The vast Three Sage Mountain had no living creatures in sight, save for an ancestor who killed at the slightest provocation and a giant Black Snake that devoured people without blinking.
The remaining ninety-nine women from the hundred-member group stood beneath the tower. After a while, the leading female cultivator cleared her throat and said, "Let's find a place to settle first. Since the sect leader has ordered us to serve the Ancestor, we must stay here."
"But, Aunt Ni Sheng, we can't use spiritual power here. How can we cultivate without it?" someone asked.
Mu Nisheng replied firmly, "If we can't use it, then we won't! If we can't cultivate, then we won't. Right now, the most important thing is the Ancestor."
Most of the women present didn't dare to contradict her, but some weren't willing to follow her completely. "Senior Sister Ni Sheng, although we're here to serve the Ancestor, it seems... he doesn't want our service. Staying here might be futile," said a woman who looked as cold and ethereal as an immortal.
She appeared to be the granddaughter of a certain Palace Master, making her status comparable to Mu Nisheng's. Each had their own supporters, and there were other female cultivators aligned with different factions, each harboring their own thoughts. Unconsciously, the tightly packed group gradually split apart, standing in separate clusters.
Liao Tingyan: "..." Seriously? We just arrived, and we're not even out of danger yet, and you're already starting to fight?
Listening to their veiled words and back-and-forth exchanges, Liao Tingyan couldn't help feeling like she'd accidentally picked up a palace intrigue script. Wait a minute, aren't we supposed to be cultivating immortality here?
After a round of verbal sparring among the women, they eventually split into three groups to settle separately. One group was led by Mu Nisheng, representing the sect leader's faction. Another was headed by Yun Xiyue, representing the Palace Master's faction. The last group consisted of those who refused to align with either and were generally of lower status, sticking together for safety.
Originally, Liao Tingyan should have belonged to the last group. But no one wanted to associate with her because they were all shrewd. During today's audience with the Ancestor, only two people had received his "special attention." One was already dead—an unidentified person—and Liao Tingyan might very well be in a similar situation. Everyone assumed there was something unusual about her and naturally didn't want to get involved, lest they be implicated.
Watching as the others left, Liao Tingyan wasn't worried. She simply walked over to the nearby steps and sat down, massaging her sore legs.
"Oof, my legs are killing me," she muttered. It was already afternoon. Liao Tingyan pulled out a Qiankun pouch—a gift from her master, Dongyang Zhenren. It was the legendary must-have portable storage space for cultivators, though hers was of average quality, with only about the space of a single room. Still, it held all her worldly possessions.
She took out a jug of water, washed her hands, and then pulled out a mirror to check her face, wiping away the blood that had accidentally splattered on it. She tidied her slightly disheveled hair, rinsed her mouth, drank some water, and then took out a peach to munch on, filling her stomach. She was still at the Qi Refining Stage, not yet at Foundation Establishment, so she hadn't achieved the state of fasting and still needed to eat.
Her body seemed to belong to a poor person, with not much to her name. But the Clear Valley Heaven, where she came from, specialized in growing spiritual plants and fruits, so she had no shortage of food. She'd brought plenty with her this time—enough to last a year or two without starving.
That is, if she could survive that long.Like everyone else, Liao Tingyan felt she might not live much longer. But since she wasn’t originally from this world, dying might mean returning home. So, strictly speaking, she wasn’t particularly afraid of death—what she feared was the pain. Death itself wasn’t terrifying; the agony it brought was the real horror.
No one paid her any attention, which oddly made Liao Tingyan feel a bit more at ease. She walked out from the shadowy area around the Central Tower and found a sunny spot—the rooftop of a building. It was quiet, with no one around, and the sunlight was perfect for an afternoon nap.
She was used to napping every day. Without it, her mind always felt foggy.
After changing out of her bloodstained dress, Liao Tingyan set up a couch and a small table. Lying down, she found the sun too bright, so she dug out an eye mask to wear. The mask was something she’d gotten from a senior disciple in Clear Valley Heaven—a leaf from a certain spiritual plant, perfectly shaped. With a string tied around it, it made an excellent eye mask, cool and soothing to the eyes while blocking out light effectively.
After lying there for a while, she grew thirsty. Too lazy to even remove the eye mask, the sun-drenched Liao Tingyan fished out a drink from her Qiankun pouch—bamboo sap from Clear Valley Heaven, sweet and refreshing, known for clearing heat and detoxifying. She took a sip, let out a contented sigh, and placed the rest casually on the small table beside her.
While Liao Tingyan was catching up on her nap on a secluded palace rooftop, the others were gathered elsewhere, discussing their current predicament with grim expressions.
The faction of about forty people who stuck together huddled in an outer palace. A woman at the center frowned and said, “It’s true—we can’t cultivate here. Not only is spiritual energy unable to gather naturally, but even spirit stones can’t form a gathering array. I suspect there’s some powerful formation beneath Three Sage Mountain.”
The faction led by Mu Nisheng, representing the sect leader’s side, gathered in another location. Holding a mirror, she sighed deeply. “My father gave me this Spirit Mirror before we left, hoping we could use it to contact him. But now… Well, since we can’t reach the outside world and we’re trapped here, we’ll have to find a way to approach our Ancestor Master.”
“Senior Sister Nisheng, I think the Ancestor Master is… a bit terrifying. I feel like one more glance from him might kill me. Senior Sister, who was that person he killed earlier?”
Mu Nisheng waved her hand. “That’s not something we should concern ourselves with.”
Next to them, the faction led by Yun Xiyue, representing the Palace Master’s side, consisted of just over a dozen people—the smallest group. But these disciples were all of high status, mostly descendants of elders or the Palace Master’s own lineage, the proud daughters of prominent families. They, too, were discussing the person the Ancestor Master had killed.
“Even if the Ancestor Master seems difficult to approach, he’s still our Ancestor Master—a senior of Gengchen Immortal Mansion. He wouldn’t harm us without reason. The person he killed must have been some outsider with ill intentions. So I don’t think we need to be afraid.”
“Exactly. Fortune favors the bold. I’m sure everyone here was briefed by their families before coming. We’re different from the others—we need to get close to the Ancestor Master before Mu Nisheng’s group does and win his favor! This is crucial for the survival of Gengchen Immortal Mansion!”They chatted away, completely unaware of a massive black snake silently slithering across the palace roof. The ancestor clad in black robes sat atop the serpent, listening to every word they said.
"How bold these things are," remarked Sima Jiao, the Taoist Lord Cizang, his voice dripping with disgust and murderous intent, causing the black snake beneath him to tremble slightly.
Sima Jiao stood up, stepping steadily along the snake's body until he reached its head. "Go."
The black snake didn't know where he wanted to go, so it aimlessly carried him across the rooftops. For many years, this had been their routine—when awake, he would sit on its back as it wandered freely through the vast, empty palaces, day and night.
Nothing he did held much meaning, and his moods were as unpredictable as the weather. Despite their long years together, the black snake still often found itself startled by his sudden shifts, sometimes even shedding its skin in fright.
"Hmm?"
The black snake diligently crawled forward, striving to be the perfect self-driving mount, when it suddenly heard a soft "hmm" from its master. Instantly, it halted. Sima Jiao had spotted Liao Tingyan basking in the sun, fast asleep.
While everyone else was tense and uneasy, how could she be here alone, hiding away to nap in the sunlight?
"Go over there."
The black snake huffed and puffed as it slithered forward, silently reaching the rooftop where Liao Tingyan slept. She had chosen an excellent spot—first, there was a small stargazing platform where she could place her sleeping mat; second, the location wasn’t too high and was far enough from the Central Tower that even if others were nearby, they wouldn’t easily notice her; and finally, the sunlight here was just right.
By now, Liao Tingyan was deep in sleep. Sima Jiao rode the snake to her side, glancing at the eye mask covering her face before lifting it to take a closer look.
"So this is the boldest one of all."
He withdrew his hand, his gaze settling on Liao Tingyan’s stomach. A strange smile curled on his lips as he muttered to himself, "Even someone from the Demon Realm managed to sneak in. Tell me, are the useless fools of Gengchen Immortal Mansion deliberately sending her to provoke me, or are they truly so incompetent that they didn’t notice at all?"
Originally, he had intended to kill her. Such disguises might fool others, but not him. Yet now, he suddenly found himself unwilling to do so.
What the Demon Realm planned for Gengchen Immortal Mansion was none of his concern. In fact, he might even be more eager than the demon cultivators themselves to see the place reduced to ruins.
As Sima Jiao pondered, his fingers unconsciously traced the black snake’s scales. Then, with a slight press, he plucked one off.
Black Snake: Whimper. Why must you peel my scales for no reason?
Sima Jiao did as he pleased. After peeling the scale, he found it ugly and tossed it aside without a second thought.
"Go."
The black snake hesitated, flicking its tail and nudging its head toward a bamboo tube on the small table beside Liao Tingyan. Noticing this, Sima Jiao picked it up.
He shook it gently, watching the clear liquid slosh inside the emerald-green tube.
After a sniff, he took a sip—then immediately spat it out in disgust. "What is this? Disgusting." He tossed the tube back onto the table.
The black snake carried him back toward the Central Tower, flicking its tongue regretfully. It had liked the scent of that drink, but its master was a heartless bastard who hadn’t even spared it a single drop.Liao Tingyan slept until the sun was setting. When she first woke up, she was still a bit disoriented, thinking she was at home on vacation, sleeping in. She took off the slightly askew eye mask and looked at the surrounding buildings, the distant mountains, and the setting sun before finally coming to her senses.
Oh, right. She had transmigrated.
She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and casually picked up the bamboo juice on the small table beside her, taking a sip to moisten her throat.
"Phew..."
"Actually, this isn’t so bad. The scenery is nice, there’s food and drink, and no work—it’s like getting a free vacation," Liao Tingyan muttered to herself, smacking her lips before taking another sip of the bamboo juice.
After her nap, she had successfully consoled herself. Packing up her things, she decided to find a place to rest. There were plenty of buildings here, but most were like aerial corridors. The others had settled in the small outer pavilions, so she chose an empty room nearby—not too far from the others, but close enough that she could hear if anything happened.
She picked a small attic as her room. For some reason, the entire place was eerily empty. None of the rooms had furniture or belongings, not even dust. Liao Tingyan made some quick arrangements, taking out an Everlasting Candle for light and some food. Alone, she watched the sunset while enjoying a candlelit dinner.
Once she treated the present as a rare vacation, she felt completely relaxed and lazy.
The only downside was the lack of variety in food. For dinner, she would have preferred something more flavorful, like meat.
Night had fully fallen when Liao Tingyan glanced down and noticed that the Sun-Moon Netherlotus flowers she had seen during the day had completely changed. In daylight, they were white flowers with black leaves, but at night, they had turned into black flowers with white leaves. The white leaves seemed to glow, making the clusters of black flowers clearly visible.
It was actually quite strange. In such a vast area, these were the only plants she had seen—not a single weed in sight.
As she gazed at the flowers below, she suddenly noticed a girl walking up to them, seemingly to admire them. But as she admired them, perhaps too enchanted, she reached out and plucked one.
Liao Tingyan: "...!" Wait! Girl! Behind you!
The girl’s head was casually plucked off by the ghostly figure behind her, the motion as effortless as the girl’s own act of picking the flower.
Blood sprayed from the headless corpse, splattering onto the glowing white leaves, creating an exceptionally gruesome scene.
Two murder scenes witnessed in a single day.
Liao Tingyan covered her mouth to keep from vomiting what she had just eaten. In the instant she turned her head, the black-clothed ancestor who had plucked the girl’s head glanced up in her direction.
By the time Liao Tingyan looked back, the figure was already gone. The Black Snake was there, swallowing the corpse.
...
"Disaster! The life flame of my Rongrong from the Yu family has gone out!" In the lantern pavilion of Gengchen Immortal Mansion’s inner residence, over a dozen people sat encircling a hundred lanterns. A handsome man suddenly reached forward, his hand grasping at the air as he shouted, "Return!"
Threads of white gathered in his palm, and the man’s expression eased slightly. "Good, her soul hasn’t dispersed."
He blew the white mist from his palm, and in an instant, the translucent figure of a woman appeared before the group—none other than the unlucky girl who had been beheaded for picking the flower.The woman looked utterly bewildered, as if she hadn't yet grasped what had happened. Upon seeing the man before her, she cried out joyfully, "Grandfather!"
Yu Qiuxiao glared at her furiously, exasperated by her incompetence. "Didn't I tell you to be careful in everything? How could you die just like that!"
Yu Rongrong was stunned. "I died? How?"
Yu Qiuxiao laughed in sheer frustration. "You're asking me? How should I know how you died?"
Yu Rongrong scratched her head sheepishly. "I... I just saw that the Grandmaster had planted many Moonlight Twilight Flowers. I'd only heard of them but never seen them before, so out of curiosity, I wanted to pick one to look at..."
The room fell into stunned silence. Yu Qiuxiao was so furious he almost wanted to strike her again and scatter her soul to the winds. "You! How could I have such an utterly foolish descendant! Moonlight Twilight Flowers—do you think you're qualified to pick them? Huh?"
The middle-aged man sitting beside him tried to mediate. "Palace Master Yu, what's done is done. Scolding her won't help now. It's better to make preparations soon to send her off for reincarnation. In a few years, we can bring her back."
Yu Rongrong piped up, "Grandfather, pick a good-looking Gestation Body for me! It has to be prettier than I am now!"
Yu Qiuxiao snapped at her, "Worthless troublemaker, shut your mouth!"
The Gengchen Immortal Mansion had a long history and had grown into a colossal entity within the immortal path. It was inevitable that some of its important and outstanding disciples would meet untimely ends, which was how the practice of Soul Transference and Rebirth came into being. Originally, it was meant to collect the souls of disciples who had made significant contributions to the sect after their deaths, using secret arts to have them reborn into affiliated families of the Gengchen Immortal Mansion. Once the child was born, their memories would be awakened, and they would be brought back to the mansion to resume cultivation.
But over time, this practice had evolved into a tool for the powerful within the Gengchen Immortal Mansion to maintain and expand their influence. Palace Masters and lineage leaders perpetuated their bloodlines and close disciples generation after generation, granting them new lives. Although Soul Transference and Rebirth could only be used once, this unchanging tradition had turned the upper echelons of the Gengchen Immortal Mansion into a stagnant, murky pool, rotting away day by day.
After collecting Yu Rongrong's soul, the dozen or so people present turned their attention back to the hundred lanterns in the center of the room. Only ninety-eight remained lit now—two had gone out in less than a day.
"The first lantern that went out..."
"Don't bother with it. The Grandmaster's emergence at this critical juncture isn't just frightening to us—many from other sects are terrified too. Whatever they do is futile. The Grandmaster has no protective inclinations toward us, let alone toward outsiders with ulterior motives. Just wait and see—the demons and monsters haven't even shown their true colors yet." The elder seated at the very center chuckled darkly, his eyes still closed.
OpenNovel