The foxes dared not make any requests. Hu Yunyu, who had been filled with hatred just moments ago, suddenly lost all her courage and stammered, "We... have no requests, thank you for not killing us, Master."
"Haha," Xuefeng laughed heartily, "I spared you not because of any personal connection, but because you are good beings. I trust you because the Chosen Master has vouched for you. You should be grateful to the Chosen Master."
Xiao Kai was covered in cold sweat, feeling like today's events were like a dream. It was clearly a death sentence, and yet it suddenly took a turn for the better. Xuefeng's attitude towards him immediately did a complete 180-degree turn, not only letting everyone go, but also attributing all the credit to himself, and even apologizing to several foxes on the spot.
What was going on?
After Xuefeng finished speaking, he looked deeply at Xiao Kai and suddenly asked, "Can you give me the Creation Pill?"
"No..." Xiao Kai almost said the wrong thing, "Oh, what is the Creation Pill?"
Xuefeng smiled meaningfully, "If the Chosen Master wants to use the Creation Pill, I have no reason to refuse. However, this pill is very important to me, so I ask the Master to return it first."
Xiao Kai was at a loss for a moment and finally gritted his teeth, "I really didn't take any Creation Pill."
Xuefeng frowned, then suddenly turned to Huang Bei and said, "Bring it out."
Huang Bei nodded, and with a cold expression, she raised her hand. Suddenly, a tightly bound green fox appeared in front of them.
This fox had an extremely rare green-blue color, with shiny and smooth fur that resembled watered silk. It was tightly bound with ropes covered in thorns, struggling pitifully on the ground, its eyes fixed on the people in the room.
Xiao Kai keenly noticed that it had five tails.
"This fox should be from your fox clan," Xuefeng said straightforwardly. "Is it worth a Creation Pill?"
Hu Yunyu was dumbfounded.
She had thought that Xiao Kai had really deceived Xuefeng, but now she realized that Xuefeng was fully aware of everything. It meant that he was willing to spare the fox clan purely out of respect for Xiao Kai.
Yet Xiao Kai hadn't done anything. He had shown nothing but fear, so why was Xuefeng giving him face?
Xuefeng clearly knew that it was Xiao Kai who had taken the Creation Pill, yet he chose to use it as leverage instead of forcefully taking it. What did it all mean?
She nearly thought Xiao Kai was a fraud, but now she realized that the exchange between masters was so subtle that she couldn't begin to understand it. The immortal in front of her was truly a savior.
This time, Xiao Kai finally nodded. "It's worth it."
"Very well, give me the Creation Pill, and the fox is yours," Xuefeng lifted the green fox as if by an invisible force and placed it at Xiao Kai's feet.
Xiao Kai nodded and took out the Creation Pill. "Here, it's yours."
He didn't have any magical techniques to hand over the pill in mid-air, so handing it to Xuefeng was quite amateurish. But in Hu Yunyu's eyes, it only made the Chosen Master seem even more mysterious and profound.
Accepting the Creation Pill, Xuefeng nodded at Xiao Kai without saying a word, then turned and left. With a wave of his hand, the rubble in the room scattered and a person, none other than Sima Tingxue, was lifted out of the debris.
Poor Sima Young Master, he was still unconscious and his immaculately maintained face was now covered in bruises and blood. His clothes were torn to shreds, looking extremely disheveled. It was hard to tell how many bones were broken and how much blood was shed, but all of this was not something Xiao Kai should be concerned about.
Huang Bei glanced at Xiao Kai, then at the green fox by his feet, and sneered, muttering under her breath, "Lustful and shameless cultivator!"
Xiao Kai was bewildered by her scolding, but before he could react, Hu Yunyu let out a long sigh and said, "Immortal, from now on, Xiaoyue will be your slave."
With Sima Tingxue in his grasp, Xuefeng swiftly flew, covering hundreds of kilometers in one go before slowing down. He looked back in the direction he had come from, his face extremely solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy.
"Master, what's going on?" Huang Bei asked, "Why didn't you just kill them all? They clearly stole the Creation Pill, and that Yan Xiaokai..."
"You're wrong," Xuefeng interrupted her and let out a long sigh, "I've been deceived by Yan Xiaokai all along."
"Ah?" Huang Bei was stunned.
Xuefeng said, "What do you think of him?"
Huang Bei sneered, "He's just an ordinary man with slightly better luck than most, greedy and fearful. His aptitude is ordinary, and his roots are poor. I can't understand why the 249th Master chose him as the Chosen Master."
Xuefeng coldly smiled, "You see, things that are hard to understand definitely have hidden reasons behind them. If the 249th Master chose him, there is surely a reason. In these days, he has gathered heavenly demons, broken the spiritual veins, set up a mahjong formation, stolen the Creation Pill. Each incident seems accidental, but in the three thousand years of cultivation history, apart from him, who else has done so much? Among the many chosen masters over the past thousands of years, how many have achieved what he has?"
Huang Bei's expression turned serious, "What you said makes sense."
"In addition to that," Xuefeng said, "You say he is lecherous, but I don't think so. He knew that Senior Sister Xiaoyun was to marry him, but he hesitated to take Xiaoyun's red pill. He gathered with many fox spirits, but still maintained his chastity. When he went to the Huangshan Gathering, it was said to be full of farce, and he almost fell from the sky, but in the end he was unharmed. While exploring the spiritual veins with me, it seemed like I invited him, but in reality, he was the one who talked about what he saw below the cliff, arousing my greed, and using the spiritual energy of Huangshan, he absorbed countless fairy energy, while I gained nothing and even lost a fairy tool. Although I don't yet know what he wants to do, this person's thoughts are meticulous, his calculations are precise, and the arrangements are complex, unlike anything I've ever seen."
This analysis was detailed, leaving Huang Bei gasping for breath. "Are you suggesting that... even when he and Xiaolin fell from the sky and were coincidentally saved by me, it was intentional?"
Xuefeng nodded slowly. "Yes."
Huang Bei fell silent for a long time before saying, "Since he is so terrifying, why didn't the master eliminate him before he became a threat?"
Xuefeng sighed bitterly, "I did consider that, but... alas... alas..." He sighed deeply, "It's too late now."
Huang Bei was once again stunned.
"He was able to obtain the Origin Pill, it's obvious that he had already been trailing you and Tingsnow, but the two of you travelled a long distance, did you notice any suspicious activity?" Xuefeng said, "Although those foxes have low magical power, they are bold, they dared to steal the Origin Pill even from me, the Emei faction. So what do they rely on? If not for someone showing them greater power than Emei, they wouldn't dare to offend the leading sect in our cultivation world."
Huang Bei was not just surprised. She was virtually in shock, stammering, "Does the master think... that the person who can intimidate the fox clan... is Yan Xiaokai?"
Xuefeng nodded firmly, "Undoubtedly, it is Yan Xiaokai!"
Huang Bei twisted her delicate jade hands tightly together, immersed in immense astonishment.
Xuefeng chuckled coldly, "Yan Xiaokai sees me as a thorn in his side, first he tried to confuse me with the theft of the pill, then used the fox clan to drain my vitality, wanting to find an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow. But he could never have expected that I, Xuefeng, am not a fool. At the last moment, I suddenly understood all the intricacies involved. So I stopped in my tracks, and withdrew. If I had dispersed my vitality and attacked numerous foxes, I would have been killed with one blow."
Huang Bei nodded wholeheartedly, "Master is wise."
Xuefeng also had a touch of pride on his face, "So I apologized to the foxes on the spot and showed a sign of weakness, then swiftly mentioned the Origin Pill while throwing out that fox, it was a neat move, soft then hard, and indeed it disturbed Yan Xiaokai's plans. Then, while he couldn't judge my true condition, I swiftly summoned my flying sword and left."
After finishing this speech, Xuefeng nodded slightly at Huang Bei, "To remodify the Golden Light Cauldron, I am currently heavily depleted of vitality, it is urgent that we return to the mountain as soon as possible."
The two streaks of white light from the sword quickly disappeared into the sky.
Tiger Clan Leader Tianwang, the top expert of the Eighteen Grottoes Alliance, had been feeling restless lately. Ever since the precious Cold Jade Bed had suddenly lost its efficacy a few days ago, he had a sense that something was about to happen. When the fox clan came to say that their Cold Jade Bed had also lost its effect, he felt even more anxious. Indeed, it was this concern that made him urgently want to complete his prideful skill, the "Tianwang Open Stone Hand", and also prompted him to deceive the fox clan into stealing the Origin Pill.
Now, it had been three days, and the fox clan had yet to come. Tianwang began to feel that something was amiss. He started to speculate whether the fox clan had been eradicated by the Emei sect, or whether they had discovered his deception.
"If they don't come today, I will send someone to ask," Tianwang had just made up his mind when someone came to report, "The fox clan has sent people."