"Very well, we'll do as Brother Han says. But what does fellow daoist plan to do with this corpse demon?" the White Fox transmitted via spiritual sense.
"Let me first try the Gold Devouring Beetles to see if they can devour it. If not, no matter. We'll just leave this creature to fend for itself. Besides, I've already taken the jade box that likely holds its main soul. It won't be able to stir up much trouble." Han Li glanced at the corpse demon covered in green fur and said dismissively.
He then patted the spirit beast bag at his waist, sending it soaring into the air.
Countless Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed out, forming a three-colored insect cloud several zhang in size, which descended upon the corpse demon.
Loud gnawing sounds erupted, but after watching coldly for a moment, Han Li noticed that some of the beetles suddenly flipped over and died, their original three-colored shells having instantly turned emerald green.
"Such potent corpse poison!" Han Li muttered, his expression shifting slightly.
After a moment's hesitation, he softly chanted a brief incantation, and all the beetles rose again, returning to the spirit beast bag.
"The corpse poison on this creature, while not among the ten most lethal poisons in the world, is certainly not something your not-yet-fully-evolved Gold Devouring Beetles can withstand," the White Fox remarked from the side, its eyes swiveling thoughtfully.
Han Li snorted coldly, gave the corpse demon a frigid look, and furrowed his brow.
This creature's body was incredibly tough—far more so than that poison dragon from before. The beetles had managed to gnaw through only the tiniest bit of its flesh and skin. At this rate, he'd have to sacrifice eight or nine out of every ten of his three-colored beetles just to completely destroy this monster's body. Han Li naturally had no intention of making such a losing deal.
"Let's go," Han Li said without further hesitation.
"It can't be helped! Leaving this corpse demon here might prove useful someday!" The White Fox nodded. Then, with a flash of strange light, it split off a small yellow wolf.
The moment the small wolf appeared, it opened its mouth toward Han Li and the White Fox, enveloping them in a sheet of yellow light. The man and the fox vanished from the stone chamber in an instant.
...
Outside the cliff, Senior Brother Wang and Kui Huan stood waiting with anxious expressions.
None of them knew any earth escape techniques, so all they could do was wait here for Han Li's return.
"Senior Brother, do you think Junior Brother Han can pull it off?" Kui Huan asked, unable to contain himself.
The other two turned to look with concern. It was clear they all placed considerable faith in Senior Brother Wang's judgment.
"Hard to say. In principle, with Junior Brother Han's cultivation at the tenth level of the Qi Condensation stage, it shouldn't be easy for him to catch up to that fox demon. But Junior Brother Han has many remarkable magical tools on him, so he might just give us a pleasant surprise. Either outcome wouldn't be strange." Senior Brother Wang pondered for a moment and said with a bitter smile.
Kui Huan and the other three exchanged glances.
The short, stout young man sighed and waved his injured hand, as if about to say something.
But just then, a flash of light appeared on the cliff face, and within a sphere of yellow radiance, Han Li emerged holding the small fox.
"Junior Brother Han!"
"He actually caught the little thing!"
...
The group immediately crowded around him in delight, all talking at once, their faces alight with joy.
"Nothing remarkable. This fox demon is quite cunning—it kept running me in circles. If it hadn't run out of spiritual energy in the end, I might not have caught it so quickly." Han Li smiled faintly, lifted the white fox, and tossed it to Kui Huan across from him.
Kui Huan was momentarily stunned, then happily caught it.
"Brother Kui! Be careful—don't let it escape again!" the stout young man warned hurriedly from the side.
"Don't worry! I've got this." Kui Huan held up the white fox and replied with confidence.
Then he reached into his storage bag and pulled out a jade-green leather bag. In a few swift motions, he stuffed the small fox inside.
"Heh heh! With this Green Cloud Bag, let's see where you run off to this time!" Kui Huan said with a smug look after quickly tying the bag shut.
Han Li glanced at the bag a few times, saw it was only a low-grade magical tool, and paid it no more mind.
"This capture is all thanks to Junior Brother Han's help. We're not ungrateful people. How about this—once we sell this fox demon for a good price, Junior Brother Han takes thirty percent for himself. The remaining seventy will be split evenly among the four of us. What do you say?" Senior Brother Wang ignored the fox in the bag and addressed Han Li with utmost sincerity.
Hearing this, Han Li allowed himself a faint smile. He could tell that the other man, having witnessed his capabilities, genuinely wanted to forge a bond.