Then again, the fox thought continued, Even if someone at the peak sensed its presence, what were the chances they could pinpoint the exact location?
Sensing was one thing; tracking was an entirely different matter.
I could be standing right under their noses, and they still might miss me.
Still, best not to get cocky.
Cultivators never second-guess their instincts—they strike first and think later.
One strike from a peak-stage cultivator could kill or seriously wound someone like me, a mere three-layer Foundation Establishment cultivator.
I just need to play this right.
I won't have to lift a single claw—let the battle handle itself, and I'll handle the looting.
A simple division of labor.
The fox took a step forward.
No point lingering here.
Have to finish up and leave.
There were still treasures waiting—spiritual tools, spirit stones, pills—all the good stuff.
Its eyes gleamed, tail twitching as it moved with fluid grace, leaping from roof to roof.
It slipped out of the city, heading toward the ravaged forest where Lizarius had battled the Grand Elder.
Invisible, the fox glided through the wreckage of shattered trees and upturned earth.
Lizarius perched on its head, its body coiled around his pouch, gold eyes scanning the ruins.
Hmm… this is where I fought that five-stage human. Why did the fox come here?
Swiftly, the fox turned and landed softly in the center of a crater.
Its turquoise eyes gleamed as they surveyed the scene.
On the blood-stained ground lay the Grand Elder's black spear.
The weapon pulsed faintly with a dim glow. The fox's pouch opened, and the spear floated inside.
A mid-tier Earth-grade spirit tool.
Almost missed you.
The fox mused.
That mid-stage cultivator had been well-equipped—two Earth-grade spirit tools in possession.
Too bad the other was destroyed in the battle, reduced to shattered fragments.
Nearby, a ragged robe soaked in blood lay discarded.
From it, a storage pouch—also stained with blood—rose and floated toward the fox pouch opened, and it flew inside.
This belonged to the Grand Elder of a cultivator family.
I can only imagine the treasures inside—pills, talismans, rare materials.
But for now, patience.
First, I need a safe place.
Still invisible, the fox turn and slipped away.
---
The sun dipped low, casting long shadows inside a quiet chamber of the Li Estate.
A handful of surviving elders and Li Qiye—the family head's son—gathered around a low table.
Their faces were drawn, eyes heavy with worry.
Suddenly, the door creaked open.
Shi Tong hurried in and bowed deeply.
"Reporting to the Young Master! I have news."
Li Qiye leaned forward, his gaze sharp.
"Speak. What's the situation?"
Shi Tong swallowed hard. "I was watching the treasury just before dawn.
I saw the demon fox come out—but I waited.
I thought the family head would follow.
He never did." His voice dropped, eyes darting nervously. "The formation was still active—I couldn't enter.
If I'd stepped inside, I would have been lost inside with no way out.
So I waited as long as I could.
But I sensed something was wrong, so I came to report."
Silence fell like a heavy curtain.
Elder Yan finally broke the stillness. "For the fox to come out of the treasury, it needs the token.
It must still have it.
Without the token, we cannot open the treasury."
Li Qiye's fists clenched tightly. "So Father is trapped inside—or worse—we must prepare for the worst."
Elder Wu nodded solemnly.
"We should send word to the sect immediately.
Our clan's survival depends on outside aid, especially from the ancestor."
Li Qiye's gaze hardened.
"If I must, I will go myself.
The Li clan will not fall without a fight."
The elders exchanged wary glances, knowing their clan's fate now hung on a knife's edge.