The story of Lady Li’s family came to a temporary end with a conclusion that was both comical and realistic.

The moment her father, Qiu Mountain, discovered that Lady Li possessed an Immortal Bone and could even meet immortals in her dreams, he immediately abandoned his idea of raising her to be a foot-bound young lady.

He exclaimed in delight, "My daughter has such talent! How could she be matched with a mere mortal? Good child, cultivate well. Your father will send you soaring to the heavens!"

As he said this, he still had a large blister on his face from being burned.

That bright red blister looked ridiculous no matter how you looked at it. Where was even a trace of his former stern demeanor?

Song Ciwan let out a "Pfft," observed for a while longer, and then left the Qiu Family residence.

It is normal for people in this world to be utilitarian, which is what makes a noble soul seem all the more precious and rare.

But regardless, at least Lady Li’s fate was bound to change.

Song Ciwan couldn’t save a person for their entire life. She would only plant seeds. As for whether these seeds would ultimately grow into towering trees or fade into mediocrity during their growth, that was up to the seeds’ own destinies.

To be able to pick things up, to be able to put them down, and to be able to see things through—this was another truth Song Ciwan had gradually come to realize in her Cultivation.

To do good deeds as one pleases and reap rewards as fate dictates—this is how one who spreads the Dao will ultimately be favored by the Dao.

Gradually, Song Ciwan felt her thoughts become clear and her entire body relax in comfort.

After leaving the Qiu Family residence, she continued walking toward Wangjiang Mountain.

The closer she got to Wangjiang Mountain, the more the bottleneck that had been invisibly obstructing her body began to stir. Song Ciwan sensed it—she was about to break through!

The morning sun in the Mortal World grew increasingly dazzling. Under such intense sunlight, the city’s myriad formless energies, which had been swaggering and floating about all night, seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Perhaps they hadn’t truly ceased to exist, but at least for now, Song Ciwan couldn’t see them.

All she could see was the prosperity of the Mortal World, and on the first day of the new year, with the Yang energy rising, all evil and strange things had hidden themselves underground.

She hadn’t even encountered any of those people from the Otherworld she used to run into from time to time.

However, this was perhaps because she was too close to Wangjiang Mountain.

After all, who would have thought that the "Black Heart Demon Saber," hunted by the entire city, would dare to bring the Lankao Spring and Autumn Map to Wangjiang Mountain of all places?

Most of those people from the Otherworld who had stepped out from Illusory Nether City were searching for opportunities within the city—some seizing the chance to collect Divine Dao Magical Artifacts, some blindly searching for clues to so-called Spiritual Treasures, and others, having received notices from their families, were risking their lives to hunt down the "Black Heart Demon Saber"...

No one would come over to Wangjiang Mountain.

Wangjiang Mountain was the place in all of Pinglan City with the most abundant Vitality, but it was also the intersecting node between Pinglan City and Illusory Nether City.

Here, countless Cultivators were standing guard and clearing the area. Every blade of grass and every tree on Wangjiang Mountain had likely already been swept clean by Pinglan City’s upper echelons.

Therefore, subconsciously, people had secretly decided that Wangjiang Mountain was a place not to be visited.

’Everything here has been investigated and allocated. What reason is there to come?’

But Song Ciwan did the exact opposite. Wearing the face of Lu Bell, the Black Heart Demon Saber, she came to Wangjiang Mountain just like that.

At the foot of the mountain, the Cultivators from the Steward Hall stood guard as usual, carrying out their duties.

Song Ciwan was in the Otherworld; no one here could see her. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

She continued up the mountain path. As she walked, she kept casting the Ganlin Spell, healing the wound on her right arm at an extremely slow pace.

At the same time, she constantly adjusted her own aura, preparing for the impending breakthrough.

When she reached halfway up the mountain, Profound Level Cave Mansions began to appear.

In some of the Profound Level Cave Mansions, there were still Cultivators in seclusion for their Cultivation.

These types of Cultivators were true Ascetic Cultivators. They didn’t even leave for the new year, nor did they participate in grand events like the opening of Illusory Nether City, paying no mind to worldly matters.

They cared only for Cultivation, only for breakthroughs!

Song Ciwan did not disturb these people. She followed the path halfway up the mountain, walking toward the sides of Wangjiang Mountain.

After heading east for about thirty li, she finally found a vacant Profound Level Cave Mansion.

Like a wisp of Light Smoke, Song Ciwan drifted gracefully into the Cave Mansion. She then took out her Duality Heart Protection Array Plate and sat cross-legged under the Array Plate’s protection.

The breakthrough began, as naturally as water carving a channel.

Song Ciwan didn’t even have time to trade for cultivation time through the Heaven and Earth Scale. The True Qi in her Dantian, like a rising tide, could no longer be restrained. With a RUSH and a BOOM!

The barrier shattered. Song Ciwan broke through from Mid-Stage Qi Cultivation to the Late Stage!

It was like the moon pulling the river’s current, a hundred streams flowing into the sea.

In her Dantian, the Ming Zhu that served as the vessel for the Vast Sea Grotto Heaven floated in the void. Inside the Vast Sea Grotto Heaven, the Lankao Spring and Autumn Map trembled, as if suppressed and showing its submission.

Meanwhile, in Song Ciwan’s Sea of Consciousness, the Heart Sutra Fire of her Samadhi True Fire suddenly surged.

Below the Heart Sutra Fire, the illusory Heart Demon Seed also seemed to have grown stronger.

This Heart Demon Seed originated from the Void Illusion Demon Sword. The stronger it became, the stronger Song Ciwan’s Divine Soul Power grew. This, in turn, nourished her nascent divinity, making it seem more solid than before.

Song Ciwan successively took ten Red Sun Pills.

RUMBLE! Her True Qi surged. The dense True Qi burst from her Dantian, rapidly converging into her limbs and bones, flowing through all her meridians, expanding and strengthening them.

Song Ciwan focused on her breakthrough, feeling infinitely comfortable. Every bit of progress brought her immense joy.

Needless to say, the feeling was absolutely wonderful.

What she didn’t know was that while she was immersed in the joy of her breakthrough, the world outside Wangjiang Mountain was going crazy looking for the "Black Heart Demon Saber."

On Wangjiang Mountain, streaks of Communication Talismans flew back and forth. News was transmitted in and out as fast as a raging storm.

The storm had arrived, but there was nowhere for it to be unleashed.

In the City God Temple, however, the City God that Song Ciwan had thought about several times had a very pleasant Spring Festival.

The City God’s good mood started before sunrise, with the starlight that had wreaked havoc over Bright Moon Square.

At that time, the Big Dipper Array had spun out of control, drawing down countless streams of starlight that killed numerous Cultivators in Bright Moon Square. At the same time, also annihilated by this starlight were the countless formless energies that had been drifting over Bright Moon Square.

If one were to ask where in Pinglan City the formless energies were most concentrated, it was, without a doubt, Bright Moon Square.

Thus, when the formless energies above Bright Moon Square were annihilated in large swaths, the City God, who was presiding over a phantom starry sky in the depths of the City God Temple, felt as if a giant meat pie had fallen into his lap from thin air.

The City God was almost stunned.

He tugged on his own beard and yelped, "AIYO!" hopping on his feet in pain.

Then, the City God burst into laughter. "HAHAHA! What do you call this? Is it like that saying? ’When the path is lost among mountains and streams, a new village appears among the willows and flowers’?"

"No! This is heavenly grace!"

"It is Heaven itself wishing to extinguish this madness and let the righteous path of the Mortal World shine brightly!"

"Damn it all, you want to be arrogant? Let’s see you try being arrogant now!"

The Jade Ruyi took the opportunity to enlarge once more, plunging deep into the distorted vortex at the apex of the void.