Having already resolved to accept Jiang Wang’s aid, Ye Qingyu held back nothing. “Later, I shall compile a summary of the situation in Chi Yun Mountain, the fighting styles of the other prominent families, and their respective strengths and weaknesses. I will present this information to you in a small handbook.”

Jiang Wang nodded, inquiring, “When do we depart for Chi Yun Mountain?”

“I have already been there once, completed the preliminary rites for entering the mountain, and even met with the various factions, though I did not encounter Yun You Weng.” Ye Qingyu explained, “The next visit will be for the formal opening of Chi Yun Mountain. There are still ten days remaining.”

“Brother!” Jiang Anan, who had been listening for a while, chimed in eagerly, “Then we can still play for a few more days?”

“No more playing,” Jiang Wang said with a smile, his eyes narrowing. He gently steered her in a different direction. “Now, back for evening lessons! You are a Transcendent Cultivator now, Jiang Anan!”

After seeing the clearly reluctant Jiang Anan back to her room, Jiang Wang went directly to find Xiang Qian.

The agreement for Chi Yun Mountain was still ten days away. This provided ample time to complete the arrangements he had planned beforehand.

For instance… taking Xiang Qian to a certain place.

When he found Xiang Qian, the usually glum young man was grinning foolishly.

“Did something good happen?” Jiang Wang asked, a touch of curiosity in his voice.

“You wouldn’t believe it if I told you,” Xiang Qian said gleefully. “I was just strolling outside, and as I walked, a magical artifact descended from the sky. What do you say about that for luck!”

He showed Jiang Wang the snow-white hairpin in his hand. “It can condense a cloud carriage, absolutely imposing! And the speed is incredible!”

Jiang Wang could only express his envy. After all, he didn’t understand the Ling Xiao Secret Realm well and was unaware if there was a “tradition” of dropped treasures in this place.

“Where were you strolling? I might try my luck there sometime.”

“Fate is not something to be forced,” Xiang Qian boasted vigorously, then let out a very affected sigh. “I’ve done so much menial work and dirty deeds for a certain lord, yet I haven’t gained many Dao Yuan Stones. I’ve only been at Ling Xiao Pavilion for a few days, and just a stroll led me to pick up a magical artifact. Could this be the difference wealth makes? Is the gap between people truly this vast?”

Jiang Wang pretended not to hear and went straight to the point. “Anyway, you don’t need to pack. Let’s go.”

“What do you mean I don’t need to pack!” Xiang Qian subconsciously retorted, but then, upon reflection, realized he was indeed too lazy to pack. He then asked, “Where are we going?”

“To the place I mentioned to you before.”

“Hey, why aren’t you bringing little Anan?” As they left the Ling Xiao Secret Realm, Xiang Qian finally remembered to ask.

“She, ah,” Jiang Wang replied, flying through the air, his clothes fluttering, “She is tired and resting.”

The journey from Yun Country to Zhuang Country was not unfamiliar.

Because once, that white-haired youth had carried his sister, step by step, walking that distance, using their two legs to traverse every bump in the road.

Even now, soaring through the sky, overlooking the mountains and rivers, everything remained vividly etched in his mind.

The stone cave in that place, where he and Anan had once huddled by the fire. The mountaintop in that place, where he had set off fireworks for Anan for half the night.

After leaving Zhuang Country, he absolutely never mentioned anything that happened there, yet he had certainly not forgotten. That was precisely proof of his inability to forget.

To remember always, to engrave in the heart forever.

Thus, unable to speak of it.

Xiang Qian was indifferent to everything; he truly didn’t care where Jiang Wang intended to take him. Following him all the way to the distant Yun Country was simply because he didn’t want to disregard his friend’s intentions.

He played with the hairpin magical artifact he had stumbled upon for a bit, showed it off to Jiang Wang, and then quickly lost interest.

Along the way, as he gazed at the mountains and waters, his eyes merely casually swept across the landscape.

The mountains he had seen in the Qi Chang Mountain Range were not worth mentioning; he didn’t spare them a second glance.

Even when crossing the mountain range and seeing that place with dense Yin energy, like a ghost domain, he had no interest and was too lazy to pay attention.

At most, he felt that such a place, nestled among lush green mountains, was indeed a bit unsightly.

But he saw Jiang Wang stop right there and descend.

They landed outside the “ghost domain,” and within their line of sight, there was indeed no human figure.

Almost a year had passed. The people in the nearby city domains had already accepted the current situation here, knowing it was forbidden ground, a place ravaged by the Malevolent God You Ming. The Zhuang Court no longer needed to send soldiers to guard it, because fundamentally, no one dared to come.

“Is this the place you wanted to bring me?”

Xiang Qian looked around, left and right, and muttered to himself, “This place, indeed, no one will come for a long time, huh?”

Jiang Wang paid him no mind, simply gazing silently at this “ghost domain,” whispering in his heart, “Long time no see.”

Old Big, Ru Cheng, Tang Dun, Senior Brother Huang, Brother Wei, Brother Zhao, Mister Xiao… long time no see.

“I’ve also been to a human-ghost country, though that was Feng Du. My master took me there.” Xiang Qian felt an inexplicable sense of suppression and almost subconsciously sought to fill the silence with words.

Jiang Wang still did not speak. After a long period of silence, he surveyed the surroundings and walked towards a stone tablet.

This tablet stood tall, solemn, and imposing.

He stood before the tablet, gazing at the inscription for a long time without speaking.

Xiang Qian also approached to look and discovered that it was a spirit tablet, erected to commemorate the souls of the dead.

The inscription read—

“Heaven and Earth follow only Fate, respectfully informing the Imperial Heaven Great Ancestor:

In the winter of the fourteenth year of Everlasting Peace, the country lost territory, I lost my people.

Heaven’s heart hates me, the people’s hearts ache for me.

This is the crime of Gao Xian alone!

Heartache thorough, how can it be like this again!

Like a thousand knives and ten thousand cuts, this heart fries in oil.

This is the country’s enmity, this is also the country’s hate!

If the White Bone Dao is not eradicated, I am a wrong monarch father!

Exhausting this life, I must cleave the evil god White Bone in You Ming!

Pity the dead who are already gone, the living pursue with difficulty.

Alone bearing the weight of state affairs, this body cannot lightly leave.

Hate the separation of two realms, heaven and humans forever divided.

Alone holding ten thousand generations of hate, pouring out clear Jiang water, can it be washed clean?

Facing this, weeping blood, sadly not knowing what to say!

Only wishing the upper heaven shows virtue, bless my Feng Lin people, next life stable, rich and noble endless!

— Respectfully erected by Zhuang Gao Xian.”

Upon seeing “White Bone Dao,” Xiang Qian had already guessed what this place must be.

When Jiang Wang killed Pig Face and Dragon Face, he had been present for all of it.

He knew clearly the depth of Jiang Wang’s hatred towards the White Bone Dao.

And every single word on this spirit tablet described what had happened here.

“This is my home.” Jiang Wang looked at this ghost domain, his face devoid of excessive emotion. “This place is forever trapped in the crack between You Ming and the present world. The people here can never be reborn.”

The corner of his mouth curved slightly. “Yet Zhuang Gao Xian wished them, ‘next life rich and noble stable.'”

Xiang Qian was silent for a moment, then asked, “Did Zhuang Gao Xian harm them to death?”

“I discovered the abnormality of the White Bone Dao and secretly reported it to the Zhuang Court. But the Zhuang Court pretended not to know and allowed the demons of the White Bone Dao to sacrifice the entire city. Because Zhuang Gao Xian wanted to use the White Bone True Pill obtained from that city-wide sacrifice to achieve his contemporary True Person realm!”

“The entire Feng Lin city domain, tens of thousands of common people, not a single one survived. The only proof of their existence is this spirit tablet.”

Jiang Wang reached out and touched the inscription on the spirit tablet. “And upon this, it records Zhuang Gao Xian’s love for his people like a father and his greatness and burden.”

Xiang Qian fell silent.

And Jiang Wang faced this place that had become a human-ghost domain. “My home is here. My brothers, friends, schoolmates, teachers, neighbors, fellow villagers… all are here.”

“That year, I was seventeen years old, in the Wandering Pulse realm, and my hair turned white overnight.”

He asked, “You say the word ‘despair.’ Can I truly understand it?”