182: I should have known better than to provoke him.

There were still fifteen minutes left on the experience card, and Chen Xuan just gazed at Night Butterfly before him.

Only then did Night Butterfly understand.

This Man in White Robes was playing with her, and it was a complete mockery; he hadn't taken her seriously from the very beginning. Sigh, if only that fellow Hu Chi had left a step later, she would have definitely turned this man into a dish of food.

But at this moment... ever since her first move, Night Butterfly realized she could no longer see through the other's Realm. However, the spiritual energy fluctuations from his occasional strikes told her that his Realm was no lower than hers.

Clearly, back at the Qinglan Sect, he was only an Out-of-Body Stage Cultivator.

His Excellency was right; the better-looking a man is, the more likely he is to lie.

If she had known, she wouldn't have provoked him.

No, weren't all Human Race Cultivators like this? They liked to spout harmless threats; for the past hundred years, it had always been this way, and no one took them seriously.

It was this Man in White Robes who was different!

Night Butterfly took a deep breath, the two peaks on her chest rising and falling slightly with her rapid breathing, as the last trace of laziness in her eyes was replaced by ruthlessness. Yao power surged frantically around her, and black-red Fox fire churned like boiling lava, causing the Void Realm behind her to begin to twist.

In Night Butterfly's mind, she knew that when Human Race Cultivators reached this point, they would either have to kneel and kowtow for mercy or bring up their Sect's backing as a threat.

But she couldn't do those things; these humans weren't worthy of knowing His Excellency's name.

"In that case, let's perish together!"

Night Butterfly gave a sharp cry and quickly formed hand seals. Her six orange fox tails suddenly swelled several times in size, and the Fox fire at the tips converged into a massive pillar of fire that shot into the sky.

A fox phantom several dozen feet tall condensed behind her. The phantom was entirely covered in black-red flames, with six illusory fox tails swaying behind it. Each swing caused the surrounding air to make a "sizzling" burning sound. A pair of crimson vertical pupils locked onto the man before her, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

This was the Fox Race's Natal Yao Aspect. Such a secret technique was the ultimate display of the Yao Race's Fusion of their Bloodline Power and Yao power. It could summon a Yao Aspect phantom matching one's Realm for a short time. The phantom's attacks were an extension of the caster's will, and its power far exceeded ordinary techniques.

But the price was also extremely heavy; excessive consumption of Essence Blood would not only cause a regression in cultivation but could even be life-threatening. Night Butterfly's move was clearly a last-ditch effort.

It was similar to the Human Race's Law Manifestation.

However, Night Butterfly was still far from reaching that Realm.

The surrounding Heart-Burning Crows were now like lost souls without control, flying out in all directions. Some crashed into the cave walls, instantly igniting into raging flames, while others lunged at Chen Xuan, only to be easily dodged.

This chaotic clashing seemed more like pawns Night Butterfly used to distract him. Even if these fire crows accidentally injured her, she could rely on the protection of her Natal Yao Aspect to remain unaffected.

Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly; the scene before him reminded him of when Kurama lost control.

It seemed this was likely her trump card.

"Today, I'll let you taste the might of my Fox Race!" Perhaps because she was burning her Essence Blood, Night Butterfly's voice had lost its previous soft sweetness and had become somewhat hoarse.

The fox phantom behind her suddenly let out a deafening roar. Its massive body, wreathed in black-red flames, lunged toward Chen Xuan like an arrow from a bow, opening its fanged maw to devour him in one bite.

Chen Xuan tapped his toes on the ground and retreated rapidly, while simultaneously condensing his spiritual energy into a pale-golden spiritual energy barrier.

"Bang—!"

The fox phantom's maw bit hard onto the barrier. Black-red flames instantly spread across the entire surface of the barrier. Amidst the sizzling sounds, the pale-golden spiritual energy was devoured at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the barrier shattered.

Without waiting for Chen Xuan to adjust his defense, the fox phantom's right claw suddenly lifted and swiped toward his chest.

Chen Xuan could even feel the fabric on his chest starting to heat up. He immediately sidestepped to avoid it. The sharp claws grazed past his shoulder and carved five deep furrows into the ground, which instantly ignited with black-red flames.

"Can you only dodge?"

Night Butterfly sneered, controlling the fox phantom's six tails to lash out simultaneously like six burning whips, aiming to entwine Chen Xuan.

The fox tails were incredibly fast, weaving into a massive net of fire that continuously compressed his space to dodge.

Chen Xuan took out another Earth Rank longsword from his storage ring, and a brilliant Sword Qi slashed toward the outermost tail of the fox phantom.

Although he didn't have a single high-tier Magic Treasure, he had plenty of Earth Rank Magic Treasures.

This was the benefit of his habit of looting spoils of war in the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven.

"Boom—!"

The Sword Qi collided with the fox tail; the snow-white Sword Qi and black-red flames clashed violently, erupting in a blinding light. Where the fox phantom's tail was struck, the flames momentarily dimmed but did not dissipate. Instead, they reconsolidated as if they were alive and continued to lash out at Chen Xuan.

A wave of spiritual energy fluctuations rippled outward.

"This fox phantom can actually heal itself?" Chen Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly and quickly leaped backward to avoid the tail's attack. What surprised him even more was that the techniques this vixen was now displaying had already far exceeded the eighth level of the Soul Transformation Realm.

If an ordinary Cultivator at the ninth level of the Soul Transformation Realm encountered this vixen, they would likely fall at her hands.

It seemed that at the same Realm, the Yao Race was stronger than Human Race Cultivators.

However, from that previous strike, Chen Xuan also discovered some clues. As long as there was still Essence Blood supporting her body, this fox phantom could continuously repair its damage. To defeat the phantom, he had to first cut off her supply of Essence Blood.

Night Butterfly seemed to have seen through his thoughts, controlling the fox phantom to lunge again. Maw, claws, and tails attacked in turns, each strike carrying a world-destroying power.

Chen Xuan stopped pretending and laid his cards on the table.

The indifference in Chen Xuan's eyes dissipated. His earlier restraint was only to study the weaknesses of the Heart-Burning Crows and the Natal Yao Aspect. Now that Night Butterfly was fighting like a cornered beast, there was no longer any need for testing.

He stomped heavily on the ground, and the pale-golden spiritual energy around him suddenly surged, actually condensing into a thick layer of clouds above his head. Faint flashes of lightning flickered within the clouds, and a pressure far exceeding anything before instantly enveloped the entire sky, even causing the fox phantom's movements to stiffen slightly.

"What... rank of Divine Ability is this?" Night Butterfly's expression changed drastically, a strong sense of unease welling up in her heart as she tried to control the phantom to accelerate its attack.

Chen Xuan formed a unique palm seal with both hands: the Tribulation Extinction Seal!

This was a God-Tier Divine Ability he had obtained in the Spirit Void Secret Realm; having nothing better to do, Chen Xuan had briefly studied it.

A massive pale-golden palm print condensed within the clouds above, its edges swirling with fine lightning, emitting a destructive aura.

With a push of his arm, the Tribulation Extinction Seal crashed down toward Night Butterfly and the fox phantom like a mountain. Wherever it passed, the air was compressed into a physical shockwave, pushing away all the surrounding flames and rubble.

Night Butterfly's pupils shrank, and she exerted all her strength to drive the fox phantom to block in front of her.

"Bang—!"

The Tribulation Extinction Seal collided violently with the fox phantom. Pale-golden light and black-red flames erupted instantly, and a massive energy shockwave exploded outward.

Under the heavy pressure of the Tribulation Extinction Seal, the flames on the fox phantom's body shook violently, and its six tails disintegrated one by one. A trace of fear flashed in its crimson vertical pupils before the entire phantom shattered like glass, turning into a sky full of sparks.

As for Night Butterfly, who was hiding behind the phantom, she couldn't withstand the residual power of the Divine Ability at all. She was violently thrown back, coughing up a large mouthful of blood as her body slumped down.

The supply of Essence Blood in her body was severely disrupted by this strike. Her already pale face became completely bloodless, and she didn't even have the strength to lift her hand.