I'm Ximen Qing, living in a ghost story!

"It seems your accumulation at the third level of the Acquired Realm is quite good. You actually broke through with the help of the medicine. This thousand-year-old ginseng is a great tonic, and its medicinal power is continuous. The aftereffects should be enough for you to break through to the fifth level of the Acquired Realm. However... why does it seem like your magic power is sealed in your dantian and not circulating through the body?"

Zhou Qingyun was a little puzzled and wanted to touch Ximen Qing's pulse.

But he easily dodged it.

"Ahem, maybe my magic is just a bit lazy. Anyway, it's getting late, the moon's already up. Shouldn't we go find that mountain old woman?"

Ximen Qing changed the subject and asked.

"Hmm..." Zhou Qingyun looked up and saw that the moon was already high in the sky.

"Alright, when I caught that yellow fox, I forced it to reveal the mountain old woman's lair. They can run away, but they can't hide. These demons all have their own lairs; even if they want to leave, they have to pack their belongings. We can just go and ambush it!"

"good!"

Ximen Qing's eyes lit up.

"But what about these people? We can't take them with us!"

Zhou Qingyun pointed behind Ximen Qing.

Ximen Qing suddenly realized what was happening and glanced at the bandits he had brought with him, as well as the people he had rescued.

He just ordered these people to dig pits and bury the innocent dead.

Everyone was covered in sweat at that moment.

"It's alright, they won't dare to run around. Although those powerful demons who had become powerful are dead, a large number of lesser demons have escaped and are hiding in the mountains and forests. If they are caught by chance, they will probably be made into that demon's delicacy. It's better to stay here. With these dead demons as a deterrent, those lesser demons won't dare to come near."

As Ximen Qing spoke, he subtly glanced behind him.

Sure enough, after hearing his words, those people felt a pang of sympathy and lowered their heads in silence.

"That's right, let's go!"

Zhou Qingyun seemed to be doing this for the first time as well, and subconsciously agreed to Ximen Qing's decision.

He then picked up a dark blue longsword and strode towards the distance.

"I thought my senior sister would be able to fly on a sword or something."

Watching Zhou Qingyun's retreating figure, Ximen Qing followed behind, letting out a seemingly casual sigh.

"Flying on a sword?"

Zhou Qingyun was pleased by the title "Senior Sister," flicked a stray hair from her brow, and shook her head, saying, "How is that possible! Without reaching the Innate Realm, one cannot condense a Yin Spirit; how could the power of a magic weapon possibly support a mortal body?"

"Oh?" Ximen Qing raised an eyebrow.

This was the first time he had ever heard of such a claim.

"What, you didn't know?"

"I'd like to hear more details!"

"Hmm, okay, I don't know how you learned it, but I've got nothing better to do anyway."

Zhou Qingyun glanced at the dark mountain road and began to explain the intricacies to Ximen Qing.

Unlike Gu Yunzi in Laoshan Temple, whose theories sound like half-baked nonsense.

Zhou Qingyun has a very solid foundation, and it's clear from her background that she comes from a prestigious and respectable family.

"The Nine Heavens are the stage of the Day After Tomorrow, with three transformations: the early, middle, and late stages. The early and middle stages involve accumulating magical power, while the late stage is about opening up the upper dantian and spiritual platform to facilitate the condensation of the Yin Spirit and the breakthrough to the Innate stage. Once you reach the Innate stage, you can fly on a sword, using your Yin Spirit to travel the world, and you can officially be called a Sword Immortal!"

"And then what about after the innate?"

Ximen Qing listened intently, unable to resist comparing the cards to the Water Margin heroes in his own card pool.

Most heroes' skills are acquired, with only a few Heavenly Star skills reaching the innate level or above.

The SSR star rating should be even higher.

So, I couldn't help but chime in and ask a question.

"After the innate?"

Upon hearing Ximen Qing's question, Zhou Qingyun revealed a look of longing and said, "After the Innate Realm, that's the realm of my masters and the others—the combined practice of Dragon and Tiger, the condensation of Yang Spirit, and the forging of the Golden Core! It's a realm rarely seen in the world!"

"Oh? Golden Core?"

Ximen Qing's eyes flickered, and he was about to ask a question when he saw Zhou Qingyun cover her mouth.

He looked into the distance.

Although neither of them could fly, they were still quite fast.

Putting aside Ximen Qing's passive bonus as a "gentleman on the roof," Zhou Qingyun was also skilled in lightness techniques, and the two of them had already crossed a mountain while talking.

We arrived at a near-right-angle cliff. Even though the moonlight was fairly bright tonight, it was still pitch black below.

Zhou Qingyun quietly led him to the side, looking down from above.

A huge figure was lurking in the shadows on the cliff. If Zhou Qingyun hadn't pointed it out, Ximen Qing really wouldn't have noticed it.

The location was extremely tricky; the cave entrance was in the middle of the cliff, and it was in a recessed area.

It was located on the back of Black Wind Mountain, extremely well hidden.

Under the gaze of the two people, the enormous body entered.

"If I hadn't run into that fox, I really wouldn't have noticed."

"Is this where Granny Shan is hiding?"

"That's right. The Mountain Granny's true form should be a mountain god statue that the mountain people worship. And this statue, at some point, developed sentience and became a demon. Gradually, it began to gather demons and became the lord of a mountain. And this should be one of her shrines."

Zhou Qingyun lowered her voice and explained.

"So, we're just going to wait here?" Ximen Qing felt quite novel. This was the first time he had followed someone else since arriving in this world, and it felt a bit like following someone into a dungeon.

"If you want, we can go in and catch her off guard."

Zhou Qingyun's words revealed her eagerness to try.

"Then let's go!"

Ximen Qing understood her implied meaning, stood up abruptly, glanced at the cave entrance on the cliff, and lightly touched the ground with his toes, landing on the cliff like a nimble monkey.

"What impressive skills!"

Zhou Qingyun's eyes lit up.

"Come here!" Ximen Qing reached out, and Zhou Qingyun grabbed his arm without any hesitation.

The two of them instantly jumped to the opening of the hole where the stone statue had been.

A musty, decaying smell wafted from the cave entrance.

"Walk!"

Ximen Qing took the lead and rushed in before Zhou Qingyun could speak.

then.

A dark light rushed towards us.

It struck his chest, producing a metallic clang.

clang!

"careful?!"

Zhou Qingyun anxiously drew her longsword and held it horizontally in front of Ximen Qing: "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing!" Ximen Qing rubbed his chest, grimacing.

It didn't break through my defenses, but it still hurts!

"Got it!" Seeing that Ximen Qing was alright, Zhou Qingyun breathed a sigh of relief and lit the talisman in his hand.

A burst of fire shot into the sky, illuminating the entire cave.

What came into view were several mandrills lined up in two rows; these were the ones that had just thrown things at Ximen Qing.

When the firelight illuminated the stone statue standing in the center, it transformed into a hunched mountain woman.

"You two! I haven't even come out of seclusion to wreak havoc, why are you pursuing me so relentlessly? Do demons deserve to die? Ah!"

"nonsense!"

Before Zhou Qingyun could reply, she heard a soft laugh from beside her.