Inside the cave, the air was cool and damp.
Faint moonlight filtered through small cracks in the stone ceiling, barely illuminating the interior. The cave was not very large, but it was deep enough to provide cover and quiet enough for cultivation.
The fox padded a few steps inside before finally sitting down, curling her tail loosely around her body.
On top of her head—
The small lizard suddenly leapt down.
He landed lightly on the stone floor with barely a sound.
As he did, the distortion surrounding his body faded, and his form slowly became visible again, black scales reflecting faint silver light from above.
The fox glanced down at him.
Her ears twitched.
"Well…"
She stretched slightly before speaking.
"Since we're staying here for a while, I might as well explain where we are."
The lizard lifted his head, golden eyes glowing faintly as he listened.
The fox continued calmly.
"This mountain range is called the **Black Spine Mountains**."
Her turquoise eyes shifted toward the cave entrance, as if looking through the stone.
"There are a lot of demonic beasts living here."
Her tail flicked once.
"Strong ones."
She paused slightly before continuing.
"But more importantly…"
Her voice lowered.
"…there are five demonic beasts here that have already reached the **Golden Core realm**."
The lizard's eyes narrowed slightly.
The fox continued.
"They're called the **Five Demon Kings**."
Her expression grew a little more serious now.
"Each one rules a territory within the mountain range."
"And none of them like outsiders."
She tilted her head slightly.
"That's actually the reason no cultivation sect has claimed this mountain range."
Her tail swayed slowly behind her.
"Any sect that tries to establish itself here would immediately attract the attention of those five."
"And if five Golden Core Demon Kings decided to unite against them…"
She chuckled softly.
"…even large sects would suffer heavy losses."
The cave fell quiet for a moment.
Then the fox shrugged casually.
"But for us?"
Her eyes gleamed slightly.
"This place is perfect."
She tapped the ground with one paw.
"Plenty of demonic beasts to hunt."
"Plenty of spirit herbs."
"And chaos everywhere."
Her grin widened slightly.
"As long as we don't provoke the Demon Kings too early…"
"…we can grow very fast here."
The fox then looked directly at the lizard.
"So."
Her ears tilted forward slightly.
"What do you think, Little White?"
"Good hunting ground?"
The small lizard stood quietly on the cave floor.
His golden eyes glowed faintly in the dim light as he listened to the fox's explanation.
The **Black Spine Mountains**.
Five **Golden Core Demon Kings**.
Territories.
Danger.
Opportunity.
For a few seconds, he said nothing.
His tail slowly moved once across the stone.
Then he spoke.
"That means…"
His voice was calm and low.
"…plenty of strong prey in the Foundation Establishment realm."
The fox blinked once.
Then a grin spread across her muzzle.
"Exactly."
She leaned back slightly, clearly pleased with that answer.
"That's the spirit."
Her tail flicked once against the cave floor.
"Most cultivators would hear *five Golden Core Demon Kings* and immediately run in the opposite direction."
She laughed softly.
"But us?"
Her turquoise eyes gleamed.
"We see food."
The lizard did not react to her enthusiasm.
Instead, he lifted his head slightly and asked:
"Where?"
The fox raised an eyebrow.
"Where what?"
"Their territories."
He replied simply.
The fox stared at him for a moment.
Then she suddenly burst into laughter.
"Oh heavens…"
She wiped at one eye with a paw.
"You're already thinking about hunting them?"
She shook her head.
"You're still in the **Foundation Establishment realm**, Little White."
Her voice carried amused disbelief.
"You don't want to hunt Demon Kings."
"You should avoid them instead."
The lizard remained silent.
His golden eyes simply stared at her.
The fox slowly stopped laughing.
"…Right."
She sighed.
"I forgot who I'm talking to."
Her expression became thoughtful.
"Fine. It's probably best if you know anyway."
She lifted a paw and began drawing rough lines on the cave floor with her claw.
A crude map formed in the dust.
"This mountain range is huge."
She drew five circles across different sections.
"These are the territories of the Five Demon Kings."
Her claw tapped the first circle.
"A **Thunder Horned Ape**."
"Violent. Short temper."
"Controls the northern cliffs."
She tapped another circle.
"A **Black Venom Serpent**."
"Lives in the marshlands to the east."
Another circle.
"A **Flame Feather Roc**."
"A sky predator. It rules the western peaks."
Another circle.
"A **Stoneback Bear King**."
"It lives deep underground in the southern caverns."
Finally, she tapped the largest circle in the center.
"And the strongest one…"
Her voice lowered slightly.
"A **White Bone Tiger King**."
The cave fell silent for a moment.
The fox leaned back.
"These five rarely fight each other because each controls a stable territory."
"But every smaller demonic beast in this mountain range…"
She tapped the ground lightly.
"…belongs to one of them."
The lizard studied the crude map.
His golden eyes slowly moved across the five marked territories.
After a moment, he said calmly:
"Ok."
The fox blinked.
"…Good?"
The lizard's tail flicked once.
The fox stared at him.
Then she slowly smiled.
A dangerous smile.
"…You know what?"
Her eyes gleamed.
"I think we're going to cause a lot of trouble in this mountain range."
The lizard didn't reply.
But the faint glow in his golden eyes grew brighter.