Chapter 426: Temporarily Leaving the Five Divisions Continent

“So, this is the training mission Senior Brother assigned?”

“This is really exhausting.”

As dusk approached, in front of a pharmacy displaying the character for ‘medicine,’ Ling'e, dressed in light blue cloth and with her face disguised, stretched lazily in the fading sunlight. Her graceful figure was silhouetted on the mossy flagstone path.

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

“Miss Lan, come to Auntie's for dinner tonight!”

“No, thank you,” Ling'e replied with a smile, politely declining. “I still need to prepare medicinal herbs for tomorrow; I'm tied up with preparations.”

The woman quickly acknowledged, then urged her to take care of herself and not overwork, before slowly departing.

Ling'e returned to the stone house, closed the wooden door, and casually set up a few protective enchantments before stifling a yawn.

By now, paper packets filled every corner of the room, tables, and wooden cabinets. Each was meticulously labeled with its category and dosage.

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

Within these six months, she had hunted down ninety-nine great demons of the True Immortal realm, including several ancient demons of the Heavenly Immortal realm.

Ling'e always struck under the cover of night. Her paper effigies would administer poison from afar and then incinerate the corpses to erase all traces, before quietly returning. This quickly plunged the local demon forces into panic.

Although she had only personally killed ninety-nine great demons, she had scared away half of the demon population in the area, significantly alleviating the pressure on Chentang Town.

Tonight, Ling'e would eliminate her last target and then quietly leave Chentang Town.

To avoid the ‘awkward’ situation of being given a grand send-off upon her departure, Ling'e chose to leave without saying goodbye.

She had only done what she could, and besides, Senior Brother had sent her; there was nothing truly to be grateful for.

Before coming to Chentang Town, Ling'e had already anticipated a shortage of injury medicines here. She had acquired a large supply of elixirs suitable for mortals from the market town, but they were all consumed within a month.

Ling'e immediately went back to the market town to ‘restock,’ but she realized she wouldn't be staying in Chentang Town for long. She could offer temporary help, but not permanent assistance.

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

Using her paper effigy technique, she collected numerous medicinal herbs and prescriptions from both the mortal world and the market town, leaving these prescriptions for Chentang Town.

This afternoon, Ling'e took out some of the spirit stones that Ao Yi had given her and entrusted them to a few trusted elders in Chentang Town.

—She didn't leave all the spirit stones there, fearing they might attract disaster to Chentang Town. Ling'e had considered this matter with the utmost caution.

“I'm leaving now.”

Ling'e's slender fingers traced the edge of the wooden table, a hint of emotion flickering in her eyes.

It was as if she once again saw the children playing joyfully at the table, and the wounded whose eyes were filled with numbness, now showing warm smiles again…

She also saw the mortal guards battling demon beasts in life-or-death struggles, and the seemingly frail women who had laid down their hoes to pick up long spears.

Immortal cultivation emphasizes aptitude; not everyone can pursue it. Thus, Ling'e saw the yearning for power in the eyes of the able-bodied men and women guarding this place.

Her immortal sense stretched hundreds of miles southwest, where a large city lay. Within it, mortals lived in peace and prosperity, while the powerful indulged in decadent pleasures, a stark contrast to Chentang Town.

Ling'e had also asked the elders here why the mortals of Chentang Town didn't abandon this place and retreat inland.

The elders replied: It is ancestral instruction.

‘If we retreat, the demons will pursue us. More people will die, and more demons will come upon hearing the news. Can mortals outrun those demon beasts? Definitely not, and that would be disastrous.’

Ling'e did not press further. After returning to her abode, she pondered for a long time, and her Dao heart deepened.

“This is probably the deeper meaning behind Senior Brother sending me here.”

Picking up her brush, she wrote a letter, read it carefully, and then walked around the small courtyard behind the house.

During these six months, besides witnessing how the mortals here fought against the demon race, she also encountered many interesting incidents.

What Ling'e found both amusing and exasperating was that while she was active in the town, she used a mask to conceal her face and made her cultivation appear to be that of a relatively weak Nascent Immortal, making herself seem very ordinary.

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

What Ling'e found strange was that she had expected to feel a slight disturbance in her heart, a tiny crack in her spiritual resolve.

However, each time she received a confession, Ling'e remained perfectly calm. She rationally explained to the suitors that she already had someone in her heart and was currently undergoing training and cultivation, encouraging them to find their own happiness.

Only upon reflection did she realize that her heart had long been filled by Senior Brother, leaving no room for anyone else.

“Pesky Senior Brother, insisting I undergo three years of training outside.”

Ling'e mumbled, then used her earth-burrowing technique to quietly leave the place, heading towards the East Sea.

Once she was far from Chentang Town and had found a secluded spot to hide, she activated a paper effigy hundreds of miles away. It then injected potent Heavenly Immortal-level poison into a Heavenly Immortal realm demon beast she had already incapacitated.

After dealing with the corpse and collecting the remnant soul, the paper effigy remained underground.

Ling'e took out the jade token Senior Brother had given her and took a soft breath.

‘Please don't be a time-consuming mission, please don't be a time-consuming mission, please don't be a time-consuming mission!’

After silently repeating this three times, Ling'e opened her eyes a slit and peered inside.

Why wasn't there any change?

Ling'e tilted her head. Could it be that some of the great demons she killed were unworthy individuals? Or did she need to personally kill one hundred True Immortal realm great demons with her main body? But using her main body rashly would be too risky…

“Ahem!”

Suddenly, a slight movement came from beside her. Ling'e swiftly burrowed into the earth, disappearing hundreds of meters away in a flash.

But she quickly halted and observed the figure standing where she had just been, using her immortal sense.

“Senior Brother?”

“It's me,” Li Changshou answered calmly.

“Hm?”

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

Li Changshou said: “Someone's record for bathing in one day is twelve times. When she was thirteen, she was bitten by a snake on her ankle and cried for three hours. When she was seventeen, she learned to sew soft cloth into the inside of her collar…”

“Senior Brother!”

Ling'e called out crisply, floating out from the earth, and skipped back with her hands behind her back, giggling:

“Mission accomplished! Can I go back to the mountain now?”

“That was only the first human-related trial,” Li Changshou said, pulling the jade token from her hand, wiping away the line of text, revealing a second line of smaller characters, and rewriting some of its content.

Ling'e couldn't help but lower her head and rub her forehead.

He simply wrote it in!

Li Changshou slipped the jade token back into Ling'e's palm and smiled:

“I had intended to knock you unconscious before writing the second instruction, but seeing your excellent performance this time and your successful completion of the first stage of the trial, I'll spare you that step. How have the past six months treated you?”

Ling'e pursed her lips and chuckled. She removed the mask from her face, dispelled her disguised makeup, and with her hands behind her back, she twirled around Li Changshou twice, giggling incessantly, her eyes crinkling with mirth.

“Senior Brother, six people want to become my Dao-companions, six of them!”

Li Changshou flicked a finger, precisely hitting Ling'e on the forehead, making her clutch her forehead, almost crying from the pain.

“If you've taken a liking to any of them, I, your brother, can ask the Matchmaker to help you. How about that?”

“Pesky Senior Brother, I was just joking,” Ling'e complained, then mumbled softly, “I still want to stay by your side, Senior Brother. Just don't send me away.”

Li Changshou smiled gently, then spoke seriously: “The second trial is somewhat dangerous; remember not to act recklessly. If you complete all three trials ahead of schedule, you can return to the sect ahead of time if you prefer not to remain outside.”

“What kind of trial is it?”

Ling'e lowered her head to look at the jade token in her hand. Upon seeing the line of small characters, she couldn't help but be startled. She quickly looked up, but the space before her was empty; Li Changshou's figure was nowhere to be seen.

It was as if Senior Brother had never appeared, making Ling'e mistakenly think it was a dream.

Taking another look at the jade token in her hand, Ling'e frowned.

“Follow this map to find an island, and without revealing your own whereabouts, rescue Youqin Xuanya, who was trapped while hunting demons.”

“Senior Sister Youqin, why…”

Ling'e dared not linger. She swiftly departed, entering the East Sea, and hastened towards the deserted island following the map on the jade token.

Not far behind Ling'e, the army of paper effigies continued to follow.

What Ling'e didn't know was that the reason the demon race had been so terrified during the past six months of her trial was primarily because several of the strongest Golden Immortal realm ancient demons in the area had quietly evaporated overnight.

“Ha…achoo.”

In the backyard of the Tushita Palace, Grand Master Xuandu, forcing himself to stay awake under a tree, watched two synchronized images displayed on a cloud mirror before him.

On the left, Ling'e swiftly traversed the seabed; on the right, Li Changshou and Bai Ze were hunched over a desk by a pond, writing something.

Grand Master Xuandu, who had been overseeing the entire process, naturally knew that his junior brother and Bai Ze had been continuously discussing and formulating a 'Mighty Pass to Suppress Demons' plan for the past six months.

The plan itself was quite complex, requiring several steps to implement fully. It involved utilizing human destiny, the Human Emperor's merits, and the Heavenly Court's regulations to prevent the immortal sects of Central Divine Continent from controlling the mortal forces in the Southern Continent's secular world.

“Where do Chang Geng's strange ideas even come from?”

Grand Master Xuandu muttered to himself while looking at the cloud mirror, then chuckled wryly.

He gently flicked his finger, and the scene on the cloud mirror shifted; the right-side image changed to a deserted island.

On the deserted island, several young men and women were bound to stone pillars, and Youqin Xuanya was conspicuously among them.

Youqin Xuanya's hands were bound by immortal ropes, raised above her head, and she was suspended in mid-air.

Her aura was very weak, but she would occasionally glance around, and her displayed cultivation level was only that of a mid-stage True Immortal.

Dark figures lurked in the waters around the deserted island, their demon qi mingled with immortal power, as if awaiting a rescue.

Grand Master Xuandu smiled calmly, then perked up a bit, anticipating the show to begin.

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

She used her immortal sense to locate the deserted island where Youqin Xuanya was, but stayed hundreds of miles away, not daring to approach. She transformed into a swimming fish, blending into a school of fish, and carefully pondered her strategy.

‘Is Senior Sister Youqin cooperating with Senior Brother in this play?’

It must be.

Senior Sister Youqin received much attention within the sect; it's impossible that the sect would have no reaction after she was captured.

Moreover…

Ling'e's immortal sense observed Youqin Xuanya's somewhat torn robes, and her delicate brows gently furrowed.

Ling'e, who had spent half a year mixing in the mortal world, hadn't she seen every kind of situation?!

Given Senior Sister Youqin's beauty, how could she be so unharmed after being captured!

There are plenty of bad people in the world.

The key point is!

This place is only ten thousand miles from the East Sea Dragon Palace. If anything went wrong, the Dragon race experts would surely arrive in time, which perfectly fits Senior Brother's character!

The stage Senior Brother set up for this act was a bit too crude.

Ling'e considered it for a moment, and an idea formed in her mind. She began meticulously scouting around the deserted island, familiarizing herself with the ‘powerful enemy's’ details.

Since Senior Brother hadn't given her a time limit, Ling'e wasn't in a hurry to act. She wanted to deliver a satisfactory performance for this trial.

Thus, a day later.

Ling'e used a feint. First, she had a paper effigy pretend to casually pass by, leisurely floating near the deserted island to attract the attention of those on it;

Meanwhile, she used her water-escape technique, circling halfway around under the sea, to reach the edge of the deserted island.

There were no restrictive enchantments here at all, which made Ling'e secretly smile.

However, a strong sense of vigilance immediately arose in Ling'e's heart. She hid motionless in a rock crevice, wary of Senior Brother's calculations.

After waiting quietly for half an hour, she secretly used her earth-burrowing technique to approach Youqin Xuanya. However, the reef ahead was incredibly solid, and her earth-burrowing technique couldn't penetrate it.

A small-scale Reverse Five Elements Grand Array!

Don't arrays cost spirit stones? Isn't it enough for a trial to be just symbolic?

Ling'e grumbled a few words to herself, then observed quietly for a moment before transforming into a wisp of smoke and vanishing…

A short while later, a small butterfly flapped its wings and landed on Youqin Xuanya's back, using her long hair to conceal itself.

Ling'e transmitted her voice in a hoarse tone, calling out:

“Fairy Youqin! Fairy Youqin!”

“Hm?” Youqin Xuanya trembled slightly and murmured in a weak voice, “Who…”

“This humble Daoist… Ming Jia, is acquainted with your esteemed master. Passing by this place today, I happened to see the fairy trapped, and so I have come to rescue you.”

Ling'e continued: “Soon I will unbind the immortal ropes for you. Fairy, dash thirty meters forward and to your left, and I can take you away from this place using an escape technique!”

“Many thanks, Senior!”

“It's nothing, nothing at all.”

The butterfly, into which Ling'e had transformed, gently flapped its wings twice, and the immortal ropes unbound themselves.

Youqin Xuanya's raised hands fell, but her own immortal power was too weak and circulated sluggishly, causing her to immediately collapse forward, actually falling prostrate on the ground.

Such realistic acting…

The small butterfly Ling'e had transformed into was genuinely startled and immediately wrapped a layer of immortal power around Youqin Xuanya.

Just then!

Amidst thunderous roars, water pillars erupted from the sea around the deserted island. Dozens of dark figures shot skyward, wielding glinting weapons, and more than ten streaks of light hurled themselves towards Youqin Xuanya!

Ling'e, in a rush, was about to forcibly carry Youqin Xuanya into the sky, but before Ling'e could even move, golden light suddenly surged from Youqin Xuanya's body, and a beam of golden light connected the sky and the sea!

Within the golden light, Youqin Xuanya spread her arms, her figure swiftly floating upward. Her eyes were closed, her head held high, and her long hair flowed behind her, her exquisite face appearing utterly sacred.

“Alright, stop!”

A voice called out from the side. The golden light slowly dissipated, and the dark figures that had rushed forward aggressively now dropped straight down in various spots, their eyes closed.

Paper… paper effigies?

The small butterfly Ling'e had transformed into was completely engulfed by the shadows. She felt a bit bewildered, taking a long time to regain her senses.

What was going on…

It wasn't until Youqin Xuanya sighed, and a Golden Immortal realm paper effigy of Li Changshou flew over from a distance, holding a recording orb, that he chuckled:

“This time was good; you passed in one take.”

Youqin Xuanya let out a long sigh of relief, her eyes full of light, and quietly asked, “Senior Brother, where do we go next?”

“No rush, rest for a few days first,” Li Changshou cleared his throat. “Alias Daoist, aren't you going to show yourself?”

Youqin Xuanya looked behind her. The butterfly, accompanied by streaks of immortal light, transformed into Ling'e's figure, her face and Daoist aura still bearing a layer of disguise.

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

“Indeed,” Li Changshou said gently. “Your performance this time… was a complete failure. Six thousand repetitions of the 'Steady Character Sutra' for you. Make sure you complete it after returning to the mountain.”

“How could that be… I object! I completed the mission to rescue Senior Sister Youqin!”

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

Li Changshou's avatar's eyes widened. He gestured around with a sweeping motion of his hand and chided, “If there's even one blade of grass here, I'll count it as a pass!”

“Well…”

Ling'e immediately looked dejected, while Youqin Xuanya also failed to maintain her calm demeanor, pulling Ling'e close as she quietly chuckled behind her hand.

“Senior Brother, what are you doing all this for?” Ling'e asked, somewhat puzzled.

“Speak softly. I will widely disseminate the images from this recording orb throughout the entire Primordial World, making Senior Sister Youqin famous far and wide, and attracting more talented and righteous individuals to join the Heavenly Court.”

“Although I don't know what's going on, it sounds amazing! So, Senior Brother, what kind of place is Wuzhuang Temple, where I'm supposed to go for the third trial? I want to finish it early so I can return to the mountain soon!”

“This is your true trial for descending the mountain this time. That place is the Daoist abode of a highly esteemed immortal. You must investigate its whereabouts on your own, find it, and meet its master…”

“Senior Brother, you don't actually know where that place is, do you?”

“Do you want another six thousand repetitions?”

“Or why don't you just declare me defeated, Senior Brother? I can just go back to the mountain and copy scriptures.”

“Then it'll be ten times that amount.”

“Excuse me, I'll go find Wuzhuang Temple…”

In the backyard of the Tushita Palace, under the large tree.

Grand Master Xuandu listened to the conversation emanating from the Taiji Diagram, a 'doting uncle-like' smile constantly playing on his lips.

“It would be quite lively if Changshou's 'Three Stars Embracing the Moon' could all form marriages… Hm?”

Grand Master Xuandu suddenly frowned. The Taiji Diagram trembled slightly, and a hint of realization dawned in his mind.

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

With a few murmurs, Grand Master Xuandu's figure vanished from the spot.

A moment later, a streak of light, as if piercing through the universe, swiftly disappeared into the horizon…