: The Fox Deity's Four Generals

White, dense fog seeped relentlessly into the room from outside, enveloping Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo.

Hearing the Fox Deity demand the petal, Sun Lingtong flew into a rage. "You impudent minor deity! You tricked us into this house, jacked up the price, and now resort to threats!"

"Do you really think we're made of clay?"

"Come on then! Let's see if I don't beat your head and backside until they both bloom, tear down this shabby temple! You think just because you're a deputy mountain deity, you can throw your weight around?!"

Seeing Sun Lingtong roll up his sleeves, revealing a pair of chubby little arms, brimming with fighting spirit, the Fox Deity snorted coldly. "Quite the feisty little child."

Ning Zhuo smiled. "I think you're the feisty one, Fox Deity."

"Don't you know our clan has two Golden Core cultivators? How dare you give us trouble?"

"If you were a demonic cultivator, that would be one thing. But now you're a mountain deity. Wait until our elders come to teach you a lesson. If you have the ability, move the Misty Hidden Mountain away and hide with it."

"Oh, I forgot. You're only the deputy deity, not the main one."

"Even if the main Mountain Deity agreed, do you two have the divine power to move a mountain?"

The white fog suddenly stalled.

The Fox Deity giggled foolishly. "Young friend, you sorely misunderstand this deity. I never intended to cause you trouble; I was just a bit too eager."

"You must understand, searching the entire Misty Hidden Mountain has its intricacies. A superficial search could be done by ordinary birds. To probe into the forests, shrubs, and streams consumes a significant amount of divine power. If we need to go eight feet underground, the drain is immense, taking at least three to five months to recover."

"May I ask, which level of search does the young friend desire?"

Sun Lingtong snorted. "All this talk is just haggling in the end."

Ning Zhuo reached out, making a calming gesture towards Sun Lingtong. "When Mother assigned me this task, she did give me some items to facilitate my travels."

"Is the petal you mentioned... this?"

As he spoke, Ning Zhuo raised the tip of his tongue, revealing a flower bud pattern at its base.

The pattern emerged, turning solid, transforming into a small flower bud.

A pure white bud, entirely composed of mist and smoke, with wispy tendrils slowly dissipating at the edges.

It was the Mist-veiled Bud!

Ning Zhuo curled his tongue, licking the bud, and peeled off a single petal.

He pressed his tongue down, and the Mist-veiled Bud reverted to a talisman pattern, imprinting itself at the root of his tongue. Only the petal remained on the tip.

He opened his mouth and spat out the petal.

The white mist surged forward eagerly. The Fox Deity's tone was urgent. "That's it! That's the one!"

Ning Zhuo inhaled, sucking the petal back into his mouth. "Fox Deity, go search the mountain."

But the Fox Deity tittered sweetly. "Young master, why not give the petal to me first? I'll be able to serve you with even greater devotion."

The appearance of the Mist-veiled Petal caused a dramatic shift in the Fox Deity's attitude and tone.

Sun Lingtong couldn't help but get goosebumps, rubbing his arms as he hissed, "Speak properly!"

Ning Zhuo remained smiling. "Fox Deity, don't worry. Once the task is complete, I will certainly present this petal to you with both hands. My name is Ning Zhuo, of the Ning family from Fire Persimmon Immortal City. I act under my true name. I swear on my Ning family's reputation that as long as the Fox Deity gives it your all, I won't renege on our deal."

The Fox Deity was silent for a moment before saying, "Very well, it shall be as you say, young master."

The mist in the room slowly withdrew. Although it left the room, it still blocked the door and windows.

Ning Zhuo didn't mind. He took out a tea set, placed it on the table in the room, invited Sun Lingtong to sit, and began brewing tea.

The two sipped tea and chatted. Their leisurely, composed demeanor exuded strong confidence, leaving the Fox Deity uncertain.

The Fox Deity exerted its divine power, causing mist to coil around the mountain.

It had had contact with Meng Yaoxin before and knew the route taken by the Ning family convoy that year. Following that route, it conducted a search and made quite some findings.

"Young master, I've brought what you asked for. Take a look."

After speaking, the Fox Deity opened the door. The mist expanded, forming a blank space.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong looked out and saw a pile of junk arranged in the courtyard.

There was a worn-out iron pot, moldy bedding, fragments of a tent, and discarded wheels.

Ning Zhuo probed with his spiritual sense, carefully inspecting the junk with a show of thoroughness. He collected all the scrap and said to the Fox Deity, "Not enough, not enough. Please continue your search, Lord Fox Deity."

The Fox Deity giggled. "Young master, please wait a moment."

This time, the Fox Deity mustered its full strength, probing eight feet underground along the Ning family convoy's route, gathering another pile of old items.

The old items, wrapped in thick fog, were quickly delivered to the temple courtyard.

"Young master, see here." The Fox Deity panted, sounding exhausted. "Now you should give me that petal."

Ning Zhuo inspected the items, storing them away as he said, "Still a bit short. I must trouble Lord Fox Deity to try again."

The Fox Deity was annoyed. "Young master, if you're looking for a specific item, please state it clearly."

Ning Zhuo smiled wryly. "If I could state it clearly, I would have done so long ago. My mother's instructions were precisely like this. I ask for your understanding and forgiveness, Lord Fox Deity."

The Fox Deity poured on its divine power, stirring up rolling thick fog that nearly blotted out the entire Misty Hidden Mountain.

This spectacle awed the villagers of Misty Hidden Village. Many knelt on the spot, crying out about a divine miracle and continuously praising the Fox Deity's name.

This time, the mist fox brought back far fewer items.

Her voice betrayed fatigue. "This deity has already exhausted its abilities, greatly depleting its divine power. Even if the main Mountain Deity acted personally, the result would be the same. Give me the petal."

Ning Zhuo inspected again, collecting broken ceramics, spoiled medicinal herbs, damaged mechanisms, and some jewelry like gold, silver, and agate.

"Lord Fox Deity, the item I seek is not among these things," Ning Zhuo said.

"Hmm?!" The Fox Deity's voice turned cold. "Young man, did you not hear what I just said?"

Ning Zhuo insisted, "I heard you very clearly. But although there are many items here, the target object is not among them."

The Fox Deity was quite displeased. "What exactly does your mother want you to retrieve? If you don't tell me, how can I help you? Are you still hiding things at this point?"

Ning Zhuo shook his head. "Lord Fox Deity, I am not deceiving you. My mother did not specify clearly, only saying that I would surely sense it upon contact. I hope you will make one more effort, Lord Fox Deity. I will report to my mother, and there will surely be repayment."

The Fox Deity laughed in anger. "Kid, are you playing me?"

"Who has the patience to help you collect all this junk!"

"Give me the petal now, and I will overlook your offenses."

"If you refuse... heh, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Sun Lingtong snorted, crooking his index finger at the mountain mist filling the sky. "Come on then! You minor deity, you really think you're something special."

The Fox Deity, furious and flustered, said, "You ill-bred brat, I'll teach you some manners on behalf of your elders."

The mist surged forward but was dispersed with a wave of Ning Zhuo's hand.

"Fox Deity, please calm your anger. We are only here to search for old items, not to pick a fight with you," Ning Zhuo said.

"Not picking a fight? Then hand over the petal!" the Fox Deity retorted.

Ning Zhuo smiled wryly and shook his head, indicating he couldn't do that.

The Fox Deity gnashed its teeth, a cold laugh squeezing through them. "You two little brats, you really think deities are servants of your great clans, so easily ordered about? Today, I'll give you a profound lesson, so you learn the proper attitude towards deities!"

Whoosh.

A strong wind swept up the mountain mist, rushing towards Sun and Ning in the courtyard.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong faced the danger without fear, having long been prepared.

The next moment, Lady Rudie materialized. With a sharp cry, one layer of her butterfly wings glowed slightly, releasing a defensive formation.

The mountain mist surged violently, crashing like a tidal wave, but was blocked by an invisible wall, unable to advance further.

Not only that, as the formation rapidly expanded, the mist was pushed back step by step.

The Fox Deity uttered a sound of surprise, then released its divine might, stirring the power of heaven and earth.

As the deputy Mountain Deity, Misty Hidden Mountain was its domain, granting it a powerful home-field advantage.

The next moment, pressure from heaven and earth enveloped the formation from all sides.

The formation's rapid expansion halted abruptly. Lady Rudie grunted, her body trembling slightly.

The two sides reached a stalemate.

The Fox Deity's cold voice rang out across the misty battlefield. "Where are my generals?"

"Old Wu is here! You two thieves, taste my axe!" From the east came a centipede demon cultivator over nine feet tall, with human legs and hands, wielding two axes. It burst through the mountain mist, hacking down.

From the west came a scorpion demon clad in black iron armor, holding a steel spear, thrusting fiercely!

From the north charged a sharp-nosed pangolin, the size of a carriage, colored gray-silver, crashing forward with immense force.

From the south appeared a weasel, ordinary in size, snarling and grimacing. It let out strange screeches, casting spells that stirred up a cloud of metal and stone, shooting them out with sharp cracks.

These were the Centipede Axeman, the Scorpion Lancer, the Sharp-nosed Pangolin, and the Snouty Weasel—the four divine generals Ning Zhuo had seen earlier in the front hall.

They were the Fox Deity's four capable enforcers.

The four generals launched a fierce assault of chops and stabs against the defensive formation upheld by Lady Rudie. Lady Rudie's trembling intensified, finding it increasingly difficult to maintain the formation.

Sun Lingtong naturally wouldn't just watch. Gripping his daggers, he charged forward.

His figure flickered in and out of sight as he pounced near the Weasel General.

The Weasel General initially tried to rely on its spells to counterattack and drive Sun Lingtong back.

But Sun Lingtong was agile. Using his Void-piercing Technique, he appeared beside the Weasel General and launched a flurry of stabs with his small dagger.

The Weasel General felt a sudden chill all over its body.

Then, excruciating pain followed, blood spurted out, and it was severely wounded on the spot.

It shrieked in terror and scrambled to escape.

Sun Lingtong had no intention of letting it go. Just as he was about to deliver a killing blow, the mountain mist surged, enveloping the Weasel General before he could and rescuing it.

Sun Lingtong snorted coldly, not daring to venture deep into the mist.

He turned and charged towards the Sharp-nosed Pangolin.

His choice of target was deliberate. The Fox Deity's four generals were all demonic cultivators. Among them, the Centipede Axeman and the Scorpion Lancer had roughly human forms, indicating a higher level of transformation, and their combat power was clearly superior to the other two generals.

(End of )