it shouted, the little dragon remained fast asleep, a picture of contentment.
Black Flower glanced down at its own broad green leaves, then looked at the dragon’s plump, chubby cheeks.
“Lord Dragon, you won’t hold this against me, will you? I’m only trying to help.”
With that, Black Flower began rhythmically slapping the little dragon’s cheeks with its wide leaves.
Slap, slap, slap…
Slap, slap, slap…
At this moment, Jiang Yan paid no attention to Black Flower’s antics. Instead, he sensed that something was amiss—why were the other disciples completely unresponsive? And what about Bai Tao, usually the most eager to help?
His doubts were soon answered.
“Show yourselves,” the Third Lady Fox suddenly commanded.
In the next instant, Bai Tao and the other disciples, as if controlled by an unseen force, materialized one after another. Their invisibility talismans were gone, and their eyes had grown vacant and unfocused.
This meant that only Jiang Yan, Qi Yu, Little White, and Black Flower remained conscious.
Jiang Yan was furious—how dare this Third Lady Fox resort to such underhanded tricks!
Their own side’s strength had been severely crippled without warning!
“Qi Yu, what level is your cultivation? What kind of spiritual root do you possess?”
“Second Young Master, I am at advanced Golden Core level, and my root is of the Metal attribute.”
“Good. Two Golden Cores should be more than enough to handle a fox spirit!”
“Meow meow meow…” Little White protested indignantly, as if to say, “Don’t forget about me!”
“Go!” Jiang Yan gave the command.
He then darted past Bai Tao and the others, unleashing a thunder-fire combo attack toward the Third Lady Fox.
Boom!
A deafening explosion rocked the area, leaving a deep crater where the fox had stood. Smoke and dust billowed while the surroundings lay in utter disarray.
Was it… over that quickly?
As the smoke slowly cleared, Jiang Yan peered into the pit only to find it empty.
“Hahaha…”
“Hahaha…”
Suddenly, the Third Lady Fox’s laughter echoed from all directions, chilling and uncanny.
“You little mouse, you are truly amusing! I suspect your spiritual root attributes are more than just two. Now I’m even more eager to see what surprises you’ll bring me.”
There was a note of greed in her voice as she continued, “If I dig out your spiritual root, it would make a fine addition to my collection—a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.”
Heavens—first they wanted his Golden Core, now his spiritual root as well. Was this the fate of the male lead’s companion, to be so unlucky?
Jiang Yan rolled his eyes in exasperation. He was certain this Third Lady Fox was a pervert among perverts!
Glancing around, he was shocked to see that they were now surrounded by nine identical Third Lady Foxes, each one speaking in unison.