Translator: Raikov Editor : Dhael Ligerkeys Before drawing up these plans, Lu Ye had never expected that Ju Jia would be the one to disrupt them before he could complete what he had to do. It was truly a great irony. At this point, he would have to first kill Ju Jia if he ever wanted to get to the Fox Mutant who was under his protection, but this was a result that Lu Ye could never accept. Despite how merciless and violent his previous attacks were, he knew that Ju Jia could withstand them, and that’s why he didn’t hold back. When he saw the Fox Mutant spitting blood at this moment, Lu Ye’s eyes lit up. He suddenly realized that killing Fox Mutant didn’t necessarily require killing Ju Jia. He only needed to maintain his previous attacks. While Ju Jia could withstand them, the heavily injured Fox Mutant wouldn’t be able to withstand the aftermath of their clashes even with Ju Jia’s protection. With that thought, Lu Ye once again charged towards Ju Jia, his blood and Spiritual Power surging as he ruthlessly swung his sword. Each brutal strike was blocked, and every clash caused Ju Jia’s figure to shake, which affected the Fox Mutant in his arms as well. As time passed, the shield of Spiritual Power on Ju Jia’s body was continuously shattering and reforming. Lu Ye was now gasping for breath. Against cultivators of the same level, he could basically deal with them with a single slash with his current strength, but facing Ju Jia, Lu Ye deeply felt powerless. The strength of this guy’s protection was simply unreasonable. But the effect was still very significant. Though Ju Jia was not injured, the Fox Mutant in his arms was bleeding constantly, her breath growing weaker and weaker. Then, at a certain moment, as Lu Ye struck with his sword, Ju Jia countered with a punch that hit the Inviolable Saber directly. The Spiritual Power on Ju Jia’s fist shattered, leaving a mark on his fist while Lu Ye was sent flying by the impact. It was at that moment that the Fox Mutant, who had been in Ju Jia’s protecting arms this whole time, suddenly leapt into the air and pounced on Lu Ye. Lu Ye was startled. Since being sealed in the Nine Wards Scroll, the Fox Mutant had appeared fragile and on the verge of death at any moment. As Lu Ye fought Ju Jia, her condition deteriorated further, leading him to believe that she was almost dead. But looking at her stance now, he realized that everything before was just a disguise, all meant for this moment of counterattack. This took Lu Ye completely by surprise. In the midst of his body being thrown into the air, he saw the ferocious determination on the Fox Mutant’s pale face. Five sharp claws suddenly sprouted on her jade hands, aiming directly for Lu Ye’s head. Lu Ye quickly stabilized his body and swung his saber, directly cutting the figure of the Fox Mutant in half. There was no scream, no blood flowing, and even when the blade passed through, there was no sensation of hitting anything solid… A great crisis came from behind, accompanied by Yi Yi’s shout. The cut figure of the Fox Mutant dispersed, revealing that it was only an afterimage! At the same time, Lu Ye keenly sensed a deadly aura approaching within a third of a meter behind him. During the time he spent learning from Xia Liang, cultivating the Mind’s Eye Technique, and honing his skills in the Rift of Illusions, Lu Ye had made some progress. He could clearly perceive any attack within a third of a meter of him now. His body reacted faster than his thoughts, and as Glyph: Protection emerged behind his head, Lu Ye thrust his saber backwards at the same time. With a crack, the just-formed Glyph: Protection shattered, and Lu Ye felt a cold, piercing pain on the top of his head. A sharp aura had cut into his skin and was pressing against his skull. An unprecedented crisis enveloped his body and mind. Lu Ye knew that if his opponent didn’t stop, he would be killed in the next moment. Fortunately, while activating Glyph: Protection, he also thrust behind himself with his saber, and it was exactly that stab that saved him from being killed. The Fox Mutant decisively stopped her attack and vaulted back. If she hadn’t stopped there, both she and Lu Ye would have perished together. That was something she could never accept. In front of him, Ju Jia, who had been pushed back, stabilized himself and immediately rushed towards Lu Ye. Lu Ye roared, “Yi Yi!” As soon as her name was called, an invisible force emerged out of thin air, causing the space around Ju Jia to distort. Then, he disappeared completely! He had been forcibly sent out of the Nine Wards Scroll by Yi Yi. The Nine Wards Scroll was a treasure of the Spirit Treasure grade, and its power increased as Yi Yi’s cultivation improved. With her current strength, which was comparable to the Third Order Cloud River Realm, she could control the Nine Wards Scroll to a point where she could not only trap enemies into it, but also interfere with them to some extent. Ju Jia had been protecting the Fox Mutant in his arms all along, and Lu Ye had been considering how to separate them. Once they were separated, Yi Yi could use the power of the Nine Wards Scroll to send Ju Jia away, allowing him to freely attack the Fox Mutant. Ju Jia never gave him that opportunity. However, he never expected that the Fox Mutant herself would create such a perfect opportunity for him to kill her. How could Yi Yi miss such an opportunity? Even without Lu Ye’s command, she would have sent Ju Jia away as soon as possible. With Ju Jia gone all of a sudden, a look of panic flashed across the Fox Mutant’s pale face. She realized that she had made an extremely foolish decision. In an instant, her gut churned with regret. She had intended to kill Lu Ye. In fact, if she hadn’t hesitated earlier, Lu Ye would undoubtedly be dead, but how could she be willing to die together with him? Now that Ju Jia had been sent out of the Nine Wards Scroll, the Fox Mutant was left to fend for herself against Lu Ye, the odds only becoming worse for her. A bitter smile appeared on the Fox Mutant’s face. Just when she had finally gotten vengeance for her Master, she never thought she would find herself in such a predicament on the next turn. Sure enough, this must be the price she had to pay for all the evil deeds she had done over the years. Lu Ye turned around, and there were five finger prints on his head with blood running down his face, adding a ferocious touch to his calm expression. “It’s just you and me now!” he said calmly as the flames on the Inviolable Saber reignited. A resolute expression appeared on the Fox Mutant’s weak and haggard face. Despite knowing that the odds were against her this time, she refused to just sit and wait for death to take her! She hadn’t returned to her Master to tell him that she had avenged him yet, so she could not die here no matter what. He had no idea where the power came from, but the Fox Mutant who was supposed to be on her last legs was suddenly enveloped by a surge of Spirit Essence. With a noise, she suddenly revealed her true form. It was a majestic Divine Fox of indescribable beauty standing over three meters tall with snow-white fur covering her whole body, a sharp muzzle and jade-coloured eyes. Behind her were six fluffy tails, swaying side by side. Despite being in her true form as a Spirit Beast, the Fox Mutant still exuded an irresistible charm at this moment that was likely to captivate anyone who saw her. Even Lu Ye, who had resolved himself to kill her, felt a slight disturbance in his mind upon seeing Fox Mutant’s true form, but quickly, his eyes regained their clarity. Fox Mutant let out a low growl from her throat, her jade-colored eyes reflecting Lu Ye’s figure, filled with bitterness and anger. Before Lu Ye could launch an attack, she suddenly flicked her fluffy fox tails, and several pink Foxfires were shot at Lu Ye at an astonishing speed. At the same time, she dashed forward, pouncing directly at Lu Ye. Lu Ye swung his saber continuously, shattering several balls of Foxfire. However, the shattered Foxfires didn’t disappear but transformed into smaller flames. Lu Ye didn’t pay attention, and a few sparks of Foxfire touched his body. In an instant, several flames tore into his clothes and he felt a slight stinging sensation on his skin. However, Lu Ye’s mind began to shake violently. The feeling was like an invisible impact that shook his mind violently, causing him to see stars and illusions. Colors of blue, violet, white, and gold filled his vision, obscuring everything else. These Foxfires… They didn’t have much killing power, but they could disturb one’s mind! Though he realized it instantly, it was already too late. The Fox Mutant pounced on him, her sharp claws striking fiercely. The clothes in front of Lu Ye’s chest were ripped through, revealing deep wounds that went as deep as the bone, leaving it in a mixed mess of blood and gore. Throughout the battle with the Berserk Giant Ape, the Fox Mutant hadn’t made a move until the giant ape was about to die, where she stabbed it with a sword. So, Lu Ye’s perception of her was only as a Spirit Beast comparable to a Ninth Order Cloud River Realm cultivator. He never expected that her Foxfire would actually possess such strange abilities. However, the Fox Mutant had an innate ability to manipulate the minds of others, so while the Foxfire itself didn’t have much killing power, it could shake one’s mind. That much was understandable. But this kind of strange ability was undefeatable at the Cloud River Realm. Lu Ye was injured on their very first exchange of blows, and he used the momentum of her attack to back away while swinging his saber out, but the Fox Mutant’s movements were incredibly fast, swiftly dodging his blade. Just as he regained his stance and calmed his shaken mind, the Fox Mutant flicked her fluffy tails, and several more balls of Foxfire came at him. Having learned from his previous mistake, Lu Ye immediately dodged, but the Foxfire clung to him like maggots on a corpse. When they reached close, they exploded and scattered sparks into the air. Even though Lu Ye activated Glyph: Protection in time, he couldn’t avoid them completely. A few sparks landed on him, and once again, Lu Ye’s vision was filled with illusions, and he couldn’t see anything. At that moment, his Mind’s Eye Technique came into use. He was caught off guard earlier, which shook his mind, and that was why he failed to defend against the Fox Mutant’s attack. This time, however, he was prepared and could immediately sense an attack coming from his left within a third of a meter from him. The Inviolable Saber swung out, and the flesh on his right arm swelled slightly. A faint cry resembling a baby’s wail could be heard. When Lu Ye regained his senses, the Fox Mutant had already stopped at a distance of thirty meters from him. Her snow-white fur was stained with crimson blood, indicating that she had been injured. Her emerald eyes were filled with shock and doubt, clearly not expecting that Lu Ye could counterattack accurately in such a situation. “Yi Yi!” Lu Ye called out softly, hoping to get her help. “I can’t, Lu Ye. Ju Jia is chasing after me!” Yi Yi’s voice was transmitted into his ears. If there was no disturbance, Yi Yi could use the power of the Nine Wards Scroll to help him, but after forcibly sending Ju Jia out, he had been chasing after her relentlessly. Yi Yi was also helpless in this situation, and she could only maintain the operation of the Nine Wards Scroll and provide Lu Ye with a space to kill Fox Mutant. Fortunately, Ju Jia may have a strong body, but his greatest weakness was his speed, or lack thereof. So, for a while, there were no issues on Yi Yi’s side.