Chapter Sixty: The Sky-Slaying Panther

It turned out that these two fox demon sisters had an extraordinary origin. Their very names hinted at their exceptional lineage—Celestial Illusion Fox. Only those beings at the Heaven-Man realm, guardians of the world, could bear the title “Celestial.” For cultivators of demonic arts, the Celestial Demon and the Celestial Martial Saint Emperor were both formidable figures whose titles began with “Celestial.” Similarly, among the demon beasts, only those whose ancestors had reached the Heaven-Man realm dared to bear the word “Celestial” in their names or tribal designations; none would be so bold otherwise.

The ancestors of the Celestial Illusion Foxes, in the distant ages of antiquity, counted more than one Heaven-Man existence among them. They were born with innate talents for constructing all manner of bewildering illusion arrays. Some among them, at the level of deities, could lay illusionary formations so formidable that even beings of equal rank would find it nearly impossible to escape. Should a Heaven-Man lay the Grand Celestial Illusion Array, it was said that even the emissaries of the Supreme Will would be forever trapped within, until they utterly perished without a trace.

Such awe-inspiring feats are mostly the stuff of legend; no one has witnessed them firsthand. If such wonders truly exist, only those supreme guardians of the realms would know the truth. Yet, how did these Celestial Illusion Foxes, with such noble blood, fall into such dire straits, hunted like desperate fugitives?

The reason was simple: the black leopards pursuing the fox sisters were equally astounding in origin. Their bloodline was in no way inferior to that of the Celestial Illusion Foxes; the “Heaven-Slaughter Leopard” even surpassed the foxes in innate talent. Heaven-Slaughter—what a name, capable of suppressing all others!

In ancient times, the Heaven-Slaughter Leopards and Celestial Illusion Foxes were close allies. But at some point, something changed, turning their relationship into one of bitter enmity. Over countless years, they fought incessantly. Since both tribes were few in number to begin with, only a handful of descendants remained in the world by now.

Within the Azure Sea and Qiongtian Domain, the two clans’ descendants still existed—two Heaven-Slaughter Leopards, and originally four Celestial Illusion Foxes. However, two of the foxes, the sisters’ parents, had been slain, leaving only the two sisters alive in this purgatory.

Their parents, in order to save them, exhausted their life essence and souls to cast a most powerful illusion array, buying their daughters a chance at survival. To the Heaven-Slaughter Leopards, the Celestial Illusion Foxes’ arrays were not a great threat; the leopards’ ultimate murderous aura could shatter any technique under the heavens. This may sound exaggerated, but it reveals their deep-seated dominance. The ultimate killing aura has always been unique to the Heaven-Slaughter Leopard, an extraordinary power beyond all laws of nature.

This defiant energy could ignore any constraint of law. During the ancient era, when Heaven-Slaughter Leopards at the Heaven-Man realm walked the earth, a saying was passed down: “Where the ultimate way appears, all other arts recede.” Such was their fearsome reputation.

The Celestial Illusion Fox family had lived quietly, never appearing in the world, precisely to avoid being discovered by the Heaven-Slaughter Leopards and inviting disaster. Yet fate was cruel. Just yesterday, their family was found by the two leopards, who declared their intention to eradicate the Celestial Illusion Foxes, cutting off their lineage forever.

It was only because their parents fought desperately to hold back the enemy that the two sisters managed to escape with their lives. And even then, they were quickly tracked here. Had Leng Tian not intervened on a whim and saved them, the Celestial Fox line might truly have come to an end.

Looking at the two fox sisters, who seemed so pitiful and helpless, a trace of sympathy rose in Leng Tian’s heart. After a moment’s thought, he said, “So long as you promise to follow me faithfully from now on, I can guarantee your safety.”

The sisters lay quietly on the ground, exchanging a glance and communicating silently through their demonic senses. After a short while, they made their decision.

“Master, our lives were saved by you. We have no other kin left in this world, so we have decided to follow you from this day forth.”

One of the foxes paused, a hint of hesitation in her voice. “We only hope, Master, that one day you might avenge our parents.”

Leng Tian smiled broadly. “It’s too soon to think of that now. I’ve sensed your enemies’ power—they surpass my own. It’s not yet possible for me to kill them. But I promise, once I gain enough strength, I will avenge your parents.”

“Thank you for your kindness, Master. From now on, my sister and I are your servants.”

“By the way, which of you is the elder, and which is the younger?” Leng Tian asked with a wry smile, looking at the two fox sisters, indistinguishable from one another.

Two pink auras radiated from the sisters, enveloping them in an instant. When the light faded, two adorable little girls stood before Leng Tian.

“Whoa!” Judas, standing to the side, couldn’t help but exclaim in astonishment at the sisters’ sudden transformation.

Even Leng Tian’s eyes shone with interest. “A demon beast capable of taking human form—looks like I’ve found a real treasure this time!” If those who knew the sisters’ true origins could hear his thoughts, they would be beside themselves with rage, itching to give him a sound beating.

“Master, I am the elder sister, Michelle.”

“I am the younger, Milan,” the two girls replied, shy but charming.

Plop.

Leng Tian glanced sideways, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. With a swift kick, he sent Judas flying off the mountain peak.

The rascal, upon seeing the sisters’ adorable forms, had eyes agleam with excitement, drool running down his chin, looking as if he would pounce on the girls at any moment.

Leng Tian’s action startled the two girls, their big eyes blinking as they stared in confusion, unable to understand why their master would suddenly kick someone off a cliff.

Seeing their innocent expressions, Leng Tian felt a twinge of guilt. Adopting Zhuang Zhuang’s tone, he shamelessly explained, “Don’t worry, that fellow can’t get through a day without being thrown off a few times. Otherwise, he can’t eat or sleep.”

Judas floated back up to the peak, giving Leng Tian a look of aggrieved resentment. But when Leng Tian shot him a glare, he immediately plastered a smile on his face and chimed in, “Little sisters, don’t underestimate the boss’s kick—it has miraculous effects for invigorating the body and curing all ailments! I get kicked a few times every day, and let me tell you, I’ve never felt better!”

The fox sisters burst into laughter at Judas’s words, their pink tails swaying behind them, irresistibly charming.

“Stay here in this purgatory for now. Once we leave the Azure Sea and Qiongtian Domain, I’ll take you with me,” Leng Tian said with a wave of his hand, and the scene around them shifted to a vast grassland.

“Ah…” The sisters exclaimed in surprise at finding themselves back on the grassland, their wide eyes darting around in fright.

Seeing this, a rare tenderness appeared on Leng Tian’s face. He reassured them, “Don’t worry! I’ve just changed the setting; you’re still in my world. Max, I’ll leave them in your care.”

He called out to Max in the distance.

After settling the sisters, Leng Tian, accompanied by Judas, left the purgatory. Once they were invisible and hovering in midair again, they were about to assess the surroundings when they were drawn by a violent fluctuation of energy on the distant horizon.

Startled, Leng Tian narrowed his eyes.

A fierce sword light dominated half the sky. Even at such a distance, the biting edge of that aura made Leng Tian feel as though he were standing in its midst.

“What a familiar presence!” Staring at the crisscrossing sword lights and sensing the aura, Leng Tian felt a sense of déjà vu.

“There’s the aura of that leopard—it’s fighting someone. Even I would hesitate to face such power head-on,” Judas muttered gravely.

“Are you sure the leopard is fighting someone?” Leng Tian’s expression grew stern. He already knew who wielded that sword aura.

Among all the people Leng Tian had met, only the White-Clad Sword Saint, Du Qingfeng, could command such a majestic and domineering sword intent.

“Let’s go have a look. If Du Qingfeng is fighting, I wonder if he’ll be able to triumph over that demon beast!” Leng Tian urged Judas to pick up speed, feeling a surge of anticipation.

On the boundless grassland, the duel between two mighty beings was devastating the landscape.

Du Qingfeng, dressed in white, his aura surging, wielded an ancient sword that conjured countless phantasmal images, each one slashing with blinding speed. In that region, the elemental energies roiled tumultuously. His invincible sword lights clashed ceaselessly with the attacks of the Heaven-Slaughter Leopard.

Though Du Qingfeng’s sword aura was overwhelmingly fierce, it was somewhat overmatched by the leopard’s onslaught. The black leopard, its inky body flickering like a dream, darted through the web of sword lights.

Dark energy blades shot from its body, bombarding Du Qingfeng’s sword lights. Each collision shattered the sword light, and it took several strikes to finally wear down a single dark blade.

At this moment, Du Qingfeng’s brow was deeply furrowed, his eyes betraying a trace of fear and helplessness. “What power is this? So formidable! Even my Taiyi Sword-empowered sword lights are so easily destroyed. If I’d known it would be like this, I’d never have gotten entangled with it—now my journey is even more delayed!”

The Heaven-Slaughter Leopard’s eyes glinted with icy malice. It paid Du Qingfeng’s attacks no heed; the frustration of the Celestial Illusion Foxes’ escape was being thoroughly vented on this human opponent.

They had been locked in battle for an hour now, but the leopard was merely toying with him, never once unleashing its true strength.

Three black energy blades, after shattering several sword lights, thundered toward Du Qingfeng’s vital points.

Seeing them coming, Du Qingfeng’s cold expression shifted slightly. His aura surged, and all his sword lights converged into a single, massive beam of red-white energy that slashed toward the oncoming blades like a bolt of lightning.

No sound could be heard. Each time the sword light struck a blade, it was broken, and by the time all three blades were expended, the massive sword light had been reduced to less than three feet in length.

Martial Edge Chapter 60: Heaven-Slaughter Leopard—End of Update!