“Is this the training task Senior Brother assigned?”

‘How exhausting.’

As the sun set in the west, outside a medicine shop marked with the character for ‘medicine,’ Ling’e stood in her light blue cloth garments and disguised face. Her graceful silhouette cast shadows on the moss-covered stone path in the evening light.

Passersby cast kind glances her way, and a middle-aged woman carrying a bamboo basket called out:

“Young Miss Lan, come have dinner at Auntie’s house tonight!”

“I can’t,” Ling’e declined with a smile. “I need to prepare tomorrow’s medicinal ingredients. I’m too busy to get away.”

The woman quickly acknowledged this, reminding her to take care of herself and not work too hard before slowly walking away.

Ling’e returned to her stone house, closed the wooden door, and casually set up several restrictions. She couldn’t help but yawn.

By now, the corners of the room, tables, and wooden cabinets were filled with paper packages, each carefully labeled with classifications and dosages.

Using the alias Lan Xing’er, she had lived in this town for half a year as a ‘Medicine Master.’

In that time, she had hunted and killed ninety-nine True Immortal Realm demon beasts, including several Celestial Immortal Realm elder demons.

Ling’e always struck at night, using paper dolls to poison from afar and burn the corpses without a trace before quietly returning, causing the local demon forces to fall into panic rapidly.

Though she had only personally killed ninety-nine great demons, she had scared away half the demon forces in the area, significantly relieving the pressure on Chen Tang Town.

Tonight, Ling’e would eliminate her final targeted demon before quietly leaving Chen Tang Town.

To avoid the ‘awkward’ situation of being given a farewell ceremony upon her departure, Ling’e chose to leave without saying goodbye.

She had simply done what she could manage, and she had been sent here by her Senior Brother—there was nothing worth being thanked for.

Before coming to Chen Tang Town, Ling’e had anticipated that the place would lack certain medicines for injuries, so she had purchased large quantities of pills suitable for mortals from the market town, which were used up in less than a month.

Ling’e immediately went to ‘restock’ from the market town, but considering she wouldn’t stay in Chen Tang Town long, she could only help temporarily rather than permanently.

After several days of consideration, Ling’e finally found a ‘clear path’!

Using her paper doll technique, she collected many medicinal ingredients and prescriptions from the mortal realm and market towns, leaving these prescriptions for Chen Tang Town.

This afternoon, Ling’e had taken some of the spirit stones given by Ao Yi and entrusted them to several trusted elders in Chen Tang Town.

The reason she didn’t leave all the spirit stones was to prevent them from bringing disaster to Chen Tang Town. When considering this matter, Ling’e had been as thorough as possible.

“Time to leave.”

Ling’e’s slender fingers traced the edge of the wooden table, her eyes showing traces of emotion.

She seemed to see again the children playing happily at the table, the injured with dull eyes beginning to show warm smiles once more…

She also saw the mortal guards fighting life-and-death battles with demon beasts, and the fragile women who put down their hoes to take up spears.

Cultivation required innate talent and wasn’t possible for everyone, so in the eyes of the able-bodied men and women protecting this place, Ling’e read their yearning for power.

Her divine sense explored several hundred miles to the southwest, where there was a great city. Within it, mortals lived in peace and prosperity while the wealthy lived lives of luxury, forming a stark contrast with Chen Tang Town.

Ling’e had asked the local elders why the mortals of Chen Tang Town didn’t abandon this place and retreat inland.

The elders replied: Such were the ancestral teachings.

‘If we retreat, the demons will pursue, and more people will die. More demons will come when they hear the news. Can mortals outrun those demon beasts? Certainly not, and that would be disastrous.’

Ling’e didn’t continue questioning, but after returning to her residence, she thought for a long time, and her Dao’s heart became more complete.

“This must be Senior Brother’s deeper meaning in sending me here.”

Writing a letter, Ling’e read it carefully, then went to tour the small courtyard behind the house.

During these six months, besides witnessing how the locals fought against the demon tribes, she encountered many interesting things.

What Ling’e found somewhat amusing was that while active in town, she had used a mask to conceal her appearance and presented her cultivation realm as Element Immortal Realm, and a weak one at that, making herself appear quite ordinary.

Yet in these six months, she still received confessions from six men.

What Ling’e found strange was that she had expected to feel some ripples in her heart, some small crack in her Dao’s heart.

But each time she received a confession, Ling’e remained completely calm, explaining facts and reason to them, saying she already had someone in her heart and was currently training away from home, encouraging them to seek their own happiness.

Looking back and reflecting carefully, she realized her heart had long been filled by Senior Brother, leaving no room for anyone else’s footprints.

“Stupid Senior Brother, making me train outside for three years.”

Ling’e muttered, using the earth travel technique to quietly leave the area, heading toward the East Sea.

After she was far from Chen Tang Town, finding a secluded place to hide, she finally activated her paper doll a thousand miles away, injecting Celestial Immortal poison into an already unconscious Celestial Immortal Realm demon beast.

After dealing with the corpse and collecting the remnant soul, the paper doll self-immolated underground.

Ling’e took out the jade talisman given by her Senior Brother and took a gentle breath.

‘Don’t be a time-consuming task, don’t be a time-consuming task, don’t be a time-consuming task!’

After silently chanting three times, Ling’e opened her eyes to a slit and looked inside.

Eh?

Why hasn’t it changed?

Ling’e tilted her head, wondering if some of the great demons she killed were imposters. Or did she need to personally kill one hundred True Immortal Realm great demons with her true form? But using her true form rashly seemed too risky…

“Ahem!”

A slight sound suddenly came from the side, and Ling’e whooshed into the ground in an instant, darting several hundred zhang away.

But she quickly stopped, her divine sense examining the figure standing where she had been moments before.

“Senior Brother?”

“It’s me,” Li Changshou calmly replied.

“Hmm?”

Ling’e transmitted her voice: “I don’t believe you. How can you prove it?”

Li Changshou said: “Someone once took twelve baths in one day, cried for three hours after being bitten by a snake on the ankle at age thirteen, and learned to sew soft cloth inside her inner collar at seventeen…”

“Senior Brother!”

Ling’e called out crisply, floating out from the ground, hands behind her back as she jumped back, giggling:

“Mission complete! Can I return to the mountain now?”

“This was just the first human realm,” Li Changshou pulled the jade talisman from her hand, erased the line within, revealed the second line of small characters, and rewrote part of the content.

Ling’e couldn’t help but lower her head and hold her forehead.

So it was written directly inside!

Li Changshou stuffed the jade talisman back into Ling’e’s palm, smiling as he said:

“I had planned to knock you unconscious before writing the second condition, but seeing your excellent performance in completing the first stage of the trial, we’ll skip that step.

How was it? What did you gain in these six months?”

Ling’e smiled with pursed lips, removing the mask from her face and dissolving her disguise makeup. Hands behind her back, she circled Li Changshou twice, giggling non-stop, her eyes almost sparkling with joy.

“Senior Brother, six people wanted to become my Dao companions, six!”

Li Changshou flicked his finger, precisely hitting Ling’e’s forehead, making her clutch her head in pain, almost crying.

“If there’s any you fancy, your elder brother can ask the Old Man Under the Moon to help arrange it.”

“Mean Senior Brother, I was just joking,” Ling’e complained, then muttered softly, “I still want to stay by Senior Brother’s side, as long as you don’t drive me away.”

Li Changshou smiled warmly, then said seriously: “The second trial is somewhat dangerous, remember not to be reckless.

If you complete the three trials early and don’t wish to stay outside, you can return to the sect early.”

“What trial is it?”

Ling’e lowered her head to look at the jade talisman in her hand and was startled when she saw the line of small characters. She quickly looked up, but the space before her was empty—where was Li Changshou?

It was as if Senior Brother had never appeared, making Ling’e wonder if it had been a dream.

Looking again at the jade talisman in her hand, Ling’e frowned.

[Following this map to find an island, rescue You Qin Xuanya, who has been trapped while eliminating demons, without exposing your whereabouts.]

“How did Senior Sister You Qin…”

Ling’e dared not linger, hurriedly traveling into the East Sea, following the map in the jade talisman to that desolate island.

Not far behind Ling’e, the paper doll army continued to follow.

What Ling’e didn’t know was that during her six months of trials, the reason the demon tribes were so panicked was mainly because the strongest few Golden Immortal Realm elder demons in the area had silently vanished in a single night.

…

“Ha… yawn.”

In the backyard of the Doulu Palace, Grand Master Xuandu fought to stay awake under a tree, watching two scenes simultaneously displayed in the cloud mirror before him.

On the left was Ling’e quickly traversing the seabed, on the right were Li Changshou and Baize by a pond, bent over writing something.

The Grand Master, supervising the whole process, naturally knew that his little junior brother and Baize had spent the past half year constantly discussing and creating a ‘Fortress Subduing Demons’ plan.

The plan’s content was quite complex, requiring several steps to implement fully, needing to utilize the human race’s fortune, the Human Emperor’s merit, and Heaven’s rules to prevent the cultivation sects of Central Divine Continent from manipulating mortal forces in the Southern Continent.

“Where does Changgeng come up with these strange ideas?”

The Grand Master muttered to himself before the cloud mirror, then chuckled.

He lightly flicked his finger, and the scene in the cloud mirror changed, with the right side switching to show a desolate island.

On the island, several young men and women were bound to stone pillars, with You Qin Xuanya among them.

You Qin Xuanya’s hands were bound by immortal rope and raised high above her head, suspending her in mid-air.

Her aura was extremely weak, but she would occasionally glance around, displaying only the realm of mid-stage True Immortal.

In the waters around the desolate island lurked dark shadows, demon qi and immortal power intermingled, as if waiting for someone to attempt a rescue.

The Grand Master smiled calmly and roused himself slightly, waiting for the show to begin.

Half a day later, Ling’e arrived in the nearby waters without stopping once.

Her divine sense locked onto the desolate island where You Qin Xuanya was located, but she stayed hundreds of miles away, not daring to approach. She transformed into a fish swimming among a school of fish, carefully considering her strategy.

‘Is Senior Sister You Qin cooperating with Senior Brother in putting on a show?’

It must be so.

Senior Sister You Qin was highly regarded within the sect—it would be impossible for her to be captured without any reaction from within.

Moreover…

Ling’e’s divine sense observed You Qin Xuanya’s somewhat damaged clothes and her delicate brows furrowed slightly.

After spending half a year in the mortal world, what hadn’t she seen?!

Given Senior Sister You Qin’s beauty, how could she possibly be captured and remain so undisturbed?

There were plenty of bad people in the world.

Most importantly!

This place was only ten thousand miles from the East Sea Crystal Palace. If anything went wrong, Dragon Tribe experts could arrive in time—completely fitting Senior Brother’s style!

The stage Senior Brother had set up was a bit too crude.

After careful consideration, Ling’e had made up her mind. She carefully investigated the surroundings of the desolate island, determining the details of the ‘powerful enemy.’

Since Senior Brother hadn’t given her a time limit, Ling’e wasn’t in a hurry to act, wanting to give a satisfactory answer to this trial.

Thus, one day later.

Ling’e used a diversionary tactic, first using a paper doll to pretend to pass by coincidentally, floating leisurely through the air near the desolate island to draw their attention.

She used a water travel technique, circling halfway around underwater to reach the edge of the desolate island.

There were no restrictions here, which made Ling’e smile secretly.

However, immediately after, Ling’e’s Dao heart surged with intense vigilance. Her figure remained motionless, hidden in a rock crevice, preventing herself from falling into Senior Brother’s trap.

After waiting quietly for two hours, she stealthily used the earth travel technique to sneak near You Qin Xuanya, but the reef ahead was incredibly solid—earth travel couldn’t penetrate it.

A small-scale Reverse Five Elements Grand Formation!

Didn’t setting up formations require spirit stones? Wasn’t this trial supposed to be just for show?

Ling’e complained internally for a few moments, quietly observed for a while, and then her form transformed into a wisp of smoke and vanished…

Shortly after, a small butterfly fluttered its wings, landing on You Qin Xuanya’s back, concealing itself behind her long hair.

Ling’e transmitted in a hoarse voice:

“Immortal Lady You Qin! Immortal Lady You Qin!”

“Hmm?” You Qin Xuanya’s body trembled slightly as she murmured weakly, “Who…”

“This humble one… Ming Jia is an acquaintance of your respected teacher. Passing by today, I saw Immortal Lady trapped here and came specially to rescue you.”

Ling’e continued: “In a moment, I will undo the immortal rope for Immortal Lady. Please rush thirty zhang forward to the left, and this humble one can use escape techniques to take you away from here!”

“Many thanks, Senior!”

“It’s nothing, nothing.”

The butterfly Ling’e had transformed into gently fluttered its wings twice, and the immortal rope untied itself.

You Qin Xuanya’s raised hands fell, but her immortal power was too weak and couldn’t circulate smoothly. She immediately collapsed forward, falling prostrate on the ground.

Such realistic acting…

The butterfly Ling’e had transformed into was genuinely startled for a moment and immediately wrapped a layer of immortal power around You Qin Xuanya.

Just then!

Amid thunder, the sea surface around the desolate island exploded with pillars of water. Dozens of dark shadows shot into the sky, holding weapons gleaming with cold light. More than ten streaks of light were already striking toward You Qin Xuanya!

Ling’e panicked and was about to forcefully carry You Qin Xuanya into the sky, but before she could act, streams of golden light suddenly surged from You Qin Xuanya’s body, a pillar of golden light connecting heaven and sea!

In the golden light, You Qin Xuanya spread her arms, her form quickly rising. Head raised with eyes closed, her long hair floating behind her, her beautiful face appeared so sacred.

“Good, stop!”

A shout came from the side, and the golden light slowly dissipated. Those black shadows that had been rushing forward so menacingly now fell straight down in various places, each closing their eyes.

Paper… paper dolls?

The butterfly Ling’e had transformed into was completely swallowed by shadow, leaving her somewhat dazed and unable to recover for a long time.

What was this situation…

It wasn’t until You Qin Xuanya exhaled and a Golden Immortal Realm paper doll of Li Changshou flew over from afar, holding an image-capturing orb, that he smiled and said:

“Not bad this time, passed in one take.”

Hearing this, You Qin Xuanya let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes full of light as she asked softly: “Senior Brother, where to for the next one?”

“No rush, rest for a few days first,” Li Changshou cleared his throat. “Fake Name Daoist, won’t you show yourself?”

You Qin Xuanya looked behind her, where the butterfly transformed amid streams of immortal light into Ling’e’s form, her appearance and Dao charm still maintaining a layer of disguise.

Ling’e blinked: “Senior Brother, was this the second trial?”

“Indeed,” Li Changshou said gently. “Your performance this time…

Completely failed. Six thousand repetitions of the Stability Scripture, make them up after returning to the mountain.”

“How could… I object! I completed the mission of rescuing Senior Sister You Qin!”

“Have you ever seen butterflies on a rocky desolate island?”

Li Changshou’s incarnation widened his eyes, his hand pointing around in a circle as he scolded: “If I can find one blade of grass here, I’ll pass you!”

“This…”

Ling’e immediately appeared utterly dejected, and even You Qin Xuanya couldn’t maintain her cold expression, covering her mouth and laughing lightly as she pulled Ling’e close.

“Senior Brother, what are you all doing this for?” Ling’e asked puzzledly.

“Speak through voice transmission.

I will spread the scenes from the image-capturing orb throughout the Hongmeng world, making your Senior Sister You Qin famous across the four seas, attracting more talented and righteous people to join the Heavenly Court.”

“Although I don’t know what’s going on, it seems impressive. Then Senior Brother, what’s this Five Phases Observatory I need to go to for the third trial?

Once I finish it quickly, I can return to the mountain sooner!”

“This is your true trial for leaving the mountain this time. It is the dao field of a great master.

You need to investigate its location yourself, find this place, and meet the master of the observatory…”

“Senior Brother, could it be that you also don’t know where this place is?”

“Want to add another six thousand repetitions?”

“Why don’t you just declare me defeated, Senior Brother? I can go back to copy scriptures too.”

“Then multiply it by ten.”

“Pardon me, I’ll go look for the Five Phases Observatory…”

In the backyard of the Doulu Palace, under that big tree.

Grand Master Xuandu listened to the conversation transmitted from the Taiji Diagram, a smile like that of an ‘uncle’ constantly hanging on his lips.

“If all three stars that orbited the moon back then could form marriages with Long Shou, it would have been lively… Hmm?”

The Grand Master suddenly frowned, the Taiji Diagram trembling slightly as some understanding arose in his heart.

“Why cause trouble at this time… Have these fellows also sensed that a great tribulation is about to descend upon the Hongmeng world?”

With a few mutters, the Grand Master’s figure vanished from where he stood.

Shortly after, a streak of light seemed to pierce through heaven and earth, swiftly disappearing at the horizon…