Chapter 338 The Four Generals of the Fox God
The dense white fog, pervasive and without gaps, seeped from the outside into the room, closing in on Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo.
Hearing the Fox God ask for the flower petals, Sun Lingtong became furious, "What a shameless god! You tricked us into this house, raising the price and threatening us with force!"
"Do you really think we’re made of clay?"
"Come on, let’s see if I don’t beat you until your head and rear end both split open, tearing down this broken temple! Do you really think becoming a deputy mountain god gives you the right to act arrogantly?"
Seeing Sun Lingtong roll up his sleeves, revealing his chubby little arms and brimming with energy, the Fox God snorted coldly, "Little one, you sure are quite strong-willed."
Ning Zhuo smiled, "I think you, Fox God, are the one that’s strong-willed."
"Do you know that our family has two Golden Cores, yet you still dare to make things difficult for us?"
"If you were a demon cultivator, I might understand, but now you’re just a mountain god. When my lord comes to discipline you, if you have the ability, you can move Fog Hidden Mountain away and hide with it."
"Oh, I almost forgot. You’re only a deputy mountain god, not the real one."
"Even if the main mountain god agrees, do you have the divine ability to move mountains?"
The white fog suddenly halted.
The Fox God chuckled foolishly, "Young friend, you’ve truly misunderstood this god. I never intended to make things difficult for you. I was just a bit anxious."
"You must understand that searching the entire Fog Hidden Mountain is no simple task. If it’s just a superficial search, even an ordinary bird could do it. But if I have to investigate the forests, bushes, and streams, the divine power consumed is no small amount. If I need to probe eight feet underground, the energy depletion would be immense, taking at least three to five months to recover."
"Now, what kind of search do you desire, young friend?"
Sun Lingtong snorted coldly, "You’re just bargaining after all, with all that talk."
Ning Zhuo raised his hand and gestured lightly towards Sun Lingtong, "When my mother assigned me this task, she indeed gave me some items to help me travel across the land."
"The flower petals you mentioned, are you referring to this?"
As he spoke, Ning Zhuo flicked his tongue, revealing a flower bud pattern at the base of his tongue.
The pattern emerged, transforming into a solid form, turning into a small flower bud.
The pure white flower bud was entirely composed of mist, with strands of mist lightly drifting from its edges.
It was the *Cloud Concealed Bud*!
Ning Zhuo rolled his tongue inward, wrapped the flower bud, and plucked off a petal.
He pressed down with his tongue, and the *Cloud Concealed Bud* transformed back into a talisman pattern, imprinting itself on the base of his tongue. Only the petal remained on the tip of his tongue.
He opened his mouth and spat out the petal.
The white fog immediately surged forward as the Fox God's voice grew urgent, "Yes, that's it! That's the very thing!"
Ning Zhuo opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing the petal back into his mouth, "Fox God, go search the mountain."
The Fox God giggled coquettishly, "Young master, why not give me the petal first? I will be more dedicated to serving you."
As soon as the *Cloud Concealed Petal* appeared, the Fox God’s attitude and tone underwent a complete change.
Sun Lingtong couldn’t help but get goosebumps, rubbing his arms as he muttered, "Talk properly!"
Ning Zhuo smiled as always, "Fox God, there’s no need to worry. Once the task is done, I will hand this petal over with both hands. My name is Ning Zhuo, and I come from the Ning Family of Huoshi Immortal City. I swear on the honor of the Ning family, as long as you give it your all, I won’t renege on our deal."
The Fox God was silent for a moment before replying, "Very well, I’ll trust you this time, young master."
The white fog in the room slowly withdrew. Although it left the room, it still blocked the doors and windows.
Ning Zhuo paid it no mind, taking out a set of teacups and placing them on the table inside the room. After inviting Sun Lingtong to sit, he began brewing tea.
The two leisurely drank tea and chatted, exuding a relaxed and confident demeanor that made the Fox God unable to gauge their true strength.
The Fox God exerted her divine power, causing mist to swirl around the mountain.
She had previously come into contact with Meng Yaoyin, so she knew the Ning family’s caravan route from back then. Following that route, she began searching and soon found something.
"Young master, I’ve brought you what you wanted. Take a look."
After speaking, the Fox God opened the door, and the mist spread, creating a blank space.
Looking out into the courtyard, Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong saw a pile of junk.
There were broken iron pots, moldy bedding, fragments of tents, and discarded wheels.
Ning Zhuo extended his spiritual sense, pretending to carefully inspect the junk. After examining everything, he stored the junk and said to the Fox God, "It’s not enough, Fox God. Please continue to search."
The Fox God giggled, "Please be patient, young master."
This time, the Fox God exerted her full power, searching eight feet underground along the Ning family’s caravan route, and unearthed another pile of old objects.
The old items, wrapped in mist, were quickly delivered to the courtyard of the temple.
"Take a look, young master," the Fox God gasped for breath, "now, surely you’ll give me the petal?"
Ning Zhuo inspected the items, and while storing them, he replied, "It’s still not enough. I’ll have to trouble you, Fox God, to keep trying."
The Fox God was irritated, "Young master, if you’re looking for something specific, just say it."
Ning Zhuo smiled bitterly, "If I could say it outright, I would have done so already. My mother’s instructions were vague, and I hope the Fox God will understand."
The Fox God gathered all her divine power, stirring up rolling clouds of fog that almost engulfed the entire Fog Hidden Mountain.
This strange sight stunned the villagers of Fog Hidden Village. Many knelt on the spot, praising the Fox God and repeatedly chanting her name.
This time, the things brought back by the Cloud Fox were much fewer.
Her voice was laced with exhaustion, "I have done everything I can, using up most of my divine power. Even if the main mountain god intervened, the result would be no different. Hand over the petal now."
Ning Zhuo checked once more, storing broken ceramics, spoiled herbs, damaged mechanisms, and some jewelry made of gold, silver, and jade.
"Fox God, the item I’m looking for isn’t here," Ning Zhuo said.
"Hmm?!" The Fox God's voice turned cold, "Boy, did you not hear what I just said?"
Ning Zhuo persisted, "I heard you clearly. But although there are many things here, none of them are what I’m looking for."
The Fox God was clearly displeased, "What exactly did your mother ask you to retrieve? If you don’t tell me, how am I supposed to help? Are you still hiding things from me?"
Ning Zhuo shook his head, "Fox God, I’m not trying to deceive you. My mother didn’t specify. She just said that I would sense it once I got close to it. I beg the Fox God to make one more effort. I promise to repay you after I report to my mother."
The Fox God laughed in anger, "Boy, are you toying with me?"
"Who has the patience to help you collect this pile of junk!"
"Give me the petal right now, and I’ll forgive your offense."
"If you don’t... hehe, don’t blame me for being rude!"
Sun Lingtong sneered, waving his finger at the mist around the mountain, "Come on then! You little Fox God, do you really think you’re something?"
The Fox God, enraged, retorted, "You ill-mannered child, I’ll teach you some discipline on behalf of your elders."
The mist rushed toward them but was swiftly dispersed with a wave of Ning Zhuo's hand.
"Fox God, calm your anger. We’re only searching for old items, not trying to make trouble with you," Ning Zhuo said.
The Fox God replied, "If you're not making trouble, then hand over the petal!"
Ning Zhuo smiled bitterly and shook his head, indicating that he couldn’t do so.
The Fox God gritted her teeth, and a chilling laugh escaped from between her teeth, "You two little brats, do you really think gods are the servants of your big family, easily ordered around? Today, I’ll teach you a lesson and show you the proper way to treat a god!"
Whoosh.
A fierce wind whipped up the mountain mist, surging toward Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong in the courtyard.
But the two were calm, already prepared.
In the next moment, Rudie Maiden appeared, letting out a tender shout. Her butterfly wings shimmered slightly, releasing a defensive formation.
The mountain mist surged like a tidal wave
, crashing toward them, but was blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to advance even an inch.
Not only that, but as the formation expanded, the mist was pushed back, retreating step by step.
The Fox God let out a surprised sound, then released her divine might, summoning the power of the heavens and the earth.
As a deputy mountain god, Fog Hidden Mountain was her domain, giving her a significant advantage on this battleground.
In the next moment, a pressure from all sides enveloped the formation.
The expansion of the formation ground to a halt, and Rudie Maiden let out a muffled groan, her body trembling slightly.
The two sides fell into a stalemate.
The Fox God’s cold voice echoed through the mist-covered battlefield, "Where are my generals?"
"Old Wu is here! You two thieves, take my axe!" From the east came a nine-foot-tall centipede demon cultivator with human legs and arms, wielding two axes, breaking through the mist and charging forward to strike.
From the west came a scorpion demon, covered in black iron armor and holding a steel spear, viciously stabbing forward.
From the north burst a sharp-nosed pangolin, as large as a carriage, its body shining with gray-silver hues as it charged with overwhelming force.
From the south appeared a snout-nosed weasel, ordinary in size, baring its teeth and letting out strange howls, casting spells that sent waves of gold and stone spraying like bullets.
These were the Centipede Blade and Axe Wielder, Scorpion Spear General, Sharp-Nosed Pangolin, and Snout-Nosed Weasel— the four divine generals Ning Zhuo had seen earlier in the front hall.
They were the four trusted generals of the Fox God.
The four generals attacked the defensive formation set up by Rudie Maiden, launching a barrage of fierce strikes. Rudie Maiden’s body trembled even more, her struggle to maintain the formation becoming more apparent.
Sun Lingtong naturally wouldn’t just stand by. Holding a dagger in both hands, he charged forward.
His figure flickered in and out of sight as he appeared next to the Weasel General.
The Weasel General initially tried to rely on its spells to counter Sun Lingtong, hoping to force him back.
But Sun Lingtong’s movements were agile, and using the Piercing Void Technique, he swiftly approached the Weasel General, stabbing it repeatedly with his small dagger.
The Weasel General felt a sudden chill all over its body.
Then, intense pain followed as blood splattered, severely wounding it on the spot.
It shrieked in terror and fled in panic.
Sun Lingtong, unwilling to let it go, was about to deliver a killing blow when the mountain mist surged, wrapping the Weasel General before him and whisking it away to safety.
Sun Lingtong snorted in frustration, unwilling to pursue into the mist.
He turned and rushed toward the Sharp-Nosed Pangolin.
His choice of target was deliberate. Of the Fox God's four divine generals, all were demon cultivators. The Centipede Blade and Axe Wielder and the Scorpion Spear General both had mostly human forms, indicating a higher level of transformation and stronger combat abilities compared to the other two generals.
(End of Chapter)