The Snow Fox's Divine Ability

Countless cold spirits filled his field of vision. Qin Sang swept his gaze across them, spotting only a scattered few with thin blue lines on their foreheads—the cold spirit leaders Old Man Yanshan had spoken of. One of them resembled a miniature sika deer, trotting across the snow on nimble hooves, stopping and starting with lively agility. The blue line on its forehead was about three inches long, the longest among all the cold spirit leaders. However, these leaders were not clustering together; they were scattered far and wide, indicating they had merely come up to play in the snow rather than being drawn by the snow fox. "The snow fox is exceptionally sensitive to unfamiliar scents. If startled, it will hide away, making it nearly impossible to find until the next time the blizzard abates. Fellow Daoist, you must take care to conceal yourself. One more thing: before we locate the snow fox, do not casually deploy your divine sense," Old Man Yanshan cautioned. As he spoke, he brushed a hand across his waist, producing a single droplet of water. With a gentle rub of his fingers, the droplet expanded into a thin membrane that enveloped his entire body. Old Man Yanshan was draped in this water membrane; light striking it passed straight through. Old Man Yanshan was acting with such solemn caution even before pinning down the snow fox's range of activity, which surprised Qin Sang a little and confirmed just how sharp the beast's senses must be. Qin Sang watched as Old Man Yanshan gradually blurred before his eyes, leaving behind only a faint silhouette to facilitate communication between them. Qin Sang readily followed suit. Among the arts in the *Qingwei Record* cultivated by his external incarnation was an escape technique known as the Lesser Qingwei Escape Technique, which was especially well suited to this frozen, snowy environment. Moreover, the external incarnation possessed a spiritual wood body and lacked any scent of flesh and blood. With deliberate concealment, evading the snow fox's perception should not be difficult. Qin Sang executed the Lesser Qingwei Escape Technique, blending seamlessly into the snowy night. Amidst the heavy snowfall, two barely discernible phantoms glided across the snow's surface. Old Man Yanshan led the way. Clearly not here for the first time, he moved in a series of methodical straight lines, swiftly scouting the distribution of cold spirits across the upper snow plain. The two halted on the far side of the snow plain. Old Man Yanshan surveyed the surroundings and said, "There are no gathered cold spirit leaders on the surface. The snow fox isn't up here; we must search the ravines beneath the snow layer." "Where should we begin?" Believing Old Man Yanshan surely had a plan in mind already, Qin Sang asked directly. Old Man Yanshan looked north and pointed. "Without using divine sense, aimless searching might take too long. If the blizzard intensifies, we'll miss this chance. The ravines run in utter disarray, but I discovered a few patterns in the past... We'll head down from there!" The two set off at once, flying over ten li northward before landing on the snow and sinking into it without a sound. Passing through the snow layer, Qin Sang immediately felt a bone-chilling wind blasting toward him, laden with shards of ice and snowy froth. Striking the stone walls, it whipped into ceaseless whirlwinds. It was even colder here than on the surface. The thick blanket of snow blocked all light. Yet it was not entirely dark below, as the cold spirits emitted a faint blue glow. Inconspicuous on the surface, down here it served as the sole source of illumination. The frigid wind blew up from the depths of the ravines. The cold spirits' bodies were exceptionally light; they allowed the howling gales to toss them about helter-skelter, wearing joyful expressions on their faces. Old Man Yanshan and Qin Sang flew down in tandem for a distance, stopping roughly midway down the ravine. Then they began flying forward, searching along the chasm—one watching above, the other keeping an eye below. The cold spirits beneath the snow were even more numerous. They also had to take care to avoid the cold spirits, lest any commotion frighten the snow fox away. Even following the route Old Man Yanshan had mapped out, this was a massive undertaking. Along the way, Qin Sang saw all kinds of cold spirits. In his idle wandering thoughts, he even wondered if these creatures could be put to some use. He recalled that Xuantian Palace possessed a secret technique to refine retainers similar to cold spirits; with meticulous nurturing, they could potentially evolve into entities comparable to Nascent Soul cultivators. After searching for a while, Qin Sang caught a cold spirit leader. The so-called "leaders" possessed no actual authority over the other cold spirits; it was merely Old Man Yanshan's designation for them. In truth, cold spirits rarely fought or slaughtered their own kind—it was simply their nature. In the cultivation world, such creatures were extraordinarily rare. Holding the cold spirit leader, Qin Sang studied it with part of his attention. Old Man Yanshan noticed his actions, but merely glanced over without saying anything. *A very simple creature. Its body is composed entirely of cold energy, having somehow gained sentience. Its potential is limited, though I wonder if the strongest leaders might show variations...* Qin Sang made his assessment. Releasing the leader, Qin Sang was just considering capturing another when Old Man Yanshan's voice suddenly sounded in his ear: "Look up!" Qin Sang paused and looked in that direction. Ahead of them, slanting upward, three blue specks of light flickered in the dark, noticeably brighter than those around them. Experience dictated that only cold spirit leaders could emit light of such brilliance. Throughout their search, this was the first time they had encountered three leaders moving together. "We found them so quickly?" Qin Sang was rather surprised; they had been beneath the snow layer for less than an hour. "Let's go have a look," Old Man Yanshan whispered, pushing his cloaking treasure to its limit and creeping closer without a sound. Naturally, in the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's vision, Old Man Yanshan's movements were plain as day. Qin Sang completely concealed his form as well, trailing behind Old Man Yanshan. Of the three cold spirit leaders, one resembled a winged horse and two looked like birds. They flitted through the wide chasm, drawing close one moment and parting the next. One would bump another, and the other would claw back. Cold spirits were bodies of cold energy, shifting between solid and intangible, so collisions of this degree caused no actual harm. It looked like playful frolicking, but Old Man Yanshan had said they were actually fighting. They only acted this way when contesting something, and this was as fierce as their brawls ever got. They shadowed the three leaders, having spotted only these three for the moment. Old Man Yanshan urged Qin Sang to be patient and keep following them. Completely oblivious to their pursuers, the three leaders brawled as they sped through ravine after ravine without any clear direction, moving far faster than ordinary cold spirits. Qin Sang and Old Man Yanshan patiently trailed them across dozens of ravines before finally spotting two more cold spirits. Both sides spotted each other, let out shrill cries, and joined the fray. It was an utterly comical, chaotic scuffle. These cold spirits had no concept of alliances; one moment they teamed up to pummel another, and the next they turned on each other, ramming headlong only to be thrashed by someone else. A melee involving five cold spirit leaders was exceedingly rare. Old Man Yanshan grew increasingly certain that the snow fox was active nearby. However, he dissuaded Qin Sang from searching on his own, pointing out that following these cold spirits would safely lead to the snow fox sooner or later. Thus, the two watched an entire battle destined to reach no conclusion. As time passed, more and more leaders joined the brawl. While they had initially circled aimlessly, they later seemed to receive clear guidance, swarming in a single direction in a great mob. Qin Sang and Old Man Yanshan perked up and swiftly kept pace. The cold spirit leaders moved faster and faster, letting out excited chirps. Those in front abandoned fighting to speed ahead, while those lagging behind grew frantic, using every trick to hinder their rivals. Qin Sang and Old Man Yanshan deliberately slowed down, keeping their distance. Before long, this ravine came to an end. Rounding a bend, the terrain ahead abruptly widened into an oval cavern. This open cavern connected to over a dozen chasms. Frigid winds poured in from every direction and collided within, whistling shrilly and drowning out the cries of the cold spirits. By the time the five cold spirit leaders rushed out, there were already dozens of leaders inside, all without exception scuffling with their neighbors. They paused for a brief moment, then promptly dove into the brawl, having no clue whom they were even fighting. Watching this bizarre spectacle, Qin Sang was rather speechless. Old Man Yanshan, however, was accustomed to it and transmitted a message telling Qin Sang to pay attention to the center of the crowd. Qin Sang focused his gaze and saw that the frigid wind, churning with ice pellets and snow dust, had formed a white vortex at the center of the cavern. Since Old Man Yanshan did not move, Qin Sang had no choice but to wait patiently. The chaotic brawl continued for a time. Then, without the slightest warning, all the cold spirit leaders ceased fighting, plunging into an eerie silence. Immediately afterward, a white jet of air surged upward from inside the vortex. With the help of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly's divine ability, Qin Sang could finally see clearly. At the center of the vortex was a white fox, carried gently upward by the updraft. The white fox was snowy white all over, its fur sleek, smooth, and free of blemishes. It had been asleep, limbs curled inward and its bushy tail wrapped around, resting its head on its tail in a neat little ball. It seemed to have been awoken by the clamor of the cold spirit leaders. Its slender eyes fluttered slightly and slowly opened, revealing clear eyes like ice crystals, in which the reflections of the surrounding cold spirit leaders appeared. Its tail twitched, and the white fox stood up gracefully, stretching its body. With a gentle shake of its frame, several tiny hairs drifted off. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly saw clearly that these hairs were actually slender threads of ice, meaning the snow fox was not a creature of flesh and blood. Seeing the shed hairs, the cold spirit leaders suddenly grew agitated, scrambling and pouncing forward to contest them. This, it turned out, was what they craved most. The snow fox paid no heed to their scuffling, picking a ravine and trotting off with light, nimble steps. Once they finished fighting over the hairs, the cold spirit leaders gave chase again. Taking in the entire scene, Qin Sang heard Old Man Yanshan's transmission: "Hurry, follow it! See if you can spot it when it disappears." As the snow fox moved, its figure flickered between visible and invisible; this ability was very likely instinctual. Qin Sang linked his mind with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly and leapt forward in pursuit. It was unclear where the snow fox was headed. Neither rushing nor dawdling, it led the pack of cold spirit leaders on a leisurely stroll beneath the snow layer. After covering some distance, Qin Sang's expression shifted slightly. The snow fox suddenly faded little by little, only to reappear within a single breath. "How was it?" Old Man Yanshan's voice came into his ear, brimming with anticipation. Qin Sang gave an affirmative grunt. "I can see it. It is merely a cloaking art." The Heavenly Eye Butterfly had indeed not disappointed him, Qin Sang praised silently. Old Man Yanshan cheered softly, his tone tinged with joy, yet he remained cautious. "The snow fox might not possess just this one ability. Back then, Sect Master Situ racked his brains and even deployed Mount Bunian's treasured heirloom to lay a trap, yet it still slipped away in the end, leaving behind only two small pieces of cold crystal. To this day, no one understands how it escaped. Furthermore, the same trap can only be used on it once..." Hearing this, Qin Sang asked, "Brother Daoist, you understand its habits far better than I do. What is the plan? Strike directly to capture it?" Old Man Yanshan hesitated before saying, "That is our only option. Don't you possess a restrictive divine ability? You can give it a try. Even if we fail to seize it, we can pursue it back to its lair. If even you are shaken off, we will have no choice but to withdraw and devise another plan." "Very well!" Qin Sang commanded the Heavenly Eye Butterfly to keep its gaze locked on the snow fox while silently chanting an incantation, unleashing the Xuantian One Qi Great Capturing Hand. Old Man Yanshan dropped behind Qin Sang, stealthily retrieving a slender cord. Gauging the snow fox's direction of movement, he circled ahead through the snow layer to cut off its retreat. Moments later, unaware of the danger closing in, the snow fox continued walking at an unhurried pace. Suddenly, as if sensing something, its body arched slightly and its four paws froze stiff. Behind it, a massive hand of profound qi materialized out of thin air, fingers splayed wide as it snatched downward! At the same time, Qin Sang emerged from the shadows and shouted, "Strike!" Wherever the profound qi hand swept past, cold spirit leaders were immobilized on the spot, expressions of terror appearing on their faces. The space around the snow fox froze solid as well. During the thirty years spent protecting his true body, the external incarnation had not been idle either; he had cultivated this divine ability to the great accomplishment stage, its might far exceeding what it once was. In particular, the restrictive force of the hand was extraordinary—even a cultivator of the same realm would struggle to break free if ensnared. The snow fox possessed bizarre abilities and unpredictable strength, so Qin Sang held nothing back. At the same time, a slender cord shot down from above, trembling slightly as it sent rings of ripple-like water waves shooting toward the snow fox. Qin Sang and Old Man Yanshan attacked in unison. Faced with the dual restraints, the snow fox seemed entirely unfazed. Wholly unrestricted, it dove downward and vanished into thin air! Seeing the technique fail, Qin Sang did not hesitate to dismiss the profound qi hand, focusing all his mind onto the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. Sure enough, he saw a blurred silhouette. Overjoyed at the sight, Qin Sang yelled, "After it!" Hearing this, Old Man Yanshan beamed with delight as well, closely pursuing alongside Qin Sang. The snow fox was actually somewhat slower than they were. Yet during the pursuit, they discovered that the snow fox could blink through empty space as though teleporting, easily pulling ahead of them. Moreover, this ability allowed it to pass straight through solid rock. Qin Sang had already gripped the Snow-Treading Divine Saber, slashing open an aperture in the rock face with his blade. *Boom!* The two burst out from the rubble, keeping their lock on the snow fox and giving relentless chase. Along the way, Qin Sang and Old Man Yanshan unleashed all kinds of restrictive methods, yet none could restrain the snow fox in the slightest. Old Man Yanshan murmured that it made sense now—no wonder every time he had hunted it in the past, the creature had managed to turn peril into safety. The snow fox was not plunging straight down; rather, it was cutting diagonally forward, heading purposefully in a single direction. "We guessed right! It must be fleeing back to its lair!" Old Man Yanshan exclaimed in a low voice. With this discovery, neither of them was in a rush anymore, content to hang back and trail behind the snow fox.