Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

The imperial edict of the Heavenly Demon Dynasty left the capital, shaking the entire land.

The imperial edicts posted at the gates of various prefectures and cities were not made of ordinary paper, but of brocade inlaid with gold thread, and were stamped with the large seal of Emperor Shitian, which carried the aura of a demon emperor.

The plot is simple, yet also absurd: to find the nine-tailed celestial fox and welcome back the dynasty.

The rewards were dazzling: a million top-grade spirit stones, the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households, the bestowal of a royal surname, and joint rule over the world.

This isn't a search for a person; it's clearly gambling with half the country.

The demon dynasty had existed for ten thousand years, but its fate was already nearing its end.

The borderland, a sacred land of the human race, is eyeing us covetously, while the various demon kings within the borders hold considerable power and armies.

Although Indra, this old lion, usually has some tricks up his sleeve, his actions this time, in the eyes of discerning people, are nothing more than a desperate attempt to use the name of "auspicious omens" to give his crumbling imperial power a breather.

But in this world, the most common type of person is a gambler who wants to get rich quick.

On the official road leading to the imperial capital, Tianyao City, dust billowed and carriages and horses never stopped.

Local government officials were going to great lengths to figure out what their superiors wanted.

Since His Majesty is looking for "auspicious creatures," then any strange-looking animal with a touch of divine aura, regardless of whether it's a fox or not, should be sent over first.

A long line of prison vans covered with black cloth stretched out.

There was a five-colored golden pheasant sent from southern Xinjiang, which was claimed to be a "divine bird" with the bloodline of the phoenix. The few long feathers on its tail were painted on with dye, and the color would come off as soon as it got wet.

A white snake was sent from the East Sea, said to be a "spirit snake" about to transform into a dragon. However, it was found coiled up in a cage and only flicked its tongue to eat mice.

Some people even brought in a monster with a long neck and spotted body from overseas, named it "Tang Wulin", saying it was a distant relative of the Qilin and could suppress the nation's fortune with this auspicious beast.

The guards at the gates of the capital were so busy they barely had time to breathe; just cleaning up the excrement and urine left by these animals required three shifts of people.

Even more lively than these birds and beasts are the people.

Once the imperial edict was issued, all the demons and monsters that had been lurking in the deep mountains and forests, in the countryside and in the city came out.

The once bustling Vermilion Bird Street in the Heavenly Demon City has now become a variety show venue.

Practitioners, who are rarely seen on ordinary days, are now everywhere on the streets.

There was a monk dressed in tattered robes, with a string of human bone prayer beads around his neck. He sat at the entrance of a restaurant, eating meat with gusto, his mouth dripping with oil. He said he was practicing "Joyful Zen" and could help His Majesty distinguish between male and female fox demons.

There was a Taoist priest carrying a peach wood sword, with a big bald head. He would hand out talismans to anyone he met, saying that he was an outcast from the Celestial Master's Mansion. He claimed that as long as you put down a talisman, no matter if you are a nine-tailed fox or a nine-headed worm, you will have to reveal your true form.

There were also shamans from southern Xinjiang, their faces painted with colorful greasepaint, holding skull staffs, performing rituals in the street, chanting incantations, claiming they could summon spirits to ask for directions.

It was a chaotic mess, with demons running rampant.

At the vegetable market entrance in the south of the city, a large crowd had gathered, with cheers rising and falling.

In the center of the crowd, there was a large oil pot.

Dry firewood was burning fiercely at the bottom of the pot, and the oil inside was bubbling and steaming, with intense heat emanating from it.

Two old men stood in front of the oil vat.

One was as thin as a monkey, wearing an ill-fitting, oversized robe, with two whiskers on his chin; the other was as fat as a pig, shirtless, with a belly full of fat, and his eyes turned into slits when he smiled.

"Fellow villagers, elders!"

The skinny old man held a copper gong in his hand, banged it twice, and shouted in his hoarse voice that shook the heavens.

"My fellow disciple and I are wandering immortals descended from Mount Kunlun! Today, passing by your esteemed land, we saw a demonic aura soaring to the heavens, and thus came to display our supernatural powers to relieve His Majesty's worries and rid the people of this scourge!"

The fat old man didn't say anything, just chuckled and walked to the oil fryer.

He stretched out a greasy hand and, in full view of everyone, plunged it into the boiling oil.

It's sizzling!

A gasp rippled through the crowd, and the timid woman covered her eyes.

The expected screams of agony, with flesh torn open, did not come.

The fat old man stirred the oil in the pan a couple of times with a look of enjoyment, as if it were warm water rather than boiling oil.

A moment later, he raised his hand and pulled a copper coin from the bottom of the pot.

The copper coin was burning red-hot, emitting white smoke in his hand, but he casually rubbed it into powder.

"good!"

"Amazing! Truly amazing!"

The onlookers were stunned and began throwing coins and silver into the arena.

As the skinny old man picked up the money, he shouted smugly, "That's just a child's play! My junior brother has cultivated an indestructible body, impervious to water and fire! Next, this old Taoist will demonstrate something even more powerful—using talismans to catch ghosts!"

He pulled a piece of yellow paper from his pocket, on which were drawn scribbled symbols with cinnabar.

Then someone brought over a bowl of water.

"Heavenly spirits, earthly spirits, Laozi, by your urgent command! Appear!"

The skinny old man threw the yellow paper into the water.

The once clear water instantly turned blood red.

Immediately afterwards, a hideous ghost face slowly appeared on the yellow paper, with a blue face and fangs, looking terrifying.

"Ah! A ghost! There really is a ghost!"

The crowd recoiled in fright, and several children burst into tears.

The skinny old man splashed the bloody water from the bowl onto the ground, his expression arrogant: "In this capital city, demons roam freely! But don't be afraid, everyone. With my fellow disciples here, whether it's a nine-tailed fox or a ten-tailed fox, as long as it dares to show its face, this old Taoist priest can suppress it with a single talisman!"

The fat old man chimed in, patting his belly and boasting, "That's right! My senior brother's talisman-making skills are truly mastered! Let alone catching a fox spirit, he could turn the Milky Way upside down!"

"Stirring up the Milky Way?"

A soft laugh came from the edge of the crowd.

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an indescribable chill and sarcasm.

It was a woman.

In this bustling city filled with the smell of sweat and dust, her cleanliness made her seem somewhat out of place.

She was dressed in a moon-white men's long gown, holding a folding fan in her hand, her hair tied up high, revealing a section of her slender neck.

Although he was dressed as a man, the noble air about him could not be concealed.

She stood at the back of the crowd, waving a folding fan in her hand, her eyes fixed on the two old swindlers in the middle of the room, a hint of amusement flashing in them.

Taking money from a frying pan?

It's just that vinegar was added to the oil. Vinegar has a low boiling point, so it looks scalding hot, but it's actually just warm.

Using talismans to exorcise ghosts?

That's just turmeric paper changing color when it comes into contact with alkaline water.

This kind of trickery might fool the ignorant masses, but to dare to bring it to the capital and embarrass oneself, and even dare to claim that it can stir up the Milky Way.

The woman stopped waving her fan.

She looked at the skinny old man who was still boasting and spitting as he spoke, and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"Tianhe..."

She repeated the two words in a low voice.

That instant.

Her aura changed.

He originally looked like a rich young master, but now he suddenly exudes a chilling aura.

The surrounding crowd seemed to be pushed aside by an invisible hand, unconsciously creating a space of about ten feet around her.

Several nearby idlers felt a chill run down their spines, their hair stood on end, as if they were being stared at by some prehistoric beast, and they scrambled away in terror.

The thin old man in the arena seemed to sense something as well.

He abruptly stopped boasting and looked over in their direction with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.

But it was completely empty.

There were only a few shoes that had been knocked off, and a mess of chicken feathers.

The woman in white had already vanished without a trace.

"Senior brother, what's wrong?" The fat old man took his hand out of the oil pan, shook off the oil, and asked, "Did you see a ghost?"

The skinny old man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and chuckled dryly, "No...it's nothing, I must have been seeing things. Keep acting, keep acting! I'm in a good mood today, I'll give you all another chest-breaking boulder performance!"

……

At the end of Suzaku Avenue stands a towering restaurant called "Zhaixing Tower".

That's the highest point in the entire Heavenly Demon City, offering a panoramic view of the whole city.

The window in the private room on the top floor was half open.

The woman in white was sitting by the window, holding a white jade wine cup in her hand, looking down at the bustling crowd below, which seemed like ants.

"A bunch of idiots."

She took a small sip of her drink, her voice indifferent.

"Emperor Indra is getting more and more out of touch with reality, actually believing in such absurd dream omens."

She turned her head and looked north.

That's the direction of Yunmengze.

This is also the place where the demonic energy has fluctuated most violently in the past few days.

"but……"

The woman put down her wine glass and gently tapped her folding fan in her palm.

"Since the water is already muddy, I don't mind adding fuel to the fire."

"Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox..."

She stood up.

In that instant, her shadow stretched long on the wall.

The shadow twisted and shifted.

It doesn't look like a human.

It looks more like a coiled... dragon.

"Someone come here."

The woman spoke softly.

Two men in black silently emerged from the shadows of the private room, kneeling on one knee.

"My lord."

"Go check."

The woman looked at the huge imperial edict posted on the city wall outside the window, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.

"Find out what exactly happened in that dream."

"besides."

"Keep an eye on those two old swindlers."

"To dare to flaunt the name 'Tianhe' in the capital, there must be someone behind it."

"yes!"

The man in black obeyed the order and instantly vanished into black smoke.

The woman sat back down by the window, unfolded the folding fan, and gently waved it.

A landscape painting is depicted on the fan.

But that mountain wasn't a mountain; it was a mountain of corpses.

The water is not water; it is a sea of ​​blood.

"Yunmengze..."

She murmured to herself.

I hope you won't let me down.

The wind rises.

The wind stirred the banners throughout the city, and also disrupted the chessboard of this entire land.