"Huff.

"Huff.

"Huff.

"Haaaaaaaaah!"

In a vegetation-dense forested area, surrounded by rows of gigantic trees that seemed like bridges connecting the ground to the sky, Zhang Wei could be seen kneeling on the ground, wheezing intensely seemingly trying to force as much oxygen as he could into his lungs.

After a few moments of recovery, Zhang Wei regained the facility to think straight and the first thing that came to his mind was,

Fuck this shit!

Fuck it all!

What do you mean I run into a pack of starving spiritual wolves every godforsaken turn I make in this forest?

What do you mean every time I stop for a reinvigorating munch, some hungry ass bear that I'm sure has a super fancy name, just so happens to be lurking around me like some chump who has nothing better to do with their day?!

Honest to god, I am aware that your usual xianxia forest ought to be fraught with danger, but to this extent?

Can't a man at least have a moment to himself over here, without having to be in constant crippling fear of becoming beast chow?

As Zhang Wei's rant went on and on inside his head, his annoyance was reaching levels that they had never before, yet he knew better than to vocalise it after having lived through these past five days of travel- which felt more like five years.

From the pains of having to find a safe and sheltered spot for the night, since the bastards over in this world apparently hadn't deigned of even thinking to invent something like a tent to ease the common people's plights, to having to navigate his way through the disgustingly maze-like forest with but a map and some words from the novel that Fan Lin transcribed for him.

And to top it all off, the staggering number of vicious, bloodthirsty beasts scattered throughout every inch of the forest as if they were easter eggs for an easter egg hunt, made his days all the more agonising.

It wasn't just once that Zhang Wei considered popping the luck booster there and then, and it was a miracle that he hadn't at this point.

Honestly, although he had basically never gone travelling in the wild before and therefore wasn't as smart about hiding his traces and such, with the help of the knowledge contained in all the adventurer's anecdotes he had read in the library whilst searching for another 'OP hidden technique', he wasn't doing all that bad for a first timer.

He also had the 'Heavenly Concealment' technique, which somewhat covered his ineptitude as well.

Unfortunately, though, the technique wasn't utterly foul-proof as it could only veil one aspect at a time due to the level he had reached with it.

So in exchange for his decision to focus on veiling his physical body from sight, his scent and the sounds of his movements weren't so hidden-Though he did try and alternate between areas, things seriously just did not want to work out for him.

Add on the fact that the beasts he just so happened to come across were variants that had an exceptionally acute sense of smell and hearing- ones that surpassed common variants of the species- trouble was inevitable.

But thankfully, there was a silver lining to all his suffering.

Just a few hundred meters away from Zhang Wei, an almost clear view of a gigantic cave entrance could be seen.

Yep, it was the Netherworld Fox's residence.

The cave itself from the outside, looked like a massive rocky dome with each small crack on it being filled with a thick layer of deep green moss. It was incredibly conspicuous in comparison to its surrounding environment, and could be spotted a mile away, as it was quite literally a detached stone dome- the size of a stadium- plopped in the middle of a forest!

In fairness though, why would it ever need to be hidden?

Just what lunatic spirit beast would even consider approaching the dwelling of an apex predator- A suicidal one, perhaps?

Shaking off any unnecessary emotions, Zhang Wei mentally willed the 'Heavenly Concealment' to prioritise veiling the soul, as Zhang Wei didn't quite want to test how potent the fox's wall hacks were.

Then he carefully tip-toed towards the cave, cautiously surveying his surroundings with each step to ensure no monkey business was going on in the vicinity, and soon he arrived in front of the cave.

Standing toe to toe with the cave entrance, Zhang Wei finally got the opportunity to truly take in and marvel at the sheer size that this rock dome was... Well, that would've been the case if there wasn't a particular mountainous beast laying down in plain sight just minutes ahead.

The moment Zhang Wei's eyes locked onto the monstrosity, his eyes widened to the size of saucers and he instantly began to regret everything that led up to this very moment.

W-What the fuck is that?!!!!!

I mean, seriously?!

I know I usually did not give two fucks what that pea-head of a teacher spouted in biology class, but surely this thing is violating some laws of nature!

Just how much protein does this bastard consume to be the size of a mini apartment complex?

Rightfully so, Zhang Wei was freaked out.

The beast that was in front of him was beyond any form of common sense, and with the dawn of this unprecedented realisation, he couldn't help but recall some of the descriptive sentences he had read before.

Although the descriptions did make the beast sound scarier than the one that was in the land of dreams in front of him, Zhang Wei couldn't help but curse the novel's nine generations as they had grossly undermined how fear-inducingly huge this fox was.

Okay, okay, okay!

Calm down, Zhang Wei!

Panicking right now will just lead to an early grave.

Although I'd give my left testicle to the devil right now in order to renege my involvement in this plan, I can't do that anymore.

If I give up here, there will be no time to warn Fan Lin to proceed with the old plan and everyone will die without the fox taking aggro away from the sect.

Gritting his teeth, Zhang Wei mustered up every ounce of courage he had and carefully trodded forward.

By the time Zhang Wei had reached the point where he was an inch away from touching the fox, his legs were very much quivering and he was feeling dizzy from all the stress.

He was in such close proximity that he felt his skin tingle from the fox's rotten breath breeze by him which each exhale, regardless of the fact that he was standing near the fox's backside.

Wait... never mind.

It farted.

Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately, Zhang Wei's mind was too preoccupied with planning out his next moves to come to realise that he had been farted on.

Anyways, after doing a few silent prayers to every god conceivable and mentally collecting himself, Zhang Wei firmly gripped the fox's fur and...

...began scaling up the fox!

As Zhang Wei steadily climbed the fox with both his hands and feet on the fox's body at all times, looking like a four-legged creature or a hunchback, he roared prayers and self-assuring words in his mind.

Please!

I beg of all that is holy, that my conjecture holds true and that this bastard fox treats me as the dust particle I aspire to be!

Surely if those massive whales back in my old world were cool about a bunch of smaller organisms living their lives on their backs, then this guy will be A-okay with me going up its sleeping body for a hike!

I mean, realistically, it shouldn't even be alarmed by me!

With my soul hidden, in its 'eyes', I should at most qualify as some debris falling from the centuries-old cave ceiling!

Another issue Zhang Wei had with what he was doing, was that the fox was long.

Very long.

Even after what felt like half an hour, he had barely arrived at the fox's torso!

But there was also salvation in this long journey, as after getting used to stepping on the fox's skin, Zhang Wei's paranoia eased and felt this was a more feasible task than he first thought.

As the hill-sized hump, that signified the fox's head, entered his vision, Zhang Wei felt a sense of liberation and self-gratification that he hadn't ever before, his thoughts went from pleading for success to blowing his own trumpet!

Hahaha, seems like this indomitable fox that brought demise on multiple nascent soul and soul transformation cultivators, wasn't all that after all!

Why was I even so nervous?

With something like 'Heavenly Concealment' in my grasp, with a sprinkle of boldness, why would I not be able to achieve something like thi-

Then he felt it.

As if he'd been jolted by a bolt of lightning, or a glacial gust had just passed him, Zhang Wei's body locked still.

The rhythm of which the mound of flesh he stood on rose and fell, due to its breathing pattern, abruptly changed.

Zhang Wei knew.

How could he not?

But even though he knew, an itch to rotate his head just that slight bit to make sure had risen.

And like an animal following its desires, the throbbing curiosity overwrote his rationality, and he slowly but surely twisted his neck a few centimetres only to be greeted by...

...A pair of purple orbs gazing at him unblinkingly.

...

"You presumptuous pest!

"How dare you try and use a domination technique made for mere beasts on a demonic sovereign, such as I?!

"I'll dismantle your limbs from your body, one by one, then extract your soul and bathe it in the most horrifying hellfire the nine heavens has ever seen for all eternity!"

Within an inconspicuous corner of a forested area, a slender man with a pale complexion and a sinister expression could be seen directing an unimaginable amount of killing intent towards a middle-aged bearded man who was grovelling on the ground with his face on the dirt floor.

The bearded man kowtowing was trembling from the other man's words and he responded with a frantic plea but almost stumbled over his own words,

"P-Please spare this ignorant one, oh mighty sovereign!

"If I had known it was your esteemed self I was about to encounter, I would have never dared, even if I had twice the guts!

"I beg of you for mercy!"

Hearing the bearded man's response, the sinister-looking man seemed slightly appeased as his vicious frown turned into a light smile as he said in a contemplative tone,

"Hmmm, that old fossil, Azure Profound Patriarch used to always babble about ignorance not being a sin, and now, after being sealed by that damn old man for hundreds of years I've come to realise that there was a hint of truth behind his words!

"Very well, I won't revoke your right to reincarnation due to this transgression, however, as a dignified sovereign, I can't possibly let an act like this go unpunished!

"After all, I've got a reputation to maintain as a demonic overlord who will rule this era!

"Can you see my difficulties here, ignorant junior?"

After recognising the fact that a miserable fate won't befall him, the tension in his shoulders seemed to be relieved by quite a lot, and he hurriedly took this chance to profusely thank the man for sparing him, spittles of spit left his mouth as he spoke,

"Junior Wang Fu, graciously thanks sir sovereign for his boundless broad-mindedness!

"This one understands senior's plight, and will accept any and all punishment that becomes of my ignorance!

"Please punish me as you see fit, oh venerable one!"

After seemingly half-heartedly listening to the strings of sentences, that were more like hymns, the sovereign's thoughtful facial expression twisted to a toothy grin as he flicked his finger.

The instant he flicked, a miserable shriek resounded throughout the forest!

Fire!

An eerie, purple flame seemed to have appeared out of nowhere on the bearded man's face and grew at an exponential rate, causing the bearded man to go into a panicked frenzy!

Wang Fu desperately tried putting out the fire by rolling around the ground like a dog, yet this just seemed to excite the embers that seemed to want to consume him, as it only grew faster and faster.

Wherever the flame touched, his flesh seemed to melt away like a hot knife to butter, and the agony that came with the melting was incomparable to anything else!

Soon, silence reigned.

The only remnants left of Wang Fu became nothing more than a puddle of organic matter.

Then, like a master at work, the demon efficiently leaned over the puddle and started shovelling the pool of liquid human down his throat without a hint of hesitation!

And after the deed was done, ensuring not to leave a drop behind, the demonic sovereign heaved a sigh of immense pleasure and began hysterically laughing!

Witness to this entire grotesque rollercoaster of events, was a young man with a horrified look in his eyes hiding behind a tree.

He had a hand covering his mouth to prevent even the slightest noise from his exhales escaping, and drops of sweat trickled down his cheeks as he thought to himself,

W-What sort of ungodly act have I just witnessed?!

A full-grown man, an influential sect elder no less, being subjected to inhumane torture until his last breath?!

Then getting slurped up like some sort of fine wine?!

T-This wasn't how it was described in the novel!

It was only mentioned Wang Fu's death in a passing conversation between the demon and Lin Fan, and therefore I thought that, at worst, he had just been decapitated or something!

But this?

As he recalled the haunting image of the demon unhesitantly ravaging the human remains, he couldn't help but tremble in terror.

Z-Zhang Wei better get here quickly, because there is no way I'm ever appearing in front of that demonic bastard, let alone following him!

What I need to focus on now, is to hide and not get notic-

"Insolent!

"Whichever insect is hiding behind the tree over there, present yourself in front of this sovereign, this instant!

"And have no fear!

"As for a limited time only, If you kowtow now and break both your arms and legs, I'll give you some consideration and leave you with an intact corpse!

"So be quick, otherwise, once my patience runs dry I can't guarantee you won't end up as my soup!"

Ah...fuck this shit!

...