Urban Immortal Cultivation Supreme

"I can certainly take you to the Heavenly Pillar, but around the outskirts of the Heavenly Pillar, Bai Ling himself has laid down a formidable Prohibition that is not easily approached by you commoners! So if anything happens to you, don't blame me." After saying this, the little fox raised its head high.

"Heh heh, rest assured little fox, what I've just imposed on you is called the 'Balance Transfer'. You might be unfamiliar with these martial arts related to Talismans, but let me tell you the function of this Talisman." After completing his sentence, Emperor Yan gave a mischievous smile and continued: "The function of this Talisman is quite simple; it's to transfer whatever injuries we suffer, doubly, to your body. Just now, I've engraved our four Soul Seals into that Talisman, meaning, should we encounter anything and get hurt from now on, those injuries will be transferred to you, doubled. How's that, fun isn't it?"

"Wow!! You big Demon! Evil, demon-fiend!! You're more evil than the Great Sky Demon, more annoying than the Great Demon!!" Hearing that such a malevolent Talisman had been placed on her, the little fox started hopping madly on the spot, while Zhu Bufan could only show a wry smile as he watched Emperor Yan and the little fox continue to squabble.

"Enough, stop it, we should first find the location of the Heavenly Pillar; then you can make a fuss as you please. There's still plenty of time before the Earth Gate opens, so you'll have your chance to make as much noise as you want." Zhu Bufan stepped forward, holding back Emperor Yan, and as he got his right hand bitten by the little fox, he frowned and spoke.

"You guys obviously don't know!" The little fox rolled its eyes at Zhu Bufan and started talking non-stop: "Let me tell you, the gate from the Ninth Layer to the Tenth Layer is always closed. No matter when you go there or how long you wait, don't expect to see the day when the gate opens!"

"What?" The words of the little fox took everyone by surprise, with Emperor Yan donning a more serious look, saying: "You damned fox, do you no longer wish to live? Lying to us?"

"I'm not lying to you! This is something all Demon Beasts and Spiritual Beasts on the Ninth Layer already know!!" Seeing Emperor Yan looking furious, the little fox trembled and hurriedly continued: "Legends say that something happened on the Tenth Layer, causing an inter-dimensional rift between the Ninth and Tenth Layers of the Tower, and since that day, the Earth Gate has never been able to open."

"How could this be?" As everyone stared into the little fox's eyes, they knew the little fox was not lying. Upon hearing this thunderbolt of a revelation, Zhu Bufan instantly slumped to the ground, his face etched with disappointment, and Huo Ling and Wang Hui also looked disheartened.

"Why are you all showing such expressions?" Seeing Zhu Bufan and the others deflate like balloons, the little fox twisted its head and asked in confusion.

"Our main goal was to reach the Tenth Layer to find a way out of the Demon Tower, but according to what you're saying, doesn't that mean we can't go to the Tenth Layer at all?" With a bitter smile, Zhu Bufan replied.

"The Earth Gate isn't open, so we can't reach the Tenth Layer?" The little fox, puzzled, looked at Zhu Bufan with its bright, sparkling blue eyes and said: "Who told you that? Even if the Earth Gate is not open, you can still reach the Tenth Layer."

"Are you serious?" Upon hearing the little fox's words, Zhu Bufan leaped to his feet. The distance from heaven to earth is insurmountable, yet it could be bridged by a single sentence. Fixating on the little fox, Zhu Bufan rapidly inquired, with Emperor Yan's face contorted fiercely, as if he was about to devour the little fox, obviously infuriated by the half-told story.

"Why are you looking at me with that kind of look this this of course it's true" Frightened by everyone's intense gaze, the little fox stepped back timidly and continued: "However, although you can reach the Tenth Layer, the risks involved are substantial."

"What risks?"

"Near the Ninth Layer's Heavenly Pillar, there are many ruptured spatial faults, remnants of the events that happened on the Tenth Layer that affected the Ninth. These spatial faults mostly connect to the Tenth Layer, and by passing through them, one can reach the Tenth Layer."

"However, it sounds simple, but it's actually very difficult. Above these faults, there are perpetual electromagnetic storms, which is why Bai Ling set down the Prohibition around the Heavenly Pillar, fearing the electromagnetic storms would utterly ravage the Ninth Layer. If you want to approach the faults, you first have to contend with the electromagnetic storms, that is, if you can even get past the Prohibition that Bai Ling has laid down."

"Of course, these electromagnetic storms are only the most basic of dangers. What's truly frightening is what's inside those pitch-black spatial faults. You must understand that within those faults, Demon Beasts dwell, and those Demon Beasts are the most terrifying opponents."

"You mean, within those spatial rifts, there exist Demon Beasts too?" Upon hearing the little fox's words, Zhu Bufan was startled, and Huo Ling and Wang Hui also wore faces of surprise.

"The broken spaces are just endless voids and darkness, right? How could there be Demon Beasts there?" Similarly startled by the remark, Huo Ling couldn't help but blurt out her question.

"You are mistaken." This time, the one who spoke wasn't the little fox, but Emperor Yan, "In fact, the places that these ruptured spaces lead to are the spatial rifts, and indeed, within these rifts, there live numerous Demon Beasts. They are creatures that lurk in the gaps between the realms of light and shadow. The Taotie, the blind cripple, and the delusional beast; these Demon Beasts actually inhabit what is referred to as the spatial rifts."

After hearing Emperor Yan's words, everyone present took a sharp intake of breath. The three types of Demon Beasts Emperor Yan cited were all notoriously fierce. Meanwhile, the little fox just scoffed with disdain, saying, "Please, there's no need for those three. Just any corrosive fallen beast appearing would be enough to give you more than you can handle."

"Humph, sly fox, I am going to ask why you're so familiar with the area around the Heavenly Pillar," said Emperor Yan, who was not angry but just coldly chuckled at the little fox's words.

"Humph! I've said it before, all the residents from the Ninth Layer know about this, there's no need to hide it from you. Just telling you this to scare those black Demons to death!" The little fox was in no way inclined to back down from Emperor Yan's provocation, completely forgetting how pitiful it had been when previously chastised by Emperor Yan. Seeing a person and a fox on the verge of another argument, Zhu Bufan rubbed his temples in annoyance and said, "Enough, stop the useless chatter. Little fox, lead the way."

"Hmph! Merely humans, and yet you dare to command me," grumbled the little fox internally, extremely dissatisfied. However, at present, the little fox was like meat on the chopping board, having no choice but to comply, especially with a Great Demon present that even an Ancient Demon would feel ashamed before—and certainly not bold enough to disobey—she had to lead the way into the dense forest.

As they progressed, the little fox was clearly well-acquainted with the surrounding paths, not showing the slightest hesitation. Seeing the little fox obediently leading the way in front, Zhu Bufan and the others enjoyed their leisure time. Ever since the little fox took on the role of guide for the group, Emperor Yan hadn't shown any intention of returning to the sword and, most unusually, had been proceeding together with the group. That made Zhu Bufan quite 'alarmed,' afraid that the little miss might cause some kind of trouble.

"By the way, little fox, what's your name?" Zhu Bufan asked the little fox while they continued on their journey. Out of concern for not startling any Demon Beasts in the forest, everyone followed the little fox's advice and did not use their movement techniques to rush towards the Heavenly Pillar. Besides, the little fox had clearly stated that if they moved too swiftly, it would not recognize the path—although everyone present knew that the statement was merely an excuse.

"Humph! Merely a human, what right do you have to know my name?" The little fox muttered, barely audible, before turning its head away.

"Psht! What sort of name is that? I've long since picked a good name for this little fox—it's called 'Emergency Food'! Yes! It's Emergency Food. Take it along for directions when necessary and when it's not, chop off an arm or leg to eat, and afterwards, you can still extract its Essence Blood!" Emperor Yan sneered, a mischievous grin on his face. Hearing Emperor Yan call it 'Emergency Food,' the little fox immediately jumped up and objected: "What do you mean?"

"Because I am the greatest!" Emperor Yan raised his finger towards the sky, tilting his head back slightly as his black robe fluttered with the breeze. Retaining that same supremely arrogant demeanor, the little fox fumed with rage at the sight of Emperor Yan's extreme arrogance but dared not retaliate. It was, after all, unable to defy the Talisman imprinted on it.

As for this minor clash between the little human and the little fox, everyone had grown accustomed to it. Wang Hui retained his perennial good-natured look, smiling wryly, feeling helpless that he couldn't mediate the situation. Huo Ling, despite her usual indifferent expression, could not hide the faint glint of amusement in her eyes when looking at Emperor Yan and the little fox. As for Zhu Bufan, he simply ignored them, realizing that Emperor Yan hadn't had someone to bicker with for a long time and had latched onto the little fox, so he decided to leave them to their devices.

As evening approached, Zhu Bufan suggested that the group take a rest and continue their journey the next day. Zhu Bufan's suggestion seemed sensible to the others as well—firstly, nighttime visibility was poor, and secondly, it was inconvenient to walk through this Demon Beast-infested forest at night.

The campfire rose, with a buffalo beast roasting above it. The meat of these First Rank Demon Beasts was delicious and not difficult to deal with, and thus they were quite popular. Attracted by the rich aroma of the roasting buffalo beast, the little fox went from initially lying on the ground to sniffing about, and now it couldn't stop circling the campfire, looking eager to feast.

"By the way, little fox, what's your name? We can't just keep calling you little fox, right? It's still several days' journey to the Heavenly Pillar after all." Zhu Bufan, patting the smooth back of the little fox, asked with a smile.

In response to Zhu Bufan's gentle petting, which the little fox was a bit resistant to, it wriggled its body and then turned those deep blue eyes to say: "My name is Ling Bai."