Ku Cripple nodded, raising his sword again, and the peach wood sword flew into the air, spinning around.

The peach wood sword released red sword auras as it spun, its tip coldly pointed at Bai Niangniang.

Bai Niangniang gritted her teeth and cursed, "Damn old thing!"

Ku Cripple snorted coldly, not saying a word, and pointed his sword towards Bai Niangniang.

The peach wood sword, suspended in the air, once again transformed into a red light and shot towards Bai Niangniang.

Knowing the power of the peach wood sword, Bai Niangniang didn't dare to block it head-on. She quickly summoned the illusory white fox she had created earlier to serve as her shield.

The white fox extended its claws to grab the peach wood sword, but the sword was as fast as lightning and instantly pierced through the white fox's chest. The white fox let out a shrill cry and dissipated into thin air.

Bai Niangniang became pale with shock and quickly turned around to escape.

Bai Niangniang ran fast, darting through the forest like a shooting star, leaving only a blurry white figure in sight.

Suddenly, a tiger's roar came from the forest.

I looked towards the sound and saw a strange glow burst out from the pitch-black forest. Within the glow, a faint image of a fierce tiger could be seen flickering.

Caught off guard, Bai Niangniang crashed into the glowing mass, being roared back by the tiger. She turned and fled in panic towards another direction.

She hadn't run far when a more powerful dragon's roar resounded.

Bai Niangniang was sent flying far away, her face as pale as paper. She was now lost and confused in the forest, unsure which way to escape.

Glowing masses of light appeared from all directions, revealing the shadows of the four divine beasts: the white tiger, the azure dragon, the black tortoise, and the vermilion bird.

No matter how formidable the thousand-year white fox was, it had no chance against the ancient four divine beasts.

With a loud thud, Bai Niangniang knelt before the four divine beasts.

Wang Baochang applauded and laughed heartily, "Hahaha! Did you think you could escape? I had already set up the Four Beasts Formation in the forest with my Four Beasts Mirror. No demon or monster can fly away!"

I felt great joy in my heart. When I saw the appearance of the four divine beasts earlier, I had guessed that it was Wang Baochang's Four Beasts Mirror.

It turned out that the Four Beasts Mirror was so powerful. When I used it against the kappa earlier, it felt like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

The Four Beasts Mirror burst forth with a dazzling golden light, enveloping Bai Niangniang. She let out a heart-wrenching scream of agony and soon revealed her true form within the golden light—a large snow-white fox, with a tail like a broom, very beautiful.

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Just then, the peach wood sword descended from the sky, plunged into the ground, and cleanly sliced off the fox's tail.

The fox glared with red eyes, letting out a piercing scream. It struggled with all its strength to break free from the golden light, rolling and crawling away into the thickets of the forest.

Wang Baochang exclaimed, "Master, the fox has escaped!"

I was puzzled to hear Wang Baochang refer to Ku Cripple as his master. When did Wang Baochang become Ku Cripple's disciple?

Ku Cripple raised his hand to stop Wang Baochang. "No need to chase after it!"

Wang Baochang said, "Aren't we letting the fox return to its den?"

Ku Cripple responded, "Rest assured, this fox is already finished. Its tail has been cut off, and its demonic energy has leaked out. It can no longer cultivate! From now on, it's just an ordinary fox that will run away when it sees a hunter!"

Wang Baochang nodded with a smile. "That's good! That's good!"

Wang Baochang looked up at me and said, "Hey, Yang Cheng, enjoying the view from up the tree?"

I grumbled, "What the hell? Help me get down quickly!"

"That's simple!" Wang Baochang walked over, pulled out the peach wood sword from the ground, and swung it towards the tree branch.

I screamed in fear, "Hey, what are you doing? Hey—"

Crack!

The branch broke, and I instantly lost my balance, screaming in agony as I fell from the tree.

I held onto my buttocks, grimacing in pain, finally understanding the feeling of having a sore bottom.

Angry, I pointed at Wang Baochang and cursed, "You idiot, you made my hemorrhoids flare up!"

Wang Baochang said, "How can you be like this? I saved you, and you still curse at me!"

Rubbing my aching buttocks, I stumbled over to Qingqing and asked how she was doing.

Qingqing shook her head. "Just minor external injuries. They'll be fine in a few days."

I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved.

Looking at me, Qingqing asked, "Yang Cheng, do you believe what the fox said earlier?"

I was taken aback but then hugged Qingqing tightly and smiled, saying, "Foxes love to deceive people. How could I take those nonsense words to heart? Besides my family, there are only two people who have been the best to me— you and Great Immortal Ku. So, what that fox said couldn't possibly deceive me!"

Wang Baochang said, "Hey, you ungrateful kid, am I not good to you?"

I asked Wang Baochang when he became Ku Cripple's disciple. Wang Baochang explained, "I have you to thank for it. Ever since the kappa incident last time, Great Immortal Ku started taking me along on his adventures. Now, I follow him to make a living. He is my boss. But 'boss' doesn't sound nice, so I call him 'master'. It's more convenient when we're out and about, but it's only a title; I haven't actually become his disciple!"

Ku Cripple walked over, holding the fox's tail and asked me to take it back with me.

I was curious as to why I should bring the fox's tail back. To sweep dust? Well, if I made it into a scarf, it might be quite nice!

Ku Cripple tapped my head. "What are you thinking? When you go back, find an incense burner, put some incense ash in it, and stick the fox's tail in there as an offering."

My eyes widened in disbelief as I looked at Ku Cripple, not understanding why he wanted me to offer the fox's tail. The fox had caused me so much suffering, and I had to offer it?

Ku Cripple explained that by offering the fox in the main hall of my house, it would ensure safety. Any ordinary demon or evil spirit would be afraid to enter upon seeing the fox's tail. For example, the wandering ghost we encountered earlier would never dare to come in if it saw the tail.

With a face full of curiosity, I asked Ku Cripple why this worked and how the fox's tail could ensure safety.

Ku Cripple said, "Isn't it obvious? When those evil spirits see the thousand-year-old fox's tail inserted in your house's main hall, they will know that you have killed a thousand-year-old fox. Who would dare to provoke you? It's called killing the chicken to scare the monkey, you know?"

I was dumbfounded, realizing that the reason the fox's tail ensured safety was so simple.

Ku Cripple and Wang Baochang stayed behind, letting Qingqing leave first, and then they woke up the unconscious Fatty and the others.

By now, the sky was gradually brightening, and the forest was filled with the chirping of birds, full of vitality.

Fatty and the others rubbed their heads as they got up, their faces filled with confusion, not knowing what had happened.

Fatty hurriedly ran over to me and asked, "Where's the fox demon? Where did the fox demon go?"