In the westernmost lands of Hua Country, mountain ranges that stretched for thousands of miles sprawled across the terrain, resembling giant dragons resting in repose. The rugged peaks rose steeply, surrounded by dangers.

The number one hidden sect of Hua Country, the Ghost Valley Sect, had put down its roots here.

As dawn broke, the mountains were shrouded in white mist, resembling celestial islands in the clouds and surpassing even the Immortal Realm.

Giant birds occasionally soared through the fog, revealing a glimpse of scale and talon; fierce beasts roared from the valleys, shaking heaven and earth; and massive serpents coiled around the peaks, spitting out strange light as they absorbed the essence of the world...

Ye Ningxue had set out with her basket before daybreak, and it wasn't until the afternoon that she returned to her cozy little wooden house.

"Grandmaster, I went to Danghun Valley today to pick some Deadly Soul Mushrooms. Let's stir-fry them tonight and have a few drinks!"

Deadly Soul Mushrooms were highly poisonous. Forget ingestion—even the slightest scratch, if tainted with the mushroom's sticky sap, would cause one's flesh to rot and lead to a death in the Yellow Springs within a day. But to the people of Ghost Valley, these so-called lethal toxins were considered rare delicacies.

At the entrance of the wooden house, an old man dressed in worn clothes was carefully shaving a thick piece of bamboo with a knife, intending to whittle it into a bamboo sword. The old man's personal name was unknown; he went by the Taoist name "Guijian Chou" and was the contemporary Ghost Valley Heavenly Master.

Ye Ningxue spoke earnestly, "Grandmaster, you can carry on. I'm going to the back mountain to practice my swordplay at the monument."

Guijian Chou set down his bamboo knife, and with a light wave of his withered hand, a letter appeared in his grasp.

"Xiao Xue, pack your things. You'll be heading down the mountain tomorrow."

Ye Ningxue stopped in her tracks. "Why?"

Guijian Chou said, "You have reached Nascent Soul Realm Great Perfection. If you continue to stay on the mountain, I'm afraid you won't find an opportunity to break through."

"It just so happens that your third martial aunt sent a letter this morning. The Shi Wu Great Reef tournament is about to begin. Representing Hua Country in the competition will serve as part of your training."

"And as I understand it, this Shi Wu Great Reef will open the Lop Nor Secret Realm as its venue. There are many opportunities for understanding the Great Dao there, so you must search carefully."

A smile appeared on Ye Ningxue's dazed little face. She seemed not to have taken in a single word of what Guijian Chou had said; there was only one thing she cared about.

"Thank you, Grandmaster! I can finally go down the mountain to find my master!"

Guijian Chou gazed at the sky and sighed deeply, saying in a hushed voice, "Yesterday, I observed the stars at night. A great calamity for all living beings is impending, and this era will soon face turmoil."

"Xiao Xue, as a Ye Family Soldier and a Ghost Valley Disciple, you are to protect the common folk and guard the Dao with your sword."

"This era you inhabit will be protected by you and your peers."

Ye Ningxue looked intently at Guijian Chou and said earnestly, "Don't worry, Grandmaster. I won't disappoint you or Master. But why do you seem so unhappy today?"

Guijian Chou waved his hand and turned back toward the house. "I haven't had a single happy day since you, you little fool, arrived!"

Ye Ningxue scratched her head. "Does Grandmaster dislike me?"

"That's enough. Go and get ready."

「The next morning.」

Looking at the empty herb field, Guijian Chou's old body trembled. He suddenly threw his head back and let out a long howl at the sky.

"Xiao Xue, you wretched girl, you're a bandit—!"

"You little wastrel! I will surely expel you from Ghost Valley!"

...

On her way down the mountain, Ye Ningxue sneezed several times in succession. I wonder if I've caught a cold.

She tossed the Hundred Treasures Pouch—a top-tier Storage Magical Treasure that Grandmaster used for his tobacco—in her hand. A slight smile played on her lips as she muttered to herself, With so many herbs to bring down the mountain for Master, he'll definitely be thrilled.

...

「Shanhai Territory.」

「Penglai Immortal Island.」

Under the watchful eyes of the new queen, Chi Yue, and all the civil and military officials, Luo Xiu boarded the Thunderbolt Divine Boat with Dou Dou. Only after the divine boat had vanished into the distance did Chi Yue finally let out a long sigh of relief. The officials were so overjoyed they nearly cried.

"The heavens be praised, that little bandit has finally left!"

"If she had stayed any longer, she would have plundered the Nation of the Great completely!"

...

「Inside the cockpit of the Thunderbolt Divine Boat.」

"Chen Shuisheng, hurry, let me take over! Dou Dou is an experienced driver!"

Dou Dou pushed Luo Xiu away from the helm, plopped down into the seat, and began seriously turning the wheel—which was larger than her own body—with the tip of her tongue sticking out. However, she was a bit too short, so she had to stand on the seat to steer.

Luo Xiu watched her with a doting expression. He said nothing and didn't argue with her, simply reaching out to rub her head. After having lost and then found her again, he treasured the people around him more than ever.

"Hey! Rubbing my head will stop me from growing taller!"

Luo Xiu curled his lip and teased, "You're a two-hundred-year-old loli. When have you ever grown taller?"

"That's because Dou Dou cultivates the Immortal Divine Skill."

Luo Xiu asked curiously, "You and your junior sister are known as the Ageless Beauties, both ranking fourth on the celestial list. Why are you a little loli, while your junior sister is an old woman?"

Dou Dou smiled mysteriously. "That's because my junior sister touched a naughty boy once and did something impure. The foundation of her Immortal Divine Skill was damaged, and that's why she became an old lady."

"Oh, I see."

"This is a secret, you know. Very few people know about it, so I wouldn't tell just anybody."

"So who have you told?"

"Hmm, let me think... Empress Sister who bought me a birthday cake, Palace Maid Xiao Yu who treated me to spicy hotpot, Chief Attendant Hu who lent me fifty coins, Palace Maid Xiao Hong who took me out for lamb skewers, and Yang the Blacksmith who fixed my umbrella..."

Luo Xiu's face darkened as he gave her a thumbs-up. "You're a real master of secrecy."

Dou Dou suddenly said, "Chen Shuisheng, Dou Dou wants to eat a giant crab! A really, really big one!"

Luo Xiu said gloomily, "You've eaten all the crabs in the palace. Haven't you had enough?"

"Aww, I was just resurrected! I need to nourish my body."

Luo Xiu shrugged, turned around, and walked out of the cockpit onto the spacious deck, where he started to fiddle with his fishing gear.

At the same time, on a deserted island, Xia Chan crouched on the ground, looking at the symbols formed by wisps of shadow. "Yingxiao just sent word that Chen Shuisheng and his party have set off," she said. "We can follow them now."

Beside her, Xue Xiao nodded and smiled. "It seems having Yingxiao infiltrate their team was the right choice."

...

「Time flowed like water, and a month passed in the blink of an eye.」

For a whole month, Luo Xiu and Dou Dou sailed the seas. After so many years, Tuof could no longer remember the exact route, only a rough idea. This led to a few wrong turns, and they even ended up back at Penglai Immortal Island once, which earned Tuof a scolding from Lin Tong.

However, it was later discovered that the sailing route Tuof had provided wasn't wrong. The problem was that Dou Dou, the "old driver," had fallen asleep at the helm and turned the ship around. For this, Luo Xiu also gave Dou Dou a scolding and ruthlessly revoked her "driver's license," stripping her of her steering privileges.

The massive ship could accommodate thousands of people, so with just Luo Xiu and Dou Dou on board, it felt somewhat lonely.

Aside from fishing, Luo Xiu's daily routine was to enter the Land of Lawlessness to take care of Luo Ying. Without Chi Sha's spirit possessing her, Luo Ying had some awareness but was still very dazed, so much so that she couldn't manage her daily life. Luo Xiu and Dou Dou had no choice but to act as her nannies. Although Luo Xiu had previously captured many Wandering Spirits for her to absorb and refine, it was but a drop in the bucket toward fully repairing her soul.

「Palace of the King of Law.」

Luo Xiu stripped the blankly standing Luo Ying, took her to wash up, and then helped her get dressed again.

"Sigh... I really don't know when you'll recover."

"Listen up. You're not allowed to sleep on the floor anymore. If you want to sleep, do it on the bed."

Luo Ying looked at Luo Xiu and gave a sweet, foolish smile, her eyes full of adoration.

Luo Xiu reached out and ruffled her hair, then turned to leave, opening a spatial portal to return to the Thunderbolt Divine Boat.

...

"Tuof, are you sure this route is correct?"

Tuof said in a heavy tone, "As long as you, my lord, don't let that little fool Dou Dou steer the ship, the route is definitely correct."

Luo Xiu shook his head helplessly. "It seems you really can't get over this."

Tuof said, "As long as we can see Radiant Flow Island, we'll be able to find our destination."

On the deck, Luo Xiu cast his fishing line, preparing to show off his skills. Suddenly, a loud blast came from the distant sea, and several hundred-meter-high jets of water shot into the sky in a shocking and spectacular display. Even from a great distance, Luo Xiu could feel the spiritual power fluctuations in the air.

Dou Dou hurried out of the cockpit and pointed. "Chen Shuisheng, look! There's a fight over there! I want to go see what's going on, I'm so bored on this ship!"

But Luo Xiu flatly refused. "We'd better lie low. There's no need to go looking for trouble, and we need to press on. You might just be watching and get dragged into it."

"That's true. You're the mature one, Chen Shuisheng."

Just then, another long, ethereal cry rang out from the distance.

Luo Xiu's expression brightened. He recognized the cry of a Kun. It reminded him of Ai Hongye's sword, the seventh-ranked Whale Crying Sword! The sound of the Kun's cry was identical to the sound of the Whale Crying Sword being drawn!

Could that be Ai Hongye drawing her sword over there?

"Um, Dou Dou... I think we should go over and take a look. As martial artists, it's our duty to help when we see injustice, right? Let's go mediate the fight."

...

As Luo Xiu steered the ship closer, he saw that a vast area of the sea had been stained red. A group of Demon People in bizarre clothes were hunting a Giant Kun!

The scene was incredibly gory and brutal.

When Luo Xiu saw the Giant Kun, his eyes suddenly widened in shock.

"Yaya?!"

He recognized the Giant Kun. It was Ai Hongye's mount

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