Volume Three: Rising Fame Chapter Forty-Six: Exposed Whereabouts

After all, their opponents were merely a group of unawakened beasts. Although they guarded the perimeter under the head fox’s orders, such vigilance only proved effective against straightforward beasts. Against a cunning individual like Li Yu, their defenses were utterly inadequate.

With just a few light steps, Li Yu slipped past the surrounding white foxes and reached the edge of the small grove.

Here, there was a gap—no white fox cubs were sleeping soundly nearby. Because of this, the white foxes on guard within the grove paid little attention to this area.

This spot had been carefully chosen by Li Yu.

Successfully infiltrating this far meant that half of the mission was already accomplished.

A sharp gleam flickered in Li Yu’s eyes as he quickly examined seven or eight trees nearby.

“Nothing!”

This was expected. Li Yu pressed his lips together and ventured deeper into the grove.

Beside him, Can Yishuang followed closely. Though she lacked formal cultivation techniques or secret manuals, her innate talent was extraordinary, matching Li Yu step for step without falling behind.

There were many white foxes in the forest, but they were not densely packed.

Li Yu prioritized searching the vast open spaces.

“What’s this?”

A surge of joy rose in Li Yu’s heart as he spotted some traces on a large tree—marks left by entwining vines, fresh and not faded with time.

Upon closer inspection, there were claw marks on the trunk and some holes in the ground beneath.

Clearly, a Snow Fox Spirit Vine had once grown here but had been removed by the white foxes.

“That’s good!”

Li Yu exhaled in relief.

The biggest problem wasn’t that the Snow Fox Spirit Vine had likely been transplanted to the center of the grove, but rather the difficulty in locating any sign of its growth!

“What now?” Can Yishuang asked softly.

“Straight to the center,” Li Yu decided without hesitation, leading the way deeper into the thicket. “There’s probably nothing left outside. We’ll move quickly—grab what we came for and run!”

……

On the other side, someone observing from a distance noticed activity. “Your Highness, Li Yu and Qing Xiumin have entered!” They called out to Ying Yongge and others.

“Should we go down now?” Shan Zhizhuan asked. At that moment, as the dark clouds shifted, he spotted the disturbed snow where Li Yu and the other had previously lingered.

“Go down? Why?” Ying Yongge smiled. “Storming boldly into the White Fox clan’s territory—shouldn’t we first deal with the hosts?”

At once, everyone understood the Ninth Prince’s intention.

He was letting others do the dirty work.

Watching from afar, ready to swoop in once the wolves and tigers had clashed.

This strategy of using others as pawns was the best plan anyone could think of.

With a wave of his hand, Ying Yongge summoned a powerful surge of fire spirit energy into his palm, then forcefully smashed it into the valley below. The reaction intensified sharply.

If anyone outside had witnessed this, it would have caused an uproar—no one knew he had already reached the fifth level of cultivation!

Countless howls erupted in response.

The white foxes guarding the perimeter turned and rushed into the grove, while those resting within were stirred into a frenzy by the sudden attack.

Ying Yongge had no idea where Li Yu was within the grove, nor did he need to.

As long as he attacked within the grove, the white foxes would reveal Li Yu’s location for him. Without such aid, he might not even need to intervene—the White Fox clan could tear Li Yu to shreds on their own.

Meanwhile, beneath the snow, a figure clad in black opened his eyes. He tilted his head, seemingly seeing Ying Yongge’s actions through the snow.

“The show has begun!”

The black-clad man remained still, as if present on the scene despite the distance, watching every detail clearly.

Although snow still obscured his vision!

……

A white fox darted forward, rushing toward the spot where the spiritual energy had erupted. The air was thick with heat; several trees caught fire.

‘A fifth-level cultivator? Who could it be?’

Li Yu and Can Yishuang perched atop a tree trunk; below, the third white fox had just passed by. Neither was in a hurry.

Their skill at concealing their presence was exceptional; unless the white foxes thoroughly searched the grove, discovering them would be nearly impossible.

‘Judging by the spiritual energy, it’s not Qing Yuan… But this strike wasn’t accidental. Someone did this deliberately!’

Li Yu quickly ruled out the possibility that the White Fox clan had been stumbled upon by coincidence.

No one else would trouble the White Fox clan, and if they suspected the clan held valuable tokens, they wouldn’t attack so recklessly.

Li Yu was certain the attack was aimed at him.

“My trail’s been uncovered… When did someone start following me?”

‘Could it be the clan responsible for poisoning Qing Anqi?’ Li Yu thought, the situation growing complicated. The attacker wasn’t after the clan’s tokens but targeting him personally—and how many were watching in the shadows?

“What do we do now?” Can Yishuang asked, swinging her small feet in curiosity.

“We go in,” Li Yu stood, his gaze distant and indifferent. “Since someone wants to cause trouble, we won’t play into their hands.”

“Rush in?” Can Yishuang rose as well.

“Of course not!”

“The people in the shadows want to see us fight the White Fox clan so they can reap the rewards. We won’t let them have their way.”

Seeing Li Yu’s resolute expression, Can Yishuang was at a loss.

With such a bold stance, she had expected a fierce battle, then a triumphant withdrawal with spoils.

But on further thought, since those in hiding had made a secret move, they couldn’t afford to follow their plans blindly. If the enemy waited for both sides to weaken each other, their success would be all but guaranteed.

“Most of these adult white foxes have cultivation at the seventh level,” Li Yu said as he hurried through the canopy. “Though not the strongest, their numbers are overwhelming…”

There were nearly a hundred white foxes here, with over sixty adults. In this secret realm, this was an overwhelmingly dominant clan, especially under the leadership of an even stronger head fox.

“Your Highness, look at that canopy over there!” Shan Zhizhuan called from a high vantage point, spotting Li Yu standing conspicuously among the trees.

“Clever little fox!” Ying Yongge sneered.

He hadn’t known the exact location earlier, so his fireballs had been thrown randomly. He hadn’t expected Li Yu to take advantage of the white foxes’ distraction to try and slip away.

No way would he let Li Yu succeed.

Ying Yongge once again condensed a fireball of spiritual energy in his palm and sent it flying toward Li Yu’s path.

“Boom!”

The fiery blast exploded suddenly in front of Li Yu, igniting a ring of flame that surged outward. Several trees caught fire.

“Damn, from above?”

Although Li Yu dodged the fireball, his heart sank. He realized he had made a fatal mistake.

Without first locating the enemy, he had exposed himself in open space to rush forward—giving his enemy a chance to spot him.

Had he chosen the more troublesome path through the canopy, it would have been difficult but far safer.

Li Yu took a deep breath. Now was not the time for regret. Many snow foxes were rushing over; he had to act quickly.

“Li Yu, is that what you’re looking for?” Can Yishuang suddenly brightened, pointing to the flames.

Amid the spreading fire, several vines twisted and writhed in agony, as if wailing in pain.