CHAPTER 252: OVERWHELMING VICTORY

Jun Laoye stared at the black glow on the Hunyuan Greatsword, disbelief written across his face. "Lu Chen... who exactly are you? If you really are a village child whose entire hometown was slaughtered, how could you possibly possess such talent? If you are truly just a village child, then what does that make me?

"Our family is considered the foremost sect on the continent, yet not a single one of our clan members comprehended the Void law at the Qi Regulation Realm. No... not even the most basic Five Elements law. No one has grasped it so early in their cultivation journey."

His cultivation faltered, and he started to question whether everything he had been taught over the years was actually true.

Nantian Yijian stepped closer and leaned in to listen, but even with his ear near Jun Laoye's mouth, he couldn't catch a single word. "Little Jun, what are you mumbling about?"

Startled, Jun Laoye jumped back and waved his hands nervously. "Uh... nothing, nothing at all."

Seeing his odd behavior, Nantian Yijian pressed closer. "Little Jun, what's wrong? Could it be some side effect from that cage?"

"N-no, no, no..." Jun Laoye forced a sheepish smile and tried to change the subject. "Lady Red Fox will be released soon. Once she's out, we'll strike back immediately and destroy that skeletal giant."

"Yes, yes! We must strike back!" Hearing Jun Laoye mention the skeletal giant, Nantian Yijian glared at the tornado and clenched his fist. "How dare that ugly bone thing trap me? I'll tear it to pieces later and feed it to the dogs!"

As Nantian Yijian shouted, the Void energy on the Hunyuan Greatsword slowly dissipated, and the cage restraining Red Fox finally shattered.

Red Fox's lazy voice drifted from the black glow as she emerged. "Ugh... ah... I'm exhausted."

The vibrant Nine-Tailed Red Fox stretched as she stepped out of the darkness. Seeing Nantian Wan'er before her, she paused in surprise. "Wan'er? It's you? I thought I was imagining things when I heard your voice inside.

"But Wan'er, since when did you learn to control the Void law?" Red Fox's forehead emitted a beam of light that shattered the remnants of the cage walls. "Where are Lu Chen and Wind Dragon? Why aren't they here?"

"Lu-gege taught me how to use it. He told me its power is unbelievably strong. Still, Lady Red Fox, it was a bit tricky getting through to you," Nantian Wan'er said with a light smile, quickly retrieving the Hunyuan Greatsword and the Planetary Jade Token. "Lady Red Fox, Lu-gege and the others are still battling the skeletal giant. Let's head over there quickly."

"Ugh... alright then," Red Fox replied, stretching and yawning as she moved beside Nantian Wan'er. "I thought it would take you a while to control the Void law yourself."

Seeing Nantian Wan'er so at ease and Red Fox so nonchalant, as if manipulating the laws came as naturally as breathing, Jun Laoye couldn't help feeling they were showing off. "Wait, isn't the Void law one of the top-tier laws? How can you make it sound so easy?"

He cautiously asked, "Wan'er... can you control Void power now? Could it be that Lu Chen had once been to the Nantian Sect and comprehended the law there?"

"I haven't practiced long enough to wield the law myself. It's all Lu-gege's power," Nantian Wan'er said, puzzled. "Even the disciples of the Nantian Sect couldn't grasp the law at Lu-gege's current realm. I remember him saying most people only begin comprehending laws after reaching the Core Breakthrough Realm."

"Oh... that's a relief. I thought Lu Chen learned the law at the sect. That would have been terrifying," Jun Laoye said, letting out a breath of relief for reasons even he himself didn't know. "Let's hurry. I still don't know how Lu Chen's side is faring."

"Law?" Nantian Yijian scratched his head, looking at Jun Laoye. "Little Jun, what's a law? And the Void law... Can you explain it in the simplest way possible?"

"The law is—"

Red Fox was about to explain when she sensed a surge of spirit qi from Little Pup. She quickly changed her mind. "Never mind. I'll explain later. You are still too weak. You wouldn't understand it even if I explained now."

"Uh... but—"

Red Fox ignored his protests. She grew in size, whipped out three tails, and lifted Jun Laoye and the others onto her back. "Stop wasting time. Let's go see Lu Chen."

As Red Fox continued to grow, her red eyes flashed, and a massive formation radiated from her, turning the area into her personal domain. Its intricate patterns melded with the ground, spreading quickly while projecting a luminous barrier into the sky. With the formation in place, anyone below Red Fox's level could neither enter nor even see the area here.

***

Back at the Cliff.

"Nine-nine-nine... the Nine-Tailed Red Fox... That's a Nine-Tailed Red Fox at the Earth Core Realm..."

Heaven Venerable Ban Yao froze the moment she saw the towering red fox. The sight struck her so hard that she instinctively stepped forward and slipped off the cliff. Venerable Tian Suo reacted instantly, sending the chains around him lashing out to pull her back onto the ledge.

"So this is Lu Chen's spirit beast? That's the legendary Nine-Tailed Red Fox," he muttered in disbelief.

Shaken, Heaven Venerable Ban Yao leaned against a massive boulder, trembling. "I never imagined even a legendary Demon King would willingly serve as his spirit beast. Just how much has he been hiding?"

Half the blood flowing through her veins was that of a beast. It granted her the ability to command demonic beasts, but also made her susceptible to the suppression of higher bloodlines. When Red Fox unleashed her power earlier, Ban Yao's demonic blood stagnated for an instant, leaving her disoriented and causing her to fall from the cliff.

"Indeed... It's obvious someone powerful stands behind Lu Chen," she murmured.

Straightforward as always, Venerable Shuang Dao bowed deeply to Ancestor Suitian. "Honored High Sage, we owe it all to you. Thankfully, we followed your advice and didn't try to seize Lu Chen's treasure. Otherwise, we'd already be dead."

The surrounding venerables echoed his gesture, bowing respectfully toward Ancestor Suitian.

The ancestor waved a hand dismissively. "It's not too late that you've realized it. Just remember what I said. Lu Chen is not someone to be provoked."

As Red Fox charged toward the skeletal giant, the illusionary formations beneath her surged with power on par with Human Core Realm cultivators.

Ancestor Suitian sighed softly. "It's clear Lu Chen possesses unfathomable talent. He is destined to rise above all in this new era. From now on, we will protect him. When he soars in his cultivation, we will share in his fortune."

"Indeed..." Venerable Hua Sheng said, his gaze fixed on Lu Chen and Wind Dragon. "We can no longer treat him as before. Recall everyone we sent to follow him. If they act recklessly now, it will only invite trouble."

At once, the ten venerables at the cliff's edge released their spirit qi to summon back the cultivators who had lost track of Lu Chen. As Hua Sheng said, continuing to pursue him would only do more harm than good.

Once done summoning back their followers, they turned solemnly toward the ravine. Down below, Wind Dragon was in the process of unleashing a violent tornado that shattered the skeletal giant's arm with sheer force.

"Little Lu, stay down. Watch me take care of this," Wind Dragon muttered, a cold, ruthless smile forming on his lips. He had held back from finishing the skeletal giant outright to leave some vengeance for Lu Chen.

The skeletal giant pounded its chest in fury. Black mist swirled around it, reforming a new arm. Wind Dragon merely watched, then gathered his qi to form a massive wind blade before him.

Standing on top of Wind Dragon's head, Lu Chen said, "Let's end this quickly. If it breaks through, not even you or Red Fox will be able to stop it."

"Fine. Let's finish it," Wind Dragon replied.

He hurled the wind blade at the skeletal giant, then roared in the direction of Red Fox. In the next instant, the Hunyuan Greatsword appeared in midair and embedded itself in Wind Dragon's forehead.

A violent surge of energy erupted from him as his cultivation returned to the Earth Core Realm.

Wind Dragon roared, merging with the sword. "Kill!"

Spirit qi exploded around him, forming a massive blue-black phantom of the Hunyuan Greatsword in midair.

Catching Wind Dragon's signal, Red Fox shone with crimson light and whipped her nine tails toward the skeletal giant.

Three formations burst beneath her feet, merging near the skeletal giant to pin it in place. Red and dark blue lights erupted like fireworks across the ravine.

Wind Dragon and Red Fox attacked from both sides, forcing the skeletal giant to the center. Black mist sprayed from its body as it struggled to escape, but the two pressed their assault together. The ravine blazed with spirit qi radiance as the giant's body shattered into countless fragments that crashed downward.

The black mist within the bones tried to reform, only to be cleaved apart again by Wind Dragon's wind blade. A wail of agony echoed through the air as the black mist condensed, trying to flee into the depths.

Lu Chen smirked, releasing the Divine Tree's vines from his palm. Sensing his intent, Red Fox sent a beam of spirit qi that cut through the black mist, slicing a purple arc through its center and weakening its power.

Dozens of vines spiraled from Lu Chen's palm, weaving into a wooden dragon that plunged into the heart of the black mist, draining its core essence directly into Lu Chen's body.