Ao Wushuang reappeared with Su Chan and the others, finding herself instantly back in her home along the Seven Mile Waterway on Qili Mountain in East Wu City. She stared down at the unconscious Su Chan, an expression of deep pity and affection washing over her face. She gently knelt, carefully brushing the slightly messy strands of hair from Su Chan’s forehead, her gaze complex.

The man behind her took a slight step forward, observing Li Yundong with keen interest. Half of his face, illuminated by the moonlight, revealed a strikingly handsome countenance—it was Liu Ye, the former sect master of the Fox Zen Gate. He spoke, “What? Is Chan’er finally on the cusp of breaking through to the Six-Tailed Spirit Fox realm? Aren't you happy for her?”

Ao Wushuang turned her face slightly, her voice turning cold. “What is there to be happy about? I’d rather she live her entire life safe and sound!”

Liu Ye snorted. “Safe and sound… That’s easier said than done! For us fox demons walking the world, safety is a mere illusion. Only through constant self-strengthening can true security be guaranteed!”

Ao Wushuang spoke with icy severity, “Are you satisfied now? Li Yundong finally snatched the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir, and your grand plan can finally be enacted!”

Liu Ye offered no comment, remaining silent. He simply fixed his gaze on Li Yundong, saying nothing for a long moment. After quite some time, he finally sighed softly, “Sometimes I truly envy this fellow… Young, intelligent, talented, and what’s more, blessed with incredible opportunities! He possesses everything a cultivator could possibly desire. Look at him; he’s been cultivating for barely over half a year and is already on the verge of breaking through to the Golden Body realm! Sigh, such a speed of cultivation is truly unprecedented in history!”

Ao Wushuang scoffed, “What about Wang Chongyang of the Quanzhen Sect? He began his Dao practice at forty-eight and became a great cultivator in just one year. What do you say to that?”

Liu Ye dismissed it airily. “That’s because Lü Dongbin and Han Zhongli enlightened him. It’s different.”

Ao Wushuang also turned her gaze toward Li Yundong, a touch of emotion surfacing in her eyes. Just over half a year ago, this young man was as weak as an ant before her. But now, he was about to shatter the most crucial bottleneck for a cultivator: the Golden Body realm!

Once Li Yundong broke through to the Golden Body realm, she would no longer be his match. His Great Hand Seal and various magical artifacts would overpower her in every aspect.

Staring at Li Yundong, a thought suddenly struck Ao Wushuang: Fortunately, this fellow is not her enemy, nor the enemy of the Fox Zen Gate. Otherwise, it would surely spell doom for the entire sect!

After watching Li Yundong for a while, Ao Wushuang suddenly asked, “Why didn't you intervene sooner? Weren't you afraid he wouldn't manage to seize the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir? When that Golden Body expert appeared, I thought you had given up and weren't planning to make a move.”

Liu Ye chuckled darkly. “Those monks from Xiyuan Temple and Jinshan Temple are watching me day and night. The moment I show myself, they appear nearby. If I act, they will surely act! Moreover… do you think only Xu Ling was a Golden Body expert in the vicinity? From what I sensed… there were no fewer than five Golden Body masters near Tiandu Peak! However, these people are all self-absorbed and high and mighty, believing themselves to be the last few great cultivators left in the world. On one hand, they disdain petty snatching; on the other, they fear that if they make a move, others might take advantage of the chaos.”

Ao Wushuang sneered, “A bunch of hypocritical moralizers! If you want something, just take it. Why all the hesitation? Li Yundong is more to my liking in this regard, unlike these hypocrites who want to sleep with everyone and still demand to be praised as virtuous!”

Liu Ye grunted. “If he were truly decisive, he should have grabbed the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir immediately and fled, saving me the trouble of exerting so much effort later!”

Ao Wushuang said coldly, “If he left, what about Chan’er who followed after him? Do you think he is like you? Able to abandon those around him at any time without a second thought?”

Liu Ye showed no anger at Ao Wushuang’s accusation; instead, he raised an eyebrow. “A great man acts without such petty fuss! However… this fellow seems like an honest and good person, but his deliberate refusal to secure the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir was a wicked and insidious tactic, provoking infighting among the various sects and completely muddling the situation. Tsk, tsk, well done!”

Ao Wushuang snorted and spat, “Bah. You calculate everything, so you assume everyone else in the world is calculating others every second, just like you?”

Liu Ye let out a cold laugh. “If I don’t scheme against others, others will scheme against me!”

Ao Wushuang retorted with a cold laugh, “Which is why you even scheme against your own people! Aren’t you afraid that all this scheming will eventually lead to some catastrophe? Why didn't you act earlier? What if Li Yundong had been killed by Xu Ling?”

Liu Ye was unconcerned. “How could the Reincarnation of the Ming King die so easily?”

Hearing the words ‘Reincarnation of the Ming King,’ Ao Wushuang’s brow suddenly furrowed. She looked at Li Yundong with an extremely complex expression. After a long pause, she suddenly asked, “When did you break through to the Eight-Tailed realm? Eight-Tails is equivalent to the initial stage of Tribulation Lightning. Why didn't you take the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir yourself right away, instead of going through all that effort and complicated maneuvering?”

Liu Ye chuckled deeply, his meaning layered. “Did you think I was the only Tribulation Lightning expert there?”

Ao Wushuang was startled. “There are other Tribulation Lightning experts?”

Liu Ye sneered, “As far as I could sense, there were at least three Tribulation Lightning experts nearby!”

Ao Wushuang was greatly alarmed. “What? Three Tribulation Lightning experts? Three of the Five Great Tribulation Lightning masters are here? Why didn't they act? Are they also too proud?”

Liu Ye laughed heartily. “When Tribulation Lightning experts clash, it's a catastrophe! Moreover, they are extremely wary of each other, so none of them sent their true bodies; only their divine senses were lurking and probing nearby.”

Ao Wushuang pressed, “Which three? Do you know?”

Liu Ye thought for a moment and replied quite seriously, “One is from the Quanzhen Sect. I can’t pinpoint which lineage or branch exactly, but it doesn’t seem to be the Quanzhen Longmen lineage. The aura of this Tribulation Lightning expert feels very strange and unique, likely from a very remote Quanzhen branch. The other two… seem to be from the Zhengyi Sect.”

Ao Wushuang was aghast. “Two are from the Zhengyi Sect? Since when does the Zhengyi Sect have two Tribulation Lightning masters?”

Liu Ye nodded, his eyes holding a measure of vigilance. He said, “One of them seems to possess the aura of the Heavenly Master Zhang, the sect leader. That magnificent, profound, orthodox Daoist energy is something no one can fake. The other one, I couldn’t recognize!”

Ao Wushuang was increasingly surprised. “Isn’t the leader of the Zhengyi Sect at the Golden Body realm? When did he break through to the Tribulation Lightning realm?”

Liu Ye said casually, “Master Zhang has been in seclusion ever since Wang Yuanshan betrayed the Zhengyi Sect. During his seclusion, he was at the highest level of the Golden Body realm—Indestructible Golden Body! It’s been nearly ten years now; is it so strange to advance from Indestructible Golden Body to the Tribulation Lightning realm?”

Ao Wushuang considered this and felt a degree of relief. She thought to herself: Even the old fox Liu Ye managed to advance from a Seven-Tailed Spirit Fox to an Eight-Tailed Earth Fox over these nine years. What’s to stop the leader of the Zhengyi Sect from advancing?

Ao Wushuang sighed deeply with feeling. “When the Human Origin Golden Elixir first appeared, I felt the cultivation world was plunged into chaos and bloodshed because of it. Major sects seemed to awaken from hibernation all at once. Now it seems the real storm is yet to come! How many people died over this Earth Origin Spirit Elixir…”

Liu Ye sneered, “If they don’t die, how can my plan be realized?”

Ao Wushuang fell silent for a long time. She returned to Su Chan’s side and said coldly, “I will say this one last time: I will do what you ask me to do. However, if you dare to involve Chan’er, I will perish along with you!”

Liu Ye chuckled darkly. “As long as you follow my instructions, I guarantee she will be fine! Hmph, when the Heavenly Fox manifests, let’s see how long these major sects can remain so arrogant!”

Saying this, he smiled triumphantly. “This kid Li Yundong turned misfortune into a blessing. I never expected three Earth Origin Spirit Elixirs would benefit so many people. Even I didn't realize the Earth Origin Spirit Elixir could be consumed in that manner! Wonderful, truly wonderful! Now, once the critical intake period passes and he has some more time, the strength of the Fox Zen Gate will increase dramatically, and my plan will advance further, ha ha!”

Ao Wushuang’s gaze then fell upon Chris, who was also unconscious nearby. She suddenly asked, “What about this foreigner? She seems to have absorbed some of the elixir’s immortal energy too!”

Liu Ye’s eyes flickered, and he chuckled darkly. “This foreign devil has good luck, actually absorbing the immortal energy of the spirit elixir! Heh heh, fate is strange!”

Ao Wushuang recalled Su Chan mentioning how Chris had relentlessly pursued Li Yundong seeking discipleship. She