Within this secret realm of immortals, a place Jiang Shangzhen now traversed, though lacking the formal designation of a “Grotto-Heaven,” it surpassed many in its splendor.

Here, jade pavilions and jeweled towers graced the landscape, rare flowers and exotic herbs bloomed in profusion, and the calls of phoenixes and cranes echoed through the air. Spiritual energy, thick as mist, permeated every inch, making each step a delight to the senses. Jiang Shangzhen clicked his tongue in amazement. He considered himself a man of the world, possessing the renowned Cloud Grotto Paradise. His sojourn in the Lotus Flower Paradise, a wasted sixty years, had been solely to ease the heart of his friend Lu Fang, and to take the opportunity for personal enjoyment. Few cultivators were as carefree as Jiang Shangzhen. The path to enlightenment was fraught with peril, and while fortune played a role, the principle of “accumulating strength for a great leap” was a universal truth for all cultivators.

Years ago, Jiang Shangzhen had journeyed to Mural City, uttering bold pronouncements, yet ultimately failing to win the favor of the Mural Goddess. He hadn’t been particularly bothered by this. However, out of curiosity, upon returning to the Jade Decree Sect in Tongye Continent, he had sought insights from the old Sect Leader, Xun Yuan, regarding the Hemp Robe Sect and Mural City. This proved to be a wise move, as the immortal Xun Yuan’s familiarity with the many goddesses and fairies of the world was, in Jiang Shangzhen’s words, “appalling.” Xun Yuan had once made a special trip to the Bamboo Sea Grotto-Heaven in the Central Earth Continent, solely to catch a glimpse of the Azure God Mountain Mistress. He lingered around Azure God Mountain, reluctant to leave, ultimately failing to even see her face. He almost missed the important matter of inheriting the Sect Leader position. The previous Sect Leader had sent a flying sword message across the continent to a friendly Ascended Realm cultivator from the Central Earth, who forcibly dragged Xun Yuan away from the Bamboo Sea Grotto-Heaven. Legend had it that when Xun Yuan returned to the back mountain of the sect, the old Sect Leader, withered like decayed wood and on the verge of imminent disintegration, had mustered his last breath to scold his disciple mercilessly, even throwing the Ancestral Hall’s Sect Leader token onto the ground in anger. Of course, these were just exaggerated rumors, as only the previous Sect Leader and Xun Yuan, along with a few reclusive Jade Decree Sect ancestors, were present at the time. The old cultivators of the Jade Decree Sect told it to their disciples as an amusing anecdote.

Jiang Shangzhen, however, believed the rumor to be true, given the shared proclivities of the master and disciple. Perhaps the old Sect Leader’s anger stemmed precisely from Xun Yuan’s failure to behold the Azure God Mountain Mistress.

Jiang Shangzhen lowered his hands, which had been clasped behind his back in a pretense of contemplation, and strolled onward. He sighed, thinking about some of the secrets that circulated only within the small circles at the mountain peaks.

Looking at the exquisite scenery, he felt a pang of sympathy for those fairy sisters.

Sect Leader Xun Yuan had said that the Hemp Robe Sect chose Skeleton Beach as its founding place primarily because of the opportunity presented by the eight Mural Goddesses. They might have initially intended to establish the sect in the southernmost part of the continent, and the animosity with the native sword immortals of North Ju Lu Continent was merely a convenient pretext to conceal their true intentions, forcing them to “reluctantly” choose the southern location. Xun Yuan had perused numerous secret archives passed down through generations of top immortal families in the Central Earth, especially the records of the ancient families in the Confucianist tradition of Ritual Masters. Xun Yuan surmised that the eight celestial officials who were goddessess were similar to the Imperial Censors and Supervising Secretaries of mortal dynasties. They patrolled the eight directions of the heavens and earth, specifically tasked with supervising the Thunder Gods, Wind Masters, and Rain Teachers of the ancient Heavenly Court, preventing them from abusing their authority. Therefore, the eight celestial official goddesses, sealed within the murals by some ancient great cultivator, held humble yet powerful positions in the ancient Heavenly Court, not to be underestimated.

The Heavenly Court shattered, and the divine path collapsed. The ancient meritorious sages divided the world into a grand dichotomy. Those ancient deities who had fortunately avoided complete annihilation, possessing immense innate abilities, were almost all exiled and confined to a few unknown “mountain peaks” to atone for their transgressions and assist humanity by ensuring favorable weather and balanced elements.

It was said that in the True Martial Mountain, ancestral temple of the military strategists in Treasure Bottle Continent, and the ancestral hall of the Wind and Snow Temple, direct communication with certain ancient deities was possible. The Confucianist temples did not forbid this, in contrast to the Divine Edict Sect, the leading immortal sect of Treasure Bottle Continent, and the Yunlin Jiang Clan, which had produced several “Great Prayer Masters,” who did not receive the same treatment.

Jiang Shangzhen shook his sleeves. The spiritual energy was so potent that walking here felt like strolling through a mountain path after a rain shower, with dew clinging to his robes. Jiang Shangzhen thought that cultivators below the Ascended Realm, including himself, could greatly benefit from building a thatched hut here and cultivating. For Ascended Realm cultivators, the density of spiritual energy in a cultivation site was no longer the most important factor.

Jiang Shangzhen raised his arm and sniffed his sleeve. “Truly refreshing, it must be carrying the fragrance of the fairy sisters.”

Jiang Shangzhen smiled and looked up. In the distance stood a mansion with a plaque bearing indistinct golden characters. The spiritual energy was particularly dense there, and immortal mist swirled around the waist of a goddess standing at the gate, rising and falling. He could vaguely see the “Lightning Bolt” brush-rest hanging from her waist.

Another goddess sat on the roof ridge, gently spinning a delicate auspicious cloud with her finger. It resembled a white bird fluttering around. She looked down at Jiang Shangzhen with a smile that was not quite a smile.

The Brush-Rest Goddess coldly said, “Such audacity! Daring to travel here with just your Yin Spirit, relying on your Jade Purity Realm cultivation!”

The Rain-Bestowing Goddess on the roof smiled and said, “No wonder you were able to deceive the heavens and cross the sea, quietly breaching the Hemp Robe Sect’s landscape formations and our Celestial Palace’s restrictions.”

Jiang Shangzhen bowed. “Brush-Rest Sister, Rain-Bestowing Sister, after so many years, Jiang Shangzhen meets you again. It’s truly due to ancestral virtue and good fortune in three lifetimes.”

Purple lightning crackled around the Brush-Rest Goddess’s sleeves. Clearly, his glib tongue, while his mind remained calm, still displeased her.

The Rain-Bestowing Goddess asked, “Outside of Mural City, we have an agreement with the Hemp Robe Sect not to interfere too much. Did your true body go to see our sisters?”

As they spoke, a seven-colored elk leaped across the rooftops in the distance, agile and mystical.

Jiang Shangzhen nodded, focusing his gaze on the seven-colored deer. He asked curiously, “I heard long ago that the Divine Edict Sect in Treasure Bottle Continent has a fairy named He Xiaoliang, whose fortune is unparalleled in the continent. Now she has established a sect in our Ju Lu Continent, always accompanied by a divine deer. I wonder if that deer and this deer share a connection?”

The Brush-Rest Goddess grew impatient. “You vulgar man, leave the Celestial Palace immediately.”

Jiang Shangzhen’s expression turned solemn, and he said seriously, “If you two sisters are annoyed, feel free to scold and hit me. I won’t retaliate. But if it’s a Hemp Robe Sect cultivator coming here to drive me away, Jiang Shangzhen may not have great abilities, but I have some backbone and will never leave.”
The Goddess of Hanging Inkstones suddenly erupted with electric light, her robes fluttering, as if draped in a purple immortal gown. It was clear that she intended to take action personally, without needing the Ancestor of the Hemp-Clad Sect to burn incense and knock on the door to enter this place, as the agreement forbade worldly disturbances to their secluded cultivation.

However, the Goddess of Moving Rain, with her slender figure and cloud-high coiffure, slowly rose and floated beside the Goddess of Hanging Inkstones. Her figure was graceful as she softly said, “Let’s wait for sister to return.”

The Goddess of Hanging Inkstones was far less gentle and refined than the Goddess of Moving Rain beside her, and was reluctant. She still wanted to teach this silver-tongued rogue a lesson. So what if he was a Jade Pure Realm cultivator? His Yin Soul was alone, and within their own immortal palace. At most, he had a nascent soul cultivation. Not to mention that both of them were here, even if it was just her, she could surely banish him from their domain. But the Goddess of Moving Rain gently tugged at the sleeve of the Goddess of Hanging Inkstones, and the latter finally restrained herself. The purple lightning slowly flowed into the ancient and simple inkstone at her waist.

Outside the mural, three knocks resounded, landing within the secret realm of the immortal palace, as heavy as the drums of gods in the sky, echoing through the heavens and earth.

The Goddess of Moving Rain looked up and softly said, “Immortal Master Guo Chi, long time no see.”

Jiang Shangzhen turned his head and looked up. In the sea of clouds, a pair of huge embroidered shoes successively broke through the clouds. By the time this Immortal Master’s true form descended to the ground, she had returned to a normal height.

She was a woman of plain appearance, not tall, but with an overbearing aura. A dharma knife hung at her waist, the handle shaped like a dragon holding a pearl.

Even Jiang Shangzhen felt a headache. This woman might not be pretty to look at, but her temper was truly awful. He had suffered at her hands back in the day. At that time, they were both Golden Core Realm earth immortal cultivators. This female cultivator had merely believed a bit of “gossip” about him and chased him across thousands of mountains and rivers for nearly half a year. They fought three times during that period, and Jiang Shangzhen couldn’t bring himself to truly strike a fatal blow, as she was, after all, a woman. Furthermore, her identity was special; she was the only daughter of the Hemp-Clad Sect’s then-sect master. Jiang Shangzhen didn’t want his return journey to be blocked by a bunch of fools. So, those were rare times when Jiang Shangzhen suffered consecutive losses in the Northern Ju Continent.

Now, this Immortal Master Guo Chi was the sect master of the Hemp-Clad Sect, having stumbled and barely squeezed into the Jade Pure Realm. Her future prospects were not very good, but there was no helping it. The Hemp-Clad Sect had never placed much importance on cultivation when choosing a successor. It was usually whoever had the fiercest temper and was most willing to risk everything who became the sect master. Therefore, the main reason Jiang Shangzhen was unwilling to linger after following Chen Ping An to Bone Beach was this Immortal Master Guo Chi, who he had nicknamed “Short-Legged Tigress” in his younger days.

However, it was somewhat unexpected that this female cultivator should be fighting in Ghost Domain Valley. If it had been the Jade Pure Realm cultivator from the Ancestral Hall who had come here, Jiang Shangzhen wouldn’t have been flustered at all. In terms of individual combat skills, Jiang Shangzhen didn’t think he was particularly outstanding in the entire Vast World. Even in the Tung Leaf Continent, which was no different from the Northern Ju Continent, he had earned the reputation of “A Willow Leaf Slices Earth Immortals” and “Better to Make Enemies with the Jade Tablet Sect Than to be Targeted by Jiang Shangzhen.” Actually, Jiang Shangzhen had never taken it seriously. But when it came to escape skills, Jiang Shangzhen wasn’t boasting; he genuinely felt he had some talent and ability. Back in his own Cloud Cave Blessed Land, when the sect’s elder, in league with those rebellious ants from the Blessed Land, had set up a certain-death trap, Jiang Shangzhen still managed to escape. After he left the Cloud Cave Blessed Land, the Jade Tablet Sect and the Cloud Cave Blessed Land soon underwent two bloody purges. Old Man Xun Yuan stood aside, and as for the Cloud Cave Blessed Land controlled by the Jiang family, it was even more tragic. All the Middle Five Level cultivators within the Blessed Land who were already earth immortals or had the potential to become land immortals were directly taken through the “Heavenly Gate” by Jiang Shangzhen and his men, who slaughtered their way through the entire Blessed Land. Even though the Jiang family suffered heavy losses, they still decisively eliminated them all in one fell swoop.

It should be known that Jiang Shangzhen had always had a catchphrase widely circulated in Tung Leaf Continent: male-female love must be long and lasting, but overnight feuds are like overnight rice, not tasty. Even if I eat shit, I must eat it hot.

Immortal Master Guo Chi reached out and pressed the handle of her knife, staring intently at the “honored guest” who had come from afar, and said with a smile, “Since you’ve delivered yourself into my net, don’t blame me for closing the door and beating the dog.”

Jiang Shangzhen blinked, as if he didn’t recognize this Immortal Master Guo Chi. After a moment, he suddenly realized, “Could it be Quan’er? How did you become so radiant?! Quan’er, if you ever reach the Immortal Realm one day, you don’t need to make major changes; just slightly alter your appearance, and it would make my dog eyes pop out!”

The woman narrowed her eyes, one hand pressing her knife, the other hand extended her palm, and said with a fake smile, “I’ll allow you to say a few more last words.”

Jiang Shangzhen “foolishly” gazed at the female cultivator, “As expected, Quan’er is different from those shallow women who are all looks. To be fair, Quan’er’s appearance might not be the most outstanding in the world, but that was true in the past, and it’s even more true now. As long as a man sees you once, he’ll never forget you.”

The woman smiled and said, “Hmm, those words sound familiar. Gao Liu of the Thunder Marsh Sect, remember her? Back then, she was one of the top beauties in the central Northern Ju Continent, still without a partner. She once mentioned you to me in private, especially those words. She remembers them so well, and still can’t forget them after all these years. Jiang Shangzhen, so many years have passed, your realm has improved a lot, but why hasn’t your glib tongue improved at all? You’ve disappointed me so much.”

Jiang Shangzhen remained calm and smiled, “It’s indeed my fault. I’ve been so focused on cultivation these past few years that I’ve neglected my main profession. Quan’er, you’re still the most sincere to me. I’ll definitely work harder for you in the future.”

The Goddess of Hanging Inkstones sneered, “How has this kind of person survived until today?”

The Goddess of Moving Rain said, “Help Immortal Master Guo Chi later, I won’t stop you.”

Jiang Shangzhen looked around, “This scenery, this situation, is truly beneath the peony blossoms.”

The Goddess of Moving Rain suddenly looked solemn.

She concentrated and focused her gaze on one spot.

The Goddess of Hanging Inkstones was as if facing a formidable enemy, signaling the Hemp-Clad Sect’s Immortal Master Guo Chi to wait a moment.

Within the Mural City.

A young woman from Lion Peak stood beneath a painting of a goddess, reached out a hand, and said indifferently with a mental voice, “Aren’t you coming out yet?”

Almost simultaneously, the Goddess of Hanging Inkstones’ mind was shaken, and she looked towards another place. A foreign man traveling in the Northern Ju Continent was looking up at “herself” with a tired expression, but he had a telepathic understanding and smiled knowingly at the goddess in the painting, “Dreaming of you, seeing you every night but unable to meet, I’ve finally found you.”
At the banks of the Swaying River Shrine, the Deer-Riding Goddess walked shoulder to shoulder with the true form of Jiang Shangzhen. Suddenly, a Streamer Cloud Skiff plummeted down, and from it emerged a female sect leader. Upon seeing her, the Deer-Riding Goddess felt as if a speck of dust had been swept from her heart. Though she still didn’t understand the reason, she was absolutely certain that this young female cultivator with her grand aura was the true master she should serve.

By the Swaying River, the young, exquisitely beautiful female cultivator looked towards Jiang Shangzhen, her brow furrowing slightly. “Are you his Dao Protector?”

The question was abrupt.

But Jiang Shangzhen understood instantly. Some outcomes and truths, though the process may be convoluted and unclear, ultimately didn’t matter.

Jiang Shangzhen chuckled and said, “Oh, no, no, not at all. I wouldn’t dare.”

The Deer-Riding Goddess, however, undermined him with a statement brimming with killing intent: “Just now, this person spoke in veiled terms, but the gist was still to persuade me to follow that young wandering knight. His intentions were sinister, and he almost ruined the karmic connection between the Master and me.”

Jiang Shangzhen rubbed his chin, looking distressed, and said, “Looks like the Northern Gulu Continent isn’t very welcoming to me. Time to flee.”

The Deer-Riding Goddess suddenly looked melancholic and said softly, “Master, my two sisters seem to have reached their own opportunities as well. I didn’t expect that we would be parting ways within a single day.”

The young female cultivator, who was the leader of a sect, didn’t pay much attention to this. Having traveled here with haste, she frowned, appearing unusually hesitant.

Only at this moment did Jiang Shangzhen begin to be surprised.

Because the female cultivator before him, whose identity he had already guessed, harbored a killing intent.

The love between men and women on the mountain was often about playful banter and scolding, something Jiang Shangzhen was most familiar with.

But to be willing to unleash killing intent meant that the karmic tie was deeply rooted when it came, and still intractable even when it was supposed to be gone.

The young female cultivator ignored Jiang Shangzhen and smiled at the Deer-Riding Goddess. “Let’s take a trip to the Bone Citadel in the Ghostly Mire Valley.”

The Deer-Riding Goddess softly reminded her, “Master is currently only newly in the Jade Purity Realm, and your cultivation hasn’t stabilized yet. It might be inappropriate.”

The young female cultivator shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. That’s a small matter.”

She had a greater matter to resolve.