High above the mortal plane, far beyond the starry sky of the Azure Cloud Continent, two cosmic eyes looked down into the Azure Cloud forest.
The mortal world was a chessboard of destiny, but a soul as unique as Ethan's—a traveler from another world possessing an anomalous celestial artifact—had caught the attention of entities that existed long before the universe was formed.
Deep within the celestial heavens, the Primordial Goddess of the Kitsune reclined upon a throne of starlight. Her multi-tailed silhouette cast shadows across entire galaxies. She watched the tiny white fox sitting on the willow branch, meticulously reviewing her status sheet.
"A soul of a man, reborn in the sacred form of my kin, holding a power that defies the heavenly laws," the Kitsune Goddess purred, her voice causing the constellations to tremble. "The humans of that realm are greedy. They see my children as pets, mounts, or materials. I will not have a bearer of my blood enslaved by mere mortals."
With a wave of her silken sleeve, a streak of silver moonlight shot downward, completely bypassing the barriers of the mortal world.
Right next to her, a magnificent bird of cosmic flame spread her wings. The Primordial Goddess of the Phoenixes let out a cry that echoed through eternity. "If you protect her freedom, sister, then I shall provide the teeth to enforce it. Let those who try to shackle her learn the true meaning of purgatory."
A drop of crimson, sun-bright flame fell from the Phoenix Goddess's beak, hurtling down through the atmosphere alongside the silver beam.
Down in the weeping willow, Ethan remained blissfully unaware of the cosmic eyes tracking her. She was hyper-focused on the heavy footsteps approaching the base of her tree. She leaned forward, balancing her small paws on the bark, preparing to use her Inspect skill on the human below.
Suddenly, two rapid notifications flashed across her screen in a blinding, golden text that looked completely different from the System's standard blue layout.
[ ALERT: A Divine Presence has bypassed world boundaries! ]
[ Ding! You have received the Blessing of the Primordial Kitsune Goddess: 'Untamable Spirit'. ]
* Effect: The host is fundamentally immune to all forms of master-servant contracts, taming arrays, beast-enslavement collars, and spiritual brandings. Your soul cannot be forcefully bound.
[ Ding! You have received the Blessing of the Primordial Phoenix Goddess: 'Vermilion Backlash'. ]
* Effect: If any mortal attempts to forcefully tame, brand, or shackle the host, the Phoenix's primordial flame will erupt from the host's soul and incinerate the perpetrator.
* Damage Scaling: Low-cultivation mortals (Body Refinement to Qi Condensation) will be instantly burned to ashes. High-cultivation mortals will suffer catastrophic internal damage, scarring, and permanent reduction of their cultivation realm.
Ethan blinked, her tiny fox jaw dropping. Wait, what?!
She hadn't bought anything from the shop. She hadn't completed a quest. Two literal primordial goddesses had just looked at a Level 5 infant fox and decided to grant her passive legendary-tier protections.
"I don't know who you two are," Ethan thought, looking up at the night sky through the leaves with a profound sense of gratitude. "But thank you. I promise I won't let your forms be disgraced."
Before she could fully process her new cosmic insurance policy, the brush beneath the willow tree parted completely.
A young man stepped into the clearing. He wore the flowing, midnight-blue robes of a sect disciple, stitched with silver thread along the collar. A jade amulet hung from his belt, glowing with a soft defensive light, and he held a gleaming steel sword in his right hand.
He was tracking the blood trail of the Iron-Tusk Wolf, but as he stopped right under Ethan's tree, he looked around in confusion. The trail ended abruptly in a patch of flattened, blood-soaked grass.
"The blood is fresh... but where is the carcass?" the young man muttered, his brow furrowing. "Did another beast drag it away?"
Perched securely above him, Ethan narrowed her bright eyes and locked her gaze onto his head.
Inspect, she commanded mentally.