Wu Yuan crouched deep within a pile of loose rubble, his eyes fixed on the massive bluestone dominating the mountain summit.

The stone was a geological anomaly. Its surface was as smooth and fine as polished jade, and under the sunlight, it seemed to exhale a faint, cyan mist. Even from this distance, staring at it for too long transmitted a refreshing chill into Wu Yuan’s mind, washing away the fatigue of his long trek.

“No wonder the Fox Demon chose this spot,” Wu Yuan mused. “That bluestone is a natural treasure.”

The fact that no other beast had claimed such a prime location spoke volumes. The Fox Demon was powerful—terrifyingly so.

Wu Yuan did not approach the rock. Instead, he retreated to a safe distance and began to dig.

With claws now reinforced by Demon Power, he tore through the earth like a machine. He excavated a complex network of tunnels ringing the perimeter of the clearing, creating exit holes every few zhang.

He meticulously concealed each opening beneath heavy stones or thick brush to avoid detection. Inside, he cached piles of food, preparing for a siege.

Preparations complete, he settled into the darkness to wait.

…

The next night, the full moon rose like a pristine white plate.

Silver light flooded the world, turning the mountain peak into a stage of stark brightness. The massive bluestone seemed to wake up, glowing with a deep, emerald luminescence that resonated with the moonlight.

It was the night of the full moon.

As time ticked by, Wu Yuan’s nerves began to fray.

The summit was filling up.

Predators emerged from the shadows—lynxes, timber wolves, Great Horned Owls, wildcats. Each arrival posed a lethal threat to a rat. Some of them even radiated faint traces of Demon Power, marking them as more than mere beasts.

Wu Yuan even spotted a giant black rat, three times his size, scurrying nervously near the edge.

At first, an uneasy truce held. The animals staked out their territories, waiting in silence. But as the crowd grew, discipline began to crack. The scent of so much living meat in close quarters was intoxicating.

The weaker animals, realizing they were surrounded by natural enemies, trembled violently but dared not flee. The allure of the ritual anchored them in place.

The giant black rat was having the worst time of it. A wildcat and an owl were both staring at it with hungry, predatory intent. The rat was shaking so hard its fat rippled. Suddenly, a dark stain spread beneath it.

It was literally scared pissless.

The wildcat wrinkled its nose in disgust and looked away, but the owl spread its wings, seemingly ready to break the truce for a quick snack.

Safe in his tunnel, Wu Yuan watched with a mix of pity and scorn. “That feathered bastard. It’s definitely the same species that chased me. That black rat is having a terrible night.”

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.

Every head turned toward the distance.

A figure in pure white was treading upon the moonlight.

It was a white fox, its fur as pristine as untouched snow. Bathed in the lunar glow, it looked as if it were draped in a veil of woven silver. Its long, bushy tail trailed behind it, catching the light in a mesmerizing dance.

It moved with supernatural elegance, leaping from a treetop and soaring dozens of zhang in a single, gravity-defying arc. With just a few bounds, it landed silently atop the emerald bluestone.

Wu Yuan stared, transfixed. The beauty and power of the creature were intoxicating.

But then, he snapped out of it.

He looked around. The other animals were frozen, their eyes glazed over, lost in the Fox Demon’s charm.

“This isn’t right,” Wu Yuan’s instincts screamed. “This isn’t just awe. It’s a trance.”

He tried to shrink back into his hole, but at that moment, he felt a gaze sweep over him.

It wasn’t a physical touch, but his body seized up.

Visions exploded in his mind.

He saw a massive snake unhinging its jaw to swallow him whole. He saw a wildcat batting his broken body around like a toy. He saw an owl tearing strips of flesh from his living ribs.

Terror, primal and overwhelming, crashed into his psyche. His small rat body shook uncontrollably. His heart hammered against his ribs like a trapped bird, threatening to burst.

My heart… it’s going to give out!

“No!” Wu Yuan roared internally, his human consciousness clawing back control. “I was a human! I am a human! Even if I look like a rat, I will not cower before snakes and birds! They are my food, not my masters!”

He built a fortress of rage and logic in his mind. Slowly, the visceral terror receded. The hallucinations lost their bite, turning from immersive nightmares into detached images on a screen.

The Fox Demon hadn’t even targeted him specifically. This was just the passive pressure of its gaze. Like a human walking past an anthill, its mere presence was a catastrophe for lesser beings.

But Wu Yuan, relying on the iron will of a human soul, shattered the charm.

He gasped for air, his heart rate stabilizing. He looked up at the fox with a mix of fear and burning envy.

“Just a glance nearly killed me. Is this the power of a Cultivator?”

“Ying.”

A soft, melodic cry echoed from the stone.

The illusions vanished instantly. The other animals blinked, shaking their heads, completely unaware they had been enslaved by a charm.

Silence fell over the peak.

It was the Hour of Zi.

On the bluestone, the Fox Demon raised its head toward the moon. Slowly, reverently, it lifted its front paws and bowed.

As it bowed, the emerald light of the stone intensified, shooting a beam upward to connect with the sky. Strands of visible moonlight were pulled down from the heavens, converging on the fox.

The creature dissolved into a sphere of blinding silver radiance, as if a second moon had descended to rest upon the mountain.

The overflow of energy cascaded outward. Specks of moonlight drifted down like snow, landing on the gathered beasts. The larger the animal, the more light it attracted.

Wu Yuan felt a speck land on his fur.

“This is Lunar Essence!” he realized, trembling. “It feels exactly like the energy in the Spirit Grass!”

But anxiety quickly replaced awe.

The essence was drifting onto him, passively soaking into his skin, but the rate was agonizingly slow. It was inefficient.

How do I eat this? Do I inhale it? Swallow it?

He tried breathing deep through his nose. He tried opening his mouth wide. Nothing changed.

Wu Yuan bit his own tongue, the sharp pain forcing him to focus.

Look at the Fox. It knows the way.

He narrowed his eyes, studying the silver sphere. The Lunar Essence around the fox wasn’t chaotic; it was flowing in a specific, rhythmic current toward the creature’s nose and mouth.

It’s a breathing technique.

Wu Yuan began to mimic the rhythm.

Inhale… hold… exhale… short inhale…

He failed the first few times, choking on the air. But he was a scholar in his past life; his analytical mind was his greatest weapon. He adjusted the tempo, matching the rise and fall of the fox’s chest.

Click.

The world shifted.

As he hit the correct rhythm, the Lunar Essence in the air suddenly surged toward him. It was drawn into his lungs, merging instantly with the Demon Power in his belly.

A cool, refreshing torrent washed through his meridians. His body felt weightless, as if gravity were losing its hold. His senses expanded—he could hear the individual heartbeats of the wolves ten feet away.

Wu Yuan closed his eyes, immersed in the ecstasy of cultivation.

Then, he frowned.

“Too slow. There isn’t enough ambient moonlight here.”

He peeked out of his tunnel. The Fox Demon was hogging the lion’s share, and the session was already halfway through.

I need more. Now.

His eyes landed on the Owl perched nearby.

The bird was covered in a thick layer of accumulated Lunar Essence, passively soaking it up like a sponge.

Wu Yuan’s eyes glinted with malice.

He darted out of his hole, staying low, and crept right up to the owl’s perch.

He activated the breathing technique at full power.

Slurp.

The stream of Lunar Essence meant for the owl was hijacked mid-air, swirling into Wu Yuan’s nose instead.

The owl, sensing the loss of warmth, snapped its eyes open.

It looked down to see the little brown rat sitting boldly by its talons, vacuuming up its spiritual energy.

The owl’s feathers puffed up in sheer outrage. It opened its beak to screech, to strike—

But it froze. It glanced at the Fox Demon on the rock.

The pressure of the Great Demon was absolute. No violence was permitted during the ritual.

The owl sat there, impotent and furious, watching its hard-earned moonlight disappear into the rat’s nostrils. It lacked the sky-swallowing audacity of Wu Yuan.

Realizing it couldn’t fight, the owl squeezed its eyes shut, trying to salvage whatever scraps were left.

But it couldn’t compete with Wu Yuan’s stolen technique.

Wu Yuan sucked the owl dry of essence, burped silently, and scampered back to his hole, leaving the bird shivering in the cold.

“That’s for the scratch on my leg,” Wu Yuan thought, grinning wickedly.