God, how did she even pull out a spear that long? Qiqi covered her mouth with both hands again, feigning shock. Anyway, the woman in red gripped the spear, struck a graceful pose, then swung it fiercely straight at Rong Yi’s face. Rong Yi sidestepped to avoid it, shoved Qiqi into the room, closed the door, then flicked his robe and stepped forward: “Want to fight? Fine—first, the rules: don’t damage anything in the yard, or you’ll have to pay for it.” The fox spirit paused mid-motion, surprised: “Huh? No damaging things?” She turned to look around, scoffing: “This is just a shabby yard. If you like it, I’ll take you back to my immortal cave later—it’s a standalone villa with a swimming pool, you know.” Rong Yi grew impatient: “Do you agree or not?” The fox spirit frowned: “Fine, fine, I agree.” She quickly formed a barrier with her hands and retreated into the yard.
Qiqi was trapped in the study, trying to open the door to help, but it wouldn’t budge no matter what. Damn it. Helpless, she pressed herself against the window, watching the fight anxiously. In the yard, figures darted around, accompanied by a cacophony of clattering sounds. Flames rolled, ice shards flew, lightning flashed, and smoke billowed—yet strangely, no matter what spells were unleashed, they were all contained within an invisible barrier, leaving the yard untouched. In less than a minute, the woman in red let out a panicked scream. Then she vanished, leaving behind a red-furred fox on the ground—she had reverted to her true form. No, to be precise, she had been forced into it. Where was Rong Yi? Where was Rong Yi? Qiqi frantically searched around, and when she focused, she saw Rong Yi had somehow leaned against the locust tree, in his usual pose—slouching against the trunk, arms crossed, speaking arrogantly: “Tch, you couldn’t even take three of my moves, and you dare call yourself a fox immortal? That’s pathetic. Want to dual-cultivate with me? Go cultivate for a few more millennia.” The red fox’s eyes flushed red: “You… how are you so strong?” Rong Yi snorted: “I told you, I’m the demon king. You can’t beat me. For the sake of us both being demons, I’ll spare your life today. Now scram.” The red fox’s face reddened, she stomped her foot, picked up her red-tasseled spear, and turned to leave. Rong Yi let out a huge sigh of relief, slumping weakly against the tree trunk. That was close—he was at his weakest right now, and he’d barely managed to drive off that fox spirit by using up the last of his demonic power. At the same time, Qiqi noticed the barrier had vanished and the door could open. She rushed over: “Rong Yi, Rong Yi, are you okay?” Rong Yi smiled: “I’m fine.” Qiqi relaxed: “What was all that just now?” Rong Yi: “Nothing much.” Qiqi clenched her little fists: “Liar! I clearly saw white mist, flames, and green light during your fight.” Rong Yi replied helplessly: “Fine, actually, I’ve recovered about ten percent of my demonic power…” “Ahh—” Qiqi jumped up excitedly: “Really? That’s great! So what can you do now? Walk through walls? Teleport? Can you turn me into a stunning beauty? Can you turn stone into gold?” Rong Yi’s mouth twitched again—this greedy, lustful woman was such a headache. Why did he have to fall for her? He managed to answer: “I had recovered ten percent, but that fox spirit had been cultivating for centuries, and fighting her drained all that power. Alright, I need to rest now. I’ll be resting for a few days, with no magic or inner strength to protect you. You’ll have to be careful on your own.”