“Gentlemen, there’s a man outside claiming to be a disciple of the Wind Spirit Immortal Sect, here to deal with the demon issue in Lingjue Village.”
“Quickly, invite him in!”
The savior had finally arrived!
Magistrate Chen’s face lit up with joy, and he let out a huge sigh of relief.
***
After confirming with the merchant family heads that the information about Lingjue Village matched what he knew, Shen Mu bid them farewell and set off.
However, when he reached the peak of a mountain three miles from Lingjue Village, he could clearly sense the heavy yin energy emanating from the village.
Even the vegetation within two miles of the village was wilted and decayed, the grass and trees lifeless, devoid of any vitality.
“It’s only been a little over a month since I last came, and this place has turned into such a ghostly state. That thing’s growth rate is pretty intense.”
Shen Mu sighed softly, then took out a Breath-Concealing Talisman and attached it to himself. He donned a black spiritual robe, suppressing his life force and yang energy to mimic that of a ghost.
Next, he swallowed a Qi-Gathering Pill, boosting his internal spiritual energy to the peak of his realm, preparing to execute swift, high-consumption movement techniques.
“This should do.”
Whoosh!
With a gust of wind beneath his feet, Shen Mu leaped down the mountain, moving like a gentle breeze, swiftly approaching the desolate village shrouded in heavy yin energy.
Based on the low-level speedrun strategy he had developed in the game, the best approach for this special dungeon was a decapitation strike.
Given the scarcity of resources and treasures in the early stages, coupled with low stats, the biggest challenge for low-tier cultivators here was the endless swarm of zombie-like minions on a village’s outskirts and the restrictive effects of the yin energy environment.
A single misstep could lead to an endless battle, being worn down and killed by the horde.
For a speedrun, the ideal method was to avoid provoking any minions, use stealth to slip through quickly, rush to the central area of the village, and eliminate the main culprit—the corpse ghost—with maximum speed!
Soon after.
Lin Yuhe’s figure appeared at the mountain’s peak.
She frowned as she watched the black-clad figure dart into the withered area.
Damn… he even popped a pill? How’s he moving so fast all of a sudden?
It seems he’s really desperate to get that thing.
“If I wait for you to come out and take it from you by force, with how eager you are, you’d probably end up hating me to the core…”
Imagining the first person in this world she could relate to despising her, Lin Yuhe quietly dismissed the highly unethical idea.
“Fine. If I can defeat that thing myself and take it with my own hands, you’ll probably just be a bit upset with me, right?”
***
Wanxiang Peak.
Luo Qingling sat with her long, fair legs crossed, propping her head up, her fingers idly tapping the table in boredom.
“Sect Leader, I doubt you came to my place just to sip tea and chat, right?” Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she spoke lightly to the red-haired woman before her.
“Regarding Lin Yuhe, we need to have a serious talk.” Seeing her straightforwardness, Luo Qingyue got to the point.
“Don’t worry. Though that girl’s personality is a bit erratic and strange, her talent in array techniques is passable.”
“At the very least… if she listens obediently for a decade or two under me, she could become a master of seventh-grade arrays or higher.”
“I’m not talking about her cultivation talent, but some other matters.” Luo Qingyue produced a personal letter from Lin Tianyun, the Lin Clan head, and placed it before Luo Qingling.
“You must have heard some rumors about the True Phoenix Immortal Body born in the Lin Clan during your travels.”
“Her talent is exceptional, but from a young age, her personality has been proud, aloof, and reserved, rarely engaging with others, like an exceptionally haughty phoenix.”
“But half a year ago, overnight, this proud phoenix underwent a drastic change in personality, becoming unusually willful and eccentric…”
“Her behavior and demeanor no longer resemble that of a refined young lady.”
“This left Lin Tianyun utterly baffled, even suspecting… whether she had been possessed.”
“But after thorough investigation, her soul showed no abnormalities, remaining as it was originally.”
“With no other explanation, he could only attribute it to the unique traits of her peerless immortal body.”
“But… deep down, he still harbors doubts.”
“That’s why he sent me this letter, asking me to pay close attention to her actions and behavior during her time in the sect.”
“To see if there’s anything else unusual about her.”
After reading the letter, Luo Qingling grasped the situation and nodded helplessly. “Alright, I understand. I’ll keep a close eye on her.”
“You’d better take this seriously this time.”
“With the dynasty changing emperors, the Lin Clan is likely in turmoil. If anything major happens to Lin Yuhe while she’s with us, it could spark a conflict between the great clans.”
“Hmph, if it comes to that, the Lin Clan might not even stand a chance against our Luo Clan.”
Luo Qingling snorted lightly, as if she had already foreseen the outcome of any clan conflict.
“In any case, since you’re her master, it’s your responsibility to watch over her.”
“It’s just a matter of putting in a bit more effort.”
To ensure harmony between the dynasty’s two major cultivation clans, Luo Qingyue earnestly urged her.
“By the way, where is she now? I didn’t sense her presence when I arrived.”
“Don’t worry, she’s currently out training with my head disciple.” Luo Qingling had been keeping tabs on their whereabouts all along.
“Alright…”
Seeing that Luo Qingling was taking it seriously, Luo Qingyue stood to leave.
Before departing, she paused and suddenly said, “I really don’t understand why you insisted on taking someone with such mediocre talent as your disciple back then.”
Luo Qingling’s lips curved slightly, a trace of inscrutable emotion flickering in her eyes.
“He’s good-looking, caught my eye, and I like him.”
***
Inside Lingjue Village.
Following the route he had long planned out in his mind, Shen Mu avoided the zombies emitting eerie green auras and quickly reached the central area of Lingjue Village.
Upon entering, he was greeted by a strange temple shrouded in cold, yin energy, resembling a place of worship for immortal gods.
This is the place, no doubt about it.
The black-robed Shen Mu scanned his surroundings once more to confirm, then began using his Wind Spirit Movement Technique to discreetly place nearly twenty second-grade Flame Talismans around the temple.
Since this was a speed kill, he needed to deal massive effective damage in a short time, leaving no chance for the target to shift phases.
About a quarter of an hour later.
Shen Mu finished setting up and prepared to enter the temple to lure out the corpse ghost hiding within.
Boom!!
Suddenly, with a loud crash from the temple’s roof, a red-clad figure flew out, slamming heavily into the ground more than ten zhang away from Shen Mu.