Without Chen Ping’an needing to utter a request, Lu Chen understood his intent, unfurling a forgotten painting as if retrieving a discarded scroll from a dusty scholar’s chest.

From atop Ink Splash Peak, the two cultivators loomed like deities gazing down upon the mortal coil. Mountains shrank to the size of mustard seeds, rivers thinned to silken threads, yet every soul and object within the landscape remained vividly detailed, impossible to conceal.

Within this painted realm of mountains and rivers, the wandering sandal-clad youth had vanished, as had Pei Qian, journeying from Tongye Continent to the boundaries of Joy Mountain. All else remained unaltered.

The sickly peddler and the butcher boiling entrails met their demise at the hands of the young swordsman from the Zhang clan of Celestial Garrison Commandery. The crane-cloaked scholar and the umbrella-wielding headless ghost continued their separate paths towards Abundant Joy Town. The dusky maiden, named Qingni, was entrusted to the spear-bearded, frog-bellied old warrior Qi Song by Zhou Qiu, his disciple Lu Mo in tow. On the craggy slopes, the Protector of the Realm, Cheng Qian, and the diviner Zhang Qiong were still to be found. Zhang Qiong, still abiding by the taboo of a maiden’s moonblood, refrained from casting his divination with the turtle shells. Because Lu Mo did not encounter Lu Chen, the warrior woman who in her past life served as a confidante to a Dragon Princess, lost her chance at a great destiny, a path leading to the arts of cultivation. Since Lu Chen did not visit the Dragon King’s temple by Hundred Flowers Lake, the stone tortoise at the foot of the mountain remained in silent submission. Within the flower-adorned hall, the Zhang Xiangdao family of Summer Solstice Prefecture remained unscathed in their watery lair, the mother and daughters of Yu Chunzhi sat to receive their guests, their words merely shifted in tone. Bai, Lord of Wedge Ridge, with his scholarly air, remained unwilling to flatter, drinking alone, “not being taken for a fool,” and his sleeve did not contain the flower-and-bird painting worth a single snowflake coin… Mead flowed and flowed, the mansion revelers oblivious to the tapestry of lust being woven. The goddess of Fallen Falcon Shrine, a Chu by blood, still succumbed to the wine’s allure. Yu Youyi tossed the severed head to the courtyard below the mountain and returned to sit by her side… As the appointed hour arrived, Qin Jue of Azure Gorge Isle and the talismanic energy of Old Dragon City departed Joy Mountain in silence. Yu Chunzhi, feigning friendship with Zhang Xiangdao, received a whispered confidence and, making an excuse, led her daughters away from the flower hall, uniting them with Yu Zhen and directing them to take refuge in the family shrine. Yu Youyi, with a troubled gaze, drank a cup of entwined arms with the mountain goddess, drawing envious stares from wild spirits and lewd deities. The mountain goddess, pale as death, felt a profound emptiness, a premonition of impending doom, yet she could only stare at Yu Youyi’s departing form. At the mountain gate, where Joy Mountain met Abundant Joy Town, monstrous insects surged like a rising tide towards the Joy Tree. For years barren, the Joy Tree bloomed suddenly, its blossoms like crimson umbrellas. Throughout the Powdered Rouge Manor, the air grew thick with perfumes, and the crane-cloaked scholar collapsed as if overcome by drink. Then, with the fury of a collapsing mountain, Fallen Falcon and Wisteria Mountains shifted and overturned, a cataclysm striking without warning. Within Powdered Rouge Manor, walls crumbled, earth tore open, and countless fissures appeared. Madam Pipa, belatedly realizing the danger, cried out, summoning her qi to flee, only to be struck down by a familiar rain banner. Monstrous beings who opened their lordly halls on Ape’s Ascent Path, and the hulking monsters with two alluring maids who came to freeload, were all pierced by ancient iron darts that flashed like lightning. The lewd deities, revealing their golden bodies, attempted to jointly withstand the calamity. The mountain god, Li Ting, raged, cursing Zhao Fuyang and Yu Chunzhi as soulless dogs. Zhang Xiangdao and the youth dubbed “Dragon Gills” had their heads pulverized by Zhao Fuyang’s astral projection. Zhang Xiangdao attempted an escape art, only to be dragged back into Powdered Rouge Manor, his body ground to dust, blood flowing freely. None of the Summer Solstice Prefecture water officials escaped. The upper and lower mountains, entwined like mating serpents, rolled violently across the earth, dust blotting out the sun, rumbling echoing for a thousand leagues. Sensing the peril, Cheng Qian and Zhang Qiong ordered Qi Song and Zhang Yujiao to contact the powers, including Emperor Liu of Azure Apricot Kingdom. They, only accompanied by Zhang Caiqin, sought to halt Zhao Fuyang’s unscrupulous path to ascendance, but it was in vain. As Zhao Fuyang predicted, he succeeded in “Coiling the Mountain,” ascending to become a Nascent Soul Mountain Serpent. Even his partner Yu Chunzhi, merely from a satiating meal, ascended to become a Nascent Soul Sky Fox, though her realm remained unstable. Zhao Fuyang, revealing his true form, dodged the attack of Cheng Qian and his allies. Yu Chunzhi, to ensure Zhao Fuyang and the young ones of the Yu Clan escaped the encirclement, fought to the death, using her tricks to hold off Cheng Qian and Zhang Qiong. At last, she fell, struck by Cheng Qian’s lightning magic, her fate unknown. Zhao Fuyang charged onward, mountain and water spirits, and cultivators of various realms, seeing the danger, making way for him to avoid his wrath. The mountain serpent harmed none save the swordswoman Zhang Caiqin, who bravely struck with her sword, her blade illuminating the night like day, dense sword light like an arrow rain. It wounded the serpent’s massive head but could not stop his flight. Instead, she was struck by the serpent’s tail, flung against the cliff of Ink Splash Peak. When she recovered her sword, she coughed blood, able to only watch Zhao Fuyang escape, eventually retreating into a secret mountain grotto protected by an array, disappearing.

The painted scene shifted. In a desolate shrine in the capital of the Azure Apricot Kingdom, a bloody, mangled “small serpent” coiled between the false rocks of a garden, barely a foot long. It had serpentine horns, a nascent dragon, coiled, suppressing its faint, bloody scent, and closed its eyes to heal its wounds. Within this mountain serpent’s belly lay a separate world, where Yu Zhen, Zhao Yan, and the others were saddened by the misfortune of what happened to Yu Chunzhi. They had never forgiven Zhao Fuyang for it but, inside the serpent, they could hear Zhao Fuyang say, “Cheng Qian would not dare kill your mother.”

Strangely, Abundant Joy Town at the mountain’s foot, was untouched in this calamity, as if it was a tofu block on a table, pushed out of the way by Zhao Fuyang’s tail.

The humble clerk of the town, along with his table, had tumbled into the town. Yet, miraculously, no living soul in the town had perished.

Cheng Qian hovered in the air at the border, the old venerable man with the face of a youth, his expression grim.

On the ground, Yu Chunzhi, previously unconscious, sat up, smoothing her hair, her expression serene, a mocking smile on her face.

The Azure Apricot Kingdom, and all the spirits, cultivators, and barely harmed armies of the surrounding countries were in an uproar, filled with discussions.

Especially the generals of the kingdoms aside from Azure Apricot, they all shared the same thought, their expedition had more thunder than rain, but it worked out for them. They acquired land without much of a fight. As for Azure Apricot Kingdom, had they ended up losing more than what they gained? Wouldn’t Golden Citadel’s Azure Peak and Heavenly Garrison Commandery Zhang Clan now be locked in a death feud with Zhao Fuyang?

Inside a carriage, the crown prince of the Azure Apricot Kingdom looked at the three imperial seals delivered to him, all perfectly intact. What was Zhao Fuyang planning?

The old emperor looked complicated, putting down a crude report he was reading. He deliberated for a long time, then said, “Immediately give the order to imprison the fox demon Yu Chunzhi. She must be strictly guarded, with no mistakes tolerated.”

The young prince nodded, ready to leave the carriage. Worried that he didn’t understand the importance of it all, especially because it was so critical, the old emperor spoke in more detail, patiently explaining, “Do not let Cheng Zhenren be angered and slay this Joy Mountain fox immortal. Remember one thing. If Azure Peak protests, tell them the court will hand her over to the Lakeside Academy for judgment.”

Yu Chunzhi carried a ledger, clearly recording the misdeeds of those who died in Powdered Rouge Manor that night. Zhang Xiangdao of Summer Solstice Prefecture, Madam Pipa, the monsters, and Mountain God Li Ting of Wisteria Shrine, were all listed, with dates and details. Then a “etc.” was included to imply additional misdeeds of the Mountain Goddess of Fallen Falcon Shrine, Bai Mao of Serenity Lodge were all listed.

At the same time, when Zhao Fuyang took Zhang Caiqin’s sword, he spoke a sentence in the form of a secret whisper, “The feud between Joy Mountain and Heavenly Garrison Commandery Zhang Clan ends here.”

Thus, the newly ascended Nascent Soul earth immortal who feigned a unstable realm, controlled the power with great care, and did not damage Zhang Caiqin’s roots.

Lu Chen put away this special scroll of time and light, and laughed, “Looking further will be of little interest.”

It was evident the pedigree cultivator of great advantage on paper was defeated by an unbridled, uncultured spirit of the wild.

Lu Chen chuckled, “From this, Cheng Qian owes Governor Chen two favors.”

Heaven and earth blended to create its form, day and night flowing seamlessly, spring existing everywhere.

The night-shrouded world resembled a youth pausing for rest, ready to journey onward at dawn.

Chen Ping’an did not comment on the battle, instead asking an unrelated question, “Is the Harmony of the Worlds inspiration related to your *Perfecting Integrity Amulet*?”

If World-A depended only on refining objects, even with the “Crafter” Divine Ability, she could not ascend to the Fourteenth Realm. Her Dao was too fragmented, impossible to unify. The object would hinder rather than empower the Dao, no matter how many celestial weapons she crafted. At most, it would help her maintain her position as the foremost cultivator among the Ascended Realm, but as time flowed, she would grow more distant from the new Fourteenth Realm grand cultivators like Wu Shuangjiang of Year-End Palace and Sun, Headmaster of Mystical Metropolis.

“Careful, careful!”

Startled by Chen Ping’an’s bluntness, Lu Chen waved his sleeve, summoning a secret talisman to prevent World-A from overhearing and misunderstanding any secret alliance between him and Chen Ping’an. Thankfully, they were not in Azure Vast Sky, allowing Lu Chen a chance to remedy the situation. World-A was always suspicious and patient, and she would surely question Lu, Headmaster, for centuries.

“I would not dare take credit. With her steadfast Dao Heart and incredible talent, whether she walks this path to complete her ‘fragmented’ state or not, she can ascend to the Fourteenth Realm, in due time.”

Lu Chen rubbed his face, frustrated, “It’s only a case of ‘said casually, heard carefully.'”

Therefore, Lu Chen harbored no sense of bestowing favor, and World-A would certainly not feel indebted.

Chen Ping’an asked, “If I were to meet her one day, would she use her strength to seize what I possess?”

In his scroll, Lu Chen listed many whose forms were incomplete, with physical defects, but possessed complete virtue. They all had individual flaws, such as blindness, deafness, lameness, and hunchbacks.

According to Wu Shuangjiang, the Fourteenth Realm female cultivator, who has Taoist title of “Tai Yin”, had already set her sights on Chen Ping’an, who possessed “Execution” and “Cutting”. Wu Shuangjiang had revealed that if not for Yao Qing’s protection and a secret agreement with World-A, Bai Ou, the female marshal of Azure Divinity Dynasty who possessed a Mountain-Splitting Halberd, might not have been able to pass through World-A’s defenses.

World-A was indeed a ruthless figure, who had long ago refined her spirit, body, bones, flesh, and even hair into nothingness. In essence, she had refined herself into a natal object, thoroughly breaking herself down before rebuilding. In this way, she could carry all things within a Grand Void Realm. Now World-A was “human in appearance, emptiness in heaven,” existing between a perfect being and a deity.

Lu Chen replied euphemistically, “If you were an Ascended Realm sword cultivator, or equal in realm to her, she likely would not trouble you. If you met, she would nod in acknowledgment, and you would each walk your own way.”

In other words, as long as Chen Ping’an’s realm was lacking, he would definitely not be able to hold on to the ancient Divine object.

Instinct told Chen Ping’an that if he traveled to Azure Vast Sky, he would encounter World-A before reaching Jade Capital, and that their meeting would not be amicable.

Lu, Headmaster of Jade Capital, had one virtue. If one sincerely sought guidance, Lu Chen would always respond with earnest words.

Lu Chen picked up a stone from the ground. The formation was merely a deception crafted by the sword-carrying youth, specially designed to fool the paranoid. It intentionally created an illusion, so that after “piercing through the deception,” one would mistakenly believe the youth was bluffing. It was the same concept as an empty scabbard. Even if the sandal-wearing youth was only a split-soul of Chen Ping’an, how could he not know any swordplay?

“Even deities struggle to catch midday fish.”

Lu Chen weighed the stone, smiling, “But I found that elusive fish that slipped through the net.”

Chen Ping’an was slightly surprised. Had he already found his trail?

Lu Chen stated decisively, “My judgment of people is impeccable. I have confirmed his identity. This child will surely achieve greatness!”

Chen Ping’an asked, “Do you plan to take him as a direct disciple, bringing him back to Jade Capital to cultivate in Southern Flowery City, or let him grow in the Great Balance World, with Cao Rong and others watching over him?”

Lu Chen tossed the stone off the cliff, “Haste makes waste. He has reached a crossroads. I want to wait and see which path he takes.”

After a brief silence, Lu Chen’s expression became strange. He waved his hand as if shooing away a mosquito, trying to dispel the shadows in his heart, casually asking, “Won’t you ask who it is?”

First, Zhao Fuyang of Embracing the Clouds Prefecture, secretly possessed a portrait of Headmaster Lu, presumptuously crafting a lotus Daoist crown, sincerely hoping to one day travel the world as an ordained Daoist of the Southern Flowery City lineage of Jade Capital.

Then, Cheng Qian, the current head of the Golden Citadel Sect, because of these two small matters, harbored murderous intent towards Zhao Fuyang. Next to the old Zhang clan head of Heavenly Garrison Commandery, Cheng Qian blurted out, gnashing his teeth, “To wear the garb without possessing the Dao is a crime deserving death!”

I thank you all.

Was this a case of the upper beam being crooked, causing the lower beam to follow? There’s no reason for that, it can’t be. I, Headmaster Lu, have always made friends everywhere and maintained uprightness when traveling.

Chen Ping’an shook his head, instead inquiring about the talisman Lu Chen displayed earlier, “Does this talisman have a name?”

Lu Chen regained his composure, smiling, “Temporarily named ‘See You Again,’ the opposite of an arrow loosed with no turning back. Actually, ‘Regret Medicine’ is also a good name.”

Lu Chen smiled, “If you had known Zhao Fuyang would do such a thing, would you have come here in your true form?”

Chen Ping’an nodded.

Lu Chen knew. A question had troubled Chen Ping’an for a long time. Sadly, over the years, no mentor had been able to provide a satisfying answer, one that the mentor could then convince the student. That was why Chen Ping’an had asked Zhou Qiu and Liu Tie that question earlier, hoping to break through the impasse from a different perspective.

One matter, the same process, the same result, what is the difference if different people do it?

Unfortunately, the brute Liu Tie missed the point, and Zhou Qiu was hesitant, unwilling to reveal her true thoughts.

Lu Chen said softly, “A person who is not strong enough in heart, constantly self-reflecting and denying himself, will only become weaker.”

“To be content in life, to know deficiency in deeds, that is all.”

Chen Ping’an squatted down, taking out the crimson wine gourd that had been his companion for many years, taking a drink, his expression serene, “Being concerned in heart.”

Lu Chen turned to look. The Chen Ping’an before him was tall, with a clear and pure presence, wearing a golden crown, a green gauze robe, holding a white jade lingzhi, and stepping on cloud-treading shoes.

Compared to the sandal-clad youth carrying a sword in Powdered Rouge Manor, they were like two different people, not only in appearance but in temperament.

The saying “rebirth” originated in Taoism, and it was very fitting for them.

Each of Chen Ping’an’s split-souls carried a deeper meaning. The one before him was likely the “original appearance” of a earth immortal-level cultivator. Had his natal porcelain not been broken in his youth, or had he left Luminous Pearl Grotto early, absorbed by a sect or immortal mansion as a direct descendant of the ancestral hall, or if he only waited for the opportune moment when the heavens changed, the youth from Mud Bottle Lane could have risen, seizing several opportunities in Daoist arts, steadily shedding his earthen aura and taking on a full aura of the Dao.

The slender, sword-carrying one was likely the youth of Mud Bottle Lane who never spent money to buy a mountain, relying solely on a boxing manual to enter the hall, the meaning of the fists taking over, embarking on a pure path of martial arts. After leaving his hometown, he might have joined the army like a large-bearded wandering knight, drifting aimlessly before returning home to settle down, or he might have accumulated wealth like a certain Song, retiring early to enjoy his grandchildren.

As for the Confucian scholar with a traveling staff, climbing mountains and watching clouds in a temple within Yu Continent, he was likely a scholar who never cultivated the Dao or practiced martial arts. In the Great Li government, he might have risen to great heights, returning home in glory to honor his ancestors, or he might have been frustrated, either demoted or resigning, retiring to the forests to enjoy flowers and the moon.

Chen Ping’an, limited by his current Nascent Soul realm and limited talismanic resources, could not perform miracles without rice. The seven split-souls he created were of low levels of cultivation.

This split-soul of Chen Ping’an that Lu Chen assisted, one of the two that were concealed in the dark, had a rare azure talisman used to shape the bone structure of a Golden Body Realm warrior. Lu Chen believed the other Chen Ping’an would be a burly, crude brute, a seeming hoodlum who was actually a Qi Practitioner with several flying swords. In contrast, the one on Ink Wash Peak, the very image of a immortal, and whoever tried to kill the “frail” scholar would be the unlucky one.

Perhaps, in the eyes of the cultivators on the summit, Chen Ping’an’s cautious measures were all clownish tricks.

But of the cultivators who could see through the truth, only World-A was in conflict with Chen Ping’an, which was an exception. What ascended cultivator would not take the words carved on the city walls of “Young Governor” seriously?

The title of Governor had weight, especially with the prefix “young.”

Like in the battle on Lifting Moon Mountain, where victory was decided at the summit, the great demon responsible for guarding Lifting Moon Mountain, a reclusive ascended sword cultivator, had his head severed. He resented Chen Ping’an, thinking he relied on his unearned realm, long sword, and pure divinity, and was an undeserved victory.

Chen Ping’an used one truthful sentence to convince the first disciple of the Great Ancestor of Lifting Moon Mountain.

In essence, if Chen Ping’an had his long lifespan, he would not have been able to witness Chen Ping’an in the sword contest.

At that moment, as night deepened, Zhao Fuyang of Flourishing Yin Prefecture revealed his towering Dharmic Aspect, standing above the Fallen Falcon Shrine, roaring, “Cheng Qian, Zhang Qiong, do not take advantage of me too much!”

Despite his elaborate schemes and planning, Zhao Fuyang could not have foreseen that during his closed-door cultivation, about to refine the mountains, he would discover that Fallen Falcon and Wisteria Mountains were immovable.

On a distant stone cliff, the Golden Citadel Sect headmaster and the Zhang clan head of Heavenly Garrison Commandery thought that Prefecture Lord Zhao’s complaints were quite justified. If they were in his place, they would have been just as unhinged.

Lu Chen chuckled, “One side is cursing with righteous indignation, the other side is being cursed deservedly, a lucky accident.”

In the sea of clouds, a immortal raft ship concealed its presence. The founder of Xiang lineage brought Wen Zixi and the old woman with her, remotely using a shrinking earth divine ability to arrive at Joy Mountain’s mountain gate.

Wen Zixi saw the Joy Tree densely covered with insects, then looked up at Zhao Fuyang’s angry Dharmic Aspect on the summit, and laughed, “What’s going on here?”

The founder of Xiang still did not explain her intentions, and did not choose to ride the wind, but walked up the mountain on foot.

A young accountant stood on the table, looking at the three refined-looking unexpected guests, trembling, unable to speak.

Wen Zixi slightly released his martial intent, and the mountain path echoed with the sound of firecrackers. He occasionally glanced at the summit, casually asking, “Founder Xiang, this golden core cultivator with a bad reputation, since he’s so evil, why not kill him?”

Founder Xiang was silent, trying to steady her Dao Heart.

The Grand Ancestor, whom she had only seen in the portrait in the Ancestral Hall of Spiritual Soaring Temple, might be somewhere on the mountain, causing her great nervousness.

She still remembered vividly, when she became a personal disciple as a child, her master Cao Rong first took her to the Ancestral Hall to worship the portrait of the Grand Ancestor, the solemnity and reverence he displayed when offering incense to the portrait.

But it was also possible that the Grand Ancestor had only issued a decree to her master, ordering her to bring Wen Zixi to this place, and that the headmaster was watching this mountain and river from afar?

She took a deep breath, reminding the two behind her in secret, “We’ll talk about it at Powdered Rouge Manor.”

The old woman was even more uneasy, wondering why the upper sect’s founder had chosen to come here.

However, Xing Zi, the peak lord of Pure Serenity Peak, reasoned that her Golden Immortal Convent had nothing to hide, and had no conflict of interest with Zhao Fuyang, the lord of this mountain. As long as she was righteous, she had nothing to fear. When they went up the mountain and met Zhao Fuyang, she would simply adapt to the situation, and not betray herself with empty gestures.

Zhao Fuyang looked down, first surprised and worried. Recognizing the old woman from the Golden Immortal Convent lineage, and seeing the female cultivator’s Daoist crown, Zhao Fuyang was soon relieved. After a moment of hesitation, he withdrew his Dharmic Aspect, put on a Daoist robe, and wore the lotus crown he had treasured for many years. But he quickly removed the crown, appearing as an ordained Daoist of the Golden Immortal Convent lineage of Golden Citadel Sect. He bowed respectfully, “Disobedient disciple Zhao Fuyang of the Golden Immortal Convent lineage greets Founder Xiang of the upper sect, Senior Wen, and Peak Lord Xing.”

Founder Xiang frowned, seeming puzzled.

No wonder Grand Ancestor Lu had asked her to come to Joy Mountain, was it to help Zhao Fuyang out of his predicament?

Since it had come to this, Xing Zi immediately explained to Founder Xiang, saying that Zhao Fuyang was indeed a outer disciple of the Golden Citadel Sect, and even a personal disciple of a certain senior master in private. However, the cultivators of Verdant Summit had made a big deal out of Zhao Fuyang’s origins and identity, and Zhao Fuyang did not want to implicate that senior master’s reputation, so he left the Golden Citadel Sect in anger.

Founder Xiang nodded, not commenting, saying, “Let’s cast a blinding spell and take a seat at the manor.”

Then she asked Zhao Fuyang to bring the gift list.

Even though Zhao Fuyang was anxious, he did not show it, going down to the foot of the mountain to get a register from the accountant, and returning to the mountain path to offer it with both hands.

During this trip back and forth, Zhao Fuyang wondered why, as the host, he could not “Coil the Mountain.” Was it because this female cultivator of the Taoist Palace was interfering? Was she reminding him not to cause a scene? Not to hurt the “fraternal feelings” between him and Cheng Qian, who was also a disciple of Spiritual Soaring Palace?

Founder Xiang flipped through the gift list quickly. She held the register, intentionally choosing an angle. When she flipped to the last page, her Dao Heart suddenly trembled.

Quickly closing the register, she sighed inwardly, but her eyes suddenly became hot.

Indeed! On the last column, three guest names were written, “Chen Ren, Zheng Qian, and Daoist Lu Chen.”

According to the register, the gifts were… two snowflake coins each?

As expected of her Grand Ancestor Lu, he truly liked to play among mortals.

She just didn’t know who these Chen Ren and Zheng Qian were?

Could it be the female grandmaster known by the alias Zheng Qian, Pei Qian of Fallen Phoenix Mountain?

By the same logic, Chen Ren, was the young Governor Chen’s alias?

In an instant, the female cultivator’s face flickered, and when she looked down again, there was only one person on the gift list, “Daoist Lu Chen.”

Deprived of some memories, Founder Xiang did not notice. She simply put the register away silently, saying, “Our visit tonight does not need to be announced, Prefecture Lord Zhao.”

Zhao Fuyang bowed, following orders. Said there was no need, but in reality he could not.

After they entered Powdered Rouge Manor, Founder Xiang told Zhao Fuyang to attend to his affairs. Eventually, she stopped, only glancing around, a little disappointed. She had not seen Grand Ancestor Lu. That’s right, if Grand Ancestor Lu really wanted to hide, she would not recognize him.

At that moment, she felt that everyone in the several banquet halls seemed like Grand Ancestor Lu.

Zhao Fuyang returned to the family shrine, his partner Yu Chunzhi absent-minded. Failing to “Coil the Mountain,” would they just sit and await their doom? Yu Zhen, Zhao Yan, and the others were also at a loss, looking at each other in silence.

After a moment of thought, Founder Xiang chose a relatively quiet side hall, bringing Wen Zixi and Xing Zi to sit at an empty table. Next to them sat a sword-carrying youth who seemed arrogant, next to a young woman with a round bun and freckles on her face, a crane-cloaked scholar-like skeletal ghost, and a somewhat handsome… bald monk.

On the matter of Joy Mountain, was there a close relationship between Jade Capital’s Headmaster Lu and that White Bones Grand Ancestor?

As for the ancestral temple of the Temple of Spiritual Flight, perhaps it was some indication from the Grand Ancestor?

Founder Xiang couldn’t help but give him a few looks, and the crane-cloaked scholar gave the female cultivator a smile and a nod. As the Founder became more astonished and doubtful, was this actually him?

The old woman sat up straight, carefully guessing the purpose of Founder Xiang’s trip. Wen Zixi, after sitting down, was even more confused, secretly whispering, “Founder Xiang, what are we doing?”

Founder Xiang didn’t have a concrete idea at the moment, focusing on guessing whether or not the crane-cloaked scholar was whom she was thinking of, she could only brush it off, “I have my own plans, just eat and drink as you please.”

After hesitating for a long time, she mustered her courage and spoke in as steady a voice as possible, secretly asking the tomb ghost with a string of military talismans and jade pendants hanging on his waist, “May I ask, who are you?”

Lord Bai thought that he had been approached by a young and beautiful female cultivator, thinking that his luck had turned around, and was immediately excited. But considering himself to be well-read, he coughed a few times and remembered a saying that Lu Daozhang had just showed off, and blurted out to the female cultivator, “We met by chance, why ask for names? Doubting my dream as I drink, I’d advise you to also doubt yourself.”