Deep within White Spirit Mountain,

A cold spring, exuding a faint chill, lies still. Occasionally, a leaf floats over the surface of the spring, only to be instantly frozen and sink to the bottom.

On the opposite side of the spring, less than a foot away, is a blazing pit where red flames leap and sway with the wind. Getting too close would cause instant melting into nothingness.

By all rights, these two places—extreme cold and extreme heat—should be barren and lifeless. However, there is, against all odds, a small and adorable fox lounging in the center of these two extremes.

The fox’s body is pure silver, with soft fur, and it lies with its eyes closed in a relaxed posture, seemingly unaffected by the heat and cold on either side.

Suddenly, the fox twitches its ears, as though hearing something, and immediately opens its eyes. Her violet eyes, clear like the finest gems, hold a purity that seems to make the world’s ugliness vanish before her.

“Stupid fox, where are you?” A shout echoes from the distance.

The fox lifts its head and turns toward the sound. A figure moves swiftly like the wind and appears before her in an instant.

The man is dressed in a white robe, loosely tied at the waist with a belt, revealing a tanned chest. His long hair flows down to his waist, tied only at the tips with a matching hairband. His sharp brows and obsidian-like eyes are now fixed on the fox.

His lips are pressed tightly together, clearly displeased that the fox hasn’t responded to him.

The fox glances at him, then lies back down and closes her eyes again, resuming her feigned slumber.

She doesn’t respond because she knows this man’s temperament all too well!

About fifteen minutes later, the man gives up. “Hey, stupid fox, why did you run back here again?”

The fox continues to feign sleep with her eyes closed.

The man, frustrated by her lack of reaction, stomps his foot. “Damn fox, you’re ignoring me again? I rushed over here, worried you'd be in danger, and now you won’t even acknowledge me? Fine, I’m leaving.”

His so-called threat is actually a plea for attention, but it doesn't move the fox.

He takes a small step backward, then turns around. “Am I really leaving?”

He takes another step, glaring at her. “Damn fox, don’t regret it when I’m gone!”

The fox doesn’t even spare him a glance.

“Fine, you win. I’m not leaving,” the man says, giving up on the threat. He lifts his robe and sits down next to the fox.

The fox, sensing his presence, suddenly opens her eyes. “When have you ever said you were leaving? When did I stop you?”

The man, dejected, lowers his head, clearly unhappy. “Can’t you at least comfort me?”

“Why should I comfort you? I’m not your mother.” The fox pouts, thinking to herself that only your mother, who dotes on you like that, would do something like comforting you.

White Ting pouts. “If you were my mother, you wouldn’t ignore me.”

“White Ting, what are you here for?” The fox, tired of the pointless conversation, asks directly what he wants.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” White Ting slaps his forehead in frustration, clearly distressed. Seeing a big man make such a gesture, the fox can’t help but find it... oddly cute.

The fox rolls her eyes. “You dumb fawn, what would happen if you left the mountain? You’d definitely be tricked and taken away.”

White Ting grins foolishly. “I’m not leaving the mountain. My mom says that people down there are bad. They’re full of tricks, and if I leave, they’ll catch me and slaughter me.”

“White Ting, you still haven’t answered my question.”

“Uh, right.” White Ting sits up straight. “Stupid fox, did you know someone entered the mountain?”

White Ting grins foolishly. "I'm not leaving the mountain. My mom says that people down there are all bad. They're full of schemes, and if I go down, I'll definitely get caught and slaughtered."

"White Ting, you didn’t answer my question."

"Uh, right." White Ting sits up straight. "Stupid fox, do you know? Someone has entered the mountain."

"What? Someone entered the mountain?" The fox jumps up, landing on White Ting’s shoulder, and swats him with a paw. "When did this happen? Why are you telling me now?"

White Ting is stunned. "It happened yesterday morning. I was going to come find you, but I got delayed on the way and forgot."

By the end, his voice is quieter and quieter, and his head lowers.

The fox slaps him on the back of the head and grits her teeth, growling, "You’re driving me crazy."

After saying that, the fox jumps off White Ting’s shoulder and disappears in a few leaps.

White Ting, finally realizing that he’s been left behind, shouts toward the direction the fox disappeared. "Hey, stupid fox, wait for me!"

Oh no, without the fox blocking him, would he be swallowed by the cold spring and fiery pit?

The world’s elements—water and fire—are naturally incompatible. How could they exist together in this extreme environment?

But the fox seems to be the only one who can exist here unharmed.

"Stupid fox, I haven’t told you where those people are yet! Come back and save me!"

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

White Ting’s shout is so loud that a flock of birds flies away in a flurry.

The fox, having run quite a distance, suddenly remembers White Ting didn’t mention where the intruders were. She lands on a tree, closes her eyes, and pricks up her ears, listening carefully to the sounds around White Spirit Mountain.

"There!" The fox opens her eyes and rushes southeast, praying she’s not too late to save them!

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White Spirit Mountain is a place shrouded in mystery, known by people as "The Mountain of Demons."

It is said that many monsters and half-beasts live there, but no one has ever seen them. A saying that circulates around White Spirit Mountain is:

"Enter White Spirit, and you are dead; from then on, you will be an immortal demon."

It’s rumored that someone once ventured into the mountain to verify the truth of this saying, but they never returned, making the place even more feared by the people.

"Big Brother, is White Spirit Mountain really as powerful as the legends say?" The person asking is a burly man in blue clothing, carrying a bow and a large knife, with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, revealing his muscular arms.

The one he calls Big Brother, on the other hand, is fair-skinned, holding a folding fan, looking like a refined young gentleman.

"Third Brother, why do you believe everything? If the legends about White Spirit Mountain were true, they wouldn’t be called legends."

"Oh, I see." The burly man nods seriously, then remains silent.

The seven of them live in the town near White Spirit Mountain, and ever since they were children, they’ve heard the elders speak of the mountain’s legends. Growing up, they became very curious about it.

The elders spoke of White Spirit Mountain with great reverence, making it sound almost mystical. Now that they’re adults, they’ve been eager to explore the mountain and see for themselves. After drinking together a few days ago, they agreed to venture into White Spirit Mountain.

After wandering around the foot of the mountain for two days, they finally found a path up the mountain early the next morning.

They spent a whole day walking without feeling any discomfort or encountering danger, making them think that White Spirit Mountain wasn’t as formidable as the legends had made it out to be.

"Big Brother, let’s take a break. Seventh Brother is lagging behind."

Seventh Brother is the youngest among them, not yet of age. He has been walking for several days and is exhausted, while the others seem fine. He’s been pushing through, but now, he can’t keep going, so Third Brother speaks up since he and Big Brother are close.

Big Brother, clearly annoyed, rolls his eyes but agrees, "Fine, let’s rest here for a bit, then we’ll continue."

"Great, we can rest!"

"Let’s make a fire and get something to eat."

"Alright."

Seventh Brother leans against a tree and takes out a handkerchief to wipe his sweat. "Big Brother, do you feel like it’s getting hotter?"

"No."

"Really? Because I feel like it’s getting hotter, like we’re about to roast alive."

"Who do you think you are, whining like a girl just after walking a few steps?" Big Brother mocks Seventh Brother. He’s the kind of man who looks down on anyone who complains about the heat or carries unnecessary things like a handkerchief.

"Big Brother, I feel it too," says the burly man, a bit embarrassed, afraid that Big Brother will think he's being too delicate.

"Yeah, I feel it too."

"Right, right, I feel it too."

Everyone except Big Brother is feeling the increasing heat. This isn’t just one person’s problem, and Big Brother can’t ignore it. His brows furrow. "Why does everyone feel hot?"

"Ah! What is that?" One man suddenly screams, pointing at something in the distance, trembling all over.

The others look in the direction he’s pointing, and they’re all stunned.

On the distant mountaintop, dark clouds are rapidly gathering, and within a few breaths, they cover a large portion of the sky.

With a loud crack, a bolt of lightning strikes a tree just a few steps from Big Brother. In the blink of an eye, the tree, which they could barely wrap their arms around, is reduced to charred ash.

"Gulp." Big Brother unconsciously swallows. He was just a few steps away from being struck by lightning!

The others are terrified by what they just saw. "Big… Big Brother… Let’s go."

"Okay." This time, Big Brother doesn’t hesitate. It’s too terrifying—time to leave.

Just as the seven are about to turn to leave, another bolt of lightning strikes right in front of them, splitting the ground open with a massive crack. They can’t leave now!

With a loud thud, one man is so frightened he drops to his knees, repeatedly bowing his head. "Sorry… sorry, it’s our fault, we shouldn’t have entered White Spirit Mountain. Please, spare us!"

The others follow suit, kneeling one after another, pleading for forgiveness.

The sky is filled with dark clouds, and the crackling lightning seems to be charging up, waiting for its final strike.

A quarter of an hour later, the lightning falls from the dark clouds, heading straight for them. Six of the seven men faint from fear, while the seventh, Seventh Brother, is too terrified to pass out.

But it’s a good thing Seventh Brother didn’t faint, because he witnesses what happens next.

As the lightning falls, a barrier appears in front of them, blocking the strike.

Seventh Brother blinks, and to his amazement, the barrier isn’t some invisible force—it’s a massive silver-white creature blocking the lightning!

"My god, what is that? It can even block lightning?"

The silver-white creature turns its head toward him, and Seventh Brother sees it clearly for the first time: it’s a huge fox!

This is the same fox that spoke with White Ting earlier.

"Why aren’t you waking up your companions to get out of here?" the fox asks.

"Ah! The fox is speaking!" Seventh Brother screams. White Spirit Mountain is indeed a mysterious place—this fox can speak and block lightning!

The fox, hearing his words, can’t help but wonder what’s going through human minds. At a time like this, they’re more concerned with the fox talking than escaping.

With a quiet sigh, the fox thinks, “I should deal with the lightning first.”

The fox gathers its spiritual energy and tries to push the lightning back. The two forces are at an impasse, but just when the fox begins to gain the upper hand, something unexpected happens!

The power of the dark clouds suddenly intensifies, and the lightning’s strength doubles. It strikes the fox, sending it flying to another mountaintop, creating a massive crater.

Perhaps seeing the fox get sent flying, the dark clouds quickly disperse, leaving the area above Seventh Brother and his group clear.

Seventh Brother, as if awakening from a trance, quickly calls out to the others. "Let’s get down the mountain, quickly!"

Meanwhile, the fox, having been struck by lightning, crashes into another mountaintop. The pain feels like her insides have been rearranged.

"Ah! It hurts, but at least those people should have gotten away by now." Her goal was simple—to make sure they didn’t die on White Spirit Mountain!

"Crackle, crackle—"

The fox's ears twitch. She hears the sound of lightning again. Looking up, she sees the same dark clouds and lightning from before.

The fox's mouth twitches. "Is it really going to keep chasing me? I only saved a few people. It’s not like I broke any rules."

She initially thought the lightning was chasing her because she intervened in those people’s lives, but upon closer inspection, she realizes that isn’t the case.

The dark clouds are still swirling with purple energy!

"Could it be… the heavenly tribulation has come?" The fox's lips twitch. She just suffered a wound, and her spiritual energy is already less than half. If the tribulation comes now, she’s likely done for.

But running away isn’t in her nature. Even if she dies, she wants to die gloriously!

Summoning all her spiritual energy, the fox’s body begins to glow with silver light, growing brighter and larger. As the light fades, the fox reveals her true form.

Nine tails swirl around her—an ancient demonic beast, the nine-tailed fox!

"Howl!" She roars at the dark clouds, taking the first strike. The clouds respond by sending three lightning bolts, striking the fox and forcing her to halt.

After a brief respite, the fox realizes her energy has been drained by about seventy percent!

The lightning doesn’t stop. As her spiritual energy nears exhaustion, four bolts of lightning strike her simultaneously, sending the fox crashing to the ground, creating a massive crater. Her once-bright fur is now scorched.

"Is this how it ends for me?" The fox thinks bitterly. She’s been training all this time to shed her demonic form. Now, when the heavenly tribulation arrives, she’s going to die because of her depleted energy?

With the last of her strength, the fox clashes with the final thunderbolt, and the force of the collision distorts the space around her. The fox is sucked into the裂缝, and as she disappears, she almost hears someone calling her name.

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Northern Yan—Deep in Wuqie Mountain

"Chirp, chirp, chirp!" A small white figure falls from the sky.

"Chirp." Ugh, this is how I die.