The old crone could descend into reality? How was that possible? Empress Sandao's sudden appearance caught Zhang Yuanqing completely off guard, sending his adrenaline soaring and stretching his nerves to their absolute limit.
On the desk, the Elvis speaker shifted tunes, a low male voice crooning out:
"Most afraid of the air suddenly turning quiet, most afraid of a friend's sudden concern, most afraid of memories... most afraid of suddenly hearing news of you..."
Empress Sandao shifted her gaze, casting a chilling glance at the Elvis speaker on the desk.
In an instant, as if choked by the throat, the song cut off abruptly.
The air truly had turned quiet.
Zhang Yuanqing reacted swiftly, dropping to the floor in a bow.
"Greetings, Empress! Congratulations to Your Ladyship on escaping the Spirit Realm and descending into reality!"
No matter what, display the proper attitude first. Furthermore, his words concealed a small motive—to sound out Empress Sandao's true state, to see whether she had genuinely broken free from the Spirit Realm and what condition she was currently in.
Unexpectedly, Empress Sandao wasn't buying it. Frost gathered on her jade-like face, murderous intent pooling in her lovely eyes as she repeated:
"Old crone!"
*This woman isn't easy to fool.* Zhang Yuanqing grimaced inwardly, his thoughts spinning rapidly.
He reasoned that if Empress Sandao truly wanted to harm him, she would have struck in fury the moment she appeared rather than interrogating him repeatedly. Since she hadn't made a move, she had reservations.
What reservations? Either she worried that killing him would prevent the Demon-Subduing Pestle from returning to the Spirit Realm, or she faced restrictions upon descending into reality that prevented her from attacking, or left her powerless to do so.
Yet she was unwilling to let the matter slide, harboring lingering anger, which explained the repeated questioning.
With the Empress's figure, looks, and cultivation level—coupled with Yin Yang Sanren's secret crush on her—the old crone had undoubtedly been a renowned beauty with countless suitors in the cultivation world back in her day.
She possessed immense confidence in her own beauty.
For a peerless woman possessing celestial grace and jade-like features, calling her an "old crone" caused little actual harm, but the sheer insult of it was off the charts.
According to the life mentor's playbook, if he didn't "coax" her, her favorability toward him would plummet. If they crossed paths in the Spirit Realm later, even if she didn't kill him, she would find petty ways to get back at him—just like during the killing trial, when she had used his physical body to spy directly on the true form of the Blood Pond Fiendgod...
Zhang Yuanqing simply admitted his insolence and called out loudly,
"Junior was arrogant and knew not the vastness of heaven and earth, offending Your Ladyship with crude words. I beg Your Ladyship's punishment!"
Seeing that the old crone, who resembled an aloof celestial maiden, still kept a stern face, he smoothly added:
"Your Ladyship's peerless elegance outshines beauties that could sink fish, down geese, eclipse the moon, or shame flowers. Had one not met on Mount Qunyu's peak, beneath the moon at Jade Terrace they'd meet."
Empress Sandao snorted coldly. "Are you implying that I am Yang Yuhuan, a femme fatale who brought ruin upon the realm?"
*She even knows that allusion. She really is a figure who truly existed in history...* Zhang Yuanqing immediately said,
"Junior is an honest man and knows not how to praise a celestial maiden, but Your Ladyship's beauty surpasses anything in the mortal realm."
Only then did the old crone's expression soften slightly. Just then, footsteps echoed outside the door. She and Zhang Yuanqing turned their heads simultaneously.
His heart sank, but before he could do anything, he watched helplessly as the bedroom door pushed open. His grey-haired grandmother, wearing an annoyed scowl, barked:
"I told you to keep it down, keep it down—"
Grandmother's expression suddenly froze. Staring at her grandson prostrate on the floor, she asked in bewilderment,
"Yuanzi, what are you doing lying on the floor?"
*Oh, right! The old crone is in primordial spirit form; Grandma can't see her...* Zhang Yuanqing reacted quickly and blurted,
"Worshiping the gods!"
Grandmother: "...!?"
"Aiya, Grandma, stop bothering me! You didn't even knock before coming in. I'll be quiet, go on out." Zhang Yuanqing employed the usual impatient routine of youth.
"You must've blown a fuse. Get up, hurry." Grandma grumbled a few words, then backed out of the bedroom and closed the door.
*Bang!*
Once the door clicked shut, Empress Sandao pulled her gaze back and looked at Zhang Yuanqing, her delicate brows knitting together.
"Impudent brat. How dare you show such disrespect to an elder?"
Zhang Yuanqing was momentarily rendered speechless. He had no choice but to say, "Your Ladyship is right to scold me."
After a pause, he asked, "Your Ladyship can descend into reality now?"
Empress Sandao looked down her nose at him, seemingly seeing right through his thoughts. She said impassively:
"By drawing upon the yang soul residing within the Demon-Subduing Pestle, I can project my will. Whenever you take out the Demon-Subduing Pestle in the mortal world, I can sense it."
Sensing her own condition, she added:
"However, each descent can only be maintained for two days. If I engage in battle, the drain on my primordial spirit intensifies, and I will quickly return to the Spirit Realm, requiring three days before I can descend once more."
Zhang Yuanqing cursed "Holy crap" in his mind. *What a venomous old crone! She could clearly descend into reality through the Demon-Subduing Pestle, yet she never breathed a word about it inside the trial. On the contrary, she repeatedly reminded me that she could only sense the Demon-Subduing Pestle if I took it out inside a trial, deliberately lowering my guard! She was blatantly trying to trap me! It's over. Now, whether in reality or in a trial, I can't use the Demon-Subduing Pestle. My only option is to return it to her...*
While his thoughts ran wild, Empress Sandao's gaze drifted across the room, carefully and slowly scanning everything, seemingly filled with intense curiosity toward the objects here.
She looked very slowly; every single item in this room fascinated her.
Zhang Yuanqing noticed that her eyes lingered the longest on electronic products like the computer, phone, and television.
After examining the items in the room, Empress Sandao floated over to the window, gazing down at the scenery of the residential compound and the rushing traffic on the street below. After drifting in a daze for a long while, she asked:
"Since the founding of the Great Ming dynasty, how many years have passed?"
*Over six hundred years, old crone...* Zhang Yuanqing answered:
"Your Ladyship, over six hundred winters and summers have passed."
Empress Sandao fell silent for a moment before sighing wistfully:
"Six hundred years, gone in the snap of a finger..."
At this moment, her brow softened slightly, tinged with a melancholy sense of passing time.
From this angle, Zhang Yuanqing could see her side profile clearly. The old crone had well-defined features, lush and alluring lips, a smooth jawline, and naturally curled, thick eyelashes.
Every contour of her features and the lines of her cheeks seemed meticulously sculpted.
Flawlessly beautiful. Setting aside her aloof and imposing aura, judging purely by looks, the old crone truly possessed celestial beauty.
A pity her court robes were so modest—one could only tell she was tall and slender, without any glimpses of the finer details.
Just as Zhang Yuanqing was considering whether to offer a few words of comfort, the old crone spoke:
"I have entered several trials whose styles resembled the mortal world, so I know earth-shattering changes have unfolded outside. In six hundred years, the changes in the mortal realm have surpassed those of the past several millennia.
"Such a colossal transformation is something I cannot comprehend."
*No wonder she focused on electronic products—she knew they were symbols of the new era...*
Zhang Yuanqing instantly understood her melancholy. He had read Yin Yang Sanren's Dao Cultivation Records and knew Empress Sandao was not originally from the Ming dynasty, but from an even earlier era—perhaps the Song or Tang dynasty.
The old crone had lived through centuries of world-altering changes. Yet from the Tang and Song dynasties to the Ming, human civilization had changed comparatively little; it remained a feudal dynastic empire.
Under a similar cultural fabric, how much could systems and environments truly change?
Moving from the Tang or Song to the Ming, at most one would sigh at the passage of time and the rise and fall of dynasties. But transitioning from the Ming dynasty to the modern world was a shock that completely shattered one's worldview.
Hence the old crone's lament.
Zhang Yuanqing said in a low voice:
"Your Ladyship, if someone from the Yin and Shang dynasties looked upon the Great Ming, they would feel the same way!
"The era you hailed from and the era of the Ming dynasty were both dynastic empires under the same underlying framework. Thus, you felt that through centuries of human vicissitudes, little had genuinely changed.
"However, in the past one to two centuries, the world has undergone earth-shattering transformations—a change far beyond mere dynastic succession. Just as from Yin-Shang to Ming, what has shifted is the very fabric of human civilization."
"The fabric of human civilization..." Empress Sandao murmured softly. Looking back at Zhang Yuanqing, a flash of surprise appeared in her beautiful eyes. "You are so young, yet your speech is remarkably refined. Are you a scholar as well?"
Zhang Yuanqing answered modestly, "Your Ladyship, education flourishes in the modern era. Young people are all scholars."
Empress Sandao nodded in understanding and was about to move on when the young man named "Yuanshi Tianzun" puffed up his chest and lifted his chin with pride:
"Yet Junior is different from them. In the terminology of Your Ladyship's era, Junior is a scholar of the Imperial Academy and already holds official rank in the imperial court. I am an accomplished youth of our times, possessing the caliber of a Senior Grand Secretary!"
Surprise flickered across the old crone's eyes before quickly receding. She commented dryly:
"Your thick skin certainly possesses the caliber of a Senior Grand Secretary."
Suddenly, her brows furrowed, and she fixed him with an intense, piercing stare. "How did you know I was not from the Great Ming?"
Zhang Yuanqing answered truthfully, "Junior once entered a Spirit Realm called 'Yin Yang Town' and obtained Yin Yang Sanren's Dao Cultivation Records from it. He mentioned Your Ladyship in those records."
The old crone pondered for a few seconds before recalling who "Yin Yang Sanren" was. She remarked calmly:
"Was he trapped within the Spirit Realm as well?"
"No, he passed away..." Zhang Yuanqing shook his head.
Empress Sandao was taken aback for an instant, then gave a slight nod without saying anything.
Silence hung in the room for several seconds before the old crone parted her red lips.
"My descent this time is to witness the changes in the mortal realm and learn more about you Spirit Realm walkers."
With that, her obsidian, lacquer-bright eyes gazed at him silently.
Zhang Yuanqing took the cue. "Junior will hold nothing back and share everything I know!"
Right then and there, he gave the old crone an exhaustive briefing covering the number of Spirit Realm walker classes, the current understanding of the Spirit Realm, the trial mechanics, item rules, the conflict between the orthodox and evil factions, and the organizational structures of Spirit Realm organizations in the real world.
He talked for a full half hour.
Empress Sandao listened with furrowed brows, remaining silent and expressionless for a long time.
She had already gathered some information from walkers entering the Spirit Realm, knowing of the trials' existence and that present-day practitioners depended on character cards and this so-called Spirit Realm.
Yet after filling in the gaps through Yuanshi Tianzun's explanation, her doubts were not dispelled; instead, even more questions welled up.
Since she didn't speak, Zhang Yuanqing didn't dare interrupt. He quietly observed this ancient beauty.
Though both wore magnificent, ethereal ancient attire, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter felt like an eccentric demonic sect enchantress—quirky and unpredictable, affectionate one moment and ruthlessly cold the next.
Yet she was still a peer of his generation.
The old crone, on the other hand, while captivating enough to topple kingdoms, exuded a lofty, transcendent aura—like a goddess enshrined upon an altar for mortal worship.
Ever since becoming a Spirit Realm walker, neither wealthy businesswomen wielding fortunes nor high-society matrons married into affluent families in the real world could evoke awe in Zhang Yuanqing.
The old crone was among the exceedingly rare women whose aura was so formidable that she reminded him of his primary school English teacher.
When he was in primary school, his English teacher had been very young and beautiful, but extraordinarily strict. Always cold-faced, if anyone drifted off or failed to pay attention in class, she would rap their palms with a ruler.
The young boys in the class were all terrified of her, and Zhang Yuanqing had been no exception.
To put it in trendy phrasing: on this day, Zhang Yuanqing once again recalled the dread of being dominated by his English teacher and the humiliation of having his palms struck before the desk.
After a long time, the old crone gave a slight nod.
"I have asked my fill."
*Then it's my turn...* Zhang Yuanqing immediately asked:
"Your Ladyship, I have always wondered: are you a fictional entity created within the Spirit Realm, or do you genuinely exist?"
Empress Sandao replied:
"I was trapped within the Spirit Realm while in slumber."
*As expected...* Zhang Yuanqing's suspicion was validated. He asked again:
"How many figures like Your Ladyship exist within the Spirit Realm?"
To this question, the old crone replied:
"They can be counted on one's fingers!"
*So there really are others...* Zhang Yuanqing flattered her:
"Your Ladyship is truly a rare paragon in the long river of history. Um, Junior has one more puzzle: why was there no Spirit Realm in your era?"
Empress Sandao pondered for a few seconds before answering:
"The concept of 'spirit realms' has existed since antiquity, but it referred to blessed grottos and paradises, not this Spirit Realm. Ancient Daoist cultivators absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate, meditating to comprehend the Dao and refining pills and elixirs. Their method of cultivation was completely different from yours.
"The classes, however, have been preserved, though prior to and during the Great Ming, there was no notion of 'classes.' We categorized factions into righteous sects and demonic cults based on their cultivation methods.
"The Bewitching Demons, Witch Doctors, and Illusionists you spoke of practiced brutal and sinister cultivation methods, despised by the righteous path of the world. They were classified as demonic sects and heretical ways."
Zhang Yuanqing had already learned this from Yin Yang Sanren's Dao Cultivation Records. "And demonic sects and the righteous path weren't entirely incompatible as fire and water?"
Empress Sandao nodded.
"With clashing ideals, fighting and killing were inevitable, but there was no mandatory hostility."
Saying that, she scrutinized Zhang Yuanqing.
"To reach the Saint stage at your age would make you a first-rate genius in any sect. However, cultivation in the Dao was arduous and progress was slow, whereas for Spirit Realm walkers, every step of advancement is a trial of life and death. There are gains and losses; the two cannot be directly compared."
*Meaning ancient cultivators had it tough and slow, but comparatively safe, whereas Spirit Realm walkers are forced into trials and advance at lightning speed—many reaching the Dominator stage or even demigod stage while young—yet suffering an extremely high mortality rate...*
Zhang Yuanqing furrowed his brows and asked, "Does Your Ladyship know the reason for the Spirit Realm's emergence?"
His question struck straight at the core.
"That is precisely what baffles me. In my era, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was gradually drying up, making it harder and harder for cultivators to emerge. Such changes in heaven and earth are beyond mortal power to alter. Yet the Spirit Realm reversed all of it." Empress Sandao said solemnly:
"The Spirit Realm was by no means forged by human hands. It is difficult to fathom what caliber of existence could accomplish such a feat. And if such an existence truly walked this world, why did they never appear over the course of thousands of years?"
As Zhang Yuanqing pondered, he let his imagination run wild. "Could it be that the reason for the Spirit Realm's emergence is directly linked to the exhaustion of heaven and earth's spiritual energy?"
For instance, someone had gradually siphoned away the spiritual energy of the world to form the Spirit Realm, which left ancient Daoist cultivators unable to cultivate.
The razor-sharp old crone glanced at him. "To what end?"
*That goes beyond the syllabus...* Zhang Yuanqing was unable to answer.
Empress Sandao said:
"Nonetheless, having traversed many Spirit Realms, I have found that the higher a Spirit Realm's status, the greater the secrets it holds. Regrettably, restricted as I am by the Spirit Realm, I can only influence low-tier trials. Beyond the Saint stage, I can merely observe without probing deeper, lest I incur heavenly retribution.
"If you have the opportunity in the future, you may investigate."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded and followed the train of thought. "What was the cultivation world like in ancient times? When did the exhaustion of heaven and earth's spiritual energy begin?"
With grand-masterly poise, Empress Sandao answered every question:
"In the era of my birth, immortal sects and demonic paths stood in abundance. Practitioners could soar into the heavens, burrow into the earth, move mountains, and overturn seas. Yet with each subsequent dynastic transition, spiritual energy depleted by another measure. By the early Ming dynasty, both righteous and heretical factions had declined, and countless mighty figures exhausted their lifespans, turning into yellow dust.
"Before my time, people already venerated antiquity while disparaging the present, claiming ancient mighty figures were as numerous as clouds, far surpassing those of their contemporary era. I took it merely as human vanity and cynicism. Only many years later did I realize that spiritual energy had been declining since ancient antiquity, and cultivators truly grew weaker with each passing generation."
*Seen this way, the exhaustion of spiritual energy didn't begin overnight. Perhaps the entire history of humanity is simply a history of spiritual energy decline?* A thought struck Zhang Yuanqing.
"Your Ladyship, in your era, did anyone investigate the root cause?"
"Naturally. Yet at that time, the Spirit Realm had not manifested. How could the transformations of heaven and earth be something we could fathom? Only through ancient myths and anomalous lore could one glimpse a corner of primeval times."
*Glimpsing the past through myths—that's a decent angle...* Zhang Yuanqing pivoted to another question:
"Yesterday, the existence Your Ladyship witnessed through me as a conduit—what sacred entity was that?"
Empress Sandao replied chillingly:
"Were you to know, the next time you enter the Spirit Realm, you would undoubtedly be targeted by that entity."
"Junior is suddenly not curious anymore..."
The corners of Empress Sandao's mouth curved upward faintly. Seeing this reckless young man staring intently at her lips, she pursed them at once and let out a cold hmph.
Zhang Yuanqing swiftly averted his gaze and diverted the topic:
"Your Ladyship, back when I entered the Mountain God Temple and paid homage to Your Ladyship's divine statue, I learned by chance that your disciple, the temple master, slaughtered the temple's disciples seemingly in pursuit of immortality?"
A flicker of fury surfaced on the old crone's stunning, fair face.
"That unworthy scoundrel fell into the demonic path for the sake of longevity. Finding it difficult to absorb heaven and earth's spiritual energy, he set his sights on his fellow disciples, refining them into spirit pills. He then treated me as a cauldron, using the divine power of the sun within my body to purify the impurities in the spirit pills and boost his cultivation.
"After the disciples were wiped out, he cast aside his mortal body to fuse with the tree demon, clinging to a shameful existence. For disposing of such a vile traitor, I must thank you for cleaning up my sect."
Having said that, the old crone sighed:
"At the founding of the Great Ming, many sect leaders and elders across the martial world fell into the demonic path for the sake of longevity. When heaven and earth underwent upheaval and spiritual energy withered, all living things struggled to survive—no different from famished commoners exchanging children to eat. It was hardly uncommon."
Her words resolved many of Zhang Yuanqing's questions.
First, the temple master's motive for slaughtering the disciples was explained. Second, why there had been a spirit body crystal in the old crone's mouth also had a logical reason.
As everyone knew, devouring spirit bodies entailed corresponding mental corruption.
However, the divine power of the sun could purify corruption. That was why the temple master had stored the spirit body crystal in the old crone's mouth, and why the tree demon's roots had clung so possessively around the stone coffin when Zhang Yuanqing first saw it.
These details were confirmed one by one.
"If Junior's guess is correct, after heaven and earth's spiritual energy dried up, Your Ladyship had no choice but to enter slumber in order to survive. Since deep sleep can effectively prolong lifespan, why didn't he follow your example?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
Empress Sandao stood with her hands clasped behind her back.
"This method requires a Golden Crow."
Seeing the Imperial Academy scholar looking utterly lost, she added:
"What you people call a Day Wanderer."
*In ancient times, Day Wanderers were called Golden Crows?* Zhang Yuanqing understood. He immediately thought of Commandery Princess Yin Yao, that beautiful yet sinister yin corpse commandery princess, who possessed Saint stage cultivation.
Yet her method of lingering on was to refine herself into a sapient yin corpse.
If a Saint couldn't achieve deep sleep, how could a temple master at the Night Wanderer stage manage it?
Speaking of Commandery Princess Yin Yao, Zhang Yuanqing felt deep sympathy for the old crone.
Her disciples: one treated her as a cauldron to purify spirit body impurities, while the other was even more ruthless, stealing her jade coffin and swapping it for a stone coffin.
Filial piety at its finest, each more dutiful than the last.
A thought stirred in Zhang Yuanqing's mind, and he asked:
"Does Your Ladyship have a lay disciple named Commandery Princess Yin Yao?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he clearly saw the old crone's face darken. That delicately carved jade face and those lacquer-bright eyes quickly frosted over.
She glared at Zhang Yuanqing. "How did you know of her?"
"Junior met her inside a trial before. She refined herself into a yin corpse and has lingered on to this day. A while back, she nearly killed Junior." Zhang Yuanqing immediately sold out Commandery Princess Yin Yao and snitched on her to her master.
Empress Sandao took a deep breath.
"Which trial? What is its serial number?"
*Sorry, Princess. Bear with it and serve as my tool to farm favorability...* Zhang Yuanqing announced loudly:
"Mute Village, serial number: 1018."
"Mute Village..." The old crone pondered for a few seconds before nodding.
"Very good! She is still alive—that is very good. Yuanshi Tianzun, you have performed a great service. I shall reward you in due time."
"To serve Your Ladyship is Junior's honor," Zhang Yuanqing said delightedly.
Empress Sandao nodded in satisfaction. Her eyes shifted, and she suddenly said:
"Where is your yin corpse? Having just returned to the mortal realm, I wish to take a walk around. It would be ideal if there were a physical body to house my primordial spirit."
*You want to go out and have fun?* Zhang Yuanqing said hurriedly:
"Junior's yin corpse was damaged and is currently kept in the official warehouse; she is not with me."
Hearing this, the old crone showed some disappointment. She said:
"Summon Bai Lan. When I travel, I require a maidservant to accompany me."
Lacking a physical body was of no consequence; a primordial spirit could roam the mortal world just the same.
How could Zhang Yuanqing dare refuse? He exhaled a breath of Lunar Qi beside him. Amidst the swirling, frigid aura, a figure draped in a brilliant crimson wedding dress materialized.
"G-Greetings, Empress..."
Before the Ghost Bride could even call him "Husband," she caught sight of the Empress standing in the room, peerless and divine in beauty. Instantly, she dropped to her knees with a thud.
As her master, Zhang Yuanqing sensed the Ghost Bride's thoughts through their brand:
*How did she escape the Spirit Realm?*
*She doesn't seem to want to harm Husband... What is she after? Steal my husband?!*
Grief, indignation, and helplessness.
*Wife, you really have quite the inner monologue...* Zhang Yuanqing coughed lightly and said on his own initiative:
"Wife, Her Ladyship's primordial spirit has descended, preliminarily freeing her from the Spirit Realm—a truly momentous occasion! She wishes to see the outside world. Attend to her diligently."
The Ghost Bride felt even more sorrowful in her heart. In a soft, delicate voice, she murmured:
"Bai Lan understands."
Immediately, two ethereal silhouettes drifted out the window and vanished.
*Zzzt—* The Elvis speaker came back to life, its speaker blaring out a call:
"The wolf is gone, folks! Come on out—! The wolf is gone, folks—"
"Shut up! Do you want to summon her back?" Zhang Yuanqing snapped.
The Elvis speaker shifted audio tracks, bursting into an intensely passionate love song:
"You're so beautiful, you're so beautiful, you're so beauti-beauti-beauti-ful..."
Amidst the endless chorus of "beautiful," Zhang Yuanqing flopped onto the bed, mulling over his conversation with the old crone.
Time slipped by quietly. After an unknown while, he heard the security door slam shut with a loud *thud*, followed by his aunt's bell-like voice:
"Mom, did that wretched beast you're raising come back today?"
Chapter 288