The Little Fox’s soft, fluffy limbs swayed gently in the air, the breeze ruffling the fur on her ears, making her feel quite comfortable.
Xu Muxue suddenly felt like she had been foolish before.
The spiral ascension power from two tails was never very strong—it was originally designed for a Little Fox of that size.
In other words, Xu Muxue’s form was a bit too plump.
If it weren’t for her entire magical power being absorbed by those two Fixed Spirit Pillars, making it impossible to maintain her human form, she wouldn’t have discovered the true way to use Spiral Ascension.
“I think my figure is perfect and fine. It’s just the tails that are too few. Once I get three tails, Xu Muxue will rule the Dynasty.”
Xu Muxue was stubborn.
“Loo~ Loo~ Command Wave—” Xu Muxue began spinning in the air like a gyroscope.
Taking advantage of Shen Qinghan’s inability to interfere, she had to play a little longer.
[ Detected host posture correct, Spiral Ascension advanced form about to activate ]
[ Loo~ Loo~ Kexi Floating Missile! ]
Before the system’s voice finished, the tip of Xu Muxue’s tail, with that tuft of pale pink fur, suddenly lit up with Foxfire, which then flared violently.
With a thunderous boom and a miserable fox scream, Xu Muxue’s entire fox body was launched forward at incredible speed, transforming into starlight and disappearing beyond the horizon.
***
“Huh? Was that flash just now from that Little Fox?”
Jingchen Layperson withdrew her divine sense and lifted her eyelids, her eyes dimming from their previous crystalline brilliance.
“Forget it, let it go for now.” She stood up and summoned a disciple.
“How’s the preparation going?”
“Reporting to the Ancestor,” the female disciple replied with a face like a peach blossom, shyly lowering her head. “We’ve already come to an understanding. We’re to be married by the end of this year…”
“Ah? Aren’t you a disciple of the Zen Sect? I saw you at last year’s Lianhua Dharma Assembly. Why are you getting married?”
Jingchen Layperson looked utterly bewildered.
“The Buddhist scriptures say: ‘All conditioned phenomena are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow; like dew or a flash of lightning, thus should one see them.’ The Buddha teaches us not to be bound by attachments, which restrain our original freedom. So I no longer want to suppress my feelings for her!”
“From today onward, I will request to return to secular life and go home to be with her as Red-dust Mandarin Ducks.”
The disciple clasped her hands, overflowing with joy.
Jingchen Layperson was deeply moved.
“All sages differ by practicing non-action. To become a sage, one need not cling to fixed laws or doctrines. I see you’ve been stuck at the Foundation Establishment Peak for a long time, but today you have attained Enlightenment. Perhaps you will become a help to future Jiedan cultivators. Even if you leave the Zen Sect after returning to secular life, I sincerely rejoice for you.”
Jingchen Layperson joined palms in return.
The disciple gratefully bowed to Jingchen Layperson and left happily.
Jingchen Layperson smiled kindly, watching her departure. Only after her figure vanished from sight did she suddenly slap herself hard.
“Damn it, Amitabha! How did I end up lecturing a disciple on the scriptures? Someone reliable, come here! I sent you all to track down Xu Muxue’s whereabouts. Any results?”
Several Foundation Establishment disciples hurried in and saluted.
“Reporting to the Ancestor, that Fox Demon is very cunning. We haven’t been able to find any trace of her…”
“Forget it, I never expected much from you.”
Jingchen Layperson waved her hand irritably.
“How’s the Inviting Spirit Array coming along?”
When she first asked the female disciple about the preparations, she really meant the progress on laying out the Inviting Spirit Array. But the conversation somehow drifted into marriage matters…
She herself had gotten distracted—how could a low-level Foundation Establishment disciple, even if bonded to one hundred and eight Dao companions, compare to the importance of the Inviting Spirit Array?
Mentioning the Inviting Spirit Array, the disciples’ spirits instantly lifted.
“The array layout is going smoothly! Time was tight, and even if all available disciples were mobilized, there weren’t enough people to refine the materials. Thankfully, that Little Senior Sister not only helped us complete the array on time, but… everyone even got a snack!”
“Uh…”
The previous female disciple had been pretty with a peach-blossom face, and now these bald heads were also blushing like peaches. Jingchen Layperson could hardly bear it.
But she had to maintain her senior demeanor.
“W-Well, congratulations… Which disciple is this excellent Little Senior Sister you speak of?”
“She’s the one the Elders sent to supervise the work, right?”
“Supervise? We never sent a supervisor!”
Jingchen Layperson’s heart skipped a beat.
“Of course not! It’s the Little Senior Sister from the Qin Sect. Pure white hair tied in a high ponytail, with two fluffy ears twitching. Her appearance is pure, but every smile and frown carries an inexplicable charm… If I didn’t like Guo Shidi, I might have been bewitched by her spirit.”
The disciple glanced sideways and exchanged a shy smile with Guo Shidi beside her.
“That damn it’s Xu Muxue you asked us to find!!! Are you all idiots?!”
Jingchen Layperson was about to lose her mind.
“Huh?”
“Huh my foot! Aren’t you going to find her already?!”
Jingchen Layperson gave two of the bald disciples a kick each. They cried out in ecstasy as they were flung out the door, holding hands tightly until disappearing over the horizon.
Monks should not break the precept of anger. Buddha is merciful, Buddha is merciful.
Jingchen Layperson’s forehead vein throbbed as she struggled to suppress her rage.
Xu Muxue was the one who finished setting up the Inviting Spirit Array; it was obvious she must have tampered with it.
Jingchen Layperson suddenly recalled the embarrassment she suffered at the hands of the Qingqiu Princess—one of the few lifelong regrets she had.
So hateful! Foxes are really hateful creatures!
“Iron Qin Daoist, the Inviting Spirit Array has changed, come quickly!”
Jingchen Layperson tossed out a voice transmission talisman, then transformed into a streak of light, swiftly flying toward the array’s location.
***
At the same time, Qin Qin and Daoming were also rushing madly toward the Inviting Spirit Array.
“Daoming, the clan trusts you so much to entrust you with this task, and you mess up this badly?”
Qin Qin’s tone was angry.
“Where exactly did you lose the Fixed Spirit Pillars? Don’t you have any clues?!”
“…Oh, I know now!!!!”
Daoming suddenly slapped his forehead.
“It was that little Dog Demon! Though I don’t know how she did it, she definitely stole them!!”
“Little Dog Demon?”
“A Dog Demon locked in the great prison, but she’s managed to sneak into two sects.”
“That damn fox!”
Qin Qin’s quick mind immediately guessed the key point.
“It’s Xu Muxue again! That little beast is best at spoiling others’ plans!”
“Give me back my pills!”
Daoming’s eyes were bloodshot.
Just then, Jingchen Layperson, Iron Qin Daoist, Qin Qin, and Daoming all felt a tremendous wave of energy spreading out.
A violent energy blast from afar sent them flipping through the air several times before they barely regained their footing.
The Inviting Spirit Array had been activated.