**: God-Slaying Blade Art**

Although the pangolin and weasel both possessed combat power at the Foundation Establishment level, they showed no signs of being able to shapeshift.

The pangolin had thick, rough skin. Sun Lingtong executed his blade art; the blade light fluttered like butterfly wings, directly shattering the pangolin's eyeballs.

The pangolin howled in agony, curled into a ball, and rolled back into the mountain mist.

In just a dozen or so breaths, Sun Lingtong had already defeated two commanders and charged towards the Scorpion Spear General.

The Scorpion Spear General's spear technique was quite good, managing to fight Sun Lingtong for five or six rounds. However, he soon couldn't hold on any longer, allowing Sun Lingtong to break into his close guard.

The dagger stirred up waves of cold light, severing the scorpion's fingers. The long spear clattered to the ground.

The Scorpion Spear General hastily retracted his hands, rolled on the spot, and reverted to his original form.

His scorpion tail rose high and stung down with full force, so fast it became a blur in mid-air.

Sun Lingtong sneered. In his pair of spirit pupils, the opponent's attack was seen clearly. But at the critical moment, the Fox God suddenly used a divine technique, greatly interfering with Sun Lingtong.

Sun Lingtong couldn't dodge in time and could only barely twist his body sideways.

The scorpion tail stung his left arm, and potent venom immediately began to侵蚀.

Sun Lingtong's left arm went limp, he dropped his dagger, explosively retreated into the formation, quickly used his cultivation to suppress the potent poison and stop its spread, swallowed several pills in succession, and controlled the injury.

"Boss!" Seeing Sun Lingtong injured, Ning Zhuo's face instantly filled with anger.

He slapped his storage belt, releasing over thirty mechanical Blast Monkeys.

These Blast Monkeys were all connected by control lines. After landing, they leaped out of the formation one after another, pouncing onto the black scorpion outside the formation.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A round of self-destruction blasted the black scorpion until its skin split and flesh tore, even blowing off one of its claws, leaving it severely wounded and near death.

The Fox God repeated the trick, using the mountain mist to roll the black scorpion back.

Ning Zhuo sneered, urging the mechanical Blast Monkeys to pursue.

Sun Lingtong didn't dare to penetrate so deeply, but these mechanical Blast Monkeys were expendable items anyway; losing them was no great loss.

The Blast Monkeys charged straight in.

Suddenly, sharp glints shot out from the mountain mist, severing the control lines one by one.

However, the Blast Monkeys were completely unaffected, still charging forward mindlessly. Upon seeing the black scorpion, they self-destructed one after another.

The black scorpion turned into a clump of mountain mist amidst the explosions; it had been a fake target created by the Fox God using divine art.

"I severed the control lines, and the mountain mist severely hampers his spiritual sense. How can these mechanical monkeys still function?" The Fox God was inwardly shocked and puzzled.

Ning Zhuo released another batch of Blast Monkeys.

The Blast Monkeys moved to surround and kill the Centipede Axeman, frightening him so much he yelled, dropped his axe, and using both hands and feet, crawled on the ground like a centipede, swiftly scurrying away to hide in the thick mountain mist.

Ning Zhuo drove the Blast Monkeys to pursue him closely.

The Fox God cut the control lines, isolated Ning Zhuo's spiritual sense, and confirmed there were no control cores inside the Blast Monkeys. Yet, she still saw the Blast Monkeys full of vitality and exceptionally agile, and couldn't help but fall into deep confusion.

Innate Talent — Clouds Obscuring Mists!

The Fox God activated her innate talent, immediately causing the vast mountain mist to undergo mysterious and strange changes.

"Hmm?!" Ning Zhuo was just about to detonate the mechanical Blast Monkeys when the ring on his finger tightened slightly.

Ning Zhuo stopped his action. The next moment, he saw the mechanical Blast Monkeys charge out of the mountain mist one after another, crashing into the formation.

Ning Zhuo's pupils constricted.

If he had been half a beat slower and detonated the Blast Monkeys, he would have been hoist with his own petard, subjecting his own formation to a fierce attack.

With a thought through his mental imprint, Ning Zhuo again controlled the mechanical Blast Monkeys to charge into the mountain mist.

But this time, upon entering the mist, the mechanical Blast Monkeys immediately lost their sense of direction. They didn't know north from south, thinking they were moving in a straight line but actually circling in place.

Ning Zhuo tried to control the Blast Monkeys to return. In his perception, they were clearly returning straight, but the Blast Monkeys couldn't find their way out no matter what.

Ning Zhuo made a prompt decision, temporarily abandoning these Blast Monkeys. He released mechanical Floating Hands and cast spells.

Spells shot out one after another—blazing fire, rolling stones, leaf darts, water arrows, golden needles—directly plunging into the mountain mist, then disappearing without a trace. No sound could be heard, no light or shadow seen.

"Quite some thick mist!" Ning Zhuo's attempt having failed again, he immediately stopped the spells and released a mechanical sphere.

It was the Weather Sphere · Ice Crystal Snow.

The Ice Crystal Snow emitted a powerful cold current that spread into the mountain mist. Wherever it reached, the mist condensed into flakes of frost, drifting down everywhere.

The mountain mist rapidly weakened.

The Fox God chuckled lightly: "Somewhat interesting. Then I'll use thirty percent of my power."

The next moment, the mountain mist suddenly thickened again, restoring its previous state.

Ning Zhuo sneered: "It's not over yet."

With a thought, he grabbed a ghost soul from his storage belt and threw it to the Weather Sphere · Ice Crystal Snow.

Innate Talent — Snow Soul Ice Spirit!

The spirituality within the Weather Sphere · Ice Crystal Snow originated from Ning Xie, who inherently possessed the Snow Soul Ice Spirit talent.

The ghost soul, used as fuel for the talent, quickly dissipated. The cold current emitted by the Weather Sphere · Ice Crystal Snow became several times more severe, once again causing the mountain mist to condense into ice, continuously falling.

The Fox God snorted coldly and continued to increase her power.

Just as the mountain mist was about to recover, Ning Zhuo slapped his belt and released a mass of clouds.

The clouds had a white base with blue hues, cold air overflowing. As it flew, snowflakes drifted in its wake.

It was the Cold Snow Cloud.

Ning Zhuo had bought five traveling clouds from the Cloud Market, one of which was this.

The Cold Snow Cloud enveloped the Weather Sphere · Ice Crystal Snow. Although it was only at the magic tool level, it complemented the Weather Sphere · Ice Crystal Snow perfectly.

Thus, the cold current gained another boost, causing the mountain mist to continue condensing into frost, slowly clearing.

"Merely Foundation Establishment level mechanisms, and you think you can dispel my magical mist?" The Fox God, provoked, let out a sharp cry and exerted her full power.

The next moment, the mountain mist surged violently, rolling forward.

Crack!

A thunderclap exploded, and a blue light flashed brightly within the clouds and mist.

"Hahaha, success!" Sun Lingtong cheered and laughed, "You really did take my dagger! Is my stuff so easy to take? Hahaha."

He had already healed himself, though his face was somewhat swollen.

Blade Art — God-Slaying!

He had lost his dagger in the mountain mist, and the Fox God had picked it up. As a result, the latter was caught off guard when Sun Lingtong triggered the dagger's hidden lethal attack.

The God-Slaying Blade Art specifically countered deities, complementing the Immortal-Slaying Sword Art.

These two arts were extremely classic. Any cultivator practicing blade or sword arts longed to learn them. Unfortunately, both arts were exceedingly difficult to master; only those with exceptional comprehension could possibly grasp them.

Clearly, Sun Lingtong was one of them.

"I definitely wounded Him. Ugh, this mist is really annoying." Sun Lingtong had long since activated his Spirit Pupil innate talent, but the mountain mist was too thick; he could only see through about three feet.

"You... have... thoroughly... angered... me!" The Fox God let out a sharp shriek, completely losing her previous composure.

From His reaction, it was clear Sun Lingtong had landed a solid blow.

Sun Lingtong's face turned solemn and stern, preparing for a serious fight.

Ning Zhuo, meanwhile, took out a mechanical sickle and held it ready, preparing to fight with all his might.

The mountain mist rose high, blotting out the sky and sun, then suddenly halted. A low exclamation came from within: "Great Serpent Sickle?!"

The mountain mist froze.

The battlefield suddenly fell silent.

After a moment of silence, the Fox God said in a gentle tone: "Young friend Ning Zhuo, so even the Great Serpent Sickle was given to you by your mother for protection. No wonder she felt at ease letting you travel abroad."

Immediately, the mountain mist dispersed as rapidly as a receding tide.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong saw the sky again, surprised to find they were no longer at the Fox God Temple, but located somewhere on the mountainside.

The mountain mist, enveloping the formation, had directly moved them out!

The Fox God manifested its true form, walking out suspended from the mountain mist.

Its hair was like snow, falling to its shoulders. It wore white robes, ethereal as an exiled immortal. Its figure was graceful and elegant, with a captivating demeanor. A fox tail swayed lightly behind it, like clouds or smoke, possessing a natural charm in its movements.

The only flaw was a dagger stuck in its ample bosom.

The dagger emitted blue light, like lightning, sizzling audibly.

The Fox God reached out, firmly grasped the hilt, and pulled the dagger out. During this process, the dagger's light resembled arcs of electricity, connecting to the wound, fiercely sucking on the dagger and creating a powerful gravitational pull.

The Fox God snorted coldly, exerted force abruptly, and snapped the electric blade light.

It tossed the dagger back to Sun Lingtong. The knife wound on its chest was quickly enveloped by mountain mist and vanished without a trace.

Sun Lingtong fell silent.

It was clear the Fox God possessed combat power at the Golden Core level. The God-Slaying Blade Art was one of Sun Lingtong's strongest techniques, yet it had achieved minimal results.

The Fox God looked at Ning Zhuo, its gaze lingering on the mechanical sickle in his hand for a moment. A faint smile appeared on its face: "As expected of Meng Yaoyin's child. Earlier, this deity was merely itching to test you both; it wasn't a genuine attempt to cause trouble."

"Oh?" Ning Zhuo opened his mouth and spat out the Cloud-Hidden Petal. "Does Lord Fox God not want this payment anymore, then?"

The Fox God's smile became somewhat strained: "Young sir, you actually took it seriously. Hehehe."

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong exchanged a glance. Neither had expected the Great Serpent Sickle to have such a significant deterrent effect on the Fox God.

"In that case, we shall take our leave," Ning Zhuo said.

The Fox God nodded, watching wistfully as Ning Zhuo swallowed the petal again. It restrained itself with effort: "Go on, go on."

Watching the two figures gradually recede into the distance, the Fox God suddenly called out: "Young friend Ning Zhuo, wait."

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong immediately stopped, quickly turned around, and were fully on guard.

The Fox God laughed lightly: "Don't panic, you two. This deity merely wishes to inform you of a truth."

"This deity has searched almost the entire Misty Hidden Mountain. Only one valley on the western side remains beyond my capabilities."

"If you two still haven't found your target, I'm afraid it must be in that valley."

Ning Zhuo felt curious and pressed for details.

The Fox God shook its head slightly, waved its sleeve, its entire body transforming into mountain mist and dissipating on the spot.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong both took out their Somersault Clouds and flew straight away from the Cloud Fox Mountain God Temple.

Only after they were far away did Ning Zhuo put away the mechanical sickle.

He held his breath and concentrated, expelling the irritation and killing intent from his heart.

"This Night Rain Demon Weapon is truly sinister, its killing intent too heavy. I haven't even used it in real combat yet, but just holding it for a short while affects my state of mind."

Ning Zhuo was inwardly alarmed.

Sun Lingtong sent a voice transmission: "Xiao Zhuo, what's the plan now? Do we go to the western valley? I have a feeling that Fox God has ulterior motives."

Ning Zhuo felt the same.

It seemed far-fetched that a deputy mountain god couldn't investigate a certain area of Misty Hidden Mountain.

When Ning Zhuo pressed for details, the Fox God acted evasive, very much like it was deliberately baiting them.

But this matter concerned his mother. Even knowing he might be falling into the other party's scheme, Ning Zhuo had to investigate.

(End of )