Chapter 810: Excite troops to ask for justice

"Mr. Ji, since our last parting, I have often recalled your esteemed presence. I only recently reminisced about it, and to my delight, I now hear of your visit, and that you have brought Venerable Foyin Mingwang with you! My joy knows no bounds!"

Tuyi's courtesy was impeccable, and his words were humble and gentle. Jiyuan couldn't help but recall their first meeting, when the fox immortal had a cold, sullen face and was utterly unapproachable, a stark contrast to his current self.

Despite his inner thoughts, Jiyuan was the guest. Even if his visit was ill-intentioned this time, he would not neglect his manners, especially in front of his host, Tuyi. As the saying goes, "courtesy before force."

Jiyuan bowed in return, and the elderly monk Foyin responded with a Buddhist salute.

"Daoist Friend Tuyi, I apologize for this abrupt visit; I hope it hasn't caused any distress to the cultivators of Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven!"

"Amitabha, I offer my respects."

Tuyi smiled at this, turned sideways, and gestured invitingly.

"Hahahaha, Mr. Ji, what are you saying? While our Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven may not be overly hospitable, we always welcome virtuous individuals and treat them with utmost courtesy. The vermilion gates are open; please, both of you, come inside with me. Please, both of you."

"Please!" "Please!"

The vermilion gate within the trees seemed to be a treasure. Jiyuan initially thought it was an illusion, but as he passed through, he felt the flowing spiritual energy on the gate subtly forming a complete set of spiritual runes, indicating it was part of a protective restriction.

On one side of the gate was the space between ancient mountain trees, which quickly vanished after Jiyuan and the others entered. On the other side, however, was a mountain wall.

After Jiyuan and the elderly monk Foyin emerged with Tuyi from the large vermilion gate, the gate slowly closed by itself. Looking back, the gate was embedded in a vast expanse of similarly reddish mountain rock.

Their current position was clearly high up. Looking forward, there were green trees and peaks, but after walking a short distance, they could see the magnificent distant scenery. As far as the eye could see, there were mountains everywhere, most of them gentle hills, interspersed with serene springs and flowing small rivers.

At a glance, Jiyuan felt that Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven lacked the profound artistic conception of some immortal holy lands, but it excelled in its beautiful, vibrant, and picturesque scenery. Personally, he preferred such places.

"What do you think? How is the scenery of my Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven?" Tuyi's expression was calmer than before as he asked this.

Jiyuan naturally offered a compliment with a smile. "The mountains and rivers are beautiful, and the scenery is pleasant. It's a rare and wonderful place."

"Thank you for your praise, Mr. Ji. Please, both of you, come to my tree pavilion for a brief chat. I shall entertain you with my cherished collections of many years."

Seeing Tuyi's enthusiastic demeanor, Jiyuan and the elderly monk Foyin exchanged glances. Jiyuan thought for a moment and decided it would be best to get straight to the point, regardless of whether Tuyi was truly unaware or feigning ignorance.

"Daoist Friend Tuyi, my visit to Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven this time, besides paying my respects to you, is actually for a specific person."

"Oh? Who is it?"

Jiyuan looked at the distant scenery, observing the spiritual winds swirling through Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven, then spoke.

"Tu Siyan. She has caused numerous incidents outside, disrupting the natural order and accumulating a great deal of slaughter. Furthermore, she participated in the Heavenly Enlightenment Alliance, a gathering of demons and devils, making her one of the masterminds behind the chaos in Tianyu Continent. How many lives have been lost because of her, and how many innocent beings have been devastated by her influence and that of evil cults?"

Tuyi's eyes flickered slightly as he also looked into the distance. Had Tu Siyan truly caused so much trouble again...?

"Hehe, so Mr. Ji has come to demand accountability. However, I, Tuyi, do not know where Tu Siyan is, nor do I concern myself with her affairs. In Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven, not all fox clans are led by one person. I invite both of you to my humble abode for a small discussion. I will notify the Daoist friends who are familiar with Tu Siyan to come to my humble dwelling and provide an explanation to Mr. Ji and Venerable Foyin Mingwang."

The elderly monk Foyin, who had kept his eyes slightly closed until now, opened them, and a subtle Buddha light flickered in their depths.

"Amitabha, but can such an explanation truly be given?"

Jiyuan smiled.

"Venerable Master, let us go first and see what the elder fox ancestors in this Grotto-Heaven have to say."

The three continued their subtle verbal sparring, but it remained within the bounds of politeness. Jiyuan and Foyin followed Tuyi to his tree pavilion. However, from the moment they entered Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven, Jiyuan had been secretly sensing the aura of "A Dream Journey Through the Clouds."

It was clear that the people of Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven knew "A Dream Journey Through the Clouds" was an extraordinary divine book. They must have sensed the profound Daoist principles and power contained within its words and undoubtedly performed some special handling on the book, which was why Jiyuan's sensing of the divine book was somewhat blurry at this moment.

Regardless, as long as they still wished to comprehend the Dao within this divine book, they could not completely sever Jiyuan's connection to it.

Furthermore, Jiyuan's annotations had merged with the divine book, written in imitation of Zhong Pingxiu's notes and artistic style. Rather than mere commentary, they appeared more like original supplementary text, making it a complete divine book that showed no sign of being written by two different authors, making it difficult to link it to Jiyuan.

Outside the mountain tree pavilion, there was a large long table made from a split log. Tuyi led Jiyuan and the elderly monk Foyin to sit there, personally brewed flower tea, and then personally poured it for them.

The moment the tea was brewed, its fragrance filled the valley like blooming flowers. When drunk, it was sweet and refreshing, leaving a lingering scent on the lips and teeth, astonishing both Jiyuan and the elderly monk Foyin.

"Excellent tea!" "Amitabha, indeed, excellent tea!"

Tuyi poured himself a cup, took a small sip, and smiled. "I'm glad you both like it. After you finish this cup, they should be here."

In fact, they arrived even earlier than Tuyi had predicted. While Jiyuan and the elderly monk Foyin were still savoring their tea, several streaks of light were already seen flying from the distant sky outside the valley.

A moment later, these streaks of light landed not far from the tree pavilion. Several figures emerged from the light, and Jiyuan's and the elderly monk Foyin's attention was primarily drawn to a beautiful woman who appeared middle-aged and a handsome young man who seemed delicately refined and lacked masculine vigor. Several other fox demons were present, including "Sisi," whom Tuyi had sent to deliver the message earlier, known to Hulai as "Grandma."

Jiyuan frowned slightly, while the elderly monk Foyin lowered his gaze silently. It was unexpected that three nine-tailed fox demons were present at this moment, not knowing if there were others. And while Tu Siyan might be greatly exaggerated in status, she could still barely be counted.

"Presumably, these are Mr. Ji and Venerable Foyin Mingwang. It is my pleasure to meet both of you, I am Tutong."

"Hehehe, I, Tumiao, offer my respects. Both of you honor our Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven with your presence. We failed to welcome you earlier; had Tuyi not informed us, we would not have known that your immortal trails and Buddha's light had entered the Grotto-Heaven!"

Jiyuan and the monk Foyin maintained calm expressions, standing up and returning the greetings one by one. Tuyi, neither warm nor cold, simply pointed to the empty seats at the table and said, "Please sit."

Of course, only the five of them were qualified to sit; the other fox demons naturally remained standing.

Moreover, the news of Jiyuan and the monk Foyin's arrival seemed to have spread. Besides the fox demon standing by the tree pavilion, fox demon auras continuously appeared from outside the valley, many of them powerful. Although they tried their best to conceal themselves, their curious gazes and their auras could not escape Jiyuan's discerning eye and nose.

At one point, Jiyuan even detected Tuyun's aura. Although it was significantly weaker than before, it was already a miracle that Tuyi had managed to save her when she was almost completely disintegrated.

In contrast to the curiosity of the other fox clans inside and outside the valley, the atmosphere around the wooden table in front of the tree pavilion grew somber after everyone was re-seated.

"From Mr. Ji's words, it seems this visit is not merely to meet friends, but to demand accountability?"

"Meeting friends is one purpose, but 'demanding accountability' might be too strong a phrase, as the one deeply mired in sin is Tu Siyan alone. I am only questioning her."

Jiyuan paused, then continued,

"However, if Daoist Friend insists that I came to demand accountability, then so be it. The thousands of lives Tu Siyan has harmed always have a cause and a debtor."

Jiyuan sipped his tea, responding calmly to Tutong's question. Her gaze immediately turned hostile, while Tumiao on the side quickly interjected with a laugh.

"Hahahaha, Mr. Ji, you jest. Tu Siyan is indeed a little mischievous, but the accusations you lay against her, with solid proof, amount to less than one or two tenths. It's truly an exaggeration."

The elderly monk Foyin set down his teacup and looked at the two nine-tailed foxes.

"Amitabha. Whether Mr. Ji is exaggerating or not, we need only bring Tu Siyan here, and we shall see for ourselves. Even if her evil karma is less than one or two tenths of the accusations, as long as her karma does not exceed half of the charges, this old monk promises that I will protect Tu Siyan to the death. Even if Mr. Ji's cultivation is astounding, this old monk, along with the three Heavenly Fox Daoist friends, will surely be able to protect Tu Siyan. What do you all think?"

Tuyi frowned slightly, looking at the other two nine-tailed foxes. Although Tutong and Tumiao's expressions remained unchanged, their hearts were in turmoil.

Jiyuan and the elderly monk Foyin seemed amiable at this moment, but their words, while not outright confrontational, were like needles hidden in cotton.

Inside and outside the valley, some secretly observing fox demons were guessing what was being discussed. Tuyun, who had suffered greatly at Jiyuan's hands previously, was also paying close attention. Someone nearby commented,

"What are they talking about over there?"

"I heard this immortal and Mingwang came to demand accountability!"

"A true immortal and a Venerable Mingwang, personally coming here to demand accountability? Who is it, and what did they do?"

Tuyun coldly replied,

"It's Tu Siyan. What she did, I'm not sure, but even if it's a true immortal or a Mingwang, in our Jade Fox Grotto-Heaven, they must abide by our rules!"

"Exactly!" "Yes, this is our territory!" "That's right!"

The attitude of the peripheral fox clans largely reflected the thoughts of the several nine-tailed fox demons. Even Tuyi, managing to remain neutral rather than outright oppose Jiyuan, earned him some approval from Jiyuan.

"Well, what do you think of this old monk's proposal? Don't remain silent. Monks do not lie; this old monk keeps his word!"

Jiyuan knew that if Tu Siyan, that fox, dared to appear, her evil karma would undoubtedly be pitch black. He internally praised Master Foyin for a job well done, while calmly sipping his tea, not even looking at the expressions of the nine-tailed foxes.

Vaguely, powerful auras began to rise from the five individuals seated at the wooden table.

Three terrifying demonic auras, like mountains, towering peaks, and ominous clouds, pressed down upon the sky. A vast, brilliant golden Buddha light shone brightly. And Jiyuan's immortal spiritual energy seemed poised to cleanse the universe, with an astonishing sharpness hidden within it.

"Crackling... crackling..."

The lake beside the valley was steadily freezing, and frost subtly appeared in many areas around the valley.

The fox demons secretly observing from afar could no longer withstand the pressure; even some of the stronger ones began to retreat frequently.

Rumbling... rumbling...

The ground seemed to vibrate slightly, yet it felt like an illusion; there was no tingling sensation underfoot, but it made the fox demons somewhat unsteady, as if their minds and bodies experienced a perceptual disconnect.

'How terrifying! Is this the aura of Sky Demons, True Immortals, and Mingwang-level beings?'

Many fox clans thought this. The people at the table had not even made a move, yet their mere auras were already suffocating the fox demons throughout the mountains and plains. Even the weaker ones experienced dizziness and nausea. Only the few fox demons standing near the table, though uncomfortably suppressed, were not overwhelmed.

"Uh, hahahahaha... Mr. Ji, Venerable Foyin, I just remembered, Tu Siyan isn't even in the Grotto-Heaven! How could we possibly bring her for a confrontation?"

"Oh, yes, I was confused too. I haven't seen her in a long time."

The two nine-tailed foxes smiled cheerfully again, as if their anger had vanished. Jiyuan retracted his aura and looked at Tuyi. "Daoist Friend Tuyi, Tu Siyan is not within the Grotto-Heaven?"

The other two nine-tailed foxes immediately focused their attention on Tuyi, who refilled his own tea cup, looked at Jiyuan and Venerable Foyin Mingwang, and said calmly.

"I have no interest in Tu Siyan and never pay attention to what she does. Since Tutong and Tumiao say so, then she probably truly isn't in the Grotto-Heaven."

Jiyuan smirked inwardly, while the elderly monk Foyin lowered his eyes slightly and chanted a Buddhist name.