It turned out that ever since a mortal had previously obtained a spiritual vein and easily cultivated their way to immortality, the celestial court had secretly tampered with the spiritual veins deep within these mountains to prevent more mortals from ascending to immortality. Now, no matter who obtained the spiritual veins or how long they cultivated, they could never ascend to immortality, because one crucial element was missing from the spiritual veins—the Celestial Primordial Qi.
The Celestial Primordial Qi was a refined essence separated from Yang-type spiritual energy.
In other words, the Yang-type spiritual energy here had been deliberately altered.
Such refined essence could only be extracted by experts at the Golden Immortal level or above.
The Mountain Spirit revealed these secrets to Shui Miao and advised him to find a way to obtain the Celestial Primordial Qi, after which ascending to immortality would be effortless.
The best way to obtain the Celestial Primordial Qi was to receive it as a gift from a Celestial being.
Another option was to go to the Celestial Realm and obtain it oneself.
But therein lay the contradiction—ordinary cultivators simply had no way of reaching the Celestial Realm.
This was no obstacle for Shui Miao. The only reason he had not already entered the Celestial Realm through the Heaven Gate within his own consciousness was to avoid trouble. If he truly wished to go, he could easily break through the seal on the Heaven Gate and enter directly.
The consequence, however, would be being discovered by the Yuxu Sect and then hunted down relentlessly!
Shui Miao knew he was no match for Celestial beings, so he dared not act recklessly.
When Shui Miao received the Mountain Spirit’s mental message, his mind suddenly became clear. Just as he was about to clasp his fists in gratitude, the Mountain Spirit pressed his hand down and transmitted another mental message: “To be honest, brother, I myself also came from the Celestial-Demonic Realm. I was actually very close friends with the Spirit General. And since you are someone the Spirit General especially favors, it is truly my honor to be able to help you. Enough talk—let’s drink!”
It turned out the Mountain Spirit’s nickname was actually “Black Panther Elder.”
“Great! I, Shui Miao, will forever remember the great kindness of the Mountain Spirit!”
Shui Miao deeply clasped his fists, raised his bowl of wine, and drank it all in one go.
The Mountain Spirit set down his bowl, exclaimed “Cheers!” and with a flicker of his eyebrows, continued, “That snow fox is clever and wise, and she has deep feelings for you. Take her with you. Leaving her here with me will only hinder her growth.”
Though the Mountain Spirit appeared rough and boisterous on the surface, he was actually extremely powerful. With just a glance, he had already discerned the snow fox’s affection for Shui Miao.
“This…”
Shui Miao hesitated. “Mountain Spirit, I can barely take care of myself. Taking her with me would only endanger her.”
“No, no, no! That’s not the way to think. A true man must be decisive when pursuing great endeavors. Haven’t you heard of the historical figure Cao Cao? His famous saying, ‘Rather let me betray the world than allow the world to betray me,’ is truly the way to survive!” The Mountain Spirit added, “Right now, you need someone to assist you. If you care too much about others’ lives, you will never accomplish anything.”
It seemed the Mountain Spirit had his own philosophy of survival—cruel, ruthless, selfish, and willing to sacrifice others for personal gain. Indeed, such an approach could bring certain benefits.
But Shui Miao did not agree with this ideology. He preferred to live with loyalty and righteousness. He would rather endure hardship himself than let his loved ones suffer alongside him.
This was not the time for debate, so Shui Miao simply remained silent and continued drinking.
The wine, brewed somehow by Shi Kuiwang, was slightly spicy, incredibly smooth, and carried a faint medicinal fragrance. The more one drank, the more one wanted to drink, and no matter how much one consumed, the jar never seemed to empty, as if some mysterious space existed within.
The Mountain Spirit had a strong tolerance for alcohol and simply grabbed another jar, tilting his head back for a long, hearty drink.
“Haha!”
After about ten minutes, the Mountain Spirit finally finished an entire jar of fine wine, his face flushed red. He then began chatting with Shui Miao, recounting how formidable and free-spirited he had been back in the Celestial-Demonic Realm, how he had been captured and released ten times by the Spirit General, and how he had eventually chosen to serve under him. The Spirit General had not disappointed him, recommending him to become a Mountain Spirit in the mortal world, where he now lived joyfully surrounded by a harem of fox spirits.
Before long, Baihuxian and the others could no longer contain their curiosity and hurried over.
Seeing the Mountain Spirit was drunk, Baihuxian quickly stepped forward to support him.
Supported by Baihuxian, the drunken Mountain Spirit stood up, his vision blurred. Seeing the snow fox, he ordered her to serve Shui Miao well from now on, warning that if she failed, he would deal with Baihuxian first. After saying this, he even reached out and groped Baihuxian’s ample chest. Baihuxian’s eyes became hazy with pleasure, her face blushing red, and she quickly led him into a private room deep within the cave.
The snow fox signaled for the other fox spirits to withdraw and was about to speak with Shui Miao when suddenly a flash of white light appeared, and Xiaocaide returned.
Xiaocaide looked extremely anxious and tense. As soon as she arrived, she grabbed Shui Miao’s hand and instantly teleported him into her room, immediately saying, “Shui Miao, you’re in grave danger! The Yuxu Sect has already dispatched three Golden Immortals to the mortal world to hunt you down. I’ve already reported your situation to the Lady Jiutian Xuannü. She examined your blood and confirmed that you are upright and kind-hearted, being the manifested spiritual body personally shaped by the Buddha himself. In the future, you will either become a Buddha or a Demon King. Therefore, she sent me back in haste to take you to a safe place to hide for a few years.”
“Three Golden Immortals!”
Shui Miao was shocked. “But sister, what about my family and friends?”
“Don’t worry. The Celestial Realm has its own rules—each person bears the consequences of their own actions. Golden Immortals from the Celestial Realm would never recklessly kill mortals.” Xiaocaide’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. “However, the same cannot be said for your friends who are demons and monsters.”
“They can’t be left behind. Take everyone with us!”
Shui Miao pleaded with Xiaocaide.
“Alright!”
Xiaocaide readily agreed. She immediately teleported back with Shui Miao to the peach blossom garden, summoned all the fox spirits, the eel spirit Huangshan Jing, and the mountain monster Shanxiao, and asked if they were willing to leave with Shui Miao and explore the outside world. To his delight, everyone agreed.
Xiaocaide took out a mirror and absorbed all of them inside, also taking a large number of spiritual veins with her.
Shui Miao then told Xiaocaide that he had many demon and monster friends along the Yellow Spring Road.
Without delay, Xiaocaide immediately took Shui Miao to the Yellow Spring Ghost Sect.
Except for City God Cai and Ghost Catcher Leader Qin, everyone else—Baifeng, Zhuge Suapan, and others—was present.
With time pressing, Shui Miao directly explained his intentions. Without hesitation, everyone quickly entered Xiaocaide’s mirror.
Xiaocaide flew swiftly, entering the underworld, crossing the ghost lands, flying past the Rosha Sea, and finally bringing Shui Miao to the entrance of the Rakshasa Ghost Realm. She handed him the Celestial Mirror, telling him not to worry about his parents and siblings, as she would secretly protect and manage things behind the scenes. She urged him to stay calm and hidden in the Rakshasa Ghost Realm for three years before returning to the mortal world.
Xiaocaide also informed Shui Miao that all of this was the will of Lady Jiutian Xuannü.
Shui Miao dared not disobey and expressed his deepest gratitude to Xiaocaide.
Xiaocaide hurriedly returned to the mortal world.
Trusting Xiaocaide completely, Shui Miao took a deep breath and turned to examine his surroundings.
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