A while passed before the massive illusory peach tree linking heaven and earth gradually faded, and the golden flames filling the sky disappeared.

Darkness enveloped all three thousand miles of Peach Haven Mountain once more.

However, that baleful, bloody aura was nowhere to be found.

On the contrary, the skies were perfectly clear, and the radiant purple crescent moon was visible overhead.

A clear breeze blew through the wilderness, and everything was still. 𝐨𝘃𝗹.

Atop Vast Sun Peak.

Xie Yunyan’s heart and mind quivered, and she looked dazed, as if she’d just witnessed a miracle.

With a flip of his hand, the illusory Peach Haven Divine Tree linked heaven and earth, illuminating the entire landscape with divine firelight.

Then, with a single cry of a rooster, all the apparitions haunting the mountain were reduced to ash!

Such abilities were miraculous indeed!

The young woman in black was stunned and silent, and she looked bewildered.

She suddenly recalled something her master had once said to her: “I am the living Peach Haven Yama King. The heavens taught me to behave without inhibitions. My divine formation protects three thousand miles of mountain, and even gods and ghosts shrink back at the sight of me!“

The “divine formation” referred to the formation covering all three thousand miles of Peach Haven Mountain.

It used the mountain’s geography to guide the force of the landscape, and the Peach Haven Divine Tree as its source. When used, it could exterminate all evil spirits and apparitions!

This formation was also known as the Ghost Gate’s Divine Restriction!

Although her master wasn’t around, this formation, which had lain dormant for countless years, circulated once more, turning the tides in one fell swoop and cleansing the mountain of wicked creatures.

As untarnished as clear blue skies!

“Who is this person? Why is it that he can control not just Fire Comb True Intent, but also Master’s Ghost Gate Divine Restriction?” The young woman’s mind buzzed.

She was her master’s disciple, but not even she could use this formation…

“Now do you believe I’m not a bad person?” Su Yi drifted down and landed in front of the young woman. When he saw that she was dazed and speechless, he couldn’t help but tease her.

The young woman in black reacted as if awakening from a dream. She looked up, and she couldn’t help but ask, “Who… exactly are you?”

Su Yi returned the?Fire Comb Spirit Staff. “Let’s chat later.”

Then, he looked at Xie Yunyan. “Peach Haven Mountain is no longer dangerous. I suggest you lead your sectmates away sooner rather than later.”

With that, he walked into the dilapidated temple.

After a brief daze, Xie Yunyan chased after him. The young woman in black hesitated, then turned and followed him too.

Within the dilapidated temple hall.

“Senior, many thanks for saving our lives!”

As soon as Su Yi walked inside, the Blue Firmament Sword Sect disciples greeted him, one after another, with a mixture of fear and gratitude.

Even Junior Apprentice Brother Yue, who’d just lost a leg, struggled to his feet and inclined his head in respect.

After witnessing Su Yi’s terrifying abilities, who would dare treat him as just another member of the younger generation?

The Blue Firmament Sword Sect cultivators even suspected that Su Yi was an immortal of legend?walking the mortal world.

“Mm,” said Su Yi. “You can leave.”

Xie Yunyan couldn’t help but lower her voice and say, “Senior, if you wouldn’t mind, might you tell us your name? Should the opportunity arise, we’ll be sure to repay your benevolence in saving our lives tonight.”

The others nodded, one after another.

“I’m just a passerby, and I didn’t intervene just to save your lives. There’s no need to be so grateful to me,” Su Yi said casually. “Go on.”

Xie Yunyan couldn’t help but feel a bit despondent, but she dared not push, so she promptly led her companions away from the run-down temple.

Su Yi, meanwhile, looked at the young woman in black. “Girl, how about we go to the Peach Haven Hidden Realm and have ourselves a chat?”

This time, she no longer stubbornly remained silent. Instead, she nodded slightly. “Mm.”

…

The Peach Haven Hidden Realm.

Su Yi sat leisurely on a root, drinking and asking the young woman in black questions.

She sat with her knees together not far away. It seemed she was no longer on guard, as she’d lowered her black hood, revealing her flowing, fiery red hair and exquisite features. Her face was clear and guileless, and her skin was smooth as porcelain.

Her eyes were particularly noteworthy; they were pale blue, clear yet subtly enchanting.

Her fingers interwove, and she wrapped her arms around her knees. Her slender, petite figure was a moving sight.

As they conversed, she no longer seemed as guarded as before, so Su Yi quickly learned a fair bit.

The young woman’s name was Ling Zhen, and her master had chosen it for her. She was born of the Peach Haven Divine Tree’s source quite some time ago. However, at first, she had only a wisp of sentience.

It was only thirty-three years prior that she metamorphosized?into a true Xiantian spirit body with complete intelligence and awareness.

It was then that she became the Peach Haven Mountain Monarch’s closed-door disciple.

However, just three months later, the Peach Haven Mountain Monarch received a sealed letter. After reading it, he left the mountain in a hurry.

This was why Ling Zhen’s control over Fire Comb True Intent was so weak; she hadn’t studied with her master long enough to receive his inheritance, the Fire Comb Divine Seal.

Su Yi felt enlightened, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but find it strange. “Do you know who sent your master that letter?

Ling Zhen shook her head. “When Master?left, he didn’t tell me anything. He just told me to stay with the Peach Haven Divine Tree and protect it until he got back.”

Su Yi couldn’t help but frown. Why would the old rooster leave in such a hurry?

“Right!” Ling Zhen suddenly recalled something. “I remember that when Master left, he brought with him an Unsinkable Boat carved out of Peach Haven Divine Tree heartwood.”

Su Yi’s gaze was instantly solemn. Don’t tell me the old rooster went to the Sea of Bitterness?

Unsinkable Boats could only reveal the full extent of their wondrous abilities while crossing the Sea of Bitterness.

Su Yi thought for a moment. “Do you remember anything else? For instance, did your master do anything strange before receiving that letter?”

Ling Zhen thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Not really.”

Although Su Yi was a bit disappointed, he knew that there’d be no point in asking any further questions.

“And uh… what about you? Who exactly are you?” Ling Zhen couldn’t help but ask.

“All you need to know is that I’m surnamed Su, and that I’m a good friend of your master,” said Su Yi.

“A friend of my master?” Ling Zhen was flabbergasted. Su Yi looked like he was only eighteen or nineteen, yet he called himself her master’s friend. Wasn’t that a bit too strange?

Furthermore, she’d never heard her master mention a friend by that surname.

When he saw the befuddlement in her gaze, Su Yi couldn’t help but laugh. “When your master gets back, he’ll naturally give you an answer.”

Su Yi then started asking about the changes to Peach Haven Mountain.

According to Ling Zhen, the mountain had always suppressed the ghostly domain beneath it; it was like a land of the dead home to a boundless ocean of ghosts.

After her master left, the strongest of the ghosts stopped behaving themselves.

In the end, eighteen years ago, some of the strongest and most vicious ghosts escaped confinement.

It was that the stark changes to Peach Haven Mountain began.

Ling Zhen lowered her head in shame. “It’s all my fault for being so inept; I couldn’t control the power of the Ghost Gate Divine Restriction. That’s why those ghosts escaped. Over the years, I’ve often felt ill at ease. When cultivators entered the mountain and ran into danger, I did all I could to save them. Only then could I soothe my guilty conscience…”

Su Yi couldn’t help but sigh to herself. Perhaps because she’s so ignorant of the world, she’s retained her pure, kindhearted nature even after all this time.

“How could this possibly be your fault? Your master’s to blame for not teaching you these secret skills, that’s all,” said Su Yi after a moment’s thought. “I’ll teach you the Fire Comb Divine Seal. That way, going forward, you’ll be able to control Peach Haven Moutain’s Ghost Gate Divine Restriction too.”

Ling Zhen’s eyes lit up with delight, and she chirped, “Many thanks, Senior!”

Su Yi laughed and teased, “Why have you suddenly changed how you address me?”

Ling Zhen seemed a bit embarrassed, and she said sheepishly, “I just thought something through. Since you’re capable of controlling Fire Comb True Intent and the Ghost Gate Divine Restriction, you’ve surely got a deep bond with my master. It’s only proper that I call you senior.”

Su Yi smiled. “I came here to refine an Unsinkable Boat, and I need a piece of Peach Haven Divine Tree heartwood. Is that alright?”

Ling Zhen hesitated, then said in a low voice, “Senior, in that case… might you leave a note so that I can explain myself to Master?when he gets back?”

Su Yi nodded his agreement.

……

Morning the next day.

The new dawn shrouded the rising and falling peaks of Peach Haven Mountain in misty light. A sea of clouds hung in the air, and all living things flourished.

There was no longer any trace of baleful energy.

When Su Yi left, he left with a roughly ten-foot piece of Peach Haven Divine Tree heartwood.

The night before, he taught the methods of controlling both Fire Comb?True Intent and the Ghost Gate Divine Restriction to Ling Zhen.

That way, even if new ghosts escaped from the ghost domain beneath the mountain, Ling Zhen would be able to suppress and exterminate them with ease.

Furthermore, before he left, Su Yi gave Ling Zhen a note. On it, he wrote: “Su so-and-so took thirteen feet of Peach Haven Divine Tree heartwood. Even if I get the chance, I won’t return it.”

Su Yi still remembered the dazed look on Ling Zhen’s face when she saw the message. Her pink lips had formed an “O” shape.

As Su Yi disappeared into the distance, he suddenly sensed something, and he turned to look.

A delicate figure stood atop Vast Sun Peak, gazing at him from afar. Her black robes swayed around her, and her fiery red hair glinted, dazzling beneath the sunlight.

“Take care, senior!” Ling Zhen waved, her voice clear and sweet.

“You too.” Su Yi laughed, then turned and left.

After watching Su Yi disappear over the horizon, a hint of melancholy appeared in Ling Zhen’s blue eyes. But then, she pursed her lips, turned, and walked back into the dilapidated temple of Vast Sun Peak.

Three days later, Su Yi arrived in the Ghost Lands, one of the Netherworld’s six territories.

Cloudsong City was a massive, ancient city near the southeast border of the Ghost Lands Territory, the border adjacent to the Six Paths Royal Territory. It was bustling and prosperous.

Outside the city, a mountainous treasure ship was anchored near a harbor. The pavilions on deck were as numerous as trees in a forest.

This was a passenger ship, a Cloud Tower Treasure Ship. It was capable of flight, and it would soon depart for Tianya City.

And Tianya City was the home of one of the Netherworld’s Nine Royal Clans, the Ghost Serpents!

Su Yi was currently seated within a restaurant on board.

He sat alone facing the window and ordered a steaming hot bowl of vegetarian noodles.