Chapter 115: Such Audacity [Third Update]

"Fox fire..."

The short, squat fox demon suddenly spat a ball of fire from its mouth, attacking Zhao Wushuang. Zhao Wushuang dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the fox fire, but the little fox demon also managed to slip away from her grasp and scurried off.

"Thump!" Daokong rushed over and landed a massive, painful knuckle-rap on the little fox's head. A large, swollen bump sprouted instantly on the creature's scalp. Its eyes spun in circles, its body wobbled, and it looked on the verge of collapsing. "Thinking of running away from us? Not so easy. You little fox demon, how dare you pretend to be a celestial being and eat people!"

"Soul Lock!" The little fox suddenly produced a yellow talisman from its hand and flung it out. A gigantic fox statue appeared in front of Daokong, pinning his arms down so he couldn't move.

"Damn it, you monk, how dare you hit me!" The little fox kicked out angrily at Daokong.

"Pfft!" Daokong was stunned, never expecting to be restrained by such a small creature. The tiny foot connected with his face, knocking it askew and causing him intense pain.

"Daring to strike this Fox Master? You’re courting death." The little fox, full of confidence, lunged toward Zhao Wushuang, brandishing another yellow talisman. "Suppress!"

"Boom!"

A statue of a mother fox descended from the sky, pinning Zhao Wushuang’s arms to the ground, rendering her completely immobile. "What the hell? What’s going on?"

"This Fox Master is not to be trifled with. Anyone who ruins my fun shall become my food," the little fox declared confidently.

"You little runt, let me go, or I’ll roast you and eat you!" Zhao Wushuang was speechless. She hadn't expected to capsize in a small gutter, getting tricked by such a tiny demon.

"Hehe... little girl, you still dare to talk to me like that? How should I eat you? Roasted? Boiled? Or maybe turned into meat buns? That sounds delicious," the little fox mused.

"An interesting little fox." Luffy’s figure suddenly appeared before it. With a gentle wave of his hand, the two stone statues vanished. "Your illusions are quite strong, aren't they?"

Luffy grabbed the little fox by the tail it carried on its back and gave it a shake. Axes, hammers, and various other items fell out. "Let go of me! Let go! You bad person!" The little fox was terrified, never expecting this youth to break its illusions so easily.

"Hehe... so you think you're a good demon just because you eat people? Let me tell you, we’re going to roast you for dinner soon." Luffy narrowed his eyes at the fox. Daokong and Zhao Wushuang both stood up.

"Damn it, this little fox runt actually used illusions to lead me around in circles. Dammit!" Daokong gave the fox a few gentle kicks, causing it to shriek.

"You won't have a good end! When my brothers and sisters arrive, you'll all die!" the little fox roared in fury. "Everything you've done to me, I'll pay back tenfold!"

"Damn it, you’re eating people and you’re still this arrogant? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Daokong was truly at a loss for words.

"You’d better let me go. My brothers and sisters are a hundred times stronger than me," the little fox boasted, looking at Luffy and the others with utter disdain.

"Oh? You seem very confident. Your siblings must be big shots, but why should we be afraid? We’re pretty impressive ourselves," Zhao Wushuang replied, feeling completely exasperated.

"Impressive my foot! If it weren't for this guy stealing my dragon, one of us could wipe you all out," the little fox retorted.

"Oh, it doesn't matter if you don't admit it; we've caught you anyway. But can your siblings even enter this barrier?" Daokong asked, looking at the little fox with curiosity.

"Hehe... this isn't exactly a powerful barrier. We’ve lived nearby for ages and have always been able to enter and exit without any trouble," the little fox sneered.

"Interesting. To be unaffected by the barrier and move freely..." Luffy slapped a Soul-Suppressing Talisman onto the little fox and tossed it to the ground. "What is your goal?"

"What kind of goal could we have? We just catch people to eat and play with," the little fox said.

"Is that so? I don't believe it. Beat him until he tells the truth." Luffy smiled cruelly at Daokong and Zhao Wushuang. Since they had been humiliated by this little fox earlier, they were the best ones to handle the interrogation.

"You wouldn't dare! Once my brother and sister arrive, you're dead!" The little fox shrieked in terror.

"Hehe... we'll see about them when they get here. Let’s vent our frustration first." Zhao Wushuang rolled up her sleeves and rushed forward, stomping and hitting the fox indiscriminately. Daokong was even more ruthless, picking up a large rock and slamming it down.

"Ahhh!"

Screams rang out, shrill and desperate as a slaughterhouse pig. Zhao Wushuang grew more excited as she hit it; the creature had dared to mess with her, so it deserved to die. Daokong was equally enthusiastic, venting all his rage on the little fox.

"Ahhh... I... I'll talk!"

The little fox was completely broken, utterly bewildered by how ruthless these three were. "We only came here to find a woman whose blood is compatible with the Sarira. It can help us break certain formations. We learned this from an ancient book."

"Keep hitting him. This creature dares to lie to my face." Luffy sneered. Zhao Wushuang and Daokong approached with malicious intent.

"Stop hitting me! I'll talk! I'll talk! I just need that woman's blood to break a formation beneath this place and rescue our ancestor. That’s all!" the little fox cried out in desperation.

"A formation underground? What the hell?" Zhao Wushuang asked, confused.

"It’s the formation suppressing our ancestor, the Nine-Tailed Fox. The core of this formation is the Sarira, which also sustains this barrier. As long as the Sarira is taken, the formation will break, and our ancestor will be free," the little fox confessed.

"Damn it... a Nine-Tailed Fox? Isn't that a Tier 9 existence? If it gets out, won't that be a disaster?" Daokong was shocked.

"If it’s released, everyone in this village might die," Zhao Wushuang said seriously.

"Right. We have to stop them. I don't want to die either." Luffy nodded. They had to intervene, or he wouldn't be able to get any sleep. What a headache.

"Don't meddle in other people's business, or you'll all die," the little fox warned earnestly.

"Hehe... you're the meat in our hands, and you still dare to say things like that?" Daokong glared at the fox and landed a heavy punch.

"Ah!"

"You have a lot of nerve, daring to capture our little brother," an icy voice echoed from afar.