Chapter 154: Where Does the Road Lead

The journey stretched endlessly ahead, with no destination in sight.

According to the immutable law of ancient times, after a person died, their soul would dissipate within seven days. However, since the Conferment of Gods had not yet taken place, the Three Realms lacked ultimate order, and the cycle of life and death was not yet permanently fixed. This made the present situation rather different.

He Qing had been dead for several days. His soul and true spirit were already exceedingly frail, further battered by the murderous intent of the military. Finally, having strained himself to speak one last word to Qingyuan, his spirit had grown so weak that it was on the verge of complete annihilation.

With no other choice, Qingyuan had used his true Qi to preserve it, storing the spirit within an ancient mirror.

Though the ancient mirror did not rank among immortal treasures, it possessed no distinctions of Yin, Yang, or the Five Phases. Within it lay primordial chaos, belonging to the realm of the pre-celestial, which allowed it to protect the spirit from perishing.

Even so, He Qing’s soul and true spirit remained infinitesimally weak, plunged into a state akin to deep slumber.

"Perhaps I should seek out a blessed sanctuary to help him recover?"

A faint thought flickered in Qingyuan's mind. As he pondered this, a burning pain flared across his back.

Earlier, to prevent He Qing’s true spirit from being dragged back into the afterlife, Qingyuan had taken a direct hit from an arrow. That arrow was a special creation of the military, forged using Daoist techniques specifically designed to suppress cultivators. Pierced by the arrow, Qingyuan had bled profusely. Even employing his true Qi failed to stem the wound, and he had ultimately been forced to apply medicinal herbs to halt the bleeding.

Fortunately, the wound was not severe. Though inflicted by a military shaft, it was hardly life-threatening.

"For now, there is still Gu Cang."

Qingyuan could not entirely shake his lingering worry for the ape.

Though he had been heavily injured that day, he had managed to escape, yet there had been no news of Gu Cang since.

He had once considered enlisting Bai Jieye’s intelligence network, but no matter how widespread Bai Jieye's informants were across the world, searching for a single individual was like searching for a needle in a haystack. Moreover, Qingyuan had no wish to involve himself too deeply with Bai Jieye.

After a moment of hesitation, he finally channeled his true Qi into the bamboo tube to contact Huamei.

"Oh..."

The familiar voice rang out—sweet and cloying, coy and seductive, capable of stirring a man's heart into wild disorder.

Qingyuan, however, was well-prepared. He used the Contemplation of June's Impurity to guard his ancestral aperture, while the nine-tiered jade tower manifested in his mind, instantly banishing all stray thoughts and restoring absolute peace and stability.

"Little fellow, have you been missing this elder sister?" Huamei chuckled, her voice dripping with affection. "Sister has been missing you, too."

Qingyuan asked directly, "I have something I need to ask."

A sigh drifted from Huamei's end of the connection. "How heartless."

Qingyuan spoke calmly, "The person by my side is named Gu Cang. He was with me in Mount Fuzhong that day, and you should recognize him. On the day I escaped from the hands of the Sun family's ancestor, what happened to Gu Cang?"

Huamei replied, "That big monkey? Clumsy-looking as a bear, but far more agile than one. It took advantage of the chaos and fled."

Hearing this, Qingyuan could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. He asked, "Do you know where it is now?"

"My, my, my! Do you really take your elder sister for some immortal demon descended to the mortal realm?" Huamei gave a soft, delicate huff. "Sister has not yet attained the true fruit of an immortal demon. To know all things in heaven and earth is still far beyond me. However, finding out about the vicinity of Mount Fuzhong isn't too difficult..."

Hearing that it was not difficult, Qingyuan felt relieved. Yet, before he could say more, he heard Huamei continue, "Once sister becomes a true Demon Monarch, she will naturally claim Mount Fuzhong as her own territory. Then, every whisper of wind and flutter of grass for hundreds or thousands of miles around will not escape sister's eyes."

Qingyuan fell silent, offering no response.

Even as a great demon at the peak of the sixth realm, for Huamei to become a Demon Monarch meant stepping from the sixth realm into the seventh—a transition from a great demon to a Demon Monarch. In Daoist terminology, this was equivalent to the leap from the Superior Realm to the True Immortal Realm.

Such a transformation was no less difficult than a cultivator in the third realm breaking through mortal boundaries to ascend to the Superior Realm.

This step required profound accumulation, fortuitous opportunity, and deep comprehension.

If fortune favored, it could perhaps be achieved overnight.

If it did not, one might spend an entire lifetime halted at this very threshold.

"Alright, that monkey headed in the opposite direction from you. Finding it won't be easy," Huamei said. "If you trace back along the path you both traveled, that silly monkey might be waiting for you along the way. Besides, the monkey possesses immortal demon inheritance and has learned some things from you; for the time being, that should be enough. With the great changes happening in the world today, opportunities are likely everywhere. Leaving it to wander on its own for a while might not be a bad thing."

Qingyuan pondered this slightly. What Huamei said seemed to make a good deal of reason.

Under his tutelage, Gu Cang had gained a sufficient understanding of Daoist principles up to the third realm, enough to allow it to step firmly into that tier. Furthermore, its immortal demon inheritance pointed directly to the Great Dao of demons.

With Gu Cang currently restricted by cultivation bottlenecks, keeping it by his side would yield little benefit. Letting it roam freely might grant it the opportunity to condense its spiritual intent.

Moreover, ever since it had achieved success in its cultivation, Gu Cang's temperament had radically changed, and it was no longer a malicious creature. There was no need to worry about it wreaking havoc upon the mortal realm.

With that thought, Qingyuan silently resolved in his heart: *Let it be...*

Putting the matter of Gu Cang aside for the moment, his thoughts returned to He Qing. He spoke into the bamboo tube, "Does Fairy know of any place where the geomantic energy is pure and clear, making it favorable for nurturing a soul?"

"You must call me Sister."

A soft, petulant hum came from Huamei, but Qingyuan simply acted as though he had heard nothing.

Huamei was not truly serious about it; receiving no reply from Qingyuan, she did not mind. After a brief pause, she remarked, "Places with favorable geomantic properties for nurturing souls certainly exist. However, the Yin energy there tends to be somewhat heavy. Even as a cultivator, you might find the Five Phases within you thrown into disorder, harming your own cultivation."

Qingyuan replied calmly, "That is something Fairy need not concern herself with."

He had condensed his Daoist intent to encompass both Yin and Yang, as well as the Five Phases, and the Five Phases in turn gave rise to all things in creation. This meant his intent embraced everything. Thus, the so-called Yin energy was already contained within his state, and it would naturally cause him no harm.

Huamei fell silent for a moment before asking, "Where are you right now?"

Qingyuan answered, "Three hundred li east of Jingxiu County."

Huamei sounded slightly surprised. "That is within the territory of the Seven Towns of Lingxi, nearly a thousand li away from Luoyue Commandery."

After a brief meditation, she continued, "Three hundred li east of Jingxiu County... I do have some impression of that region. As for the kind of place you mentioned, there is indeed one."

Qingyuan asked, "Where is it located?"

Huamei replied, "You are currently in Baishi Town, the sixth of the Seven Towns of Lingxi. There is a specific location there. Listen closely, and sister will give you directions."

Qingyuan acknowledged her with a soft hum.

"First, continue heading east for about ten li until you reach a range of hills, then turn toward..."

She reeled off a lengthy and rather complex set of directions before finally outlining the entire path.

Qingyuan memorized every word, preparing to express his thanks.

At that moment, however, Huamei added, "Oh, by the way, there are certain things located there. If you plan to stay for a long time, you will likely need to clear them out first."

Qingyuan asked, "What things?"

Huamei chuckled lightly. "That place has wonderful geomantic energy, so... the villagers of Baishi Town all buried their dead there. As a result, there are quite a few tombs scattered across the hills..."

Qingyuan's brows twitched slightly, a muscle near his eye jumping. In a low, heavy voice, he muttered, "You want me to go dig up the ancestral graves of all the villagers of Baishi Town across those mountains?"