Ten Thousand Flower Valley was situated in the middle of a small mountain range that cut across the northern edge of Dragon Flower Province. Here, snow-capped mountains overlooked the verdant valleys teeming with life and filled with spiritual energy. Although the sect's official territory only included the main valley and the highest peak, the surrounding for hundreds of kilometers became a sacred ground where no ordinary mortals dared to tread.
This caused the land to grow wild and become a breeding ground for all kinds of spiritual beasts. These came in all sizes and all types. There were ones that liked the cold, ones that like the hot and humid, and others that preferred cool and temperate and there was a place for them all here. It was a wonderland of four seasons.
Jasmine, as a divine beast, felt right at home in such a place, in nature. Rigid buildings made of stone and brick, beds carved from wood and lined with manufactured linens and silk, these things were fine for humans but she had simpler tastes.
To satisfy her, a separate residence was built. It was called the Moonlit Sanctum and it was located at the bottom of the eastern slope of Snow White Plum Peak. It was situated at the very edge of official sect territory and faced a pristine forested wilderness without human habitation anywhere nearby.
The Moonlit Sanctum wasn't a temple or a castle. It wasn't a villa. It wasn't even a house. It was simply a hole in the ground, a fox's den.
In Jasmine's words, "A proper fox lives in a den under the ground. That's what mother told me. Now dig!"
She couldn't be bothered to dig the hole herself so the Zhou Clan was once again put to the task. They hired many expert miners and excavators, whose memories were wiped afterward, to create a vast underground playground of interconnected tunnels, cavernous rooms, and secret chambers. The whole complex was as big as the main villa of the sect. There was also more space to grow if needed.
The most important room within the sanctum was the cultivation room which also served as Jasmine's bedroom. It was specifically crafted based on her mother's expertise and direction. The surface above and the artificial layer of earth in between was one huge inscription array, one utilizing the inscription style of Nine-Tailed Fox divine beasts.
There were ninety-nine moonjade crystals placed all over an area a hundred meters wide and interconnected with transparent cylinders of the purest glass. These crystals were natural conductors of moonlight energy and cost their weight in red spiritual crystals. The entire array was able to collect moonlight and pass it underground where it would all shine upon a single point, Jasmine's bed. Sleeping here was three or four times more effective than simply lying outside under the evening sky. Here, she would also be hidden from prying eyes or any random immortal that happened to be nearby.
This cultivation room was Jasmine's favorite place in the whole sect. Without Chen Wentian to bother her, she stayed here almost exclusively. She ate, slept, cultivated, and slept some more. It wasn't boring at all because eating and sleeping were her two favorite things to do.
If she was still bored, she still had a cohort of cute and furry companions to keep her company…
"Yip! Yip!" A high-pitched cry sounded.
"Uhhhhh... Fengsha, don't be so noisy..." A familiar voice came from the piles of fur blankets.
After a moment, Jasmine's face popped out. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The cultivation room was dimly lit by the white light from the moonjade that dotted the ceiling.
There was a howl and a black wolf as big as a small horse appeared through a side tunnel. It was dragging a cart of delicious smelling food, fresh from the sect kitchens. It contained everything she loved, which was all kinds of meat, prepared in every way imaginable.
"Breakfast! Er Hei, pull it over."
Er Hei, one of the ten Giant Dire Wolf cubs that were raised by the sect, nodded obediently and dragged the cart into the chamber. The wolves officially belonged to the sect but they were her subordinates. They listened to her commands and only hers.
"You look a bit thin, did Da Hei bully you again?" Jasmine asked.
The black-furred wolf managed to look ashamed through its wolfish face. It hung its head and whined softly.
"Don't worry, I'll beat him up today. He's been a little too cocky lately. A lot of people around the sect have started to complain..."
The wolf leaped up and started licking her face happily, causing her to giggle and eventually push him away.
"Hehehe, enough, enough! Go patrol the Foggy Grove, find me some tasty prey!"
The wolf howled and took off. It was happiest when it could please Jasmine.
When the wolf disappeared, three more furry faces appeared, this time from under the covers of Jasmine's bed. Three distinct and unique-looking foxes yawned and greeted Jasmine with affectionate yelps and licks.
This was Jasmine's little fox family, one that had grown from Fengsha, the Desert Wind Fox that Chen Wentian bought for her. With morning greetings out of the way, they sat around the cart of food and tucked into a hearty breakfast. Jasmine led the way by shoving as much food as possible, as quickly as possible while the other three foxes picked and chose their favorites. They were small foxes and ate little. They were mostly relegated to watching Jasmine's one-person magic trick of making food disappear.
Fengsha was the first to speak up and interrupt Jasmine's rabid feeding.
Jasmine waved a half-eaten drumstick at Fensha in annoyance, "That smelly dragon isn't here. He already left and you missed him. He only stayed for a night and went back to the metropolis. He said he had some important things to handle so he won't be back for a while."
A series of loud barks came, this time from a fox with brilliant red fur like the setting sun. It was a female Cinnabar Fox, a hot-tempered species and indigenous to the province. When it discovered Jasmine, it refused to leave and followed her everywhere. She couldn't get rid of it no matter what she tried. She ended up keeping it since she found the fox loyal and dependable.
"I know, I know. Huoling, I don't know why I put up with him either. Do you know what he asked me last night?" Jasmine said, "He asked if there was some secret art of the Purple Moon Clan that would allow him to rapidly raise his cultivation, like some kind of dual cultivation art. He even dared to ask if my cultivation would increase faster if we did it a few more times."
Huoling chattered furiously in response.
"Right? Does he think that having sex four or five hundred times would allow anyone to break through? So stupid! I can't even believe we did three times last night; it was three times too many!"
Both Fengsha and Huoling joined together to condemn the human male in question. How dare he do such things to their queen? They were deeply offended because, in their eyes, Jasmine was their goddess.
A different voice chimed in, this time from the third fox. It was a pure white fluffball with small round ears, a Blizzard Fox that was also bought from auction. It was smaller than the Cinnabar Fox but bigger than Desert Wind Fox. Its personality was the mildest out of the three and didn't like to get into arguments. It was the voice of reason compared to the other two and was the most intelligent. Although it could not speak the human language, its thoughts were closest and had the potential to become a wisdom beast with some luck.
"I don't know, Snowy. He didn't tell me what was going on at the metropolis, only that I wouldn't be able to help. Said I shouldn't worry about it and focus on my cultivation."
Snowy, the Blizzard Fox, spoke again in length.
"Fine, fine. You're right. The sooner I can break through to the Spirit King Realm, the easier things will be. I will be able to take care of all of our problems once I have enough strength! I can even get some payback for the times that asshole bullied me!"
Her little family of foxes cried out in agreement. They all looked forward to that day!
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