The pressure of two golden cores distorted the sky.
Yet the fox remained still.
Outwardly calm.
Inwardly—
Her thoughts were razor sharp.
*You believe this is coincidence?*
Her fingers twitched faintly at her sleeve.
*After the first golden core used a blood tracking talisman… did you truly think I would remain unprepared?*
Her gaze stayed fixed ahead, but her mind replayed the moment from earlier.
The shattered remnants of the original blood tracking talisman.
The fragments she had quietly collected.
Studied.
Dissected.
*I broke it apart.*
*Analyzed the inner inscriptions.*
*Reconstructed the detection principle.*
Blood resonance.
Distance locking.
Directional pulse.
Primitive in design—
But effective.
*So I altered it.*
She had taken the fragments and rewritten the internal array.
Twisted its purpose.
Instead of tracking—
It detected tracking.
A reverse resonance trigger.
Small.
Hidden.
Silent.
Buried deep within her storage pouch.
A device that reacted the instant another blood tracking talisman aligned with the same blood signature.
*If someone tried again…*
*I would know the moment resonance occurred.*
No guessing.
No delay.
No sudden pursuit.
The instant it activated—
She would act.
That had been her safeguard.
Her contingency.
And just moments ago—
It had reacted.
Faint.
But unmistakable.
*She didn't find us by chance.*
Her turquoise eyes sharpened slightly.
*She used another blood tracking talisman.*
But this time—
I had known.
Even before the cultivator appeared beside them mid-flight.
Even before he spoke.
I had already begun calculating.
Already begun stalling.
Already guiding the situation—
Here.
Toward this very confrontation.
Toward the approaching presence he now sensed.
*If I handle this correctly…*
Her breathing remained steady.
*We might leave intact.*
Not by defeating him.
Not by overpowering him.
But by forcing uncertainty.
Golden core versus golden core.
Demonic versus unknown.
Confusion.
Suspicion.
Delay.
All she required—
Was an opening.
And the moment his attention fully shifted toward the incoming presence—
She would take it.
No pride.
No final declarations.
Just survival.
The wind shifted.
A streak of light cut across the horizon—
Then stopped.
She arrived.
Suspended in the sky opposite the demonic cultivator.
Robes flowing in controlled currents of qi.
Calm.
Cold.
Beside her floated a crimson talisman.
Intricate.
Still faintly glowing.
A blood tracking talisman.
The resonance in the air became unmistakable.
The fox's expression remained unreadable.
The demonic golden core's gaze sharpened.
Recognition.
Understanding.
Annoyance.
Now the sky held three figures.
A triangle of tension.
The fox below.
The demonic cultivator to one side.
And the newly arrived golden core—
Lianhua.
Her eyes swept across the battlefield in a single, measured glance.
Scorched earth.
Lingering lightning.
Demonic aura.
The fox.
The dragon-blooded creature.
Her mind evaluated possibilities.
*So the blood resonance was correct.*
Her gaze locked onto the demonic cultivator.
*But… a demonic practitioner at golden core?*
Her expression did not change.
Yet her thoughts tightened.
*Did they gain support from a sect elder?*
*Is this fox allied with demonic forces?*
The possibility complicated matters.
The blood tracking talisman beside her pulsed once more—
Confirming proximity.
The demonic cultivator's lips curved faintly again.
"So."
His tone carried mild amusement.
"A righteous golden core."
Lianhua's eyes remained ice.
"And a demonic cultivator trespassing in righteous territory."
Her gaze briefly shifted to the fox.
Then to Little White.
Then back.
Assessing alliances.
Reading intent.
The fox remained silent.
She neither denied nor confirmed anything.
Her posture neutral.
Ambiguous.
Let them draw conclusions.
Let doubt work in her favor.
The air between the three golden core-level presences grew unstable.
Lianhua's thoughts sharpened further.
*If that demonic cultivator protects them… this is no longer a simple retrieval.*
Her aura began to rise—controlled and refined.
Righteous qi pushing outward.
The demonic cultivator's chains reformed lazily behind him.
The fox's heart remained steady.
This was the opening she needed.
Three-way tension.
Distrust.
Egos.
If she acted correctly—
They would focus on one another.
And she and Little White would vanish in the chaos.
The sky felt ready to shatter.
For a heartbeat—
No one moved.
Then the tension snapped.
The fox acted first.
Not toward escape—
Toward Lianhua.
Her voice rang across the fractured sky.
"Master!"
The word was deliberate.
Loud.
Public.
"That is the child the demonic cultivator attempted to abduct!"
Her turquoise eyes burned with righteous indignation.
"He slaughtered an entire village for her!"
The accusation struck like a blade.
Before anyone could fully react—
She hurled the child upward.
Not violently.
But decisively.
Straight toward Lianhua.
Lianhua's instincts reacted faster than thought.
Her sleeve swept out—
Qi wrapped around the child—
And she caught her midair.
Only after securing the girl did comprehension strike.
*What—*
The fox's voice continued, sharp and righteous.
"We intercepted him in time!"
"He intended to use her in some demonic ritual!"
Her gaze cut toward the demonic cultivator with perfect condemnation.
"And now he wishes to silence us!"
At the same time—
A voice transmission slid into Lianhua's mind.
Calm.
Controlled.
**"You are from a righteous sect, aren't you?"**
**"A demonic cultivator slaughtered a village."**
**"He sought the child."**
**"You understand your duty."**
A brief pause.
**"We saved her."**
**"Now he hunts us."**
The transmission carried no panic.
Only calculation.
**"Do what a righteous cultivator should."**
**"Handle this situation."**
A final line—
**"We will take our leave."**
Below, Little White's golden eyes widened slightly as the child left their protection.
He moved instinctively.
But the fox's voice cut into his thoughts.
**"Stay calm."**
Firm.
Sharp.
**"Think."**
Her wings adjusted subtly, preparing for flight.
**"If we keep her, she remains a target."**
**"He will never stop hunting us."**
A brief pause.
**"With Lianhua, she will be safe."**
**"She is golden core."**
**"She can protect her."**
Her thoughts hardened.
**"We prioritize survival."**
**"Move before this collapses."**
Little White stared for a fraction of a second.
Then his expression flattened.
Understanding.
Acceptance.
He shrank instantly.
Turned invisible.
His concealment enveloped the fox.
No further argument.
They vanished.
Full speed.
No hesitation.
Above—
Lianhua held the child in her arms.
The girl stirred faintly.
Confused.
Unaware of the storm.
Lianhua's cold eyes shifted toward the demonic cultivator.
Her righteous aura surged fully now.
Sharp.
Unyielding.
"You massacred a village?"
Her voice carried steel.
The demonic cultivator's smile vanished entirely.
His gaze flicked toward the direction the fox had fled.
He understood instantly.
*She manipulated me.*
His eyes darkened.
But Lianhua remained between him and pursuit.
Righteous qi clashed with demonic aura in the sky.
The atmosphere trembled violently.
"You will not leave," Lianhua said coldly.
Chains of demonic qi flared in response.
"And you believe her?" he asked softly.
But Lianhua's grip tightened slightly around the child.
Her aura sharpened further.
Below—
The fox and lizard were already distant streaks of invisible wind.
Leaving the battlefield behind.
Before the sky truly erupted.