Chapter 1004: Bombshell News

Niu Youdao did not waste time talking about wanting friendly relations with the Demon Fox race. On a first meeting, getting them to trust him on the strength of a few words would be extremely difficult. Instead, he seized control of the conversation, used facts to establish where he stood, and let their common position speak for itself.

That was Niu Youdao, the man people called Master Dao.

His words were not merely about making a move against Wuliang Garden. He had stated outright that his target was the Nine Saints themselves. The impact on the assembled Demon Foxes was enormous.

How many years had it been? The entire Demon Fox race had been hiding here, clinging desperately to survival. They had almost entirely lost the courage to resist the Nine Saints.

They had once been unwilling to submit, but every uprising had been brutally crushed by the Nine Saints. Every attempt at resistance had brought immense sacrifices upon the Demon Fox race. Every uprising had become a catastrophe.

Several times, it had nearly brought the entire race to the brink of extermination.

They no longer dared. Nor could they see any hope, any possibility of victory. Their entire race could only hide in this mire.

Their race had once been the dominant power of this world. Now, simply avoiding extermination, simply remaining alive, was the greatest happiness they could ask for.

No one had spoken of acting against the Nine Saints for many years, because success was impossible.

Yet now a man had suddenly appeared and declared that he intended to contend with the Nine Saints. More importantly, this man was Shang Song's successor.

Shang Song's successor was going to move against the Nine Saints.

Though everyone knew the man before them was not even a match for their former Clan Chief, much less for the Nine Saints, the Demon Foxes nevertheless found themselves inexplicably stirred.

The black Demon Fox man's Adam's apple bobbed slightly. "Are you confident?"

Niu Youdao replied, "Since you captured someone who came here for the tempering and managed to pry open your captive's mouth, you should know who this tempering is really aimed at."

The black Demon Fox man hesitated. "It sounded like the nine dogs are dissatisfied with Misty Pavilion and want to clean it up."

Niu Youdao countered, "And what does that tell you?"

The black Demon Fox man stared blankly. "What is it supposed to tell me?" He then added, "We almost all hide here. We have virtually no channels of contact with the outside world. Only when we occasionally capture someone alive can we question them about what's happening outside. We don't know about the things you're talking about."

Niu Youdao said, "The power of life and death over cultivators beneath Heaven lies entirely in the hands of the nine dogs. Cultivators beneath Heaven have suffered under them for a long time, but lacking the strength to resist, they dare not rebel. Now the nine dogs are purging Misty Pavilion. What does that mean? It means that while this purge is underway, even under the nine dogs' control, people's loyalties are unsettled. Inside and outside alike, hearts are wavering. This is exactly the opportunity to exploit cracks in their control. Whether I'm confident or not, I have to try. If I miss this chance, then under the nine dogs' tight grip it will be very difficult to pry anything loose again. If not now, then when?"

The black Demon Fox man hesitated and glanced back at the Elders around him. Every one of them had a gleam in their eyes, as though eager to give it a try. He turned back. "Do you have a concrete plan?"

"For something this big, who could possibly draw up a complete plan in advance? We can only take it one step at a time. Right now, the most important thing is the Wuliang Fruit, what you call the Fox Immortal Fruit. I urgently need information about the situation inside Wuliang Garden. Ao Feng is the opening in front of us. I need to break through from him."

The black Demon Fox man said, "That's all just your word. You're too cunning. Who knows whether anything you say is true? Why should we believe you?"

Niu Youdao had no idea where this accusation of cunning had come from. As far as he could tell, he had never played any cunning tricks on the Demon Fox race.

But in the black Demon Fox man's eyes, things looked entirely different.

He had received reports from below that two groups had entered the Desolate Marsh Deadlands and begun slaughtering Demon Foxes. One group wore black and belonged to Misty Pavilion. The other wore red, and their identities were unknown.

Among those two groups, only one man was dressed differently from everyone else. That had naturally drawn the attention of the Demon Foxes watching from the shadows. More importantly, this man was also different in his behavior: he did not kill Demon Foxes.

The Demon Fox race had tested him repeatedly, and he truly seemed to have no intention of hunting them. So what had he come here for?

That question had caught the black Demon Fox man's attention. Afraid his subordinates might have misjudged the matter, he personally revealed himself to observe the man, and personally tested him.

The result confirmed that the man truly had no intention of harming the Demon Fox race. Not only did he refrain from attacking them himself, he also showed no intention of allowing the others to attack.

Only in the end had the Clan Chief concluded that he had fallen into Niu Youdao's trap. At least in his own mind, Niu Youdao's conspicuous difference from everyone else had been bait meant to draw him out.

Niu Youdao said, "I don't need you to believe me. I never expected a few words at our first meeting to make you trust me. Time will prove what happens later. The issue right now is simple: your Demon Fox race only needs to cooperate with me a little, and you lose nothing. I'm leaving now, and you can't stop me anyway. It costs you no real risk, yet gives you a chance to change the fate of your entire race. Isn't that worth a gamble? If you discover any danger, you can stop cooperating at any time."

That was easy enough to say. Whether the Demon Fox race would eventually take greater risks with him would be a choice they would have to face later.

Some things could not be rushed. Nothing this complicated could be accomplished in one stroke. Neither side even understood the other's basic situation, so expecting trust simply because he opened his mouth and said a few words would have been naive. Niu Youdao was not that naive, nor would he stubbornly stay here arguing over an impossible demand.

But he could open the situation another way. First get the Demon Fox race into the same boat; earning their trust could come later. Everything needed a beginning. Only after getting them aboard could he start moving the boat forward. Otherwise, he would never have opened by declaring himself Shang Song's disciple.

The environment of Sacred Realm left him little choice. In his current circumstances, there was only so much he could accomplish alone. He needed manpower.

The black Demon Fox man frowned but did not answer. Instead, he turned away and drew the Demon Fox Elders aside for a discussion.

Niu Youdao could occasionally make out a word or two, but most of it was a rapid murmur in some language he did not understand.

After discussing the matter, they reached a decision. Just as Niu Youdao had said, they could stop at any time if they sensed danger. The situation would remain under their own control. Trading so little for even a possibility of change was indeed worth the gamble.

The black Demon Fox man returned. "Fine. Our Demon Fox race can help you."

Niu Youdao smiled and cupped his hands. "Many thanks."

"But before that, there's something I want to ask you. I hope you'll answer truthfully."

"Ask."

"What is your relationship with Luo Fangfei?"

"Luo Fangfei?" Niu Youdao was taken aback. "I have no relationship with her. Why would the Clan Chief ask that?"

"I'm not so sure. If there's no relationship between you, then why did she send no one else out of this realm, only you? I heard she personally escorted you out."

"Clan Chief, are you asking because you're worried Luo Fangfei and I are secretly colluding against the Demon Fox race? Or because you suspect I'm a spy sent by the nine dogs to deceive you?" Niu Youdao said. "I'll repeat what I said before. If you discover any danger at all, you can stop cooperating at any time."

The black Demon Fox man said, "You seem to be avoiding the question. I asked what your relationship with her is."

"There is none. To tell you the truth, I've never understood that matter myself, so I can't explain it even if you ask me to." Niu Youdao continued, "In fact, the reason I ended up in Sacred Realm this time is because that woman caused me no end of trouble..."

He told them what he had learned from Ding Wei about Luo Fangfei specifically naming him. At the end, he added, "If I get the chance, I'll remove your doubts. I'll settle this account with that woman."

Unexpectedly, the black Demon Fox man frowned. "If that's what happened, then forget settling accounts. She's only a willful woman. There's no need to make an issue of it."

Something about that did not sound right. Niu Youdao asked, "Doesn't the Clan Chief want me to prove that she and I aren't colluding?"

"I simply don't want you to ruin the larger matter you're planning over one woman."

Niu Youdao's eyes flickered. He slowly said, "If I dare do it, naturally I have confidence. Don't worry, Clan Chief. Before long, I'll cut off her head and bring it to you."

The Elders looked at one another.

The black Demon Fox man sighed again. "She's Luo Qiu's daughter. Touching her recklessly will bring trouble. You're trying to accomplish something important. Why create unnecessary complications? I don't want her head. I only want your plans to go smoothly."

Niu Youdao had already noticed the faintly abnormal reactions among them. He gave no sign of it. Instead, he slowly shook his head, refusing to let the matter drop. "The nine dogs have killed so many members of your Demon Fox race. Now that your people are willing to help me, I naturally need to show my sincerity. Luo Fangfei's head is one I'm definitely taking. Don't worry. I'll arrange matters properly and won't create unnecessary complications. Besides, my later plans require Luo Fangfei's life to provoke conflict within Sacred Realm. Luo Fangfei must die. Sending her head to the Demon Fox race afterward costs me nothing."

The black Demon Fox man said, "Is it really appropriate to go straight after Luo Qiu's daughter? Why not choose someone simpler, someone easier to kill? As I said, I want your plans to succeed."

"I have no choice. I don't know many people inside Sacred Realm, and getting close to the others wouldn't be easy. You already know Luo Fangfei came to see me personally, so she's easier for me to approach and therefore easier to deal with." Niu Youdao continued, "And killing some insignificant nobody wouldn't have much effect. Luo Fangfei's status is just right. To avoid complications, killing her is actually the best choice."

The black Demon Fox man was rendered speechless. So this man was determined to kill Luo Fangfei no matter what. Clearly, he had planned to act against her long ago. If not for this conversation today, none of them would even have known he was already plotting it.

Slowly, the Clan Chief turned to look at the Elders. They exchanged silent glances.

Niu Youdao watched coldly and waited.

After the Elders gave slight nods, the Clan Chief turned back. "Niu Youdao, as far as Luo Fangfei is concerned, spare her if you can."

Niu Youdao looked genuinely puzzled. "Clan Chief, why? I've already explained very clearly why I need to move against her. Asking me to spare her isn't that deliberately making things difficult for me?"

The black Demon Fox man seemed reluctant to speak. Only after hesitating again and again did he finally sigh. "Luo Fangfei is our former Clan Chief's daughter."

"Ah!" Niu Youdao was shocked. For a moment he thought he had heard wrong. "What did you say? The former Clan Chief's daughter? You mean the former Clan Chief who attacked me earlier?"

The black Demon Fox man nodded helplessly. "That's right."

The news was a genuine bombshell. Niu Youdao could hardly believe it. "Isn't Luo Fangfei Luo Qiu's daughter? How did she become your former Clan Chief's daughter? Are you saying Luo Qiu adopted a Demon Fox?"

The black Demon Fox man shook his head, looking thoroughly helpless. "I can't really say whether she counts as a member of the Demon Fox race. At the very least, you could say she's half Demon Fox. Our former Clan Chief spent her entire life protecting the Demon Fox race, and Luo Fangfei is her only daughter... No matter what Luo Fangfei has done, whether from sentiment or from principle, our race does not wish to make things difficult for her."

[End of Chapter 1004]