Chapter Sixty-Three: Subduing the Demon

In a flash, with no time to spare! Jona saw the play of light and shadow shatter before her eyes and sensed danger, but before she could raise her hands to defend, a cry rang out.

"Ah!"

Qingquan streaked past with a flash of blood-red light, landing several meters away, gasping for breath, one knee on the ground.

Jona glared with hatred, fixing her gaze on that white figure. One slender hand pressed against her shoulder, now slick and sticky with blood that dripped relentlessly through her fingers, staining her purple gauze gown—her face twisted with pain from the serious wound.

"Damn priest, I’ll fight you to the end!" Jona gritted her teeth.

Muttering an incantation, Jona’s demonic aura surged, and a violet veil of light swept over her body, dazzling even brighter than before.

The violet radiance grew more tangible, coalescing into a pillar of light that roared toward Qingquan's back with thunderous force.

Waves of purple energy soared, filling the entire hall with a dreamlike, overwhelming brilliance.

Qingquan’s eyes flickered. His arms burst into golden light as he roared and crashed into the violet column with both forearms.

A harsh, tearing sound split the air.

Qingquan’s arms held the violet pillar fast, gold and purple locked in furious combat, neither yielding an inch. The two energies wrestled, waxing and waning in a heated struggle.

Jona, wounded at her right shoulder, could barely hold on, blood soaking half of her gauze skirt, a vivid splash of red amid an ocean of purple.

Suddenly, her incantation shifted.

The violet column transformed in an instant, taking the form of a demonic purple claw that slashed viciously at Qingquan.

He blocked with his arms, pushing upward, golden light blazing from his hands as he steadied the monstrous talon.

At that instant, the fox spirit let out a cold laugh. The purple claw split into three, smaller than before but no less deadly, striking from all directions.

Qingquan’s heart raced—he had underestimated this fox demon. Clearly, their powers were evenly matched. The situation was dire.

With a swift maneuver, Qingquan seized two claws in either hand, but the third darted for his abdomen. Just as the purple menace slashed toward him, he leapt aside, narrowly evading the blow. He spun, delivering a devastating kick that stomped the claw to the ground.

Now the duel reached a stalemate—Qingquan held the three purple claws fast, locked in a tug of war, neither side able to gain the upper hand.

At that moment, Cui Yue finally crawled out from backstage and laid a hand on Qingquan’s shoulder.

“Qingquan, are you...all right…?”

Before he could finish, a surge of force blasted from Qingquan’s shoulder, flinging Cui Yue away mid-sentence.

Qingquan’s eyes lit up at the sight of him. “Cui Yue, I’ve got the fox demon pinned—she can’t move! Do you remember that item I gave you?”

Clutching his waist in pain, Cui Yue recalled the little peachwood sword Qingquan had entrusted to him. Amid the chaos, he’d nearly forgotten it.

He quickly checked his sleeve—there it was, intact. He gripped it tightly.

Good! With the demon locked in place, you must finish her now!

Finish her? Kill her?

Cui Yue never expected that at this most critical moment, the task of slaying the demon would fall on him. They say a pawn crossing the river becomes a rook—now Cui Yue was that vital piece!

With no other option, he braced himself, sweating with nerves, and inched forward, feet unsteady.

Jona watched him approach, deeply vexed. The ant she once dismissed was now a threat to her very life.

Her heart raced; her face froze with panic. Qingquan’s spell left her immobilized.

Cui Yue’s own fear gnawed at him. This fox demon was terrifying—he’d be lying if he claimed otherwise. He muttered to himself, “Damn it, what’s there to be afraid of? Just a white-furred beast that’s lived a bit too long. No way I’m scared!”

He dashed forward with quick steps, but just as he reached her, Jona’s lips curled in a sly, wicked smile.

No—it's a trap!

The thought flashed through Cui Yue’s mind a beat too late.

From behind Jona, a white, bushy fox tail exploded outward, swelling in an instant and whipping toward his abdomen.

He had no time to react. The tail, pure white and gleaming, struck him with overwhelming force and sent him flying.

Jona was at her limit, risking everything for this desperate strike—splitting her focus to reveal her true form, hoping to finish Cui Yue and eliminate the threat once and for all.

Qingquan, seeing the fox demon reveal her true self, had no chance to warn Cui Yue. Seizing the opening, his hands blazed with golden light, nearly crushing the three demonic claws; the violet glow was instantly suppressed.

Cui Yue crashed to the floor, knocking over rows of benches, his mind reeling, feeling as though his organs had shifted. A coppery sweetness filled his throat.

“Cui Yue, are you all right?”

“I-I’m fine…”

Cui Yue, hands braced on the ground, struggled to rise, but before he could finish speaking, blood gushed from his mouth.

Panting raggedly, he wiped the blood from his lips, fury kindling in his eyes. “Damn fox witch—so cunning. I swear I’ll gut you and have your flesh with wine!”

“She’s spent—she can’t transform again. Now’s your chance. End her!” Qingquan shouted.

The taste of blood awakened a long-buried fierceness within him. The acrid tang was like a catalyst, igniting a courage that brooked no rivals. The crimson stains deepened the bloodlust in his gaze.

Now, Cui Yue seemed a living god of slaughter—face smeared with blood, radiating a terrifying aura, eyes sharp as a thousand arrows, locking onto Jona a few steps away with a cold, mocking laugh, peachwood sword in hand as he advanced.

Jona’s heart seized with terror. Her face drained of color, pale as death. How could the ant she once scorned now exude such murderous intent?

She looked into his eyes, brimming with killing intent, and at last—she was afraid.

Yes, truly afraid!

Afraid of those eyes, burning with the will to kill!

Afraid that this youth would swing his sword and end her life!

No—he really would kill her!

Jona, frozen in place, was overtaken by abject fear, her eyes pleading for mercy despite herself.