I am a wandering immortal in the mortal realm.

Humans are the most intelligent of all beings, born of the grace of heaven and earth. Although sometimes as insignificant as mayflies, they are born with the full essence of heaven and earth, far surpassing ordinary spirits and monsters.

Therefore, once a person embarks on the path of cultivation, a few decades can surpass the hundreds of years of arduous cultivation of spirits and monsters.

In addition, with the current prosperity of humanity and the gathering of hearts, even some virtuous people who do not cultivate themselves can suppress and kill some demons with their own thoughts.

Thus, in the eyes of some spirits and monsters, humans became creatures possessing great fortune.

As long as one can obtain auspicious words from humans and use their popularity to make up for deficiencies, one can quickly transform into human form and elevate one's cultivation level once again.

It's easy to get good luck, but hard to find genuine sincerity; even spirits and monsters don't always get their wish in one fell swoop.

Some insincere auspicious words may sound nice, but they cannot help one's cultivation.

Gradually, some spirits started to have wicked thoughts and began to engage in unorthodox practices.

Especially those demons who are naturally skilled in illusion are the best among them.

They have a habit of stopping lone humans in the mountains and forests at night, using illusions to bewitch them, making them say auspicious words that they want to hear, whether they are intentionally or unintentionally.

This kind of seeking of titles, because it is too opportunistic, is not recognized by heaven and earth, so it actually consumes the luck of humankind itself.

If it's just for the purpose of transformation, it doesn't consume much luck; at most, it will cause the person being sealed to suffer for a few years.

However, the way of Heaven is constant, and from the moment those spirits successfully transformed, they had already formed a karmic bond with humans.

If a person suffers misfortune as a result, even if it is not apparent at the time, evil will still befall them in the unseen world.

Once the time is right and a massacre occurs, it will be too late.

In the future, it will either be captured by hunters or killed by natural enemies. If the heavens decide to save trouble, it might even strike it dead with a bolt of lightning.

Therefore, those spirits who have gained good fortune often choose to form a pact with humans, becoming their guardian spirits to protect them and help them safely get through those unlucky years, thus ending this karmic debt.

However, there are also some unscrupulous spirits who set their sights on evil from the very beginning.

Not content with seeking a divine mandate, they even fantasized about ascending to heaven in one step, showing no regard for the impact on the future of the person they sought a divine mandate for.

That's why Shen Yuan was so angry when the fox asked him if he was an immortal.

Even with his usually tolerant and moderate nature, he showed no mercy when he swung his sword.

The fox was terrified and tried to escape after dropping the skull, but unexpectedly, a mysterious force of cause and effect chased after it at a speed faster than the sword's edge.

It turns out that the Taoist was already blessed with great fortune, and now that he has gradually mastered cultivation, his fortune is becoming increasingly overwhelming. When he speaks out in anger, he unconsciously incorporates the power of words he has come to understand.

For a moment, it seemed as if the words carried the power of law.

Heaven, sensing this, immediately issued an imperial edict, but it did not bestow the title of "immortal" upon him, but rather upon a "der" (a low-ranking official).

As soon as the fox reached the center of the hall, a chill ran down its spine, and its heart pounded wildly.

Animals have keen senses; although they don't know what's chasing them, they know that if they don't hide, they'll be in big trouble.

It immediately came to an abrupt stop, then suddenly veered to the left and turned back.

If it were an ordinary person, it would probably have escaped by now, but it is the will of Heaven that is chasing it, so how can it escape?

As the saying goes, "The net of Heaven is vast, and though its meshes are wide, nothing escapes it." The fox, a spirit that had not yet taken human form, was struck in the back by that power of Heaven in an instant.

"ah--!!!"

The fox let out a sharp, piercing scream that almost echoed throughout the entire hall. Then, a cloud of black mist emerged from its body, enveloping it and making it difficult to see what was inside.

"Big sister!"

The other fox let out a strange cry. It had already fled to the doorway, but suddenly stopped and turned to pounce on the black cloud in the middle.

With a "thud," it was as if an invisible barrier had appeared in the air, and the fox crashed into it hard, even losing one of its canine teeth.

Shen Yuan was also greatly surprised, not understanding why such a change would occur. He looked closely and saw that within the black mist, the fox's body began to gradually melt away, and then seemed to be quickly molded into another creature by an invisible hand.

"It...it really has taken human form?"

The Taoist felt a chill run down his spine, mainly because that "der" was just a verbal tic!

He truly never expected that Heaven would respond, let alone that the fox would become a "der".

Besides, he doesn't know what "der" even means! You'll have to ask the guy from Northeast China!

What if it's a positive term? Wouldn't I be doomed?

"Big sister!"

"Big sister!"

The fox rammed into the ground twice, but still couldn't get any progress. Instead, it smashed its own head open, bleeding profusely, and let out increasingly mournful howls.

Suddenly, as if it had thought of something, it twisted its body, the green light in its pupils suddenly intensified, and then it pushed off the ground with all four feet, revealing sharp claws and teeth. With a strange cry, it pounced on Shen Yuan.

It actually regarded its own eldest sister's changes as the work of a Taoist priest.

"Let go of my older sister!"

The fox arrived with incredible speed and agility. In the blink of an eye, it was in front of Shen Yuan, then leaped high into the air, its sharp claws already reaching for his face.

The Taoist priest, of course, wouldn't tolerate it. He blocked with his wooden sword, then slashed diagonally, and a painful "squeak squeak squeak" was heard.

The fox flew a long way, crashed into the wall with a "bang," and then slid down.

"what?"

Shen Yuan glanced at the fox and saw that its limbs were limp and its breath was waning, but it showed no signs of fainting. Suddenly, a thought struck him – his invincible sword had failed to knock the fox unconscious this time. How strange!

"ah--!!!"

Within the black mist, the screams grew increasingly intense, and tears rolled down the cheeks of the fox by the wall.

"Big sister!"

It let out a soft call, its heart filled with regret and pain. Suddenly, its eyebrows twitched, and the strength that had dissipated from its body returned without it even realizing it.

The fox glanced discreetly in the direction of the Taoist priest and saw that he was staring intently at the center of the hall. Its sharp claws immediately sprang out from its paw pads, and its body quietly adjusted to a poised-to-strike position.

If we can take this Taoist priest hostage, we can definitely force him to release my elder sister!

With a sudden thought, the fox pounced once again like lightning while the Taoist was distracted.

The Taoist priest only felt a dark shadow flash in the corner of his eye. He turned his head and looked at it. His eyes widened in surprise.

The fox's weakness lasted much shorter than the takin's!

He could even clearly see the flashes of cold light as the other party's sharp claws slashed through the air!

A strong gust of wind hit his face, and the Taoist priest was clearly unable to dodge in time. He took two steps back, lost his balance, and fell backward.

"Woof!"

Just then, a high-pitched howl suddenly rang out from the main hall, followed by a scorching aura that surged toward them like a river bursting its banks.

Before the Taoist could react, the fox in front of him had already fallen to the ground, motionless, without even letting out a scream.

Looking down again, I saw that the fur on the left side of the other person's glossy fur was curled up as if it had been singed, and it was emitting a burnt smell.

Shen Yuan didn't need to guess to know who had saved him.

Turning my head, I saw that the takin had woken up at some point and was lying on the ground, looking very weak!

"Good ox brother!" Shen Yuan's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but praise him.

"Woof!"

The ox twitched its ears, and its response was weak and feeble.

Just then, the black mist in the middle of the hall quietly dissipated, and a fox fell to the ground with a thud, barely breathing.

It seems that Heaven also felt that this "der" was too abstract, and after trying for a long time without being able to create it, it simply restored the fox to its original state.

However, each time it goes back and forth, it has to endure the pain of having its bones crushed and its skin peeled off.

In the end, although things remained the same, they were severely weakened and had no power to resist anymore.

Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow, held a wooden sword, and first slashed each of the two foxes once. Then he picked up the fox at his feet by the scruff of its neck and threw it next to its older sister.

The Taoist found a chair and sat down imposingly in front of the two foxes. His eyes, sharp as knives and swords, swept over them, terrifying the two beasts so much that they trembled and dared not utter a sound.

"You're not dead, are you? If you're not dead, get up and answer!" Shen Yuan said calmly, his gaze sweeping over the fox sister.

This is a red and black fox with a slender and muscular body. A tuft of white fur adorns its forehead, giving it a somewhat ethereal appearance.

However, because it had been forcibly transformed twice, its spirit was greatly diminished, and its fur became somewhat dull.

In contrast, the other fox was rather ugly, with mottled fur and a short body, showing no signs of the cunning that a fox should possess.

"Please spare my life, Daoist Master! Please spare my life, Daoist Master!"

When the fox sister heard Shen Yuan's question, she actually imitated a human, prostrating herself on the ground and kowtowing. From her long fox mouth came a high-pitched sound, which looked eerie no matter how you looked at it.

"It was my fault for being blind and not recognizing your greatness. I have now experienced your divine power and will never dare to do it again."

Shen Yuan sneered, letting it kowtow for a long while before asking, "What's your name?"

The fox replied, "My name is Sister Hu!" Then, turning to the other fox, she said, "This is my sister, named Little Sister Hu."

Choosing a name was easy!

Shen Yuan made a sarcastic remark, then suddenly let out a soft snort, lifted his eyelids, and asked indifferently, "Tell me, what happened tonight? Why did you break into my temple?"

Sister Hu trembled at the sound of the voice, not daring to look the Taoist in the eye. She could only lower her head and stammer, "Taoist Master, please forgive me. I was originally a fox spirit from Linquan Mountain. Ten years ago, I gained sentience. Since then, I have cultivated diligently day and night, but I have been unable to transform into human form. In my anxiety, I lost my composure and wanted to ask someone to seal my mouth..."

The Taoist priest sneered, "You're not very capable, but you've got quite the ambition. Are you trying to silence me? You're trying to kill me!"

Sister Hu immediately looked panicked, prostrated herself on the ground, and cried out, "Master, spare my life! I was just greedy for a moment. I have learned my lesson and will never dare to do it again."

"I ask you, when did you approach me, this Taoist priest?" Shen Yuan coldly glanced at it, then added, "And what about my ox, which is unwell today? Was that something you did on purpose?"

Sister Hu immediately spoke in a trembling voice: "Reporting to the Taoist Master, my sister and I came down the mountain four days ago and came to the vicinity of the Taoist temple, hoping to find shelter. Somehow, your ox smelled our scent and has been digging at our cave every day. In desperation, I fed it some moon grass..."

"What is Moon Grass?" the Taoist asked curiously.

Sister Hu replied, "So that you may know, Daoist, Moon Grass is a herb unique to our fox clan. Because there are many foxes in this world, and our mixed fox lineage is naturally mixed in nature, if we want to increase our cultivation, we need to worship the moon and cultivate. Only by consuming Moon Grass can we draw down the Yin energy from the heavens..."

Shen Yuan frowned: "What would happen if they weren't from the fox clan and ate the moon grass?"

"Moon grass contains pure yin energy, which is very compatible with the demon race. Eating moon grass is equivalent to humans eating a highly nourishing food... It's just that other demons are far less able to refine it than my fox clan." After a pause, Sister Hu's tone was somewhat aggrieved, "Therefore, from the very beginning, we never intended to harm your ox, Daoist Master. We just fed it more moon grass so that it would take some time to digest it and stop causing us trouble."

The Taoist priest glanced at the takin, then asked, "You just said you were going down the mountain to seek shelter, why is that?"

Sister Hu said, "Master, you may not know this, but a demon came to Linquan Mountain some time ago. Its cultivation is unfathomable. It has already eaten many of our fellow cultivators and even injured the Mountain Lord. We little demons who have not yet taken human form are no match for it at all. In order to survive, we can only flee down the mountain."

"We happened to hear from the mountain spirit that there was a Taoist temple at the foot of the mountain that seemed to have a strong spiritual connection, and even the mountain spirit couldn't get close to it, so we came here..."

Shen Yuan's expression remained unchanged: "Since you've come seeking refuge, why are you targeting me, a Taoist priest?"

Upon hearing this, Sister Hu suddenly burst into tears: "That day, when the demons attacked, Grandma was also seriously injured. She only survived by using the magic of Tushan to hide the mountain gate. After my sister and I fled down the mountain, we originally wanted to ask for a way to keep quiet, so we transformed into human form and hid in the town, hoping to be protected by the human spirit. We thought that no matter how powerful the demons were, they would never dare to wreak havoc on the human world."

"Just yesterday, we suddenly saw a gathering of wind and clouds above the Taoist temple, a sign of a dragon finding water and a phoenix singing at sunrise. When things rise, a hidden dragon will surely emerge. And such a person is invariably blessed with great fortune and has the power to bestow divine titles. That's why I suddenly had the idea to ask a fox spirit to be my servant so I can go back and rescue my grandmother..."

Shen Yuan remained silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke coldly: "Have you ever considered what the consequences would be for me, the Daoist, if I were to plunder too much?"

Sister Hu lowered her head unconsciously, tears streaming down her face, and said, "I had thought too simply. Someone like you, Daoist Master, is a darling of heaven and earth, far beyond the reach of lowly beings like us. I have nothing to say about this matter, but... but..."

"Just what?" Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow.

Sister Hu bowed deeply and said, "This whole thing was my idea, but my little sister is ignorant and was dragged along by me. She is certainly not worth dying for, but I beg you, Daoist, to have pity on her difficult cultivation and let her go."

"Wow... Big sister! Big sister!"

As soon as it finished speaking, Hu Xiaomei, who was next to it, suddenly woke up and started crying loudly.

"Little sister!"

Sister Hu rushed forward and lay on top of Little Sister Hu, her body trembling violently, yet she still held her tightly.

The Taoist priest watched expressionlessly. Knowing the fox's treacherous nature, he naturally wouldn't believe this one-sided story. So he said, "I can give you a chance to live!"

Sister Hu suddenly looked up, her eyes lighting up instantly.

But Shen Yuan's lips curved into a smile, and he said, "But I have one condition..."

Sister Hu's heart was in turmoil with his words, and now it was clenched tightly again.