Li Yundong burst into laughter, partly out of contempt for the Japanese devils' arrogance, and partly to formally issue a challenge. But after laughing for a while, he waited in place for a long time, yet none of the Japanese men turned back to engage him. Li Yundong realized they must have already left.

He inwardly sneered, turned to offer an apology to the suffering Liu Xia and Lanlan, and then quickly departed Xiyuan Temple.

After he left, two aged monks emerged from the back courtyard of the Arhat Hall—it was Xincheng and Puren.

The two old monks exchanged a look, recited a Buddhist invocation in unison, and Xincheng sighed deeply, "The Golden Elixir descends, the Bright King appears. Heavenly lightning strikes, all the foxes descend the mountain. Temple bells toll in unison, demons engage in chaotic battle. The Black Fox reappears, and the world descends into turmoil! Puren, the cryptic verse your disciple spoke... it was frightfully accurate!"

Puren also looked deeply worried. He let out a long sigh and said, "Amitabha, may the cultivation world survive this impending catastrophe!"

The two monks sighed together, the already profound wrinkles on their faces deepening into rugged ravines.

After leaving Xiyuan Temple, Li Yundong walked quickly without any particular destination. Recalling the words of those Japanese men, he felt as if a heavy mass had lodged itself in his heart, causing him immense discomfort.

Yet, upon careful reflection, Li Yundong had to admit that several points made by the old Japanese man held considerable truth.

"How powerful can a sect be that cannot even protect its ancestral grounds and scriptures? How powerful can a sect be that receives no support from the nation, and for which even commoners are unwilling to believe or support? And how powerful can the disciples taught by such a sect truly be?"

These three sentences pierced Li Yundong’s chest like sharp daggers, inflicting a chilling cold. Beyond his anger, a sense of sorrow and helplessness washed over him.

"No wonder Master Puren questioned me so solemnly about the true meaning of cultivation. No wonder Ziyuan repeatedly lamented the tribulations confronting the cultivation world..."

Li Yundong stood on the bustling, noisy street. Pedestrians flowed past him like a river, traffic roared by, yet he felt the surroundings were utterly dead, saturated with stagnation. He even perceived the faces of everyone by the roadside as a dull, ashen gray, devoid of vitality!

Li Yundong clenched his fists, his eyes filled with defiance and rage. He thought to himself: These Japanese men look down upon our Chinese cultivation world. When the Lotus Gathering begins, I will show them exactly whether the mainland of China harbors any true masters!

The thought spurred him into motion; he walked swiftly to a deserted spot, and his figure transformed into a streak of azure light, rapidly shooting toward Tiannan City.

By the time Li Yundong returned to his home in Tiannan City, it was already evening. Entering the door, he saw the little foxes clustered together, chattering excitedly as they counted banknotes, then eagerly dividing the spoils, handing bills to one another.

The little foxes had intended to split the money secretly, but they were startled by the sight of Li Yundong entering with a grim expression. They instantly felt the panic of being caught red-handed with stolen goods. They exchanged nervous glances, and Lingyue, steeling herself, stood up and forced a smile. "Sect Master, you're back? W-we were just counting the money we earned today... Oh, right, Sect Master, do you know how much we made?"

Although Li Yundong felt suffocated by his worries, facing the smiling, charming, and sometimes mischievous little beauties upon returning home, much of his inner irritation dissipated. He suppressed his displeasure, offered a faint smile, and asked, "Oh? You made money today?"

Seeing Li Yundong smile, the little foxes' spirits immediately lifted. They crowded around him, giggling, and chattering, "Sect Master, you can't look down on us anymore. We earned quite a bit of money today!"

Li Yundong chuckled, about to speak, when Su Chan suddenly popped her head out of her room with a look of surprise. "Yundong, you’re back?"

With that, the little girl, barefoot, came scampering toward Li Yundong, pattering across the floor. Like a young swallow returning to its nest, she instantly threw herself into his arms.

Li Yundong held Su Chan tightly, tenderly stroking her hair. He smiled, "Were you naughty while I was away?"

Su Chan's eyes darted away. She recalled the middle-aged man who had run off after leaving ten thousand yuan. She nervously averted her gaze, secretly sticking out her tongue, and remained silent for a moment.

Li Yundong was preoccupied with his own thoughts and didn't notice Su Chan’s expression. The little foxes nearby started teasing, chiming in, "Sect Master, the proprietress helped us earn a lot of money today, look, look!"

At that, one little fox eagerly presented the cash to Li Yundong as if offering a treasure. Li Yundong glanced over the pile; it looked like several thousand yuan. He smiled, "Not bad. Several thousand on the first day? Very good, very good. Looks like you had many customers!"

This single remark made the little foxes secretly stick out their tongues. One careless one blurted out, "Just one..."

She didn't finish the word "customer" before other little foxes quickly clamped their hands over her mouth and dragged her behind them.

Li Yundong paused, not dwelling on it, and casually asked, "Just one what?"

Lingyue’s eyes darted around as she quickly tried to smooth things over. "Just one day to earn this much, Sect Master. Aren't we amazing?"

Li Yundong let out a wry laugh. "Do you all want to work the night shift too? I think you've been blinded by greed!" With that, he patted the girl’s head. "Chan'er, you did well today. You didn't cause me any trouble, which is worth praising. By the way, I saw you dividing money earlier? Hmm, you can keep this money amongst yourselves; consider it my customary bonus. You don't need to hand it over."

Upon hearing this, the little foxes cheered in unison: "Long live the Sect Master! May the Sect Master live for ten thousand generations!"

Li Yundong chuckled, nodded at Su Chan, and gestured for her to come into his room.

The little girl followed Li Yundong nervously. Once inside, she rubbed the edge of her dress with both hands, constantly debating whether she should tell Li Yundong what had happened that day.

The little girl wasn't foolish. Although she hadn't immediately grasped the implications of the day's events, after thinking it over, she finally understood and confirmed one thing: what she had done was wrong; she must have caused trouble again!

But if she caused trouble, should she tell Yundong?

If she told him, Yundong would blame her for causing trouble, and his earlier praise would have been in vain.

But if she didn't tell him, she felt uneasy, like having something hanging over her that made her restless.

The little girl's thoughts raced, but Li Yundong hadn't noticed her turmoil. He spoke gently to Su Chan, "Chan'er, I managed to borrow the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl. Take a look."

Saying this, he took the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl from his person and held it out before Su Chan.

Su Chan's eyes lit up. The bowl was deep emerald green, shimmering beautifully from a distance, clearly not an ordinary object. As she moved closer, the light reflecting off the bowl cast seven-colored rays. On every different reflective surface of the glazed material, Su Chan could see her own charming reflection, as if the bowl were a minor cosmos reflecting countless versions of herself.

Su Chan was momentarily stunned by the exquisite beauty of the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl. She instinctively reached out to touch it, but the moment her finger brushed the bowl, a jolt ran through her body, and she quickly retracted her hand as if shocked by electricity.

Li Yundong laughed. "What’s wrong? What are you afraid of? If you like it, take it and look longer."

Su Chan shook her head like a rattle drum, looking at the glazed bowl with a mixture of envy and fear. "No, this Finger-Burning Alms Bowl holds too much heavy Buddhist spiritual power. I can't touch it. Just touching it felt like being struck by lightning; it was extremely uncomfortable."

Li Yundong looked puzzled, turning the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl over in his hands. "Really? I didn't feel anything."

Su Chan looked at Li Yundong with admiration. "Yundong, you have a human body, so you naturally wouldn't feel it. But I am a fox demon. This Finger-Burning Alms Bowl is a Buddhist artifact; its inherent Buddhist energy is solemn and majestic, specifically designed to suppress the demonic aura like mine. Furthermore, glazed glass (Liuli) is one of the Seven Treasures of Buddhism, representing the crystallized attainment of a monk's thousand years of cultivation. In all Buddhist scriptures, 'a body and spirit like Liuli' is considered the highest level of Buddhist practice. The Sutra of the Merit and Virtue of the Original Vows of the Medicine Master Liuli Light Tathagata states: 'May I, when attaining Bodhi in a future life, have a body like Liuli, clear inside and out, pure without blemish.' From this, you can see that Liuli is the purest and cleanest substance in the human world; beings with our turbid demonic bodies must not touch it."

Li Yundong laughed upon hearing this. He pulled the little girl close, affectionately brushing his nose against her forehead. "Silly girl, in my eyes, you are the purest and cleanest thing in this world. As for this thing..."

Li Yundong held the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl high above his head and laughed, "This is just an artifact. No matter how important an artifact is, how can it compare to a person?"

Su Chan felt a warmth spreading through her heart. She thought: Yundong loves and cherishes me so much, yet I am hiding things from him. How can I face his feelings for me if I harbor secrets?

The little girl decided this, opened her mouth, and was about to tell Li Yundong what had happened today, but Li Yundong kept one arm around her, gazing at the bowl, and sighed, "Chan'er, this time I only managed to borrow the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl; I couldn't secure the Eight Directions Demon Subduing Grand Array. I wonder if this single bowl will be enough to capture Yan Fang’s Yang Spirit?"

Then, he lowered his head, cast an apologetic glance at Su Chan, and said softly, "But don't worry, I will do my utmost to help you find your master, Ao Wushuang."

Su Chan's words caught in her throat, blocked by Li Yundong. She nodded obediently, opened her mouth to speak again, but Li Yundong stroked her silky hair and said, "Enough. I know what you want to say—don't say anything about thanking me. We don't need such formalities between us. You go out first; I need to channel my true essence to bring the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl under my control."

Su Chan started, "But, Yundong, there is something I need to tell you."

Li Yundong asked, puzzled, "Is it very important?"

Su Chan paused, lowered her head with some guilt, and weakly said, "It seems... it’s not that important."

Li Yundong smiled. "Then let's wait until I’ve subdued the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl. You go wait for me outside for a moment."

Su Chan looked at Li Yundong with reluctance, finally swallowing the words on her lips. The little girl thought: I should let Yundong subdue the bowl first... If I tell him now and he gets angry, what if it affects his ability to claim the artifact?

Thinking this, Su Chan cast a timid glance at Li Yundong and whispered, "Then, Yundong, I'm leaving."

Li Yundong smiled and nodded to Su Chan. Only after she left did the smile slowly fade from his face. He let out a soft sigh and murmured to himself, "Listening to Master Puren and Master Xincheng, it seems a great calamity is indeed coming to the cultivation world... And now these devils are here to join the fray. I truly don't know how this situation will unfold? What will happen to me and Chan'er? What about the Fox Zen Sect?"

With these thoughts swirling, Li Yundong’s mind became a chaotic mess. He steadied himself, slowly calmed his heart, sat down cross-legged, cupped the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl in his hands, and began channeling his true essence into it, preparing to claim the Buddhist artifact.

Initially, Li Yundong felt a powerful, majestic force within the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl resisting his true essence—he knew this was the artifact's innate power.

Li Yundong was encouraged rather than dismayed by the artifact's strong resistance. Subduing an artifact was like taming a wild horse; the stronger the resistance, the harder the taming, and each artifact required a different method.

Li Yundong roused his spirit and poured his entire true essence into the bowl. As he channeled more and more essence, the resistance from the Finger-Burning Alms Bowl weakened. But just as this resistance was about to vanish, Li Yundong suddenly felt an immense, unparalleled force surge toward him.

Before Li Yundong could even react, this power—like an overwhelming tsunami—instantly engulfed his entire spiritual consciousness, plunging him into boundless darkness.