The lizard—still invisible, crouched at the edge of the clearing—**froze mid-motion**.
Its nose twitched violently, nostrils flaring as the **new, unmistakable scent** washed over it. This wasn't blood. It wasn't earth. It wasn't the muddled chaos of the battlefield.
*This… this is precise. Controlled.*
Its head snapped toward the pill.
Wings flexed, muscles coiling like drawn springs.
*Target acquired.*
With a sudden burst, the lizard **launched** into the air. Claws sliced through the night wind, body sleek and taut. Faint sparks of lightning skittered across its scales as it dove toward the bull, eyes locked on the pill hovering beside the beast's horn.
The bull felt something—barely—at the edge of awareness.
It twitched, lowered its head, and slammed one massive hoof down, trying to shake loose whatever stalked it.
Too slow.
The lizard was **faster than anticipation**.
It struck.
Jaws widened, fangs snapping shut through empty air just above the bull's head. Teeth grazed the floating pill, and the bull's breath hitched in alarm. The lizard didn't hesitate—tail flicking, body twisting midair as it **clamped down on the pill**, the condensed qi inside anchoring it like a blazing beacon.
The bull's eyes widened in horror as understanding hit.
*That's not bait…*
Its movements turned frantic—charging, stomping, swinging its horns wildly—but it still couldn't locate the lizard. The invisible predator **now owned the battlefield from above**, and the fox had given it the perfect signal.
Across the clearing, the fox watched with narrowed eyes, black spear hovering at its side, tails swaying lazily.
"Good," it muttered. "Now you'll move exactly where I need you."
The lizard didn't need sight.
It didn't need to know the bull's exact path.
The **pill's signal**, amplified by the fox's qi, was enough.
The bull's panic surged. Every movement it made felt… *guided*. Each attempt to break away subtly redirected, as if unseen currents were pulling at its limbs.
The battlefield itself had turned against it.
*Just a little more,* the fox thought. *Let it lead itself into position.*
For a heartbeat, the clearing went quiet.
Only the **whistling wind** from the lizard's wings remained, accompanied by the ragged breathing of the last survivors.
The stage was set.
And now—
The **hunt truly began**.
---
The bull understood at last.
Not with logic—
With **instinct**.
Every step dragged it somewhere.
Every attempt to veer away met resistance—soft, relentless, like invisible hands steering a drowning beast.
*I'm being herded…*
It dug its hooves into the earth and forced itself to a halt, then roared as qi surged wildly through its body.
Both forehooves slammed down.
**Mountain-Shaking Stomp.**
The ground convulsed. Cracks spider-webbed outward, trees snapping as stone and soil blasted skyward. The fox skidded back, barrier flaring brilliantly as it absorbed the shockwave, claws carving deep trenches through the earth.
But the fox wasn't alarmed.
It was **satisfied**.
"Good," it said calmly. "That's exactly where I wanted you."
The bull's pupils shrank.
The ground beneath it—
**answered**.
Without warning, the earth behind the bull **collapsed inward**. Not an explosion—no crude upheaval—but a folding motion, layers of soil sliding away as if the land itself had opened its jaws.
The lizard **burst free**.
Not from below.
From **behind and above**.
Invisible jaws slammed shut around the bull's thick neck, lightning detonating on impact. Scales shrieked against spirit-hardened hide as claws anchored deep into flesh and armor alike.
The bull bellowed in agony, thrashing violently, qi surging as it tried to gore whatever held it.
But it still couldn't see **anything**.
"I—can't—see you!" it roared.
"You don't need to," the fox replied coldly.
The black spear **moved**.
Not straight.
It curved—threading through chaos, slipping between flailing limbs with perfect timing.
The fox's eyes gleamed.
"Now."
The lizard released its grip for **half a heartbeat**.
The spear punched clean through the bull's exposed throat.
A wet, hollow sound echoed.
The bull froze.
Qi stuttered.
Then the spear detonated from within—crimson energy ripping upward through skull and horn alike. Blood sprayed skyward as the massive body collapsed, shaking the clearing one final time before going still.
Silence fell.
---
The fox landed lightly beside the corpse, barrier fading. It exhaled once—slow, controlled—then glanced toward the air where the eagle had fallen earlier.
Its eyes narrowed.
"…You'd better have learned from that," it said quietly.
Above, the sky felt suddenly **very far away**.
And very unsafe.
The clearing finally went still.
No clashing qi.
No roars.
No desperate shouts.
Only shattered earth, frozen corpses, broken trees—
—and **thirteen bodies** scattered across the battlefield.
The fox stood at the center of it all, chest rising and falling as its barrier faded completely. Blood—some its own, most not—matted its fur in dark streaks. Slowly, it turned in a full circle, divine sense sweeping the ruin one final time.
Nothing moved.
"…Finally," it muttered, voice rough but steady.
"They're all dead. All thirteen."
A breath escaped—half laugh, half sigh.
"That wasn't easy. I didn't think so many would crawl out of the woodwork." Its gaze lingered on the bull and eagle, then on the frozen remains of the last cultivator. "If even one more had shown up, things would've gotten… annoying."
The black spear drifted back to its side.
"But we handled it," the fox continued quietly. "Every scheme. Every ambush. Every trick."
A flick of its tail.
"And in the end, they still tore each other apart—just like I planned."
A pause.
Then, softer, "Good work."
The fox turned its head slightly, eyes settling on empty air—on the place where nothing could be seen, but **something** stood.
"Come on," it said. "You can drop it now. No one's left to watch."
The battlefield waited.
The silence felt… **earned**.
The fox snorted, shaking blood from its muzzle.
"Or stay invisible," it added casually. "That works too."
It began moving, methodical now, stepping over shattered ground and fallen bodies.
"Either way, don't wander off. I'm collecting **everything**." A sharp flick of its tail. "Storage rings. Spirit tools. Pills. If it's intact, it's mine."
It stopped beside a corpse, prying a ring free before continuing.
"We should leave once I'm done," it added, voice lowering. "This much blood, qi residue, broken formations?" A quiet chuckle. "It's basically a dinner bell."
The black spear snapped outward, pinning a fleeing spirit remnant before it could disperse.
"So stay sharp," the fox finished. "When I'm done looting, we go. No lingering. No surprises."
The clearing remained silent.
But the fox moved like it knew it wasn't alone—
—and like it trusted that the unseen presence was still right there, watching.