As expected, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s voice rang out, confirming Jiu Baiyun’s suspicions.
“I remember now. The Silent Feather Guard, subordinate to the Heavenly Palace… they were the vanguard that attacked the Demon Race. They annihilated half the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons back then, and I had to personally step in to drive them back…”
“If nothing unexpected happens, they still remember my aura…”
Although it confirmed Jiu Baiyun’s thoughts, it also made his heart sink.
The vanguard that attacked the Demon Race… that was hardly a pleasant term.
If that was the case, the Silent Feather Guard had a grudge against the Yao Fox Demon Venerable.
If he brought out her name, they might just tear him limb from limb.
But directly pretending to be the Yao Fox Demon Venerable was obviously impossible.
As for denying it?
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s power signature was far too obvious—the deep blue flame and fox tail form from earlier were solid proof.
Even if he didn’t say anything, the other party would eventually remember.
“Why didn’t you say so earlier? What do we do now!?”
Jiu Baiyun really hadn’t expected to stir up something like this.
If the Yao Fox Demon Venerable had warned him sooner, he would never have provoked the other party here.
Now, if he really angered that figure, the guy might just wipe out his current self with a wave of his hand.
The strength of the figure before him was nothing compared to the Gray Feather Mask Man from before!
Just from the sheer pressure alone, it was countless times stronger than that Gray Feather Mask Man.
Even if Jiu Baiyun fully activated his Fox Demon Transformation, he might not last more than a few seconds.
The fact that the other party hadn’t acted yet was probably because he was wary of the aura on Jiu Baiyun, or he was thinking about where that aura came from.
“How should I know what to do! The Heavenly Palace attacking the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons was hundreds of years ago. After that, I was always being chased by you—I’ve forgotten a lot of things!”
Hearing Jiu Baiyun’s complaining tone, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable got furious.
Back then, being hunted by Jiu Baiyun meant she spent every day thinking about escaping.
Who had time to remember old nonsense? And now he was blaming her for not speaking up earlier! Remembering that the Heavenly Palace existed was already a feat!
“But… they probably don’t know that you chased me to death. What if they’re still afraid?”
At this point, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable could only gamble.
If she remembered correctly, she had almost single-handedly dismantled the Heavenly Palace back then, nearly wiping out the Silent Feather Guard.
If the other party still remembered, even if they wanted revenge, they would be cautious…
Hearing the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s uncertain tone, Jiu Baiyun sighed inwardly.
If she had no way out, he had even less.
Facing the three eyes of that figure, Jiu Baiyun still wore a playful smile on the surface.
To stall for as much time as possible, Jiu Baiyun didn’t answer the question.
While the other party was lost in thought, he had already stealthily taken two steps backward, and Spiritual Energy was slowly flowing toward his legs.
Having muddled through for so long and chased and fled from the Yao Fox Demon Venerable, Jiu Baiyun had long mastered the method of channeling Spiritual Energy without letting the other party notice.
After all, that was how he had successfully tricked the Yao Fox Demon Venerable for the first time.
Without thinking further, Jiu Baiyun stared fixedly at the figure before him.
His silver-white fox ears stood alert, catching the slightest movement, while the pitiful amount of Spiritual Energy that the Yao Fox Demon Venerable had painstakingly converted inside him was silently accelerating toward his legs, ready to burst into flight at any moment.
The figure covered in gray feathers stood still.
Six pale gray, lifeless eyes locked onto Jiu Baiyun through the feathered mask, as if searching for some fragment buried deep in cold memory.
The air seemed to freeze, leaving only the low hum of the distant Black Palace swallowing heaven and earth, along with the dead silence of the Mountain Sparrow Flock’s wingbeats.
Just as Jiu Baiyun was about to mutter something, the gray-feathered figure’s head tilted upward—a barely perceptible motion.
That movement was tiny, but it was like a clear signal.
He’s about to act!
The thought exploded like a thunderclap in both Jiu Baiyun’s and the Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s minds!
“Run!!!”
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable shouted almost instantly, warning Jiu Baiyun to flee.
Jiu Baiyun didn’t hesitate for a second.
Every muscle in his body tensed, his toes pushed off the ground, and Spiritual Energy was quickly mobilized.
But the expected attack never came.
That tall, gray-feathered figure, in an extremely stiff, almost awkwardly unfamiliar posture, bent his upper body slowly and deeply forward.
A bow!?
A bow so standard it bordered on rigid, yet because of its inhuman stiffness, it seemed bizarrely strange!
Jiu Baiyun’s ready-to-burst motion froze mid-step.
His pupils contracted sharply, and the feigned calm on his face shattered instantly, leaving only pure shock and disbelief.
What the hell!?
“???”
In the Sea of Consciousness, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable sent a string of question marks, obviously stunned by the completely unexpected move.
The Silent Feather Guard maintained his bow, and that dry, raspy voice rang out again, with a hint of… reverence in its tone.
“Yao… Venerable… aura… confirmed…”
“This subordinate… was rude… offended…”
Every word seemed forced out from between rusted gears, carrying a grating, metallic feel.
Those six pale gray eyes were lowered, avoiding direct sight of Jiu Baiyun.
Wait!?
The Yao Fox Demon Venerable’s name was really this effective!?
Wasn’t the Yao Fox Demon Venerable an enemy of the Heavenly Palace?
Why was the Silent Feather Guard acting like this?
Jiu Baiyun tried to poke the Yao Fox Demon Venerable in his mind, hoping for an explanation, but instead heard her impatient voice.
“Stop bothering me! I don’t know what’s going on either!”
Well, so much for that.
Just plain inexplicable.
After this development, Jiu Baiyun wasn’t sure whether to run or not anymore.
But one thing was certain: the other party definitely wasn’t treating him as the Yao Fox Demon Venerable herself.
Rather, because of her aura, they were treating him as someone closely related to her.
After a moment’s thought, Jiu Baiyun tried to fish for information.
“You should know I’m not the Yao Fox Demon Venerable.”
“I am aware… but a descendant also deserves respect…”
Hearing Jiu Baiyun’s words, the figure nodded affirmatively, then continued in that dry, raspy voice.
But the moment the word “descendant” came out, Jiu Baiyun’s face darkened again.
Seriously?
So determined to make me her descendant!?
Meanwhile, the Yao Fox Demon Venerable burst into gleeful laughter in Jiu Baiyun’s mind.
“Jiu Baiyun, how did you become my descendant? I don’t recall ever having a child like you~”
Hearing that, Jiu Baiyun’s expression soured.
He didn’t give the Yao Fox Demon Venerable a good face and snapped back, “I wonder who’s still pretending to be young at their age, yet hasn’t even found a partner!”
That remark clearly angered the Yao Fox Demon Venerable, and the two started arguing in his mind.
Jiu Baiyun’s face shifted through various expressions, which puzzled the Silent Feather Guard, but he didn’t say anything more.