My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Lu Yang and Miao Gui exchanged a glance, neither of them knowing what he was going to do.

Shen Zhaoyue stood to the side, still silent.

Ye Qingfeng raised his hand and gently blew a breath.

A wisp of golden-red flame floated out of his mouth and landed on the inn.

In an instant, the flames spread!

The flames were intense yet pure, without a trace of smoke, only a warm glow.

It burned from the roof to the walls, from the walls to the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the entire inn was engulfed in golden flames.

Miao Gui opened his mouth wide.

He stared at the raging flames, then at Ye Qingfeng, his mind blank.

The inn just burned down like that?

The flames burned very quickly; in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the entire wooden building was reduced to ashes.

Lu Yang couldn't help but ask:

"Immortal Master, what is this...?"

Ye Qingfeng remained silent.

He simply raised his hand and gently pressed it to the ground.

"boom--"

The ground trembled slightly.

Lu Yang was startled and quickly looked down.

Then he saw a scene he would never forget—

Suddenly, countless tiny cracks appeared in the surrounding ground. Something was crawling upwards from those cracks.

It's a sapling.

Countless tender green saplings sprouted from those cracks and grew upwards at a speed visible to the naked eye.

One inch, two inches, three inches...

Half a person's height, one person's height, two people's height...

The saplings grew faster and faster, thicker and thicker, their branches and leaves stretching out wildly and intertwining. They grew in a circle around the ashes, then converged towards the center.

In the blink of an eye, a brand new wooden building appeared on the spot.

It's exactly the same as the previous inn.

Same layout, same size, same doors and windows.

The only difference is—

This inn is new.

It is grown from living trees.

Miao Gui was completely dumbfounded.

He stared wide-eyed at the inn that had sprung up out of nowhere, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.

Lü Yang is much better than him.

He paused for a moment and said:

"Immortal... Immortal Master, this... this..."

Ye Qingfeng ignored him.

He raised his hand and made a grasping motion towards a large rock in the distance.

The boulder rose into the air and flew right in front of him.

Ye Qingfeng pointed his fingers like a sword and made a few vague strokes on the boulder.

Stone chips flew everywhere.

A few breaths later, a stone tablet fell to the ground.

Several lines of text were engraved on the stele—

"This is the Corpse Transport Inn, where passersby can rest for free."

"No offerings are needed, no blood donations are needed. Just have good intentions in your heart, and you can sleep peacefully."

"If any evil spirits dare to invade, this stele will surely vanquish them."

The signature consisted of only one word—

"clear".

Ye Qingfeng raised his hand and pushed the stone tablet towards the entrance of the inn.

The stone tablet landed steadily on the ground and stood upright beside the door.

Sunlight shone on the monument, and the few lines of characters gleamed with a faint golden light.

Ye Qingfeng looked at the inn and stood with his hands behind his back.

Lü Yang leaned closer and asked cautiously:

"Immortal Master, have you... left a guardian spirit for this inn?"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him but didn't say anything.

Miao Gui also came over, looked at the stone tablet, then at the brand-new inn, and suddenly asked:

"Immortal Master, you said that if corpse-transporters stop here to rest in the future, they won't need to donate blood?"

Ye Qingfeng nodded.

Miao Gui paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up:

"That's great! I have to cut myself every time I pass by here. I've been doing this for three years, and my palms are practically raw from all the cutting!"

As he spoke, he stretched out his hand, his palm covered in crisscrossing scars.

Ye Qingfeng ignored him.

He simply looked at the inn and said calmly:

"I killed those three ancient corpses. The karma of them guarding this place has fallen on me."

He paused:

"I rebuilt this inn and set up restrictions to repay this karmic debt. From now on, anyone who wants to rest here will not have to pay the price."

Lu Yang seemed to understand but not quite, but he still nodded.

Shen Zhaoyue, who was standing nearby, suddenly spoke up:

"Master, the inscription you carved says, 'If any evil spirits dare to offend, this stele will surely vanquish them'—is this stele really that powerful?"

Ye Qingfeng glanced at her but did not answer.

He simply turned and walked towards the mountain path.

"Let's go."

Lü Yang quickly followed.

Miao Gui quickly followed, glancing back at the inn as he walked, muttering to himself:

"No need to donate blood...no need to donate blood...this trip was worth it..."

Behind me, the brand-new inn stood quietly in the sunlight.

The stone tablet at the entrance gleamed with a faint golden light.

......

Two days ago.

The border of the Ten Thousand Mountains is a dense primeval forest.

Ancient trees reach for the sky, vines entwine, and a perpetual mist lingers in the forest, making it resemble a lurking beast with its jaws wide open, waiting to devour any creature that dares to approach.

At that moment, a group of black riders were galloping towards them from a distance.

The sound of horses' hooves thundered, shaking the ground.

There were about thirty black-clad cavalrymen, each clad in iron armor, with long swords at their waists and crossbows hanging from their horses.

They formed a wedge formation, relentlessly pursuing the few figures fleeing in panic ahead.

Ahead, five horses are galloping wildly.

The person running at the front was wearing a magnificent deep purple robe, the hem of which was torn by thorns and covered in mud.

He lay on the horse's back, his face pale, with a trace of blood still clinging to the corner of his mouth.

Two bodyguards stood close to him, constantly looking back as they ran.

"Whoosh—!"

An arrow flew through the air and struck the last horse in the rump.

The horse neighed loudly, reared up, and threw the rider to the ground.

Before the man could even get up, the black-clad riders surged forward from behind, a flash of blades—

Blood splattered three feet deep.

"My lord! Let's go!"

The two guards in front had bloodshot eyes, but dared not stop.

They knew that if they stopped, the Marquis would surely die.

The man referred to as "Lord Hou" gritted his teeth and spurred his horse to gallop.

But the black knights behind him were too fast.

Arrows rained down, and another horse was struck and fell. The rider tumbled into the grass, and just as he was about to get up, he was trampled into a bloody pulp by the hooves of the pursuing horse.

There are only two people left.

The Marquis and a personal guard.

There were still more than twenty pursuers behind them.

"My lord!" the guard shouted, "The Ten Thousand Mountains are just ahead! You charge in! I'll hold them off!"

The Marquis turned around, looked at the blood-stained face, opened his mouth, as if to say something.

The guards had already reined in their horses, turned them around, and stood with their swords drawn.

"My lord, let's go!"

He roared, spurred his horse on, and charged toward the group of black riders.

The blade flashed.

The guard had cut down two, but was simultaneously pierced through the body by three longswords. He stared intently at the black-clad riders, and did not fall until his last breath.

The Marquis's eyes reddened.

But he didn't turn around.

He urged his horse on desperately, charging towards the misty forest.

......

"stop!"

A loud shout came from behind.

The lord ignored him and clung tightly to the horse's neck.

The horse seemed to understand human nature; its hooves flew, and it charged forward like a madman.

Thirty zhang (approximately 33 meters).

Twenty zhang (approximately 33 meters).

Ten zhang (approximately 33 meters).

Just as he was about to rush into the forest, he suddenly heard the sound of a bowstring behind him.

The lord felt a sharp pain in his back as an arrow pierced his shoulder blade.

He grunted and almost fell off his horse, but he held on to the reins tightly and didn't stop.

Another arrow struck his horse.

The horse let out a mournful cry, its front legs buckled, and it collapsed forward.

The Marquis was thrown out and rolled several times on the ground, suffering a head injury and bleeding profusely.

But he gritted his teeth, got up, and staggered toward the forest.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Finally, he rushed into the fog.

Behind them, the Black Riders stopped at the edge of the forest.

The leader reined in his horse, looking at the misty forest with an uncertain expression.

A lieutenant leaned over:

"General, these Hundred Thousand Mountains... should we continue the pursuit?"

The leader remained silent for a moment.

He had heard the infamous reputation of the Ten Thousand Mountains more than once.

Those who went into the mountains and never came out again, those stories of being eaten by mountain spirits and monsters, made him feel uneasy.

But if we don't pursue it...

He glanced back.

In the distance, those they had killed lay scattered about, their blood pooling on the ground.

If they don't bring that person back, they will all die.

He gritted his teeth:

"Chase!"

The lieutenant's expression changed:

"General, this mountain..."

"I know!" the leader interrupted him, "but if that Zhou fellow goes back alive, don't you know what will happen to us?"

The lieutenant remained silent.

The leader waved his hand:

"Dismount! Follow me into the mountains! We need to see him alive or dead!"

The black-clad riders dismounted, drew their long swords, and charged into the misty forest with the leader.

Behind them, only a few corpses and silence remained.

The fog gradually swallowed their figures.