CHAPTER 259: RED FOX DEFECTED?

"Slot and Strike! Wind Dragon Mode!!"

Before Wind Dragon could even react, his body curled up midair, transforming into an azure disk engraved with a dragon. This time, a small black dragon appeared on the opposite side of the disk.

With a sweep of his left hand, the dragon-engraved disk shot toward him as a streak of light.

Wind Dragon's voice echoed from the disk. "This power... It's definitely Little Lu! Red Fox, take care of Wan'er and the others. I'm going to help him!"

He abandoned all resistance and accelerated toward Lu Chen in the form of the dragon-engraved disk.

Halfway through its charge, the dragon-engraved disk suddenly twisted, as though it had passed through a spatial barrier. The space then stabilized, and a roar erupted from within the disk as it continued its advance.

Nantian Wan'er cried out anxiously. "Lord Wind Dragon!"

Red Fox's lips curled into an eerie smile. Ignoring Wind Dragon, she grabbed both Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian, then appeared instantly before Nantian Wan'er. Her eyes glowed with a violet hue as she spoke in a chilling tone, "Wan'er, don't worry about them."

Nantian Wan'er frowned. "Lady Red Fox, you're acting strange today..."

Red Fox swiftly jabbed two fine purple needles into the meridians on Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian's shoulders.

Jun Laoye gasped. His eyes snapped open. Seeing the enchanting woman beside him, he struggled and shouted, "Who are you? Where's Little Lu?"

Nantian Yijian's eyes shot open next. The moment he saw the voluptuous figure before him, he blurted, "B–Big-breast demon!"

He flailed wildly, trying to break free.

In his frantic struggle, his hand accidentally brushed against her soft chest. He froze midair. "Soft? How could it be soft?"

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting?" Red Fox's expression darkened. She threw both Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian to the ground, then smacked the back of Nantian Yijian's head. "Take a good look at who I am! You really have no manners."

Nantian Yijian rubbed his head and got up. He initially grumbled but stopped when he saw Red Fox sway slightly, with the phantom of a nine-tailed red fox appearing behind her.

Staring at the fierce Red Fox, he stammered, "R–Red Fox... It's really Lady Red Fox! No wonder you felt so familiar! You can transform into human form now?"

From Jun Laoye's position, he could see the nine-tailed red fox phantom behind her the most clearly. He quickly clasped his hands and bowed. "Lady Red Fox! Where's Little Lu? If we've been awakened, then the crisis must be over, right?"

Nantian Yijian followed suit and glanced around for Lu Chen. "Yeah, where's the boss?"

Spotting Lu Chen standing by the ravine, he waved his arm excitedly. "Boss! Over here!"

Red Fox crossed her arms and sneered. "There's no need to shout. They're in another dimension, and you won't be able to reach them."

Jun Laoye frowned. "Another dimension?"

He activated his Heavenly Lightning Eye. Lightning flickered within his gaze as he focused on Lu Chen, trying to see through the true nature of the overlapping dimension.

He soon noticed a dense layer of violet light surrounding the nine-tailed red fox phantom, extending all the way to a massive violet ferret.

Jun Laoye tightened his grip on the Earth-Shattering Spear and called out cautiously, "Lady Red Fox..."

Before she could respond, the violet ferret turned its head. Its eyes flickered with a hint of surprise before returning to normal.

Jun Laoye grabbed both Nantian Wan'er and Nantian Yijian, pulling them back quickly. "You're not—"

The ferret grinned wickedly. Two beams of purple light shot from its eyes, striking Jun Laoye's. His pupils turned violet, and he immediately froze in place.

"Hey, Little Jun, what's wrong with you? Why're you acting weird all of a sudden?" Nantian Yijian slapped his shoulder in panic. "You've been really strange these past few days. What's going on?"

After being smacked on the shoulder, Jun Laoye came back to his senses and patted his head. "Uh... I think I just realized something... something serious... but I can't remember what it was."

"Well, if it's nothing, let's get moving." Red Fox smiled faintly, her tone returning to an eerie calm. "We're in a different dimension from Lu Chen. If we jump down from the ravine, we'll enter theirs."

Listening to Red Fox, Jun Laoye felt something off about her demeanor, though he couldn't quite tell what it was. Still, he followed her suggestion and prepared to head toward the ravine.

Red Fox rolled up her sleeves and darted ahead, leading Jun Laoye and the others toward the cliff.

In midair, Nantian Wan'er kept extending her consciousness toward Lu Chen, trying to reach his mind. No matter how she tried, the connection never formed. Even the Heavenly Pool they shared felt distant and faint, as if something were shrouding it.

She could still draw on the spirit qi, but the scenes within the Heavenly Pool were completely obscured, as though a mysterious force had deliberately sealed them away. Helpless, Nantian Wan'er gave up. She looked at Red Fox and said, "Lady Red Fox, you just woke up after fainting. How do you know that jumping from the ravine will lead us to Lu-gege?"

Red Fox let out a soft laugh. "You'll see soon enough."

She landed at the edge of the ravine, and as she moved, the black mist along the cliff recoiled as if it had met its most-feared enemy, clearing a path before her.

Nantian Wan'er stared at the strange scene. She was about to question it when she saw an eerie smile curl across Red Fox's lips.

Jun Laoye shoved Nantian Yijian and Nantian Wan'er aside, forming hand seals as he shouted, "I remember now... Lady Red Fox has been possessed! This isn't the real Lady Red Fox!"

Lightning erupted around him, and the Heavenly Dao Spear materialized at his waist. He thrust its spiraling shaft straight at Red Fox.

Layers of defensive energy rippled out before her, stopping the spear in its tracks.

Red Fox met his shocked gaze with a faint smile. "You only just realized? Too late."

She shattered the spear with a mere palm strike. The backlash hurled Jun Laoye and the others backward.

The broken spear fragments turned into streaks of lightning. As Jun Laoye was flung through the air, he spat a mouthful of blood essence. The lightning fragments converged and returned to his abdomen, their force driving him and the others down into the ravine.

"Damn it..."

As he fell, Jun Laoye pulled out the Earth-Shattering Spear and slammed it into the cliffside, trying to slow his descent. But the black mist surged upward, coiling around him and dragging him down.

Flying swords burst from Nantian Yijian's guqin case, forming a protective barrier around him, while the Dragon-Slaying Sword shot from Nantian Wan'er's scabbard, transforming into a golden dragon to catch her.

Nantian Yijian leapt up and plunged his sword into the cliff. "Little Jun! The spirit qi here's draining too fast! I can't hold on!"

Still inexperienced in battle, Nantian Wan'er struggled to control her spirit qi. "I..."

The black mist's constant pull only worsened it. The golden dragon crumbled, and the Dragon-Slaying Sword plummeted into the mist.

Seeing her lose consciousness, Nantian Yijian abandoned his sword and lunged toward her. "Wan'er, hang on!"

The faint yellow Wish Power enveloped him as more flying swords shot out from the guqin case, clashing against the black mist.

But the mist kept devouring his spirit qi. Controlling so many swords drained Nantian Yijian's reserves rapidly. Within just a few breaths, both he and Nantian Wan'er lost control of their energy and were swallowed by the darkness, falling deeper into the ravine.

Nantian Yijian's Wish Power collapsed, and he shouted, "Little Jun, save us!"

Having lost its power, the flying swords circled twice in midair before returning to the guqin case.

Jun Laoye's Divine Eye flared open. He shouted in fury, "Wan'er! Little Jian!"

He summoned the Heavenly Dao Spear once more and carved a control seal in the air.

Primordial lightning qi surged through him. Shortly after, a colossal lightning giant burst out from his back and moved like a puppet under his command. It gripped the spear with its right hand and drove it deep into the cliff.

Under Jun Laoye's control, the giant stretched out its other hand, catching Nantian Yijian and Nantian Wan'er as they fell.

Seeing them caught, Jun Laoye looked upward. He punched toward the sky, and the lightning giant mirrored the motion.

Watching his actions, Red Fox sneered. "Do you really think I'll let you come back up?"

She flicked a finger toward the ravine, amplifying the black mist's pull around the lightning giant.

Feeling the pull intensify, Jun Laoye had the giant tighten its grip on the two. Under such strain, he could no longer risk throwing them upward. Clutching the Earth-Shattering Spear, he braced himself against the mounting force to keep them from being swallowed by the mist.

The drag grew stronger, pulling Jun Laoye steadily downward. The spear carved a long gouge along the cliff face, its spirit qi dimming, as though it might snap at any moment.