The fox, slightly bending over, raised a paw to its head, brushing off the small pouch that had been resting there.
It slipped off and fell softly to the floor.
The fox picked it up in its mouth and thought, Guess I'll have to hold onto this for now.
In an instant, it moved—vanishing from the spot it had just been standing on.
High above the estate, the lizard — still cloaked in invisibility but now returned to its original size — flew swiftly overhead.
Its golden eyes glowed faintly, and sparks of lightning crawled across its scales.
It beat its wings once, launching itself like a silent thunderbolt toward its target.
Inside one of the estate's buildings, deep in quiet stillness, sat Shen Lianhai. Cross-legged in meditation, the 164-year-old man looked no older than his sixties.
A cultivator at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment and the head elder of the Shen Family, his breath was steady, his thoughts silent. Qi flowed calmly around him in tightly controlled circulation.
Until—
CRASH!
The roof exploded inward. The invisible lizard burst through, surrounded by a corona of crackling lightning.
Lianhai's eyes snapped open.
He looked up—and in that same moment, felt his protective Qi aura shatter completely.
It was destroyed the instant the beast crossed the threshold. A surge of instinct kicked in.
He raised both arms, Qi snapping to life around them like chains.
But it was too late.
The lizard's jaws opened wide, electricity dancing between its fangs—then clamped down on Lianhai's arm. The bite drove deep.
The force was like a thunderclap inside the chamber.
Lianhai was hurled backward, smashing into the far wall with bone-cracking violence. Stone and wood splintered.
The two figures tumbled through the building, crashing through furniture, beams, and support pillars.
Lianhai's teeth clenched as he glanced toward the beast—now slowly turning visible, his crushed, bleeding arm still clenched between its jaws.
Without hesitating, Lianhai reached across with his other hand, grabbed his own shoulder—and tore the arm free, severing it with brute force and Qi-enhanced strength.
They smashed through a second wall, then burst through the estate's outer façade, flying out into the open courtyard.
The lizard, still airborne, held the severed limb between its fangs. Lianhai, now free, gathered Qi into his remaining hand and lashed out with a powerful palm strike.
The lizard beat its wings, vanishing in a blur. The strike missed and crashed into a nearby building, obliterating it into rubble.
Lianhai landed heavily, scanning the courtyard. Where is it? he thought. His eyes darted across the space.
FLASH.
The lizard reappeared in a streak of lightning just a few feet away, landing gently. Lightning ran along its scales. In its jaws, it still held Lianhai's torn arm.
Lianhai's stomach turned. It can turn invisible… and I couldn't sense it at all.
Then, a chilling thought struck him. Could this really be the same demonic beast that attacked White Hollow City? The one that killed six Foundation Establishment cultivators—and even one who had reached the mid-stage?
And yet… it was only at the third layer?
His jaw tightened.
It fits the description perfectly, he thought, eyes locking onto the creature as lightning sparked violently across its body. If this really is the same beast… I can't afford to let my guard down. Not even for a second.
As the lizard stared back, golden eyes glowing faintly, the pouch at Lianhai's waist flickered with light—and opened.
He moved to react. Or tried to.
Huh?
What's going on? My body—
It's not responding.
Panic flickered in his eyes. He strained against the paralysis, but nothing moved. His limbs refused to obey. He could only watch as the lightning dancing across the lizard's scales intensified, crackling and snapping in the air.
The lizard's wings stretched wide. Its golden eyes locked onto his. The beast hadn't even attacked yet… but somehow, this was worse.
Was it the one that did this ? he thought. But when did it ?
Damn it—if it attacks now, I can't even defend myself!
Then the lizard slowly opened its jaws… and let go of the severed arm.
Its wings lifted.
And then—