The Xuanhuo Mirror on her chest gradually calmed down, and all the light slowly disappeared. Zhang Xiaofan suddenly realized that the huge fire dragon that had been rolling below had also disappeared at some point.

  Really, I dont know how long its been...

  He stood there in a daze, with millions of thoughts surging through his mind, yet he still felt that his mind was a complete blank.

  The six-tailed white fox remained silent for a long time before slowly lifting its head and saying to Zhang Xiaofan, "Young man, come here for a moment."

  Zhang Xiaofan slowly walked past, and behind him, in that corridor, the howling wind sound was getting bigger and bigger!

  The six-tailed white fox still tightly hugged the body in front of her, which had already lost all consciousness. Her face had somehow regained its calmness, and even her voice was as quiet as water: "Will you do me a favor?"

  Zhang Xiaofan fell silent for a moment before saying, "What?"

  The white fox looked at the woman in his arms and said quietly: "Throw us two into the molten rock below!"

  Zhang Xiaofan suddenly lifted his head and took a step back.

  The white fox looked at him, speechless.

  Zhang Xiaofan opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but not a single word could be uttered. He only felt that his eye sockets suddenly became hot, like being scorched by flames.

  He nodded heavily.

  The white fox smiled and hugged the woman in his arms tightly.

  One step, two steps, Zhang Xiaofan held the two tightly embracing foxes and walked slowly towards the end of the platform.

  A mighty wave of heat, at his feet, rushing and roaring.

  He finally walked to the end and stood at the edge of life and death.

  The white foxs face suddenly looked a bit more attractive. It raised its head and gazed at this young man.

  No one saw Zhang Xiaofans expression at this moment.

  Then it suddenly smiled, as if all the grievances had been forgotten, and looked at the young man like an old elder.

  "Young man, why must you be like this?"

  Zhang Xiaofan didnt say anything.

  The white fox gently picked up the Xuanhuo Mirror still placed on the womans chest, and with its last strength, it pulled up Zhang Xiaofans right sleeve, using the two red silk tassels to tie the Xuanhuo Mirror to his arm.

  "This is the supreme treasure of our Fox Clan, obtained at the cost of countless lives. Ill give it to you as a keepsake!" It smiled, and its entire body began to convulse violently once again, with black blood flowing from the corners of its mouth: "But dont let anyone else see it..."

  His voice finally fell too.

  Zhang Xiaofan bit his lip tightly, took a deep breath, and then relaxed his hands.

  In the distance, with a loud rumble, Bi Yao and Shi Tou, as well as Li Xuan and Yan Hong from Fengxiang Valley, shot out of the tunnel like lightning and appeared on the platform. Just in time to see, Zhang Xiaofan threw the two foxes into the molten lava.

  Zhang Xiaofan stood at the end of the platform, oblivious to what was happening behind him, staring blankly at the figure tumbling in mid-air.

  A gust of wind from somewhere blew up his collar.

  A faint glow flashed by, and the gentle woman in the turning elegance shed her worldly clothes, revealing her true form, a beautiful three-tailed fox.

  Two foxes that had lost their lives but were still beautiful, tightly embracing, rolled over in the air and fell down. Until accompanied by a low voice, they dissolved into the lake surface, never to be seen again.

  Bi Yao was somewhat worried and walked forward, calling out loudly: "Xiao Fan..."

  But the young man seemed not to hear, standing still in his tracks, motionless.

  ※※※

  After exiting the Fire Dragon Cave, passing through the dark Black Stone Cave, I finally returned to the surface. At this moment, the sky had already brightened up.

  Everyone let out a long sigh, including Li Xun and Yan Hong. Looking at their expressions, they also had a few points of fatigue, it can be imagined that the monster called "Big Black Leech" (note 1) that was defeated by the four of them last night was not so easy to deal with.

  But Zhang Xiaofan was silent all along, for some reason.

  Biyao, who was standing beside him, asked softly, and Zhang Xiaofan simply shook his head.

  Li Kan looked over here, walked over, and said to Zhang Xiaofan: "It turns out that Junior Brother Zhang actually escaped the great disaster and escaped from the Dead Spirit Abyss. This is truly a joyous occasion."

  Zhang Xiaofan forced a smile and nodded his head, returning the courtesy: "Thank you, Brother Li."

  At this time, Yan Hong also walked over, her expression was more calm than Li Xuans. She smiled and said: "Zhang Shixiong, you have a deep good fortune, you wont die in great difficulties, you will definitely have good fortune later." When she said this, she suddenly laughed: "Speaking of which, when we were at the bottom of the Dead Spirit Abyss that time, because we couldnt find you, your fellow disciples were really anxious, especially your 6th Shijie..."

  Zhang Xiaofans heart skipped a beat as he lifted his head and looked at Yan Hong, only to see her with an ambiguous smile on her face. She glanced sideways at Li Xun.

  Li Xuan felt Yan Hongs gaze, and couldnt help but smile slightly. However, deep within his eyes, a hint of light flashed by, and he nodded slowly: "Not bad, your fellow disciples are all worried about you, you should head back soon to let them know youre safe!"

  Zhang Xiaofan felt a little moved and slightly bowed his head, saying: "Thank you both."

  Yan Hong smiled back, but her eyes inadvertently glanced at the green-clad woman standing beside Zhang Xiaofan, whose beautiful face had a hint of gloom.

  Yan Hong was always meticulous and immediately took note, couldnt help but take a few more glances at Bi Yao. He then turned to Zhang Xiaofan and asked: "Zhang Shixiong, may I ask who these two are..."

  Zhang Xiaofan turned his head and said, "Oh, this one is called Shi Tou, a disciple of the Golden Strength Sects Vajra Gate under the Great Power Venerable."

  Then he said to Shi Tou: "Shi Ge, these two are Li Xun Shixiong and Yan Hong Shijie from the Huo Xiang Gu Men."

  Shi Tous expression turned solemn and respectful as soon as he heard the name. In the eyes of cultivators all over the world, Huo Xiang Gu was a legendary figure, far surpassing the famous Qing Yun Men. He immediately bowed and said, "Greetings to both of you."

  Li Kun and Yan Hong bowed back. Yan Hong smiled and said: "Brother Shis moral integrity is very high!"

  His face turned red, but he was a straightforward person, and his face couldnt help but reveal a few points of pride, smiling: "Youre overpraising me."

  Yan Hong smiled and turned around, glanced at Bi Yao, and said to Zhang Xiaofan: "What about this young lady?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback and didnt speak. Bi Yao stood beside him, her eyes gradually turning cold.

  It turned out that Shi Tou saw them not speaking, so he smiled and said: "This is Bi Yao girl, she is Zhang brothers friend, with very deep cultivation."

  Li Kan glanced at Bi Yao, but seeing that she didnt intend to greet him, he turned his head away. However, Yan Hong seemed to be paying close attention to Bi Yao and smiled: "Ah! So its Miss Bi Yao, I wonder which family youre from?"

  Bi Yao looked at Zhang Xiao Fan, but saw him silent and unresponsive. Suddenly, he let out a cold laugh and said: "I have no sect, no school, I was born alone, occasionally help someone once, but also being despised by people!"

  Zhang Xiaofan heard it in her ear and frowned. Yan Hong smiled and looked at her with a measuring gaze.

  At this time, Li Kun coughed and said to Zhang Xiaofan, "Zhang Shidi, I have something to ask you."

  Zhang Xiaofan didnt dare to be slow and said: "Brother Li, please speak."

  Li Kan looked at him and slowly said, "Zhang Shidi was the first person to enter the Fire Dragon Cave. Id like to ask if you saw a jade ring with a flame pattern in the middle and red silk tassels on both ends in that cave or on the white foxs body?"

  Zhang Xiaofans heart skipped a beat, but the stone beside him had already shouted loudly: "There is! There is! Last night when we were fighting against the three-tailed demon fox, we saw her use this treasure!"

  Li Kun and Yan Hong both showed a happy expression, but Yan Hongs thoughts were more intricate. After a moments thought, he turned to Li Kun and said: "But then why didnt the three-tailed demon fox bring out the Xuanhuo Mirror when we went down last night?"

  Li Xuan said calmly: "She used the Xuanhuo Mirror to summon a fire dragon to fight us, so the Xuanhuo Mirror must be on her."

  Yan Hong nodded thoughtfully. Li Xuan turned to Zhang Xiaofan and said, "Zhang Shidi, the Xuanhuo Mirror is a treasured artifact of our sect, its significance is immense, I dont know if youve ever seen it before?"

  Everyones eyes were fixed on Zhang Xiaofan. Zhang Xiaofan took a deep breath, remained silent for a moment, and replied faintly: "No."

  Li Kun was taken aback and furrowed his brow.

  Yan Hongs gaze swept across Zhang Xiaofan, and he pondered, "How come when Fellow Zhang was fighting Three-Tailed Demon Fox and Six-Tailed Magic Fox, they didnt use this Xuanhuo Mirror?"

  Zhang Xiaofan fell silent for a moment, then said: "Last night, I accidentally stumbled into that Fire Dragon Cave and found that the white fox, the six-tailed demon fox you were talking about, was seriously ill and on its last breath. Later, when the three-tailed demon fox came in, it might have been because of your battle with the four of you outside, and it was also severely injured. I didnt use much effort to defeat them."

  Yan Hong and Li Xuan immediately had a look of disappointment on their faces. Yan Hong turned her head, looking at Li Xuan, who said lightly: "Before we came out of the Fire Dragon Cave, I carefully searched around that area, but there was no sign of the Xuanhuo Mirror. Its likely that it fell into the magma with them and was buried together."

  Yan Hong let out a sigh and said, "Forget it, Li Shixiong. No matter what, weve eliminated the remaining evil foxes, which is also a way of showing our responsibility to the sect."

  Li Kan nodded, then turned around and bowed to Zhang Xiaofan and the other two, saying: "In that case, I and my fellow sister still need to return to Fenxiang Valley to report to our sect, so well take our leave first."

  Zhang Xiaofan and Shi Tou hastily said: "You two go ahead."

  Only Bi Yao still had a gloomy face, standing on one side, motionless.

  Li Kun nodded and said to Yan Hong: "Sister, lets go!"

  Yan Hong smiled and nodded, but then seemed to suddenly remember something, turned her head to Zhang Xiaofan and said: "Zhang Shixiong, recently the Demon Sect has been restless again. The Qingyun Gate will gather with other Orthodox sects at Liubo Mountain in Donghai. I heard that all of your masters lineage will be going, why dont you go and meet up?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback, and then a look of joy appeared on his face. He said, "Really? They all went to Liubo Mountain! Then Ill set off immediately."

  Yan Hong smiled and nodded, saying: "Thats good, Ill go back to the sect with Li Shixiong for a while, maybe well come over later, lets meet again if fate permits!"

  After speaking, she turned around and walked a few steps with Li Xuan. Suddenly, Yan Hong turned her head back and smiled at Bi Yao: "Miss Bi Yao, the golden bell on your waist is really beautiful."

  Bi Yaos face changed, the golden bell at her waist was naturally the "He Huan Magic Bell" left by Mrs. Golden Bell when she and Zhang Xiaofan were trapped in the Blood Drop Cave under the Dead Spirit Abyss.

  It was suddenly mentioned by Yan Hong that she almost mistook the gentle female disciple of Fengxiang Valley for having seen through her identity.

  But Yan Hong only said this one sentence, and seemed like nothing was wrong, just smiled at her and left with Li Xuan.

  Bi Yao furrowed her brow, her heart filled with surprise and uncertainty. Suddenly, she sensed something and turned to look around, only to see Zhang Xiao Fan also looking over at her.

  At this point, the three of them also left the forest outside the Black Stone Cave. Along the way, they passed by the well under the full moon from last night. Bi Yao remembered that San Wei Yaohu had asked Zhang Xiaofan several times what he saw inside, so she also asked him a few questions. Zhang Xiaofan was taken aback at first but didnt answer, only shaking his head.

  Bi Yao had a hunch, so she didnt ask him anymore. But she was very curious and walked over on her own. She looked down from the ancient well and saw that it was deep and serene, with clear water reflecting her face, looking very beautiful. However, there was nothing unusual about it, so she didnt pay much attention to it.

  They came out of the forest and returned to Xiaochi Town. The town mayor and other villagers had been waiting anxiously, and as soon as they saw their figures, they immediately surrounded them.

  When they heard Shi Tou loudly say that the evil spirit had been eliminated and that from now on, everyone in the village could live in peace, the crowd erupted into cheers, each and every one of them overjoyed.

  Zhang Xiaofan stood by, gazing at the joyful crowd, but his heart was filled with confusion, and the images of those two fox spirits floated before his eyes again.

  Just now when Li Xuan asked him about the Xuanhuo Mirror, he naturally knew that what they were looking for was actually tied to his own arm, but somehow in his mind, he thought of what the white fox had said.

  To be honest, he had only met the six-tailed demon fox for one night, and it was impossible to talk about any friendship, but seeing the three-tailed demon fox resolutely take her own life, the six-tailed demon fox even hugged her and jumped into the scorching lava together, that shocking scene is still vivid in his mind.

  In his heart of hearts, he had actually developed a fondness for the fox spirit, and inexplicably shifted the blame to Li Xun and the others, deceiving them.

  The stone finally managed to extricate itself from the crowd and winked at the two of them. Zhang Xiaofan and Bi Yao looked back, only to see that the villagers were still reluctant to leave, each with a smile on their face, waiting to surround them again.

  "Everyone, please listen to me. The matter here has been settled, and we must continue our cultivation. Let us part ways today. As for the silver coins as a token of gratitude, I have already thanked these two companions together with you, but silver coins are external things that are useless to me. Please return, everyone!"

  He said, then quickly took a few steps forward, pulled Zhang Xiaofan and whispered: "Hurry up."

  The crowd only saw the three people turn into a few flashes of lightning, and after two loud whistles, they disappeared from view. The onlookers sighed in amazement, gathered together to discuss what had happened for a while, and then gradually dispersed.

  But after the crowd dispersed, at the corner of the street, an old man and a young girl walked out, looking in the direction where the three people disappeared, it was fortune teller Zhou Yixian and his granddaughter Xiaohuan.

  On Monday, Xian looked in that direction a few times, seeing no one around, and whispered to Xiao Huan: "Unexpectedly, those three-tailed demon foxes, although they had the Xuanhuo Mirror in hand, were still eliminated by these people."

  Xiao Huan held a string of newly bought candied hawthorns in her hand, savoring them with relish. "If that treasure is really as powerful as you said," she said, "then why would the three-tailed demon fox have met with misfortune? I think that Xuán Huǒ Jiàn and whatnot are probably just empty names."

  On Monday, Xian frowned and said: "The Xuán Huǒ Jiàn is an ancient divine artifact, no doubt about it. I think its mostly because the three-tailed demon foxs cultivation isnt enough to fully unleash the power of the Xuán Huǒ Jiàn. Plus, two more powerful figures from Fén Xiāng Gǔ arrived last night, she cant escape her fate!"

  Xiao Huan looked at him and said, "You say, who got the Xuanhuo Mirror?"

  On Monday, Xian shrugged and said: "Most likely they were taken back by those two disciples from Huoxiang Valley. Forget it! I was thinking of going in to see if theres anything good... didnt expect..."

  The little ring went "plop" and spat out a sugar gourd core, saying: "Where are we going now, Grandpa?"

  Xian Wei furrowed his brow on Monday, saying: "I heard that recently, the two major sects of Zheng and Mo have been heading to the East Sea. I dont know whats going on. And looking at the direction those three people just went in, it was indeed eastward. Why dont we follow them and take a look?"

  Xiao Huan smiled and said, "Then lets go! Anyway, its all the same wherever we go."

  ※※※

  After Zhang Xiaofan and others left, Xiao Chi Town returned to its usual tranquility. The black stone cave naturally did not have any more monsters coming out to harm the people. However, it was strange that not long after, in the forest outside the black stone cave, many wild beasts appeared out of nowhere, including some with strange appearances that the people of Xiao Chi Town had never seen before.

  In the following days, nine out of ten people who accidentally entered the forest never came out again. However, these monsters had a characteristic that they would not come out of that forest. Later on, the villagers in Xiaochi Town realized this and no one went to that forest anymore.

  Years went by, and that place became increasingly desolate, devoid of human presence, and no one remembered what had happened in the woods.

  The people of Xiaochi Town, after Zhang Xiao Fan and others left, sighed and later built a temple for the immortals in the east of the town. There were three gods enshrined inside: one in the middle was robust and tall, like a diamond, with a man and a woman on either side. The woman was quite beautiful, but the man was very strange, holding something that looked like a fire poker in his hand.

  ※※※

  Years later, people have long forgotten todays affairs, but the incense in the temple of the immortal hall in Xiaochi Town is very prosperous. Although there are many good things to verify, they cant guess which god in heaven this is. They say that they are the land Bodhisattva of Xiaochi Town, but it doesnt seem like it.

  Its said that after burning incense for a long time, the temple has gained spiritual energy. People who come to worship and make wishes here are surprisingly effective. After its reputation spread, people from nearby villages also came to worship, some praying for wealth, others wishing to become officials, and even pregnant women hoping to give birth to a child came to worship the stone statues of these immortals.

  I wonder what kind of thoughts they would have if the three of them knew about this matter?

  ※※※

  Note 1: "Shén Mó Zhì Yì · Yāo Shòu Piān" - Great Black Leech: An ancient, unusual species that inhabits dark caves. Its body is massive, over ten zhang tall, with tentacles that stretch for several zhang. It feeds on flesh and nothing that comes near escapes its grasp, leaving no bones behind.