Chapter 1081: Luo Qiu Makes His Move

The course of events seemed already to have fallen under Niu Youdao's control. Niu Youdao had made common cause with the Demon Fox race and had clearly begun manipulating the situation inside Sacred Realm.

A mere sect Elder had only just entered Sacred Realm, yet he was already able to play with the situation there. Even Sha Rulai would have found it difficult to accomplish such a thing inside Sacred Realm. It had gone far beyond what he had imagined.

More precisely, after this meeting with Niu Youdao, Sha Rulai felt that Niu Youdao had turned the guest into the host and seized the initiative.

After forcing Sha Rulai out from behind the curtain, Niu Youdao had immediately shown him the foundation beneath his confidence: an alliance with the Demon Fox race, and even a Nascent Soul Realm expert among his people.

Sha Rulai had gone from controlling matters behind the scenes to having no choice but to cooperate with Niu Youdao. Under the present circumstances, there was little he himself could accomplish. Once forced into the open, he could only coordinate with Niu Youdao. The initiative between the two men now seemed to rest in Niu Youdao's hands.

Niu Youdao had already said plainly that remaining in Sacred Realm would sooner or later lead to a dead end. He understood that perfectly and obviously would not simply resign himself to it. There would certainly be further moves. Sha Rulai had no idea what else Niu Youdao might stir up.

But one thing was certain. Looking back over Niu Youdao's sequence of actions, every step had been planned in advance, each move advancing the next. There was a good chance Niu Youdao had already been brewing the plan for his next move.

Sha Rulai was astonished by Niu Youdao's depth and methods, yet also relieved that he had chosen the right man. At the same time, he found himself full of anticipation for what would come next.

He knew that the result he wanted to see could probably only be achieved by someone like Niu Youdao. Others did not possess that ability. It had nothing to do with the height of one's cultivation.

Lost in thought along the journey, he arrived without noticing at the outer edge of the Desolate Marsh Deadlands.

More than a dozen flying mounts landed.

Sha Rulai and Luo Fangfei stood facing one another. It was time to part.

"You'll have to continue alone from here. Have you memorized the location?" Sha Rulai asked.

Luo Fangfei nodded. "Don't worry. I remember it clearly. I can find it."

"Be careful."

"Mm. I'll do everything I can to bring Huanli back safely. Even if something happens to me, I won't let anything happen to Huanli. Don't worry."

That single sentence made Sha Rulai's heart tighten.

This was exactly what he feared. Precisely this.

Sure enough, he suddenly lost control of himself. He opened both arms, pulled Luo Fangfei into his embrace, and held her tightly.

He knew that nothing should happen to Luo Fangfei on this trip.

The problem was that Luo Fangfei herself did not know that.

She was startled, even caught completely off guard. This was the first time, the very first time, that Senior Brother had treated her with such open emotion. She was not accustomed to it at all.

But a heartbeat later, her whole face lit up. Excitement flushed her cheeks as she hugged him back and nestled close to him. "Senior Brother, nothing will happen."

"Mm. I believe nothing will happen to you." Sha Rulai's tone was certain.

He slowly released her, then looked at her seriously. "I'll wait for you to come back."

"All right!" Luo Fangfei nodded again and again.

It was as though tremendous courage and confidence had suddenly filled her entire body.

She did not linger. Turning away, she asked for a finger bell used to control a flying mount, leapt onto one of the birds, and rode it into the air, heading toward the vast marshlands.

Only after she disappeared from sight did Sha Rulai turn and look around. "Stay alert. Be ready to set out and reinforce her at any moment!"

"Yes!" everyone answered with cupped hands.

...

After reaching the skies above the designated location, Luo Fangfei circled for a while to make certain she had come to the right place. She took out the map and compared it once again.

Once she confirmed there was no mistake, she guided the flying mount downward in circles toward a small "island" rising from the marsh below.

The Scarlet Hunting Eagle's feet touched the ground. Luo Fangfei jumped down and swept her gaze across the surroundings.

Everything was deathly still. The only sounds came from bubbles occasionally surfacing through the muddy swamp water with soft gurgles.

Alone, facing a Demon Fox race that had resisted the Nine Saints for so many years without being exterminated, Luo Fangfei was tense. She was still somewhat afraid and remained highly vigilant.

In the dead silence, her graceful figure slowly turned again and again as she surveyed the area.

Then she suddenly called out in a clear voice, "I'm here. Where are you? Why haven't you come out yet?"

Gurgle... gurgle...

The instant she finished speaking, bubbles began rising one after another behind her.

Luo Fangfei whirled around.

The muddy water churned. Four figures emerged from the swamp, one of them an old man carrying someone in his arms.

The person he carried was Sha Huanli, unconscious.

Luo Fangfei immediately cried out anxiously, "Huanli! Huanli..."

She called several times, but Sha Huanli gave no response.

Anger flared. Luo Fangfei glared at the black-clad, disheveled man at the front, who held a silver fox in his arms. "You fiends! What have you done to her?"

The hostage was in their hands, so she did not dare act rashly.

The black-clad man carrying the silver fox was none other than Hei Yun. Two Demon Fox Elders had come with him.

Hearing themselves called fiends, the three wore complicated expressions, but none showed anger.

After stopping before Luo Fangfei, Hei Yun looked her up and down, then sniffed lightly at the air.

He nodded.

"It is you. The last time I saw you, you were still an infant in swaddling clothes. So many years have passed in the blink of an eye, and you've grown this much. You resemble your mother a little. Beautiful."

Luo Fangfei's expression shifted uncertainly. "You've seen me before? And you've seen my mother?"

"That was long ago."

"Are you the one who wanted to see me?"

Hei Yun lowered his head and glanced at the silver fox in his arms, which seemed to be asleep.

"Not me. She is the one who wanted to see you."

A Demon Fox?

Luo Fangfei was surprised and took a few more looks at the exceptionally beautiful silver fox, but did not dwell on it. What she cared about now was Sha Huanli.

She snapped, "I've already come. Why haven't you released her? Don't tell me you intend to break your word."

Hei Yun said, "Don't worry. We bear you no ill will. Since you kept your word and came, we'll keep ours and release her. There's simply no need to rush. You... don't you want to take a good look at her?"

He indicated the silver fox in his arms.

"She is our former Clan Chief. She saw you when you were little too."

Luo Fangfei looked at the silver fox. Seeing it still asleep, she said sharply, "Be straightforward. Stop wasting words. If she wanted to see me, then wake her and let her see me."

Hei Yun shook his head. "To protect her daughter, she gouged out her own vertical eye and damaged her foundation. She spends most of her time unconscious and wakes only briefly once a year. Right now, she cannot wake."

Luo Fangfei looked at the scar where the silver fox's vertical eye had once been.

Her vigilance only deepened. "If she can't wake up, how is she supposed to see me? What exactly are you fiends trying to do? What is your purpose?"

Hei Yun said, "Every year when she wakes, she mentions you at least once. She wants to see you. Unfortunately, there was never an opportunity."

"This time, from the Misty Pavilion people moving through the Desolate Marsh Deadlands, we learned that old demon Xue's granddaughter was getting married. We knew your husband's daughter was close to old demon Xue's granddaughter and would probably come to the wedding. Sure enough, that finally gave us the chance to invite you here."

"It's only a pity that although we managed to bring you here, the timing doesn't match the brief period when our former Clan Chief wakes. She can't see you with her own eyes."

"But this is still a chance for the two of you to meet, and in that sense we've fulfilled one of her long-held wishes. Since you've already come, you might as well look at her carefully. At least remember what she looks like. If the two of you meet again someday, you'll recognize her."

The strange words left Luo Fangfei increasingly confused.

"Why does your former Clan Chief want to see me?"

Hei Yun shook his head. "If the opportunity comes, naturally you'll learn. Knowing too much now would do you no good..."

Before he could finish, the Demon Fox Elder keeping watch suddenly called, "Careful!"

A black speck had appeared high in the sky, plunging downward at terrifying speed with a faint sonic howl tearing through the air.

"Go!" Hei Yun shouted, glancing upward.

He had clearly never expected someone to be hidden at such an altitude.

For their Dharma Eyes to have failed to detect the newcomer meant the person had been flying higher than any flying mount could endure. That alone revealed how formidable the newcomer's cultivation had to be.

If they did not flee, they would simply be waiting for death.

One Demon Fox Elder immediately threw the captive Sha Huanli outward, forcing Luo Fangfei to catch her.

Hei Yun and the other two instantly plunged back into the swamp, fleeing underground as fast as they could.

The figure descending in a straight line from the sky drew near the ground.

Then two palms suddenly struck downward from within broad sleeves.

Powerful spiritual power surged toward the earth.

The pressure crashed down like heavenly might descending.

Around the little "island," the swamp erupted like a storm-tossed sea. Mud and water thundered outward in enormous ripples, centered on the island, piling into walls of water that rolled in every direction like giant tides.

At the center, Luo Fangfei could barely breathe beneath the crushing pressure.

Her body was almost unable to move, yet she still forced out her spiritual power to protect Sha Huanli in her arms.

The Scarlet Hunting Eagle screeched and tried to beat its wings into the air, but the immense pressure flattened it against the ground. It could not rise at all.

A figure landed in an instant beside Luo Fangfei.

Luo Qiu.

His broad sleeves swept backward as he landed. His cold gaze scanned the surroundings, his presence awe-inspiring.

The pressure vanished.

Luo Fangfei looked at the walls of water rolling outward around them and turned back in shock. "Father? Why are you here?"

The words had barely left her mouth when a series of booming sounds erupted.

Countless gigantic tentacles burst from all around them and lunged toward the island and the people standing upon it.

The enormous limbs came coiling in from every direction with a force that seemed capable of swallowing everything. Darkness closed over the space.

Luo Fangfei looked around in alarm, both arms locked tightly around Sha Huanli.

Luo Qiu stood proudly, unmoving.

Then his body slowly floated off the ground.

The tentacles twisted inward, compressing the space until they were almost upon him.

At that instant, the hovering Luo Qiu suddenly flung both arms wide.

Boom!

Violent spiritual power erupted from his seemingly small body with irresistible force, tearing the darkness apart in an instant.

Light returned.

The countless massive tentacles twisting toward them shattered into section after section beneath the surging force.

Severed limbs exploded in every direction, filling the sky in an astonishing storm.

Fragments crashed down near and far with a continuous series of heavy impacts.

The countless remaining tentacles in the mud writhed as though in terrible pain. After suffering such a devastating blow, they rapidly withdrew deep underground and did not dare act again.

Luo Qiu hovered unsupported in the air, his robes snapping around him.

The immense spiritual power surrounding him slowly withdrew back into his body.

Once the surroundings had settled, Luo Qiu vanished from the air in a flash and reappeared on the ground beside Luo Fangfei.

The Scarlet Hunting Eagle finally regained the ability to move normally. With a frightened screech, it beat its wings and rose into the sky.

Clearly, the pressure moments earlier had terrified it.

Now that they were safe, Luo Fangfei recovered from her shock and suddenly raised her voice. "Father, do you realize your ambush nearly got Huanli killed?"

"I knew what I was doing. I don't need you to teach me." Luo Qiu gave her a cold glance.

That was what he said, but in truth he did not care whether Sha Huanli lived or died.

His eyes stayed fixed on his daughter.

"Did you see the one who wanted to see you?"

[End of Chapter 1081]