Mortal Realm, Shuangjing County.

Tavern.

“Miss, are you stopping for a meal or staying the night?” The waiter hurried over when he saw a customer sit down.

“Waiter, I need to ask you something.” Sang Yun placed some silver pieces on the table.

The waiter immediately beamed with joy, “Please ask, please ask.”

“Is there a place around here called Jade Spring Village?” Sang Yun asked.

Upon hearing this, the waiter’s expression suddenly changed, “Oh, miss, where did you hear about that?”

Sang Yun placed another handful of silver pieces on the table, “Just tell me if it exists or not.”

The waiter looked at the silver with conflicted feelings for a moment, then leaned in and whispered mysteriously, “About thirty li southeast from the county gate, on the edge of the mountain, there indeed used to be an abandoned village called Jade Spring Village. However, we all call that place the Ghost Village…

Three months ago, our newly appointed county magistrate didn’t believe in the supernatural and insisted on taking people to clear out that ghost village. He took several dozen men in, and not a single one returned! The matter has even reached the imperial capital, and His Majesty was furious about this incident. The current magistrate has now forbidden anyone from mentioning the ghost village——

Miss, please take my advice, stay far away from this matter!”

Sang Yun nodded, “Thank you.”

The waiter smiled as he gathered up the silver pieces from the table and asked, “So what would you like to order, miss?”

When there was no answer to his question, the waiter looked up and discovered the person before him had vanished, sending a chill down his spine. “Where did she go?”

****

Jade Spring Village.

Xie Jiu walked to the village stone monument and called out, “Master?”

“Hmm?” Pei Heguang’s figure appeared in front of the stone monument.

He was sitting in front of the stone monument, his face looking several shades paler than before. His black robe spread over the moss-covered, weed-grown steps, with faint golden patterns that shimmered in the sunlight.

Despite the blazing sun overhead, a cold aura surrounded him, like a shadow that couldn’t quite manifest in reality, carrying a floating quality that seemed out of place here.

Xie Jiu knelt on one knee at the bottom of the steps and looked up at him, “Master, I just had an encounter with Ning Chengfeng.”

“How did it go?” Pei Heguang casually broke off a wild grass stem and mindlessly twirled it between his fingers.

Xie Jiu said, “We didn’t fight. He ran away.”

“Ran away?” Pei Heguang was somewhat surprised, “I thought he would have tied you up.”

Xie Jiu: “……Ning Xiu suddenly entered the Mass Resentment Illusion Realm.”

Pei Heguang straightened up, “Isn’t the Linglong Bone supposed to be at the Wanxuan Academy?”

“Something must have gone wrong on Wang Bin’s end.” Xie Jiu frowned and said, “Master, I suspect the Linglong Bone’s sudden appearance in the Mass Resentment Illusion Realm was orchestrated by Chu Jun and Hao Zheng.

But the entrances to the mortal realm from Wanxuan Academy and Li City are thousands of miles apart. Have their cultivation reached such a level that they can send a child into the mortal realm’s illusion from thin air?”

Even a Great Ascension cultivator would find that difficult.

Pei Heguang caressed the grass leaf in his hand, “What cultivators cannot do, mythical beasts may be able to.”

Xie Jiu asked in confusion, “Mythical beasts?”

“Legend says that in ancient times, the mortal realm and the cultivation world were not as clearly separated as they are now. All cultivators and mortals lived together in one place. Later, a powerful cultivator divided the human realm into two parts according to the abundance of spiritual energy. Mortals were driven to the side with scarce spiritual energy, and ancient mythical beasts were placed to guard the boundaries between the two worlds, separating them forever.”

“The passage between the Seventeen States’ Li City and the mortal realm was also forcibly opened by later generations.”

Pei Heguang continued twisting the wild grass in his hand, “Legend has it that this mythical beast was the mount of an immortal from the upper realm, capable of traversing past and future, and moving objects across thousands of miles.”

Xie Jiu’s frown deepened, “But this is just a legend. If such a mythical beast existed in the Seventeen States, wouldn’t the world be in chaos?”

“You see, even cultivators instinctively doubt things they’ve never seen, let alone mortals in small mountain villages.” Pei Heguang let out a slow sigh.

“Master, I——” Xie Jiu wanted to say something more, but saw Pei Heguang raise his hand and pin the folded wild grass to his lapel.

“It’s about time, let’s go.” Pei Heguang stood up, brushed the grass fragments from his sleeve, and stepped into the illusion realm. His voice became distant and ethereal, “Ning Chengfeng must be kept in the Mass Resentment Illusion Realm.”

Xie Jiu lowered his head and removed the small flower made of wild grass from his lapel.

The lifelike Nine-Leaf Lotus swayed gently in the blazing sun.

He pressed his lips together, tucked the flower into his sleeve, and followed Pei Heguang into the Mass Resentment Illusion Realm.

Sang Yun, who had been hiding in the shadows, slowly revealed herself.

“Mass Resentment Illusion Realm?” She walked to the stone monument and brushed away the vines covering it, revealing blood-red characters underneath.

“……Shuangjing County, Jade Spring Village, so it is this place.” She withdrew her hand, and just as she was about to enter, suddenly a fluffy object fell out of nowhere and crashed onto the stone monument.

“Awoo!” A cream-colored furry little dog rolled on the ground, retched once, and spat out a black-scaled small dragon that was more than ten times its size.

“Eep!” Little Black lay listlessly on the ground, nauseated by the sticky saliva.

“A dragon?” Sang Yun crouched down and examined Little Black carefully. After confirming it was indeed a small dragon, she casually looked at the yellow dog beside it, “A common earth dog?”

“Who are you calling an earth dog!? Who are you calling an earth dog!?” Big Yellow barked at her angrily, “Grandpa is a purebred divine beast! Woof! Woof woof!”

Sang Yun: “……So it’s a dog spirit.”

Big Yellow was so angry that smoke seemed to rise from its head, “Little brat, I’ll swallow you in one gulp!”

After saying this, its head suddenly grew larger and opened its bloody maw at Sang Yun. Just as she was about to use her Beast-Binding Ring, she saw the dog spirit suddenly sniff hard and transform back into a small dog.

Big Yellow sniffed vigorously, “This scent is so familiar, let me think, woof woof!”

It frowned in thought for a while, then suddenly wagged its tail and placed both front paws on Sang Yun’s snow-white hem, leaving two black prints, “Sang Yun!?”

Sang Yun asked warily, “You know me?”

Big Yellow obediently placed both front paws in front of itself, its large tail covering its paws as it sat on the ground, “Kid, do you still remember five hundred years——Owoo!”

Sang Yun tightened her grip on the Beast-Binding Ring, looked at the little yellow dog she had just knocked unconscious and the small black dragon lying beside it, tied them together with the Beast-Binding Chain, threw them into her storage space, and carried them with her into the Mass Resentment Illusion Realm.

****

Inside the Mass Resentment Illusion Realm.

Chu Jun saw Ning Buwei standing on a tree branch with his back toward him and said in a slightly deep voice, “Ning Chengfeng.”

Ning Buwei turned around, casually leaned against the tree trunk in a carefree manner, and waved at him while holding Ning Xiu’s wrist.

“Mother~!” Ning Xiu’s voice was soft, but his eyes sparkled brightly as he obediently let his father hold his hand to wave at Chu Jun.

Chu Jun, who had originally planned to scold, paused in surprise and said, “Why are you here?”

Ning Buwei held his son and raised an eyebrow, giving Chu Jun a once-over.

“No~idea~at~all,” Ning Xiu curved his eyes and smiled with an innocent face.

Ning Buwei jumped down from the tree while holding him.

Ning Xiu, having apparently had his fill of his father’s attention, looked at Chu Jun with bright eyes, “Mother~hug”

Chu Jun reached out, and Ning Buwei somewhat awkwardly pulled the little one out from his front lapel, “Tsk, if you try to wriggle into my clothes again next time, see if I don’t spank you.”

Ning Xiu was happily embraced by Chu Jun, obediently wrapped his arms around Chu Jun’s neck, and said softly, “Missed~Mother”

Chu Jun stroked his little head.

Ning Xiu habitually found a comfortable position, sitting on Chu Jun’s forearm, facing Ning Buwei. Even when he felt the evening breeze was cool, he tugged at Chu Jun’s wide sleeve to cover his little tummy, proudly showing his parents. “All~covered~now~”

Ning Buwei deliberately pulled Chu Jun’s sleeve open, mocking mercilessly, “You’re a Golden Core cultivator and still afraid of the wind?”

Ning Xiu lowered his head, seriously pulled the sleeve from his father’s hand to cover his little tummy, and said solemnly, “Not~covering~will~cause~sickness!”

Head teacher Ah Song said that when it’s windy, you must cover your little tummy, or you’ll get sick~

“Delicate.” Ning Buwei reached out and poked his belly, “Little fatty.”

Ning Xiu tried his best to push out his little tummy, attempting to bounce his father’s finger back, “Da~”

Chu Jun held his little wrist to check his body, and only relaxed after confirming there was nothing wrong with him. Then he looked up at Ning Buwei.

Ning Buwei said righteously, “Don’t look at me like that, I don’t know how he got in here either.”

Chu Jun calmly said, “First, tell me about Xie Jiu.”

Ning Buwei said seriously, “Let’s talk about Ning Xiu first.”

“Xiu Xiu” The little child in Chu Jun’s arms scratched his tummy and said softly, “Nothing~wrong”

Ning Buwei: “…………”

Chu Jun continued to stare at him impassively.

Ning Buwei had no choice but to admit defeat, “Yes, I met Xie Jiu, but we didn’t fight.”

Ning Xiu pointed at Ning Buwei’s arm, twitched his nose, and said, “Father~blood”

After saying this, he very skillfully and dutifully contributed a small ball of golden spiritual energy, covering Ning Buwei’s wound, and said obediently, “Father~don’t~move~”

Ning Buwei: “……Little brat.”

“Bunny~baby” Ning Xiu’s eyes lit up, “Father~want~bunny~”

I want a little white rabbit~

Chu Jun grabbed his hand as he tried to pinch Ning Xiu. His gaze, full of pressure, fell on his face, “Our souls are in the Mass Resentment Illusion Realm. Soul battles here can easily lead to soul dispersal. Ning Chengfeng, you——”

“I know, but I didn’t have time to run away.” Ning Buwei crossed his arms and said, “If he attacks me and I don’t fight back, my soul will still disperse.”

Ning Buwei felt his reasoning was flawless and became increasingly righteous.

“You were only buying time for Fang Wanchen to escape.” Chu Jun directly pointed out his intentions.

Ning Buwei was speechless.

“An insignificant mortal, why place yourself in danger for him?” Chu Jun’s tone sounded flat and cold.

Ning Buwei frowned, “I brought him in here, so I’m just saving him in passing.”

Chu Jun’s gaze was clearly disapproving.

“Then what do you want me to do?” Ning Buwei immediately became angry, “I brought him in here safe and sound, and then let him get trapped here with his soul dispersed, never to reincarnate? You also said mortals carry heavy karma. Do you want me to bear this human life on my conscience and let heavenly lightning strike me dead?”

Chu Jun’s eyes showed no ripples, “Then why did you have to drag him in here in the first place?”

“Then why did you have to drag Ning Xiu into this broken illusion realm too!?” Ning Buwei stared at him coldly.

The previously somewhat heated atmosphere instantly froze.