The night actually had a full moon, which should have been perfect for absorbing lunar essence to aid cultivation, but the wood spirits of Lingze Mountain had no such inclination. They were all groaning and weeping miserably.

Su Bing was actually doing alright. Her location at the mountain’s foot was in a valley hollow, and being near the spirit pool, she felt somewhat better after absorbing two mouthfuls of lunar essence. However, Yingchun Hua beside her was sobbing so pitifully that it irritated her. When Su Bing kindly advised her not to cry, she immediately received a sarcastic retort.

“Of course you with your thick arms and legs are a rough person. I’m so delicate—I nearly had my roots severed. My whole body hurts. Can’t I cry a little?”

Su Bing pondered this. How did she remember that “rough person” wasn’t a good term? Seeing Yingchun Hua crying so miserably, she didn’t say anything. Wood spirits rooted in the wilderness simply had too narrow a knowledge base. Many things and many words had to be guessed at.

The surrounding cries suddenly grew much louder as everyone shouted: “Elder Sister Junshang, save us.”

Su Bing looked up toward the sky and only belatedly saw a green-robed female immortal standing gracefully on a delicate cloud, her feathered garments fluttering. The bright moonlight shone upon her entire figure, emitting a faint golden glow—magnificent yet serene.

She slowly descended and stopped at the edge of the spirit pool.

This was Su Bing’s first time seeing the Wood Deity Sovereign. She stared dumbly, just looking carefully. Although Qingsui Dashen had transformed from a pine tree, her appearance was quite charming—almond eyes, delicate nose, red lips, and pearly white teeth. Her every gesture was quite proud, very much befitting a Deity Sovereign’s bearing.

Bai Zhicao once again appeared out of nowhere with a whoosh, crying out: “Elder Sister Junshang, you’ve come at last. You received my thousand-li transmission, right?”

Qingsui smiled and raised one hand, speaking softly yet audibly throughout all of Lingze Mountain: “Children, don’t panic and stop crying. This seat shall now cast a spell to relieve your suffering.”

Su Bing watched with utmost admiration. Elder Sister Junshang was stunningly beautiful! Incredibly cool!

However, Bai Zhicao choked for a moment. Having cultivated into human form, he had made quite a few trips to the mortal realm, gained some worldly experience, and understood this Deity Sovereign sister of theirs quite well. That line of hers was eighty percent learned from those monks who ferry departed souls.

Qingsui sat cross-legged, formed a hand seal with her right hand, and with a flip of her wrist, a ball of golden light flew from her sleeve—extremely dazzling in the moonlight. Qingsui closed her eyes to focus her spirit, chanting under her breath. The golden light flew to the surface of the spirit pool and kept rotating. Suddenly the golden light exploded, piercing Su Bing’s eyes until everything before her was a blank whiteness. Then the golden light dimmed and disappeared. When Su Bing recovered her vision, she could finally see clearly that spinning on the water’s surface was a small jade bowl.

Qingsui’s brow gradually furrowed as she appeared somewhat strained. Her hands came together and the small bowl drew up a thin column of water like a dragon drinking. Qingsui’s chanting voice grew louder and louder, the water column thicker and thicker, until suddenly it scattered into fine rain filling the sky.

The spirit pool was originally formed from the spiritual spring flowing down from the mountaintop, and now with the Wood Deity Sovereign’s spiritual power added, it moistened the wood spirits across the entire mountain. Though it didn’t completely restore their vitality, it soothed their injuries.

Wails transformed into cheers. Lingze Mountain finally escaped the scene of disaster.

Qingsui let out a long breath, appearing somewhat weary. With a backhanded motion, she retrieved the small jade bowl into her palm, revealing a troubled expression.

“The Jade Rain Basin can only do this much…” She sighed.

Hearing this, Bai Zhicao earnestly advised: “Elder Sister Junshang, don’t blame yourself too much for losing that sacred object.”

As they were speaking, a green light suddenly shot straight toward the heavens from the mountaintop. Both Qingsui and Bai Zhicao gazed far into the distance.

“It’s Shui Xian! He’s actually taking form tonight…” Bai Zhicao exclaimed in amazement.

Qingsui lowered her head halfway, seemingly lost in thought, saying nothing.

Su Bing gazed at that immortal energy shooting into the sky with infatuation, very envious of Shui Xian. Taking form at night looked extremely magnificent. She just didn’t know what appearance he would be born with.

Flower spirits and tree monsters were different from flying birds and walking beasts—generally they wouldn’t be too ugly, but there were also plenty of failed examples. A hundred years ago, she had personally witnessed Huai Shu take form, his skin still like tree bark—rough and dark. According to Bai Zhicao, after leaving the mountain, Huai Shu basically did nothing else but search for spiritual springs throughout the Three Realms to bathe in, hoping to improve his skin quality. When he returned to the mountain a few years ago, Su Bing saw that his face was still just as pockmarked. She felt despair on Huai Shu’s behalf.

Others didn’t matter, but Shui Xian’s appearance would determine his destiny. Su Bing watched eagerly. Surely Shui Xian would come to pay respects to Elder Sister Dijun, right? She could perfectly witness this love-at-first-sight scene—a once-in-a-millennium opportunity!

A graceful white figure unhurriedly walked down from the mountain path. Su Bing found it strange that he didn’t come riding on clouds. But when he slowly emerged from the shadows of the trees and walked into the melting moonlight, she realized Shui Xian was right to do so. His swaying, graceful gait looked even better than flying down on clouds.

This type of narcissus flower spirit supposedly all had very similar personalities…

Su Bing stared straight at him as he walked with elegant bearing—eyes looking neither left nor right as he brushed past Qingsui and Bai Zhicao, heading straight for the spirit pool’s edge. With nobody else in his eyes, he bent down to carefully examine his own reflection in the water.

Su Bing sucked in a cold breath, very worried for Shui Xian. This effeminate appearance was really too… Anyone who could still like him after watching him admire his reflection would truly be in love.

Fortunately, fortunately, Elder Sister Junshang wasn’t disgusted. She was even smiling cheerfully. Probably because Shui Xian was very beautiful—his appearance salvaged everything. However, Elder Sister Junshang’s grinning, eye-squinting expression… wasn’t even as good as Shui Xian admiring his reflection.

“Little Shui Xian, come, come, come, let me get a good look at you!” Qingsui was quite undignified, rushing over to grab his hand. That sleazy appearance—even good looks couldn’t save her.

Su Bing felt like she’d been hit with a muffled hammer. Was this still the same dignified, powerful Elder Sister Dijun from just moments ago?

On the other hand, Shui Xian was quite reliable. He elegantly straightened his body, turned his back to the Wood Deity Sovereign, and said coolly: “Call me Jin Zhan from now on.”

“Let me see, let me see!” Dijun Qingsui quite familiarly turned his body around to examine him closely, praising with delight: “This appearance is truly beyond words. Worthy of growing beside my feet.”

This statement deeply wounded the proud young Shui Xian. Blue veins popped out on his fair, tender forehead. With great dignity, he swept his left sleeve, fanning the grinning lecherously Wood Deity Sovereign back two steps, and said seriously: “Dijun, please show some restraint.”

“Restraint? Restrain what? This seat wasn’t even teasing you.” Qingsui pushed her advantage by hooking her arm around Jin Zhan’s shoulder. “You and I were born from the same place, our bond is like siblings. This seat will give you a magical artifact as congratulations. What would you like?”

Su Bing heard Bai Zhicao and Yingchun Hua sigh softly. She completely understood their disappointment! A bond like siblings—meaning she wouldn’t marry Shui Xian after all?

Jin Zhan raised his eyebrows and said generously: “A mirror.”

Qingsui released Jin Zhan, clapping her hands and laughing heartily: “A mirror and a narcissus—truly a perfect match! Take this, I just happened to obtain a treasure from Yuanhou, the Yunji Mirror.”

After bestowing the magical artifact, Qingsui looked back at Su Bing. “Little gardenia, you’re almost ready to take form too, right? Work harder at it.” Saying this, she pulled out a jade comb glowing with a ghostly light from her sleeve. “Don’t say I play favorites. The Lianbi Comb and Yunji Mirror were originally a pair. I’ll give it to you later.”

Su Bing said nothing sullenly. Even with her limited experience, she wasn’t stupid! Elder Sister Junshang didn’t want to marry Shui Xian anymore, so she wanted to push Shui Xian onto her.

“Shui Xian has a name now. What are you planning to call yourself?” Qingsui was in high spirits. She had been away from Lingze Mountain too long and wasn’t really familiar with everyone anymore.

“She’s called Su Bing.” Yingchun Hua rushed to say it, even giggling.

Su Bing had originally quite liked her own name, but when Yingchun Hua called it out, why did it suddenly feel so awkward? Especially since Shui Xian showed a disgusted expression upon hearing it.

“This name has quite a story behind it.” Bai Zhicao also laughed with schadenfreude. “When little gardenia first gained spiritual awareness, someone came up the mountain to gather herbs and sat under her tree eating a pastry. It nearly drove her crazy with craving. Every day she looked forward to taking human form and going to the mortal realm to eat. So she simply called herself Su Bing.”

Qingsui thought for a moment, looked at Su Bing with a faint smile. “So you and he still have such a connection… Su Bing, Su Bing.” She murmured the name quietly, somewhat sentimentally turning to look at the moon’s reflection on the water. “It’s a very good name.”

“What’s so good about it?” Jin Zhan coldly retorted. Although he still had the tender voice of a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy, he spoke with great authority—more steady and reliable than Qingsui, more like a lord. “Wood spirits are also a prosperous branch among the Five Element immortal spirits. People need face and trees need bark. How can you go by such a name?”

While speaking, he even looked down and glared at Su Bing. “From now on, you’ll be called Xiang Su.”

“It’s none of your business!” Su Bing was quite indignant. The key point was that being glared at made her bristle with anger.

Qingsui coughed with a strange expression on her face, saying with deep feeling: “Little Bing ah, you should still listen to Big Brother Jin Zhan. In the future when mixing in the Three Realms and Six Worlds, not having a good name is very embarrassing.”

Bai Zhicao suddenly couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. After being glared at fiercely by Qingsui, he quickly straightened his expression and also joined in advising Su Bing to change her name.

Su Bing had no choice. Since even Elder Sister Junshang said so, and Yingchun Hua and Bai Zhicao chorused their agreement that Xiang Su sounded ten thousand times better than Su Bing, she could only accept this name.

“Elder Sister Junshang, do you know that person who ate the pastry?” Xiang Su asked very seriously.

Qingsui froze, smiling bitterly. “I know him… When I find him, I’ll call you to come see.” In her heart, a wave of restless fire suddenly rose, and her eyes stung with sourness. After all these years, she didn’t know where he was drifting through reincarnation. “Let’s go, let’s go!” She deliberately laughed heartily, squinting her eyes to squeeze the tears back, frivolously pulling Jin Zhan’s hand. “Elder sister will take you to see the myriad lights of the mortal realm.”

Jin Zhan looked at her indifferently with a mature, all-seeing expression beyond his years. He didn’t scold Qingsui again but quietly departed with her on the clouds.

Yingchun Hua suddenly remembered something and asked Bai Zhicao: “What were you laughing about just now?”

Bai Zhicao held it in but still couldn’t help revealing: “Do you know what name Elder Sister Junshang originally gave herself?”

“Qingsui, obviously.” Yingchun Hua disdained his pointless chatter.

“That was changed later. The name she gave herself was… Song Ta.”

“…”

No wonder Elder Sister Junshang had such deep understanding of the harm caused by terrible names earlier.

Xiang Su finally gained profound appreciation of Elder Sister Junshang’s true character. No wonder enemies kept coming to the door—she really wasn’t someone who could stay out of trouble.

In the blink of an eye it was dawn. Again there came the sound of howling wind from afar. The spirits and monsters across the mountain were already scared out of their wits, discussing anxiously and losing their composure.

Bai Zhicao rode up on a cloud and circled the mountain several times. Seeing only a peaceful, clear sky with clouds drifting slowly, he comforted everyone that there were no abnormalities and no sign of Kunpeng.

Xiang Su had just let her heart settle when suddenly a thunderclap fell straight down from the ninth heaven—exactly like the thundergod’s lightning bolt. A streak of fierce fire dragging a long tail, carrying rolling black smoke, plummeted toward Lingze Mountain’s peak at a terrifying speed. Before she could react, she heard only a muffled boom. The entire mountain shook as if the earth was collapsing and the heavens splitting. Xiang Su felt excruciating pain. Her root tendrils seemed to have all exploded apart. The pain was heart-piercing and bone-stabbing, even her spiritual consciousness scattered.

The rain was so ice-cold… She had cultivated for several hundred years and never encountered rain water so bone-chillingly cold. Xiang Su struggled for a while before recovering consciousness with difficulty. Pitch darkness surrounded her—stars and moon had all vanished. It wasn’t that dawn hadn’t broken, but rather overwhelming smoke and dust had enveloped the mountain and refused to disperse for a long time. She was choking until she couldn’t breathe and couldn’t see anything clearly.

“Yingchun Hua? Yingchun Hua?” She called out with difficulty. The surrounding deathly silence made her blood run cold.

Yingchun Hua didn’t answer. Xiang Su couldn’t even sense her spiritual consciousness… For flower spirits and tree monsters, disappearance of spiritual consciousness was like death for humans.

Death?

Xiang Su had never imagined her companions could die. The flowers, grass, and trees of Lingze Mountain—what they had was longevity. “Bai Zhicao!” She became panicked and urgently shouted with what little spiritual power remained.

The smoke and dust were thick and heavy, the earth rain dense and oppressive. Her voice couldn’t carry far at all.

Still no sound whatsoever. No one answered her. There was only the cold, merciless freezing rain beating down on the lifeless, broken corpses of flowers and grass, making everything feel especially desolate and cruel.

The rain droplets brought down smoke and dust, murky and bitter-tasting. Xiang Su was choking uncomfortably. She struggled to extend her branches and actually touched the spirit pool’s water. She had been uprooted and toppled over at the spirit pool’s edge. She absorbed two mouthfuls of spirit pool water—the pool water had completely lost its spiritual energy and become as bland and slightly bitter as the earth rain!

Xiang Su fell silent in despair… Even Lingze Mountain had died.

The rain finally stopped and the smoke thinned, letting weak rays of light seep through.

Xiang Su felt she was already at the edge of complete dissolution. By the faint light she examined her surroundings. There was not the slightest unexpected fortune—the entire mountain was filled with broken trees and withered branches. The auspicious energy that had originally wreathed the mountain had completely dispersed, leaving only a dead, desolate mountain.

Yingchun Hua lay at her feet, her withered branches and leaves covered with dust. Not just her—all the companions Xiang Su could see had been beaten filthy by a night of dusty rain… They had all died, reverting to the most ordinary flowers, grass, and trees, withering and rotting.

Xiang Su stared at Yingchun Hua for a long time, her heartache numbing into nothing. Bai Zhicao had said that wood spirits were different from other immortal spirits—they had no law of the jungle, but were companions supporting each other like siblings. She had never been alone. Lingze Mountain was a lively place. So now this desolate loneliness was especially unbearable for her.

Suddenly a breeze rose—very gentle, very warm, slowly dispersing the terrifying smoke and dust.

“Elder Sister Qingsui, you mustn’t act recklessly! Even exhausting all your magical power won’t help matters now…” A low shout came from the air.

Xiang Su recognized this as Jin Zhan’s voice. He was very anxious, his voice somewhat trembling.

When Qingsui landed from the clouds, she almost couldn’t stand steady. Jin Zhan hurriedly supported her. Her face was abnormally pale as she muttered distractedly: “It’s all my fault… it’s all my karmic retribution…”

Jin Zhan was pleasantly surprised to discover that Xiang Su still had a wisp of undissipated spiritual consciousness. “Xiang Su, Xiang Su!” He walked over to check on her but didn’t dare rashly move her.

Qingsui steadied her mind. Saving Xiang Su was most urgent. She once again released the Jade Rain Basin from her sleeve. But after chanting just two lines of the spell, her face darkened and she actually coughed up a mouthful of blood. The Jade Rain Basin also fell to the ground.

Jin Zhan was startled and rushed over to pick up the magical artifact. After thinking, he still said with great responsibility: “Junshang, you just overextended yourself with spellcasting and injured your immortal essence. Although my magical power is still very weak, let me try to control the Jade Rain Basin. Xiang Su probably can’t hold on much longer.”

Qingsui nodded dejectedly and weakly instructed: “Use the earth-shrinking technique to move little Su Bing entirely inside. Remember you absolutely cannot touch even half a speck of Lingze Mountain’s soil… This soil carries the aura of Jifeng and Bi Lian. For little Su Bing, it’s like poison.” When she said that Lingze Mountain’s soil had become poison, Qingsui’s voice was so low and slow it was almost like sobbing.

Bai Zhicao tumbled down from the clouds in a disheveled state, threw himself on the ground, and simply started crying. When he heard Elder Sister Junshang say that even Lingze Mountain’s soil had become poison, his heart felt as if stabbed by knives. While crying, he didn’t forget to report the intelligence he’d gathered: “Bi Lian hurled the Jifeng Sword into the mountain and fled. I couldn’t see clearly where he went.”

Qingsui’s body swayed, nearly unable to support herself.

Bai Zhicao kept crying. Jin Zhan felt somewhat irritated. Controlling the wood spirit divine artifact was already beyond his capability, and Bai Zhicao’s wailing was disturbing his concentration. He shouted once, and Bai Zhicao finally choked back his sobs without making a sound. Jin Zhan focused his mind and chanted the spell several times. The Jade Rain Basin only emitted some spiritual light but didn’t move at all.

“Useless boy.” An extremely arrogant voice abruptly rang out above their heads. After the words fell, only then did they hear the sound of wings flapping.

Xiang Su’s spiritual consciousness was already declining, but she forced herself to hold on, wanting to cooperate with Jin Zhan a bit. Out of extreme curiosity, she struggled to look—a person was sitting on a large black bird. It was too high up to see his face clearly.

This black bird was like “Kunpeng” shrunk several hundred times, its body only about two human heights large, but its vicious eyes were the same, making Xiang Su’s heart grow cold.

“Dong Tianyun…” Qingsui sat on the ground, her expression growing even more dejected.

Dong Tianyun’s pale golden robe hem hung down, seemingly with very intricate and magnificent patterns. His hair was very black and very long, not tied up. When the black bird’s wings flapped, his hair ends and robe hem swayed slightly.

Xiang Su was already breathing her last, but she was still awed by Dong Tianyun’s imposing manner. Without a single attendant, and without seeing his features, just the robe and hair alone created tremendous oppressive force. The tone in which he called Jin Zhan “boy,” though flat and level, was unspeakably arrogant.

“Song Ta.” Dong Tianyun’s tone was flat and bland, yet hearing it made one’s heart clench repeatedly. “How does it feel to suffer the consequences of your own actions?”

Qingsui smiled bitterly. “You’re too vindictive. Back then when I helped Qing Ze plant curved wood trees in the Western Abyss, I truly didn’t know their sap was the nemesis of Wu Fu soil and would ruin your seal, allowing Bi Lian to knock over Wu Futa and escape. You’ve beaten me, you’ve punished me, and Qing Ze because of this… Yet you still say such things when I’ve suffered the disaster of my entire household being destroyed. You’re truly too dishonorable.”

Dong Tianyun was rendered speechless by her words. The scene fell somewhat silent.

They could wait, but Xiang Su couldn’t! So she said in a trembling, pleading voice: “Elder Sister Junshang, stop just bickering with the bird person and save me first!”

As soon as these words left her mouth, everyone was shocked. Bai Zhicao even exaggeratedly opened his mouth wide, revealing a horrified expression.

Dong Tianyun’s black bird suddenly dropped down a zhang, almost hugging the ground. He squinted, looking coldly at this dying bald tree that still didn’t forget to curse at people.

“Dijun,” Jin Zhan said neither humbly nor arrogantly, “Xiang Su is young and ignorant, speaking without proper weight. Please don’t lower yourself to the level of a mere small wood spirit.”

“Young and ignorant…” Dong Tianyun showed a disdainful expression, his long lashes half-lowered. Watching this made Xiang Su’s heart pound with fear, feeling he might unleash a killing move and strike ruthlessly at any moment. “Not even in human form yet, but already learned to curse at people.”

Xiang Su truly felt she’d died unjustly. When had she cursed at him? Even Jin Zhan respectfully called him “Dijun”—clearly he was an extraordinary figure. At this life-or-death moment, she absolutely couldn’t offend such a person, right? “I’m wronged! How is calling you a person riding a bird cursing at you?”

In this kind of situation, probably only the carefree Qingsui could laugh, but when she laughed like this, Dong Tianyun’s expression became even more ugly.

Dong Tianyun drew a gleaming cold sword from somewhere.

With a whoosh, it scared Xiang Su’s last wisp of spiritual consciousness until it nearly snapped.