Journey to the End of the Night Chapter 1474 - 923: Crisis Under the Night (Part 2)

However, she had already ascended beyond the Five Elements and Six Paths; she was no longer a member of the Demon Clan. Her demon core had long since transformed into Demon Essence, concealed deep within her Soul Sea.

Should this Three-tailed Demon Fox capture her, flay her skin, and extract her tendons to probe her Spiritual Sea, while she might not perish, the moment her Demon Essence was revealed, her identity as part of the Demon Clan would be exposed.

Shu Ci could clearly perceive that while this demon fox's true form was indeed demonic, it had been manifested through incredibly pure Immortal Energy, implying the presence of an Immortal backing her. Immortals regarded the Demon Clan as their natural adversaries; thus, Shu Ci would inevitably fall into the hands of those from Heaven, a situation that would undoubtedly lead to immense calamity.

Blood dripped from the wound, flowing into the river. Shu Ci, writhing in pain, trembled within the fox’s claws but did not release Baili An who was submerged in the water.

It was only then that the Three-tailed Demon Fox registered the presence of another individual in the river.

Particularly striking was the person in the water: a young man of breathtaking handsomeness, exuding an ethereal elegance and scholarly aura.

With a soft gasp, she held a green leaf between her fingers, ceasing her attack that aimed to end Shu Ci’s life. Perhaps never having witnessed such a delicately beautiful young man, her once arrogant gaze completely overlooked Shu Ci.

All her interest seemed to have been instantly captivated by the jade-like youth floating in the water.

Demon foxes were innately lustful creatures, and Ting Yan lacked any of the reserve expected of a lady. Her gaze lingered wantonly upon Baili An’s fair and refined features.

She observed his dark eyebrows and hair, now slicked by the creek water, enhancing his already stunning handsomeness.

Beneath his torn garments, his water-kissed skin appeared pale and almost translucent in the cool moonlight.

His lean and sculpted physique, supple waist, and long legs – the muscles outlining an alluring form. His slender body, unclad by the water, did not suggest weakness but rather a powerful beauty.

As her gaze drifted lower, his soaked, ragged clothes clung tightly to his skin, conspicuously highlighting his form in subtle areas.

The demon fox girl trembled, her breathing growing heavy, utterly dumbfounded for a moment as if her entire life had been lived in vain. Her gaze became even more unrestrained, less appreciative of beauty and more akin to outright greed.

It was like a starving wolf fixated upon an irresistibly tempting piece of meat.

Her face flushed. With just a single glance, the fox demon’s bestial nature erupted, as if she longed to pounce forward and devour him, skin, flesh, and bone, leaving not a single trace.

"Truly unexpected, to encounter such a magnificent specimen in this desolate wilderness."

The Three-tailed Demon Fox looked directly at him, her flushed face unbecoming of her form, completely devoid of any killing intent.

She casually squatted down, her hand reaching out to unceremoniously touch Baili An’s chest.

She praised exuberantly, "His Essence is incredibly potent, his bone structure is flawless. Truly, an exceptional furnace unlike any other."

"Little one, you possess quite the discerning eye and the means to discover such a fine individual.

Perfect timing, too. My body is weary and in need of a man like this to help me recuperate and nourish."

"You are fortunate. Leave this man for me to indulge in completely, and I shall not take your demon core, sparing your life."

Hearing this wretched creature plotting against her 'cherished treasure,' Shu Ci’s gaze instantly turned icy cold.

She had kept him by her side for three years, at most allowing him a gentle lick, never having truly tasted him, and now this vixen intended to devour him whole.

Was the life of an undying Demon Soldier so easily trifled with?!

Her eyes immediately turned demonic red, and sharp claws angrily emerged from her paw pads!

The Three-tailed Demon Fox clearly hadn’t anticipated such a terrifyingly aggressive nature from such a small creature.

Carelessly, three bloody marks were inflicted across her face. Not only that, but the sharp claw hook mercilessly gouged out a piece of flesh.

The flesh seemed to cling to her face, but with a single hook and pull, a substantial portion was torn away.

Shu Ci observed closely and discovered that the demon fox girl’s face was concealed by a mask. Beneath the beautiful skin lay a visage so dreadful it was unbearable to behold, with the majority of her face marred by red scars.

These scars resembled those from severe burns, peppered with small, black and red pustules densely scattered across them. The crisscrossing veins beneath the skin were starkly visible, a sight befitting the phrase 'red skull' on this night, sending shivers down the spine.

"It seems you are courting death!" Ting Yan, momentarily stunned, absently touched her face.

As the pain surged, her beautiful eyes filled with rage. Her expression turned terrifyingly grim, and she let out a fierce roar, thrusting her palm forward.

With talons like knives, her five claws lunged towards Shu Ci’s heart, aiming to rip out her demon core in a single, furious strike to defile it and sate her rage.

This assault possessed the power to shatter Shu Ci’s heart veins.

Recognizing the inevitability of the blow, Shu Ci resigned herself to fate, shutting her eyes and clenching her teeth to endure the impact.

Through the countless years, what manner of agonizing deaths had she not already endured?

No matter how her body was subjected to torment, left riddled with wounds.

In the end, if left unattended, it would reconstitute itself, fully healed and intact.

However, the anticipated visceral agony never materialized; instead, a sound akin to something breaching water reached her ears.

A pallid fist sliced through the air, accompanied by a faint, thunderous roar.

The fist met the formidable claws mid-flight, causing the three-tailed demon fox’s form to falter slightly, pushed back three steps by the impact.

Concurrently, her claws tore into the flesh of the fist, exposing the stark white bone beneath.

Before Shu Ci could process the scene, her small form was gathered into a damp arm.

Her limbs barely cleared the ground for a fleeting instant before she was swept through the air, finally coming to rest on the bough of an ancient tree.

She sensed a slight tremor in the arm that held her, and upon lifting her gaze, she met the handsome, pale countenance of Baili An.

Shu Ci’s eyes flickered to the crimson hue staining the stream, realizing her blood had mingled with the water, rousing Baili An from his coma induced by severe injury.

At the most critical juncture, the very prey she had chosen had intervened to protect her.

Shu Ci’s emotions swirled in a complex eddy as her fox head slowly lowered.

The three-tailed demon fox’s demeanor towards Baili An was strikingly different from her treatment of Shu Ci, even after being repelled by a punch.

Her expression remained serene, her eyes curved like crescents as she regarded Baili An, yet the primal wildness in her gaze persisted, fixed with intense focus upon his lean and graceful male form.

Her eyes seemed to transmute into palpable lust, ravenously desiring to tear his body asunder, piece by agonizing piece.

"Such a potent young man, even grievously wounded, still radiating vitality. You’ve even injured my hand," she purred melodiously.

Baili An had only just regained consciousness, the harrowing ordeal of the Golden Immortal Thunderstorm leaving his entire body feeling as though it was being ripped apart.

Remnants of lightning still flickered across his muscles and bones, and his head throbbed as if struck repeatedly by a heavy, blunt object.

The profound injury inflicted a crushing weakness, making his body feel extraordinarily heavy.

The spiritual power and dark Qi within him had been completely consumed by the relentless force of the lightning storm.

Baili An even attempted to awaken the corpse pearl residing within his heart, but with a mere thought, his heart felt as though impaled by a jagged, rusted spike.

That single punch had nearly depleted him, his claw-shredded hand hanging limply at his side.

His body quivered as if struck by a bowstring, and were it not for the support of the tree trunk against his shoulder, he would have surely collapsed.

After drawing a few ragged breaths and seemingly regaining a modicum of strength, he tore a strip of fabric from his tattered sleeve, wrapping it tightly around his wounded right hand, securing it with a resolute knot tied between his teeth.

Though he remained unaware of why this three-tailed demon fox had targeted him, he keenly perceived the intense avarice gleaming in her eyes.

Baili An offered no reply to her words, merely sensing the warm, sticky wetness spreading on his left hand that cradled the small fox.

He wearily lowered his head, his gaze falling upon the little fox nestled in his arms, whose eyes were dull and almost vacant; a faint smile graced his ink-dark blue eyes: "Little one, was it you who rescued me?"

As an immortal demon soldier, Shu Ci, a scourge of millennia, had never harbored any fear of death.

Yet, as the ages accumulated, she grew increasingly apprehensive of pain, and when her paw was wounded by a seemingly oblivious dog, she rested in Baili An’s palm, gently blowing upon it to soothe the sting.

Abruptly, a warm, clear voice emanated from above.

Her lustrous, listless fox eyes lifted, beholding that pale yet cheerful smile, which brilliantly illuminated her vision.

After all, within the recesses of her memory, no one had ever dared to offer her such a smile.