Chapter 61

Hansu sat across from the master of the Immortal Palace, extending her hands to grasp his palms. From each hand, she channeled the opposing forces of ice and fire, infusing him simultaneously with both types of spiritual energy. Though it sounded simple—just transferring spiritual energy—her cultivation had only just reached the Core Formation stage, and the amount required by this Earth Immortal far exceeded her capacity. The moment their hands touched, she felt an immense suction drain her entire body of spiritual energy almost instantly.

Fortunately, the small strand of golden lightning she had tamed shielded her heart and meridians in time, preventing further depletion. This allowed her a sliver of clarity to swiftly withdraw, sit in meditation, and restore her energy. She had expected the task to be arduous, but never anticipated it would be so perilous—her life hanging by a thread each minute. Hansu couldn’t help but resent the Earth Immortal’s friend; had she not possessed some unique means, her core would have shattered from the loss of energy during her formation, and she could never have succeeded in aiding his friend now.

It was as if no consideration was given to the limits of ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators—how long could someone of her level endure such demands? What Hansu didn’t know was that Xuanting had thought about all these problems. If a Nascent Soul or even a Divine Transformation cultivator were available, it would be much better. But his friend, Rong Ling, was gravely injured, and finding dual ice-fire spiritual roots was nearly impossible. To wait for a Nascent Soul or Divine Transformation cultivator would take an unknown amount of time, and every delay worsened his friend’s condition.

Should a Divine Transformation cultivator with ill intent arrive during Rong Ling’s weakest moment, they could use secret techniques to seize his body... Moreover, the lower the cultivator’s stage, the more tempted they would be to change their cultivation method, and only someone at a lower stage could feasibly switch techniques. Only by practicing this method could they best heal Rong Ling—and be easier to control. Thus, Xuanting had devised a series of safeguards regarding endurance. He reasoned that anyone blessed with such rare dual ice-fire roots must have considerable luck and likely some secret means to preserve their life, so he let matters unfold.

Hansu told her parents she would be in seclusion to cultivate, but in truth she spent most of her time in the Immortal Palace. There, she transferred energy to the master, then meditated to recover, repeating this cycle endlessly. She had expected some adverse effects, but was surprised to find that draining her energy and slowly replenishing it actually accelerated her cultivation. This was an unexpected boon.

Yet, after hundreds or thousands of sessions, the Earth Immortal showed no sign of awakening. She sensed his vitality was stronger, but still no hint of consciousness. Perhaps her energy was simply too meager, and it would take much accumulation to affect him. Realizing this, Hansu was less anxious. First, transferring energy was beneficial and harmless to her—only time-consuming. Second, she had already been in seclusion for eight years since forming her core.

She paused her tireless care, choosing instead to venture out. After this experience, using the Immortal Palace now felt strangely unsettling. The palace had been acquired through exchange, unlocked from a jade token, and was an unclaimed item. After refining it, it should have belonged solely to her. Yet now, its creator and rightful master lay inside... She couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that she was an intruder.

Furthermore, the palace had been modified and blessed by another "great villain," Immortal Xuanting. What if she was tricked again while using it? This made her hesitant. But on second thought, since healing the palace master entitled her to the method of "Mystic Fire, Ice Heart" and the palace itself as her reward, she should use it confidently. Thus, she resolved to make the most of it, flying and traveling across Yaohua in another grand tour.

Recently, Immortal Lutansian’s fortunes had been particularly poor. Granny Hua had reached a bottleneck in her cultivation and needed to devour some souls to advance. Previously, it was enough to occasionally leave the mountain to find wandering ghosts in nearby villages, but now, in this critical stage, even a multitude of lonely ghosts couldn't induce her breakthrough. Granny Hua urgently needed the soul of a cultivator...

This posed a major problem. It would be easy to slip into a trial and let a disciple perish—such things were not uncommon. But in recent years, peace prevailed: there were no trials, no secret realms, and even few external missions. Thus, acquiring a cultivator’s soul became an urgent issue.

Lutansian tried hiding in the shadows, quietly disposing of a few inconspicuous outer disciples, but their cultivation was too low and insufficient. Once, during an external mission, she encountered a Foundation Establishment disciple who matched Granny Hua’s requirements. She couldn’t resist, and together they killed him. But this act brought trouble.

The sect had a group dedicated to covert tasks—investigating threats to the sect, or handling unsavory business. These individuals were selected and trained by the sect’s shadow division from the start, though they were not officially members, merely servants of the elders. When they gathered intelligence and proved themselves, they earned a chance to join the division formally. Though their cultivation was high, they remained unpopular.

Lutansian was targeted by one such person. It was odd; she had always sensed someone watching her, but when she tried to investigate, she found nothing amiss, so she paid it little mind. After moving to the main peak, Lin Yuansheng rekindled his friendly relations, hinting he wished to treat her as a sister. Though she was impatient with him, she always kept up appearances, which inadvertently saved her.

A few days ago, Lin Yuansheng came to her, furtively claiming he had a secret to share. From him, she learned she was under surveillance—suspected of harboring ghosts that endangered other disciples. Lutansian hated this meddler bitterly. Because of him, she dared not continue her illicit activities; Granny Hua’s advancement was stalled, and any mishap could be disastrous.

Lutansian deliberately acted suspicious one day, circling through secluded spots. With precautions, she could vaguely sense someone tailing her—a novice, lacking skill in concealment, so she easily detected traces. Pretending to squat and perform some odd behavior, she lured him closer, then threw a soul-tracking incense seed she had acquired by chance. Unaware, he carried it off, and Lutansian could now track him via a certain spirit insect.

Upon returning, she began preparing to lure out and eliminate her pursuer. Lin Yuansheng had told her that these people took on missions to gain sect contributions and clear their status. They acted independently, reporting only after securing evidence. This one likely chose to follow her on his own, so even if she killed him, no one would notice.

She made thorough preparations, knowing she must strike decisively or risk alerting him. Yet, he was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator—ordinary means would not suffice. While debating whether to enlist help, her spirit insect reported his presence nearby.

Lutansian applied a high-level invisibility talisman and, guided by her spirit insect, set out to probe his abilities and plan her next move. But what she discovered was a shocking secret.

Beneath the Spirit Medicine Peak lay a hidden valley, rarely known. It was unremarkable except for its lush flora and charming scenery. Due to its secrecy, couples from the sect would sometimes frolic there.

When Lutansian arrived, she saw the man marked by the incense seed rendezvousing with a female cultivator. The two were clearly deeply in love, neglecting even basic protection or concealment formations, eagerly embracing and kissing for a long while before remembering to activate their wards. Within this brief lapse, Lutansian, drawn by the scent, witnessed the scene with her own eyes. The woman was Su Yunmo—the daughter of the master of Yaohua’s second highest peak! She was involved with a mere servant? Even Lutansian, transmigrated as she was, found such a pairing hard to accept. Evidently, the servant worked diligently to track her, hoping to earn merit and cleanse his status, gaining a chance to be with Su Yunmo.

How touching, but Lutansian had no intention of helping them. The method to ruin him was obvious: spread word of their affair, and others would take care of him for her. Moreover, it would serve a dual purpose—Su Yunmo’s involvement with such a man would hardly be honorable. She’d rid herself of an enemy while causing trouble for Su Yunmo; it was a perfect outcome!

Lutansian monitored her spirit insect upon returning, but unfortunately, the incense seed had a limited duration and soon dissipated. High-level invisibility talismans were rare, and the pair were not always so careless. Only after the seed faded and several talismans were spent did Lutansian finally capture an intimate image of the two embracing, stored in a memory jade, and made several copies to send out secretly.

This stirred the sect into an uproar. Rumors had circulated, but none dared inform the master of the Spirit Concealment Peak and his wife. With the memory jade exposed, the matter could no longer be hidden. Awaiting Su Yunmo was a new ordeal—one she might have anticipated, but surely not the scale of its impact. Had she foreseen this day, she would have been more cautious and sought a solution sooner. Alas...

Author’s note: Apologies! Family matters have prevented timely updates lately. Things should return to normal next week.