Translator: CinderTL
"Just passing by? Weren't you shouting pretty enthusiastically just now?" Xu Sanyan picked up the silver hairpin from the ground and tucked it into his pocket, slowly advancing toward her.
Intimidated by his imposing aura, the girl couldn't help but retreat, her face etched with panic. "I... I..."
Crystalline tears welled up in her eyes, and her gaze inadvertently brushed over the silver hairpin. A flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes, but it quickly vanished.
Xu Sanyan had a soft heart and couldn't bear to see a woman cry. His voice softened as he said, "Don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person."
Though he had killed countless people, committed murder for profit, and acted with ruthless brutality and no moral boundaries, he still considered himself not a bad person.
Xu Sanyan gazed at the massive bell and said softly, "Alright, now you just need to give me a reason not to kill you. If I'm satisfied, you can leave."
The girl pressed her lips tightly together, her face pale with fear. Her pitiful appearance made it impossible not to feel sympathy.
"What do you want? I... I can pay for my life. I have a lot of money." With that, she nervously pulled a cloth pouch from her pocket and dumped out dozens of Spirit Stones.
The girl clasped the Spirit Stone in her hands and pleaded, "Don't kill me! I'll give you all these Spirit Stones."
Xu Sanyan shook his head. "Foolish girl. If I kill you, these things will still be mine."
The girl fell silent for a moment. After pondering, she realized he had a point. Hesitating for a moment, she spoke again, "I can offer you a great opportunity."
"Oh?" Xu Sanyan's interest was piqued. "Tell me more."
The girl hesitated, then finally adopted a desperate expression. Gritting her teeth, she said, "There's an opportunity in Desolate Sheep Mountain."
Xu Sanyan licked his lips, his eyes suddenly turning fierce as he tried to intimidate her. "How do you know?"
The girl didn't flinch or rush to answer. With a flick of her finger, the massive bell flew up, slowly shrinking until it landed in her hand. Beneath it, the Blood Demon, covered in scars, was revealed.
Xu Sanyan glanced at the Blood Demon, and a layer of black ink emerged from his back, engulfing it.
By now, the Blood Demon and the other Blood Demon were gradually falling behind him. The Blood Demon's strength barely matched a newly established Foundation Establishment cultivator, perhaps even slightly weaker.
The other Blood Demon's strength lay between the Peak Stage of the Human-Celestial Realm and Foundation Establishment. Neither of them offered much help to Xu Sanyan, and he wouldn't mourn their loss.
The girl said, "Think about it. That ghost was just an ordinary person in life, with no cultivation. Even if it lived for a long time, how could it possibly fight you, a Foundation Establishment Peak Stage cultivator, on equal footing?"
The girl's emotions shifted rapidly. Just moments ago, she was teary-eyed, but now she looked at Xu Sanyan with a smug expression. Her long eyelashes fluttered, clearly pleased with her own cleverness.
Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes, signaling her to continue.
He had considered this question himself. If it were an ordinary mortal, even as a vengeful ghost, it wouldn't possess such formidable abilities.
"Moreover, I found in ancient texts that long ago, on Desolate Sheep Mountain, there was an Immortal Sect called the Four Venerables Seeking Immortality Sect. It was a Demonic Path sect renowned for its soul-refining and ghost-forging techniques, especially its mastery of ghost-refining methods."
"According to the records, they once pooled their sect's resources to forge a Ghost God. But they failed to keep it under control, and it broke free..."
The girl shrugged, her eyes brimming with amusement. She seemed to find the story utterly hilarious. "They played with fire and got burned. I thought at the time, 'How could there be such a foolish sect in the world?' Hahahaha... it kills me."
Xu Sanyan sensed something amiss with the girl's mental state. She was alternating between tears and laughter.
"So... you didn't accidentally wander into this place? Your true goal was Desolate Sheep Mountain?"
"Of course."
The girl's face contorted in disgust. "This godforsaken place is a barren wasteland, with barely any spiritual energy. Who would come here for no reason?"
Xu Sanyan suddenly found himself unsure of the girl's true identity and dared not make any rash moves. He shifted his thoughts and reverted to his true form. Maintaining his Dao Body had been draining his Spiritual Power.
The girl stared unblinkingly at Xu Sanyan's lower body, a blush slowly creeping up her cheeks. Her words came out in a muddled murmur. "N-no... no... um..."
Xu Sanyan channeled his Dao Body, causing his clothes to burst apart. The blood mist had previously obscured the details, but now that it had dissipated, his entire body was exposed.
The girl pouted, covering her eyes with her hands. After a moment's hesitation, she peeked through a gap between her fingers, staring intently at him without saying a word.
"Did you bring any clothes?" Xu Sanyan asked.
The girl startled, vehemently denying it. "I didn't see anything! I didn't see anything! Oh... oh, yes, I did."
Only then did she realize Xu Sanyan had been asking if she had brought clothes, not whether she found him attractive.
The girl pulled a long red dress from her cloth bag, revealing her fondness for the color.
Xu Sanyan took it, thought for a moment, and wrapped it around his waist to cover his vital areas. He couldn't wear the dress properly, so this was the only option.
The girl sighed softly, a hint of disappointment in her voice. She lowered her hand and her gaze shifted back to Xu Sanyan's muscular physique, her throat tightening as she swallowed.
Xu Sanyan felt a rare discomfort under her intense stare. The girl's gaze was simply too brazen.
"Is this a storage bag?" Xu Sanyan asked, pointing at the girl's cloth bag. It was the first time he'd seen such a thing.
"Yeah, kind of. It's made from the stomach sac of a grass-worm beast, combined with a formation. Let me tell you, that grass-worm beast can eat more than twice its own weight in food in a single meal, then go without eating for half a year. Pretty amazing, right?" The girl waved the bag proudly.
Xu Sanyan rolled his eyes. Who asked you about the grass-worm beast?
He was now certain this girl had some mental issues.
"What's your name?"
Xu Sanyan stepped forward and picked up the red robe Ci Sheng had left behind. After Ci Sheng's death, it had reverted to its original size, though a hole remained in the middle.
"I don't have a name," the girl replied, her eyes fixed on Xu Sanyan's rear.
"I asked for your name."
"Oh, Qin Manyang," the girl said, her gaze still fixed on Xu Sanyan.
Xu Sanyan turned around, frowning. "Why are you staring at my butt?"
"Because you're blocking the way," Qin Manyang blurted out.
Xu Sanyan couldn't tell anymore whether she was genuinely mentally ill or just pretending to be crazy.
More importantly, he couldn't gauge her cultivation level.
Earlier, when she had fought the Blood Demon, her aura had leaked out, revealing her to be at the Initial Stage of Foundation Establishment. Now, her aura was stable, and Xu Sanyan realized...
He couldn't sense her aura at all.
This could only mean one of two things: either she possessed a method or treasure to conceal her aura, or her cultivation level was higher than his own!
Xu Sanyan glanced at the dilapidated temple, turned, and walked out. "I have other matters to attend to. If you want to search for treasure, go ahead on your own."
He had no intention of continuing to involve himself with this woman. He looked up to get his bearings and strode away.
Now that Ci Sheng was dead, the Ghost Realm had dissipated, and he could come and go freely.
Qin Manyang didn't call out to stop him. Watching Xu Sanyan's retreating figure, she turned her gaze to the dilapidated temple gate. A moment of confusion flickered in her eyes before returning to normal. She murmured softly,
"Seeking the Dao... the Misty Realm..."
"What is the Dao I must follow?"
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (HB) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c154. [+2]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (6) Series, (3.6K+) Chapters, (5.1M+) Words.