At the foot of Danglang Mountain lay a barren wood.

The soil was grayish black, and with winter’s arrival, the trees had long since lost all their leaves.

At night, the bizarrely shaped, leafless trees with their twisted trunks added an eerie air to the place.

Yue Yan’s Raven had returned to the Imperial City, leaving only Dou Xie’s Raven circling overhead.

A Raven’s symbolic value always outweighed its practical use. A lone Raven was mostly used to sound alarms.

But as a member of Ye Weiyang, one had to bring a Raven. To be seen without one would be a loss of face.

Despite his swollen face and black eyes, Dou Xie strode ahead in high spirits.

The Raven’s flight path grew erratic as it circled in the air.

SCRATCH, SCRATCH, SCRATCH—

The scratching from the black Mao’er inside their Black Boxes grew louder and louder.

The Wimp, dazed as if he’d lost his soul, continued to walk at the head of the group, heading straight for Danglang Mountain.

"L-look... over there!"

Suddenly, Dou Xie, who was leading the way, shuddered. His voice trembled as he pointed ahead.

More human figures had appeared out of nowhere in the withered woods.

Some carried traveling packs, like Scholars on their way to an examination.

Others looked like wandering physicians, with small flags that read "Cures All Ailments" stuck to the bamboo cases on their backs.

Some were like grieving wives from secluded chambers, their clothes in disarray and shoulders half-bared, wandering about in a daze.

Still others resembled Jianghu Knights, with wine gourds on their backs and sabers at their waists, staggering as they walked.

A single glance revealed dozens of people entering the withered woods from all directions. They came from all walks of life, but they shared one thing in common: all were heading for the entrance to the winding path up Danglang Mountain.

"inspiration!"

Zheng Xiu touched his forehead, and with a flash of insight, achieved a critical success. He entered a state of supreme Concentration and activated his Spiritual Vision.

Feng Bei glanced at Zheng Xiu, her brow furrowing slightly.

Now just a few steps from the mountain, his Spiritual Vision enhanced by the critical success, the scene before him became as clear as if a filter had been removed.

A thin black thread extended from the top of each person’s head, converging somewhere deep within Danglang Mountain.

Zheng Xiu looked up in shock, his expression carefully guarded.

The distant, connected hills were shrouded in an oval dome. Ethereal, ink-like black flames twisted and writhed across its surface, occasionally spilling over the edges.

’It’s a Ghostly Realm, no doubt about it!’

Zheng Xiu had experienced the Baili Village tragedy twenty years ago. One look at the dome was all it took for him to know that a Ghostly Realm had formed around the mountain.

According to Feng Bei, the world had two sides: the Common World and the Darkness.

The two realms normally didn’t interact, but in places very close to the Darkness, a borderland would form. This was the "Ghostly Realm" that Zheng Xiu had entered before.

’But why would Danglang Mountain be so close to the Darkness?’

Zheng Xiu recalled the tragic scene at Baili Village.

He vaguely sensed a common thread—it seemed to be related to tragic mass deaths. But without actually going inside to investigate, Zheng Xiu couldn’t be sure.

This time, Zheng Xiu wasn’t worried about causing a butterfly effect like the one that occurred after he cleared the Baili Village incident.

Unlike Baili Village, which was a "Ghostly Realm of the past" that existed twenty years ago, the Immortal Maiden Temple was a Ghostly Realm in the present.

The three of them had long known Young Master Zheng was special. He possessed the strength of an ox and the ability of Spirit Communication; his Talent was so extraordinary he was practically a prodigy. They waited quietly for him to speak. Dropping all pretense, Zheng Xiu immediately described the scene his Spiritual Vision revealed.

"It’s actually formed a ’Dark Curtain’!"

Dou Xie exclaimed in shock upon hearing Zheng Xiu’s description.

Hearing another new term, Zheng Xiu silently looked to Feng Bei.

Feng Bei’s expression grew more solemn as she explained, "I didn’t expect this place to be hidden so deep. Inside the Dark Curtain is a complete ’Ghostly Realm’." She was quick to make use of the new term "invented" by Senior Zheng Shan. "A complete Ghostly Realm is separated from the Darkness by a razor’s edge. If the Filthy Qi from the Darkness were to leak out, many people at the foot of this mountain would die."

"Why would that happen?"

Zheng Xiu asked.

Feng Bei was silent.

Dou Xie stood to the side, his hands pressed together in silent prayer.

In his eyes, this situation was serious.

He had only ever heard his seniors talk about such things; he never expected to encounter one himself.

"How about this," Yue Yan suggested, biting her lip. "After daybreak, the Filthy Qi should weaken a bit. We could enter the Ghostly Realm then..."

Feng Bei shook her head, cutting Yue Yan off. "No. In my opinion, the formation of this Dark Curtain on Danglang Mountain was clearly deliberate. Whoever did this discovered us the moment we entered town."

Zheng Xiu frowned and strode forward.

People from all walks of life converged on a single path in the woods.

His Spiritual Vision still active, Zheng Xiu walked faster and faster, arriving before the hills in the blink of an eye.

The dome was right before him, its surface twisting like burning black flames, unfathomably deep.

This was the first time Zheng Xiu had approached a Ghostly Realm like this. But despite being so close, he still hadn’t received a notification for arriving at [Ghostly Realm - Immortal Maiden Temple].

"Young Master Zheng, don’t walk so fast!"

Yue Yan didn’t know Zheng Xiu was worried about Zheng Erniang back home, and simply thought the boy was being reckless.

"Meeeooow!!!"

Just as the three of them reached Zheng Xiu, a piercing shriek came from the Black Box on Yue Yan’s back.

Feng Bei stopped. Yue Yan hurriedly opened her Black Box to find the chubby black cat inside foaming at the mouth, passed out cold.

Zheng Xiu paid no mind to the three behind him and reached a hand toward the Dark Curtain.

[You have arrived at the Ghostly Realm - Immortal Maiden Temple.]

[You have entered Danglang Mountain.]

The text materialized before his eyes.

Zheng Xiu let out a huge sigh of relief.

He no longer had to ride the coattails of [Post Station Feng Bei].

Admittedly, the ability to enter [Post Station Feng Bei] and teleport to the Post Station at any time was quite convenient.

But he was used to taking the initiative, to keeping control in his own hands.

’From now on, *he* would be the one to decide whether to enter the Ghostly Realm!’

He was just about to turn and ask for Feng Bei’s opinion.

But he hadn’t even had time to pull his hand out of the Dark Curtain.

*Pop~*

A sudden suction force pulled Zheng Xiu’s entire body into the Ghostly Realm.

Zheng Xiu: "?"

Outside the Ghostly Realm’s Dark Curtain.

"You little glutton! Eat, eat, eat, that’s all you do! Serves you right!"

Yue Yan glanced at the black cat in Dou Xie’s box and knew at once that her own Mao’er had simply stuffed itself sick. It had thrown up all the undigested "wicks."

’And now I’ll have to clean the Black Box when we get back!’

During that momentary distraction, Dou Xie had clearly seen the young man get sucked into the Dark Curtain.

He pointed numbly at the rippling distortion ahead, his lips trembling. "He... he... he..."

Even though Zheng Xiu had beaten him up pretty badly on their journey, they were still on the same side. Besides, Dou Xie knew he’d been the one to inexplicably lose his cool and pick a fight. Now, seeing Zheng Xiu vanish into the Ghostly Realm, he began to panic.

Feng Bei’s pupils contracted sharply. She swept aside the long hair covering her right eye, revealing the strange iris beneath.

Her vision wasn’t as clear as Zheng Xiu’s Spiritual Vision, but she could still vaguely see a distortion in the scenery where he had disappeared, a clear line of separation.

When Yue Yan snapped out of it, she was dumbfounded. "That’s not right. How did he get in? Even we can’t enter without using a ’Barrier-Breaking Saber’ coated in the Night Lord’s blood."

Feng Bei appeared calm, but her mind was in turmoil over this sudden turn of events.

’Zheng Er is the son of Zheng Shan, my benefactor. I cannot let him die here.’

Feng Bei instinctively reached for the Dark Curtain but stopped short. With a flick of her wrist, a strangely shaped, curved dagger appeared in her hand. Without a second thought, she slashed the dagger at the Dark Curtain. The distorted scenery was sliced down the middle, like a Rift torn through a solid canvas.

"Zheng Er!"

Feng Bei’s fists clenched, her expression hardening. Shouting Zheng Er’s name, she ducked into the Rift.

Yue Yan and Dou Xie exchanged glances but still managed to follow Feng Bei into the Ghostly Realm just before the Rift carved by the Barrier-Breaking Blade closed.

...

Zheng Xiu had willingly entered the Ghostly Realm.

It couldn’t be considered a risk.

Though it had been nighttime when he entered, the moment he stepped into the Ghostly Realm, the world before him brightened.

Peeking through his fingers, he saw bright sunlight that seemed to splinter into a rainbow of colors. The air filled with the cheerful chirping of birds. He stood on a plank path that snaked up the mountain. To his left, a cliff face was blanketed in moss, and the fresh scent of grass drifted on the breeze.

"Young man, are you also here to pray for peace?"

A rustic mountain dweller with a messy beard, a basket on his back, and straw sandals on his feet, laughed heartily as he strode past Zheng Xiu. "A young’un like you, not even a whisker on your chin, daring to climb Danglang Mountain! Don’t tell me you’re also off to the Immortal Maiden Temple to pray for a blessing?"

"Husband, we’ve been married for five years and I’m still not with child. I hear the Immortal Lady is especially powerful. I think by this time next year, I’ll surely be expecting, won’t I?"

"Of course, my dear. I’ve heard the Immortal Maiden Temple works wonders!"

A newlywed couple walked past. The wife cradled her flat stomach, her face beaming with a smile as she dreamed of becoming a mother.

"I pray the Immortal Lady is as powerful as they say, and that I’ll become the top scholar!"

A Scholar passed by Zheng Xiu, panting as he climbed toward the summit.

"We pray to the Immortal Lady to grant us a good harvest this year! When winter comes, we’ll finally be able to afford some new padded jackets!"

Several farmers headed up the mountain, their faces full of hope.

"Heh! I wonder if this Immortal Lady is the real deal or not! I’ll just pray I can beat He Kun, get promoted and wealthy, and marry ten more beautiful wives and concubines!"

A portly local official wiped the sweat from his brow, climbing tirelessly upward.

A procession of people from all walks of life passed by Zheng Xiu.

Some of them noticed Zheng Xiu, others didn’t. But no matter how he reacted, they were like actors on a stage, completely unresponsive.

The crowd grew larger. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Zheng Xiu happened to spot the couple who sold flatbreads in Danglang Town. The wife was climbing the mountain, weeping and muttering, "I just pray that brute of a husband stops bullying me! Wuu wuu wuu..."

More and more people streamed past Zheng Xiu.

They came and went in a hurry, never pausing for a moment.

Suddenly, a familiar figure caught Zheng Xiu’s eye.

"I hear this Immortal Maiden Temple is quite powerful," a beautiful, mature woman said, holding a paper umbrella to shield herself from the Scorching Sun. Her face was hidden behind a thin veil. Though she was dripping with sweat, her pace never slowed as she climbed upward, one step at a time. "They say you have to climb a thousand steps to be considered truly sincere, and only the sincere will have their prayers answered. I don’t care if she’s a real Immortal Lady or a fake one. I just hope my family’s Master Zheng remains safe and sound, lives to be a hundred, and that his good fortune sees him through this crisis!"

’It’s Zheng Erniang!’

"Second Lady!"

Zheng Xiu rushed forward, wanting to get a closer look, but a sharp pain suddenly lanced through the space between his eyebrows. The scenery before him took on an illusory, ink-wash quality.

This time, his Entry Level [inspiration] skill triggered on its own. To Zheng Xiu’s eyes, Zheng Erniang’s figure became hazy and illusory. A single, thin strand of hair extended from the back of her head, pulled taut as if suspended from above.

At the back of the Second Lady’s head, her long hair slowly parted. In the shadow beneath it...

...a ghastly pale, bizarre face with hollow eyes and sharp fangs squeezed its way out.