Lianhua hovered in silence, the child cradled securely in her arms.
Her righteous aura remained expanded, forming a protective veil around the girl.
Across from her, the demonic golden core stood still—no longer amused, no longer smiling.
Her thoughts sharpened.
*So… he isn't their backer.*
Her gaze flicked briefly toward the distant horizon where the fox's presence had completely vanished.
No residual demonic protection tethered to them.
No hidden formation linking them.
Nothing.
Just chaos.
*They were fighting him.*
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
The shattered earth.
The lingering lightning.
The residue of self-detonation.
This had not been staged.
It had been a genuine struggle for survival.
And she—
Had stepped in at the perfect moment.
Her jaw tightened faintly.
*I walked straight into it.*
The fox hadn't pleaded.
Hadn't begged.
Hadn't attempted to sway her with desperation.
Instead—
She had weaponized righteousness itself.
Presented the situation in a way that demanded intervention.
A massacred village.
A demonic ritual.
An abducted child.
Every piece aligned too cleanly.
*She used me.*
Not clumsily.
Not recklessly.
Deliberately.
Lianhua's gaze sharpened.
*She assessed the battlefield in an instant…*
*Realized she couldn't defeat a golden core…*
*And overturned the board.*
By throwing the child toward her—
She forced Lianhua's hand.
If she stepped aside, she would appear complicit.
If she allowed pursuit, she would be abandoning a child allegedly rescued from slaughter.
If she hesitated—
Her sect's reputation would be stained.
The fox had chosen her instrument carefully.
*Life-and-death struggle…*
*And I became the exit.*
Across from her, the demonic cultivator's aura coiled darker.
He understood as well.
"She's clever," he said flatly.
No denial.
No defensiveness.
Lianhua did not respond.
Her mind continued calculating.
If she pursued the fox now—
She would have to turn her back on a demonic golden core.
Unacceptable.
If she ignored the demonic cultivator—
He might resume the hunt.
Also unacceptable.
The fox had forced priority.
And now—
The demonic cultivator stood directly before her.
Her grip on the child adjusted slightly.
The girl was warm.
Alive.
Terrified.
Innocent—at least on the surface.
*Whether the fox lied or not…*
*He slaughtered a village.*
That much was confirmed by the blood traces and devastation she had passed on her way here.
Her aura sharpened further.
Cold.
Resolute.
The fox had escaped.
Cleanly.
But not without leaving consequences behind.
Lianhua's eyes locked onto the demonic cultivator.
"You're not leaving," she said quietly.
Not because of manipulation.
Not because of pride.
But because—
Now—
This confrontation belonged to her.
The demonic cultivator allowed the dark chains around him to dissolve into drifting strands of qi.
His posture relaxed slightly, though his aura remained tightly coiled beneath the surface.
"What the fox said," he began calmly, "I doubt it was true."
His gaze lingered on Lianhua.
"You are not her master."
A faint smirk.
"At least… it did not seem so."
Lianhua's expression did not shift.
"It is irrelevant," she replied coldly.
"You crossed into righteous territory."
"You slaughtered a village of mortals."
Her aura intensified, righteous qi pressing outward like a drawn blade.
"That alone is reason enough for me to act."
The demonic cultivator inclined his head slightly.
"Yes."
"I did all of that."
No denial.
No shame.
Matter-of-fact.
"But if we fight—" his eyes hardened slightly, "one of us will be gravely injured."
"Or dead."
The wind around them trembled faintly as their auras brushed against one another.
"And the mortals nearby?" he continued. "They will not remain untouched."
A pause.
Then his tone shifted—almost casual.
"But I can simply return to demonic territory."
"There is nothing left here that interests me."
His gaze flicked toward the horizon where the fox had vanished.
"As for the child…"
He shrugged lightly.
"You may keep her."
Righteous qi flickered faintly around Lianhua.
He continued.
"My interest now lies elsewhere."
His eyes gleamed.
"That little creature."
The air stilled.
Lianhua's thoughts sharpened instantly.
*So he's interested in the White-Scaled Demon.*
The mutated lightning constitution.
The multi-elemental manifestation.
The trace of draconic bloodline.
Yes.
Such a creature would draw attention.
Her mind moved quickly.
If she fought him now—
The battle would be catastrophic.
Golden core against golden core.
The region would suffer.
Even in victory, she might be gravely injured.
In defeat—
Unacceptable.
But if she let him leave—
He would pursue the fox and the dragon-blooded creature into demonic territory.
A domain she could not enter freely.
Her eyes lowered briefly to the child in her arms.
*If I let him go…*
*The mortals remain safe.*
*This ends here.*
And more importantly—
*He wants the White-Scaled Demon.*
Her thoughts cooled.
She had lost direct pursuit.
They had fled beyond her jurisdiction.
Beyond easy reach.
But he—
He could cross those borders without consequence.
No righteous restrictions.
No sect limitations.
If he hunted them—
If he clashed with them—
One of two outcomes would follow:
They would die.
Or he would.
Either result removed a problem.
*I cannot pursue them into demonic territory without political fallout.*
*But he can.*
Her gaze lifted slowly.
Cold.
Calculating.
"If you leave now," she said evenly,
"you will not return to righteous lands without consequence."