Floating clouds like accumulated snow, piled on the mountain peaks.
Under the vast, clear sky of deep winter, a hawk shrieked sharply, flapping its wings as it flew by...
A lone feather spiraled down from the sky, landing on the frozen black earth of a desolate forest.
Beneath the shade of the trees, an invisible crow glanced once more in the direction of the Imperial Capital, then concealed its body entirely into the shadows, swiftly skimming low.
...
Outskirts of the Imperial Capital, Fox Kui Palace.
The setting sun lay desolate like the remnant of blood, casting a chilling light, making the scene of corpses appear cruel, bloody, and frozen.
Blood flowed everywhere, with flesh scattered all around, and heads rolled about, eyes wide open as if witnessing sothing incredibly horrifying before dying.
Of course, there were also many fox demon corpses.
Piling upon each other, layer upon layer.
A fox demon’s claw pierced through a cultivator’s back, its furry sharp claws clutching a heart, while a flying sword was also thrust into the fox demon’s back. A large pool of fresh blood mixed with flesh and fox fur indicated that a cultivator self-destructed before death, taking a fox demon with them...
Scenes of tragic and solemn desolation were ubiquitous.
Yet the battle had not completely ended, for an old man with wild hair and beard still stood leaning on his sword.
Though he stood under the sunset, for so reason... his surroundings bore no light.
That was a shadow of a demon, obscuring all his brightness.
The demon’s form was indistinct, only its grotesque twisted eyes, mouth, and sharp teeth could be seen glaring down from above.
The old man looked up at the shadow, full of resentnt: "Why... Both you and I are at the Middle Stage of Crimson Palace, why?"
He couldn’t comprehend.
Despite giving it his all, he only managed to inflict a minor injury on Granny Fox...
While he, he was on the brink of death.
His lifespan was ending, he could not break through, he was here to fight desperately.
In terms of montum, in determination, Granny Fox could never match him with his resolve to fight to the death.
As for the situation.
He made a plan, and while Granny Fox had sches of her own, in this confrontation, he erged half a step ahead, making him the first to strike and attack.
But the outco was beyond his imagination, so tragic.
"Why?"
"Why!!"
The old man looked up, his aged eyes full of pain and rage, the flas running beneath his skin seed ready to blaze anew.
Yet from the sky ca only a contemptuous silver bell-like chuckle.
The fox’s head with a playful expression watched him, three grim white massive tails swaying in the air like white smoke...
"Fool, in this small outskirts, even broken blood can contend with ?"
"I’m not breaking through because I seek the True Nine Palaces, and you... you’re just an almost passing False Crimson Palace."
"Hehe... devouring you would be quite a tonic."
Granny Fox opened her mouth wide, revealing a huge maw surrounded by black fus, full of jagged teeth, descending towards the old man.
Fear struck the old man’s heart, yet he quickly gathered his strength, intending to self-destruct.
As the ancestor of the Su Family of the Nanwu Sword Sect, how could he accept such disgrace?
However, the next mont, he froze, for the blood surging within him rapidly cooled, an indescribable shiver crawling over his body. Self-destruction aside, he could hardly move.
But he had already set life and death aside, filled with fervor and readiness to die, how could he fear?
The old man sensed the inexplicable shiver pervading his body, and reflecting on his earlier clash with Granny Fox, suddenly his expression showed realization, then turned to astonishnt.
He seed to understand sothing, murmuring with disbelief and imnse regret: "Dragonbo Blood, so... the flaw is so simple..."
Yet, despite this realization, it was evidently too late for him to act.
The foul-slling gaping mouth descended rapidly.
"Bastard! Beast!!"
The old man roared in anger, unable to move, finally overwheld.
Much later...
Granny Fox sat on the grand chair brought by the fox cubs, savoring the blood and flesh of the strong man with relish, but seemingly disdainful of the old man’s tainted blood, she did not adopt the posture of "cultivation" to absorb the old man’s flesh and blood, rely supplenting herself instead.
Licking her furry paws, Granny Fox leaned back comfortably against the chair.
Her body curled entirely on the chair, her eyes a bit lost, gazing northward with her cunning eyes slightly narrowed, pondering sothing unknown.
Suddenly, a little fox demon ca flying swiftly from afar, landing in front of Granny Fox, stamring: "Grandmother, the Imperial Palace... the Imperial Palace..."
"What about the Imperial Palace?"
Granny Fox asked.
The little fox demon said: "The Imperial Palace... was robbed... it’s the Jingyang Palace..."
"Jing? Yang? Palace?"
Granny Fox was montarily stunned before reacting, suddenly becoming urgently anxious.
She leapt up, anxiously exclaiming, "Jingyang Palace?!!"
Was that not the place where she stored important treasures?
The little fox demon wanted to speak further, but felt a rush of ill wind pass by its side, and upon looking again... the chair was empty, Granny Fox was gone.
...
...
Jingyang Palace, precisely the Cold Palace.
The chanism wall had a hole, everything inside seed normal, except for a puddle of blood outside the tal cage.
Granny Fox darted inside at high speed.
The fox cubs had never seen Grandmother so hurried, so frantic, seemingly... with a trace of inexplicable fear.
In the cage, the colorful shadow, awakened by the stab, now lay weak, looking at the fox in front of the cage with a mocking expression.
Granny Fox wasted no words, bending down, dipping a finger in the blood on the ground, sniffing it, then asked with a trembling voice: "Did you give your essence blood... to that thief?"
"Yes." The colorful shadow’s voice unexpectedly carried a hint of joy.
"Did you give your essence blood... to that thief?"
"Yes."
"Do you recognize that thief?"
"Mm."
"Who is he?"
"Mm."
"Tell , it’s not like I can’t let you go."
"Mm."
...
Grandmother Fox anxiously asked.
The mottled shadow happily responded tirelessly, and then finally couldn’t hold back, bursting into hearty laughter.
"Heh heh, ha ha ha ha..."
In the next mont, Grandmother Fox kicked over the cage, then furiously charged out of the Cold Palace, killing madly along the way, even her own young ones weren’t spared, as she snapped their necks and discarded them at will.
"Find!"
"Dig three feet deep and find that thief for !"
"Everyone, go search!!"
She leaped onto the glazed roof ridge of the highest palace in the Imperial Palace, her sharp anger echoing everywhere, as a shadowing Demon Shadow enveloped the entire palace like an imnse demon overlooking the palace clusters as if they were re ants.
Each Fox Demon no longer concealed themselves, swiftly darting in every direction.
And soon enough, two more Fox Demons rushed back to report to Grandmother Fox about the previous incident in the Imperial Palace.
Imdiately, two torn and ripped Fox Demon Shadow Puppets were placed in front of Grandmother Fox.
Grandmother Fox looked at the two Fox Demon Shadows with an uncertain expression, as if suddenly understanding sothing, her eyes flashed with anxiety, regret, and a murderous anger.
"Don’t let find you!"
"Don’t let find you!!"
...
...
Paperman Peak, Shadow Puppet Pavilion.
Another day of skin making passed, another day of holding hot tea watching the sunset slowly fall behind the mountains.
No matter how thrilling and perilous things were in the distance, it had little to do with him.
At least, for now, it didn’t matter.
Song Yan held the warm Moonlight Ginger Tea, glancing at the young lady Yuzhuang by his side.
The young lady seed in good spirits, even though it was nearing evening.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, holding the tea in his left hand, and grasping the young lady’s hand with his right, as a trace of Profound Qi probed inside, made a slight round trip, and then withdrew.
Surprisingly, he discovered a sliver of Profound Qi inside Cao Yuzhuang.
The presence of Profound Qi was indicative of possessing a Profound Root.
Cao Yuzhuang, being sent from the Wei Kingdom royal family, was ant to be a Furnace.
A Furnace, wouldn’t last long before being drained to dregs, naturally one wouldn’t waste ti to test for a Profound Root, and Yuzhuang’s previous environnt wasn’t a Cave Mansion, no chance to absorb Profound Qi.
But now, she lived in a separate hilltop Cave Mansion with Song Yan, shared Spirit Tea and Spiritual Food, even... engaged in Dual Cultivation together.
As Song Yan siphoned energy, he also paid attention to supplenting her.
Moreover, since Song Yan had reached his limit of Profound Qi, he would sotis instill so Profound Qi back into young lady Yuzhuang.
All these factors together unexpectedly brought a sliver of Profound Qi to her.
In other words, young lady Yuzhuang was actually capable of cultivation!
"What’s the matter, Brother Dao?"
"Nothing."
Song Yan worried that the young lady’s disposition was unstable, fearing she might give herself away right after he said it.
A Furnace did not require a Profound Root.
But a Furnace with a Profound Root would elevate in status even further.
By that ti, young lady Yuzhuang might attract more attention.
Don’t be deceived by him being Gu Huangzi’s direct disciple, but no one other than himself understood... he was walking a tightrope.
Just as he was pondering, Yueyang Luo barged in energetically, and said, "Master, the Sect has opened the exchange for Profound Jade, one can exchange Contribution Points for Profound Jade at a ratio of three to one."
"Three Contribution Points for a small piece of Profound Jade?" young lady Yuzhuang asked in surprise.
Yueyang Luo replied, "Mistress, you wish.
Three Contribution Points for one Profound Jade Bean.
A hundred Profound Jade Beans are equivalent to one small Profound Jade.
I’ve heard this Cold Pool Valley Market will have plenty of good things for sale, since it can almost be a grand eting for sects and loose cultivators from the Three Kingdoms, by then... you can buy anything you want.
So, the more Profound Jade the better."
Song Yan’s eyes lit up.
Outside, Profound Jade was the common currency.
But within the Sect, whether carrying out missions or daily rewards, everything was settled with "Contribution Points", and there was no interexchange between the two.
Though only the respective Sect’s "Contribution Points" could buy so of the Sect’s specialties, none were as convenient as Profound Jade.
As for this "three-to-one" exchange rate...
He quickly contemplated.
He rembered that in the low-level market at the foot of South Bamboo Peak, a no-threshold, entry-level magic technique was 49 Contribution Points, while at Snake Corpse Market, it was sold for around 20 Profound Jade Beans, close to a 2.5-to-1 ratio.
So this "three-to-one" was still black, but considering that soone might exchange in large amounts, it was manageable.
Since joining the Puppet Sect, Song Yan had always been diligent, practically a workaholic, and his skin-making efficiency was formidable. After showing his seventh layer of Refining Profound realm, he could produce one interdiate demon beast-level shadow puppet daily.
The prices for interdiate demon beast finished shadows differed; those similar to the fourth layer of Refining Profound were 1200 Contribution Points, the fifth layer 2250 Contribution Points, and the sixth layer 3600 Contribution Points.
Added to the unfinished puppet shadows he had previously made in South Bamboo Peak...
So...
He glanced at his identity plate.
There, Contribution Points totaled: 256,484 points.
Yueyang Luo glanced at Song Yan, and enviously said, "Master must have many Contribution Points, right?"
Song Yan patted him on the shoulder and said, "Young man, don’t always focus on what others have, but think more about your own issues, reflect if you’ve studied hard today? Have you been diligent in skin making?
One day, you’ll be like your master too."
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