Wu Yuan hid in the rock pile, watching the prominent Big Bluestone on the mountaintop from afar.
The stone's surface was smooth and delicate, like jade.
Under the sunlight, it seemed to emit a faint blue mist.
The longer he looked, the more he felt a refreshing coolness, dispelling the fatigue from his long run.
“No wonder the fox demon performs moon worship here; this Big Bluestone is absolutely extraordinary!”
“And no wild beasts occupy the Big Bluestone, which means the fox demon must be very powerful, and this moon worship must hold a secret.”
Wu Yuan did not approach the Big Bluestone; instead, he began to dig holes from a distance.
Using his sharp claws, which had been nourished by Demon Power, he dug a circle of burrows around the Big Bluestone, with an entrance every few zhang.
He also set the entrances under some large stones for concealment, to prevent himself from being too conspicuous, and stored a lot of food inside the holes to prevent any accidents.
Thus, he quietly awaited the arrival of the fox demon the next day.
His heart was filled with anticipation!
…
The next night, a pure white bright moon slowly rose.
He watched the full moon in the sky emit a brilliant moonlight, illuminating the entire mountaintop with immense brightness, especially the Big Bluestone, which glowed emerald green under the moonlight.
Wu Yuan then realized it was the night of the full moon.
But as time passed, he began to become very nervous.
Because more and more animals appeared around him—lynxes, wild wolves, Owls, and wildcats—posing a great threat to him.
Some even exuded a faint Demon Power.
Wu Yuan also saw a large Black Rat, three times larger than him.
Initially, the animals remained quiet, each occupying an area and waiting silently.
But as more and more animals arrived, some were tempted by the surrounding 'delicacies' and began to stir.
Animals encountering their natural predators, though trembling, still did not flee.
The large Black Rat was stared at intently by the surrounding Owls and wildcats, its entire body trembling with fear, curling up, and wetting itself.
It had peed itself out of fright!
The wildcat showed a look of disgust and turned its head away, but the Owl spread its wings, eager to pounce.
Wu Yuan, hiding in his hole, thought, “This feathered creature probably still holds a grudge against me. This Black Rat is too unlucky!”
But his gaze was suddenly drawn to a pure white figure in the distance.
He saw a white fox stepping through the moonlight, its fur as white as snow, appearing to be draped in a layer of silver gauze under the moonlight, its long, fluffy tail drawing streams of moonlight, truly captivating.
With a light leap from a treetop, it covered dozens of zhang, and with a few bounds, it stood on the Big Bluestone.
Wu Yuan stared intently at the fox demon’s movements, mesmerized by its extraordinary power, but he quickly came to his senses.
He turned to see that the other animals were also entranced by the fox demon's charm, motionless.
But after a long while, their actions remained unchanged, and Wu Yuan grew vigilant: “Something’s not right! This isn't a normal reaction.”
Wu Yuan couldn't help but shrink further into his hole, but he seemed to feel a gaze sweep over him.
He immediately froze, and illusions began to swarm before his eyes: visions of himself being swallowed whole by a snake, tormented to death by a wildcat, and his flesh being torn off bit by bit by an Owl.
Wu Yuan was terrified; he trembled uncontrollably, his heart pounding rapidly, as if it would leap from his chest.
“It’s not ‘as if’; my heart really is having problems!”
Wu Yuan forced himself to calm down: “I used to be human. Even if I’m a rat now, I will never be afraid of a snake or a bird; they will only be my food!”
As Wu Yuan continued his mental self-strengthening, the influence of the illusions gradually faded, eventually leaving only the images, like watching television.
The fox demon did not target Wu Yuan; this was merely a power inherent in its gaze.
It was like how a human passing by is an unbearable disaster for an ant.
But Wu Yuan, relying on his human will, forcibly broke free from the fox demon's enchantment and the influence of the illusions.
He was both fearful and envious: “Just a single gaze, and I couldn't resist. Will I have such mysterious power in the future?”
He suddenly heard a sound: “Ying.”
The illusions before him suddenly vanished, and Wu Yuan gasped for breath, his heart slowly calming down.
At this moment, the sounds of animals finally resumed around him; the other animals had no idea they had been enchanted.
But the mountaintop quickly fell silent.
Because it was already midnight.
Wu Yuan saw the fox demon standing on the Big Bluestone, looking up slightly at the bright moon, then slowly raising its front paws and bowing towards the moon.
As the fox demon performed its actions, the green glow of the Big Bluestone beneath it deepened, beginning to draw strands of moonlight to gather on the fox demon's body.
The fox demon transformed into a silvery ball of light, as if a moon had fallen onto the mountain.
And the surrounding animals also had moonlight gathering on them to varying degrees; the larger the body, the more moonlight.
Upon sensing the moonlight, Wu Yuan immediately understood: “This is the power of Moon Essence, exactly like the power within the Moon Spirit Grass!”
But he began to grow very anxious, because although there was Moon Essence scattered on him, relying on its spontaneous nourishment was too inefficient, and he didn't know how to absorb it quickly!
Whether he tried to inhale it through his nose or swallow it with his mouth, it had no effect whatsoever.
Wu Yuan bit himself to calm down.
Looking at the fox demon: “The fox demon must know how to absorb Moon Essence; I absolutely cannot waste this opportunity!”
As he observed carefully, he noticed that the Moon Essence around the fox demon was not static but slowly flowing towards its mouth and nose.
This discovery invigorated Wu Yuan, and he began to mimic the fox demon's breathing rhythm.
Although his first few attempts failed because he couldn't master the rhythm.
He quickly mastered the correct breathing method, and this attempt immediately yielded extraordinary results.
The Moon Essence was drawn into Wu Yuan's body with his breath, integrating into his Demon Power, continuously strengthening his originally tiny Demon Power.
He felt waves of cool Qi integrate into his body, his body becoming lighter, as if he would fly towards the moon, and his senses became increasingly acute, allowing him to perceive the breathing sounds of the surrounding animals.
Wu Yuan was immersed in the nourishment of the Moon Essence.
Wu Yuan frowned and opened his eyes: “Absorbing too fast, not enough Moon Essence!”
He crawled out of his hole, and seeing only half of the Moon Essence left around the fox demon, he thought, “I need to hurry!”
When Wu Yuan saw the Moon Essence on the Owl, his eyes lit up.
He darted to the Owl's vicinity and began to absorb the Moon Essence using the breathing technique.
The Owl, which had been immersed in the Moon Essence, was startled by the commotion around it and opened its eyes.
When it clearly saw Wu Yuan's actions, its feathers immediately bristled with anger, but deterred by the fox demon's majesty, it dared not make a move.
Unlike Wu Yuan, who was as bold as a rat!
When the Owl saw the Moon Essence around it diminishing, it quickly closed its eyes to absorb.
But it simply couldn't match Wu Yuan's absorption speed; it could only watch helplessly as Wu Yuan absorbed all the Moon Essence and left.
“That’ll teach you a lesson for attacking me earlier.” Wu Yuan was very happy in his heart.