As they continued walking forward, they came upon a jade palace. The structure was small, about three stories high, and was entirely carved from a rare, milky-white warm jade. The sunlight streaming through made the jade glisten, casting colorful reflections.
Above the door hung a plaque with three large characters: Fox Immortal Temple.
Su Luowei, having thoroughly studied the scriptures of her sect, knew that many years ago, a trend of worshiping the Fox Immortal had swept through the land.
During that time, many Fox Immortal Temples were built in the central plains, drawing large crowds of worshipers. It was said that those who devoutly worshiped the Fox Immortal would have their wishes granted.
There were even stories of people visiting the Fox Immortal Temple in their dreams, where they saw a grand, magnificent temple filled with treasures. The altar dedicated to the Fox Immortal was said to be carved from a five-colored divine stone, with the Fox Immortal herself seated upon it.
These stories, however, were from a bygone era, and Su Luowei had once dismissed them as mere folklore. But now, standing before the Fox Immortal Temple, she remembered those tales vividly.
Curiously, it was said that one night, all the Fox Immortal Temples suddenly collapsed. The people believed it was divine punishment, and as time passed, the worship of the Fox Immortal faded from memory, and the temples were forgotten.
To her surprise, Su Luowei and Meng Shuying had stumbled upon one of these legendary temples.
Su Luowei recalled how, just before the above-ground temple collapsed, she had noticed small fox carvings in several corners of the structure. It seemed likely that the temple above had once been a Fox Immortal Temple and, protected by the Fox Immortal, had survived the calamity, only to be later repurposed as a Taoist temple.
After a moment's contemplation, Su Luowei moved to enter the temple.
"Wait," Meng Shuying suddenly stopped her. "We don't know what dangers lie inside. Let me go first."
Without waiting for a response, Meng Shuying stepped ahead, entering the temple.
Su Luowei knew Meng Shuying well. Even when her cultivation was low, Meng Shuying had never wanted to hide behind others; she always insisted on taking the lead. Now that her cultivation was stronger, this assertiveness had only grown.
Su Luowei didn't mind being protected, but Meng Shuying was still injured. Su Luowei had personally treated her wounds and knew how severe they were. Ideally, Meng Shuying should be resting, but given the eerie atmosphere of the place, they had no choice but to search for an exit.
Seeing that Meng Shuying's face had already paled after walking just a short distance, Su Luowei reached out and held her hand. "Let's go slowly. We'll enter together."
No matter how dangerous the path ahead, they would walk it together, neither abandoning nor forsaking the other.
Hand in hand, they entered the legendary Fox Immortal Temple.
From the outside, the temple appeared small, but inside, it was vast and luxurious, with a grand celestial aura. The palace was resplendent with glazed chambers and gold decorations.
Statues of foxes, similar to those outside, adorned the interior, but here they were made of jade instead of wood.
As Su Luowei walked through the opulent corridors, she noticed that the lamps were all made of glazed glass. She remarked with a smile to Meng Shuying, "It seems this Fox Immortal has a fondness for luxury."
"Do you like these things too, Senior Sister?" Meng Shuying asked, her expression eager, making Su Luowei wonder if Meng Shuying would build her a grand palace just like this if she said yes.
Su Luowei believed she could, given that Meng Shuying was destined to be a formidable antagonist in the original story.
Thinking of the original story, Su Luowei also remembered Xiao Ba. Since she had jumped into the well, Xiao Ba had gone silent.
She tried calling out to Xiao Ba, but there was no response.
It seemed that this place, like the Ten Directions Blessed Land, could temporarily block Xiao Ba.
The Ten Directions Blessed Land was an ancient immortal's domain, so perhaps this place was indeed connected to the legendary Fox Immortal. But whether it was truly an immortal relic like the Ten Directions Blessed Land remained to be seen.
They proceeded cautiously, always on guard for potential dangers. However, the Fox Immortal Temple remained peaceful, with no signs of trouble.
After passing through the corridor, they reached the main hall. The main hall was even more extravagant than the rest of the temple, with intricate carvings, resplendent decorations, and a warm, inviting atmosphere.
At the front of the hall stood an altar carved from a solid block of golden sandalwood. White curtains hung on either side, and in the center was a five-colored altar, upon which sat a pure white jade fox statue.
Beneath the jade fox was a statue of a pitch-black fox, a 玄狐 (Xuan Hu), known for its battle prowess, seemingly positioned to protect the jade fox.
These statues were even more lifelike than any they had seen before.
Su Luowei approached the jade fox statue to examine it more closely, but as she did, the statue slowly opened its eyes.
This wasn't a statue—it was a living fox!
The fox woke up leisurely and met her gaze.
Its eyes were filled with the wisdom of ages, as if it were a wise elder.
Before Su Luowei could react, her vision blurred, and the palace around her vanished. Her consciousness was pulled into an unfamiliar space.
She found herself in a pure white space with no ceiling or floor, stretching infinitely in all directions.
Su Luowei floated in mid-air, and not far in front of her stood a figure.
The person's face was obscured by a hazy light, but from her clothing, Su Luowei could tell it was a woman.
"Sigh…" the woman sighed softly. "I've long since withdrawn from the world; why do you still seek to disturb me?"
It was the same voice Su Luowei had sensed with her divine consciousness earlier.
Su Luowei bowed deeply. "I was merely pursuing a criminal and inadvertently disturbed your peace. I beg your forgiveness."
From the moment this figure appeared, Su Luowei had a strong intuition that she was no ordinary person but rather a celestial being.
In the legends, the true form of the Fox Immortal was said to be a fox. This fox had absorbed the essence of the sun and moon for a hundred years before transforming into a woman.
Though spirit beasts were not supposed to become immortals, this woman performed good deeds day and night, accumulating ten thousand merits. Touched by her actions, the heavens made an exception and allowed her to ascend to immortality.
"I'm no Fox Immortal, merely a remnant of divine consciousness," the woman said with a hint of self-mockery. "With the decline of mortal faith, many immortals have fallen. I was only fortunate enough to leave behind a fragment of my divine consciousness. Few people even remember me anymore."
Su Luowei didn't know how to respond and simply bowed again.
"Never mind. Since you've found your way here, I'll help you this once. I don't have much left to give, but I'll offer you this…"
She waved her hand, and a small ball of light flew from her sleeve, landing on Su Luowei and merging into her chest.
"What is this…?"
Su Luowei felt a strong life force within the light, but before she could fully grasp it, the light fused with the parasol wood in her storage bag.
"This is the spirit of the parasol tree, which I obtained by chance in the Divine Realm. Now that the Divine Realm has fallen, it serves me no purpose. I'll give it to you."
The Fox Immortal spoke casually, but Su Luowei noticed that her aura weakened significantly after giving away the spirit.
Even her figure became less solid, turning somewhat transparent.
The Fox Immortal said nothing about this, and Su Luowei tactfully didn't mention it either. Instead, she offered, "I have some elixirs with me. Would they be of any use to you?"
The Fox Immortal chuckled. "Immortals thrive on incense, faith, and merit. Mortal items like those have no effect on me."
Su Luowei replied, "Then I will build a temple for you when I return and ensure that you are worshipped daily."
This time, the Fox Immortal didn't refuse outright. After a moment of consideration, she said softly, "I appreciate your kindness, but the power of faith isn't something that can be obtained simply by building a temple."
Su Luowei didn't know how else to repay her and could only bow deeply again.
"And as for that troublesome little fox…"
The Fox Immortal paused and sensed the location of the white fox.
"Though he is my junior, he must face the consequences of his actions. After I send you out, I will deal with him as well."
The Fox Immortal's form grew increasingly transparent. Before she faded entirely, she pointed at Su Luowei, and a map appeared in Su Luowei's mind.
It was a map of Fox Valley, showing that they were currently at the highest point of the valley. After leaving the temple, they could head northwest, follow the path, and return to the surface.
"Many years ago… Fox Valley was above ground," the Fox Immortal's voice was filled with nostalgia.
"Back then, you could see the changing seasons and the sun, moon, and stars. But later, to avoid calamity, we moved underground. The sun and moon here are illusions created by my divine power."
"I will soon enter a deep sleep. I hope this time your plan will succeed… and that Fox Valley can once again see the light of day."
When Su Luowei opened her eyes again, she found herself back in the main hall.
To her surprise, she was in Meng Shuying's arms. It seemed that when her consciousness was pulled into the white space, Meng Shuying had caught her.
Meng Shuying's arms were wrapped tightly around her, her eyes closed. It appeared that, like Su Luowei, Meng Shuying's consciousness had entered some mysterious realm.
This was a space of pure darkness, so dense that it seemed almost tangible.
When Meng Shuying opened her eyes, she instinctively adopted a defensive stance.
Earlier, when Su Luowei had approached the jade fox, Meng Shuying had been examining the black fox on the altar. Though her eyes weren't on Su Luowei, her attention was entirely focused on her.
So the moment Su Luowei collapsed, Meng Shuying had noticed and caught her in time.
But before she could figure out why Su Luowei had fainted, everything went black. When she opened her eyes again, her consciousness had been transported here.
"Are you Meng Shuying…" A cold, feminine voice suddenly echoed.
"Who's there? Stop hiding!" Meng Shuying demanded coldly.
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness, holding a long sword. She wore black clothes and a black fox mask, with only her white neck and hands visible.
"I am the Fox Servant," the figure said calmly.
"The servant of the Fox Immortal?" Meng Shuying narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing the newcomer. "You're still alive? Where is your master?"
While training in the mortal world, Meng Shuying had heard many stories, some of which involved the Fox Immortal.
According to legend, the Fox Immortal had a servant who was a black fox with formidable combat abilities and an unwavering loyalty to its master.
There were even stories of villagers who spoke ill of the Fox Immortal during the day, only to have the black fox enter their dreams at night to punish them, ensuring they never spoke disrespectfully again.
But after the collapse of the Fox Immortal Temples, the black fox had seemingly vanished.
Meng Shuying had assumed it was just a myth, but now, hearing this figure claim to be the Fox Servant, she recalled the stories that said wherever there was a Fox Immortal statue, a black fox would always be guarding it.
The Fox Servant replied, "As long as my master lives, I cannot die. My master has important matters to attend to, so she has sent me to meet you."