At the entrance to Ghost Domain Valley stood a row of colossal memorial archways. The foremost one, an astonishing five-bay, six-pillar, eleven-tiered structure, was adorned with walls inlaid with precious yellow and green glazed tiles. Each dragon pillar was carved with depictions of ancestral demon-quelling scenes from the Hemp Robe Sect. The plaque above proclaimed “Awe-Inspiring Grandeur.”

Cultivators and pure martial artists alike often possessed exceptional vision. However, when Chen Ping’an gazed past the archways, he couldn’t discern the end of the road, and it didn’t seem to be an illusion.

Yet, compared to the gateway connecting Upside-Down Mountain and the Sword Qi Great Wall, the mystique of these archways didn’t particularly surprise Chen Ping’an.

Chen Ping’an casually sat down near the archways and spent over an hour poring over his book. Because he was meticulous and unwilling to overlook any detail, he only managed to read a small portion. He decided to rest at the market inn nearby and make further plans tomorrow. Whether to further appreciate the scenery bordering Ghost Domain Valley or pass through the archways and venture deeper into the valley for training wasn’t something he needed to decide immediately.

Chen Ping’an put away his book and walked towards the bustling market. It was managed by cultivators from a small sect called Bone Mound, leased to them by the Hemp Robe Sect. Many of their properties were managed in a similar fashion. The Hemp Robe Sect cultivators didn’t directly participate in the business operations, after all, the Hemp Robe Sect had fewer than two hundred people, but a vast estate. Doing everything themselves would delay their cultivation, a net loss.

However, the Su-surnamed Nascent Soul Realm cultivator who oversaw the intercontinental ferry and the Yang-surnamed Golden Core Realm cultivator who patrolled Mural City were exceptions because those two matters concerned the reputation and vital interests of the Hemp Robe Sect.

The now-declining Falling Mountain already had the beginnings of a mountain manor, with Zhu Lian and Shi Rou acting as internal and external stewards, respectively. One handled affairs on the mountain, while the other managed business in Riding Dragon Lane.

Only after truly leaving Dragon Spring County did Chen Ping’an occasionally look back and ponder during his fist practice on the intercontinental ferry, realizing the humor in it. The two steward-like figures were actually a Distant Travel Realm martial artist and a desiccated female ghost clad in the remains of an immortal. Who could have imagined?

Before Chen Ping’an left Falling Mountain, he had already informed Zhu Lian that he generally wouldn’t easily send sword messages back to Ox Horn Mountain. Moreover, the two flying swords stored within the small Sword Mound couldn’t cross continents. Thus, this journey to the Northern Majestic Continent was truly solitary, without any burdens.

After all, Falling Mountain was currently quite secure.

The ones who should be wary were others.

Chen Ping’an walked along the road, adjusted his bamboo hat, and chuckled to himself. His Baofu Inn needed to earn some money as well.

Bone Mound was a place where Confucian etiquette wasn’t strictly observed. The small market had no name and was commonly referred to as “Gate of Helplessness” by the locals. After being called that for a long time, everyone, coming and going, recognized it.

Even under the bright sun, the streets of the market still felt gloomy and chilling. According to the Hemp Robe Sect’s printed book, “Worry-Free Collection,” this was due to the outflow of Yin energy from Ghost Domain Valley. Therefore, people with weak constitutions were advised to stay away. However, the book clearly stated in black and white that these seemingly frightening Yin energies had been refined by the Hemp Robe Sect’s landscape formations, making them relatively pure and uniform. To some extent, they were suitable for cultivators to directly absorb. Thus, as long as a Qi Practitioner flew into the air, they would discover that not only around the market but along the entire border of Ghost Domain Valley, many Qi Practitioners had built thatched huts to cultivate. These simple yet elegant thatched huts were scattered across the landscape, spaced appropriately. These huts were built by specially invited individuals based on the “Yin energy springs” with dense Yin energy, with Hemp Robe Sect cultivators, skilled in geomancy, consulting. Each hut also contained a futon specially made by the Third Son Temple. Cultivators could rent a hut for a short period. The wealthy could buy them outright. The “Worry-Free Collection” listed detailed prices with clear price tags.

This was likely one of the Hemp Robe Sect’s ways of making money.

Falling Mountain should learn from it in the future.

After Chen Ping’an entered the market, he strolled around, discovering that almost all shops sold a type of jade-like white bone. This was a type of acquired spiritual treasure, quite rare, detailed in the “Commodities” section of the “Worry-Free Collection.” Initially, many ghosts born from the ancient battlefield ruins in Ghost Domain Valley gathered together. Half of them were expelled here by Hemp Robe Sect cultivators at a great cost to avoid them causing havoc throughout Bone Mound.

Later, some of these Yin creatures, like Qi Practitioners ascending in realm, evolved into heroic spirits resembling mountain and water deities due to various coincidences. More, however, devolved into tyrannical evil ghosts running rampant. Over the years, powerful Yin spirits that specialized in “eating ghosts” emerged. The two sides fought and killed each other. The losers were obliterated, turning into the Yin energy of Ghost Domain Valley, losing even the chance to be reincarnated. The various ranks of white bones scattered everywhere, generally collected and stored by the victors as trophies. Within Ghost Domain Valley, Qi Practitioners and pure martial artists who came to Ghost Domain Valley found that these jade-white corpses became a considerable prize.

Many mountain merchants came here to purchase white bones refined by Ghost Domain Valley’s extreme Yin energy, an excellent material for refining many Yin and Netherworld magical artifacts.

Chen Ping’an eventually walked into the largest shop in the market. It was crowded with tourists, all examining a treasure sealed in a glass cabinet. It was the skeletal frame of a city lord’s Yin spirit from Ghost Domain Valley, standing ten feet tall. Inside the glass cabinet, the shop deliberately displayed it in a seated position, with hands clenched into fists, resting on its knees, gazing into the distance, still possessing the imposing manner of a regional overlord, even as a completely dead object.

The white bone was covered in natural silver lines, crisscrossing densely, and its radiance flowed erratically.

It was said that the owner of this skeleton, “before death,” was a heroic spirit equivalent to a Nascent Soul Earth Immortal in realm. He was unruly and led his eight thousand ghosts, establishing himself as king, conquering everywhere, and had many conflicts with the Ghost Domain Valley co-ruler of Jade Purity Realm cultivation. However, the “Worry-Free Collection” didn’t record the process of this heroic spirit’s demise. According to the young shop assistant currently gesticulating wildly, his shopkeeper had befriended a deeply hidden Northern sword immortal in his early years, who deliberately presented himself as a Cave Mansion Realm sword cultivator. The shopkeeper resonated with him and treated him with courtesy. As a result, after the sword immortal took a trip to Ghost Domain Valley, he brought out this priceless bone and gave it to the shop as payment for the wine he had previously run up a tab for. He left without leaving his real name.

Elsewhere, Chen Ping’an would definitely not believe such a far-fetched and sensational story, but in this Northern Majestic Continent, Chen Ping’an was half-believing.
This set of bone fragments, reminiscent of a celestial immortal’s “golden branch and jade leaves,” was undoubtedly a top-tier magical artifact. The shopkeeper mentioned they weren’t usually for sale, but if one showed genuine sincerity, negotiations were possible. However, he made it clear that anyone without forty or fifty Grain Rain coins in their pocket shouldn’t even bother asking, to avoid wasting everyone’s time. Even at such an exorbitant price, Chen Pingan noticed several groups within the shop were eager to try their luck.

Chen Pingan decided not to join the fray.

Leaving the shop, he found an inn. The rooms weren’t luxurious, just clean and tidy. Similar to the tea stall at Yao曳 River ferry, they didn’t accept gold or silver. A Snowflake coin was the starting price, enough for three days’ lodging, excluding meals and drinks. In the secular dynasties beneath the mountains, even in the wealthy capital of Great Li, an inn room the size of a snail shell charging over three hundred taels of silver per day would be drowned in spittle and complaints.

Chen Pingan removed his bamboo hat and the Sword Immortal from his back, continuing to read the increasingly unsettling “Reassurance Collection.”

Bone Beach was one of the ten ancient battleground sites in the Northern Entirely Continent. Ghost Valley was even more peculiar, a place of temporal vortexes, forming its own small world, akin to the netherworld. Its territory was no smaller than the “yang realm” of Bone Beach. Within, a colossal heroic spirit, now equivalent to a Jade Pure Realm cultivator, had emerged first, rallying tens of thousands of Yin soldiers and generals to build the renowned White Bone Jingguan City, resembling a dynasty’s capital. Surrounding it were dozens of cities of various sizes, half of which were subservient to Jingguan City. The other half were operated by powerful ghosts, standing against Jingguan City, unwilling to be subordinate vassals. Over the millennia, they had formed alliances, the number of ghosts in Ghost Valley dwindling, but their power growing.

Historically, the Yin creatures of Ghost Valley had twice attempted to breach the boundaries, seeking to raid Bone Beach, preferably heading north along Yao曳 River, consuming the two countries along the way in one fell swoop, then abducting living people to bring back to Ghost Valley, using insidious secret techniques to concoct new Yin creatures and ghosts, strengthening their forces. Fortunately, they were intercepted by the Hemp Garment Sect cultivators, but this severely weakened the Hemp Garment Sect twice, causing their momentum to plummet from its peak.

The Hemp Garment Sect’s foothold and expansion in the Northern Entirely Continent could be described as perpetually troubled.

However, the profound depths of the Northern Entirely Continent were evident. Bone Beach alone had three Jade Pure Realm Ancestors within the Hemp Garment Sect, and Ghost Valley had one as well.

In contrast, the Eastern Treasure Bottle Continent, excluding the handful of secretly infiltrated experts and hermits, and only considering cultivators native to Treasure Bottle Continent, the Upper Five Realm cultivators at the peak of the mountains were few and far between.

However, Cui Dongshan had warned about this, saying that Treasure Bottle Continent’s territory was less than thirty percent of Entirely Continent’s, and its Jade Pure Realm cultivators were rare, like phoenix feathers and unicorn horns, not as imposing as those of other continents. However, any cultivator in Treasure Bottle Continent who ascended to the Upper Five Realms was not to be trifled with. For example, Liu Laocheng of Shujian Lake and Wei Jin of Wind Snow Temple were favored prodigies, blessed with a portion of the continent’s fortune. If they were to fight to the death with cultivators of the same realm from the Northern Entirely Continent or Tongye Continent, especially those pampered pedigree immortals, Liu Laocheng and Wei Jin would have a much greater chance of victory.

Once Qi Refiners and Martial Artists chose to enter the valley for training, it was equivalent to signing a life-or-death agreement with the Hemp Garment Sect. Fortune or demise depended entirely on skill and luck. If they earned a windfall, the Hemp Garment Sect wouldn’t be envious or covetous, not taking a single extra coin. If they died in Ghost Valley, unable to transcend through life and death, they couldn’t blame anyone.

This was an unwritten rule. Historically, there had been immortal residences who felt sorry for the untimely death of their prized disciples, and afterwards, unwilling to accept it, called upon friends, marched mightily to Bone Beach to reason with the Hemp Garment Sect. It was both an accusation and a desire for compensation from the Hemp Garment Sect. The Hemp Garment Sect cultivators never explained a single word. They set up a table at the mountain gate to receive the guests with a cup of gloomy tea, then started fighting. Either the opponent fought all the way to their ancestral hall, or they were beaten until they surrendered all their magical artifacts and immortal money, then threw them into Yao曳 River, and swam back to their northern homes.

So Yao曳 River also had another name, Dumpling River.

It had been “dumpling-ed” several times.

However, the Hemp Garment Sect wouldn’t forget about the foreigners who died there. The “Reassurance Collection” clearly marked three northern routes, recommending Qi Refiners and Martial Artists to carefully consider their own realm, first seeking out wandering lone souls, then at most, interacting with a few small, weak cities. Finally, if they were highly skilled and brave, and still not satisfied, they could try their luck in the inner cities.

The “Reassurance Collection” had clear records of the realm, preferred techniques, magical artifacts, and trump cards of all the earth immortal heroic spirits and ghost kings in Ghost Valley.

Moreover, the Hemp Garment Sect cultivators had built two small towns in Ghost Valley. Sect Leader Guo Chi Immortal Master personally guarded one of them, but she was rarely seen. However, there were two groups of Hemp Garment Sect inner disciples who specialized in hunting Yin spirits and ghost generals. Outsiders could follow or invite them to travel through Ghost Valley together. The Hemp Garment Sect cultivators wouldn’t take a single share of the spoils. However, the book also stated frankly that the Hemp Garment Sect cultivators wouldn’t act as bodyguards for anyone, and it was normal to not offer assistance in a dangerous situation. However, if a child of a wealthy immortal family felt they had too much money to spend and came to Ghost Valley for sightseeing, it was possible. As long as they followed the Hemp Garment Sect cultivator’s instructions, the Hemp Garment Sect could guarantee that they would see the sights of Ghost Valley and leave the perilous situation unscathed. As long as the sightseers observed the rules, the Hemp Garment Sect would not only compensate for any unexpected losses during the trip, but also pay with their lives.

In the night, Chen Pingan closed the thick “Reassurance Collection,” got up, went to the window, and leaned against it, drinking.

After reading the book to the end, besides remembering the tedious taboos, he saw the boldness of the Hemp Garment Sect cultivators.

He recalled the past.

Back then, in the Hidden Blessing Grotto Heaven, a straw sandal boy raised his head high and saw a scene he would never forget.

Countless sword cultivator immortals traveled across continents on their swords, going to the Sword Qi Great Wall to resist the demon race.

Seeking profit and fame?

Just sharpening their swords.

No wonder she said that this cold and harsh land had always produced heroes.

Only such soil could give rise to the most sword immortals in the Vast World.

If you are willing to give me a few pots of wine, I am willing to return a set of heroic spirit bones worth dozens of Grain Rain coins.

Is it reasonable? No.

Is it unreasonable? Very much so.

Chen Pingan turned to look at the Sword Immortal placed on the table, and said softly, “Don’t worry, I won’t embarrass you here.”
Chen Ping’an slightly shifted his gaze, looking at the bamboo-woven hat, and smiled, “Because my name is Chen Ping’an, Ping’an as in peace and safety. I am a swordsman.”

After a moment of silence, Chen Ping’an rubbed his chin and muttered, “Wouldn’t it be more impressive to omit the ‘Ping’an as in peace and safety’ part?”

Wall Painting City had encountered an unprecedented strange event.

The cultivators of the Pima Sect began to seal off the three walls that still held fortunes, forbidding any tourists from approaching, and even the shopkeepers and staff had to temporarily relocate, waiting for the Pima Sect’s announcement.

Naturally, resentment filled the air, with cursing rising and falling.

One unlucky fellow, while jumping up and down and cursing, happened to be near a passing Pima Sect cultivator, who, without a word, knocked him to the ground with a flick of his sleeve, causing him to faint.

Then the poor wretch’s friend, without a word, carried him away, neither apologizing to the Pima Sect immortals nor uttering any harsh words.

This was the way of Beiju Luzhou; I have the guts to point fingers and curse heaven and earth, that’s my business, but if I get beaten down, that’s my lack of skill, and I accept it. When my fists are stronger than the other party’s, I’ll get my revenge.

The Golden Core cultivator surnamed Yang had a headache.

His junior brother, Pang Lanxi, was even more helpless.

It turned out that beneath a wall painting, there was a young man in tattered clothes, kneeling and kowtowing incessantly, blood flowing non-stop, begging the Rain-Bestowing Goddess in the painting for a chance. He had a blood feud to settle and had no choice but to repay it. As long as the goddess was willing to bestow a bit of fortune, he would be her ox and horse for all eternity, even if he had to be smashed to pieces immediately after avenging his enemies.

Before kowtowing, the young man took out an ancient jade tablet of unknown origin and gently placed it on the ground.

The middle-aged Golden Core cultivator waved his hand, signaling a disciple not to drive the man away.

Pang Lanxi wanted to say something in persuasion but was held back by the middle-aged cultivator’s hand on his shoulder.

The middle-aged cultivator focused more on the slender woman, lithe as a willow.

When she appeared, the mountain and river array set up by the Pima Sect around the wall painting remained still, but the natural restrictions of the Immortal Palace Secret Realm began to ripple.

As for the Inkstone Goddess, she wasn’t exactly in a flurry. A villager had already gained the goddess’s approval, and the Pima Sect allowed them to leave without interference.

The Inkstone Goddess also returned the favor, taking the initiative to hike up the mountain with her master to the Pima Sect’s Ancestral Hall.

Therefore, the Inkstone Goddess painting was the first to become a line drawing.

Then, a seven-colored deer leaped from the Riding Deer Goddess painting and vanished instantly, becoming the second line drawing wall painting.

The Yang cultivator had been shocked. After all, the fortune of this Heavenly Court Official painting was the only one the Pima Sect was determined to obtain, and everyone in the sect hoped that Pang Lanxi could successfully take over this opportunity. Therefore, he almost couldn’t help but try to stop the seven-colored deer from leaving, but Sect Master Guo Chi quickly emerged from the wall painting and told him to stand down and guard the last Goddess painting. Then, Sect Master Guo Chi returned to the Ghost Domain Valley to receive a distinguished guest, leaving the Inkstone Goddess’s visit to the Ancestral Hall to the Grand-Uncle there.

The middle-aged cultivator was confused. Who could make their Sect Master welcome in person? Could it be the lord of a great sect?

The Rain-Bestowing Goddess finally appeared, her face pale. After emerging from the painting, she glanced at the cold-eyed woman, then at the ancient jade tablet with the “Moving Clouds” and “Flowing Water” inscriptions. This goddess, most skilled in divination, seemed to be caught in a dilemma.

The middle-aged cultivator noticed something.

This was a huge problem that the other seven goddesses of Wall Painting City had never encountered.

The seemingly gentle and amiable woman, if not for her gaze and her standing beneath the painting, even he, a Golden Core cultivator, wouldn’t have paid much attention.

It was unimaginable that a goddess could have such a pitiful and helpless side.

The Rain-Bestowing Goddess was the one the Pima Sect had the most contact with, said to be the most resourceful of the Immortal Palace Secret Realm goddesses, especially skilled in chess. The Ancestor once said that if someone could luckily gain her favor, they might not be great at fighting, but an immortal mansion needed the goddess’s assistance.

The woman glanced at the young man who was kowtowing incessantly, his forehead almost showing bone, then looked at the Rain-Bestowing Goddess, “Go help him overcome his difficulties. After sixty years, come and apologize to me.”

The Rain-Bestowing Goddess trembled, causing the entire Wall Painting City to seem misty. She felt like a clerk seeing an official from the Ministry of Personnel.

The Rain-Bestowing Goddess said in a trembling voice, “How do I find the master afterward?”

The woman said indifferently, “Lion Peak.”

The Pima Sect’s middle-aged cultivator frowned.

Lion Peak did have a powerful Nascent Soul cultivator, not to be underestimated, but he was an old male cultivator.

But even if this Nascent Soul cultivator stood here in person, would the Rain-Bestowing Goddess be so apprehensive?

The woman smiled at the middle-aged Golden Core cultivator and introduced herself, “Lion Peak, Li Liu.”

The middle-aged cultivator had never heard of this name, but he still said, “Pima Sect, Yang Lin.”

The young woman named Li Liu left Wall Painting City just like that.

She didn’t even bother to look at the Rain-Bestowing Goddess again.

Standing blankly to the side, the young Pang Lanxi wiped his forehead, which was covered in sweat, and sighed, “Senior Brother Yang, this Senior Li Liu is so scary.”

The middle-aged cultivator smiled, “You can say that to me, but if your master hears it, he’ll scold you for not cultivating your mind enough.”

The boy’s heart was simple, and he thought that Senior Brother Yang was indeed calm and would become one of the pillars of the Pima Sect in the future. He didn’t see the complexity in the Golden Core cultivator’s eyes.

Because Pang Lanxi himself didn’t know that he had lost the opportunity of the Riding Deer Goddess painting.

Inside Ghost Domain Valley.

The group didn’t go through the entrance archway.

Instead, one of them directly used their natal treasure to break open a gate, and then a flowing cloud boat rushed in.
Upon the prow of the vessel stood a young female Sect Leader, adorned in Daoist robes and a lotus crown atop her head, alongside a goddess attended by a seven-colored deer, and Jiang Shangzhen, who had changed his mind and decided to journey through the Ghost Domain Valley with them.

This Luminous Cloud Ark, a treasure personally gifted by Celestial Sovereign Xie Shi, was indeed a celestial marvel. However, when traversing the dense fog and illusionary barriers of the Ghost Domain Valley, its speed was still somewhat diminished.

The Luminous Cloud Ark streaked across the Ghost Domain Valley sky like a comet, drawing immense attention. As the ark brushed against the Yin-fiend miasma, it erupted in dazzling iridescent hues. Simultaneously, its sonic booms reverberated like thunderous roars, scattering countless Yin entities and specters on the ground, while cities along the way swiftly went into lockdown.

Jiang Shangzhen shaded his eyes with a hand, peering into the distance, and chuckled, “Sect Leader He, the Bone Cairn Citadel is almost upon us. This Luminous Cloud Ark is truly a treasure. Care to sell it?”

The young Daoist nun remained indifferent, as if she had not heard him.

The deer-riding goddess, just like her mistress, was unwilling to engage with this unrestrained fellow.

Jiang Shangzhen suddenly turned his head and asked, “Sect Leader He, if you are determined to slay him, given the vast disparity in your realms, I will have to intervene. Of course, before that, if the Bone Cairn Citadel dares to bully the two of you, they will have to ask my Jiang’s Willow Leaf whether it agrees or not.”

The Daoist nun remained silent.

Jiang Shangzhen sighed.

Between men and women in this world, debts of coin are easily settled, but debts of affection are difficult to repay.

Just how did this Chen Ping’an manage to provoke her?

Young in years, yet remarkably skilled.

If Chen Ping’an were present, Jiang Shangzhen would have raised a thumb in admiration, lauding him as a model for us all.

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