Chapter 4

Above the clouds, the Thunder Gods of the Divine Firmament Jade Purity Palace were reporting back after their mission. Though they didn’t understand why their Superior had suddenly sent them to Thunderclap Mountain on a whim, they couldn’t refuse the assignment.

That said, the little fox down there was quite amusing. They wouldn’t mind coming back if given the chance.

The Thunder Gods chatted and laughed among themselves but fell silent before returning to their Superior. Their Heavenly Lord had always been upright, impartial, and strict in rewards and punishments, rarely venturing out unless necessary. This sudden trip to Thunderclap Mountain to help the little fox out of trouble had truly startled them.

No matter how powerful the Ten Thousand Year Fox King was, he was still just a Demon King. They had never heard of their Heavenly Lord having any connections with the lower realms. Given his origins, they would have expected him to be furious at the sight of a fox. Never had they imagined the opposite would happen.

During the Great Calamity of the Gods’ Investiture, the nine-tailed fox had bewitched King Zhou, leading to the fall of the dynasty. As the Grand Preceptor of the Shang Dynasty, their Heavenly Lord should have struck the fox with Nine Heavens Divine Lightning on sight—unless he happened to be in an exceptionally good mood. There was no reason for him to show such favoritism.

Something was fishy. Absolutely fishy.

But fishy as it was, they dared not ask. Serving in the Heavenly Court required knowing what not to say and what not to ask. Whatever their superiors’ intentions, their duty was simply to obey orders.

Yuan Feng streaked through the clouds in a blaze of sparks and lightning, spotting a celestial figure who seemed to have been waiting for him. Transforming into human form, he approached for negotiations.

While his Little Chicken form conserved more spiritual energy, it didn’t mean he couldn’t assume human form. Speaking to these human-like beings was far more convenient this way.

If his guess was correct, these were the ones currently ruling the Heavenly Court.

Not to be disparaging, but the Heavenly Court really wasn’t what it used to be.

Back when his Phoenix Clan ruled the skies, they had been awe-inspiring. Later, when the demon emperor Di Jun established the Heavenly Court, it had been passable. But looking at it now—well, he couldn’t even bring himself to comment.

The young man was clad in fiery red robes, his eyes sharp and his every movement exuding an air of arrogance.

Wen Zhong dismissed his Thunder Gods back to the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Palace to await further orders. Only after they had all left did he descend on a cloud and cast a barrier. “This junior Wen Zhong pays his respects to Senior Yuan Feng.”

Yuan Feng raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips though his eyes remained cold. “Oh? You recognize me?”

This beauty was a tempestuous one—a powerful figure who had once thrown the Prehistoric Era into chaos. Even now, reduced to a mere remnant of his soul, no one dared underestimate him.

Wen Zhong bowed respectfully. “Senior, may we speak in private?”

The Grand Preceptor, having overseen the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Palace for years, was accustomed to his high status. Yet he had never shown such deference even before the Jade Emperor.

Halfway up the mountain, Fu Li sat on a rock at the cave entrance, hugging his fluffy tail as he watched the two unreliable seniors bicker.

Calling them unreliable was an understatement. What kind of mystical land was the Northern Kuru Continent to produce three such utterly unreliable figures?

He knew that powerful figures often had eccentric quirks, but he had only asked for a name. Giving him some made-up, overly dramatic title was one thing—but how could they start fighting over the style of their pseudonyms?

Seriously, did he look that easy to fool?

Dragon Ancestor? Why not just call himself Zu Long?

Zu Long was tangled up in a fight with Shi Qilin when he heard the Little Fox Cub’s muttering. A sudden inspiration struck him, and he released Shi Qilin’s neck, landing beside the fox. “Great idea! Then I’ll be called Zu Long.”

Truth mixed with falsehood, falsehood mixed with truth—what a clever fellow he was.

The Little Green Snake nodded solemnly, its tail tip pointing at the Spotted Deer nearby. “From today onward, he shall be called Shi Qilin.”

Shi Qilin: ???  

Fu Li: ???  

The Little Green Snake flicked its tongue, its tail tip turning upward, but before it could continue, Fu Li spoke for it, “From now on, the one up there is called Yuan Feng.”  

Zu Long grinned widely. “Brilliant!”  

Fu Li: ???  

“Brilliant my foot!”  

Though the three great figures they mentioned were long gone, wiped out by the Heavenly Dao without a trace, that didn’t mean a snake demon, a chicken demon, and a deer demon could just casually take their names.  

And they were supposed to be from the Northern Kuru Continent? How could they have no sense of danger at all?  

Even he, a fox spirit born and raised on Thunderclap Mountain, knew that any demons or monsters from before the Investiture of the Gods who survived to this day either transformed into legitimate officials or hid in the Northern Kuru Continent, fighting and killing under assumed names.  

The Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans might have suffered heavy losses, but they were still the three dominant races of the Prehistoric Era. Even if their descendants were disappointing, they weren’t to be trifled with across the Four Great Continents.  

Needless to say, dragons ruled every river, lake, and even wells—could they possibly defeat them?  

The dragons in *Journey to the West* might seem pitiful, but that depended on who they were facing. For small demons like them with no backing, dragons were not to be messed with, especially since dragons had a bloodline suppression over snakes.  

The Little Fox Cub chattered on and on, recounting bedtime stories from his childhood and the tragedies of the demon races he remembered, infuriating Zu Long to the point where he wanted to storm the Heavenly Court and wreak havoc.  

“It’s a bit late for that. Five hundred years ago, a monkey caused an uproar in the heavens. I heard it was spectacular, but I was born too late to see it. Otherwise, I’d have thrown a tantrum to make my father take me to watch.” Fu Li shrugged, lamenting all the grand events he had missed.  

That was the Great Sage Equaling Heaven Sun Wukong! Who wouldn’t want to witness the Monkey King’s rampage in the Heavenly Palace in their lifetime?  

Sadly, he was born too late, and by the time he realized where he was, it was all over. All that remained were the gods and buddhas watching their grand performances.  

Shi Qilin tried his best to calm the furious Zu Long, but his Spotted Deer form wasn’t very helpful. He had no choice but to take human form and then tie the Little Green Snake into a knot. “Behave. Don’t cause trouble.”  

Zu Long: …  

Ew~  

Fu Li: !!!  

“You can take human form?!”  

Zu Long struggled to turn his head, twisting a few times to undo the knot before shoving the overly kind Shi Qilin aside disdainfully. With a shake, he too transformed into human form.  

Shi Qilin’s human form was unmistakable—his eyes clear and gentle, his smile radiant, evoking the warmth of winter sunlight, cozy and comforting.  

Zu Long’s human form was equally distinctive—handsome, carefree, and effortlessly noble. Though he wore no gold or silver, he exuded an air of regal elegance. “Shapeshifting is easy. Not everyone is as inept as you, barely able to manage a half-formed human shape.”  

Fu Li’s eyes lit up, unbothered by the insult. “Then, Senior, teach me how to shapeshift properly!”

As long as he could make his ears and tail retract, he would admit that Senior She She was the most formidable snake in the Three Realms! Senior Lu Lu was the most formidable deer in the Three Realms! And, uh—Senior Shan Ji was the most formidable chicken in the Three Realms!

Yuan Feng had just descended from the heavens when he heard the Little Fox Cub’s bold declaration, startling him so much he gasped and hurriedly intervened, “That’s really not necessary.”  

He was a perfectly good phoenix—why would he want to be some mountain chicken?  

Fu Li covered his ears, laughing so hard his eyes crinkled. “Senior She She said he could teach me shapeshifting. Shapeshifting! It’s so hard—my father taught me for two hundred years and still couldn’t get me to master it.”  

Zu Long: “…Can I take it back now?”  

Fu Li perked up his ears, absolutely certain. “No way!”  

He had finally found a Great Demon senior willing to teach him shapeshifting—there was no way he was letting him escape.  

What a joke! Didn’t they know how notorious Fu Li was? Among the thousands of little demons on Thunderclap Mountain, he was the only one who still couldn’t fully transform into human form. Was he proud of it?  

Zu Long weakly leaned against a rock, turning to whisper to Shi Qilin, “The last time I heard of a cub stubbornly failing to shapeshift was your Sibuxiang.”  

Shi Qilin sighed helplessly. “Don’t say that—their situations are different.”  

Sibuxiang was his only child—neither fully dragon, phoenix, qilin, nor tortoise, yet possessing the majesty of a dragon, the nobility of a phoenix, the courage of a qilin, and the wisdom of a tortoise. Hence the name “Sibuxiang” (Neither of the Four).  

That child was extraordinary from birth, but Heaven’s Law would not permit the qilin clan to rise again. Though Sibuxiang’s cultivation advanced rapidly, he lacked the opportunity to achieve full transformation.  

During the First Dragon Han Tribulation, the dragon, phoenix, and qilin clans suffered devastating losses as the Prehistoric Era became the battleground for the witches and demons. Shi Qilin had sworn a solemn vow to Heaven’s Law: wherever a qilin appeared, blessings would follow—thus preserving the survival of his clan.  

Yuan Feng had perished at Fallen Phoenix Slope, Zu Long was suppressed beneath Kunlun Mountain, and knowing he could not escape the great calamity, Shi Qilin entrusted Sibuxiang to Yuqing Yuanshi Tianzun, allowing him to serve as the deity’s mount to ensure his survival.  

Sibuxiang’s inability to transform was Heaven’s Law’s decree. As for this Little Fox Cub’s struggle to retract his fox ears and tail… it might just be a lack of proper training.  

A little cub barely two hundred years old—what was the rush?  

Meanwhile, the “poorly trained” Little Fox Cub was still defending himself. “I practice cultivation diligently! My father said that in all his years, he’s never seen such a hardworking and ambitious cub. Clearly, the problem isn’t me. If you seniors can help me retract my ears and tail, I’ll burn incense and offer tributes to you every day. Speaking of which… can souls in recovery eat incense offerings?”  

Yuan Feng mused, “Never tried it, but we could give it a shot.”  

“Fine, as long as you’re happy,” Zu Long wiped his face, patting his chest to calm his turbulent emotions before asking, “What did you see up there earlier? Was someone really watching the show?”  

“Just a passing Thunder God—nothing to worry about,” Yuan Feng waved dismissively, urging them to relax. “Thunder Gods are like that—when they see injustice, they strike with thunder. Perfectly normal.”

Fu Li tilted his head and pondered for a while. It seemed to make some sense, yet something felt off—though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what. Eventually, he decided to take Senior Shan Ji’s words at face value. “The Puhua Heavenly Lord is an upright deity. As the leader sets the example, the Thunder Gods under his command should naturally be just as righteous.”

Beneath the Nine Heavens Responding Origin Palace lay one mansion, two institutes, and three departments. The mansion was the Divine Firmament Jade Purity Palace where the Puhua Heavenly Lord resided. The two institutes were the Five Thunder Institute and the Exorcism Institute, while the three departments were the Myriad Gods Thunder Department, Thunder Capital Department, and Thunder Ministry Department—all overseeing thunder and lightning deities.

The Thunder Department governed the calamities and blessings of heaven, held the balance of all things, and presided over life and death. If even the gods of the Thunder Department weren’t righteous, then hardly any among the Gods and Buddhas could claim to be.

Yuan Feng’s expression flickered with something odd for a moment before he chuckled, ruffling the little one’s furry head. “You’re right. The gods of the Thunder Department are all very upright. Next time you run into trouble you can’t handle, just call for them again.”

Fu Li twitched his ears and turned around, whispering, “How? Chanting ‘Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, Taishang Laojun, appear before me’? Does that really work?”

Above the clouds, the Thunder Ancestor, who hadn’t yet gone far, felt a vein twitch uncontrollably at his temple.

Two hundred years and still not a proper grasp of the Lightning Guiding Art—yet he dares boast about his diligent cultivation? Just how did the Ten Thousand Year Fox King raise this child? How could a Little Fox Cub be this clueless?

Author’s Note:  

Fox Dad (confidently): Of course, with praise!