This fox must be sick, and seriously so!
Xu Qing was silent for a moment, then said quietly, "It's good that you're okay. I thought you were about to reveal your true form."
"..."
Bai Qiuyu's face turned crimson. It was unclear whether she was embarrassed or just feeling shy.
Regardless, on the rest of the journey, this Fox Girl from Qingqiu kept her head down, walking at the back like an ostrich.
She looked just like a foolish fox that failed to steal food, got its feathers plucked by the owner, and was ridiculed by its peers upon returning to the pack.
As they walked out of Bright Moon Ravine, a green stone bridge lay ahead, three zhang long but only a foot wide.
The bridge was covered with moss as thick as velvet, and it had been wetted by the mist from the ravine over the years, making it extremely slippery, hard to get a foothold!
Standing on it, beneath is an abyssal cold pool, while overhead is a sliver of azure sky.
At that moment, the mountain wind mixed with cold mist rushed towards them, making their clothes flutter wildly and rendering them deaf.
Xu Qing had been here once, aware that this stone bridge was specifically made by Lord Yuan to test those who sought immortality.
Unless one is bold yet cautious, or possesses the skill of agility, this single bridge would be a chasm separating mortals from the immortals!
Before the bridge, Xuan Yu leaped gracefully to the other side, followed closely by Xu Qing, who bent his knees and jumped, crossing the deep pool.
Only Bai Qiuyu, with nearly a thousand years of cultivation, hesitated to move forward.
"Daoist Xu, is Lord Yuan still here nowadays?"
A voice came through the thick fog, this time not in the soft southern dialect, but in standard official speech.
Xu Qing pondered for a moment and understood why the diviner was so cautious.
Lord Yuan harbored some prejudice against Fox Demons. For Bai Qiuyu, also a fox, it was inevitable to feel some apprehension toward someone who could trap a Celestial Fox in the White Cloud Cave for a millennium.
Moreover, this is not an ordinary bridge; an aura not of this world lingered upon it.
Xu Qing speculated that this bridge, like the mountain sealing the entrance of the White Cloud Cave, was likely an artifact made by Lord Yuan with the White Jade Furnace.
"Lord Yuan is no longer in the mortal realm. Over a decade ago, Xuan Yu and I already helped him escape a flood calamity and leave Yunmeng Mountain."
Upon hearing this, Bai Qiuyu felt a wave of relief. She immediately pierced through the thick mist to the end of the bridge with agility.
At this point, a Zombie, a cat, and a fox stood on the other side, already able to see the mountain peak that blocked the entrance of the White Cloud Cave.
This wasn't an ordinary peak but the very one where Lord Yuan once placed the White Jade Furnace and the fog curtain while guarding the Celestial Scripture.
Before the White Jade Furnace was taken away, it absorbed the light of the sun and moon beside the peak near the White Cloud Cave, refining elixirs and treasures.
Over hundreds or even thousands of years, the furnace's persistent, true fire infused the mountain with treasure aura, elevating it beyond the mundane with the passage of time.
After the Celestial Fox stole the Celestial Scripture, the Celestial Emperor reclaimed the White Jade Furnace and fog curtain, simultaneously collapsing the refined mountain to block the entrance of the White Cloud Cave.
In Xu Qing's view, the method used to suppress the Celestial Fox was somewhat like a simplified version of the Five Elements Mountain.
But it was certain that during Xu Qing's last visit, this non-metal, non-stone peak was still a completely functional demon-suppressing artifact.
Now, approaching for a closer look, Xu Qing found that the once impregnable mystical peak was now riddled with cracks like a spider's web, seemingly on the brink of collapse.
Xu Qing opened his Yin Pupil of the Celestial Eye, peering through the layers of cracks towards the entrance of the White Cloud Cave.
All he saw was a surge of dark energy inside, as if something fierce was stirring within.
The mountain wind blew through the crevices, producing a strange wailing sound. Xu Qing was startled, immediately gesturing for silence behind him.
Xu Qing had previously wondered where the mist in Yunmeng Mountain came from. Now, seeing the cracked remnants of the mountain peak, enlightenment struck him.
The mountain peak blocking the White Cloud Cave entrance had been nourished by the fog and had acquired the ability to absorb mist, but it was always meant to be a disposable resource for the Celestial Emperor to suppress the Celestial Fox.
Once the seal loosened and the peak was damaged, the mist absorbed into the White Cloud Cave would escape. Once the mist dissipated and the peak crumbled, it signaled the imminent emergence of the demon within.
Yet, with the special mist, the Celestial Fox's perception abilities within the White Cloud Cave would be affected, which presented Xu Qing with an operable opportunity.
He backed up twenty zhang from the White Cloud Cave and took out the array plate crafted by Master Jingxu and Yizhen Senior Sister, beginning to set up a "trap" outside the cave.
The Fox Demon's cultivation path integrates the Three Talents, specializing in illusion, emotional, and defense techniques. Xu Qing adapted to the circumstances, immediately grabbing the idling Bai Qiuyu to help, having her set up a Grand Illusion Array outside the cave.
"With my level of cultivation, you want me to set up a Grand Illusion Array?"
Bai Qiuyu looked incredulously at Xu Qing. I owe you a favor, but you can't just work me like a mule!
Xu Qing raised his eyebrows in response, asking, "That old vixen is no ordinary demon. If I fail, you can forget about taking me to your place to meet your elders."
"..."
Bai Qiuyu breathed heavily, finally gritting her teeth and saying, "Fine! I'll set it up for you!"
The Grand Illusion Array is the largest illusion array of the Nine-tailed Fox race, something only Yizhen Daoist must have mentioned to Xu Qing.
Otherwise, he would never have suddenly brought up the Grand Illusion Array at this juncture.
At this moment, Bai Qiuyu couldn't shake the feeling of being bullied by the duo of Yizhen and Xu Qing, the brother and sister disciples.
And to think she had opened her heart to Yizhen!
Xu Qing poured the materials for array-setting acquired in the Hu Yang Mausoleum in front of Bai Qiuyu: a Foxglow Mirror, a Moon Worship Banner, Illusory Moon Pearls, and various talismanic items for suppressing spirits...
Seeing the array materials piled like a small hill, Bai Qiuyu felt overwhelmed for the first time.
Knowing that this task was too demanding for a Fox Demon with less than a millennium of cultivation, Xu Qing paused to think, then handed her some Elixir Pills and Spiritual Medicine for support, reassuring her:
"Aside from Yizhen Senior Sister, only you can set up this illusion array. The arrangement may hinder your cultivation, but rest assured, I, as Sect Leader, will not let you suffer a loss. Consider these elixirs as compensation, and here are a hundred thousand incense sticks..."
"As long as you set up the array with dedication, when you reach Qingqiu in the future, I'll also do my utmost to uncover the ancestral legacy left by Qingqiu ancestors, making sure not to miss a corner."
"Do you have any other requests?"
Xu Qing had already pled his case to this extent; what more could Bai Qiuyu say?
Seeing the diviner with nothing more to say, Xu Qing promptly nodded and said, "Then, Daoist Bai, please act swiftly."
The old vixen within the White Cloud Cave was also adept in the art of illusions, but it would never have thought that an expert in this field would be invited in.
When the time came, it would be a matter of whether the old vixen's illusionary arts were superior or his illusion array prevailed!
Apart from the targeted illusion array, Xu Qing didn't forget to set up the array plates made by Yizhen Senior Sister, including the Golden Light Array, Nine Radiance Demon Subjugation Array, and the Five Thunders Exorcism Array... among others, outside the White Cloud Cave.
Xu Qing knew where the life positions of these array plates were, so he wasn't worried about his Zombie body being trapped by the arrays.
After setting up the array plates, Xu Qing took out various Yin items collected from the Ancient Yin River Dao as suppressive objects, additionally setting up the art of sorcery under the array formations.
It's said that true can break illusion, righteousness conquers evil, strength breaks techniques, captivates and entraps enemies...
Xu Qing never regarded the various arrangements outside the White Cloud Cave as a trump card; those were just delaying tactics to prevent the old vixen from escaping.
The sole purpose of his visit to the White Cloud Cave was to settle old scores and eradicate the entire root!
In the blink of an eye, three more months had passed.
And now, the day of the emergent demon from the White Cloud Cave was imminent.
Xu Qing once again calculated using the divination techniques, only to find the providence indiscernible.
However, observing the mountain peak at the entrance of the White Cloud Cave, crisscrossed with cracks, he could roughly estimate the timing of the old vixen's emergence.
On this day, as Xu Qing stood alone in front of the White Cloud Cave, conserving his energy, he suddenly heard unusual noises from Yunmeng Mountain, faintly like thunder.
Listening closely, it sounded like orderly footsteps, with the clashing of metal and iron.
Xu Qing followed the sound and discovered it emanated from below the mountain where the White Cloud Cave was situated.
Upon reaching the mountain's base, as Xu Qing looked around, he saw in the distance banners shading the sky, with over a hundred thousand infantry fully armored, armed with golden halberds, congregating at the foot of the mountain.
The murderous aura from the military formations, along with the dragon-like fortune rising tall, forcibly ripped through the mist, exposing the true appearance of the White Cloud Cave.
Xu Qing raised his gaze, noticing flags marked with the symbols of Dingyuan and the Four Symbols large on them in front of the army formations.
Dingyuan could only be the army led by the Dingyuan Marquis. As for the Four Symbols...
Xu Qing suddenly recalled a certain young Master Shang, who married into the Gu family, coordinated the Gu family's Four Symbols Dao Soldiers, and achieved a decisive victory over the Nan Cuo Army.
And Quyang County happened to be not far from the Huainan Gu family.